Redstone February/March 2023

Lyons Community Church services

LYONS – Lyons Community Church, 350 W. Main St, invites everyone to join them for a service and soup supper on Ash Wednesday, February 22. The soup supper will be at 6:15 p.m. and the service will be at 7 p.m.

A Bluegrass Easter Service with the Blue Canyon Boys, will be held on April 9 at 10 a.m. with an Easter Egg Hunt after the service. We are pleased to celebrate with the Blue Canyon Boys again this year as they lead us in uplifting and spirited hymns throughout the Service.

Lyons Community Church invites everyone to join them this Lenten season. Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent, a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by focusing on their spiritual practices.

Annual Town Report available online and in print

LYONS – The 2022 Annual Town Report for Lyons will be available for residents later this month. The document will be available online at the Town of Lyons website and a limited number of hard copies will be available at the Lyons Regional Library in the front hall.

The report is a compendium of reports from Town staff; the various Town boards and commissions and outside districts, like the Boulder County Sheriff’s Department (specific to Lyons) and the Lyons Regional Library District. Outside community organizations like the Lyons Emergency Assistance Foundation, Lyons Community Fund, the Redstone Museum and others are invited to contribute as well.

Included will be financial spreadsheets showing 2022 expenditures and the 2023 budget.

The Annual Report is a “one-stop shopping” document for all issues of Lyons town government.

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Redstone

President Zelensky and the people in Ukraine

Charlotte Bielecki admires the results of her valentine-making at Lyons Valley Preschool on Monday,

Lyons Valley Preschool ia a play-based Montessori preschool serving children aged 2 1/2 to 6 since 2014. You can find them at www.lyonsvalleypreschool.org

By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor

LYONS – The Lyons Town Board, was once again surprised to receive an invoice from Highland Ditch Co. with a string of charges for what Trustee Greg Oetting revered to as, “charges for services not even being rendered.”

The town board wants to use some land owned by Highland Ditch for a trail which is slated to go through some of Highland’s property. The invoice for a phone call and staff services from Highland Ditch came to Trustee Oetting’s attention when he was going over the accounts payable and he brought it to the board’s attention at their regular meeting early in February.

Town Administrator Victoria Simonsen said, “Yes, we were all surprised to receive an invoice to pay Highland Ditch more money.

Tracy (Sanders) did reach out to them and requested (to know) what this was all about.”

The invoice for $4,761 was charged for engineers to review the good faith letter (from the Lyons Town Board) plus their staff time. “We were shocked,” said Simonsen. Trustee Oetting asked Town Attorney Brandon Dittman, “Do we have any recourse here?” Dittman said, “In the past, we’ve told them we are not going to pay – we had a nasty fight over it. Our recourse could be we want to see more information – show us the time sheets. That could be a potential option. We have fought with them in the past. Fighting takes time and money on our side.”

Dittman went on to say the town is trying to work in good faith with them. “It’s kind of disappointing that in reviewing our good faith letter they are spending thousands of dollars.”

The board went on to pass the consent

agenda with the invoice to Highland Ditch by a 5 to 1 vote.

One of the high spots of the board meeting was when Mayor Hollie Rogin said that after many months of hard work, it was her great pleasure to announce it was now time for the town board to ratify and approve the 2023 Lyons Thrive Comprehensive Plan.

She complimented all those who worked so hard on the Comp Plan and gave special thanks to Mayor Pro Tem, Jocelyn Farrell who was the liaison from the town board to the Comp Plan committee and spent many hours working on the document. Resolution 2023-08 ratifying and approving the 2023 Comp Plan was passed by all board members.

In other news, the board heard an update from the Housing and Human Services Commission Chair, Kay Sparks who told the board

stands with

February 13.

PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS

Christopher Ward

September 14, 1967 – January 14, 2023

Lifelong Lyons resident, Christopher Ward, age 55, passed away on January 14, 2023, in the arms of his beloved husband of 9 years, Tory Wentworth Ward. He was born on September 14, 1967.

Chris Ward attended Lyons High School graduating in 1985. His father, Earl, (aka Shorty) was the custodian at the school and his mother, Pauline, was the cafeteria lady. Chris cared deeply for his parents and family and was there for them as their health failed.

In high school, Mr. Ward was known for helping the teachers solve their computer glitches. Not surprisingly, he became an expert software developer. He was also a fine electrical engineer able to wire together most everything. Before he passed away, he had just rewired their broken furnace.

Though Chris Ward spent 24 years working at Baseline Mocon as head of IT and software development, he needed to help care for his parents so he took a second job as a baker for 5 years at the Stone Cup. In 2010, a serendipitous craigslist ad

brought Chris Ward and Tory Wentworth together. When they had just started dating, Mr. Wentworth remembers trying to help Mr. Ward in the Stone Cup kitchen. Mr. Wentworth had trouble with the blender and managed to shoot pumpkin bread batter all over everything. Mr. Wentworth was mortified but Mr. Ward is found it hilarious. At about this time, Mr. Wentworth was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Mr. Ward was always caring and understanding about Mr. Wentworth’s illness.

On June 24, 2014, Chris Ward and Tory Wentworth were married. “It was Hillary

Hall who issued our license,” said Tory Wentworth. At that time, same-sex marriage was legal only in Colorado so they were actually the 30th gay couple to marry in Colorado and hence, in the USA. Chris Ward got a call that the marriage licenses were really happening. Mr. Wentworth said, “Chris woke me up and asked me what I was doing that day. When I couldn’t think of anything he asked if I wanted to get married and we did.” Creating their own unique tradition, it was a goth/victorian wedding held at a funeral home. The Rev. Sam Tallent served as the Officiant.

For about 4 years, Chris Ward and Tory Wentworth ran a sugar glider breeding and education program. Sugar gliders are small marsupials similar to flying squirrels. They raised and homed 40 gliders. They adored holding and interacting with them and Mr. Ward really got into the genetics side of it. Around town, they were often seen each with a sugar glider nestled in a soft pouch around their necks.

Mr. Ward and Mr. Wentworth have always loved dogs. Most recently there are four dogs. One was a rescue pup, adopted after the bust of a massive 3 state dog fighting ring up north a few years back.

For the last 3 years, when his health permitted, Mr. Ward loved working at the Circle K Station because he loved meeting the people. He was amiable and kind with a familiar smile for the customers and his co-workers, and folks around town.

Chris Ward’s memorial will take place on the first nice spring day, in the Lyons Community Gardens. Notification will be via the Lyons Happenings Facebook page.

For those who are able, donations of time or funds can help get Mr. Wentworth back on his feet with a job and a vehicle. For more information on how to donate, contact Kate Kerr at kathykerr@gmail.com. Kate Kerr and Tory Wentworth Ward wrote this obituary.

Rebuttal to Peter Baumgartner’s guest editorial in the January issue of Redstone

GUEST EDITORIAL

By Mark Browning Redstone Review

LYONS – The Redstone Review seems an odd forum to debate Russian’s war on Ukraine, but since Peter Baumgartner did so in a “guest editorial” in the January edition, I’ll join issue in a reply.

Mr. Baumgartner starts with a conspiracy theory, posing as a question (to avoid stating it as an alleged fact) whether Hunter Biden being “an arm length away” from Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zolensky has affected U.S. policy.

Nice try, but Hunter Biden was a direc-

tor of Burisma in Ukraine from April 2014 to April 2019. Zelensky took office in May 2019.

During Biden’s Burisma term, Zelensky was a comedian and actor.

Mr. Baumgartner then wonders “why we are at war with Russia.” We’re not. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 after Ukrainians ousted a Russia-backed president. The U.S. and E.U. imposed only weak sanctions, leading Vladimir Putin to launch a full-scale invasion in February 2022. The U.S. has belatedly provided some arms and ammunition to Ukraine, but not near as quickly or as much (no planes, no long-range missiles, no ground troops) as Ukraine would like. There is no U.S. – Russia war.

Next, Mr. Baumgartner endorses Henry Kissinger’s peace plan, which involves rewarding Russia for a ceasefire by giving it Crimea and the substantial portion (not a “thin slice”) of Ukraine, including much of its industrial base, seized in 2014. If the U.S. invades Canada and agrees to a ceasefire on the condition we get to keep British Columbia, would that be okay with everyone?

Further, there is no indication Putin would be satisfied with the territory seized in 2014. He claims to have annexed four entire Ukrainian states. He attempted to capture Kiev, kill Zelensky and overthrow Ukraine’s government. Even though rewarded with Austria and most of Czechoslovakia, Hitler wasn’t satisfied and

invaded Poland, starting World War II. There is little reason to think fellow tyrant/dictator/barbarian Putin would be sufficiently appeased with eastern Ukraine and Crimea.

Another factual error in Mr. Baumgartner’s editorial is the statement that giving Russia the eastern Donbas region and Crimea “would only give up areas arguably considered Russia.” The Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimean regions were internationally recognized as part of Ukraine when the Soviet Union split up. In the 2001 vote on Ukraine independence, a majority of voters in all three regions voted in favor of joining Ukraine: 83.9 percent in Donetsk and Luhansk, 54.2

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Christopher Ward, left, and his beloved husband of 9 years, Tory Wentworth.

Public engagement in Lyons

By Hollie Rogin, Mayor of Lyons Redstone Review

LYONS – In every local government, and especially in Lyons, public engagement is a crucial aspect of how town decisions get made. It fosters transparency and accountability, and your Trustees can gain a much deeper understanding of the desires and concerns of the whole community. We can then use that information to inform our policy decisions and priorities.

After the closure of the weekly printed newspaper, and in conjunction with pandemic restrictions on gathering, it seems like (anecdotally at least) it can take more of an effort to learn about what the town board is discussing and deciding.

Rogin

During the comprehensive plan process, there was considerable input from a wide variety of people, and that means that the newly adopted comprehensive plan reflects the wishes and goals of our community. This is great news. Now, let’s keep that engagement going so that we’re sure we continue to hear everyone’s voice.

I understand that it’s sometimes difficult and can be time-consuming to keep tabs on everything happening at Lyons Town Hall. Not everyone has the time or inclination to read posted agendas and packets or to speak during the public comment portion of our meetings. I also understand that you still very much care about the issues that affect all of us.

To that end, your Lyons Board of Trustees wants to know how you want to be communicated with and engaged. My professional background is in marketing and communications, and one of the basic tenants of good communication is meeting people where they are with messages that matter to them.

Currently, the town uses the monthly utility bill and e-blast emails as main communication mechanisms. You can still Zoom into board meetings to watch and participate, and you can also watch them live and recorded on the town’s YouTube channel.

In addition, we are considering the following ideas:

• A monthly “Tea with Trustees,” where two trustees make themselves available to chat at a coffee shop or restaurant on a weekend afternoon for a few hours.

• More posting on social media, including meeting agendas and meeting outcomes,

• A twice-yearly Town Hall, possibly in conjunction with other elected officials, and

• More regular online surveys.

Please know that you can always email individual Trustees (myself included.) We do read every email we receive. My email address is mayor@townoflyons.com, and other trustee email addresses can be found at townoflyons.com/183/Board-of-Trustees.

All emails sent to and from Trustees are subject to open records laws and are considered public information.

So, let us know what you think. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Hollie

April 18, 2022. Before that she was elected to serve on the Board of Trustees for the term of 2020 – 2022. In 2015, Hollie created the foundation for what is now the City of Boulder’s Commercial Affordability program on a pro bono basis. While serving as a Trustee, she was the Board liaison to the Economic Vitality Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission.

