SENTINEL EXPRESS C O M M E R C E
VOLUME 34 32
C I T Y
50cI
SSUE 48 16 ISSUE
TUESDAY APRIL 20, 2021 TUESDAY , N,OVEMBER 24, 2020
New COVID-19 restrictions prohibit indoor dining, personal gatherings Post-COVID fun;will cities plan for summer festivals Big events are being separated in small venues spread out through the cities BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
When the pandemic hit in 2020 cities across Colorado had to cancel big events and festivals that not only impacted the cities economically but also affected communities socially. This year the big events are coming back, with a bang. The city of Fort Lupton cancelled both Independence Day celebrations and its traditional late summer Trapper’s Day event due to the pandemic last year. “Both signature events are planned to be bigger and better than ever with live music, car shows, rides, food trucks, and more. We feel that we’re not only planning something fun for the community, but we see these activities as a way to build pride and show off our resiliency after such a hard year,” said Christy Romano, Fort Lupton Events Coordinator. The Trapper Days celebration is September 10 this year. Trappers Days in Fort Lupton’s is the largest event celebrating the culture of Fort Lupton’s pioneers of the past, present, and future. The festival starts with a parade downtown main street
Brighton Summerfest event in 2019 and canceled in 2020. It’s scheduled in June 2021.
with live music, a beer garden, car shows, and vendors. The celebration continues at the historic park with the community dressed in the 1800s with cultural re-enactments and vendors. Hot air and chain saws
The Frederick in Flight Hot Air Balloon Festival was the town’s most significant event that was canceled in 2020. It usually features the colorful hot air balloons in the air visible from miles away.
A long line of cars outside the city of Brighton’s rapid testing site at Riverdale Regional Park. The site has had to close early many days in recent weeks due to high demand. Adams County’s 14-day test positivity rate was 15.9 percent, as of Nov. 17, according to Tri-County Health Department. STAFF REPORT City’s test positivity Manager’s for higher more than Brighton andBYCommerce ratesposition were both than SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA eight years. Tinklenberg had been 13 percent. Forty-five people in Brighton and 29 in Commerce City have filling the job as Interim Manager died from COVID-19 related health To McBroom limit the spread of COVID-19, since resigned. Commerce City will stay close to issues. “Following highly competitive home when it comesmoved to hiring a new restrictions at least 15 counties to tighter thataprohibits indoor and search for a new city manager, city manager, promoting Deputy personal gatherings.
COURTESY OF CITY OF BRIGHTON
“It was canceled due to COVID-19,” said Jessica Hill, Communications and Engagement Specialist. During the pandemic, Frederick had its annual outdoor Chainsaws and Chuckwagon event in July but made it a small socially distanced event, as was the annual Taste of Frederick festival. The Chainsaw artists were protected six feet away from the public and spread out. For the Taste of Frederick in June, residents stayed in the car and picked up samples of food from a variety of
vendors. This year the “Frederick in Flight Hot Air Balloons” is up, up, and way June 25-27. Finale Fridays, a street market festival with live music, produce, food and crafts, is planned for every Friday from June to September 2021.
By Ellis Arnold
county is required to follow based on the severity of a county’s local virus spread. The dial grew out of the state’s safer-athome order — the policy that came after the statewide stay-at-home order this City under McBroom springManager and allowed numerous typesin of 2016, overseeing the city’s capital businesses to reopen. improvement program, Commerce The community state recently switched to color City’s development efidentifiers — levels blue, yellow and golf forts and the parks, recreation, and public departments. orange ratherworks than numbered levels — to City Councilors interviewed avoid confusion. Until Nov. 17, levelsix red candidates for the City Manager’s meant a stay-at-home order. Now, level job during a special Saturday Zoom red — “severe risk” is the secondsession on Feb. 20— and then followed
Colorado Community Media
Safer events for 2021
Brighton canceled most of its big events in 2020 such as Summerfest, SEE SUMMER, P4
Commerce City makes Tinklenberg permanent manager
City Manager Roger Tinklenberg to fill the job permanently. Councilors met in executive session on April 12, part of their ongoing efforts to replace Brian McBroom, who resigned in July 2020. McBroom had been in the City
CONTACT
US AT
303-659-2522
Contact us at 303-659-2522
INSIDE THIS ISSUE INSIDE THIS ISSUE
the city council announced that they would enter into negotiations with the current interim city manager, Roger Tinklenberg, to become Photo by Belen Ward the permanent city manager,” Mayor Benjamin Huseman said in a written statement. “The city council
As Denver metro counties continue to inch closer to local stay-at-home orders will a decision appointundermake Colorado’s systemon of the coronavirusment at a future city council meetrelated restrictions, the state announced ing.” a new level of rules that indoor Tinklenberg is a 20 prohibits year veteran dining and personal gatherings — a with the city. He began working change that appliesCity to theinmajority with Commerce 2001 asof the Finance Director andmany was counties promoted Denver metro area and in to the city’s Administrative Services other regions. Officer, supervising the internal The state’s COVID-19 including dial, which the has service departments, been in effect since September, is the set offices of City Clerk, finance, human of different levels of restrictionstechnolthat each resources and information ogy. He began working as Deputy
FOLLOW THE SENTINEL EXPRESS ON FACEBOOK Follow the Sentinel Express on Facebook
LOCAL REGION
LOCAL 3 2 • Classes offer tips on OBITUARIES •27J Schools moves 5 3 different OBITUARIES LOCAL clouds, Dec. what1 online-only 8 6 kind of LEGALS SPORTS weather to 11 8 expect CLASSIFIED CALENDAR • Page 3 10 LEGALS • Page 3 11 CLASSIFIEDS
BUSINESS SPORTS • Shortened • Vestasbaseball to lay off 200
season has coaches employees talking • Page 9
• Page 6
that up with a series of closed-door executive sessions to discuss the job.
Please see RESTRICTIONS, Page 2
WWW.COMMERCECITYSENTINEL.COM
WWW.COMMERCECITYSENTINEL.COM