Elbert County News 0223

75 CENTS

February 23, 2017

ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO

A publication of

PUNCH DRUNK LOVE: Workout program takes aim at fitness, exes P10

“I get to see them and they get to see me in a totally different light,” said Elizabeth High School principal Bret McClendon

of his time rehearsing with students for the musical “The Little Mermaid”. From left are McClendon as King Triton, Kira Hudson as Ariel, Reanna Medina as a guard, and Seth Beebe as Sebastian the Crab.

JODI HORNER

REFERENCE SECTION: Library district offers World Book service P2

‘Little Mermaid’ has sprawling cast Principal jokes that ‘weak moment’ led to his role as King Triton

BY JODI HORNER SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Elizabeth High School’s spring musical may be called “The Little Mermaid,” but the production is anything

but little.

With 44 students in the cast and around 14 in the student tech crew, the stage and outlying areas of the cafetorium are packed with actors, directors, costumes and scenery.

Performing arts teacher Jennifer Barclay is striving to produce a show that will enrich the students’

FLEECE OF MIND: At this shop, alpacas rule P13

IF YOU GO When: March 2, 3 and 4 at 7 p.m.; March 4 at 2 p.m.

Where: Elizabeth High School cafetorium Tickets: $10 for students/seniors, $15 for adults or $35 for a family pack (five tickets) Purchase tickets now through a cast member, or at the EHS main office.

Contact: Stacie at 303-646-1771

SEE MUSICAL, P5

THE BOTTOM LINE PERIODICAL

‘If you own a restaurant or direct a film or perform in a play, you are up for grabs, and because of the internet, opinions can be tossed around anonymously.’

Craig Marshall Smith, columnist | Page 8 INSIDE

CALENDAR: PAGE 4 | VOICES: PAGE 8

ElbertCountyNews.net

| LIFE: PAGE 10 VOLUME 122 | ISSUE 3

2 Elbert County News

February 23, 2017F

Just the facts: Library system provides online encyclopedia World Book service is open to anyone who has card from Pines & Plains

BY JODI HORNER SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

In an effort to enhance its offerings, Pines & Plains Libraries recently subscribed to an online encyclopedia service provided by World Book.

According to a press release from Pines & Plains Libraries, “Kids, teens, and even adults will discover a wealth of information and interactive activities that make learning fun through this resource.”

The online service is free for anyone with a Pines & Plains library card, and can be accessed from anywhere internet service is available.

“Libraries traditionally have bought sets of encyclopedias,” said Pines & Plains Libraries Director Tim Miller. “We inquired about a set for each branch and got a price quote for a 2017 set. We decided the online product was more economically viable.”

Miller said the price for World Book Online is $1,400 per year. According to the World Book website, a set of 2017 encyclopedias costs $1,200.

World Book has published information encyclopedias for the past 100

Barbara McCague of Elizabeth tries out World Book Online at the Elizabeth Pines & Plains Library. McCague is working toward a mechanical engineering major and aerospace minor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. JODI HORNER years, and first became available in electronic formats in 1990. Its website with online encyclopedias was launched in 1998.

Miller is also enthusiastic about the accuracy of the information available from World Book Online.

Family Owned, Family Run • Colorado Company for Coloradans • 31 Years and Running • Award Winning • Residential and Commercial • Dedicated Friendly Staff

“The problem we run into for students in public and school libraries — and probably even in college kids — they don’t understand the difference between accurate information and stuff that’s just created,” he said.

“World Book is also a great source of vetted no-fake-news facts for reports, essays, or assignments,” Miller said.

Elizabeth Library Manager Mary Blosser is “hoping for more bona fide research,” she said, as opposed to googling or referencing Wikipedia.

Users of the site can rest assured knowing it’s secure, Miller said. “It’s important that their data is secure, no advertising profiling,” he said.

Miller is optimistic about the addition of the online service to the offerings of Pines & Plains Libraries “My hope is that we get a ton of use, and that we’re able help students as well as just citizens who casually use it to have fun exploring the information in the database,” Miller said.

He encourages people to use the libraries’ other services such as free wifi, ComicsPlus and Overdrive ebooks. Library cards can also be applied for online and picked up later.

“We have a bunch of lurkers in the parking lots using our wi-fi, and that’s fine by me,” Miller said. “We don’t care how you use your libraries, we just want to help you any way we can.”

Go to pplibraries.org to use World Book Online. Click on the “E-Books and More” menu item, and select the “World Book” option. You will need your 14-digit library card number to access the site.

Calm After The Storm™ • No Creepy Door Knockers • Manufacturer Preferred • Insurance Preferred • Free Estimates • Claim Experts

303.425.7531 | www.JKroofing.com

Elbert County News 3

February 23, 2017

SINCE 1997

WORLD’S FINEST FITNESS EQUIPMENT...SERVING COLORADO SINCE 1997 SIMPLY THE BEST SINCE 1981 www.TrueFitness.com

Most Advanced Bluetooth Touchscreen Console on the Market!

Available on all TRUE Treadmills, Ellipticals & Exercise Bikes!

20 TRUE TREADMILL MODELS TO CHOOSE FROM Patented Heart Rate control on ALL TRUE PRODUCTS keeps you within TWO Beats of your desired heart rate without touching anything, Insuring a perfect workout every minute you are training!!

UPRIGHT RECUMBENT BIKES Come in and try the smoothest feeling bikes in the industry.

Over 10 models to choose from.

Upright, Recumbent and Spin Cycles!

True® ES900, ES700

ES-700 10 True® Elliptical Models

• Come in a try the new Patented TRUE Core Drive Technology!

24

• Superior muscle activation and Perfect Human Body Motion!

Months

Runners world top rated treadmills for over 20 years!!!

#1 in Quietness #1 in Smoothness #1 in Softness #1 in Stability #1 in Heart Rate #1 in Warranty True® PS800 Treadmills

Financing*

• Automatic customized Stride adjustment from 16’ to 27’ inches!

• 10 models to choose from!

or discounts up to $900* MSRP

or discounts up to $600* MSRP *OAC on approved credit purchases over $1500

TRUE and TUFF STUFF products from $300 to $2,000 off!!

POWER BLOCKS World’s most popular adjustable dumbbells SAVE SPACE AND $$$

BRING IN THIS AD FOR AN EXTRA DISCOUNT!

TuffStuff.net

Since 1971 Tuff Stuff® CSM 725WS Free Weights Smith Ensemble

Since 1971 Tuff Stuff CDP 300 Complete, Functional Trainer (4’x4’ Footprint)

Since 1971

Commerical Quality for the Home Tuff Stuff® SXT 550 Multi-functional Home Gym

Includes adjustable bench

24

24

24 months 0% Financing*

Months

Months

Financing*

Financing*

0%

0%

or discounts up to $700* MSRP

or discounts up to $600* MSRP

Highlands Ranch/Littleton’s Largest Showroom

SOUTH SHOWROOM

303-730-3030

2690 E. Countyline Rd. Suite Q Highlands Ranch, CO 80126 NE Corner of C-470 & University

0%

Financing*

*MOST ADVANCED TOUCH SCREEN CONSOLE ON THE MARKET *BLUETOOTH WIRELESS PERSONAL WORKOUT DATA TRANSFER TO MOST ANY DEVICE *SAVE UP TO 7 PERSONAL FAMILY PROFILES (STORE AND TRACK ALL YOUR WORKOUT STATS) *30 YEAR WARRANTY 4 HP MOTOR!! *10 YEAR WARRANTY ON ALL PARTS *3 YEAR LABOR WARRANTY WHEN INSTALLED BY OUR CERTIFIED TECHNICIANS *350LB HEAVY FRAME - STURDIEST NO VIBRATION TREADMILL ON THE MARKET! *PATENTED ORTHOPEDIC BELT *18% SHOCK ABSORPTION

Accessories: Rubber Floors, Fit Balls, Medicine Balls, Stretch Bands, Kettle Bells & Free Weights

Over 225 Strength Products

24

Months

or discounts up to $800* MSRP

0%

• Smallest Footprint on the market Only 3’x4’ feet!!

$999

TREADMILLS RATED

Frank Trulaske, founder and CEO of TRUE Fitness, has always promoted the same guiding principle of delivering superior products, service and support for our customers, over the last 35 years. This same philosophy has led us to be the global leader in premium cardio equipment for both the commercial and residential markets. Today, our goal as a company is not to sell the most cardio products in the world, but to deliver the world’s best premium equipment for our customer’s health and fitness solutions.

ELLIPTICALS RATED #1 IN Smoothness • Feel • Stability

Treadmills, Ellipticals & Bikes Starting at

or discounts up to $1000* MSRP

Colorado’s Largest Showroom Blvd.

Colo ing m Co n!!

S oo

Hours: MonThurs 9-7, Fri & Sat 9-6, Sun 11-5

www.FitnessGallerySuperstore.com • New Website Coming Soon!

NORTH SHOWROOM

303-308-1100

5220 N. Broadway ST. Denver, CO 80216

1 Block South of Grizzly Rose on I-25 Frontage Road

4 Elbert County News

February 23, 2017F

THINGS TO DO

Heroes Heroes A SSISTED L IVING

|

M E M O RY C A R E

Honored

Elizabeth Library Book Sale: gently used books for children and adults for sale in the book sale room at the Elizabeth Library.

Stocked by Friends of the Elizabeth Library.

All donations from book sales benefit the Elizabeth Library.

Live Show and Stuffed Animal Sleepover: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23. Bring a stuffed animal to see “The Berenstain Bears LIVE!” at the Parker Arts, Culture & Events Center.

After the show, drop your animal off at the Parker Library, 20105 E. Mainstreet, for a sleepover. Pick up animals at 10 a.m. or 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, and see photos of their overnight adventures, enjoy storytime, and create a craft. Sleepover activity is free, but registration is required. Call 303-7917323 or go to DCL.org. Must have ticket for 6:30 p.m. show to participate.

Town Hall Meeting: 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, at the Elbert County Fairgrounds, agricultural building. County commissioners will be available for Q&A. Looking for Love Online After 50: Second part of series is at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Philip S. Miller Library, 100 S. Wilcox St., Castle Rock. Features writing workshop for creating an online dating profile. Ages 50-plus. Registration required; call 303791-7323 or go to DCL.org.

There's room in our Home & Hearts …for even more Heroes

DEMENTIA SUPPORT GROUP First Tuesdays • 5:45PM

MorningStarSeniorLiving.com

303.841.1800

11000 S. Dransfeldt Road

Drive, Parker. Root Beer Social is free and open to the public. Space is limited. Call 303-482-5552 for information or to RSVP. Elbert County Water Supply Study: 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, at the Elbert County Fairgrounds, exhibit building, 95 Ute Ave., Kiowa. Open to the public. Review of overall study objectives and progress.

First of three public workshops over 10 months.

Inside the Orchestra’s Tiny Tots Shows: 9:30-10:15 a.m. and 10:45-11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, at CU Denver South, 10035 S. Peoria St., Parker. For ages 6 and younger, and their families. Children surround the 30-plus piece orchestra and interact with the conductor and musicians. Register at insidetheorchestra.org/tiny-tots-events or by calling 303-355-7855.

Lenten Fish Fry: 4-6:30 p.m. Fridays in Lent except Good Friday (from March 3 to April 7) at Ave Maria Catholic Church, Parker. Knights of Columbus serve fried fish, baked fish or nuggets, along with cole slaw, fried or baked potato, mac and cheese, and dinner rolls. Iced tea, lemonade and coffee are free. Take out and drive through are available.

Philip S. Miller Library Blood Drive: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 25 at 100 S. Wilcox, Castle Rock. Contact 303-363-2300 or visit bonfils.org.

Yours, Colorado: Geocaching Open House: 10 a.m. Saturday, March 4 at the Philip S. Miller Library, 100 S. Wilcox St., Castle Rock. Trade tips and learn tricks about geocaching. Registration is required; call 303-791-7323 or go to DCL.org.

Root Beer Float Social: 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, at Victorian House, 19600 Victorian

SEE CALENDAR, P11

Elbert County News 5

February 23, 2017

MUSICAL FROM PAGE 1

experiences while at the same time handing the logistics of an actual theater production. For Barclay, the process involves a lot of time and patience.

“Being able to bring all the elements together in a schedule that works for everyone, and to allow the students enough time to get the practice they need” are two of the main challenges, Barclay said.

“Creating a set that the technical theater class can achieve and still gain some sort of learning experience” was another key consideration, she said.

Casting the part of King Triton proved to be a unique challenge, one that required a bit of coaxing.

Elizabeth High School Principal Bret McClendon recalled how he landed the role.

“They joked about it with me last fall. I kept saying no, but in a weak moment, I agreed,” he said with a chuckle.

It is his first theatrical experience as a cast member.

“They knew what they were getting with me,” he said. “They’ve worked with me on music and I’ve been practicing at home a lot.”

Senior Kira Hudson plays the lead role of Ariel.

“I started doing theater when I was three years old,” she said. Her family was living in Chicago at the time and, when her parents saw her natural interest, they took her on auditions.

Emmi Lindsey as Ursula the Sea Witch sings “Poor Unfortunate Souls.”

PHOTOS BY JODI HORNER

Kira Hudson as Ariel discovers a human smoking pipe with her buddies Flounder (Adam Rasmussen) and Scuttle (Armon McConnell).

“Musicals are kind of my thing,” Hudson said.

“The Little Mermaid” is sophomore Lexie Lamar’s first play. She plays King Triton’s daughter, Aquata, and some ensemble characters.

“All the kids encouraged me to do the musical, I tried it and loved it,” Lamar said. “I’ve learned new things, I get to show my talent, and I’ve gained more confidence.”

Senior Armon McConnell plays Scuttle the seagull. He has been doing

Elizabeth theater shows since he was a sophomore.

“I love being on stage, finding ways I can become the character,” he said.

McConnell plans to continue with theatrical productions in college. His ultimate career goal will place him again in the creative arts as a video producer.

“Theater, in any form, helps students step out of their comfort zone.

It’s a great chance to do some hard work, but have fun in the process,”

Barclay said.

When the time comes for the actual performances, Barclay will step back and allow the student stage manager to take over.

“It is my hope that the audiences leave feeling better than when they came,” Barclay said. “I want them to be immersed in the production and walk away knowing that the students who were participating not only had fun, but were responsible for the production as a whole.”