Rep. Neguse calls on IRS to treat TABOR payments as nontaxable income

By Joe Neguse, U.S. Rep. Colorado 2nd District Redstone Review

dent for the past thirty years.

Neguse

This push comes just days after the IRS alerted Coloradans to hold off on filing their taxes until they determine how to best handle the payments. In a letter to the Commissioner of the IRS Douglas O’Donnell, Rep. Neguse and his colleagues implored the agency to honor long-standing regulatory practice and treat the revenue payments as nontaxable income.

Neguse said, “It is incomprehensible that the IRS would threaten to take money out of the hands of hardworking Coloradans.” He previously served in the Governor’s Cabinet as Director of Colorado’s regulatory agency.

as has been prece-

LAFAYETTE — Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse, who previously served as Executive Director of Colorado’s Department of Regulatory Agencies from 2015 to 2017, led the entire Colorado delegation in calling on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to continue treating Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) revenue payments as nontaxable income

The letter was co-signed by the entire Colorado delegation, including U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, and Representatives DeGette, Crow, Caraveo, Pettersen, Buck, Boebert, and Lamborn.

For thirty years, these TABOR revenue payments have rightfully made their way to families throughout our communities without the IRS raising any issues. We must ensure the IRS does not impede the revenue structure that Colorado voters have adopted, which would not only create confusion in the middle of tax season but impose significant cost burdens on Colorado taxpayers.

The TABOR Amendment was approved by voters in 1992, and since that time, the State of Colorado has refunded excess revenue generated by the state to the taxpayers.

Read the full letter below:

Friday, February 10, 2023

The Honorable Douglas O’Donnell Acting Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service

1111 Constitution Ave NW Washington, DC 20224

Dear Acting Commissioner O’Donnell: We write to urge your agency to treat Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) revenue payments as income –keeping with previous Internal Revenue Service (IRS) precedent for the past thirty years. Recent public reports indicate that your office has asked Coloradans to delay filing their taxes until a final determination has been issued with respect to these payments. We hope that your agency can resolve this in a timely manner to avoid further confusion within our state.

In 1992, Coloradans approved an amendment to the state constitution, commonly referred to as the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), to limit the

amount of revenue withheld by the state and instead refund excess revenue back to the taxpayers. In 2022, these revenue payments were $750 for single-filers and $1,500 for joint-filers. Historically, the IRS has never considered such payments as taxable income since the amendment was ratified in 1992 – over thirty years ago.

Expecting Coloradans to now pay part of these revenue payments back would impose a significant burden on Colorado taxpayers, introduce considerable compliance costs for taxpayers who did not anticipate having to add their TABOR revenue payments to their joint or single filings, and cost Coloradans hundreds of additional dollars in tax liability.

Of additional concern is the timing of this announcement. A late announcement during tax season will cause Coloradans unnecessary stress as they prepare to file. Moreover, as you know, regulatory stability and transparency promote compliance, whereas sudden changes with thin justification do not. Potential new rules promulgated within months of the filing deadline, with the possibility of costing taxpayers a significant amount of money, would impose unnecessary financial distress on countless Coloradans.

In sum, we respectfully request that the IRS continue to treat TABOR revenue payments as non-taxable, as you have in previous tax years, and that your agency promptly announce the same. We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter. Sincerely.

Congressman Joe Neguse represents Colorado’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected to his first term in November 2018, becoming the first African-American member of Congress in Colorado history. He serves as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.

Rogin was sworn in as Mayor of Lyons on

Evelyn Viola Moore: Renaissance woman

By Monique SawyerLang Redstone Review

returned to Longmont in 1938 to care for her mother who died in 1941.

In 1942, Evelyn moved to Lyons, living at 218 High Street and began teaching science at Lyons High School. Her sister, Mary Wilson, also taught at Lyons. She retired from teaching in 1948.

Sawyer-Lang

LYONS – A scientist, a teacher, a poet, and an artist, these are some of the adjectives that can be used to describe former Lyons resident Evelyn Viola Moore. She was born February 26, 1885 in Beaver City, Nebraska. Evelyn graduated from the University of Colorado in 1907 with a teaching degree

Evelyn was involved in a number of civic groups in Lyons, including the Women’s Club and the Gardening Club. She was a member of the Lyons Methodist Church and was active in the Women’s Society of Christian Service at the church. She painted as a hobby and was a member of the Longmont Artists Guild. The Lyons Redstone Museum has three of Evelyn’s paintings in its collection.

In 1952 she published a book of poetry titled Verses from Colorado. This slim volume, with its paper cover and individually hand colored Columbine flowers contains eight poems extolling the virtues of living in Colorado. The museum is lucky enough to own two copies of this book, one of which is autographed by the author.

Evelyn passed away on February 26, 1962 at the age of 77 and is buried in the Mountain View Cemetery in Longmont. Her poem titled Where the Sun of Colorado Shines, from her poetry book, extols her love not only for living here but for the beauty and the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains.

and moved to Longmont. In 1911 she received a master’s degree in biology and served as the head of the biology department at Boulder High School for 13 years. During that time she lived in Boulder. She

Monique Sawyer Lang is the Collections Manager of the Lyons Redstone Museum. She is also a volunteer with the Lyons Food Pantry and a former member/chair of the Lyons Community Foundation Board. She lives in Spring Gulch.

Where the Sun of Colorado Shines

By Evelyn Viola Moore

Where the sun of Colorado shines

And skies are ever fair, ‘Mong aspen groves and murmuring pinesMy heart is ever there. Where winds are free and heaven is wide, Where seldom comes a care, High on the rugged mountainsideMy heart is ever there. Not here among the hurrying throng That ceaseless surges by, Not here where drifting clouds of smoke

Leading Lyons Community Foundation’s next chapter

By Gil Sparks Redstone Review

LYONS – For the past six years, Jeanne Moore provided exceptional leadership for the Lyons Community Foundation (LCF), all for the benefit of our local non-profits, students, and local residents.

In January, I assumed her role as the LCF Advisory Board chair. Stepping into Jeanne’s shoes is a daunting undertaking, but I believe that LCF’s role in our community is critical. My wife Kay and I moved to Lyons in October 2020 to be with our son Chris, our daughter in law Jen, and our 4-year-old granddaughter Juniper. We are both quite active in the community and have a vested interest in seeing it thrive, which is why I am committed to upholding and championing LCF’s mission and values.

Many of you may not be aware that LCF is an advisory board of Community Foundation Boulder County (CFBC). CFBC has supported nonprofit organizations throughout the county for more than 31 years, granting nearly $150 million to community partners. CFBC has worked closely with LCF since 2007, to help us improve the quality of life for everyone in the greater Lyons area.

As an affiliate of CFBC, LCF has been the beneficiary of many administrative resources to help supplement our local fundraising efforts. The resulting funds help us meet a myriad of our community’s needs, including being able to provide

grants for flood recovery, assisting in keeping our businesses strong during the pandemic, providing college scholarships for local students, and, more recently, providing funding to assist with the Main Street fire recovery efforts.

In addition to the critical programs listed above, Lyons Community Foundation also has the honor of helping bring you many of your favorite local events, such as the Sandstone Concert Series (Wednesday evenings in the Summer), the Artisan Market, the Hootenanny (scheduled for Sunday, August 27 this year), and the Holiday Parade of Lights.

This Winter and Spring, there are several events you’ll want to put on your cal-

endar. First, the Winter Wonderland Concert Series has two more family-friendly concerts scheduled: Saturday, February 25 with Dechen Hawk performing, and Saturday, March 25 with Ian Brighton performing. If the weather is cold enough to allow ice skating, concerts will be held in LaVern Johnson Park, and free skate rentals will be available. If not, concerts may be moved to a sunnier location. Either way, hot chocolate and other goodies will be for sale, benefitting local non-profit organizations.

We are also partnering with Gemini Adventures to bring you the second annual Lucky Lyons 5k and 10k run on March 11, 2023. With a start and finish in Bohn Park, and a St. Patrick’s Day

Arise to dark the skyMy heart is with the wild bluebell

That rustles in the wind

And sways upon some quiet hill

With thousands of her kind. Not here amid confusing din, Not here in heartless strife. But to the hills my heart would turn For calmer, gladder life. My heart is with the wandering bee That roams the forest o’er. And there among the wild spring flowers ‘Twould dwell forevermore.

theme, this event is the perfect opportunity to don your green running gear and get out on our local trails. Participants will not only earn their green beer, they’ll be supporting a great cause, because net profits from the event will be donated to LCF. You can register for Lucky Lyons online at: https://geminiadventures.com/run/lucky-lyons.

I volunteered at an aid station for the race last year, and had a wonderful time cheering on all of the adults and kids who ran past. Kay and I will be volunteering again this year, and we’d love for you to join us. Please sign up to volunteer with us at: https://tinyurl.com/luckylyonsvolunteers.

Lastly, I’d be remiss this month if I failed to let you know that the deadline for college scholarship applications is March 10. This year, we are offering eight different scholarships, ranging from $1,000 to up to $5,000 each. They are open to Lyons area graduating seniors. All the details can be found on our website: https://www.lyonscf.org/

During my tenure as chair of the Advisory Board, I am hoping to get to meet and know as many of you as possible. Let’s get together, over coffee, lunch or an afternoon beverage to discuss your thoughts about Lyons Community Foundation and its potential future contributions to our community. I can be reached at gsparks@nwi.net. Hope to hear from you.

Gil Sparks is the Chair of the Lyons Community Foundation. Sparks is also currently chairing the Lyons Regional Library District Board, and serving on the Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission, along with being a member of the Longmont Twin Peaks Rotary club. Parks is a retired attorney. He and his wife Kate live in Lyons.

LCF volunteers at last year’s Lucky Lyons race. Left to right: Gil Sparks, Gwyd Winkelmeyer, Kay Sparks, Jeanne Moore, Kate Schnepel, Gail Frankfort, Tanya Daty.

TWIN PEAKS BY EVELYN VIOLA MOORE

Greetings,

My time here in Lyons is rapidly coming to an end. I wanted to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for the opportunity to have served as your police chief for the last 6 years.

I am both humbled and honored to have been a part of this community. Not many Police Officers get the chance to experience an assignment like this.

Someone once said that the “days and weeks can drag on, but the years fly by,” how true that is. Seems like just yesterday I was attending my first board meeting and hosting a community meeting about speeding in town.

As I look back, I can reminisce on many of the highlights that have taken place during my tenure. There have also been a fair number of trials and tribulations that we all went through. What makes these memories stand out is how well we all worked together to solve issues and further improve the quality of life in our town.

I have always said “if you want to look good, surround yourself with good people.” I think it goes without saying that Lyons is full of not only good people, but GREAT people. You all have made my job easy and very much enjoyable. Even when times were a little rocky, and I felt

Trivia Night is back

By Kate Kerr Redstone Review

LYONS – Can you answer these trivia questions?

1. Which animal can be seen on the Porsche logo?

2. Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize (in 1903)?

3. Lyons, CO was founded in 1880 by Mr. Lyons. What was his first name?

Questions like these will test your team’s knowledge. Join in the 3rd Annual Virtual Trivia Contest on Wednesday, February 22 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Since the event is virtual, friends and family members from anywhere in the world can participate. This year we may even have players zooming from Puerto Rico.

Assemble your team of up to 6 players. For individuals,

like I was standing alone, I knew I had the overwhelming support of all of you. My experience as your chief has made me a better leader, and more importantly a better person. I have learned a great deal in the past six years, fostered old friendships and developed amazing new relationships with many, many people that I will cherish as I move on.

I won’t be going very far as my next assignment will be back to the streets as a patrol sergeant for the entire county of Boulder. I will still be coming in and out of town at times and you can count on seeing me at all the great Lyons events and festivals that are held throughout the year.

I’m pleased to announce that Lyons will be left in the very capable hands of your new incoming chief, Sgt.

go it alone or ask to join a welcoming team. Have fun thinking up a clever team name and appoint a team captain who will receive further instructions. Please sign up in advance. Register by Tuesday, February 21 and no later than 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 22. Suggested donation is $10 per person. You and your teammates can also become members of the Friends, update memberships, or make direct donations.

There will be four rounds, each with 10 multiple choice questions, all on Zoom, with private breakout rooms for teams to discuss their answers. The prize for the top team is bragging rights for one year – plus your achievement will be posted on the library’s digital announcement board for all to view and admire.

Proceeds from this event are dedicated to the Library’s Summer Reading Program including the Beanstack online platform.

Last year’s trivia event was a great success raising $1,010. Can we top that? We hope you will join us on

Cody Sears. Cody is a 14-year veteran with the Sheriff’s Office. After graduating high school, he served in the U.S. Marines for four years.

During his career, he has worked in the courts, jail, patrol, and detectives and is currently a team leader on the BCSO SWAT team. Cody will take over as the Town of Lyons Police Chief on January 22, 2023. Cody has been shadowing me for the last few months and is up to speed with anything that involves the town and surrounding area. He will be a great fit into this very special community.

I want to thank all the people in town who have supported me and the Sheriff’s Office these past years. A special thanks also goes out to the entire Lyons town staff, Mayor and Board of Trustees, and Lyons Fire Department, all past and present who have guided me in the right direction as I learned the policies, procedures and nuances of public safety and policing of a small town. I can’t imagine a better place to have taken on this role.

Take care of each other, stay in touch, and stay safe.

Respectfully, Sergeant Bill Crist

Wednesday, February 22 having lots of fun in support of our wonderful local library.

Answers to the above quiz: 1. Horse 2. Marie Curie 3. Edward S. Lyons

Kate Kerr often her services as a volunteer to work for various art shows and events. She lives in Lyons.

Sgt. Cody Sears took over duties from Sgt. Bill Crist on January 22.

Losing our musical heroes and very few to replace them

By Peter Butler Redstone Review

LYONS – I can still remember what I was doing on Saturday December 4 1993. Deirdre and I were driving out of London on the A3 highway after a couple of hours spent at one of the very few places in England where you could buy decent woodworking machines.

mood and we were listening to the BBC on the radio.

But then a tune came on the radio and my heart sank. It was Peaches En Regalia by Frank Zappa and it could only mean one thing. Peaches was not the sort of thing that the BBC normally played. Frank Zappa’s music, although esteemed by passionate fans like me, was usually too edgy and frequently too scathing of modern culture to get much air time on polite radio.

for life. So in 1971 I was in love with Led Zeppelin, Yes, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Frank Zappa to name a few. It was time when popular music was still evolving and saw a move away from the 3 minute song with nice vocals and a polite backing to a rebellious noise with loud guitars and drums.

Deirdre had been a real sport and let me spend some big money, for us at the time, to get a lovely big bandsaw and a nice professional table saw. I still have both of them and after many rebuilds and modifications over 30 years they are still the mainstay of my woodworking and have seen the birth of several guitars and pieces of furniture. So as we made our way home on this dark evening I was in a happy

But Peaches En Regalia was the opening tune on his album Hot Rats, maybe the closest FZ ever got to easy listening. So hearing it on prime time BBC could only mean that Frank Zappa had left us after long fight with cancer.

That was nearly 30 years ago, but it represented the thin end of a wedge of losses of musical heroes from my youth. I have a theory that 17 is the age, when all the music that you love, adheres to your brain

No beavers? No dam problem

By Greg Lowell Redstone Review

LYONS – Prior to the coming of trappers in the 1820s, the Colorado landscape was markedly different. Beaver dams shaped ponds, meadows, and marshes to the benefit of fish and wildlife and conserved scarce water in their impoundments. But from 1822 to 1840, unregulated trapping decimated Colorado’s beavers, and by the end of that time, there was no longer a viable beaver population.

It’s hard to appreciate how much beavers shaped the landscape. Scientists calculate that up to 250 million beaver ponds once puddled the continent – impounding enough water to submerge Washington, Oregon and California.

The slaughter of beavers transformed Western waterways in a bad way. In a healthy, beaver-rich creek, dams slow water flows, capture sediment, and counteract erosion, according to a 2018 Science magazine article. But after beavers disappeared, streams eroded deep into their beds and lost the ability to spill onto their floodplains and recharge aquifers and dramatically increased flood damage.

Humans busy as beavers

Nowadays, despite regulation, beavers are still rare in Colorado and have never recovered to pre-1820s population levels, but research has proven that sometimes humans can replicate the beneficial environmental effects through devices called beaver dam analogs (BDAs).

Humans may not be as persistent as beavers, but through good science and mechanical efforts, imitation beaver dams are

popping up throughout the western states.

BDAs, according to the Science article, are “perhaps the fastest-growing stream restoration technique in the West.” The U.S. Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, private landowners and local conservation organizations have installed the structures to return life to deeply eroded streams.

The BDAs are constructed from rocks and timber in excavated channels that carry water from an adjacent river or stream into the floodplain. (An added benefit is that many times, beavers “adopt” the structures and improve upon them.)

Locally, the Watershed Center (www.watershed.center) has installed three BDAs along Left Hand Creek. The three BDAs are built in series on a side channel of creek, and generally run with water from spring until August. The ponds that are formed have many benefits. They store water for slow release back to river, capture sediment, provide seasonal wildlife habitat for fish and amphibians (particularly vernal pools) and act as fire mitigation.

The BDAs, as well as other work to restore a natural floodplain in the wake of the 2013 flood, was done in 2019 under an agreement with a local ditch company and private landowner.

Monitoring done at the BDA sites have shown the manmade structures are performing as planned. The vegetation around the ponds and wetlands also stays green most of the year (except in winter) and makes the area less prone to fire ignition.

Coming to Lyons?

The town-owned Martin parcel adjacent to Bohn Park was the subject of a December 9, 2022, visit by local government and fire district officials to assess its value for fire mitigation and to explore its eco-

The last few months have been tough on us crusty old Boomers with the loss of Jeff Beck and more recently David Crosby. But we have also lost Walter Becker of

music that they choose are usually the early and well known pieces rather than their best work. Any one who frequented a disco in the 1980s would have danced to Jeff Beck’s Hey Ho Silver Lining but you might not have heard later masterpieces like Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers. That song showcases Jeff Beck’s mastery quite unlike anyone else who has ever played the guitar. The notes coax and sway with quiet whispers interspersed with breathtaking outbursts, caressing the strings with this fingers. He was the master of the “cricket.”

Musicians have been coaxing amazing sounds from a Fender Stratocaster since 1956, ranging from Buddy Holly to Jimmi Hendrix, but nobody could do the cricket like Beck. It involves giving a little twang to the tremolo arm (whammy bar to us guitar nerds) to achieve a strange gargling, purring sound. He could sneak these little effects into the most complex lyrical line. Go to Spotify, or preferably YouTube, and find Jeff Beck playing a live version of Brush With the Blues. It gives me the chills every time I hear it.

Steely Dan, and Chris Squire, the bass player from Yes. I met Chris Squire walking down a street in Windsor in about 1973 and I just about died. He was very charming and was keen to hear my opinion of their sound at a recent Yes concert.

I was blabbing so breathlessly that I couldn’t really make a rational description.

The radio news reports do their best to eulogize each of them, but the examples of

David Crosby had a long career in many bands including the Byrds and Crosby Still and Nash and their variants. But in the last few years he was reunited with his son and they discovered a musical cohesion that was very special when blended with Crosby’s inventive song writing. They formed a band called Crosby, Pevar and Raymond or CPR which produced many masterpieces during David Crosby’s twilight years.

When you listen to this generation of musicians there is much excellence to be heard but not the groundbreaking creativity that characterized previous decades. If you are 17 years old this year I fear that you are being short changed.

logical values.

According to Jessie Olson, executive director of the Watershed Center, the general consensus was that the Martin site should be prepared to “receive flood and fire (both prescribed burns and wildfire) and enhance the ecological function of the site without negative impacts to communities and water supplies.”

The most realistic goal would be to improve the flood mitigation and enhance the ecology of the site through a series of BDAs and/or other features, such as braided channels, backwater, or off-channel ponds. The BDAs and other features could capture debris upstream during a flood to divert it from town infrastructure and create lush green wetlands composed of fire-resistant vegetation to deter the spread of fire.

The ecology of the site – already a haven for many bird species – would also be improved. The notional plan would be to construct an overflow channel at the South St. Vrain River that would receive water during high run-off or flood events, direct the water through the property in a series of BDAs, then allow the water to exit the property via an existing irrigation ditch that runs back into Bohn Park.

Funding for the project could come through use of the town’s existing wildfire mitigation fund to use as a match for grant money.

Although the project is still in its infancy, don’t be surprised at some point in the future to see ponds on the property that resemble the work of nature’s preeminent dam builder.

Deb Hummel, River Program Manager for The Watershed Center, explains the workings of one of the BDAs on Left Hand creek. The BDA is constructed of timbers and rocks and impounds water behind it.

Left to right: Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck, David Crosby

Typewriters, pencils and notebooks

By John Gierach Redstone Review

LYONS – I think it was sometime in the early 2000s that I heard an interview on NPR with an elderly editor at The New Yorker magazine whose name I don’t remember. After a few innocuous questions, it became obvious that this man was considered interesting not because of his many accomplishments, but because he still did his writing on a manual typewriter and his editing on paper with a red pencil.

The young interviewer was polite, but clearly saw this guy as a woolly mammoth who’d been frozen in the ice and only recently thawed out as a kind of living artifact. Finally, he got around to the question he’d been wanting to ask from the beginning: “Why don’t you get a computer?” The editor said, “Because computers don’t speak to my circumstances.”

People who’ve worked with language all their lives have an enviable knack for the conversation-ending – or in this case interview-ending – comment.

I started out the same way: with a manual typewriter, paper and pencils. For interviews I had a big black phone with a shoulder cradle on the receiver that left both my hands free to hold a tablet and scribble notes. Then I’d have to immediately transcribe those notes on the typewriter while I could still read my own writing. They’d tried to teach me penmanship in elementary school, but like so many other things, it didn’t take.

By the time I heard that interview I’d already mothballed the typewriter and was

using a computer. I’d been working more or less steadily as a freelance writer for about fifteen years by then, typing no fewer than three drafts per story. In draft number one I’d get a thing or two right and begin to see a glimmer of hope; in draft number two I’d get a few more things right and settle on a structure that would work for the material and by draft number three I’d usually have it nailed.

