Week of June 2, 2022
$1.00
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
GoldenTranscript.net
VOLUME 156 | ISSUE 24
Golden remembers ‘those who made the ultimate sacrifice’ at annual ceremony
Firework sales banned in unincorporated Jeffco Ban on sales tied to Stage 1 restrictions BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The VFW Post 4171 color guard waits for the annual Memorial Day commemoration ceremony to get underway May 30 at Golden CemPHOTO BY CORINNE WESTEMAN etery.
Memorial Day’s always ‘a beautiful time and a sad time’ BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
In the 25 years Brian Campbell has visited Golden Cemetery for Memorial Day, the number of large American flags surrounding the cemetery has doubled. Each flag represents a veteran buried at the Golden Cemetery, with Campbell saying it’s gone from about 200 to 400 since he first served as American Legion Post 21’s commander more than 20 years ago. Campbell, who’s taking over as
post commander later this year, said he appreciates visiting the cemetery every Memorial Day with his American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars colleagues. On May 30, American Legion Post 21 and VFW Post 4171 cohosted their annual Memorial Day commemoration ceremony at the cemetery, honoring those men and women who died serving in the U.S. military. “Memorial Day is a beautiful time and a sad time,” said Jill Freimann, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Mount Lookout chapter “… (We’re) honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice.” About 100 people attended the commemoration ceremony, which is more than organizers were expecting, VFW Post 4171 Chaplain Otto
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 24
Smolik said. The organizations haven’t held the event the past two years because of COVID-19, and it’s usually weatherdependent anyway. On May 30, while the sun was shining, the wind sometimes drowned out the ceremony’s speakers. During the ceremony, participants also paid tribute to all the veterans who came back from service and have since died. Brian Campbell and his wife, Kathleen, said their dads were in their thoughts on Memorial Day. Her dad saw active duty during the Vietnam War, and his retired from the U.S. Air Force after serving in World War II. Larry Merkl, a VFW member, SEE CEREMONY, P2
As long as Jeffco’s Stage 1 restrictions are in effect, all firework sales in unincorporated Jeffco will be prohibited, too. The county’s Stage 1 fire restrictions, which went into effect April 20, were lifted on May 25. However, officials anticipate restrictions will be back in place later this summer, although exactly when will depend on climate and fuel conditions. On May 24, the Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a ban on all firework sales in South Jeffco, the foothills and other unincorporated areas. Most if not all municipalities in Jeffco already ban firework sales. But, with the Sheriff’s Office lifting the Stage 1 fire restictions on May 25, the firework sales ban’s lifted also, as the latter is tied to the former. However, that also means the firework-sale ban goes into effect any time Stage 1 fire restrictions are enacted, and this can only be undone by another Board of County Commissioners resolution, Deputy County Manager Kate Newman stated in an email. So, if the Stage 1 fire restrictions went back into place by mid-June, as an example, firework SEE FIRWORKS, P3
UNEARTHLY MASTERMINDS Young chefs concoct out-of-this-world creations
P16