6 Elbert County News

February 23, 2017F

Dead trees raise fire threat

a

M

or

do

ed

C ol

ia

BY DAN ELLIOTT ASSOCIATED PRESS

C o m m u nit

y

2017 BEST OF

Colorado’s beetle-infested forests are peppered with an estimated 834 million standing dead trees that threaten to worsen wildfires and degrade vital water supplies that flow from mountains, officials said Feb. 15.

Roughly one in every 14 standing trees in the state’s forests is dead, with the total up 30 percent in seven years, the State Forest Service said in its annual report on forest health.

“Is it something to be alarmed about? Of course it is,” State Forester Mike Lester said. “When they have this condition, you should be paying attention to it.”

Infestations of mountain pine beetles and spruce beetles are the main cause of the die-off, Lester said.

Beetles are native to the state but have caused far more damage than normal over the past 20 years, attacking more than 7,900 square miles of forest, or more than 20 percent of total forested land.

Lester and others blame the beetle outbreak on a combination of warmer weather that allows beetles to survive the winter and trees left more vulnerable because of age and stress from severe droughts in the past.

Although the pine beetle epidemic has subsided, spruce beetles are still spreading. The course of that outbreak will determine whether the tree die-off

worsens or levels off, Lester said.

“I really couldn’t predict,” he said.

“We’re not sure where the spruce beetle is going to go right now.”

A combination of standing and fallen trees killed by beetles can make wildfires burn longer and in some cases hotter, the report said, making them harder and more expensive to control and putting firefighters in more danger.

A fire last year among dead trees in northwestern Colorado and southern Wyoming that burned for about four months on nearly 60 square miles could foreshadow what firefighters will face in the future, the report said.

Wildfires, in turn, threaten to worsen erosion by killing trees that help keep soil in place on hillsides, the report said. Erosion can load rain and melting snow with silt, change the timing of that spring runoff and reduce the capacity of reservoirs when the sediment settles to the bottom, the report said.

Those effects can disrupt water supplies for cities and agriculture in Colorado and beyond. An extensive system of reservoirs, canals and pipelines depends on a massive inflow of water every spring from melting snow.

The Colorado Water Conservation Board estimates that 80 percent of the state’s population relies on runoff from forested watersheds, and 19 states and Mexico get water from Colorado’s mountain snows.

THE BEST

VOTING BEGINS MARCH 1st Check back next week for voting information.

Vote once per day March 1, 2017 – April 6, 2017.

To provide the most accurate results by geographical area, Colorado Community Media does not require, but does encourage readers to vote for businesses in their immediate local community. All nominated businesses have an equal opportunity of winning, no purchase required. Please see voting website for complete contest rules and regulations.

Tuesday | March 14th | Free | 6:30 - 8:30 PM

Phillip S. Miller Library | 100 S. Wilcox St. | Castle Rock

Elbert County News 7

February 23, 2017

Event to raise funds for injured, fallen officers

BY STAFF REPORT

The Elbert County Sheriff ’s Office Foundation is hosting a Denim to Diamonds Ball March 4 at the Elbert County Fairgrounds, 95 Ute Avenue, Kiowa. The ball will be held in the exhibition hall at the fairgrounds with a cash bar starting at 5 p.m. and the dinner starting at 6 p.m.

The ball will feature dancing and both live and silent auctions.

The event will fundraise for Elbert County law enforcement officers killed or seriously injured in the line of duty.

The cost to attend the event is $55 for individuals or $100 per couple.

For reservations, call the sheriff ’s office at 303-805-6125.

ADVERTISEMENT

Spotlight On Business

INTERVIEW WITH RENOVATION CONSULTANT, MARK HORVATH

Herald: What is Your Background?

Mark: 40+ years in the home remodel and construction industry starting at a young age maintaining two homes with a construction company and farm in the family.

An MBA in Accounting and a BS in Business Administration/Economics. Also, certifications in Green Building, QuickBooks, and BQA to help with mini farm or ranch.

Twenty years in Colorado working as a Project Manager, Superintendent, and Licensed Contractor in residential and commercial construction. My wife and I recently completed a roof down, home remodel allowing us to sell at one of the highest per square foot of $242.38 in the 80123-zip code.

The TV show aspect can be limited and misleading. In one show an Aurora home was evaluated for $13,000 dollars of immediate work. I calculated around $25,000. Enlisting my services can provide value in understanding items like our conditions, building codes, or even our insurance climate versus someone from out of state that would not readily know.

Hopefully we can recognize that the internet and home shows can provide a limited education on remodeling and regional trends but, not wisdom or experience. For example, what happens with a toilet leak in the guest bathroom 10 pm Friday night with family arriving Saturday morning? You pull the toilet to reseal and find the sewer pipe is cracked and surrounded by concrete. What do you do?

Herald: What Services do you provide:

Herald: How does a person value your service?

Mark: To be your consumer advocate as a “Renovation Consultant.” To help guide and educate you through the construction process and what to expect with your project. Perform site evaluation providing a written plan to help guide and direct you in achieving your goals and vision for your home whether purchasing, selling, or your forever home on specific projects or full management services.

Mark: One of the best examples of value would be helping you plan and manage a 1-2 month kitchen remodel from becoming a 6+ month project. With the national average kitchen remodel around $36,000, the investment in my service can save you thousands of dollars, time, and/or frustration.

Herald: What would your clients look like?

Mark: For a full house remodel evaluation it is a flat rate dependent upon the size and value of your home. Scope of work can be customized to reflect your project and vision. Also, an hourly basis if your projects are minimal. If you desire more help, I can create a scope of work that fits your needs.

Mark: I welcome a client who asks questions.

1st time home buyer, Do-it-Yourselfers, new or forever home, and if you desire a ranchette or mini farm. As an example, help the homeowner understand why one home may be a better choice over another. Or, why increasing the investment in an area(s) would be better in the long run versus a select finish or add-on.

Herald: What is the difference between you and the home shows?

Mark: This is a great question. Please recognize TV shows are staged and can be ½ reality and ½ construction. Also, to create drama often there are “foundation” issues that pop up in the middle of the remodel.

Something you would have inspected before buying?

Herald: What is the cost of your service?

Herald: What advice can you give our readers?

Mark: Don’t forget to laugh! It will help you manage your expectations with your wants, needs, and desires keeping in mind the scope of your project and budget.

Also, de-clutter your home prior to the project start date. Even though the contractor may not have provided a line item in the estimate for working with the clutter, the cost of doing so will be included in the price if they must work around it.

Renovation Consultant Remodel Consumer Advocate & Home Project Resource!

Apply for the Douglas County Fair Board by March 3 Fair Board members oversee the annual Douglas County Fair & Rodeo. For more information and an application visit www.douglas.co.us and search for Fair Board

Assessor Launches New Website Explore online services at home or on the go with the Assessor’s new, mobile-friendly website. Visit www.douglas.co.us/assessor to quickly access enhanced mapping features and discover detailed property information, history and tax info.

Need help with heating costs?