But even that third draft was marred by typos, strike-outs and penciled corrections,

There was an annoying learning curve, but at first the promise panned out. I could spend more time actually writing and less in what had begun to seem like pointless, repetitive drudgery. And my use – that is waste – of paper went down by three quarters. I don’t know that I put out more work because there’s more involved in a good story than just the time it takes to type it, but what I did put out came easier.

But there were things I hadn’t foreseen, like upgrades. I stuck with my first writing program – a cumbersome old thing called Wordstar – for longer than I should have simply because I knew how to use it, but I

enough that, although they were familiar, things weren’t where I expected them to be. I once naïvely thought that operating a computer would be like driving a car: once I learned I’d be able to drive anything short of an 18-wheeler or a tank. And that’s sort of true with computers, except that when I sit down at a new one I find that the brake pedal is now where the radio used to be, the gear shift is on the ceiling and I have to call someone to find out where the ignition is.

The person I call is Lee Hall, our local computer guru. I suspect that he rolls his eyes every time he hears my voice on his answering machine, but he’s always patient with me and there’s never been a time when he didn’t get the job done. The last time I called was when I recently got a new printer. The old one printed its last page after 27 years of service (no complaints there) and when I got the new one home from the store, I sat down with the handy eight-step Quick Setup Guide and waded in. Predictably, I stalled on step four when my computer informed me that it “didn’t recognize the device,” which I didn’t consider to be my problem.

so I’d have to laboriously retype the final draft neatly so it could be mailed to an editor. That’s a lot of typing when you do it with two fingers. It was one thing with an 800-word newspaper column, something else with a 2,500-word magazine story and a whole new world of hurt with an 80,000word book.

Computers weren’t ubiquitous yet and I was leery of them – I’d seen too many science fiction movies in which computers went insane and exploded – but too many writer friends touted the luxury of doing all the editing, cutting, pasting and deleting on the screen and then relaxing with a cup of coffee while the printer typed the final manuscript.

remember the day it went sour on me. The head computer guy at my publisher called and said “We’re having trouble reading your manuscript.” I said “Let me get this straight: you’re the computer guy at Simon & Schuster and you’re calling a writer in Colorado for advice?”

He said, “I take your point, we’ll work it out,” and hung up, but the writing was on the wall. It was time to join the 21st Century, like it or not.

I’m not sure how many computers I’ve gone through since then – I’m guessing five, but it might have been six – and each one sent me back into another time-consuming learning curve. Even newer versions of familiar programs changed just

So I called Lee and he got it hooked up, although it took him an hour and there was some muttering and head-scratching. All told – and not counting a few deadend alleys – it took many, many more than eight steps. Quick setup my ass.

Anyway, that’s when I remembered that interview with that New Yorker editor and caught myself envying him. But for better or worse, computers do speak to my circumstances, it’s just that it was computers themselves that changed those circumstances while all but a handful of the rest of us followed along as blindly as lemmings. The next time I talk to Lee, I’ll have to ask him how that happened.

Zink Chairs have a temporary home, Mardi Gras party, and blood drive at the library

By Kara Bauman Redstone Review

LYONS – Referred to locally as “the Zink Chairs,” Sirene and Poisson, originally placed on the sidewalk outside Rabbit Brush gallery, were an unexpected displacement of the tragic Main Street fire of December 15, 2022.

The beautiful metal chairs, approximating a mermaid and a fish, were created by Charlotte and Ben Zink of Berthoud and procured for loan by the HeARTs of Lyons public art program. Cyclone fencing in place to secure the gutted building made the chairs inaccessible for appreciation and your Lyons Community Library jumped at the chance to become their new home for the next 18 months. Please visit the whimsical chairs on the Library’s front porch during your next visit.

Area families are invited to let the good times roll at our upcoming Mardi Gras Party on Tuesday, February 21 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Shrove Tuesday marks the end of Carnival season and is a great time to enjoy jazz and zydeco music, create colorful masks, don beads, and parade around the Library. Perhaps you will enjoy the slice of king cake with the hidden baby inside and enjoy luck and prosperity for the year to come. Wear your purple, green, and gold, and help us transform the Community Room into a little pocket of New Orleans.

Youth Services Librarian Becki Loughlin calls all kiddos age 5 and up to join us for our first LEGO Club gathering on Thursday, March 2 from 5 to 6 p.m. Of course books will be available to help spark construction and engineering ideas, but all will be invited to build whatever strikes their fancy. LEGO Clubs in libraries help support the development of math and engineering concepts as well as

Whippet Window C leaning

Steve Lubliner Serving Boulder & Larimer

engaging problem-solving skills. Registration is required for each LEGO Club meeting. We are also humbly accepting donations of LEGOs should anyone want to get a jump start on their spring cleaning this year.

Each year only 3 percent of Americans donate blood and the nation is currently facing a critical shortage of available blood units. Please consider helping alleviate this shortage on Friday, February 24 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when the Library and the Town of Lyons cohost our first blood drive.

Our new friends from Vitalant will be on site to draw

blood for this great cause. Please register for the event by visiting vitalant.org and entering code A069. Please also pencil in May 2, July 3, and October 23 for additional blood drives planned in 2023.

The Library-hosted book club is called “Busy Readers” for a reason: we know you’re all busy. That’s why the book club meets every other month, now in person at 11 a.m. and virtually the same evening at 7 p.m. And since you’re busy, why not get a jumpstart on the upcoming book, The Dictionary of Lost Letters by Pip Williams. Pick up a copy at the Library when you register to attend and we look forward to discussing with you on Thursday, March 30.

Please note the Library will be closed on Monday, February 20 in observance of President’s Day. We will reopen at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, February 21 and will happily host our youngest patrons and their caregivers for a baby/lapsit storytime at 10:30 a.m. as we do every Tuesday. Walkers/preschoolers and their caregivers are invited to storytime and a craft on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

The Lyons Community Library opens Monday through Saturday at 10 a.m. We close at 5 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays; 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays; and 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Our online catalog is available 24/7 at lyons.colibraries.org and we’re always open for digital downloads on both the Libby and CloudLibrary apps.

Give us a call at 303-823-5165 or email info@lyonslibrary.com with any questions. Please see the calendar of events on our website for additional program information and for registration instructions.

Kara Bauman is the Director of the Lyons Community Library and holds an MLIS from the University of Kentucky. She’s an avid fly angler, enjoys craft beer, and in non-COVID times travels extensively to see her favorite band, Widespread Panic.

Gierach

Bauman

Priscilla Cohan, of Town of Lyons Arts and Cultural Services, and metal artist Ben Zink, welcome Sirene and Poisson to the Library's front porch.

LEAF’s volunteers, fundraising,

work efforts paid off in 2022

By Lory Barton Redstone Review

LYONS – The results speak for them-

selves: In 2022, 269 local people volunteered regularly with LEAF for a total of 4,689 hours. Powered by 314 partners and donors, and just one full-time and three part-time staff members, LEAF served 22.6 percent of our community’s population last year.

Here’s a fun fact: Out of all of the households that visited our Food Pantry last year, 29 of them came for more than 25 weeks. And nine households visited us for more than forty-five weeks. When we say there is no shame, but much joy and community and good times together at LEAF, we mean it. LEAF is Here, to help.

Our Mental Wellness & Addiction Recovery outputs for 2022 were up significantly over 2021. We are thankful that the community has responded so positively to the behavioral health services that LEAF launched in late 2019. And yet one individual program director cannot begin to address the demand for services.

Thanks to grant funding from the Boulder County Region Opioid Council and from Boulder County’s Housing and Human Services Safety Net fund, LEAF is ready to hire two additional part-time clinicians. This additional “person-power” will help us address the many requests for services that come our way each week. We will also increase addiction/substance abuse recovery services. And we look forward to beginning to plan and implement services for our youth, too. LEAF Is Here, for good.

As we look back and forward, and see the many human and mental health needs that LEAF serves every single day, our teams are ready more now than ever to move to our new space at 432 5th Avenue. We can hardly wait to transform the space formerly known as the Sheriff Substation or the Brown Shed into an excellent and serviceable community hub for the benefit of everyone in the

Greater Lyons area.

We have shared LEAF’s story of the needs in Lyons, and we have been heard. Thanks to a generous $400,000 grant from Boulder County’s Worthy Cause Fund and $575,000 procured for LEAF by Congressman Joe Neguse, we have already raised over 80 percent of the funds needed to complete this renovation.

We started this partnership with the Town of Lyons early last spring, and we look forward to signing the lease very soon. We’re ready to get started. We have laid the groundwork, and our architectural schematics are ready. This one million dollar-plus asset right here in Lyons will position LEAF to continue delivering well over one million dollars in human and behavioral health services each year.

As we enter the capital fundraising home stretch, Lyons’ own Ian Brighton and LEAF’s own Theresa Brighton of Brightheart Productions are producing a series of “We Are Here” house concert fundraisers. Generous friends of LEAF are opening their homes to intimate and wondrous concerts by Lyons’ bright musicians.

With a jam-packed calendar featuring Ian Brighton, Eben Grace, Jason Hicks, Monica LaBonte, Billy Shaddox, KC Groves, Michelle Castro, and a surprise artist or two, this fundraiser series is like nothing Lyons has ever seen or experienced. We look forward to treating our friends and donors to these special evenings, with the goal of raising funds to complete this project that is so vital to the community we serve.

If all of this good news was not enough, I am pleased to report that LEAF’s Main Street Fire Committee has successfully distributed the funds that were raised to provide some support to the business owners and artists who were impacted by the December 15, 2022 fire. In fact, on just the two-month anniversary of this difficult event, LEAF distributed the fourth and final round of funding to the impacted individuals.

I cannot offer enough thanks to the committee members who devoted their time, and especially their thoughtful wisdom and hearts to serve well, as they navigated the process of means-testing the needs and determining how the funds would be distributed. These business owners and artists faced their losses with grace and grit. LEAF was honored to do our small part to help, and we look forward to the day when these community members feel fully back on their feet. LEAF is Here, to serve. If you have questions or would like to connect, just email lory@leaflyons.org.

LAHC is forming the Lyons Creative District and changing the art

By Priscilla Cohan Redstone Review

LYONS – There are many changes and exciting evolutions to the art fabric in Lyons. Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission is giving birth to the Lyons Creative District (LCD). The LCD is an independent non-profit that supports and cultivates activities and funding for Lyons creative environment.

Every 4 months the LAHC hosts exhibits in the Lyons Town Hall, open to all 2-dimensional media. This quarter the theme is Cultivating Change, featuring works from 10 Lyons-based artists, including four artists who are new to the LAHC Town Hall shows.

The local art shows at town hall and the Lyons Regional Library are the work of the LAHC. So much gratitude goes out to the members of the LAHC and volunteers who cultivate a welcoming community of art making. Special thanks to Jacob Leeuwenburgh, aka, Kos, and Ann Hall who expertly hang the town hall art Show every time and spent many hours, with the help of Anita Miller to curate and hang Zeroing In Expanding Out –Fluxus Delivery the at the library. Thank you also to David Tiller and Friends who played awesome music at the library reception. Thanks especially to the artists whose creative passion gives us a reason to gather and celebrate.

Town Hall is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The council chambers where the Town Hall Art Show is displayed is subject to meeting schedules. Stop by or call 303823-6622 ext. 66.

This exciting new institution is forming underground and in the spring you will begin to see it emerge with an ever expanding arts presence in town. As the cold gives way to warmer days here are ways to experience the fun art events happening in and around town. Put on your work gloves and make a sculpture for downtown or go out to experience some visual and performing art.

