Clear Creek Courant 0303

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INSIDE ISPD chief bids farewell

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2021

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Idaho Springs: no event permits for 2021

Playing music in a pandemic

County, other towns are TBD BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

From left, Chase Garner, JT Lenz, Tristan Snook and Connor Kennedy perform during band practice at Clear Creek High School. To aid with social distancing, practices are PHOTOS BY DEB HURLEY BROBST held in the auditorium.

CCHS band says new protocols are weird but doable BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The Clear Creek High School auditorium is alive with the sound of music. Band students practice there rather than in the instrumental music room to help with social distancing as they meet COVID-19 protocols. Other things are different for the musicians, too: Horns have coverings on their bells to keep aerosol particles from circulating, and stu-

dents wear masks with slits in them so they can use their mouthpieces. “I know it looks silly,” instrumental music teacher Kayla Crego said, “but it works.” Crego said following research to keep musicians safe while playing their instruments has been paramount. The 22 band members sit spread around the auditorium with Crego directing from the stage. They hope to have an outdoor concert in May, depending on public health conditions. As principal Chris Gould says, “Flexibility, not perfection,” according to Crego, which she says gives her permission to be imperfect as she navigates teaching music dur-

Owen Yeatts plays his clarinet while wearing a mask with a hole cut into it to help curtail the spread of COVID-19.

Idaho Springs City Council decided last week that the city will not issue any event permits in 2021, citing COVID-19 concerns and the desire to protect organizers’ time and money. Local event coordinators who were hoping to host safe events this summer were frustrated by the decision, saying the community needs activities to bolster the city’s businesses and give residents something to do. As of Monday, the county, Georgetown and Empire had not made any similar decisions. Georgetown and Empire said any event permits issued would first have to be approved by the county health department and then the towns would conduct their own evaluation. County staff ’s preliminary plan is similar, but the commissioners would need to approve it sometime this month. Clear Creek moved to Level Blue on the statewide COVID-19 dial Friday morning. This level allows for 50% capacity at all events, with a 175-person cap for indoor ones and a 250-person cap for outdoor ones. Tim Ryan, the county’s public health director, said his department has been working one-on-one with

SEE BAND, P7

SEE EVENTS, P4

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