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Outdoor candlelight service on Christmas Eve at Lyons Community Church By Pastor Emily Hagan Redstone Review LYONS – We are so excited about everything going on in Lyons. The lights are beautiful, we are partnering with LEAF for Christmas boxes of food for those in need, and we are still offering meaningful worship. We have all had a lot of loss this year, but for those who felt personal loss we invite you to join us for Blue Christmas. This service will be broadcast on our Lyons Community Church Facebook page and available on Zoom. Please feel free to email for the link. The service will be Sunday December 20, at 6:30 p.m. We will also have an outdoor candlelight service at 5:30 on Christmas Eve. We invite people to wear masks and keep a safe distance from others. We will be meeting in the yard on the East side of the church. This will be a very short service, but we welcome any who are well and have not knowingly been exposed to COVID to join us. We plan to continue to worship online at 9:30 a.m. each Sunday for the near future. Join us on December 27 for beautiful music. You can watch on Facebook at First UMC Lafayette or contact us for the zoom link. Feel free to contact me for more information about worship or helping our community stamp out racism. Emily Hagan (she, her, hers) is the Pastor of the Lyons Community Church. She can be reached at her office at 303-665-5165; her cell is 719-248-0477. Or you can email Pastor@lyonscommunitychurch.org.
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The Gotthardt sisters, from Longmont, had a socially distant meeting with Santa at Bee Hugger Farm at 12590 Hwy 66. PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS
Town Board suspends liquor license for Lyons Den, looks at hotel feasibility and other issues By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor
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LYONS – The Lyons Town Board, acting as the Lyons Liquor Authority, held a quasi-judicial hearing on December 7 to listen to public comments and to order a continuation of a summary suspension of the liquor license for the Lyons Den Restaurant and Tap House. Town Attorney Brandon Dittman conducted the hearing. Over 100 people tried to get on the Zoom meeting, but the system cut people off at 100. People were also able to listen to the meeting on Hulu. The restaurant is owned by Randall and Denise Yarbrough from Thornton. Two notices of suspension were posted on the door of Lyons Den, 160 E. Main St., on Nov. 23 and those same notices were removed from the site as of 3:45 p.m. the same day. Sgt. Bill Crist told the town board that they had many, many complaints about the violations from a variety of residents and the restaurant owner had ignored
several warnings from the Sheriff’s Dept. Attorney Dittman explained that a restaurant/bar in Colorado needs two liquor licenses, one from the state and one from the city or town where it is operating. Both of these licenses were suspended for Lyons Den. The violations presented by attorney Dittman from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Dept. included: operating outside the mandated business hours, failure to have a six-ft. distance between tables, failure to require employees to wear face masks and gloves when required, serving meals and alcohol for indoor dining, and serving alcohol after the mandated business hours. A warning of violations was also issued from the Boulder County Health Dept. which stated that the restaurant failed to enforce public health orders for Level Red issued for this area by the state. There were 22 people who spoke out mostly in support of the restaurant keeping its liquor license but only two of the speakers were from Lyons; the rest came from outside
the area from places including Fort Collins, Wellington, Longmont, Estes Park, as far away as Texas and from other cities. Many of them spoke about their rights listed in the U.S. Constitution being violated and some appeared to issue warnings. Sgt. Crist said that the Sheriff’s Dept. received multiple complaints about the Lyons Den from Nov. 22 to Nov. 29 and issued warnings to Lyons Den, but after several conversations no actions were taken by Lyons Den to make any changes. Crist said, “Finally enough is enough,” and the state got involved. On Dec. 3 undercover agents went to the Lyons Den and were served food and Coors Light beer inside the restaurant (a state violation), no masks were worn and there was no social distancing. On Dec. 5 the state came in and seized all the alcohol in the restaurant. Randall Yarbrough told the board at the December 7 liquor license quasi-judicial public hearing that officials entered his property without a valid warrant. He asked Attorney Dittman if he “had to take an oath.” Dittman told Yarbrough he was not allowed to ask the attorney (conducting the meeting) questions. “I will not only remain open,” Yarbrough said. “I will take you to court and win because that is what’s happening around the country. Continue Town on Page 15
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REDSTONE • REVIEW
DECEMBER 16, 2020 / JANUARY 13, 2021
LYONS Five finalists in the running for Lyons Fire District Chief By Interim Chief Steve Pischke Redstone Review LYONS – As many of you are aware, Lyons Fire had a very busy fall. Our folks not only responded Pischke to an increase in calls locally, but some were sent to participate in the fires all around us. I am happy to report that all of our personnel did an outstanding job of keeping the Fire District safe during some very difficult times, that not only involved the fires but the very cruel COVID-19 disease. Beginning in September the Fire District embarked on looking for a permanent Fire Chief. That application process closed
in late October after receiving 27 applications. That list was reduced down to 11 candidates based on the applicants’ experience and qualifications. Those 11 were given a written exercise to complete and return by a certain date. As of December 1, the list has been reduced to five semifinalists, who will be asked to attend virtual interviews with two separate interview panels: one made up of folks from the community (Fire District), and one made up of members of the Lyons Fire Department. Once the interviews are completed, a select number (based on the scoring completed by the interview panels) will be asked to come to Lyons for a day of Fire District orientation and a day to attend a final interview with the District Board of Directors. The Fire District
L E T T E R S •T O •T H E •E D I T O R Lyons Leos do volunteer work in Lyons and neighbor communities Our local Lyons Leo Club, sponsored by our Lyons Lions Club, has been in existence since 2014 contributing thousands of hours of volunteer work to Lyons and neighboring communities. They were recently recognized for their highway cleanup project with the Lions Club, and will be holding on future projects until COVID is under control. Each year the group has grown stronger as the officers and members become more sure of their mission and confident in their leadership abilities. Cate Richardson, a senior at Lyons High School, is in her second term as the group’s president. This is a significant accomplishment. Her leadership approach is beyond her years. I believe most of the other Leos would agree with me when I describe her as a model of thoughtful, calm, kind, respectful, and inclusive leadership. And, I believe Cate will support me when I say that most of the current and past Leo officers and members share in her enthusiasm to contribute, in a positive way, to their community. I’m optimistic for our future knowing that these capable and caring young people will likely be tomorrow’s leaders. If you take a moment to acknowledge the abilities, thoughts, and opinions of the teens and young adults in your life (and neighborhood), I think you too will be amazed. Go Leos. Jonelle Tucker, Member, Lyons Lions Club and Past Leo Club Advisor
Correction for November issue of Redstone Lyons Utilities Director, Aaron Caplan, sent this correction to the town board story on page 1, second column of the November 2020 issue of the Redstone Review. This correction is for the copper levels in the wastewater system. We regret the error. “Once side streaming was started in May, the town met the requirements for allowable copper for the months of May, June, July and August. Prior to any side streaming the town was not meeting its copper limit. In September the town was back over its limit for copper and while the amount of copper went down in October, it was still slightly over the limit,” Aaron Caplan said.
is anticipating having a new chief in place by February of 2021. Also, the Fire District recently completed an internal hiring process to bring a third paid firefighter on board. We are happy to recognize and welcome Emily Gubler, a former volunteer and now the sixth member of the paid staff (which consists of a Fire Chief, three full time Firefighters plus a part-time Administrative Assistant and a part-time Financial Assistant). Emily Gubler will begin her duties with the department on January 1, 2021. Each of the Firefighters will work two days on with four days off – better known as a 48-96 shift schedule. They will have a wide variety of responsibilities while on duty, including making sure equipment and apparatus are consistently ready to re-
The Earth is alive LYONS – My kids came home the other day. “Mom, this kid said Mother Earth isn’t alive,” they said. I was thinking, “What is this kid Elon Musk or something, of course Earth is alive, it’s the only alive planet that we know of!” I didn’t speak though, I listened to their discussion about water, worms, nature fairies and I thought this makes a lot more sense than people living on Mars, like “intelligent” scientists suggest as a Plan B. Every five-year-old I’ve ever encountered knows/feels that Earth is our womb where we are fed, oxygenated, hydrated. Sadly though many children watch adults disconnection from Earth in the form of screens, chemical foods, plastic surroundings and slowly disconnect to a point of no return. But kids aren’t supposed to be that way. I remember when reading Braiding Sweetgrass, its author, Prof. Robin Wall Kimmerer having a similar feeling of disbelief when one of her college students basically came at her with the same narcissistic script of “The Earth is mine to use, it’s not alive.” When I read this, I channeled the epic stories: Harry Potter fighting the Death Eaters or Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins against the pasty Sauron attempting to control Middle Earth. When our “intelligence” overrides our wisdom we’ve outsmarted ourselves out of life. Supposedly it happened in Atlantis, ancient Egypt and in Rome when arrogance or technological obsession blinded the leaders from the Truth which only comes from connecting to the world around us. So if you’re a grown adult and you think covering your Earth Home in poisonous chemicals is a good idea you may be disconnected from what makes sense ... to live. A famous triple board certified doctor and researcher, Dr. Zach Bush M.D., predicted the ravaged landscape of Wuhan Peninsula had the perfect storm of: degraded soil, smog, glyphosate, water pollution, making it a likely site for a pandemic. Dead soil creates dead people. If you don’t believe me watch the, actually, very hopeful documentary with Woody Harrelson called Kiss the Ground. All we need to do is protect the life that is soil and in less than a decade we heal Earth and in turn ourselves. So the good news is our local Lyons Parks and Rec Director, Dave Cosgrove, stood up to those wanting to spray 2, 4 D again this fall (FYI – they sprayed the day after the lockdown in April). But in October 2020 your Parks and Rec said “No” to spraying neurotoxins and carcinogens on our beautiful, healthy parks. He said, no because CU of Boulder, Riverbend, RM Botanical Gardens, City of Boulder, City of Louisville, and so many more don’t use syn-
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spond to calls. These paid staff are supported by your neighbors, who make up our volunteer firefighting force. Our volunteers are the backbone of the department and respond day and night to any-and-all calls for service in our Fire District. This January, we look forward to bringing on several new volunteers to our department as well, so keep an eye out for more information as their start and introductory training season approaches. As always, if there is anything that the Lyons Fire Department can do for you or to help you out in any way, we want you to know we are here for you. Please feel free to reach out to us at any time by either calling 303-823-6611 or email at publicinformation@lyonsfire.org. As always thank you and be safe and stay healthy. Steven J. Pischke is the Interim Fire Chief for the Lyons Fire Protection District.