Do you know where all the fantastic art on Main Street comes from? It is a collaboration between the Lyons Arts & Humanities Commission (LAHC) and the Town of Lyons to create an engaging cultural landscape in our downtown and commercial corridor. Sponsored by the Lyons Community Foundation, the HeARTS of Lyons seeks to expand its outdoor public art collection. LAHC is looking for 11 new pieces to place around town in 2023. Deadline to apply is February 22. Artists are paid a $1,000 honorarium and it is free to apply. Applications are available on the town’s website. If you have questions, you can contact LAHC member, Melilnda Wunder, melinda@creativeconvs.com.

Get ready. In April the next town hall open exhibit is called Oh, the places you’ve gone. What does this theme inspire in you? A digital deep dive into multiple time frames? A painting you made in the aughts? Let your inspiration be the guide. The Town Hall Art Shows are open to any work that can hang on the wall. Because of space limitations, no sculptures or three-dimensional works will be accepted. Remember when you deliver your artwork it must be ready to hang, in other words, it must have a secure wire or professional picture hanger attached. Stay tuned for date and time details. Start painting.

When was the last time you saw a live theater production in Lyons? Local theater company, DraMagic Children’s Theatre, is hard at work rehearsing a play adapted from an old Russian fairytale. The tale collected by Alexander Afsnayev in the mid-17th century is called Vasalisa. While they are in the final steps to secure a venue in or around Lyons, the dates are set: March 17 and 18, 2023. There will be Friday evening, Saturday Matinee and Saturday evening shows. Check back in March for details.

We are fortunate to have the work of Lyons’ very own CoCo Gordon, Super Sky Woman, with a sampling of her many years of prolific art making in Italy, New York and Lyons, on display. Her work, large and small canvases, handmade paper, and multimedia pieces often have a literary theme. hang Zeroing In Expanding Out – Fluxus Delivery is on display through April 4.

Italian born Coco Gordon belongs to the most important of American “intermedia” artists. With roots in the Fluxus movement, today Coco refuses to be counted among any specific group.

Lyons is graced with a natural beauty and a rich complex history. The community of friends who live here and are connected through a vast network of citizens who bring the language of creativity into form. There are new and established ways for you to share your artwork and to participate in ongoing creative activities.

Priscilla Cohan is a local artist who works in multi media. She works for the Town of Lyons and is a liaison to the Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission.

Works by Ann M. Hall, done in free machine embroidery and watercolor, currently at the Town Hall art show. Left, Flight of Love. Right, Love Nest.

The War of Art

By Sally King Redstone Review

If you’re going to be an artist, you need some sass

Being able to say “ I’m not doing it your way”

“You better have some aggression.”

But it’s the aggression of water

Water moving around rocks

Water that knows it’s water

Powerful Water

In The War of Art

You need to be a warrior

The Status Quo doesn’t want you free

“No More Self-Expression Please”

The Status Quo doesn’t even know You exist...

“You’re supposed to conform, don’t you know.”

This is a conflict that isn’t a conflict

The fight is internal

Fighting the part of you that is self denying

So becoming a warrior is to liberate yourself from yourself

The battle is for consciousness

Who loves who?

You loving you.

Energy Medicine

By Sally King Redstone Review

I visited with Esther Cohen about her work as an Energy Medicine practitioner and a functional clinical nutrition counselor, Inspiring us to have agency and sovereignty in our own bodies.

To relearn the art of body sensing

“To listen to our three brains, The heart brain, gut, and head” Trauma can get stuck as illness

And we don’t want that.

“A relearning is really possible for us” she says Suggesting that the way to retrieve our knowing Is to pay more attention to what is coming in that feeds us.

“Nourishment is everything – everything we take in Our love of our pets, our relationships, as well as The bright orange carrot or the red apple.”

Ester and I both arrived in the Lyons area About twenty years ago. She’s just up the road, On Blue Mountain, where she will be hosting a Spring Cleanse, taking all the noise off your nervous system With cold water plunges, mediation, talks about things of interest

Like living intuitively and connecting to the inner qi while

Partaking in simple and fresh food in the spring of the year.

So join in The Alchemy of Embodiment. April 20 to 23, with Ashley Johnson, adding her love of singing into the mix.

This event is a practice for a nourishment retreat

This summer at the Falcon Inn in Northampton England.

Very exciting and inspiring too.

Ester has been working a long time in this realm of healing

And this culmination is a reminder to keep saying “Yes”. “I Flow with the seasons remind me that I am changing too

What I used to want and need I may need no longer Help me to release what no longer serves me

So, I too may grow into someone new”

For information about the Spring Cleanse, Contact Ester at Alchemyofnourishment@gmail.com.

Mural by Ukrainian artist Sasha Korban. “I created this mural a few days ago in Kyiv, and at that time nearby were battles for the liberation of Bucha and Irpin took place.”

Sally King is a local artist who has created whimsical bears and delightful wild flower acrylic paintings to enhance the appearance of Lyons all over the town. She lives with her husband John King, a kinetic sculptor artist, near Lyons. You can find her on her blog and website: hersoupot.net and sallywhiteking.com.

ONE BODY BY SALLY KING

The Bow Tides Irish band comes to Lyons in March

By Staff Reports Redstone Review

LYONS – March may as well be called St. Patrick’s month with all the opportunities to enjoy Celtic music and culture, but Lyons has an extra special treat in store on Sunday, March 5.

The Bow Tides, featuring local two-time Grammy nominees, Eric Thorin and fiddler Jessie Burns will be performing a family matinee show complete with Irish step dancing by the McTeggart Irish Dancers. The show is at the Lyons High School auditorium with doors at 2:15 and the show from 3 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $10 for kids/students, $20 for adults, and are available at the band’s website thebowtides.com.

The Bow Tides is a powerhouse Celtic ensemble led by three Irish fiddlers: Ellery Klein, Jessie Burns and Katie Grennan. These dynamic women are veterans of the stage and studio, with a collective 15 years as the fiddlers with the Irish-American supergroup Gaelic Storm. Double bassist Eric Thorin and guitarist Jeff Lindblade round out the group with low end that fosters exciting arrangements and driving rhythms.

The band’s formation wasn’t a typical one. Jessie, Katie, and Ellery knew each other from inheriting the role of fiddler for Gaelic Storm from each other, but being spread across three different states, didn’t

see each other regularly. Their shared experience of having toured for years with the same band at different times, gave them a strong connection and musical understanding both of where they’d been and where they’d like to go with their music and creative energy.

In the summer of 2020, the entire world was deep in the pandemic and most of us were feeling lost and in much need of connection, inspiration and community. Musicians were feeling especially adrift, and in this strange new world The Fiddlers re-

Dan’s Quality Tree Care

ceived an invitation to create an online performance for the Spanish Peaks International Celtic Festival based in La Veta CO.

From their isolation bubbles, the musicians quickly jumped on board this opportune ray of creative sunshine, and started collaborating with ideas for original compositions and arrangements of traditional Celtic tunes, using technology to record and send musical ideas to each other. They joined forces with Jeff and Eric and their first concert beamed out to hundreds of people’s pandemic bubble worlds, showing

Street artists in and outside of Ukraine are using their art as a form of resistance against the Russian invasion and occupation. Through their powerful and emotive work, they are giving voice to the experiences and aspirations of those affected by the war. They are providing a powerful reminder that art can play an important role in the struggle for justice and human rights.

FROM STREET ART UTOPIA

the five musicians in their own square on the computer screen performing “together” but actually thousands of miles away from each other. Word quickly got out in the festival community and more commissions followed. The Bow Tides was officially born and hasn’t looked back since – an unexpected silver lining to some challenging times.

In 2021 the five-piece band were thrilled to meet in person for the first time – only moments before taking the main stage at the Pittsburgh Irish Festival for their first live set in front of an audience, earning them accolades and two subsequent invitations to the annual festivities. They’ve been featured at festivals nationwide ever since with 2023 shaping up to be their busiest year yet. In September 2022, they took the leap and went into the studio in Chicago, and were thrilled to debut their first CD, Sailing On, to rave reviews, mixed and mastered by Hygienebased, engineering wizard James Tuttle.

A Bow Tides performance is packed full of gorgeous original compositions as well as a breadth of uniquely arranged traditional tunes from Ireland, Scotland and Galicia. The Lyons show on March 5 will also feature step dancers in stunning traditional dance costumes for a visual and audio feast for the senses, delivering uplifting music that evokes joy, with a feel and sound unlike anything else out there. Tickets are selling fast so get yours now at www.thebowtides.com.

Above: The Bow Tides, left to right: Jeff Lindblade, guitar, flute and vocals; Katie Grennan, fiddle and dance; Jessie Burns , fiddle; Ellery Klein, fiddle; Eric Thorin, double bass. Below: The McTeggart Irish Dancers

King

ESTHER COHEN AND HER BOOK, ALCHEMY OF NOURISHMENT

As Redstone Review celebrates its 23rd Anniversary, here are some comments from our readers, past and present

Since we first met I have said to Susan, I think the Redstone Review is one of the best “little” papers I’ve ever read. And I’ve ever seen.

Always rich with a variety of interesting, well-written and informative articles from the broad spectrum of our local talent. High quality journalism.

The paper is a visual feast; beautifully laid out, from the whimsical masthead that changes every month to the mas terfully balanced puzzle of written words, ads and photos that give the articles color and dimension.

In an era of disappearing local news, we’re so fortunate to have the Redstone Review in Lyons. It’s an important part of our commu nity “glue.”

Thanks, Susan, for your dedica tion to your vision. Congratulations on your 23rd anniversary.

Cathy Rivers, artist, photographer, designer of small spaces, Lyons, CO

I for one really appreciate the stone’s continuing coverage of local government. Since the demise of the paper Lyons Recorder, the Redstone Re view is the only local news source reg ularly covering Town government. That’s hard to do for a monthly paper when BOT meetings are every two weeks, but it’s still important to make the effort. Much of what’s available on social media is biased, incomplete or downright wrong, so having a real newspaper to report on what local government is doing is vital. Thank you to the Redstone Review for continuing to do that.

Mark Browning, retired attorney, Lyons volunteer, Lyons CO

Congratulations on 23 years. We were in Lyons when the very first issue of the Redstone was published and have always been so thankful to have Susan and her team print such a quality

Continued from Page 10

Correction

LYONS – The story that ran in the Redstone Review on page 9 last month on Coco Gordon was written by Chrystal DeCoster. It was mistakenly labeled as being written by Sally King. Redstone regrets the error.

Information for the Summit Housing

Project

LYONS – The Housing and Human Service Commission (HHS) is hosting two informational meetings for those interested in applying for the Summit Housing Project. Meetings will be held Saturday, February 25 from 1 – 2:30 p.m. and Wednesday, March 1 from 6 – 7:30 p.m. Both meetings will be held at Lyons Regional Library, 451 4th Avenue, Lyons.

Only students and staff may park at school during school days

LYONS – The Lyons Middle/Senior High School would like to remind residents that there is NO PARKING on school property while school is in session. In addition, residents are not allowed to use the field, cut through the property to get to the dog park, or use the track, while school is in session. The school resource officer has asked residents to please respect this and to not use school property when

paper every month.