Eligible low income households in Douglas County may apply for energy assistance through the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP). For more information or to download the application please visit www.douglas. co.us and search for LEAP or email LEAPHELP@discovermygoodwill.org

Business Personal Property Tax Declarations due by April 15 2017 Business Personal Property Tax Declarations may be filed online at www.DouglasFilesOnline.org Business owners who own, lease, or borrow business personal property with a total market value greater than $7,400, must report the property to the County Assessor. For more information visit www.douglas.co.us/assessor

Pothole Patrol wants YOU! Have you seen a pothole in your neighborhood or while driving around Douglas County? Douglas County is asking for your help. Please visit www.douglas.co.us/roadwork/potholes to submit a pothole report online or email the pothole location to pwoperations@douglas.co.us

Online Engagement Tool of the Week

Property Tax Inquiry View your parcel details for current and prior year payment history, and obtain current year tax amounts. Visit www.douglascotax.com

Mark L. Horvath FCT, LLC.

720-985-8731

marklhorvath1@gmail.com

Visit www.douglas.co.us

8 Elbert County News

LOCAL

February 23, 2017F

VOICES

On menu of personal characteristics, choose items that are truly healthy WINNING WORDS

Michael Norton

S

o the other day as I was standing in line waiting to order my lunch, I found myself staring at the menu and trying to decide what I was really in the mood for that day. Even though I had eaten at the same place hundreds of times in my life and I knew the menu like the back of my hand, I still reviewed my choices like it was the first time I had ever been there.

After much deliberation, I eventually ordered the same thing I order almost 90 percent of the time. There were dozens of choices, but yet I ordered what was somehow programmed in my head already.

As I thought about this over lunch, I thought about the menu of life and how I can choose what I would like to see in myself or believe about myself. And I was reminded of a quote that I had heard somewhere along the way, “You are what you believe yourself to be.”

And so as I ran through my mental menu I thought about some of the ways I choose to see myself, and maybe how others might see me. The items on my menu that I could choose from included loving, caring, forgiving, compassionate, energized, consistent, winner, champion, thoughtful, father, friend, smart, generous and happy. The

Here are the things that I know for sure

T

here’s a line in “Brilliant Disguise,” a song by Bruce Springsteen, that goes: “God have mercy on the man who doubts what he’s sure of.” This poignant verse has always rung ALCHEMY true for me, and in the current world of gaslighting and alternative facts, I have found myself pondering more and more often what it is that I am truly sure of.

And here is what I know for sure: The brightest lights in any city are in the Andrea Doray hospital emergency room. Whether you are there seeking help (as I have been numerous times after mountain biking accidents), or are there with others who need help, the light is unrelenting. The glare from metal doors and instruments bounces off fluorescent bulbs, white walls and white floors. Night and day are one and they both have hard, well-lit edges, softened only by the voices and faces and hands of those who ultimately provide that help.

Dogs leave us way too soon. Timber, Roget. Winston, Trouble, Cousteau. Cedar. Hickory and Casey. Daisy. Quinn.

Some good-byes are harder than others.

If you are a dog person (and perhaps even if you aren’t), you will understand this sentiment: If dogs don’t go to heaven, I want to go where the dogs go.

A publication of

9137 Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 Phone: 303-566-4100 Web: ElbertCountyNews.net To subscribe call 303-566-4100

My parents left me with too many questions. I was so lucky to have my parents for as long as I did, into my late 40s and early 50s. The world was a better place for their having been here. But … I wish I had asked more.

About their military experiences – both served in the Army in World War II, my dad in Europe and North Africa, and my mom in the Philippines and New Guinea. About the details of their young lives, his in Louisville, Kentucky, and hers in Chicago. I wish I had learned more about their parents, and their parents. I wish I had asked more, and then listened more.

Everybody needs a GoPro. I’m convinced that each of us rides a different path and that it would be extraordinarily instructive if we could actually experience one another’s. I’d like a GoPro camera on my mountain biking helmet and on my rock-climbing helmet so I could take you with me, so you would understand the hows and the whys of each decision I make on a challenging trail or a slippery slope. And perhaps more importantly, you could share your journeys with me, and I could begin to understand your hows and your whys.

Human rights are … the rights of all humans. All humans, equally, without regard to class or social status, no matter our gender or race, or who we worship or who we love. And I know this to be true: There is grave danger in abridging these rights. Too many SEE DORAY, P9

JERRY HEALEY President

AUDREY BROOKS Business Manager

jhealey@coloradocommunitymedia.com

abrooks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ANN MACARI HEALEY Executive Editor

ERIN FRANKS Production Manager

ahealey@coloradocommunitymedia.com

efranks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

CHRIS ROTAR Editor

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager

crotar@coloradocommunitymedia.com

lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Majors/Classified Manager eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

good news is that I didn’t have to make a single choice, I could actually have everything on the menu, or at least strive to be everything on the menu.

Now maybe my list or menu sounds a like a bit of an ego trip, and maybe I am not always all of those things each and every day. I mean we all have our off days and moments, don’t we? But just like going to the same restaurant over and over again, and becoming extremely familiar with the menu, these are the things I want to consistently think about and become SEE NORTON, P9

Let’s not hear it for all the heartfelt opinions

“T

he food was just delicious, and we loved the way ‘Katy’ introduced herself. She said, ‘They named me after Katy, Texas, not Katy Perry.’ The décor made us feel right QUIET home. My DESPERATION at steak was cooked to perfection.

Five stars, for sure.”

“One of the worst meals I’ve ever had.

And why do they insist Craig Marshall upon inSmith troducing themselves?

It should be against the law.

The décor looked like the 1970s rental furniture I had when I was in college. My steak tasted like it was made

by Goodyear. One star.”

Two diners on the same day ordered the same thing from the same waitress at the same restaurant.

Some of us learn about

opinions at an early age.

There should be a class in art school devoted to it, so that later on you know how to take the good with the bad.

Many of us enjoyed the back and forth between Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, film critics who could disagree about the same film, just like Katy’s diners.

Up until blockbuster orgies of special effects and gratuitous violence became the film industry’s standards (with a few exceptions), I thought I might want to be a film critic.

Not now.

I have been asked to be an art critic. No thank you.

You can’t win.

Art and film and music are all vulnerable to ignorance.

You’ve heard “I know what I like.”

The truth is, for most of us, “We like what we know.”

As Bob (Bill Murray) says in “What About Bob,” “There are two types of people in this world. Those

Columnists & Guest Commentaries

ELBERT COUNTY NEWS (USPS 171-100) A legal newspaper of general circulation in Elizabeth, Colorado, the Elbert County News is published weekly on Thursday

by Colorado Community Media, 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129.

Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Elbert County News.

We welcome letters to the editor. Please Include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.

Email letters to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com Deadline Fri. 5 p.m. for the following week’s paper.

SEE SMITH, P9

PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT DENVER, COLORADO and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

Elbert County News 9

February 23, 2017

SMITH FROM PAGE 8

who like Neil Diamond, and those who don’t.”

I would rather eat my sleeves than listen to Neil Diamond.

Approval is important, whether you are an artist or an employee.

Simply being acknowledged now and then is meaningful.

Many of us go unnoticed most of the time.

Garbage men.

The renters next door left in a huff because the owner decided to sell, and gave them 30 days to get out.

They chose to leave a souvenir of their displeasure. I guess they thought it was in the face of the owner, but it was in the face of the neighborhood, because we had to look at it for a week.

They left what looked like everything they owned in the driveway, and it wasn’t pretty.

On the following Friday morning, the garbage truck drove up, and a thin young man got out, put his

DORAY FROM PAGE 8

people have fought too hard for too long, both here and abroad, for the rest of us to simply stand by and watch.

Now is the time for vision, voice,

hands on his hips, and shook his head.

It didn’t go unnoticed.

