News-Press DCCR 10-3-2013
Castle Rock
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 11, Issue 28
October 3, 2013
Free
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourcastlerocknews.com
Ex-mayor: Art removal hurts image Reed calls for return of melting-planet piece By Virginia Grantier
vgrantier@ourcoloradonews.com Randy Reed, Castle Rock’s mayor from 2006-10, recently asked Castle Rock Town Council to put back a bronze sculpture the town council removed this summer from town hall after Mayor Paul Donahue brought up his concern that the piece — which looks like a melting earth — might be politically contentious.
Reed said he didn’t think this was the image the town wanted to project. “We do welcome art, we welcome artists,” said Reed, who also served for six years on the town’s public arts commission. “Some of the best economic driv- Reed ers in communities around the country today are artists moving into communities bringing their studios and galleries.” At the same Sept. 17 council meeting, writer and actor Denis Gessing, of Castle
Rock, asked the same of council. He said because of council’s “outrageous censorship,” he took a survey of about 80 artists and patrons at the town’s recent art fest who signed his petition, which stated the following: “The sculpture is not the mayor’s and city council’s personal property to be censored, sold, traded, or removed based on their personal bias. We demand this sculpture be left in place.” Gessing said artists and patrons “showed concern with Castle Rock becoming an intolerant and repressive art community.” He said artists pay $350 for a booth along with travel and living expenses, and he won-
dered about the effect the council’s action might have on future art fests. The bronze sculpture, a piece about 8 inches tall, had been affixed to a stair railing. It resembled a melting earth with a bird looking on — and a plaque with the words “Global Warming” was near it. The town’s public arts commission, funded by individuals, private companies and an annual allotment from the Philip S. Miller Trust Fund, bought the piece in 2012 and placed it in town hall. Art continues on Page 31
Rally demands school changes Parents, teachers among Castle Rock protesters By Jane Reuter
jreuter@ourcoloradonews.com
From left, Jes and Kyla Graves, of Lone Tree, shop for 2-month-old Jennady during the Just Between Friends consignment event Sept. 26 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. Photos by Ryan Boldrey
Consignment event is mother lode
About 200 outraged parents, teachers and community members rallied in front of the Douglas County School District’s administration building in Castle Rock on Sept. 27. Cold, damp weather did not dim their enthusiasm or ire, which was directed at the school board and district leadership. Some drivers passing by on Wilcox Street honked and waved, some stared and others ignored the waving, chanting, cheering crowd. “I’m disgusted, I’m furious and I’m appalled,” said Janica Winn, holding a sign reading, “4 Kids, not 4 Profit.” Winn’s daughter graduated from the district and her son is a high school student. “I don’t feel my son is getting the same education my daughter did,” she said, citing larger class sizes, decreased graduation requirements and diminished electives Rally continues on Page 31
Mom-to-mom movement sees sharp rise in sales By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com As a mother of three, Deborah Freeman understands what it is like when children are constantly growing out of clothes and losing interest in toys. Because of that, Freeman is one of 10 event coordinators in Colorado for Just Between Friends, a national mom-to-mom consignment movement that takes over the Douglas County Fairgrounds for two weekends a year. The most recent event was Freeman’s most successful yet, as 500 first-time shoppers and volunteers participated in the exclusive presale on Sept. 25. By the end of the first day, sales had more than doubled from the previous year. Freeman said she expected about 5,000 moms to visit the sale over the four days from Sept.
Mary Wong, of Denver, left, and Krista Bogenrief, of Monument, standing at center, both with Javita Coffee Company, talk with a shopper at the Just Between Friends consignment event on Sept. 26. 26-29. “Being a mom is my full-time job, and during naps and at nights I run this full-time business. It supports me and my family,” said Freeman, who puts on a fall and winter/backto-school sale each September and a
spring/summer sale in the spring. “It’s a community garage sale with a twist. We inspect everything before we put it out on the sales floor and we
Event continues on Page 31
Parent Rebecca Waye and her son Tyson, 3, joined about 200 others during a Sept. 27 rally in Castle Rock. Photo by Jane Reuter