Clive Cussler’s classic-car legacy lives on

Arvada museum showcases collection amassed by bestselling author

BY LILLIAN FUGLEI LFUGLEI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Tucked away behind construction on Indiana Street is a collection of over 100 cars, some over 100 years old. e collector of these cars is none other than Clive Cussler.

Cussler was a best-selling author with over six dozen books, primarily writing adventure and thriller stories. ough Cussler passed away in 2020, his legacy lives on, partially through his museum. ough Cussler began collecting cars in the 1970s, it wasn’t until 2005 that the museum opened.

“My mother and I approached him about opening it up to the public because he had over 100 cars, and they’re so fascinating,” Amie Knutson, Cussler’s granddaughter, said. “We thought it’d be neat to open up to the public and let people come see them.”

Knutson added that she wants to keep her grandfather’s legacy going. “He passed away three years ago,” she said. “It’s just neat talking to all the people that are huge fans of his and just showing people these awesome cars that you don’t really see every day. It’s wonderful.”

Keith Lowden, the museum’s mechanic, has been working on the cars since the 1980s. Lowden helped Cussler to pick out cars and restore them and has been helping with upkeep and repairs ever since.

“I would go on trips with him to car auctions,” Lowden said. “I checked (cars) over and stu before he would decide to bid on them. So that was a lot of fun. ose times were really great.”

With over 100 cars, the museum can only display around 60 at a time. Each car has a small sign detailing the model and history of the vehicle, while many cars are displayed with a copy of one of Cussler’s books. Many of Cussler’s books feature a car in his collection, with a photo of him in the car on the back cover.

“Opening this up as a museum so people can come in, we get a lot of his fans in here,” Lowden said. “It’s like they’re movie stars to them

If You Go

Address: 14959 W. 69th Avenue, Arvada, CO 80007

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and the first Saturday of each month seasonally from May through September or something where they want to come and see the car. ey can’t see the character. e stories are just kind of made up. But the cars exist.”

Meet Zeus!

Zeus (281167) is a 7-year-old male Shepherd/Akita mix. In his former home Zeus loved to play and be the center of attention. Volunteers say he is calm, easy to walk, and very friendly. Zeus can be overly playful with other animals and would do best as a single pet or with canine companions of similar energy level. He is available to homes with no kids or kids 10 or older.

info@fas4pets.org the park, they are taking their lives in their hands as they cross Morrison Road.

“Morrison Road is like a speedway,” said Mary Beth Mainero, who lives in Red Rocks Ranch. “If (Bear Creek Lake) park is lled, people park in our neighborhood. We have a big, big concern about tra c, and when the building is being built, will tra c come through our neighborhood? … We should have a say. We are your new neighbors.”

Red Rocks Ranch resident Frank Lansville said: “We strongly encourage you all to consider … putting something else on that property.”

Background

In April 2022, Morrison residents voted to allow a marijuana shop east of the Dakota Hogback Formation, and in December, the board entered into a contract with LivWell, one of the largest cannabis operations in the nation, to construct a retail store on the one-acre parcel. LivWell expects to provide the town with between $800,000 and $1.3 million each year in salestax revenue, plus it will pay the town $15,000 a month to lease the property.

LivWell had until the end of March to complete its due diligence, but the Town Board continues to extend the due-diligence period. Assuming LivWell moves forward with the contract, it would be responsible for building the store, the parking lot and the access road from the store to Morrison Road.

Response to concerns

Carrie McCool, the town’s planner, told residents that the pro- posal would go through the town’s site-development process that is overseen by the Planning Commission. It would include a look at all improvements to the site including access, lighting, safety, fencing between the shop and the residential area, and more. e Planning Commission would also request a tra c study, she said.

Town o cials assured residents they would have opportunities to comment on the proposal.

She said if the marijuana shop deal falls through, other commer-

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The Difference Between The Town Of Morrison And The Morrison Zip Code

Residents in Red Rocks Ranch got a geography lesson of sorts when they learned that while they have Morrison addresses and ZIP code, they don’t actually live in the Town of Morrison.

More than a dozen residents attended a Morrison Town Board meeting on Aug. 1 to voice concerns about a marijuana shop that the town plans to allow on property that borders the subdivision. The residents asked why they weren’t informed about an election in April 2022 to get the sentiment of Morrison residents about the marijuana shop and why they weren’t informed that the town entered into an agreement with LivWell, a cannabis operation, in December 2022 to operate the shop.

They argued that the property taxes the town would get from the 1,300 homes being built in Red Rocks Ranch would outweigh the amount of revenue the town would get from the marijuana cial uses could be put on that site.

“We understand your concerns,” town Trustee Adam Way said. “We are not trying to be bad neighbors.”

Trustee Katie Gill added that the town needed the revenue the shop would bring, and while she had been on the fence about whether Morrison should have a marijuana shop, voters had spoken, and she was following their wishes.

“I will ght to make sure we minimize tra c impact, visual impact and any crime-related issues,” she said.

That’s when they learned that Morrison’s borders are very small with about 125 homes and 400 residents, while the ZIP code area is very large – with more than 6,000 homes — and the di erentiation has caused confusion on more than one occasion. Red Rocks Ranch is actually in unincorporated Je erson County.

According to the U. S. Postal Service website, the 80465 ZIP code in large and generally runs from Aspen Park, Evergreen, Indian Hills and Kittredge on the west to Highway 74 on the north, though it encompasses Red Rocks Ranch on the northeast and goes further southeast to Simms Street.

A Town of Morrison sta member said the town gets calls regularly from people asking about building permits and the like, only to learn they live in unincorporated Je erson County instead.

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Downtown Evergreen holds annual derby along Bear Creek

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

More than 7,000 of Evergreen’s favorite feathered friends landed below the Evergreen dam — all part of the annual Dam Ducky Derby.

e 14th annual event on Aug. 5 in downtown Evergreen did not disappoint for the thousands of people watching the duck drop, visiting downtown businesses and vendors and participating in games and activities.

“I love this,” said Megan Mitchell, president of the Evergreen Downtown Business Association, which hosts the Dam Ducky Derby. “You can’t beat the weather, the creek is not owing too fast, and everyone is having a good time. It’s just a great day.”

Children and dogs played in Bear Creek below the dam as Jim Sherwood, owner of the Evergreen Clothing Company and the event’s emcee, got the crowd red up and led the countdown before re ghters on Evergreen e crowd chanted, “Drop those ducks,” before the countdown started, and 7,500 plastic ducks fell with a whoosh into the water and oated downstream to the nish line at Highland Haven Creekside Inn. Eager fans gathered along the banks hoping their lucky duck would win the race.

Fire/Rescue’s ladder truck let the numbered yellow quackers loose.

Duck wranglers — actually Evergreen Fire/Rescue re ghters — stood in the water using what appeared to be lacrosse sticks to

After Refacing