“Joseph” came out of his house to help.

Another neighbor brought him a tip.

If you own a restaurant or direct a film or perform in a play, you are up for grabs, and because of the internet, opinions can be tossed around anonymously.

I noted the death of Mary Tyler Moore. There was an outpouring of favorable comments about her television program, because it was “groundbreaking.”

I thought it was dreadful. It was calculated humor, forced out every 10 or 15 seconds, and pumped up with a reprehensible laugh track.

In “Ordinary People” Moore was brilliant in a role of a lifetime. It might have been unacceptable to many of Mary Richards’ fans. But it’s how I prefer to remember her.

Five stars.

NORTON FROM PAGE 8

familiar with for myself.

Just think about the alternative for a minute. What if our mental menu consisted of dozens of options that didn’t appeal to us and yet we go back to the same place over and over again never much caring for anything we choose? Instead of a list of really appetizing items, we see things like negativity, pessimism, anger, envy, enemy, hate, revenge and sadness.

Here’s the thing, just like in a restaurant we get to make the choices. And maybe we choose the same thing 90 percent of the time and that’s OK, especially if it is something that is really good. And just imagine if we went about this same selection process throughout our day? What if we saw that very same menu for breakfast,

lunch, dinner, and dessert? If we did, and if we were choosing from the menu of the good instead of the bad, we would be nourishing our own bodies and probably also nourishing anyone else who we happen to be around each day.

How about you? Do you go to the same restaurant frequently?

Do you usually order the same thing 90 percent of the time? Well I would love to hear all about the items on your own personal menu and the choices you choose to make about how you see yourself at gotonorton@gmail.com. And when we frequent our favorite places and order up a healthy serving of goodness for ourselves, it really will be a better than good week for everyone.

Michael Norton is a resident of Castle Rock, the former president of the Zig Ziglar Corporation, a strategic consultant and a business and personal coach.

Craig Marshall Smith is an artist, educator and Highlands Ranch resident. He can be reached at craigmarshallsmith@comcast.net.

and vigilance. For asking and listening. For appreciating what we have while we have it. For looking through someone else’s lens and for sharing our own. Now is the time.

This is what I know for sure.

Andrea Doray is a writer who is prepared to share her journey if you will share yours. Contact her at a.doray@andreadoray.com.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU If you would like to share your opinion, visit our website at www.coloradocommunitymedia.com or write a letter to the editor.

Include your name, full address and the best telephone number to contact you. Send letters to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com.

PARKER AND ELIZABETH FUNERAL HOMES & CREMATORY Parker Funeral Home

10325 Parkglenn Way, Parker, Colorado 80138 (303) 841-4004

In Loving Memory Place an Obituary for Your Loved One. Private 303-566-4100 Obituaries@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com

Elizabeth Funeral Home

243 Spruce Ct., Elizabeth, Colorado 80107 (Next to Los Volcanos and True Hardware) Now open in Elizabeth! We are committed to serving the Elbert County Community and their needs.

• Family owned and operated for 25 years • Cremation on site (Parker Location)

(303) 646-0003

Funeral Homes Visit: www.memoriams.com

10 Elbert County News

Giving heartbreak a beatdown

Kickboxing studio gives women a chance to shred angry memories

BY TOM SKELLEY TSKELLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

It was the night before Valentine’s Day at iLoveKickboxing in Parker, and though there was plenty of heavy breathing, the only roses in sight were reduced to petals strewn about the floor.

Nearly 30 women gathered for the gym’s annual Shred Your Ex workout session. Participants brought photos of ex-spouses, ex-lovers or printouts of negative words and ideas and taped them to punching bags before punching and kicking the images to shreds.

“It’s a night for them to focus on one thing that’s troubled them in their life,” instructor Haley McDonald said. “It’s also just a night to have fun, take it out on the bag and leave with a smile.”

Hearts were pumping and ears were ringing throughout the hourlong session, as the drumming of gloved fists and bare feet hitting the bags beat an erratic rhythm under McDonald’s shouting and a DJ’s blaring music.

Marie Hopper drove from Green Valley Ranch to get in on the workout. She brought two printouts, one of the word “tax,” and one of President Trump.

“It’s just the perfect picture,” Hopper said. “He looks like he wants to fight, so we’re going to do this.”

The session ended with a combination of hoots and gasps for breath as the boxers dropped their gloves and reached for their water bottles.

Mouths that had been twisted in determination opened into smiles, hands that were clenched into fists relaxed for a round of high-fives.

“It’s just such an adrenaline rush,” said Amy Buoniconti of Parker, who brought a printout of the word “negativity,” and punched it to bits.

“The first 15 minutes is pure hell,” she said “Then it’s fun.”

February 23, 2017F

Kathy Alpin, front, puts her gloves to work on a heavy bag at Parker’s iLoveKickboxing on Feb. 13. The Shred Your Ex event featured black outfits, loud music and photos of participants’ exes taped to punching bags.

PHOTOS BY TOM SKELLEY A pair of boxing gloves enjoys a respite before being used to bludgeon a punching bag at the Shred Your Ex workout session at

Ali Daily works out her frustrations during a workout session at iLoveKickboxing in Parker. On the eve of Valentine’s Day, the gym hosted its Shred Your Ex event in which attendees beat up on photos of their exes.

COLORADO’S LARGEST NETWORK OF VEIN CLINICS

Free Vein Consult Call for an appointment LITTLETON

PARKER

720.279.1240 720.457.9307 americanvein.com

Arlington, TX Cañon City, CO Colorado Springs, CO Littleton, CO Parker, CO Pueblo, CO Vail Valley / Edwards, CO

Do you have any of these leg symptoms?

• Achy legs • Varicose veins • Leg swelling • Spider veins • Restless legs • Leg cramps

• Minimally invasive treatments • Most insurances, including Medicare and Medicaid • Superior patient experience

Elbert County News 11

February 23, 2017

CALENDAR FROM PAGE 4

Rocky Mountain Train Show: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 4, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 5, at the Denver Mart.

Features 30 operating train layouts, manufacturer and hobby store displays, a marketplace of over 600 tables of trains for sale, how-to clinics and appraisal opportunities for your old trains. Go to www.RockyMountainTrainShow.com.

Comedy Bookcamp for Writers: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 4 and Sunday, March 5,

at Colorado Auto Dealers Association, 290 E. Speer Blvd., Denver. Led by Hollywood master writer, trainer, author and mentor Steve Kaplan (www.

KaplanComedy.com). Lunch is included. Space is limited. Contact Author U at 720-588-9838, info@authoru.org or www. authoru.org.

Ponderosa Montessori Academy Parent Information Meetings: 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 6 at the Parker Library, 20105 E. Mainstreet. Learn about Montessori education and the public Montessori Farm School. Contact 303-928-9534 or go to ponderosamontessoriacademy.weebly. com to RSVP.

Break Sugar Addiction: 4-4:30 p.m. Monday, March 6, at the Grow Youth Center in the To the Rescue Building, 10355 S. Progress Way, Parker. Taught by Brooke Ebel, nutritional health coach, Natural Grocers in Parker.

Call 303-931-8026 or go to www.

GrowCommunityCenter.org.

Editor’s note: Calendar submissions must be received by noon Wednesday for publication the following week. Send listings to calendar@coloradocommunitymedia.com. No attachments, please. Listings are free and run on a space-available basis.

