9 minute read

Celebrating Earth Day in Golden AVENUE FLASHES

Next Article
Public Notices

Public Notices

Back in the 1950s through the ‘60s, pollution levels in the entire country were rising to a point where you could see it everywhere. Cars all had gray smoke billowing out of their exhaust pipes, brown clouds of air pollution were constantly hovering over every major city, trash was thrown all over the highways, people were defacing trees by carving their initials in them in our forests and parks, they were spray painting stupid things on the rocks everywhere, logging operations were stripping the land of trees, companies were dumping toxic waste anywhere that was convenient, rivers had so many chemicals in them you couldn’t eat the sh you caught and there was really no argument about the fact that something had to be done to stop it before the damage was irreversible.

Sure, there were plenty of grumblings from people who were going to end up being regulated with their company practices, but as to the general public, trust me, you could see and smell the damage everywhere you went. Most people were in agreement that something had to be done about it and there was a big conservation movement that started all across the country. Aside from new restrictions and regulations, there were loads of volunteer groups appearing all over the place just cleaning things up and there was a general attitude shift where everyone really started caring more about taking care of our planet. To draw more attention to it and get more people involved, some of these environmentalists got together and created what we now know as Earth Day. One day each year where they could remind everyone that it’s up to all of us to keep our world clean and healthy.

When I was a teenager, Earth Day was kind of a big deal. It was highly publicized, there were always a lot of events on the day and it was a very trendy, cool kind of thing. But, like everything else, eventually it started to become old news and now it’s barely mentioned in the media. You probably didn’t even know it was coming up this weekend.

But, Earth Day 2023 is actually this coming Saturday, April 22, and yes, here in Golden we do have a few special events going on to mark the occasion.

e rst one I’ll mention is the Earth Day Plant and Craft Sale at the Golden Gate Grange on April 22. ere will be various plants and succulents available for purchase as well as arts and crafts, home décor, jewelry, fashion accessories as well as health and beauty products. It’s going to running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. e Golden Gate Grange is located at 25201 Golden Gate Canyon Road just four miles west of Route 93 in Golden.

For more information, visit goldengategrange. com.

Also on April 22, e Eddy Tap Room and Hotel will be hosting its annual Earth Day Celebration starting out with a group trash pick up along a section of Highway 58 that it sponsors. For the next two years, it is participating in the CDOT Spruce Up Colorado Adopt a Highway program. CDOT providesthem with re ective vests and trash bags. ey will also set up work area signs along the highway so you can conduct the cleanup safely. If you haven’tparticipated in a cleanup before, CDOT requires participants to watch a video prior to the event. You can do that by going to their website, theeddygolden.com and clicking on the Adventures tab to nd this event. at starts at 9:30 a.m. and it’s followed by an Eco Fair at the hotel from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can also nd more info online.

Another Saturday event is the Weed Busters Earth Day Celebration at Delong Park. at’s a pesticide-free pilot park with weed management done organically by volunteers. It’slocated at 395 23rd St. here in Golden. ere will be nature-based activities for kids, including face painting, drawing, a scavenger weed hunt, magnifying glass bug hunt and more. Plus, there will be lots of educational handouts for adults regarding native plants, habitat gardening and avoiding pesticides. is will be happening from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

And one more: Adopt a Houseplant at the Golden Library. It’s a community houseplant swap. Drop in with houseplants or garden cuttings in good condition to swap for something new or come in empty handed to adopt your new favorite houseplant or succulent. Containers, potting soil and plant care information will be available. It’s happening from 1-5 p.m. April 22 and at 1019 10th St. in Golden.

John Akal is a well-known jazz artist/drummer and leader of the 20-piece Ultraphonic Jazz Orchestra. He also is president of John Akal Imaging, professional commercial photography and multimedia production. He can be reached at jaimaging@aol.com.

Harper

On Friday, April 7, 2023, Triena Merydith Harper (nee Decker) passed away at the age of 77.

October 12, 1945 - April 7, 2023

Triena was born on October 12, 1945, in Hagerstown, Maryland to Hilda Mae Merydith Decker and Maurice Schultz Decker. Growing up in Upper Arlington, Ohio, Triena graduated from Upper Arlington High School in 1963. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio where she met her ex-husband and lifelong friend Gary Harper. Afterwards they lived in Germany and Ohio, before moving to Colorado. After moving a few times in the Denver area, Triena found her dream home in Indian Hills in the foothills in 1988.

In Colorado, Triena volunteered at the local re department for several years as a rst responder and EMT. at experience led her to employment as a deputy coroner. Her earlier work in hospital psychiatric wards helped her to bring a human touch to her role as coroner. An expert investigator, Triena began as a deputy coroner for Je erson County in 1983, then advanced to Chief Deputy Coroner, a position she held till her retirement in 2008.

During her time as Chief Deputy Coroner, Triena helped to modernize the coroner’s o ce. From a newspaper article following her retirement, Triena was quoted as saying that when she started “We had no o ce, just one room with one desk, and a closet to keep all the evidence in. We did all the autopsies at mortuaries, and we were paid by the body.” Triena was instrumental in expanding the o ce and putting deputy coroners on a salary. Perhaps her most prominent case was the Columbine school shooting of 1999.

As a member and co-founder of the Colorado Coroner’s Association, she helped oversee the continuing education for coroners and deputies statewide. She enjoyed trekking through the County forests to investigate human remains that could be decades old. She took great satisfaction in providing closure to family and friends of missing persons whom she later identi ed.