thetics. They do this because they don’t want to trigger anyone’s cancer, impede a child’s neurological development and they know more plants means more moisture in the air and that’s a good thing for fire suppression. On October 2, Organic Lyons Ordinance 1083 would have gone to a town vote, the special election would have cost the town about $4,000. If voted in, it would’ve required Town use substances on the USDA Organic List only. If the Ordinance passed it would require USDA Organic substances on all 150 Town acres not limited to the parks. After a copacetic and honest discussion the sponsors, Tracy Holderman and Kaia Cochran, Parks and Rec came to a solution if the sponsors retracted the petition. The town agreed not to use synthetic chemicals in the parks and continuous areas. Using chemicals as a last resort is what Integrated Pest Management really is, it’s not pesticides as a last resort when we have enough time or money. It’s literally try the dozens and dozens of other options wholeheartedly and if Boulder County Open Space is breathing down our necks then the Town submits an application to the Ecology Board. Poison doesn’t magically go away; that’s what magical Continue Letter on Page 13
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TRUSTEE’S CORNER UEB volunteers are the elves who help to keep the lights on By Michael Karavas, Lyons Trustee Redstone Review LYONS – As I sit down to write this article the snow is just starting to fall on our little hamlet of Lyons and the Christmas and winter holidays fast approach. Without the great dedication of our volunteers Karavas on the Utilities and Engineering Board (UEB), we’ll just call them holiday elves, we might not have electricity for Lyons’ great Christmas lights, refrigeration for the ingredients of our favorite fruitcake, heat, water for ice cubes in those necessary libations, and a place to flush stuff this season. These volunteers donate their time to review and make recommendations to the Town Administrator and Board of Trustees (BOT) concerning the interpretation, application, and amendment of the Manual Design Criteria and Standard Specifications for Construction of Public Improvements of the town. In addition, the UEB will review and make recommendations to the BOT regarding utility rates, capital projects and other matters related to Town enterprise funds and utilities along with functions requested by the BOT on matters related to public works and public engineering projects. If that sounded like legalese, it was, it’s from our Municipal Code Sec. 2-8-190 (c). All this is completed while working closely with the Town’s Utilities and Engineering Director. For the past seven years reviewing flood recovery projects, in cooperation with our other boards, commissions and staff, the UEB planned upgrades and monitored our critical systems, all necessary for our business community and our residents. One of Lyons latest projects was the completion of a capacity upgrade to the High Street stormwater system between 4th and 5th Avenues down to the river. While not solving all our storm runoff problems, it will alleviate the problems caused by smaller more frequent drainage events. We are surrounded by large open slopes that drain straight through Lyons, yet we do not control that land as it is located in unincorporated Boulder County. As a result, Lyons is encumbered with large flows of water draining through our neighborhoods and Main Street. The UEB is working on long-term solutions and potential funding sources to reduce the impacts of this issue. Lyons receives its raw electricity from the Municipal
L E T T E R •T O •T H E EDITOR Renewable energy for Lyons I wish to thank Don Moore for his A Solar Energy Project Will Create Renewable Energy for Lyons article published in the November / December issue of the Redstone Review. Informing the people of Lyons about this exciting proposed project is one of the most important components of the development plan. I would like to supplement Don’s article with some additional points, as well as new information that was received after his article went to press. Perhaps the most exciting thing about the concept is that the solar farm has real potential to actually reduce the cost of electricity for all of Lyons’ residential and commercial rate-payers in the long run. The total cost of the system is currently
Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN). It travels from our substation into and throughout Lyons on our electric enterprise’s poles, transformers, and wires. Our electric rates are set to cover the costs for this raw electricity, maintenance, repair, and upgrades to the entire system. The UEB monitors this enterprise fund, along with all other enterprise funds, to ensure each of the funds can cover its expenses and future costs. If a fund looks like its reserves are falling and / or our raw energy costs rise, the UEB will make a recommendation to the BOT for a rate hike with several different options or to absorb costs with reserves if possible. Currently the UEB and Utilities department are working to upgrade our electric meters. Our existing Holiday lights sparkle on Lyons’ Main Street. PHOTO BY CRYSTAL WHITE meters are at or beyond their exWater share, blueline variance reviews, pressure issues pected useful life. The BOT budgeted for this upgrade several years ago. The UEB designed its needs, went out for along with metering of all water outlets also keep the UEB bid, selected a supplier and contractor and the staff is now busy. Tracking all uses of water through metering of parks implementing the assets. An added benefit to the UEB’s and town of Lyons buildings not only helps the BOT efforts with this new infrastructure is our water meters can budget but minimizes the potential for large losses of water. now communicate with the new system’s hardware. A cur- A target we strive for is 10 percent of unaccounted water, rent hot topic for some of our residents has been on the water not being billed for, unknowingly used or leakage. Last but not least, these wonderful UEB elves have been UEB’s agenda a multitude of times already, street lights: too dark, too bright, needed, not needed. What the UEB updating the Lyons Municipal Code sections relating to and BOT will be looking at is how to accomplish replace- our utilities for the past four years and assisting the Utiliment/upgrades of existing lighting to newer technologies ties Director with an updated capital improvement plan and of course, budgeting for it. Thirdly, the UEB is looking across all enterprises. Utility geographic information sysinto the feasibility of a small solar farm here in Lyons and tem updating is just getting started and the hard-working elves stop what they are working on to squeeze in reviews addressing the current net metering policy. Our Waste Water Treatment Facility (WWTF) and the of all engineering plans related to our public works, utilisewer lines from your homes and businesses are in contin- ties, roads and residential / commercial improvement or uous use thus requiring cleaning, repairs, replacement and expansion filings. Please be sure to thank these wonderful upgrades. A need has arisen where we may need to increase volunteers (elves) when you see them. blower capacity; our UEB has determined that this may be Michael Karavas is a member of the Lyons board of feasible without expansion to the building housing these blowers as was indicated to us. The UEB also provides our Trustees. He was re-elected in 2019 and he is the liaison to the Utilities and Engineering Board. attorney’s advice concerning this facility and its designer.
estimated at about $750,000. One estimate predicts that it would be fully paid for by year 13 based on current and projected electric rates,* Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) grant of more than $300,000 and other smaller factors. During the subsequent 20 years, that estimate predicts that the system could save Lyons about $500,000. That avoided cost would help the Town of Lyons reduce its consumers’ rates or, at least, reduce their increase over time. And the system could continue producing power for our children and their children – well beyond 2050. *Note: if the wholesale energy rates that Lyons pays don’t increase as much as that estimate assumes, the break-even period would be longer. Beyond cost savings, this project can have many other benefits. It can lower our carbon footprint. It can increase the
local resilience of our little municipal power grid. It can be a tangible, visible reminder that we, as a community, have been pro-active, progressive and responsible with our energy usage. What better endeavor can there be – when serving our own self-interests would also benefit future generations and the world as a whole? The time is right for this project to succeed. The will of the town’s leadership and constituents alike are aligned for this kind of progress. Colorado’s leadership is similarly aligned. Solar is now the cheapest form of new electricity generation. Our wholesale electricity supplier, Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN) does not currently have the ability to increase Lyons’ percentage of solar or renewable energy. And building a single 350KW solar farm is much less expensive per watt than building 5KW rooftop systems. Furthermore, the justifiability of residen-
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tial rooftop solar installations has greatly diminished. The town’s high penetration of residential systems is placing an increased cost burden onto those rate-payers who do not have solar generation. Those rate-payers effectively subsidize the average (5KW) system to the tune of about $7,000 over a 20-year period. That is one the reasons that Lyons is currently moving away from one-to-one net metering. I should also clarify that this project is still in the early stages of planning – as evidenced by that fact that a formal feasibility study has not yet been done. However, all significant considerations thus far indicate that Lyons might have its very own solar farm soon. Thank you for reading, Lee Hall Member of the Town of Lyons Utilities and Engineering Board
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REDSTONE • REVIEW
DECEMBER 16, 2020 / JANUARY 13, 2021
INTEREST Redstone Museum collects history By Monique SawyerLang Redstone Review LYONS – The mission of the Lyons Redstone Museum is: “to discover and any material Sawyer-Lang collect which may help to establish or illustrate the history of the Lyons area: its exploration, settlement, development, and activities.” Museums actively and continually strive to acquire items that contribute to their mission; they are not static entities. Over the last 40-plus years the Lyons Redstone Museum has collected photographs, documents, and objects that fulfill the mission of preserving Lyons’ history. Items come into the Redstone Museum through a number of ways: donation, collected or purchased by staff, or transferred from other museums. In 2020 the Lyons Redstone Museum recorded 24 accessions. An accession can range from a single item to multiple items from a single source. It is important to note that not everything offered to the museum is able to be accepted. Just because something is old does not mean it necessarily belongs in our museum. The set of china from your grandmother in Iowa may be beautiful but probably wouldn’t meet our criteria for acceptance. Every potential item coming into the museum goes through a review process and a series of questions. First and foremost, does the item meet the criteria of the mission statement? If the item is not specific to the Lyons area, does it contribute to the enhancement of a display or expand our knowledge of a particular era in history? If we can say yes to these two questions then the item is accessioned into our collection. This involves assigning the item a catalog number, as well as, pho-
tographing and recording descriptive and historical details of the item into Past Perfect, a cataloging database. From there an item may be displayed, used for educational programming, or placed in storage to be used for future exhibits or research. In 2020 the museum accessioned an array of items. Examples of donated items include the circa 1890s steamer trunk from Ed and Kay Laws which originally be-
contained a variety of supplies to help with the clean-up of damaged homes. Every year the museum purchases the yearbook from Lyons Middle / Senior High School. The yearbook goes into our research library as a permanent record of staff and students. With the exception of 1984 and 1996 the museum has a continuous series of yearbooks from 1949 to the present. If you have and would like to donate a 1984 or a 1996 yearbook we would love to add it to our research library. In conjunction with the road construc-
In 2020 the Lyons Redstone Museum recorded 24 accessions, including this circa 1890s steamer trunk from Ed and Kay Laws which originally belonged to W.A. Colt, Jr.. The Colt family lived on Apple Valley Road and was instrumental in building many roads in Colorado. longed to W.A. Colt, Jr.. The Colt family lived on Apple Valley Road and was instrumental in building many roads in Colorado including Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. Of more recent vintage is the Salvation Army flood bucket donated by Priscilla Cohan. Flood buckets were distributed to residents in the aftermath of the 2013 flood in Lyons and
tion crew working on High Street this fall the museum collected a horseshoe and pieces of the town’s original water pipeline. In the early part of Lyons’ history there was a livery stable located on High Street where Stillwater Healing Arts is currently located. While we don’t know if this horseshoe is associated with that particular business it is a reminder of that era in the town’s history.