ShopLocalC Local ads, coupons, special offers & more

ShopLocalColorado.com Enro llin Now! g

A collaboration concert with the Denver Concert Band and the Queen City Jazz Band

Sunday, February 26 • 2:30pm at the Lone Tree Arts Center

✓ TUITION-FREE public charter high school ✓ Earn college credits and an Associates Degree or higher ✓ Comprehensive college prep program ✓ College Courses provided FREE on CECP campus ✓ CECP 2016 ACT average: 24.3 - CO State ACT average: 20.4

For tickets call (720) 509-1000 or visit lonetreeartscenter.org

10235 Parkglenn Way Parker, CO 80138

(720)638-6824

Visit our website

www.parker.coloradoearlycolleges.org

The Elbert County News, your hometown newspaper and part of the largest local media company in the state is looking to fill a full and part-time sales positions. If you strive to be a larger part of your community by meeting with business owners big and small, helping them grow their business by marketing with digital media, community newspapers, and everything in between – then we would like to meet you.

We have a few requirements: Flexible - Like each day to be unique?

Creative - Can you think “outside of the box”

and build programs for your clients that fit their needs?

Upbeat - Are you enthusiastic and like to have fun?

Outgoing - Enjoy networking and providing outstanding customer service?

If you answered yes, please keep reading.

Our titles are Marketing & Community Engagement Specialists but we do so much more.

Send us your resume to eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com. We are locally family owned and operated, provide training, offer a competitive salary, commission and a full benefits package that includes paid time off, health, dental, vision and 401K.

12 Elbert County News

February 23, 2017F

Exhibit explains history of DAM’s North Building The model of the Denver Art Museum’s North Building by Gio Ponti and James Sudler Associates is dated 1966, and the renowned modernist building, opened after construction in 1971, will be “revitalized,” according to museum releases — to provide a superior Sonya Ellingboe visitor experience for ever-growing numbers of visitors (including hundreds of schoolchildren who visit free). It will be closed until the work is finished. An exhibit about the building’s history is open on the second floor of the Hamilton Building, with the original model by architects Gio Ponti and James Sudler plus drawings, historical photos and sketches.

SONYA’S SAMPLER

ACC photo program to travel Want to go to Bristol and London?

The Arapahoe Community College Photography Program, in May, 2017, is collaborating with the Photography, Film, Motion Design Program at Colorado Mesa University to visit Roman Baths, the Getty Image Gallery, Photographer’s Gallery, Tower of London and more. Participate in an Ardman Animation Workshop, The Dr. Who Experience and Warner Brothers’ Harry Potter Studio … Details: Trish Sangelo, trish.sangelo@arapahoe.edu.

Amusement park history “Denver’s Amusement Parks: A History of Fun” will be historian David Forsyth’s topic when he speaks for the Englewood Historical Preservation Society on Feb. 27 at 2:30 p.m. at the Englewood Library in the Englewood Civic Center, 1000 Englewood Parkway.

He will also appear at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 at Brew on Broadway, 3445 S. Broadway, Englewood. Both presentations

are open to the public and admission is free. In 1908, Denver had four to choose from, but after 1914 only two remained: Lakeside and Elitch’s.

Film and forum with artist The Museum of Outdoor Arts will present a short film about Mel and Dorothy Tanner, followed by a short conversation between Dorothy Tanner and MOA Executive Director Cynthia Madden Leitner about the artistic journey of Tanner and her late husband Mel. The program will be at 1 p.m. on Feb. 25 in Hampden Hall on the second floor of the Englewood Civic Center, 1000 Englewood Parkway. A reception will follow in the Museum’s Indoor Gallery next door, where “Lumonics,” a lively exhibit of the Tanners’ lightbased artwork is on display. Tickets: $8 through 2/24; $10 at the door. Moaonline.org, 303-806-0444.

Manners and mores Dick Kreck, former Denver Post reporter, will talk about his recent book, “Rich People Behaving Badly,” at 7 p.m. on March 2, at the Littleton Museum, 6028 S. Gallup St., Littleton. He has combed early Denver newspapers for gossipy accounts of local people such as trophy wife Isabel Springer, whose solid businessman-husband owned what is now called the Highlands Ranch Mansion. Jointly sponsored by Historic Littleton Inc. and the museum, the event is free, but tickets are required, due to limited seating. Kreck will sell and sign his book afterward. ($15.95). 303-795-3950.

Dance “Wendy Whelan, Brian Brooks and Brooklyn Rider: Some of a Thousand Words” will be presented at 8 p.m.

March 11 at Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree. Ballerina Whelan and choreographer Brooks collaborate with a string quartet for an evening of contemporary dance. Tickets: 720-509-1000, lonetreeartscenter.org.

Answers

THANKS for

PLAYING!

© 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

Solution

Elbert County News 13

February 23, 2017

Castle Rock alpaca store sheds light on growing industry Everything Alpaca offers luxury, locally created products

BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

It’s all about alpacas at 350 Third Street in Castle Rock.

There, thrives a small shop appropriately named Everything Alpaca.

It’s filled to the brim with what owner Deb Powers calls “luxury” alpaca products.

Prime examples are the $600 coats her customers can’t wait to get their hands on. Coveted for their warm yet surprisingly lightweight material, the coats are one of her hottest-selling items. The distributor once discontinued the coats, but because of high demand, Powers fought to have the products reinstated.

Powers and her vendors provide customers with a wide variety of alpaca products. Their inventory includes socks, gloves, shawls, sweaters, scarves, hats, slippers and authentic alpaca yarn.

They’re sticklers about the merchandise. Yarn containing a measly 10 percent alpaca fiber doesn’t cut it, Powers said. Their yarns are a blend of no less than 50 percent alpaca fiber.

The 10-year-old store is a “farmto-retail” operation. The vendors’ products come from their own alpaca ranches — most of them in Colorado — but Powers also sells products from throughout the U.S., Canada and Peru.

Although some products are commercially produced, others are handmade, and even created from hand-spun yarns.

“The whole group here is just very passionate about alpaca,” Powers said.

Just ask Coral Dillon — alpaca rancher, Everything Alpaca vendor and fiber arts instructor.

Dillon runs an alpaca ranch north of Calhan with her husband. Today the couple has a herd of 50 alpacas, but she can still remember purchasing her first female. Before the Great Recession, she said, alpacas sold for much more than the going price today.

Dillon started her herd in 2007 with a $17,000 pregnant female. She wasn’t a prize animal, Dillon said, but she could teach them the basics of alpaca farming.

“I still have that first baby,” she said.

Today, Dillon said female alpacas sell for anywhere between $2,000 and $30,000. What a buyer looks for depends on the type of operation they are trying to run. Alpaca farmers and ranchers will typically join the industry to either start a breeding program or produce alpaca fiber.

Alpaca fiber, or fleece, is known for being warmer, stronger, lighter and more resilient than wool from sheep, according to the Alpaca Owners Association Inc. Its feel is often compared to silk.

The fleece comes in a variety of natural colors, such as brown, black and gray, but is also easy to dye.

And although it’s less common in

This alpaca on Lazy Daze Ranch north of Elizabeth has blue eyes, something owner Sue Lindh says is rare in the animals.

PHOTOS BY JESSICA GIBBS Everything Alpaca in Castle Rock offers a variety of locally and commercially produced alpaca yarn. Alpaca fibers are know for their resiliency, light weight and warmth.