Triena was one of the women featured in the hardcover book “A Day in the Life of the American Woman: How We See

Ourselves” a book of photos (from 50 highly regarded photographers) and essays about a wide diversity of American women. Furthermore, Triena was a consultant to the scienti c monograph “ e Use of Forensic Anthropology” by Pickering and Bachman, and the book is dedicated to her. She also worked with Diane Mott Davidson, author of many mystery novels, to keep her stories authentic. Again, Davidson dedicated some of her novels to Triena.

Generous with her time after retirement, Triena volunteered for Evergreen Animal Protection League where she devoted many hours to the care of rescued pets. In addition, Triena enjoyed hiking and both downhill and cross-country skiing, often with her beloved dog Bear at her side. Triena was a lover of animals, both domestic (especially her many pets) and wild. She was certi ed as a Je erson County Wildlife Master; in this role she advised citizens how to deal with con icts with wildlife. With her brother, Bob, she traveled to Antarctica saying, “it was the best vacation,” lled with penguins and whales. She also traveled to Alaska to kayak and see grizzly bears and to Canada to watch polar bears.

Triena was preceded in death by her brother omas Ladd Decker (2019), her mother (1991), and her father (1986). She leaves behind her brother Robert ‘Boo’ James Decker (wife June), sister-in-law Kathryn Decker, and nieces and nephews Nicholas, Amanda, Timothy, Colin, Scott, and Stephanie. Triena also leaves behind many dear friends, with whom she enjoyed spending hours visiting and corresponding.

A celebration of life will be held at the Indian Hills Community Center, 5331 Parmelee Gulch Road, Indian Hills, Colorado, on Saturday April 22 from 1:30 to 4 pm. All of Triena’s friends, neighbors and coworkers are invited to attend. In lieu of owers, please make donations to the Evergreen Animal Protective League (EAPL) in one of three ways. You may send a check to PO Box 2517, Evergreen, CO 80437; you may go to the website ColoradoGives.org where you can donate to EAPL by credit card; or click on the ‘donate’ link on their website eapl.com.

January 4, 1946 - February 23, 2023 ing sources for programs can dry up. ere are a number of di erent ways that funding sources can dry up. Taxes cannot be raised endlessly with no consequence. Individuals and companies can and do make the decision to leave locales where taxes and regulations are too high for them. ey vote with their feet. at is but one more component of planning for a complex document like the Colorado state government’s budget.

Susan Kay Nelson, 77, died February 23, 2023, at Pleasant View Home of Inman, KS. She was born January 4, 1946, in Sioux City, IA, to Dale and Lorraine Nelson.

Susan graduated from Je erson City High School, IA and Mercy School of Nursing, Denver, CO. She was a retired Registered Nurse from Lutheran Medical Center, Wheat Ridge, CO.

She is survived by: son, Sean Leduc; daughter, Becky (Leduc) Carder; grandson, Skyler Carder; granddaughters, Sydnee and Sunny Carder; and a greatgrandchild due in May 2023. Memorial service: Saturday, April 22, 2023, 1:00pm, at Lutheran Medical Center Chapel, located at 8300 W 38th Ave. Wheat Ridge, CO.

Joe Webb is the former chairman of the Je co Republican party.

BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE OLOVE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In a state that has over 400 breweries and almost 100 distilleries, approaching the topic of sobriety can be a hard conversation for many people to have.

But with low-key, no-fuss non-alcoholic options at many establishments across the metro, it doesn’t have to be a big deal if you don’t want to drink, whatever your reasons.

Mocktails that you wouldn’t even know were NA

Golden Moon Speakeasy in Golden uses all its own distilled spirits and creates unique craft cocktails at’s all the more reason that general manager Kayla Veatch sees to o er quality, non-alcoholic options.

“My overall philosophy when I changed the menu was to have the same options as the alcohol menu,” Veatch said.

So no, you won’t have to order a water if you’re the designated driver. e mocktails at Golden Moon use highly steeped teas to replace alcohol and utilize many of the same syrups and NA ingredients the cocktails use.

Mocktails are a great option for people ready to slow down on alcohol for the night, people taking certain medications, pregnant people and people exploring sobriety, Veatch said. e speakeasy even serves mocktails to children before 9 p.m.

Having an inclusive menu makes an establishment like this a gathering place for groups, Veatch explained.

“People can still come together….if I didn’t have mocktails, I wonder if they would still be excited to come,” she said about group members who don’t consume alcohol.

Some of the mocktails Veatch makes include the Cloud City, which features an earl grey tea base, ginger, lemon and elder ower, or the Cheshire Cat, which features a butter y pea ower tea base, passionfruit juice and lime. Veatch even makes a copycat smoked whiskey.

Golden Moon Speakeasy is located at 1111 Miner’s Alley in Golden.

An alcohol alternative

For those looking for another NA drink option, perhaps with health bene ts, kombucha has been a popular choice.

Kombucha has been added as an option at many breweries, bars and co ee shops around Colorado; but Marc Gaudreault owns one of only two kombucha tap rooms on the front range.

Before the pandemic, the Trubucha tap room in Lone Tree had space for people to sit inside and enjoy a glass of kombucha. According to Gaudreault, Trubucha actually grew during the pandemic, and the demand for his product is so great he needs most of his shop space for fermenting the kombucha in huge vats.

Still, Trubucha boasts 31 taps in the store and has a spacious patio for people to enjoy kombucha, lemonade, ginger beer or cold brew.

So, what is kombucha? Put simply, Gaudreault explained, it’s lightly fermented tea. But the health bene ts are much more lengthy, he said. Most notably, the drink has an abundance of natural probiotics,

This article is from: