COMMUNITY

By Regan Bullers Redstone Review

LYONS – I was colorblind, or at least I tried to be.

My first years of teaching, I acted colorblind, and unabashedly so. I didn’t know any better. I thought, “Kids are kids.” I thought, “I should treat everyone the same.” When I was asked how many students of color were in my classes, I responded that I didn’t know, that I didn’t think of my students in racial terms. I was righteous in my belief that I should be colorblind.

But really, I was ignorant. I didn’t know that to pretend not to see color was damaging. Acting like all my students’ experiences in life were the same despite racial differences actually invalidated the lived experiences of my non-White students. I didn’t know that until I became a participant in the National SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and DiversitySM) Project.

As a high school English teacher, one of my goals for each term was to create community in my classroom, to work with my students and with the curriculum to establish our space as a place where all felt welcome, connected, and safe, where all of my students were able to fully express themselves, to write and discuss without apprehension. It’s a difficult endeavor, and not one I often entirely succeeded in.

Fortunately, as part of my continuing education and professional development, I had the opportunity to participate in a SEED Seminar at my school, a program that opened my eyes to the flaws of colorblindness and showed me ways I could create a more inclusive classroom.

As a four-year participant in SEED Seminars, I learned about racial identity development, about the myth of meritocracy, about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs which includes the need for self actualization, and so much more. I was exposed to voices I hadn’t heard and experiences I hadn’t contemplated before in the texts that we read and discussed.

I read about the plight of low wage workers in Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich. I followed the journey of a Black student, Cedric Jennings, from his inner city Washington D.C. high school to an Ivy League college in A Hope in the Unseen, by Ron Suskind. I learned of the courage, determination, and sacrifice of people hoping for a better life in Dying to Cross, by Jorge Ramos. I was able to then add unheard voices to my classroom curriculum, to provide more mirrors in which my diverse groups of students could see parts of themselves, and to provide windows for my students through which to see others unlike themselves.

My participation in SEED Seminars gave me a new way of engaging with the world. These texts and others helped me see what I had not, that because of particular aspects of my identity (for the aforementioned books my class, race, and nationality respectively), I have advantages. I began to see the systems of oppression in our society and how ingrained beliefs, institutions, and interpersonal interactions reinforce them, but also how these systems can be dismantled with education, with conversation, with engagement and action.

I am excited to train as a SEED Seminar leader this summer and I have committed to leading Lyons’ SEED Seminar this year and again next year as part of Wide Spaces Community Initiative, a program of the Lyons Community Library.

After the spotlight on racial injustice over the summer of 2020, after reading a Colorado Public Radio article about Lyons as a racist town, as a town divided, and after the library started conversations last year about privilege, oppression, and allyship, I feel that our town will benefit from a SEED Seminar where community members of all ilks gather to widen their lenses, to gain new perspectives, to connect to one another, to learn and grow.

I don’t know exactly how SEED will change Lyons.

It will depend on the individuals who participate and their spheres of influence. I can foresee a greater allyship for marginalized groups with educator participants making changes to their curriculum to be more inclusive, with business owner participants instituting a more diverse hiring system, with policy-minded participants writing new town ordinances to aid the disadvantaged in some way, with all participants combating stereotypes in interpersonal exchanges. There are myriad ways to take action to create a community of belonging for all, and participation in Lyons’ SEED Seminar is an opportunity to do that.

Please join us.

Participation is free thanks to support from the Friends of the Lyons Library and the Town of Lyons Goodwill Grant awarded to Wide Spaces Community Initiative. Meetings will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Lyons Library on the third Thursday of each month, starting September 15 through May 18, 2023. Sign up to

participate on the Lyons Library web page (https://lyons.colibraries.org/) under Programming/SEED Seminar.

Donations to the Friends of the Lyons Library at https://www.gofundme.com/f/LyonsSEED will go toward my training and support this important programming to nurture Lyons as a community of belonging.

Here are a number of the books Bullers uses in her seminars.

Regan Bullers serves on LEAF’s Board of Directors, the Lyons Elementary School PTO, and the Housing and Human Services Commission. She lives in Lyons with her husband and their young son.

