EVENT
Getting smart about Social Security
Page
7
ENTERTAINMENT
Summer fun beats summer rain
There may be good reasons to take an early Social Security benefit, but fear about the political future of the controversial government payout is not one of them
Page
13
Despite the threat of showers, Englewood Fun Fest, the Littleton Criterium, Centennial Under the Stars and the Rocky Mountain Music Festival shine.
Volume 32 • Number 38 • August 14, 2014
FLAIR
Pages
18 -19
SaddleUp! party packed with success
SaddleUp! Foundation’s annual “Pack Your Bags Suitcase Party” at the new 40,000-square-foot Aero Colorado hangar was a huge success.
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Index
Page 4........................................ Opinion Page 12................................. Classifieds Pages 13-20...............................Fleurish Pages 21-29.................................Legals Pages 30-31.................................School TheVillagerNewspaper
@VillagerDenver
Funny money in Littleton Downtown merchants aren’t laughing about wave of counterfeit bills
By Peter Jones etting a loan paid back with a counterfeit bill was the last thing Andrea Baker needed. The mother and self-described former drug addict says she cannot work due to injuries she suffered after being accidently shot in the head at age 19. “We were counting on that money to pay our rent,” the Littleton woman said. “We’d already budgeted ourselves out.” Baker and her husband – who have two kids and a third on the way – live on a fixed income, but last summer the couple came to the aid of a then-friend who was living in low-income housing and said he needed a short-term loan of $100. When the “friend” showed up around 11 p.m. one night last month to supposedly make good on the loan, the couple was more than willing to open the door. “I didn’t care what time it was. I needed my money,” Baker said. Because the borrower had been an alleged user of methamphetamines, the couple says they told the man to stay outside away from their kids, so he waited in a dark area under a big tree in the front yard. Baker then came out to get her cash, which turned out to be in the form of a rather sloppily-
G
printed counterfeit bill. “He handed me the money face up. I thought nothing of it,” Baker said. “I went inside to my husband. He took it to the light over the stove in the kitchen. There was no face [on Benjamin Franklin’s head]. It didn’t even have a back on it.” Realizing she had been had, Baker quickly sent an unamused
There was no face [on Benjamin Franklin’s head]. It didn’t even have a back on it.
Continued on page 2
- Andrea Baker, counterfeit victim
Western Welcome Week rolls on Littleton’s 86th Western Welcome Week continues through Sunday, Aug. 17 with a range of events for the entire family. For a complete schedule and price information [many events are free or low cost], visit www.westernwelcomeweek.org. Upcoming highlights include: Thursday, Aug. 14 • Western Heritage Art Show at Town Hall Arts Center, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reception: 5:30 - 8 p.m. Show continues on Friday. • All Colorado Juried Art Exhibit at Depot Art Gallery, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Show continues on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. • Taste of Western Welcome Week and Silent Auction at Littleton Center. 5:30 8:30 p.m. • Big Band Patriotic Salute to Veterans at Bemis Library, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. • Perils on the Platte, a melodrama and olio, at United Methodist Church. 7 - 9 p.m. Repeat performances on Saturday
and Sunday at same time. Friday, Aug. 15 • Community Quilt Show at First Presbyterian Church, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Continues Saturday. • Elks Hometown Pig Roast and Dance at Elks Lodge, 6 - 11 p.m. • Littleton Jazz Festival at Town Hall Arts Center, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16 • Grand Western Sandwich Breakfast at United Methodist Church, 6:30 - 10 a.m. • Firefighters’ Children’s Parade in Bega Park, 7:30 - 9:30 a.m. • Grand Parade in Historic Downtown, 10 a.m. to noon. • Reinke Bros. Haunted Mansion, Noon to 6 p.m. • Old Timers’ Homecoming Luncheon at Littleton Museum, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. • Best of the West Pet Fest at Aspen Grove, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Senior Men Category Pro-1-2 racers negotiate the turns on the main streets of Downtown Littleton during the Littleton Twilight Criterium, the Colorado Criterium State Championship Bicycle Race held Aug. 9. The race was held in conjunction with Western Welcome Week events. For more Criterium coverage turn to page 20.
Photo by Stefan Krusze