Celebrate the holidays by creating happiness By Janaki Jane Redstone Review LYONS – The winter solstice is celebrated in many cultures. Here in the U.S. the most common celebration is Christmas, but there are Native American celebrations and Persian and Chinese celebrations and of course Jane Hannukah and Kwanzaa. These celebrations usually involve getting together with others in crowds and extended family groups. Whether it’s shopping, or religious services, or parties, parades, or gathering for a meal or around the tree, we associate this time of year with our cherished traditions of being together with other people. We all know this year is different in this as in so many other ways. This year is asking a resiliency of us that many are finding hard to access. Although we will not be able to share in the usual festivities that have come to mean the holidays for most of us, we can find joy in making the lives and holidays of the others in our lives happier and more pleasant. It may seem a small thing, but it can be the difference between a holiday filled with smiles and one filled with
sadness. It starts with thinking, remembering, and noticing. Start watching very closely the people you share your life with now, even if it is by Zoom or Google Hangouts. Notice what makes their eyes light up, when they perk up and take notice, what elicits the involuntary laugh. Watch to see the things that they may try to hide. Do they secretly like Christmas movies? Do their eyes linger on a certain page in a magazine, ad on their phone, or do they pay more attention when a certain commercial comes on television? Think back to earlier years. What seasonal treats do they love and always try to eat more of, or take the last one of? What do they really enjoy doing that perhaps you have pooh-poohed or even disdained in previous years? Make this year the year that all of their corny or annoying predilections are indulged, all of their silly desires fulfilled. Plan it secretly, don’t let them know what you are up to. It gives you something to do that will fill you with happiness, even if you think what they like is stupid, because you care about them. Maybe you have never baked a thing in your life, but somebody you feel affection for loves a certain Christmas cookie. There’s a YouTube video that will show you how to bake cookies, you know there is. Follow it and learn. If
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Installation of a safe water system was a high priority for the early residents of Lyons as they strove to become a thriving community and sought incorporation as a town in 1891. The town’s original water pipelines were constructed of wood staves with steel bands around them, similar to the way barrels were made. Transferred from the Broomfield Depot Museum were three Abstracts of Title for properties around the Lyons and Allenspark area. Abstracts of Title provide a wealth of historic information, including the names of area residents. As you can see the museum’s collection continues to evolve, is varied, and spans the entirety of Lyons’ history. Each piece has its own story to tell and chronicles the collective history of the Lyons community. If you are interested in donating items to the museum please email us at redstonehistory@gmail.com with a description of your item and its history. We are especially interested in acquiring the following: paintings by early resident artist Newt Thomas; documents, photographs and items associated with the early quarries; and diplomas, graduation announcements and school event programs from the school’s early history. Additionally, we are always looking for photographs of early Lyons, postcards of Lyons, and copies of already written “pioneer family” histories / family genealogy trees. While we are closed for the winter you can continue to explore Lyons’ history through our website lyonsredstonemuseum.com and through our virtual exhibits on the Lyons Redstone Museum page on VirMuze.com. The Lyons Redstone Museum relies on monetary donations and grants to fund its programming. If you would like to support the museum and the efforts to preserve Lyons’ history your tax-deductible contribution can be mailed to Lyons Historical Society, P.O. Box 9, Lyons Co. 80540.
they come out badly, you will have something to laugh about together. You can then try again and learn how to make them come out well. This is a great year for homemade gifts that can help you learn a new skill. Is there something you’ve always – just sort of – thought would be fun or interesting to try? Maybe you’ve always thought knitting looks interesting, but “men don’t knit” or “who has the time?” This is the year. We have the time; we have the internet both to teach us how and from which to get the needed materials. We have the people we love or the lonely neighbor to make something for, or the best friend or sibling to whom we can send a gag gift that we made ourselves. It does not really matter what you do this year to bring joy or just a little comfort to another person’s life. What matters is that you do it. You will think you are doing it to help them, and it will, but there is a bonus that also gives to those close to you: you will feel happier and more fulfilled in your own life. That will make you more fun to be around for those you are spending the holiday with. The results multiply. As you become more immersed in doing for others, you become happier, so they become happier even before they receive your gift. You embody the spirit of the season in a way that spreads and infects others with positivity and peace.
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DECEMBER 16, 2020 / JANUARY 13, 2021
REDSTONE • REVIEW
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OPTIONS Show Lyons love: Shop local to save local By Brianna Hoyt Redstone Review LYONS – One of the amazing aspects of living in Lyons is the spirit of art and entrepreneurship that flows through our Hoyt downtown district. We are surrounded by musicians, artists, and artisans whose creativity has ebbed into our businesses. From locally distilled spirits to handcrafted leather bags, Lyons has a lot to offer. Many of our local businesses are owned by families who live right here in town, who may be our neighbors, friends, and dog-park companions. When we visit their businesses, 70 percent of what we spend stays in the Lyons economy. During a normal year, our town booms with summer tourists and music lovers from all over. In 2020, Lyons lost its festivals, weddings, and a large portion of its normal summer tourism. As such, our businesses need local patronage now more than ever. Before clicking through an Amazon wish list this holiday season, take some time to see what our Lyons businesses have to offer. You can pick out the perfect gift from Western Stars Gallery and Studio or Red Canyon Art – including wall art, sculp-
tures, handcrafted jewelry, and other artisan goods. Uniquely Lyons has the perfect gift for showing Lyons pride. Bella la Crema and Spirit Hound Distillers are offering carefully crafted gift baskets for the foodies in your life. This short list is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what our businesses have to offer. Lyons, Colorado is a creative little town surrounded by beautiful scenery. It is the perfect place for a staycation. A night at WeeCasa or A-Lodge and a gift card for local carry out could be exactly what your cooped up loved ones need this winter. Look through the business directory on lyonscolorado.com or check out the Lyons Area Chamber of Commerce’s Holiday Look Book which is updated weekly with local gift ideas. There are many ways to support our Lyons businesses that are not financial. Positive reviews can help guide visitors to businesses in town. Following local businesses on social media and sharing their posts can entice friends to visit a new restaurant or shop at a store for the first time. As 2020 ends, remember to think about our friends and neighbors who have been working hard to navigate their businesses through the difficulties created by COVID. Leave your favorite businesses a good review, book a private shopping ap-
PHOTO BY LAUREN CLICK
pointment or shop online, and place an order for carry out. Shopping local and supporting local throughout the winter months will help preserve our unique and artisanal business district. If you would like to be more involved with Lyons economic development, consider joining the Economic Vitality Commission (EVC). The EVC operates as Lyons’ Main Street Board and works to promote a business-friendly environment that encourages the retention of locally owned businesses and growth of new business. You have probably seen our branding: Lyons VIBE, which represents vibrancy,
Junipers: Bright berries and scent bring cheer to winter walks By Jessie Berta-Thompson Redstone Review LYONS – As other plants fade into winter, the evergreens stand out in our landscape, like the lovely Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum). It grows as incredibly hardy lone tufts in the dry, exposed prairiefoothills transition zone along Hwy. 36. It grows as perfect topiary mushrooms carved by deer hungry enough to eat its tough, spicy foliage in winter. And it grows as elegant teardrop trees shimmering with blue fruit and songbirds tucked within. Up close, twirling a twig or crushing a blue berry-like cone in the fingers releases their intense, distinctive, delicious fragrance. These small, shrubby trees are members of the Cypress family, which is full of interesting evergreen conifers including cedars, arborvitae, cypresses, and redwoods. The leaves of the Rocky Mountain juniper are tiny overlapping scales pressed flat against the twigs. In juvenile plants, and in some growing parts of older plants, the leaves are instead sharp, very pointy spikes that protect against nibbling from herbivores. The tree’s bark is sometimes flaky, sometimes shredded into fibrous strips. Its small cones are fused into a closed seed-carrying case, making them look more like berries. This species is native to the western United States and Canada, favoring
Rocky Mountain junipers growing along Picture Rock trail at Heil Valley Ranch in Lyons. PHOTO BY JESSIE BERTA-THOMPSON dry, rocky hillsides, often mixed with other trees. Nighthawk trail at Hall Ranch has some beautiful, mature examples within the first mile that are a joy to behold and to sniff. All sorts of wildflowers grow tucked in their shelter, and wildlife nestles in, too. Mammals and many birds eat juniper berries – waxwings, solitaires, turkeys, and robins to name a few. The dense branching structure of the Rocky Mountain juniper provides nesting and roosting sites, especially useful