Coral Dillon, who ranches alpacas and works at Everything Alpaca, will sometimes include a photo of the specific alpaca from which a yarn product was produced. the U.S., there is a market for alpaca meat, which can be found on the menu in New England, Dillon said.

“I can’t eat anything I name,” she said.

Dillon has a history in the theater.

All her alpacas are named for characters in her favorite productions. She loves the breed for their gentle nature, she said.

Alpacas are a cousin to the camel and the llama, and although just as guilty of spitting at a foe, they’re not aggressive.

Alpacas have been a fixture in South American agriculture for centuries. In recent decades, they’ve grown in popularity throughout the U.S. According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, there were more than 170,000 alpacas registered in North America as of 2011.

Most alpaca productions in the U.S. are smaller, what’s known as a “cottage industry.”

But Everything Alpaca hopes to see

the industry grow. On Feb. 8, Dillon was able to spread the word to one more person through the fiber arts classes offered at the shop.

Just before 2 p.m., in walked Susie Johnson, of Castle Rock, for her Introduction to Loom Knitting class.

“I’m a quilter,” Johnson said. “Not much of a knitter.”

Her granddaughter, however, wanted to learn, and Johnson thought it would be a good activity for the two of them. Over the next hour, Dillon showed Johnson how to maneuver a handloom while sharing facts about alpacas through their conversation.

Most ranches are off the beaten path, she told Johnson, and there are more than 300 alpaca farms in Colorado alone. Newcomers will often find a mentor rancher who can teach them the trade.

Overall, she said, the alpaca industry is a supportive community.

She too found her mentors when getting started, and remains close to alpaca ranchers nearby. She knows

Alpacas are typically ranched or farmed for two purposes: breedng or fiber.

Some operations focus on developing a breeding program, others produce fiber that can be turned into items such as yarns or clothing.

through experience that if there’s a problem on her ranch, a neighboring alpaca rancher will drop what they’re doing to help her.

That’s exactly what she loves most about the industry, Dillon said. It’s not competitive, but rather an encouraging environment.

“We are trying to grow the industry,” Dillon said, “not trying to outdo each other.”

14 Elbert County News

February 23, 2017F

CLUBS Ongoing Sky Cliff Center Caregiver Support Group: 10-11:30 a.m. the third Tuesday of each month at 4600 E. Highway 86, Castle Rock.

Caregiving for adults can be challenging at times, and you’re not alone. For information, or to let the center know if you’re coming, call 303-814-2863 or email skycliffctr@ skycliff.org. Go to www.skycliff.org.

Sky Cliff Center Stroke Support Group: 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the second and last Wednesday of each month at Christlife Community Church, 5451 E. Highway 86, Franktown (lunch provided). 10-11:30 a.m. the third Wednesday of each month at Sky Ridge Medical Center, 10101 Ridge Gate Parkway, Lone Tree. Call Sky Cliff Center at 303-814-2863.

Teen Tuesday: 5 p.m. Tuesdays at the Elbert Library. Play card and video games. Call 303-648-3533 or go to pplibraries.org.

Therapeutic riding. Promise Ranch Therapeutic Riding in Parker offers free therapeutic riding for developmentally disabled adults and children. Scholarship money is available for Douglas County residents to provide 10 therapeutic riding lessons. Call 303-841-5007 or visit www.promiseranchtherapeuticriding.com.

VFW Post 10649 meets monthly at 8:30 a.m. the first Saturday of every month at 24325 Main St., Elbert. Go to http://www. vfwpost10649.org. Contact Alan Beebe at 303-435-2560 for questions.

Help others, work from home and receive a professional rate for your services.

Find out more about being a Shared Living provider.

Visit SharedHomeLiving.org.

Waste Not Wednesdays: 4:15 p.m. Wednesdays, at Simla Library. Kids craft and learn with repurposed stuff. Call 719-541-2573 or go to pplibraries.org.

What’s up Wednesdays: 4 p.m. Wednesdays at the Elbert Library; 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the Kiowa Library. Free STEAM activities for kids and parents. Call 303-648-3533 (Elbert) or 303-621-2111 (Kiowa) or go to pplibraries.org.

Women’s Divorce Workshop covers the legal, financial and social issues of divorce and is presented the fourth Saturday of each month at Southeast Christian Church, 9650 Jordan Road, Parker. Meet in the community room. Check in from 8-8:30 a.m.; workshop runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Register online at www.divorceworkshopdenver.com. Advance registration costs $35; at the door, cost goes to $40 (cash/ checks only). Attendees will get help taking the next step by getting unbiased information and resources. Learn the options available and next steps to take positive action steps. Discover community resources, and talk with other women experiencing similar life changes. Volunteer presenters include an attorney, mediator, therapist and wealth manager. Discussion items include co-parenting, child support, family coping,

Open your heart and home to a person with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Please call Bethesda Regional Director Chad Wietrick at 303-323-4444 or email him at Chad.Wietrick@mailblc.org.

VFW Post 4266, serving veterans of foreign wars in Parker, Castle Pines and Castle Rock areas, meets at 7 p.m. the third Monday of every month at the Pinery Fire Station, Community Room Lower Level, 8170 N. Hillcrest Way, Parker. Go to www.vfwpost4266. org. P.O. Box 4266, Parker, CO 80134. On Facebook at VFW Post 4266, Parker.

tax consequences, property division, hostile spouses and more. For information, contact 303-210-2607 or info@divorceworkshopdenver.com.

AA If you want to drink, that’s your business.

If you want to stop, that’s ours. More than 1,000 AA meetings are offered in the Denver area every week. If you think you may have a problem with alcohol, come see us. To find a meeting near you, call 303-322-4440, or go to www.daccaa.org.

Affordable Colleges Online has created a guidebook to help women find and secure financial aid. The guide includes a collection of scholarships for women, including due dates and award amounts; insight into the financial aid application process; and other funding opportunities, such as industryspecific scholarships and funding for special groups. The guide is available online at http://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/ womens-guide-paying-for-college/.

Camping Singles is a group of Colorado single adults who enjoy camping, fishing, hiking, swimming, biking, sightseeing, photography, the camaraderie of others, and starry nights around the camp fire. We usually camp in designated forest service or state park campgrounds within 2 to 5 hours of Denver. We welcome all single adults.

Our membership ranges from the 40s to 60-plus. We usually meet at 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month. For specific meeting information, contact campingsingles@ gmail.com

Classifieds

Classifieds

SEE CLUBS, P15

Advertise: 303-566-4100

SERVICES

Drywall

PAUL TIMM Construction/Repair Drywall Serving Your Area Since 1974

303-841-3087 303-898-9868 Tile

ANYTHING TILE

Run a 2 column x 2” ad in two counties – Adams & Jefferson or Arapahoe & Douglas

$50 A WEEK! - RESERVE SPACE 303-566-4091

● Marble ● Repairs ● Granite Counter Tops Remodeling is my specialty!

Call now for free estimate

(303) 646-0140

Advertise your business here

ColoradoCommunityMedia.com



Contact Karen at 303-566-4091

Elbert County News 15

7February 23, 2017

CLUBS FROM PAGE 14

Castle Rock Bridge Club plays a friendly, ACBL-sanctioned duplicate game at 1 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday at Plum Creek Golf Club, 331 Players Club Drive, Castle Rock. For assistance in finding a bridge partner, call Georgiana Butler at 303-8108504. Go to www.castlerockbridge.com.

