November 12, 2021
FREE
DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
ParkerChronicle.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 22
VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 50
School board victors set sights on mask rules Parker brewery celebrates 3 years in operation
Winners say they’ll work with health agency, superintendent BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
One candidate called it the race of a lifetime. And after months of simmering tension within the electorate, the Douglas County School Board election did indeed draw national attention as it became another contest defined by COVID mask-mandate disputes and critical race theory, or CRT. At stake was whether the Douglas County School District would begin “backing away from COVID and masking, and backing away from CRT, and backing away from some of the sex ed” programs in place, candidate Mike Peterson told Colorado Community Media. “I think it’s a macro issue that we’re seeing nationwide, and it’s about who has the role in raising their children,” he said. The district has followed masking guidance from the Tri-County Health Department, among other
Owners say it feels like ‘light at the end of a tunnel’ BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
opening of the Lone Tree location, the store had a police presence, a dedicated lane of traffic outside the restaurant and traffic coordinators. The project will require a public hearing before the planning commission and the town council because of an associated zoning amendment. This meeting has not yet been scheduled, according to a town spokesperson.
When Sharon and Aaron Murphy started the Welcome Home Brewery in Parker, they wanted to try something different from other craft brew spots. Instead of metal accents and sleek, identical furnishings, the brewery features mismatched chairs, old doors used as tables and vintage windows hanging from the ceiling. The space, located off Hess Road just south of Salisbury Equestrian Park, also includes an old piano and a fireplace to give it the feeling of a living room. “They’re all things you would find in someone’s home,” Aaron said. The hope was that the brewery would make customers feel like they’re sitting in their home, enjoying a beer with friends. Now, the brewery is celebrating its three-year anniversary, which is even sweeter this year because it means they survived the pandemic restrictions of 2020, Sharon said. “The first year of business is never easy and when you hit something like that in your second year, it’s kind of a kick to the gut,” she said about the pandemic. “When you really get to celebrate the third year it’s like okay, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel now”
SEE IN-N-OUT, P3
SEE BREWERY, P4
It was a celebratory mood at the election-night watch party of the Kids First slate for Douglas County school board, held at the Ascent on Main in Parker on Nov. 2.
SEE SCHOOLS, P12
PHOTO BY JESSICA GIBBS
In-N-Out eyes Parker for new restaurant Proposal in early stages at Pine Lane, Parker Road BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
In-N-Out Burger, the popular fast food chain based out of California, is looking at Parker for its next drive-through restaurant location. The company submitted a
preliminary site plan for a 3,000-square-foot eatery on the southwest corner of the Pine Lane and Parker Road intersection, according to the town’s project tracking website. This would be the sixth Colorado location for the franchise. Grand openings of other In-N-Outs in Colorado have had wait times lasting several hours that have continued for weeks after. For several weeks after the
OLD PUMPKINS A FARM FEAST Nonprofit fights food waste near Parker P2
ACCESSING THE OUTDOORS
Colorado provides recreational opportunities for people with disabilities P16