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in winter when cover options are slim. We have another species of juniper locally, the common juniper (Juniperus communis). This plant grows in a wildly different way, forming dense mats low to the ground. Its leaves are all sharp spikes with little white stripes. Its berry-like cones are larger and darker, but with a similar crisp scent. It’s easily spotted in the forests of Rocky Mountain National Park. The distribution of this species is vast, growing at high Northern latitudes around the globe. Peoples across the Northern hemisphere have enjoyed its scent, flavor, and medicinal properties through time. Walking along, it’s striking to see how some junipers are covered with berries, while others have none, giving plants very different colors when viewed from afar. Rocky Mountain junipers generally have separate male and female plants – males
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insight, beautification, and economics. If you would like to help push Lyons Main Street program forward and support our downtown district, you can apply to join the board at www.townoflyons.com/187/Economic-Vitality-Commission or contact Brianna Hoyt, Lyons’ Main Street Manager at bhoyt@townoflyons.com. Brianna Hoyt worked as a freelance writer primarily with marketing firms to generate content for business websites and social media accounts. She started working for the Town of Lyons in February 2020 as Lyons’ Main Street Manager. bear yellowish brown pollen-bearing cones at their twig tips in spring, while female plants carry the berries. The plants set larger crops of berries once every three to five years, adding even more to their variability in the landscape. Looking closely at the berry-like cones, you might notice that some are different colors. Rocky Mountain juniper cones are pollinated in the spring, grow to full size by fall, but don’t fully ripen until the following fall, and don’t fall off the plants until the spring after that. The plants carry both this year’s and last year’s berries at the same time. Over the full two years they take to reach maturity, the cones change from green to pale blue, to deeper blue as their whitish coating wears off. In some places, if you peer into the branches of a juniper, you might see weird, knobbly yellow twigs growing. This is the juniper mistletoe (Phoradendron juniperinum). It’s a hemiparasitic plant adapted to live off junipers that steals its host plant’s nutrients but can also do some photosynthesis itself. Other conifers have their own specialized mistletoe species. Looking around at our landscape this particular winter, what happens to Rocky Mountain junipers after a fire? Their small size, structure of dense growth, and thin bark offers little protection and easy opportunities for deadly fires, compared to larger trees like ponderosas. The largest Rocky Mountain junipers can survive some fire, but smaller plants cannot. Unlike many native shrubs, they don’t regrow from rootstock after the above-ground part of the tree burns. Instead, they will regenerate from seed, relying on animal dispersal to repopulate burned areas over the coming years. Rocky Mountain junipers grow slowly, but they live a very long time, often to 250 to 300 years, with a few reported cases of more than 1,000 years. Tough and versatile, junipers are often planted for their ornamental and wildlife value as well as in windbreaks. Local nurseries carry both the native species and cultivated varieties selected for different shapes, colors, and textures. At the Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens in Lyons, we’ve planted Rocky Mountain junipers and another beautiful species found in southern Colorado, the one-seeded juniper (Juniperus monosperma). Next spring, we’ll add spreading mats of common juniper to the Montane garden, under evergreen trees and interspersed with mountain wildflowers, and look forward to the day they set seed. Much of the information in this piece was gathered from the U.S. Forest Service Fire Effects Information system website, a good place to learn about plants and their relationships to fire https://www.feis-crs.org/feis/. Jessie Berta-Thompson is a member of the Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens Board.
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DECEMBER 16, 2020 / JANUARY 13, 2021
EDUCATE Blue jays are brown, tires kill salmon and elk like smoked food By Greg Lowell Redstone Review LYONS – For the first time since I’ve lived here in Colorado, I hit the avian trifecta when Steller’s jays, scrub jays and blue jays all showed up at my feeder at once. The flashes of blue on the sere Lowell landscape were startling. But was it really blue I was seeing? Scientists say no; that’s it’s just a trick your eyes are playing. Yellow finches, tanagers and most other colored birds get their plumage from a pigment in their feathers but these allegedly-blue birds don’t have any blue pigment. Blue pigment is rare in nature. Instead, the pigment in these jays’ feathers is brown, but we perceive it as blue because of a phenomenon called light scattering, according to the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology. Light scattering is like a prism. These faux blue birds’ wings have pockets of air and keratin (the same protein as in human nails and hair) and when light hits these pockets all of the colors of the wavelength except blue are absorbed. The people at Cornell Lab say the blue wavelength is then refracted, which is what allows us to see the feathers as blue in color. Years ago when I first read of this phenomenon, I was a disbeliever until I found the scattered remains of a hawkkilled blue jay, picked up a feather, held it up to the sunlight and – voila – the feather was brown. Try it – when you backlight a blue feather the light won’t be reflected back and its true color is revealed. The winter world would be a more-dreary place without the electric blue flashes of the jays with their trick of nature. Tires kill salmon I admit it; my mind works in weird ways. For most of my life I’ve wondered where all the tire tread went. When Abe Lincoln’s head on a penny rises above the safe tread mark, where has the rest of the tire gone? Given the millions of cars driving millions of miles on millions of tires, shouldn’t there by black drifts of rubber along our highways? Thanks to a study by researchers at the University of Washington we now know where at least some of that de-
Blue pigment is rare in nature. The pigment in a jays’ feathers is brown, but we perceive it as blue because of a phenomenon called light scattering tritus goes – and it’s not good news. For years, fisheries biologists had observed up to 90 percent of adult coho salmon migrating up Washington state streams would suddenly die off after rainstorms. Researchers suspected the what was killing the salmon was run-off from nearby roads but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what the culprit was. After much testing, the researchers found the salmon deaths were caused by 6PPD-quinone – a chemical used to protect tires from the degrading effects of ozone. The chemical leaches out of the particles shed by tires as they wear down. The researchers found that even a small dose of 6PPD killed salmon in the lab. About 3.1 billion tires are produced worldwide every year. The tires are a complex mix of chemicals and these chemicals have been identified as a common source of
water pollution and have an effect on aquatic life. Some rubber in the tires is incorporated into the asphalt as tires wear but the majority of particles are rinsed off the road by wind and rain, ending up in soil and water, including the streams used by coho salmon in Washington. The salmon then become just another casualty of our modern lifestyle. Smoked grass on elk’s menu The wildfires this year were dramatic, horrifying and destructive. I had a vision of wild animals fleeing before their onslaught like the forest fire scene in Bambi. Turns out, though, at least some animals handle it better than others and don’t run too far away. In fact, elk affected by this years’ 209,000-acre Cameron Peak fire didn’t wait too long to return to the burnt areas. Colorado Parks and Wildlife had previously radio-collared 30 elk in the area as part of a population and migration study. During and after the fire they used the data to plot the elk’s movements. Angelique Curtis, a CPW wildlife biologist for the northeast region, said the fire mostly burned the elk’s summer range and, just as elk tend to follow the spring green-up as they move from winter to summer ranges, the elk returned to the scorched areas as soon as new growth popped up. Curtis said the elk didn’t run long distances from the wildfire but stayed in “islands of unburnt habitat” on the perimeter. Tracking showed they moved right back into the fire’s wake as soon as new grass (caused by melting snow) rose from the sooty landscape. She said it was probable that smaller, less mobile animals like rabbits and porcupines died in the fire but the elk actually thrived in the aftermath. The elk are well adapted to deal with fire and instinctively know that the nutrition available in these areas has more value than other areas so they stayed close by. Less known, said Curtis, is what the long-term effect of the fire will have on the elk’s summer range. A video of the elk movement can be found on YouTube by searching “Elk moving around the Cameron Peak Fire.” Lyons resident Greg Lowell, is a Lyons Town Board Trustee and serves as a liaison to the Ecology Advisory Board.
News from LEAF: Offering hope and help for the holidays By Lori Barton Redstone Review LYONS – Our Super Duper Holiday Food Pantry is TODAY, December 16. Lyons resident and Niwot High School Barton student Morgane Daty organized the whole project as part of her school Creativity, Activity, Service. Once again, Higher Ground Ministries is providing hams and fresh rolls to every household that comes to the pantry. Eric Andresen led the food drive at Lyons Elementary School this year. Even through the constraints of COVID, so many students and their families donated many, many pounds of canned goods that will benefit our community. Mr. Schafer led the middle/senior high school’s drive for personal care and household items. Lyons
The Lyons Food Pantry gets a big boost on December 16 with the Super Duper Holiday Food Pantry event.