Chess: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays at the Simla Library. All skill levels and ages welcome. Call 719-541-2573.

Douglas-Elbert County Music Teachers’ Association meets at 9 a.m. every first Thursday at Parker Bible Church, between Jordan and Chambers on Main Street. All area music teachers are welcome. Call Lucie Washburn, 303-814-3479.

Elbert County Sheriff’s Posse is a nonprofit volunteer organization that is part of the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office. As volunteers we support the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office, all law enforcement in our county, and the community at large. For more information or a membership application, go to http://www.elbertcountysheriff.com/posse. html, or contact Dave Peontek at 303-6465456.

Elbert Game Night: 5 p.m. Tuesdays at the Elbert Library. Board and card games for all ages. Call 303-648-3533 or go to pplibraries.org.

Elizabeth American Legion Post 82, a veterans association supporting veterans, their families, their survivors and the com-

munity, meets the first Tuesday of each month at the Legion Post Hall at South Banner Street and Elm Street in Elizabeth.

Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m., and the regular business meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. All veterans are invited to attend these meetings to learn of their eligibility for membership in the National American Legion Organization.

FAMILY FUN DAY | IDITAROD DAY

Elizabeth Food Bank, 381 S. Banner in Elizabeth (next door to Elizabeth Presbyterian Church) needs to let the public know that we are available to help anyone who needs food. Hours are Friday 12:30-3 p.m. and Saturdays from 9-11:30 a.m. Other times by appointment.

Game Night: 4 p.m. Mondays at the Kiowa Library; call 303-621-2111. 5 p.m. Wednesdays at the Elbert Library; call 303-6483533. Enjoy board, card, and video games for all ages.

Kiowa Creek Food Pantry is a distribution site for the State of Colorado TEFAP food program. Food is distributed monthly to low income individuals/families that qualify. We also distribute low income senior food boxes for the state; those 60 and older may qualify for a monthly supplement. If you are in need of food assistance or know someone who is, we may be able to qualify you for one of these programs.

Call the food pantry for more information at 303-621-2376, or come by from 8:30 a.m. to noon Tuesdays; we are located in the Fellowship Hall at 231 Cheyenne Street, Kiowa.

CU SOUTH DENVER IS GOING TO THE DOGS!

Knitting Group: 2 p.m. Tuesdays at the Kiowa Library. Knit and chat. All skill levels welcome. Call 303-621-2111 or go to pplibraries.org.

Notices Public Notice

10035

BEFORE THE COLORADO OIL S PEORIA STREET PARKER COLORADO AND GAS CONSERVATION COMMISSION

Notice To Creditors

Notice To Creditors

Misc. Private Legals

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Samuel McKay, a/k/a Samuel Mack McKay, a/k/a Samuel M. McKay, a/k/a Samuel McKay II, a/k/a Samuel Mack McKay II, a/k/a Samuel M. McKay II, Deceased Case Number: 2017PR30008

BEFORE THE COLORADO OIL AND GAS CONSERVATION COMMISSION

The Petition requests that the name of Diana Grace Graves be changed to Grace Gray Case No.: 17 C 8 By: Palmer L. Boyette, County Court Judge Legal Notice No: 23616 First Publication: February 16, 2017 Last Publication: March 9, 2017 Publisher: Elbert County News

.

NOTICE AND APPLICATION FOR HEARING DOCKET NO. 170300022 TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES AND TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Elbert County, Colorado on or before June 23, 2017 or the claims may be forever barred.

Pursuant to Rule 522.e., the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Staff has applied to the Commission for an Order Finding Violation against Lilis Energy, Inc. (Operator No. 10495), to adjudicate allegations in the Notice of Alleged Violation No. 401080843.

Elizabeth Ugalde, Personal Representative 911 Elk Hollow Court Estes Park, CO 80517

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to §§ 3460-101 to -130, C.R.S. and the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, 2 CCR 404-1, that the Commission has scheduled this matter for hearing on:

Legal Notice No: 23615 First Publication: February 23, 2017 Last Publication: March 9, 2017 Publisher: Elbert County News

Public Notices

§ Watch the live start of the Iditarod race in our Giant Screen Movie Theater § Visit race check-point stations and fill out the map for a prize! § Take photos with a live wolf courtesy of Colorado Wolf Adventures § Participate in fun and intriguing canine related educational activities § Explore how people living in Arctic climates survive § Step into Fiske Planetarium’s Star Lab to discover how dog racers use the night sky to navigate through the race

TICKETS: southdenver.cu.edu/iditarod

Public Notices Public notice is given on February 8, 2017 that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult has been filed with the Elbert County Court.

As the annual long-distance Iditarod dog sled race begins, join us for a day all about dogs.

Saturday, March 4 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. $15 Ages 13–59 $13 Seniors 60+ $10 Children 3–12

Date: March 20-21, 2017 Time: 9:00 a.m.

Place: The Larimer County Conference Center at The Ranch First National Bank Building 5280 Arena Circle Loveland, CO 80538 The Notice and Application for Hearing and related information is available at http://cogcc.state.co.us/reg.html#/hearings by scrolling to the appropriate Docket month and locate “Enf_Docket” link.

,

,

80134 | SOUTHDENVER.CU.EDU

NOTICE AND APPLICATION FOR HEARING DOCKET NO. 170300022

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES AND TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Pursuant to Rule 522.e., the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Staff has applied to the Commission for an Order Finding Violation against Lilis Energy, Inc. (Operator No. 10495), to adjudicate allegations in the Notice of Alleged Violation No. 401080843.

To advertise your public notices call 303-566-4100

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to §§ 3460-101 to -130, C.R.S. and the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, 2 CCR 404-1, that the Commission has scheduled this matter for hearing on:

Misc. Private Legals

Date: March 20-21, 2017 Time: 9:00 a.m.

Place: The Larimer County Conference Center at The Ranch First National Bank Building 5280 Arena Circle Loveland, CO 80538 The Notice and Application for Hearing and related information is available at http://cogcc.state.co.us/reg.html#/hearings by scrolling to the appropriate Docket month and locate “Enf_Docket” link.

Legal Notice No.: 23617 First Publication: February 23, 2017 Last Publication: February 23, 2017 Publisher: The Elbert County News

City and County PUBLIC NOTICE RELEASE OF RETAINAGE

Notice to all interested parties, groups, persons, and agencies that on March 8, 2017, Elbert County will release the retainage payment to Double R Excavating for the paving overlay project on CR 9-15. Elbert County will accept objections to such release of funds. Objections must be submitted in writing on or before March 6, 2017, and shall be submitted to Elbert County Public Works Department, P.O. Box 116, Kiowa, Colorado, 80117. No objection received after March 6, 2017, will be considered by Elbert County.

ELBERT COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT Ed Ehmann, County Manager Legal Notice No.: 23606 First Publication: February 16, 2017 Last Publication: February 23, 2017 Publisher: The Elbert County News

Please call if we can help you with your legal publication.

Legal Notice No.: 23617 First Publication: February 23, 2017 Last Publication: February 23, 2017 Publisher: The Elbert County News

303-566-4088 Elbert * 1

16 Elbert County News

February 23, 2017F