It’s interesting, thoughtful and beautiful. We were just commenting last

journalism and community newspapers everywhere. Everywhere, that is, except Lyons, Colorado. What a delight to receive the Review. It remains a vibrant newspaper full of local content, replete with engaging columns, thoughtful editorials, graphics and photography outshining many national publications, and John Gierach’s piscine wisdom and humor. Congratulations on 23 years of success.

Tony Duerr, Retired Attorney, Charlevoix, MI

Please thank Susan for the copies of the Redstone Review she sends me each month. It’s always entertaining to read someone else’s small-town news, and there’s actually more to read in there than there is in the Belfast Republican Journal. What’s not to love about a town where the big controversy is whether to build a new library? I also enjoyed your political piece John, which, boiled down, says what I can’t believe isn’t spread across all the TV screens: Democrats have neither spines nor scrotums, and Republicans have neither hearts nor souls.

Jim Babb, former editor of Gray’s Sporting Journal, Searsport, Maine

accountable without fear of retaliation. Furthermore, it is a rich platform for community events, local profiles, and Lyons-centric news that would not otherwise find its audience. Happy 23rd birthday, Redstone Review . Lyons is a better place with you in it.

Tanya Haddad, writer, entrepeneur, Lyons, CO

I am so grateful for the Redstone and have been hearing more from folks about their reading it regularly, which is awesome. By reading it I get a real sense of what is happening and what people are thinking about in and around the Lyons area. It’s a real gift.

Janaki Jane, Lyons, CO

As newcomers to Lyons, we found the Redstone Review to be our single and most comprehensive source of local news and what’s happening in Lyons. We eagerly look forward to our monthly news and appreciate learning from a diverse variety of writers about their perspectives on Lyons. The monthly articles by Town officials helped us learn about various ways to volunteer by serving on various Town Commissions. We also learned about the valuable work accomplished by the Lyons Community Foundation (LCF) and the Lyons Emergency Assistance Fund (LEAF) for the benefit of the greater Lyons community.

we read a new issue of the Redstone, it makes us both so thankful that we live in a town with such amazing people. Thank you Susan.

Betsy Burton and Mike Whipp, owners of the Farmette, mini farm which hosts numerous events in Lyons.

I’ve never been in Lyons. My only connection is with my Charlevoix (Michigan) High School classmate, Susan de Castro McCann, who has provided me a decade long Redstone Review subscription. My community’s newspaper has suffered the afflictions affecting print

there is school and students are on the campus. Thank you in advance.

US-36/Broadway improvements to start in March

LYONS – The Town of Lyons has put out a bid for public improvements to Broadway to include additional parking, narrower travel lanes, sidewalks and pedestrian activation. At this time the town anticipates that a contractor will be mobilizing for this project in mid to late March. More details will be included in e-blasts as the construction schedule firms up. The Town is working with business and property owners to ensure minimal impacts to customer access, parking, deliveries and trash services. Learn more on the Town of Lyons website.

Winter Wonderland Concerts

LYONS – Town staff is working with local talented local musicians to host a short series of Winter Wonderland Concerts for the community. The next concert is with Dechen Hawk on Saturday, February 25, from 2- 4 p.m. At this time, we aren’t sure if it will be in LaVern Johnson Park or Bohn Park, which will depend on the weather. If the cold temps continue and we have ice skating, LaVern Johnson Park sounds delightful. But if it warms up quickly and is more spring like, we will pivot to Bohn Park. Don’t worry Lyons, there will be hot cocoa, live music and winter festivities for the whole

Lyons Chiropractic Clinic

The Redstone Review, my friend Susan’s newspaper, always provides excellent coverage of the variety of Lyons’ small town events and is sues. I also enjoy John Gierach’s opinions and interpretations of what is going on in our world.

Kathy Hunter, retired school teacher, Charlevoix, MI

It is a pleasure to be a reader and writer for the Redstone Review Now more than ever, a free and independent press is vital for the pub lic to make educated de cisions and hold community stakeholders

family. We will let you know the location via email and our social channels. The town website also has the hours for recreational skating and hockey skating along with the times the skate rentals will be open. Typically rentals are available on weekends.

Community blood drive

LYONS – On Friday, February 24th, there will be a community blood drive, from 10 am thru 2 pm, at the Lyons Regional Library. There is a nationwide shortage of blood and your donation is very much needed. If you are able to donate please visit the website vitalant.org to learn more. You’re welcome to walk in to donate; please note – they will do their best to honor appointments first and wait times may vary.

Information on plowing priority in Lyons

LYONS – All State Highways (SH-66, SH-7 and US-36) within the town limits of Lyons are maintained and plowed by Colorado Dept. of Transportation (CDOT) as the weather dictates. Routes maintained by the town are:

Primary Routes – arterial streets (green on the map, see map at town website) with access to important locations such as Town Hall, business district or schools are plowed with 2” or more. There are also 5 hills (red on the map) in town which have a tendency to become difficult to pass and they are treated along with primary routes.

The Redstone Review is instrumental in providing invaluable information about the local ecological issues, along with insights into local wildlife sightings of owls, bobcats, bears, and deer, among others. The Lyons community is blessed to have the Redstone Review as a locally based news resource.”

Gil Sparks, Chair of LCF, Lyons CO.

The Redstone is..

The Map to the cave in the cliffs above where the gold is hidden. The Confluence where our voices join together. The Wind of Lyons blowing onto the plains. John King, Kinetic Sculptor Artist, Lyons, CO

Secondary Routes – residential streets (blue on the map) with average or low traffic are plowed with 4” or more. Alleyways (purple on the map) are plowed when there is 6” or more of snow.

Mud Hut coffee shop recently opened LYONS – The Mud Hut coffee shop, on Ute Highway, right next to the U-Pump-It gas station, opened recently with a variety of coffee and tea drinks and some breakfast and lunch items as well.

Owner Phoenie Sparks, recently moved to Lyons with her family from Berlin, Germany. Sparks said that she had been working in Germany at a job that required long hours and lots of time away from her family and created a lot of stress. Now she said she wants to do something fun and to be able to spend more time with her family. That turned out to be a coffee shop.

Sparks said that she is talking to her customers about what items they would like to buy from her. She plans to add items and maybe subtract some as people request them.

Currently, she has breakfast burritos. Pita pockets, Coconut wraps, cookies and biscotti, just to name a few things. There are all the usual coffee drinks, cappachinos, lattes, Americanos, etc. And the Hut has chai, a brew that they made up, and it is really good; it has my seal of approval.

The hours are Monday – Friday 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, just stop by.

SEASONS

Lyons Elementary Discovery Fair

By Sarah Wegert Redstone Review

LYONS – Lyons Elementary School established a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) focus a year ago, building upon the existing Late Start Science and Leadership Program.

STEM is traditionally known as an interdisciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real-world lessons as students apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics in a context that makes connections between school, community, work, and the global enterprise.

STEM classes have been very successful and the students have shown a high level of engagement. Now the elementary school administrators, teachers and students are thinking creatively about what a designated STEM learning space might look like.

Lyons Elementary hosted its 23rd Annual Discovery Fair to showcase the desire and need for a STEM learning space.

The Lyons Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) created and now supports the Annual Discovery Fair where students create projects based on the ideals of the STEM program and their own creative inquiry. The new focus on STEM this year, with an emphasis on environmental leadership, showed that the projects displayed students’ investigative skills using design thinking to solve problems.

Students showed how the creative process worked in stages: Empathy, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Feedback. PreK through fifth grade students designed with

their own student body in mind to house projects like the school garden, rearing trout, bee keeping, vermi-composting, aquaponics, forest health monitoring, river chemistry, and others. Two workshops were provided to participants after school to jumpstart creative thinking. Alone or in groups, students generated ideas like a “manipulator,” a rock launcher, presentation spaces, coding and VR centers, a weather lab, astronomical studies, chicken coops, and butterfly hatching.

Student input was shared with the Lyons Elementary STEM Leadership Team composed of staff, family, and community members. The team has been meeting for eight months as an advisory committee for STEM learning spaces as well as curriculum and programming needs. The team will incorporate student input to create the new lab space.

In order to create a current STEM designated space at Lyons Elementary, the school district will be seeking support in a future bond initiative in 2024.

The school and PTO team members to plan and facilitate the next iteration of the Discovery Fair in 2024. If you are interested, please email Sarah Wegert, STEM Coordinator and Teacher, at wegert_sarah@svvsd.org.

Sarah Wegert is the Lyons Elementary School STEM Coordinator and Teacher, with 17 years of experience in St. Vrain Valley Schools as an instructional coach, coordinator, and classroom teacher. Sarah and her family reside in Pinewood Springs.

At the Discover Fair Finale event at Lyons Elementary School, students share design artifacts with peers and community members to gather feedback about their ideas for a STEM learning space. Students used discussion prompts to discuss who benefits from their design, how their ideas evolved over time, how their design works, how they built their prototype, and what they might do differently next time.

Wide Spaces: Belonging, story sharing, seeking pride committee members

By Janaki Jane Redstone Review

LYONS – In the last few years, the Wide Spaces Community Initiative (WSCI) has been offering events, community conversations, and mental health/suicide prevention workshops to support this vision.

We are currently offering Lyons Listens Storytelling events monthly – the next two are on Saturdays, February 25 and March 25, at 7 p.m. at the Lyons Community Library; the SEED project seminars “creating conversational communities that drive change,” a group of local residents who meet monthly at the Library to examine their beliefs and create a more equitable community – a new group will be starting in September if you are interested; and we are seeking members for our Pride event planning committee.

Last year, a committee of youth and adults created a community event attended by

more than 200 people in June. For 2023, WSCI applied for and received a grant for $2,500 from the Community Foundation for Boulder County, with the funds to be applied to creating an even more eventful Pride month in June 2023. We are seeking members to join our Pride Planning Committee, and especially encourage anyone who identifies as LGBTQIA+ or is an active ally of that community to join us. Please

a nerve, her vulnerability and assumption of belonging paid off. Not just newcomers, but people who have lived in Lyons for one, two and three decades have shared with me that they feel lonely, unwelcome, or unseen. This person created a new Facebook group “Conscious Lyons” – you thought we already had enough Facebook groups, admit it, but maybe we did not –and at the time of this writing, there were already close to 150 members of that group. Some are meeting for coffee on February 16 at Moxie.

may also benefit from a more structured meeting, where there is a chance to feel they belong through structured conversation, study, sharing, or planning.

Wide Spaces Community Initiative creates meetings that invite everyone, regardless of their interaction preference, to come together to share in a purposeful way. Our Lyons Listens Storytelling events give attendees a chance to share more deeply in a more regulated environment, and to hear others sharing in the same way.

contact WSCI’s Associate Director Pastor Jackie Hibbard, at dancingspirithorse@outlook.com or at our email below if you want more information or to join in the planning.

We envision a community where everyone feels they belong without being invited. What does that mean? On February 2, a person who moved to Lyons during the pandemic exemplified our vision. She courageously wrote a vulnerable post in Lyons Happenings, asking how to meet others in the area when she did not want to go to bars, and including a “feeling lonely” emoji.

In response, the post received more than 175 likes, and 200 comments. Her post hit

Although we all have a sense of what belonging feels like, it is hard to define, because it means different things to different people. Extroverts may feel a sense of belonging in informal gatherings. Introverts may need one on one or more structured meetings.