Community Church and Calvary Foothills Church are providing fresh produce and other items as well. CEMEX will help deliver the boxes to peoples’ cars. Laura Levy will bring beautiful Christmas cookies. And Santa Claus and his reindeer will be present to celebrate the season, too! The Super Duper Holiday Food Pantry typically serves about 60 families. You don’t have to attend the pantry to stop in, enjoy a cookie, say “Hi!” to Santa, and meet his reindeer. This is LEAF’s gift to our community, and we hope it provides some fun and joy. Happy Holidays from Lyons Emergency & Assistance Fund, LEAF. What a year we have all lived through. It’s my great hope that the remainder of this year’s holiday season will be one of rest, peace, gratitude, and joy, and that we will all enter the new year with a renewed sense of hope. Speaking of hope, here’s some happy holiday news from LEAF: Colorado Gives Day was a remarkable success this year. We are overwhelmed and Continue LEAF on Page 13
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Lyons High School Photography Class....$39 1,000 Year Rain/ 2013 Flood ....................$45 Flood newspapers (1 year) ......................$40 Flood Book - Lyons Elementary ...............$25
DVDs Fundamentals of 2013 Colorado Flood.....$20 Lyons Sandstone Quarry History.............$20 Lyons Geology .........................................$10
TO ORDER: Call 303-823-5925 or Email lavern921@aol.com or Send check to: Lyons Redstone Museum, PO Box 9, Lyons, CO 80540 (Please include $3 postage for each book)
DECEMBER 16, 2020 / JANUARY 13, 2021
REDSTONE • REVIEW
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INSIGHT Vaccine arrives By John Gierach Redstone Review LYONS – I took a day off earlier in the week to straighten up my office, but I misjudged the size and scope of the job, so Gierach I’m now three days in and taking a day off from straightening up the office to write this column. Granted, it was a big job (I clean my office once every few years whether it needs it or not) but there were also times when I found both my attention and my intention wavering. That’s been happening in the months since the pandemic hit, and not just to me, since friends have described similar symptoms: Somewhere near the beginning of a straightforward chore you find yourself sitting there with your mind blank and your arms hanging limp at your sides “like a monkey defeated by shoelaces” as Thomas McGuane once wrote. You wonder if the job is worth doing at all, and even if it is, you’ll have to let your brain fog clear before you can get back to it. Meanwhile, an act as simple as picking up a book and putting in back in the bookshelf is too much to deal with. As a writer, I keep reminding myself that William Shakespeare wrote three of his greatest plays while sheltering in place during an outbreak of bubonic plague in the 1600s. I actually have managed to get some work done (I’m writing this, after all) but good stories depend on things happening – trips taken, new places seen, new people met and all the little adventures that arise along the way – and damned little has happened around here in the last nine months except that I’m getting tired of my own cooking and the dishes are always piling up. Sure, there’s been plenty of news and it’s the kind that keeps you on the edge of your chair, but after nearly a year of social isolation it begins to seem as remote as any other TV show. Case in point: Susan and I have taken to binge-watching old British mysteries. One of these crime series is called “Whitechapel.” It’s almost too gruesome even for my taste (and I’m surprised
that Susan likes it) but at least it’s not real. Otherwise, though, it follows the same plot as the evening news: just when you think things couldn’t possibly get any more grotesque, they do. And then every time I start complaining – as I’m doing now – I feel guilty because so many others have it so much worse. Luckily, friends usually respond with gallows humor
look up a little, with a new vaccine on the horizon and a new president to oversee its distribution. It’s doubtful that things will ever go back to what we still think of as “normal” and it seems certain that things will get much worse before they get better, but eventually we may be able to stop our progress toward becoming a bankrupt, disease-ridden banana republic.
Children in 1957 receive the polio vaccine. or occasionally hippy-style sweetness and light. When I broke down and unloaded on a friend from the West Slope recently, she emailed back, “Yes, but in spite of that, beauty is all around us,” and I didn’t have it in me to say, “No, it isn’t.” But now things are finally beginning to
PHOTO LOS ANGELES TIMES
I’m one of those who are anxious to take the vaccine and can’t help feeling that if the conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers don’t want to take it, fine. It’ll just leave more for us smart people. So in the interest of not getting my medical advice from politicians, I recently sat down to try and
suss out the situation with the vaccine. News reports said it could be here within days, but none of the government websites I checked could fill in any particulars, like who’s next in line after healthcare workers and nursing home patients, where you can get the shots, how you can find out where and when to get them, whether or not you’ll need something like a note from your doctor or any of the other things we’ll all have to figure out eventually. My doctor’s office didn’t know anything, either, and my pharmacy wasn’t much more helpful. They’d “heard” some things, but didn’t have any particulars. It occurs to me that I’ve been through this once before, although I was too young to remember it very clearly. When I was a kid, polio was a scourge of children and every parent’s worst nightmare. They’d started working on a vaccine for it in 1930, but it wasn’t until 23 years later, in1953, that Jonas Salk’s vaccine finally came out. That was a year too late for my sister and me, who both got it. I don’t remember much, which is probably just as well, but I do recall, in a vague and general way, that it was a miserable time, both while we were in the hospital and after we got out, but we eventually recovered and didn’t end up on crutches or in an iron lung, so we were among the lucky ones. (If you’re curious, try googling “iron lung.” It’s a primitive ventilator that looks like something out of a Hieronymus Bosch painting.) I don’t remember anyone wearing face masks then, but there was something like social distancing. After we got sick, the neighbor ladies my mother regularly had coffee with would come over with their own cups from home and stand in the backyard talking to Mom through an open kitchen window. That was almost 70 years ago and it’s the same kind of thing I now do with the few close friends I still see face to face. When the vaccine finally came out, those same ladies, along with every other mother in the country, marched their kids down to get their shots without hesitation. But then President Eisenhower wasn’t telling people that polio was nothing to worry about, that if every kid got it, there’d be herd immunity among the survivors or that all those dead and crippled kids were just a liberal hoax. I guess you could say those were the good old days.
Library strives to find new creative ways to serve the community By Kara Bauman Redstone Review LYONS – At this time last year no one could have predicted what lay ahead. One year ago, the new Lyons Community Library had been open to the public for nearly eight months and we were ecstatic Bauman to be the heart of the community we’d always imagined we could be. We finally had meeting space to offer our community and a place for teens to hang out after school. We finally had enough room for or youngest patrons and their families to shake their sillies out during professionally tailored storytimes. We finally had shelf space to house our wonderfully curated collection of materials. And we certainly had the support of our community. Visits and circulation numbers were beyond our wildest hopes. Of course, that momentum came to a screeching halt in mid-March when we were forced to shutter our doors and suspend courier connection to our sister libraries across Colorado. But like most other businesses and service providers, we were able to pivot and find creative new ways to support our community. We added an additional service for digital books, audiobooks, and magazines (and have seen a more than 400 percent increase in downloads over 2019), and continued to add new physical materials to the collection. Storytime and Summer Reading moved online and appbased. Via Zoom, we offered book clubs, author talks, Italian conversation, and various programs in conjunction with Wide Spaces Community Initiative. We never stopped offering one-on-one tech help or personalized reading lists. We expanded our Wi-Fi reach with a signal booster and reveled seeing community members taking advantage of our many outdoor seating options to get some socially distanced work done – and even one local teen playing video games from his parked car. We were also proud to be the centralized location of the popular Gratitude Wall sponsored and promoted by the Town of Lyons. Partnerships remained as important as ever. Most visibly, the east side of the building was graced with not one but two fantastic new art installations. In September, the
transformer near Broadway was transformed by the Designosaur as part of the Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission’s Creative Outlets program. In November, the LAHC, Town of Lyons, and Lyons Library District worked together to bring home a seven-foot sculpture by Lyons’ own Anita Miller. The boy and bear can be seen on the corner of 4th and Railroad Avenues. Also in September, we fenced in the eastside patio. Upon reopening to the public, this space will act as an additional room to the library during operating hours and another Wi-Fi accessible gathering space while we’re closed. For now, however, we encourage use of the space – socially distanced, of course; the gate is unlocked. Speaking of Anita Miller’s bear and boy sculpture, we are hosting a naming contest. We encourage locals to stop by to get to know our newest residents. Submit the name you think best suits the piece by visiting our website at lyons.colibraries.org or by scanning the QR code located in the window to the right of the Library’s front doors. The contest will run until the end of January and the best-fitting name will be chosen by committee. We’re not out of the woods yet, Lyons. In the meantime, the library will continue to offer expanded online services. A wintertime version of Summer Reading will launch for all ages in the new year. We will host Colorado author Sarah Adleman via Zoom on January 14 at 7 p.m. Look for additional storytimes and take-and-make craft kits as well as a new virtual Dungeons and Dragons program. We will be closed to safely celebrate the holiday season on Thursday, December 24, Friday, December 25 and Friday, January 1. Otherwise, place holds on physical materials by visiting Lyons. catalog. aspencat. info, download digital materials via the CloudLibrary or OverDrive (Across Colorado Digital Consortium), send print jobs, sign up for programs, ask for personalized reading lists or for technology help, or ask any other questions by emailing info@lyonslibrary.com. We’re available for curbside pickup from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays; from noon until 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; and between 9 a.m. and noon on Saturdays. The most up-to-date information is always available on our website or Facebook page. We
The boy and bear sculpture, created by Lyons artist Anita Miller, has been installed and can be seen on the corner of 4th and Railroad Avenues. A naming contest is underway. couldn’t do it without you, Lyons, and we’re so thankful for your continued support. Be well. 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.
