January 7, 2016
Voluntary Contribution
VOLUME 92 | ISSUE 21
PROGRAM
See ad inside for details LakewoodSentinel.com J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
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Mortgage brokers go to work in Peru By Clarke Reader creader@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Andy Nelson is one of the main stage performers who will be at the 27th annual Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering, which comes to Golden Jan. 21-24. The gathering always includes some “top-notch” performers, Nelson said. Courtesy photos
Experiencing the Old West
At Lakewood’s Academy Mortgage, the reward for good work, is a chance to do good work ... at elevation. Three managers and loan officers with Lakewood’s Academy Mortgage — Damon Johnston, Brian Kerby and Marybeth Heckler — learned that up close as part of a service expedition to Amaru, Peru, in December. “So few people get to go through something like this — it was definitely a wow experience,” Kerby said. “It was very challenging, doing all that hiking and living at such a high altitude. The experience was intense.” The three joined a group of about 100 other people on a trip that serves as the reward for Academy’s top-performing managers and loan officers. The trips occur biannually, and employees can bring one person with them (usually a spouse or family member). Previous trips include work in places like Guatemala. “These trips are very humbling for Mortgage continues on Page 8
27th Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering set for Jan. 21-24 By Christy Steadman csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com In the form they take today, cowboy gatherings have only been around for about 30 years. But they stem from the ways of the Old West, and people can experience the tradition at the 27th annual Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering, which comes to Golden Jan. 21-24. “It’s a folk art that started with the cattle drives, and it carried on,” said performer and event coordinator Liz Masterson. This year, people can enjoy four days of old — and contemporary — cowboy tradition through poets and western singers. The gathering takes people back to a time before iPods and watching movies on a mobile device, Masterson said. “Everybody is rushed these days,” she said. “This gives them a chance to step back in time and relax a bit.” People familiar with cowboy gatherings generally enjoy the nostalgia, Masterson said, but the gathering is “also a chance for city folks to be in a different culture.” Cowboy poetry is a little more animated than what people usually think of as urban poetry, Masterson said. One of the 15 performers this year is Susie Knight of Conifer, who has been “on the stage and in the saddle” for more than 50 years. Knight performs poetry and songs with her guitar. “We’re a genre that relates to all ages,” Knight said. “It gets people caught up in a feeling or a memory.” For example, one of her crowd pleasers is a story about a grandmother, who tells about life as a ranchwoman — milking the cows and fixing her make-up. People relate because everyone has a grandmother, or is a grandmother, Knight said. “You write about what you know,” said Andy Nelson, a cowboy poet from Wyoming who includes a lot of humor in his works. And “there’s nothing a cowboy likes more than hearing about a horse wreck.” Cowboy continues on Page 5
Brian Kerby, right, works on a reservoir project in Amaru, Peru, as part of Academy Mortgage’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. Courtesy photo
Susie Knight has been “on the stage and in the saddle” for more than 50 years, she said. Knight will perform at the 27th annual Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering, which comes to Golden Jan. 21-24.
IF YOU GO Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering branding event: 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 21 at Clear Creek History Park, 1020 11th St. in Golden Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering welcome reception and show: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at Miner’s Alley Playhouse, 1224 Washington Ave. in Golden Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering weekend performances: American Mountaineering Center, 710 10th St. in Golden Jan. 22: Daytime session: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Mainstage Show: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23: Daytime session: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Mainstage Show: 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 24: Sunday Songs: 10 a.m.; Mainstage Matinee Show: 1 p.m.
Patty Clayton
Chuckwagon lunch:
Mark Gardner and Rex Rideout
Jan. 22 and 23, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering classes: Pop Wagner’s Cinch-making Class: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 22-24
Doris Daley
Kristyn Harris Mary Kaye Susie Knight Liz Masterson Gary McMahan
Gary Allegretto’s Learn to Play Cowboy Harmonica Instantly: 11 a.m. Jan. 24
Al “Doc” Mehl
2016 Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering performers
Pop Wagner and Bob Bovee
Gary Allegretto and Ian Espinoza Floyd Beard Jon Chandler
Andy Nelson Dick Warwick To find a schedule of events, register for classes or to purchase tickets for performances, visit www. coloradocowboygathering.com.
Teachers’ unions helped fund recall group Secretary of State orders release of donor information By Crystal Anderson canderson@coloradocommunitymedia.com Nearly 100 percent of money used by Jeffco United — the parent-founded organization behind the successful recall of three conservative school board members — came from local, state and national teachers’ unions, according to campaign reports ordered released by the Colorado Secretary of State. The information was released Christmas Eve in compliance with a decision of the Colorado Administrative Courts. The suit filed by Colorado Government Watch, which works to ensure transparency and accountability of public officials and organizations, resulted in the Dec. 16 ruling that Jeffco United’s main purpose was to support the recall. That makes it an issue committee, required to report its donors to the Secretary of State. Recall continues on Page 8