When introversion/extroversion is measured in a large group of people, the results create a bell curve – just like height and IQ do. According to one study, about 50 percent of Coloradoans are each, and we can assume that most of them – 68 percent on a bell curve – are clumped around the middle. Which means that most of us have some of both introversion and extroversion in us.

That large group of people in the middle, who are neither completely introverted or extroverted, may get some feeling of belonging from an informal gathering, but

The SEED Project seminars likewise encourage deep introspection and sharing. Belonging is often described as feeling acceptance and support so that we can be our authentic selves in that place. Belonging is an essential human need. It can be difficult or impossible to be our authentic selves in our current culture of social media and internet and quick coffees. Structured meetings with a purpose, especially a purpose that allows or requires creativity, support everyone present to bring their authentic self.

We will soon be starting to have monthly planning meetings again, as we did before March 2020, and also to have Community Conversations on Belonging, which the pandemic also suspended. Please watch Lyons Happenings and follow our Facebook page Wide Spaces Community Initiative to see when future events will happen, or reach out to me, Janaki Jane, at the email below.

The Wide Spaces Community Initiative is a program of the Lyons Community Library and is supported financially by grants from the Lyons Community Foundation, the Town of Lyons Goodwill Fund, and the Community Foundation of Boulder County. Pride Month events are supported by donations from local individuals, Out Boulder County, Rise against Suicide Boulder County, and OASOS Boulder County, with in-kind support from The Lyons Community Church.

Janaki Jane has been a Lyons area resident since 2004 and writes on issues of society and mental health. She is the Director of the Wide Spaces Community Initiative, a program of the Lyons Community Library. The Initiative’s vision is “A Community of Belonging and Personal Safety for Everyone.” She leads community groups, teaches suicide prevention, and can be reached at widespacescommunity@gmail.com.

Jane

Saving the world one duckling at a time

By Kaitlyn Fletcher Redstone Review

LONGMONT A Place to Heal, written by wildlife author and rehabilitator

Ingrid Thoenelt, is filled with impactful short stories with a poetic flair. Ingrid highlights not only wildlife rehabilitation topics but also the complex relationships between humans and animals.

The book is categorized by life lessons from wild animals, such as Mending Body and Soul and The Heartbreak of Farewells. Thoenelt, humanizes the wildlife experience in hopes that the public can see these species as unique individuals. She believes that those moments of deep connection can change a person for the better in terms of kindness and compassion.

Ingrid Thoenelt,’s inspiration

After a successful career in literature, Thoenelt pursued a second career as a veterinary technician. One of her volunteers at The Boulder Humane Society was 13-year-old Amanda Manoa, ironically the current Animal Care Supervisor at Greenwood. Together, they helped dogs overcome behavioral issues to be eligible for adoption.

After losing touch for a decade, their teacher roles switched when Thoenelt came to Greenwood with Manoa as her of-

ficial mentor and sponsor for her wildlife rehabilitation license in Colorado. Thoenelt honored Manoa as her “soul sister” on the dedication page of her book. For the last seven years, she has volunteered and obtained her license to care for wildlife as well as her home care permit. Inspired by her time at Greenwood, she wrote the stories of her favorite wild patients, like Fred the Pelican. A friend pushed her to publish these stories. Thoenelt became a published author in July 2022.

The Red Barn

Greenwood’s Executive Director Emeritus, Linda Tyler, mentioned to Thoenelt that the center was struggling with the abundance of Mallard ducklings. Something clicked. This seemed the perfect fit since waterfowl have always captured her attention. She saw this need as a “clear path to saving lives” and became licensed for home care.

Thoenelt searched for her new home with the intention of creating a duckling rehabilitation area. When she set her eyes on the Red Barn in the backyard of a quaint Longmont house, Thoenelt knew this was the ideal place to raise orphaned ducks.

The Red Barn provides shelter from the elements while allowing the curious ducklings to wander outside into their inground pool. The water level mimics a pond, which

helps the ducks learn how to safely swim. Thoenelt cares for mostly Mallards. She also helps find fosters for goslings.

She explained this passion is a 24/7 commitment throughout the summer months. As the ducklings’ sole caretaker on the property, each responsibility, from shredding the lettuce to cleaning their enclosures, falls on Thoenelt’s shoulders. Yet, this “duck mother” wouldn’t have it any other way. Thoenelt saves the world one duckling at a time.

In 2022, Greenwood treated 25 different species of waterfowl, making up over 10 percent of animals under the center’s care. Mallards account for half of our waterfowl patients.

Each year, Thoenelt reads one of her heartfelt stories at Wild Night for Wildlife.

Let’s get out loud for silent movie night

By Kate Kerr Redstone Review

LYONS – Charlie Chaplin? Buster Keaton? Harold Lloyd? Step back in time with these movie star comedians from over 100 years ago with a silent film quadruple feature. The films will be accompanied with live piano by Rodney Sauer, a local musician specializing in the repertoire and history of silent film music. Back in the days before “talkies” added sound to the movies, silent films were shown with live musical accompaniment. Carrying on that tradition here in Lyons, our piano soloist, Sauer will bring these silent films to life.

The Silent Film Comedy Program will be held at the Lyons Regional Library, at 451 4th Ave. in Lyons on Saturday, March 11 at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, but suggested donations are $10 a person or $25 a family. All proceeds go to Friends of the Lyons Library that supports all the wonderful books, programs and services the library offers our community.

Here’s the silent film line-up for this fun night for movie-goers of all ages:

• The Rink (1916) Charlie Chaplin is a waiter at a restaurant, and he angers a customer who has paid unwanted attention to a girl. Chaplin saves her, and she invites him to a skating party. When the rude customer

also arrives, there may be a fight… if they can stay on their feet. (24 min)

• Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) The Lyons Regional Library is bringing a long-extinct sauropod to Lyons. Gertie has been learning to do some tricks and will demonstrate her dancing skills. And if she’s well-behaved, she’ll get a pumpkin as a treat. This was the first film to use certain animation techniques that influenced the next generation of animators including Walt Disney. (12 min)

• Ask Father (1919) Harold Lloyd tries to reach a very busy businessman to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage. But the man has set up many obstacles to unwanted interruptions in his workplace. (13 min)

• Sherlock Jr. (1924) After failing in his amateur detecting hobby, projectionist Buster Keaton falls asleep and enters his own film, dreaming that he’s a super-sleuth. For its effects and stunts, this remains one of the most impressive films of the entire silent era. (45 min)

Our guest artist, Rodney Sauer, founded and directs a five-piece chamber ensemble, The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, which has become known worldwide for the quality of its film score compilations and performances. They tour the country and regularly play at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, the Telluride Film Festival, the Turner Classic Movies festival, and many others. Locally they can be found performing for silent films at large

The room often fills with watery eyes and touched hearts as she shares her impactful moments with the animals.

Save the date for a book reading with Thoenelt including some of these heartfelt stories. Join us on Friday, March 10 at the Lyons Library from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. There will be merchandise raffles, educational stories, and so much more.

All the proceeds of this book, both at the Center and Lyons Library, will be donated to the operations of Greenwood and the release of orphaned, injured, and sick wildlife. Register now at the Lyons Library events page.

Kaitlyn Fletcher is the new Communications and Content Associate at Greenwood Wildlife Sanctuary in Longmont.

venues such as Chautauqua and Longmont Museum.

Rodney Sauer has a huge collection of silent film music, acquiring five different collections of orchestrations from historic theaters around the country, keeping copies, and donating the originals to the University of Colorado’s American Music Research Center. He has scored over 150 silent films, all using this historic music repertoire.

Kate Kerr often her services as a volunteer to work for various art shows and events. She lives in Lyons.

Buster Keaton in a scene from the 1924 silent film Sherlock Jr.

Ingrid cares for hundreds of ducklings throughout the summer months at her red barn.

WHAT’S NEW

Assemble ingredients

• Cook the potatoes

• Brown the meats, add flour, bouillon, vegetables

• Mash potatoes with milk and butter

• Assemble, bake, and serve hot

Cottage Pie – delicious pie enters in the guise of leftovers

By Catherine Metzger Redstone Review

SAN MIGUEL COUNTY – Every Sunday at Finlaystone Estate, just south of Glasgow, Scotland, we would make a large roast for the dozen or so members of the MacMillan clan. After the big luncheon, there were invariably lots of leftovers. Waste not, want not, and the solution was often the creation of a Cottage Pie. This meant grinding the beef, adding some vegetables, making a gravy, and topping it with mashed potatoes. Many actually preferred the delicious Cottage Pie over the initial roast itself.

Here is FFA’s recipe for this simple, easy-

Kale salad

By Barbara Shark Redstone Review

LYONS – One of our favorite restaurants was Acorn at the Source in Denver. We often ordered their kale salad, a delicious way to eat a healthy vegetable. I riffed on my memory of that dish and now we have my kale salad at home. Take a bunch of Tuscan (Dinosaur) kale, or your favorite variety, and strip the leaves from the stalks. Cut into very thin slices across the leaves. Put into a large bowl. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and massage the kale until it tenderizes. Use your hands and really squeeze the kale for several minutes.

to-build, delicious pie that allows the leftover roast to keep on giving. Or, like I’ve done here, you can skip the roast and just brown a pound of ground beef and half a pound of ground pork to achieve a similar result.

Cottage Pie

3 medium-sized potatoes suitable for mashing (Russets or Yukon Golds)

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 C diced onion

1 lb ground beef

1/2 lb ground pork

2 T flour

1 T Better Than Bouillon, beef flavor

You’ll end up with about half the quantity. Add a good squeeze of lemon juice, a finely julienned or grated apple, (I use a mandoline), 1/3 cup of grated parmesan (or more to taste) and a big handful of caramelized pecans or walnuts. Serve with quarters of hard boiled eggs for lunch. For the caramelized nuts: Place a cast iron or other heavy skillet over medium heat. Pour in a cup of nuts and toast for a minute, then sprinkle with one tablespoon of sugar and let it caramelize. Watch carefully, while shaking the pan to move the nuts around. Stirring may prevent the sugar from melting. When the nuts are fragrant and the sugar melted, dump onto a board or plate to cool. Break up the clumps and add to the salad. Store any extras in a jar for a delicious addition to any salad. We usually finish this off between the two of us but if it is accompanying other dishes, it’s probably enough for four.

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1 1/2 C water

1/2 C frozen peas

1/2 C diced carrots

8 oz quartered mushrooms

Milk

2 T butter

• Preheat oven 375° F.

• Peel the potatoes and place in a medium-sized pan, cover with cold water, and bring to a gentle boil. Cook until fork tender.

• In a large Dutch oven, sauté the onion in the oil until transparent, about 10 minutes.

• Add the ground meats to the onions, cooking over medium-high heat. Use two

forks to pull apart the larger chunks, making bite-sized pieces, until all the meat is just lightly browned. Pour off the fat, return to the pan and cook again. Pour off any excess fat.

• Sprinkle flour over the meat mixture and mix in, cooking another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

• Add the bouillon, then the water to the meat mixture and mix thoroughly.

• Stir in the peas, carrots and quartered mushrooms. Let cook gently for 5 minutes.

• Mash the potatoes and add a bit of milk, half and half or cream and the butter. Season with salt.

• Pour the meat mixture into a large pie plate. Top with the mashed potatoes and dot with butter before placing into the oven.

• Bake for 30 minutes and serve hot.