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REDSTONE • REVIEW
DECEMBER 16, 2020 / JANUARY 13, 2021
OPPORTUNITY Jupiter and Saturn will form the Christmas Star on Winter Solstice By Staff Reports Redstone Review LYONS – On December 21, Winter Solstice, the sky will light up as the planets Jupiter and Saturn will form a rare conjunction and appear to touch each other, forming a large bright light. This conjunction has not occurred in a dark night sky for about 800 years. Some astronomers call it the Great Conjunction of 2020. Jupiter and Saturn are the largest two planets in our solar system. Astrophysicists say that the last time these two planets were this close together away from the Sun was 1226 A.D. and Genghis Khan was fighting his way through Asia. It is believed that the next Great Conjunction will occur in 2080, so you might want to catch
this one just in case you might not be around for the next one. As the planets move closer and closer, stargazers with scopes in the eastern part of the U.S. will be able to see Ganymede as it transits around Jupiter for 3.5 hours. This starts at 7:04 p.m. EST or 5:04 in Colorado. The west coast observers will be able to see Ganymede’s shadow over Jupiter’s cloud tops around 9:40 p.m. EST. In some places four of Jupiter’s moons, Europa, Io, Callisto and Ganymede, will be visible with scopes, and some with scopes will be able to see Saturn’s giant rings. Jupiter appears brighter because it’s bigger and closer than Saturn. Jupiter sits just over half a billion miles away, while Saturn is roughly double that distance. This information is in part from Astronomy, December 7, Eric Betz.
Lyons Community Foundation 2021 college scholarships available By Tanya Mercer-Daty Redstone Review “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela LYONS –The Lyons Community Foundation (LCF) is pleased to announce that six college scholarships are available to graduating high school students from the greater Lyons area. Applications are available online at https://www.lyonscf.org/scholarship-information.html or from the Lyons Naviance Scholarship site. Below is a brief description of each scholarship; please refer to LCF Scholarship List for complete information about eligibility and submission requirements. 2021 Lyons Community Foundation Mission Scholarship. This $2000 scholarship offered by the Lyons Community Foundation will recognize any graduating senior, or home-schooled student from the greater Lyons area, who embodies the LCF’s mission of improving the quality of life, building a culture of giving, and encouraging positive change for the greater Lyons area. 2021 Lyons Community Foundation Two-Year Study Scholarship. This $2000 scholarship offered by the Lyons Community Foundation will recognize any graduating senior, or home-schooled student from the greater Lyons area, who plans to attend a two-year program at college/university, trade school or other technical /vocational training. The scholarship will recognize a student who embodies the LCF’s mission of improving the quality of life, building a culture of giving, and encouraging positive change for the greater Lyons area. Uncle Louis “Bud” Winkler Memorial Scholarship. To honor the memory of businessman Louis WinMercer-Daty
Local philanthropy works By Tanya Mercer-Daty Redstone Review LYONS – There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that 2020 has been one of the most challenging years in memory. The arrival of COVID-19 earlier this year has upended everyone’s world. Most people know someone who has been impacted by the virus. Extended families haven’t been able to gather for months. Teachers and students have had to move to online learning while most workers have had to adapt to flexible (sometimes remote) working conditions. Local businesses have had to navigate state and county-wide public health orders while customers have grown scarce. The recent stay-at-home order has forced restaurants to close indoor dining, making it even more taxing for them to stay afloat. Meanwhile, health workers on the frontlines are nearing the point of exhaustion after working nonstop to save lives for the last nine months. To add to the anxiety of this ravaging virus, wildfires threatened people’s homes on the outskirts of Lyons this past fall. Despite all of these hardships, the community has come together time and time again to help those in need whether it was small businesses who needed help to reopen post lockdown or individuals who needed help staying in Lyons due to economic hardship. This year alone, the Lyons Community Foundation (LCF) was able to help
kler, one $1000 scholarship is available to any graduating senior or home-schooled student in the greater Lyons area who has at least a 3.0 GPA and plans on majoring in business or finance. Janet Orback Memorial Scholarship. Established in 2018, this $500 scholarship honors the memory of lifelong Lyons resident Janet Orback, who along with her husband Dave tirelessly helped to provide support and friendship to her neighbors whose homes and lives were destroyed in the 2013 floods, as well as being stewards of the Lyons Cemetery for over 15 years. Recipients of the Janet Orback Memorial Scholarship must have a 2.5 GPA, be active participants in the community, and show a commitment to caring for the environment. Gerald Boland Memorial Scholarship. This $1000 scholarship honors the memory of Gerald Boland, a 54year resident of Lyons who taught in Lyons Schools for 31 years. He was a coach, Boy Scout Leader, and mentor who had a passion for learning and the outdoors. The scholarship will be awarded to a graduating senior who shares these passions. Eligible students must attend Lyons High School and have at least a 3.0 GPA. Lyons Community Foundation Scholarships in Memory of Steve Ralston. Created in 2009 to honor the memory of Lyons resident, businessman, and community supporter Steve Ralston, this $1000 scholarship will be awarded to a graduating senior who best expresses a passion for
both businesses and individuals affected by COVID-19 by granting $58,000 to local businesses and our local human services agency, the Lyons Emergency Assistance Fund (LEAF). Thanks to the Lyons Share Fund, LCF (in partnership with the St. Vrain Market and the Town of Lyons) was able to grant $1,000 to 43 local businesses post lockdown. Thanks to a special COVID-19 grant awarded to LEAF, LCF was able to support individuals such as artists and gig-workers who needed financial assistance when the events they relied on for work were cancelled. As a community foundation, LCF’s main purpose is to raise money to support a diverse range of projects and populations in order to improve the quality of life, build a culture of giving and encourage positive change in the greater Lyons area. By offering a centralized source for fundraising, nonprofits can focus on their projects. Thanks to LCF’s two largest funds, the Scholarship Fund and the Community Support Grants, LCF has awarded almost $40,000 to senior high school students and local non-profits. Seven graduating seniors received $9500 in scholarships to attend a post-secondary institution. Eight local non-profits received over $31,000 in community support grants to put towards 14 separate projects which focus on four key areas: community connectivity, human services, youth invest-
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learning and sharing one’s interests, skills and joyful life experiences with the community. Eligible students include graduating Lyons High students, greater Lyons area students who attend schools neighboring communities and home-schooled students. All applications must be received by March 12, 2021. Applications may be returned to the front office of Lyons High School or mailed to the Lyons Community Foundation, PO Box 546, Lyons CO, 80540. The scholarships may be used at any accredited post-secondary education program in the country. Students must be accepted to or have acceptance pending at their prospective school(s) when they submit their applications. Any questions about the scholarships can be directed by email to scholarship@lyonscf.org. All applications are reviewed and kept confidential by a committee consisting of Lyons area community members. Tanya Mercer-Daty is the new Marketing and Communications Associate for Lyons Community Foundation. She has lived in Lyons for the past eight years after immigrating to the USA with her family in 2011. Feel free to contact her at tanya@lyonscf.org.
ment and local ecology. This year has been an extraordinary year for giving. Typically, LCF grants $40,000 to local high school seniors and non-profits. This year alone, LCF has given over $100,000 to help local non-profits, businesses and families. This would not be possible if it weren’t for your generosity. The LCF Advisory Board joins me in extending heartfelt thanks to all members of the community who have supported LCF in its endeavors this past year. Lyons never ceases to amaze us when it comes to the generosity and the compassion of its residents. The Lyons Community Foundation had planned a Fun Color Run as a family-friendly fundraiser last spring. COVID-19 disrupted those plans. Since we are unable to hold a fundraiser this year, we are relying on our annual holiday appeal to raise enough money to award scholarships and grants next year. We are asking all residents who can afford to give this year to consider LCF in their yearend giving by making an online donation to the foundation at www.lyonscf.org. If you prefer to send a check, please address it to LCF, PO Box 546, Lyons, CO 80540.
DECEMBER 16, 2020 / JANUARY 13, 2021
REDSTONE • REVIEW
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Tiny Dumpsters Everywhere: Reflections on 2020 the Year of the Dumpster Fire By Staff Reports Redstone Review LYONS – A local Lyons resident, Becky D’Arcey has curated a landmark art exhibition that opens on January of next year. Tiny Dumpsters Everywhere: Reflections on the Year of the Dumpster Fire takes a critical look at how artists have used humor in their practice in 2020. Over 40 internationally acclaimed artists have been selected by D’Arcey to receive a miniature dumpster to work with. The artists are also encouraged to submit one artwork in their preferred medium. One of these artists is Lyons resident Cherie Maureaux. The exhibition features artists hailing from all over the United States: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Missouri, New York, Oregon and Washington. The DIY ethos permeates this exhibition; it will take place at a warehouse venue, Ten Ten, in Denver for one day only. Due to COVID, the exhibition will be outdoors. A live stream will be uploaded to social media by audiovisual engineer, Hepster Pat (Patrick Smith). There will be a small opening reception at noon for the press, artists, and critics. At 2 p.m., the public will be allowed to filter in. A gallery host will be at the entrance at all times ensuring that visitors are following state mandates for COVID. Masks are required for entry and social distancing will be enforced.
