Courier View Pikes Peak 7.24.13
Pikes Peak
Teller County, Colorado • Volume 52, Issue 30
July 24, 2013
75 cents
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourtellercountynews.com
The Farmers Market: A Weekly Summer Party Vendors, customers, organizers all share the benefits By Jenette DaPolito Special to the Courier
Each year when the weather starts to get warmer and vegetation sprouts with a fresh, vibrant green the question arises, ‘When does the farmers market begin?’ The local farmers market is something that so many in the community eagerly anticipate and thoroughly enjoy. It begins on the first Friday of June and ends on the last Friday of September, every Friday from the start to the finish is a bustling day for all of Woodland Park. The market includes fresh produce, plants grown locally, cheese, skin care products, foods prepared by those in the community, as well as clothing and jewelry. Anyone who has had the opportunity to go to the farmers market would agree that preparation and organization is evident to an immense degree. Judy Crummett, one of many large contributors putting the market together, was asked what some challenges are involved in preparing. She responded, “So many . . . we have 100 vendor spaces so it takes a lot of organizing. We open our summer application in January if that gives you any clue. Summer market is June- September. It is so big that it takes a great deal of organization, that’s the only way it succeeds is to be organized. Many vendors tell us that it is the best organized market that they attend.” The next question, without a doubt, would be, is it worth all that effort? She responded positively. “It’s been going 23 years and it is still run by a board and volunteers, so if we didn’t like doing it we certainly wouldn’t do it. We’ve gotten old in this thing, some of our volunteers are over 80 now. I think of it as a weekly summer party!” Vendors face similar challenges with preparation and organization. Several said
they were up late into the night before the market, and woke up at a shocking hour in the morning to be there and ready for their customers. Consistency in plants, produce and ingredients in certain foods is sometimes an additional issue. One vendor, named Florence, who sells the plants that she herself grows, says “It takes all week, I’m working at this all week long either transplanting or planting and keeping it all in good shape to bring and then getting everything packed.” Despite all of that hard work she added “But I won’t give up this market because its such a great market, and the people are so nice.” Customers are certainly grateful for all the hard work that is put into this weekly event. One customer Samantha said “It is nice getting to know whats in the community, because you don’t even realize that some of this exists until you come here, and then to see the talent of the people in the community.” Another customer Eva, appreciates the market so much she makes an effort to be there each week. “I always come, I try never to miss it because I just love everything that is growing and is natural and just the friendliness of the people. There is always something to discover, every week you get new produce, you meet new people, you see the animals and hear the music. I meet a lot of friends and make this my place to buy something for lunch and then I sit by the lake and eat.” A major focus behind having a local farmers market is to benefit the community. One vendor, Gene, put the benefits of the farmers market to the community this way, “We have good camaraderie, everybody knows each other and it brings a nice kind of family atmosphere to the market and the community.” Certainly, the local farmers market is something we can all enjoy, along with the whole family, contributing to the closeness of our community. All can be excited for a summer party each Friday from June to September, year after year.
Every Friday this (and every summer) the Woodland Park Farmer’s Market draws thousands to the party. Photo by Jenette DaPolito
Recall moves forward in Green mountain falls
safe at home
Mayor denies involvement By Pat Hill
phill@ourcoloradonews.com
Woodland Park’s Keegan Harman slides in safe at home during an American Legion baseball game this season. Harman plays for Post 1980 in Woodland Park. Photo by Dave Turley POSTAL ADDRESS
Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.
A small group of disgruntled citizens is in the process of initiating a recall election of several members of the Green Mountain Falls’ board of trustees. In an informal meeting July 14, about 20 people, summer and full-time residents, aired their grievances. Mayor pro tem Jane Newberry attended the meeting and gave a report to Mayor Lorrie Worthey and the trustees July 16. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think we made some really good inroads and answered some questions,” she said. “There are some things we can’t answer by law but we did answer some procedural questions. I felt pretty good about it.” According to Newberry’s notes, the group discussed a move to unincorporate the town, complained about the delay in the video-taping of board meetings as well as the lack of communication between the board and the citizens. On the issue of the recall, Newberry wrote that Billie Harwood reported that she has secured an attorney to advise the group about recall procedures. Harwood is a summer resident from Texas. Worthey bristled at Newberry’s notes stating that Judy Lofland Weidner “informed the group that Mayor Worthey is trying to get the $60 fee waived to receive state archives for Green Mountain Falls
‘I am not getting involved with this, never said anything about paying money and the $60 fee. I want to make that public, that this is incorrect.’ Mayor Lorrie Worthey and if she cannot get the fee waived, Mayor Worthey will pay the fee herself.” Worthey kept her cool but denied the report. “I am not getting involved with this, never said anything about paying money and the $60 fee,” she said. “I want to make that public, that this is incorrect.” Newberry stood her ground. “I just wrote down what people said,” she said. The next day, Worthey commented, “It is not true that I offered to pay the $60 fee,” she said. “I don’t know where that came from. As an elected official I was not involved in the request for the archives or the town charter.” At the request of Dick Lackmond, Worthey set the board meeting of Aug. 6 for a public discussion.