Get a Pot of Gold in Your Real Estate Investment this St. Patrick’s Day!

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Shark

Wondering about willows?

By Jessie Berta-Thompson Redstone Review

LYONS – Streaks of color stand out on a sunny day in late winter: a reddish line cutting into the landscape, a flash of yellow skyward. These botanical bright spots amidst winter grays are probably willow stems, which come in an astonishing array of colors. While older bark takes on a furrowed gray, young willow stems can be red, purple, powdery white, shocking chartreuse, or glowing gold.

Willows can be huge trees or very low shrub thickets, and every size in between. The willow family (Salicaceae) in Colorado is represented by willows (genus Salix) and cottonwoods, poplars, and aspen (all in the genus Populus). Willows are primarily plants of wet habitats, growing along streams and lakes, and in moist meadows, washes, and marshes. Willow leaves are pointed and often narrow, sometimes with white undersides.

Willow flowers are borne on catkins, elongated drooping clumps of small flowers pollinated by the wind. Pistillate (seed-bearing) and staminate (pollen-bearing) flowers are generally on separate plants, so each species will have two very different-looking kinds of catkins. Willow seeds are often embedded in fluffy down which is spread by wind and water. Like the stems, willow roots can be colorful, sometimes creating a surprising magenta tangle along streambanks.

There are 32 species of willows wild or naturalized in Colorado (2015 Flora of Colorado). Of these, six are big trees, and the rest are shrubs. Only two of the tree-form willows are native plants. The peachleaf willow (Salix

amygdaloides) is common around the state (near water) growing to 13 to 65 ft.

The Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens (RMBG) in Lyons has a young sapling to represent this species. The other native willow tree, the black willow (Salix nigra) is less common, confined to a few areas on the western slope. The introduced willows – weeping willow (Salix bablylonica), crack willow (Salix x fragilis), white willow (Salix alba), and globe willow (Salix matsudana) are all beautiful trees, planted around old homesteads for shade and the unique ambiance of a willow.

The abundant native shrubby willows lack the shapely grandeur of those imports but make up for it in variety. There is a native pussy willow species (Salix discolor) just in Larimer County, but lots of other species have interesting buds and fluffy flowers, too.

The most widespread of the streamside shrubby willows is the coyote or sandbar willow (Salix exigua). The RMBG grows coyote willows as well as bluestem willows (Salix irrorata). Willows are some of the highest plants in Colorado, found up to 13,500 ft as low woody mats. Willows toughing it out in the alpine include the alpine willow (Salix petrophylla), the snow willow (Salix reticulata var. nana), and the lime-loving wooly willow (Salix calcicola), a rare denizen of high, calcareous soils (and not a hirsute margarita enthusiast).

In European cultural traditions, willows (especially weeping ones) are endlessly evocative – fanning the pages of romance novels, shading pastoral poems, engraved into tombstones, and drawn sheltering cute animals in children’s books. In a powerful example of traditional medicine making the leap into modern, the compound salicylic acid, abundant in willow leaves and bark, was one of the first pharmacological molecules chemically isolated from a plant, now known as aspirin.

Indigenous Americans harvested all parts of willow plants for all kinds of uses. The antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties of salicylic acid were deployed against many ailments, in the form of willow leaf and bark teas, across the North American continent. The leaves are used to flavor soups, and the young shoots and inner bark are eaten.

Willows’ narrow stems can be used for arrows and firestarting sticks; bark and stem fibers can be worked into cords and thread.The Cheyenne used a bark infusion of peachleaf willow to treat diarrhea and a bark poultice to stop bleeding. Locally, the Ute used peachleaf willow stems for baskets. The Lakota and Blackfoot used sandbar willow to build sweat lodges. The Paiute, Tewa, Keres and many other groups used sandbar willow stems, shoots, or roots in baskets, mats, and furniture weaving.

Because of their role in stabilizing stream banks, willow shrubs are a key species in post-flood restoration. Many

Lyons residents helped plant willow cuttings along the St. Vrain after the 2013 flood. Willows grow well from cuttings – a fresh stem in moist soil can usually root quickly.

Because of this remarkable ability, willow cuttings are used as a source of rooting hormones to encourage other plants’ cuttings to root, a natural alternative to commercial rooting powders. In gardens, willows require some extra water, so planting a native willow thicket can be good for a spot with poor drainage. A charming gardening trend right now is planting living willow fences. Tall, rooted willow stems are woven into the desired form, and then with time, they grow into a natural green tangle supported by underlying branches.

Jessie Berta-Thompson studied algae in school, and loves gardening and learning about plants. She has a degree in biology. She currently serves as Treasurer on the Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens board and as an Adjunct Researcher at the Denver Botanic Gardens, where she works on the diversity and evolution of Colorado mushrooms.

Berta-Thompson

Willows in LaVern M. Johnson park.

Mom, Danielle Lyn, and children Gavin and Elsie take a moment to enjoy the fire at the Lyons Winterfest at LaVern Johnson Park on January 21.

PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS

that the Summit Housing Project is well on its way. She said that the town staff has been collecting names of people who might be eligible to live in the housing project if they meet the qualifications.

The staff has a list of over 50 names so far, she told the board, but they have not gone through the qualification process. The proposed residents cannot make more than 60 percent of the AMI (Area Median Income) and priority will be given to those who were displaced by the flood, those who live or work in Lyons and those who want to come back to Lyons to live. The AMI in Boulder County was just under $100,000, in 2022.

Sparks also said that to qualify the residents will have to have some proof that they can pay the rent. There are going to

Hi friends,

LOVELAND – It’s all about committees this week. With almost all of my bills coming before the Senate Education committee since Monday, I’m so proud to have been able to advocate for our teachers, students, and schools at the Capitol.

I’ve also been meeting with teachers from all over SD15 to hear where our policies and our budget can be strengthened to support Colorado’s public education system. From Poudre Valley School District in Larimer County to Boulder Valley in Boulder, it’s been so valuable to hear about the programs we can support

Rebuttal Continued from Page 2

percent in Crimea. But what’s a mere trifle like democracy in the “Realpolitik” world of Henry Kissinger, Vladimir Putin and Mr. Baumgartner?

Mr. Baumgartner saves his most extraordinary statements for last: that Russia “has made decisive contributions to the global equilibrium” and has “contribut[ed] to world peace” by stopping Napoleon and Hitler. Historical facts teach a different lesson. Even ignoring Russia’s imperialistic, warmongering past under the tsars, since the 1917 Bolshevik revolution Russia has: (i) invaded Ukraine in 1919, ending a brief

be 24 single family homes and 4 4-plexes. She went on to say that HHSC is pursuing the possibility of getting more medical services in Lyons, such as a small medical clinic and a small pharmacy. They are working with Salud Clinic in Longmont to explore possibilities.

The board moved on to hear a report from Dave Cosgrove, Public Works & Parks and Open Space Director who gave his annual report on the Parks and Open Space projects that are submitted to Boulder County each year. The projects are mostly carryovers from previous years and some requests for new projects.

Cosgrove spoke on the St. Vrain Greenway Trail extension, The Hall Ranch connection including an extension across the Martin property and some others that he referred to as farther out such as the Rabbit Mountain connection and others.

to give every kiddo the best possible education.

This week, I also had the pleasure of joining the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union to talk agricultural policy. Meeting with the farmers and agricultural workers from all across our state to listen and learn, emphasized the importance of my role on the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Com-

post-WWI independence, (ii) invaded Azerbaijan in 1920, (iii) invaded eastern Poland in 1939 after signing the cynical Molotov-Ribbentrop pact with Hitler’s Germany, (iv) invaded Finland in 19391940 (the plucky Finns fought Russia to a draw), (v) invaded Hungary in 1956, (vi) invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968, (vii) invaded Afghanistan in 1979, (viii) invaded Georgia in 2008, and (ix) invaded Ukraine in 2014 and 2022. Russia also controls by force pro-Russian enclaves in Moldova (Transnistria) and Azerbaijan (Nogorno-Karabakh).

So much for contributing to world peace and global equilibrium.

The board continued on to discuss a letter they received from Good Neighbors of Lyons asking the board to sign on to their letter to the Boulder County Commissioners which asks the commissioners to uphold the county land use code regarding the termination of non-conforming use as it relates to the Cemex plant in Lyons at 5134 Ute Highway in Lyons.

Lyons residents have been concerned and dismayed by the increased number of large trucks hauling cement materials in and out of the plant. After the Dowe Flats Mine was closed in October 2022, Cemex began hauling in raw materials to mix and then haul out to other locations to make concrete.

The letter states that, “10 to 20 ‘new’ 35-ton trucks are driving to CEMEX Lyons via Highways 36 and 66 every hour. This includes significant traffic through the City of Boulder from a shale operation

mittee to advocate for Larimer and Boulder County farmers. From sustainable agriculture to water rights to rural opportunity programs, I joined Senator Dylan Roberts in expressing my support for our rural farmers, ranchers, and ag. workers.

As we move through the 2023 legislative session, I look forward to learning more about the needs of our rural, farming communities and the industries they support.

Colorado Senator Janice Marchman

Colorado State Senate District 15

Representing sections of Larimer and Boulder Counties

Yet Messrs. Kissinger and Baumgartner would have Ukraine do a “land for peace” deal with Putin. The short answer to that proposal is “Ukraine already did that, in 1994.” In that year, Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal in return for security guarantees of its existing borders. Signing the “Budapest Memorandum” were Ukraine, the U.S., England and… Russia. Twenty years later, Putin’s invasion proved the worthlessness of a Russian agreement to respect Ukraine’s borders and security.

Should Ukraine negotiate a “land for peace” deal with a country that has invaded it multiple times, deliberately starved to death 4 million Ukrainians in the 1930s,

south of Boulder County. This is a significant alteration and enlargement from the baseline use, as the truck traffic has roughly doubled. These changes are so substantial that they have caused CDOT to require a new access permit.”

The letter asks the commissioners to “Require that Boulder County Land Use Director, Dale Case, act on Article 41003.H.1 by sending a letter to CEMEX Lyons indicating that nonconforming use has or may have terminated in accordance with Section 4-1003 of the Boulder County Land Use Code (alteration of use).”

The board agreed (all trustees) to sign onto the letter by Good Neighbors of Lyons to be sent to the Boulder County Commissioners.

In other matters, the board decided to hang onto the Apple Valley water treatment plant for at least 9 months before they decide what to do with it, for reasons that were discussed in an executive session.

And the board decided to enter into negotiations with the Lyons Emergency & Assistance Fund (LEAF) after the town staff makes a list of all the things the town needs to accomplish as a result of LEAF owning the building and present that list to the board, so they can start negotiations for LEAF owning the building to use for their offices and other uses.

The Lyons Town Board approved ordinance 1140 on first reading to amend several sections of the Lyons municipal code concerning short term rentals. In one section of the rental code the board amended the code to require a short-term rental number be required in the advertisement of the rental rather than a business license number.

inflicted (and then covered up) horrible damage to Ukraine’s land and people in the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and is currently committing war crimes by destroying civilian hospitals, apartments and utilities?

Mr. Kissinger and Mr. Baumgartner can probably articulate complex reasons why Ukraine should again negotiate with Russia, despite Russia’s blatant breach of the last such agreement in 1994. But a simple child’s saying provides a better reason not to: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”

Mark Browning is a Lyons resident