In the words of curator Becky D’Arcey, “The year 2020 has become synonymous with ‘the dumpster fire.’ When the world is falling apart around us, humor serves as an important outlet and coping method. Over 40 artists have shared their irreverent interpretation of the dumpster fire with me, and I am pleased to present them to you.” In addition, AV engineer Hepster Pat (Patrick Smith) has assembled both video images and audio tracks to accompany the show. “I am excited about this exhibition,” he says, “and I am happy to be part of it.” Hepster Pat lives in Denver and is a deejay, promoter and founder of the record label Weltmuzik. He and Becky D’Arcey have collaborated on art and music together for several years. Becky D’Arcey is an alumnus of Metropolitan State University of Denver, having received her bachelor’s degree in Art History, Theory and Criticism in 2019. She is a current student at Western Colorado University, pursuing a Master of Arts, specializing in Museum and Gallery Management. Tiny Dumpsters Everywhere: Reflections on the Year of the Dumpster Fire will be held on January 9, 2021 at Ten Ten Gallery, located at 1010 West 1st Ave. in Denver. The exhibition will be open to the public for that day only, from 2 to 8 p.m. For more information, go to Rebecca.darcey@western.edu or weltmuzik@gmail.com. Shown here: Lil’ Dumpy the Dumpster Fire, Embroidery, by Bree Aretz
Stonebridge Farm Holiday Fair is virtual this year We’ll miss the fun in the Sunflower Room but contact our farm crafters individually for beautiful handmade gifts. Stonebridge Farm wine and mead are available for farm pick-up. Wine is$20/bottle or $70/wine share of 4. Golden or raspberry mead made with Stonebridge honey is $10/bottle. Handcranked socks are custom made: $18/anklehigh; $22/calf-high; $25/knee-high. Contact Stonebridge Farm at 303-823-0975 or kshort@greenspeedisp.net for orders. Amber Lights Candles has over 50 different styles of candles including tea lights, tapers, votives, pillars of various sizes and seasonal designs. All of the candles are handmade in Longmont and are made of 100 percent pure beeswax. Contact Clark at 720-333-1105 for local pickup or shipping or order at www.amberlightscandles.com. Visit Good Medicine Sheep Ranch for all your woolen needs and fine gifts. We have a broad range of yarns and fiber products as well as unique felted hats and reVision handbags using recycled parts for closures and straps. Custom orders welcomed. Contact lisa.sobieniak@gmail.com or purchase at goodmedicinesheepranch.com. Lucy Designs offers original creations of gemstone earrings, necklaces, and bracelets and colorful felt animals for unique holiday gifts. If you have something specific in mind,
contact Tiffany at tiffany.zarr1@gmail.com to create a custom piece or shop her wonderful designs at https://lucydesigns.bigcartel.com/. Apple Ridge Naturals creates handmade locally produced bar soaps, luxury whole body lotions, intensive balm for lip, cuticle, hand & foot and natural body deodorant. With a focus on earth friendly, vegan ingredients respecting wildlife. NO palm oils. NO plastic. NO aluminum. Made to order. Please contact Deirdre at deirdrebutler2@gmail.com for more information. Find the perfect pottery gifts at Priscilla Cohan Studio, featuring vibrant ceramic designs in vases, mugs, and more to brighten your day. Contact Priscilla at priscillacohan@gmail.com or view and order at www.priscillacohanstudio.com.
Inclusive By Sally King Redstone Review
The I Ching dares to suggest that there is strength in softness. Like the new mother who has just walked through the fire of birth to hold a new being in her arms. The Duchess of Sussex revealed in the New York Times about her mid-summer miscarriage. Her private painful journey which many of us have walked. She suggests that we simply ask “How are you doing?” And that this small connection mends us at least a little. Time magazine also ran an article written by a single mother sharing her sense of being invisible and what it meant for someone to pause and ask her this same question How are you doing? Integrating of the feminine experience (even by women) This integration is new. These stories in national and important publications reflect an inclusive attitude which is new We are not isolated beings. We are in life together Earthlings with one home. Painting: Mother and Child by Sally King
Dragon Fly 2 appears in Boulder By Sally King Redstone Review LYONS – When we moved to Lyons, my husband John was in his 50s and ready to leave behind his career of building and designing houses to enter into his second life as a kinetic artist. John studied art at Beloit King College in Wisconsin where he made small, jewelry like kinetic pieces. For John, it’s all about the motion: if a piece isn’t moving interestingly in the breeze it’s back to the workshop until it does. Most of John’s work is public art. His sculptures are at parks, schools and hospitals. Dragonfly 2 as featured here was originally commissioned 14 years ago by the Boulder Public Library. This was in the early days of his art career and we noticed that if one public building approves of your work others will follow. Thank you Boulder Public Library. The piece was taken down about three years ago because of a planned new expression of the downtown park. This November, John installed Dragonfly 2 using the original tower, which resembles a giraffe. He created a new dragonfly to sit on top of the tower so that after ten years of previous display the piece has been reborn. The site chosen is along a well loved bike and walking path at the southwest corner of Longs Community Garden in North Boulder. When I stopped by to see the sculpture, two ladies were admiring it and a man came along and said “I think that piece used to be in front of the library.” Congratulations to all. A piece of well loved Boulder art has been recreated and placed in a new and accessible location in which Dragonfly 2 can live and relate to the gardens and the people in its community. John has a second sculpture in Boulder. It is in front of the new Della Cava Family Medical Pavilion at Boulder
Community Health Foothills campus. John’s website: www.johnkingarts.com. 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 sculpture artist, near Lyons.
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REDSTONE • REVIEW
DECEMBER 16, 2020 / JANUARY 13, 2021
FORWARD Nemesis – Philip Roth’s novel of another pandemic Review by Andi Gregory Redstone Review DENVER – Bucky Cantor is a 23-year-old playground director in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Weequahic, NJ, in Pearson the summer of 1944. He is a college graduate who believes in clean living, fresh air and good food, all to strengthen his body and his mind. He works with kids and encourages them to play outdoors, be good sports and active team members. He wants them to “excel at sports as well as their studies and to value sportsmanship.” World War II is underway and while many of his friends are off fighting, Bucky’s poor eyesight has kept him out of the military service he longs to join. Still, he feels he is doing his part by the U.S. When a boy from the playground softball team is stricken with the dreaded disease and dies, Bucky attends the funeral service and speaks to the bereaved parents. No one knows quite how the disease is spread and Bucky wonders if somehow, the healthy boy got the polio germ at the playground. Everyone takes the disease seriously and Bucky feels the impact on his neighborhood. Bucky’s girlfriend Marcia finds summertime work at a camp in the Poconos and soon she is encouraging Bucky to join her, to take a job teaching swimming and diving, two things he’s really good at. Bucky
is torn – should he leave the playground job in the middle of the summer? Would he enjoy the camp and getting to spend more time with Marcia? Marcia phones him regularly, pleading for him to leave the crowded city where the disease may spread more easily and join her in the fresh air countryside. Bucky gives in. He resigns his job at the city playground and Philip Roth tells the story of the terror of polio in the 1940s joins the Native Amer- in his novel Nemesis. ican themed camp in the mountains. Marcia and her two the course of the country almost as much younger sisters are there and make a fuss as the war has done? Roth’s novel is of course based on fact. over him. He likes the other counselors and the eager campers. Things are going The polio outbreak in the U.S. caused loss great. And then, polio finds the secluded of life, caused lifelong crippling of limbs and put individuals in iron lungs to help retreat. How could this have happened? Bucky them breathe. The most famous case is President has lived a good, clean life and encouraged the future by working with kids. He has Franklin D. Roosevelt who was in a wheelhonored his grandmother who raised him chair due to polio. Although the general and respected the path of his religion. He public had little knowledge of it, Roohas gotten an education and made plans to sevelt needed help to stand or move and marry Marcia and have a future. How never recovered the flexibility of his limbs could this have happened to him? How and body. And from the U.S. president could it have stricken others – and finally down to the least known child in any city Bucky himself – and caused death and im- in the U.S., polio did not discriminate – it measurable grief in families and changed struck seemingly at random. Parents kept
B •R •I •E •F •S Let it glow Lyons LYONS – There’s nothing better than seeing thousands of twinkling lights on a cold, frosty night. Join us this holiday season by beautifying your home in our first annual Let it Glow Competition. The Lyons Area Chamber of Commerce and Town of Lyons encourage you to deck your homes with lights, lawn ornaments, wreaths, and more to help bring holiday cheer to families in Lyons. You even have a chance of winning a prize. Find out how to register and vote on the Lyons Area Chamber of Commerce website.
Andi Gregory Pearson writes essays, book reviews and short stories. Her first novel Scent of the Wild is available from Amazon or through her blog andipearson.com. Her website is www.andipearson.com. She and her husband have a cabin in the greater Lyons area.
Free mobile COVID testing in Lyons
be closed on Friday, December 25.