By Lory Barton Redstone Review

LYONS – As it does every year, summer is flying by in a blaze of Lyons-style outdoor fun, live music, and good times with friends and family. I hope you are doing the things you love and making sweet memories this season.

In addition to all of the human services help and hope we provide every day at LEAF, Lyons Emergency & Assistance Fund, we are doing our part to make this summer a good one by planning some terrific events. Get ready to mark your calendars.

We’re mixing it up this year and celebrating our volunteers and donors together. If you are a donor or a volunteer with us, please plan to attend our Volunteer & Donor Appreciation Party on Thursday evening, August 18 in the Community Room and patio at Lyons Public Library. We’ll have food and drinks, connection and community, special guests, and a big announcement. Come enjoy a summer evening with some of the best people you know.

A bit later in August, we’ll team up with Lyons Community Foundation, LCF, for the second annual Hootenanny at River Bend. Join us on Sunday, August 28 from 2 to 7 p.m. for a fantastic and free family event in one of

the most picturesque locations in town. Again this year, we’ll have a Duck Race, Kids Zone, food trucks, special drinks, silent auction, dance, corn hole tournament, and so much more. This year’s live music will feature a performance by Daniel Rodriguez and Friends. In just its second year, the Hootenanny is becoming Lyons’ signature summer family event. If you attended last year, we hope you’ll be back this year. And if you missed the Hootenanny last year, you will not want to miss again. Barton Learn more about this fun, free, family day on the Facebook event page, or on LEAF’s or Lyons Community Foundation’s web pages. And if the wonderfulness of the day wasn’t enough, this community event helps LEAF and LCF raise funds for our work right here in the Greater Lyons community. I would be remiss if I didn’t confirm that Rave To The Grave 2022 is set for the end of October. Be on the lookout for information and updates. In the meantime, it’s not too late to start planning your costumes, inviting your friends, and lining up your babysitters. We host these events for the community and to make it possible to continue offering a human services safety net in the Greater Lyons area. LEAF’s wraparound services in-

At Hootenanny 2021, waiting for the duckies to come ‘round the bend. PHOTO BY BEN DUNN

By Kim Mitchell Redstone Review

LYONS – For many of us the word sustainability often triggers thoughts of the natural environment, reuse and recycling, or protecting limited resources. However, the meaning of sustainability can go beyond protecting our natural environment.

Local economic sustainability provides the ability to maintain and grow a local business, and it is especially important for Lyons’ economy and the local business owners too. As a small but unique town, in the foothills flanked by Rocky Mountain National Park, Lyons has been known as a quarry town, carpet alley, and more recently as a live music hub with an outdoor recreation twist. As Lyons continues to adapt and grow, how can we sustain and grow the economy in the future?

Lyons has struggled with seasonal vitality; many of our small local businesses thrive in the summer months but the effects of seasonality can be apparent during the rest of the year. Yet in Lyons our local businesses are operated by our friends and neighbors which means that economic sustainability has a stronger impact on our community than it might in a larger city.

Our local businesses are gathering places that bring the community together to share ideas, stories and a positive vibe. Economic sustainability can be strengthened with local events in the off-season and encouraging visitation from October through May, but most importantly with your local support year-round. The best way to support economic growth and our local business success is by frequenting and using our businesses all year.

Our local services and business owners are all local entrepreneurs, and being part of the fabric of Lyons provides an opportunity for them to sell their products and engage new customers. Becoming economically sustainable will help Lyons as it grows, it will help ensure that our residents have access to amenities and services, it will help our neighbors succeed with their business, strengthening their entrepreneurial spirit and it will keep our downtown vibrant and vital.

At the same time, keeping it local is also a great way to support our Lyons local non-profit organizations during their fundraising efforts so that they can continue to give back to the community.

Embracing the “support local” vibe isn’t hard. Be a local champion and support the business community in Lyons from services to retail and restaurants. Count me in, how about you?

Continue LEAF on Page 13

Red Canyon Art, a long-time Lyons retailer of fine art, jewelry, and gifts, moved to a new location on Main Street last fall.