LYONS – The COVID Testing Site in Lyons is at 200 2nd Ave. in Lyons on Fridays, 1:30 to 3 p.m. Boulder County Public Health, in partnership with Boulder Community Health and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will provide free COVID testing in Lyons on Fridays. No appointment is needed, and individuals do not need to have COVID-19 symptoms to be tested. Individuals who are 65 years old or older or are essential workers are encouraged to attend. The location is the parking lot of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in Lyons. Testing will be every Friday through the end of the year, weather permitting and excluding holidays. Masks must be worn. Note: The testing will
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their children away from community swimming pools and any large groups, they instituted daily rest periods and they gave up going to church and other gatherings. Since no one knew exactly how polio was contracted or how it might affect a life, parents and adults were very careful. Sound familiar? The U.S. and many other countries of the world, are now in a great pandemic caused by the infection known as COVID-19. Gatherings are either shut down or limited in number. Face masks are required in an effort to protect each individual and hand washing is encouraged. Still, over a quarter million Americans are dead from the infection. The polio vaccine was developed and millions were vaccinated against the disease. Now, the vaccine for the coronavirus is nearly ready for distribution. And of course that will help curtain the further spread of the terrible disease. But the agony of losing a loved one, the ongoing grief over the death of a family member or friend – there is no vaccine for that. And in Nemesis, Roth struggles to understand how this can happen. And today, in 2020, we do the same. Nemesis was published in 2010 and is powerful for society today. Philip Roth is also the author of Good-bye, Columbus and Portnoy’s Complaint. He was born in Newark, NJ, and died in Manhattan in 2018.
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LYONS – In 2018, the Town of Lyons applied for and was awarded a $500,000 Safe Route to School Grant in 2019 to connect Lyons Elementary School and Lyons Middle/Senior High School via 4th Ave. and a pedestrian bridge over the N St. Vrain Creek. Final funding for the project has been completed in the past several months and a request for proposal for a firm to begin design of the route and the bridge was issued last month. Stay tuned for updates in the next few months. Continue Briefs on Page 14
DECEMBER 16, 2020 / JANUARY 13, 2021
REDSTONE • REVIEW
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LOOK AHEAD Respect your selfie and your privacy By Quin Weadley Redstone Review GUNBARREL – When you think of privacy, what comes to mind? Seemingly irrelevant license agreements agreed to without consideration? Something not worth the time? A lost cause? Or is privacy something worth fighting to keep? In my opinion, it is
the latter. Companies and governments working together to scrape away at our rights, detailing everything about us; I see that as a violation of my humanity. The internet is the closest thing we have to a stream-of-consciousness transcription. You are far more likely to search something on a whim, rather than write that down in a journal. It’s these small actions that com-
zTrip for Lyons residents By Rebecca Major Redstone Review LYONS – Let’s take a trip with zTrip as an option that will provide for our transportation gaps. Boulder County has earmarked $25,000 for midday transit/travel, for the residents of Lyons to use, for alternative transportation to replace the canceled midday bus service between Lyons and Boulder. This program has been expanded to include the hours of 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. to help cover the complete cancellation of RTD service due to COVID-19 and to ease the transportation barriers of the mountain communities. Vouchers are good for going either direction between Lyons and Boulder and between Lyons and Longmont but are NOT good for travel between Boulder to Longmont and vice versa. Persons can be picked up and dropped off within town (Lyons) and city limits (Boulder and Longmont) only. Vouchers are NOT good during the weekend. Vouchers are available for all Lyons area residents or
panies keenly desire. The level of information they have about you is staggering. As the Wall Street Journal reported in their article “How Pizza Night Can Cost More in Data Than Dollars” just by uploading one selfie to Facebook, you give up: photo analysis; location of the photo (if included in metadata); date; type of device; device ID; device operating system; battery level; signal strength; Bluetooth signal; connection speed; available storage; app and file names and types; nearby Wi-Fi beacons and cell towers; nearby devices such as a TV for phone-to-TV streaming; time zone; mobile operator or internet; service provider; IP address; time, frequency and duration of activities; hardware version; and software version. According to many investigative journalists including Steve Kroft, a retired national journalist, these companies are taking you apart and selling you. Data is worth a lot of money and the social media giants especially are ready to receive what people give them willingly or ignorantly. Increasingly, our identities are built with product. Many find they can’t describe themselves in terms of their own selves, but instead describe what degree they have, what car they own, and what electronics they use. These are all conveniently things that are sold to you, for profit. But why
Lyons employees and are eligible based on need and availability. Persons residing outside of Lyons proper can get vouchers but would need to be picked up or dropped off at a location in Lyons. The vouchers will be available at the following locations: Lyons Town Hall, the Area Agency on Aging office at the Walt Self center, through an OUR center representative, and the LEAF food pantry. A registration list is maintained. Any Lyons area resident or employee is eligible to receive vouchers, with priority given to those in need. Quantity of vouchers distributed is two to four per person, per month. It will be up to each agency to assess the individual’s needs and determine the appropriate amount to give an individual. The Town of Lyons will be responsible for tracking use to make sure the vouchers are being used appropriately and that the program is not being abused. This tracking will be reported on a monthly basis. This will need to be taken into account when distributing vouchers. Transportation might need to be booked five days in advance plan for next appointments. Additional transportation options may be provided. Need is determined based on a questionnaire, see below:
should you accept this vagrant violation of your personhood? This crossing of boundaries, which displays their lack of respect to you, and to humanity as a whole? So, what’s to be done? The first step to taking your identity back and protecting yourself from predatory harvesting is to create hard boundaries. Social media can be addictive, but it is important to choose where you share your data carefully, and mindfully. Only share what you want shared. Know what they will take. Instead of using Facebook messenger considering downloading Signal or Telegram on your phone. They are encrypted and therefore considered secure messaging applications. Use a search engine like DuckDuckGo that says it doesn’t store your IP addresses or user information. There are other search engines that tout privacy as well such as Quant, Startpage, and others. Look them up and try them out. Change your expectations about the importance of your privacy. In the end, controlling your privacy is an act of self-respect, and in your own best interests. Unless you enjoy being a commodity, of course. Quin Weadley has a certification in IT from CompTIA and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in writing.
• Do you have access to a working vehicle? If yes, why are you not using it? • I need this voucher for the following (please check all that apply): to get groceries or prescriptions; to visit social services (legal or county services); personal errands; medical appointment; social event; to get to work or school; other. Vouchers will be available at Walt Self, LEAF’s food pantry, and Town Hall, or by appointment. Contact information: Lisa Ramsey, the town of Lyons, lramsey@townoflyons.com, 303-823-6622 x30; Lory Barton, LEAF, lory@leaflyons.org, 720-864-4309; Lynette Anderson, BCAAA, landerson@bouldercounty.org, 303823-9016 ; Rebecca Major, OUR Center, rebecca@ourcenter.org, 303-525-3106; zTrip representative (contact for voucher problems) 970-988-3437. Vouchers will be printed by zTrips and have the restrictions already printed on them. The vouchers have no monetary value until redeemed. The vouchers include the customer’s name and trip details to aid in tracking voucher usage. Rebecca Major is the vice chair of the Lyons Board of Directors.
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PAGE 12
REDSTONE • REVIEW
DECEMBER 16, 2020 / JANUARY 13, 2021
HOLIDAY DISHES A Festive Winter Salad
five to ten minutes until tender and browned. (I do this in my toaster oven.) Cut the slices into 1.5 – inch, bite-sized pieces. These taste best at room temperature so cool but don’t refrigerate. Prepare a bed of greens – a combination of red lettuce, romaine, endive, and best of all, arugula. Add the squash pieces and ½ a head of fennel, thinly sliced. Toss the salad with a simple dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, all to taste. Add a light blanket of crumbled feta or goat cheese. Sprinkle with a handful of pomegranate seeds and one of toasted pepitas. Remember, this recipe is a guide, a template, not a rule. Use a proportion of the ingredients that suits the number of your diners and your taste.
By Barbara Shark Redstone Review LYONS – Amidst the flurry of holiday baking, packing boxes for delivery to friends, and making a trip to the post office to send a gift box to my sister, I squeezed in time to prepare a seasonal salad. This Shark time of year, our choice of produce is limited, but it is pomegranate and squash season, two delicious additions to one of my favorite salads. And it’s a beauty with the various greens, burnished gold squash, white fennel slivers and feta, and ruby red pomegranate seeds. First, roast half-moons of butternut squash. Peel and seed a small squash, (or use half of a large squash). Cut into 1/2
inch slices, toss with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast, on a baking sheet lined with parchment, at 400 degrees. Turn over after 15 minutes and roast for an addition
Barbara Shark is an artist and author of How I Learned to Cook, an Artist's Life. She lives near Lyons, Colorado. For more recipes, read her blog - www.howilearnedtocookanartistslife.blog.
Bake Swiss holiday cookies – share more and eat less By Catherine Metzger Redstone Review SAN MIGUEL COUNTY – Food for the Ages has been baking holiday cookies all day as the snow softly descends. This year our holiday plans to get together with family and friends have all been dashed – same as everyone else’s. But how can we be glum with the smell of cookies in the air? While we fill our homes with nostalgic smells, sights and tastes, we can share these baked gems with others who are really feeling the need for holiday cheer. So our goal is to bake Swiss holiday cookies, to share more and eat less – if possible! We’re notifying our neighbors that we’re giving cookies as gifts, leaving wrapped plates of cookies on their doorsteps, mailing them to distant friends and family. And do leave a plate of cookies with your local sheriff, fire department, library, county buildings and other community friends, while socially distancing. Here are four simple and delicious Swiss cookie recipes provided by one of my sister Sarah’s best friends Elizabeth Bleuler-Beegle, whose mother passed them to her. The first, Nüsskonfekt, is what a Pecan Pandie wished it was. The second recipe, Kräbeli, “is for those with a more expanded palate,” Bleuler-Beegle says. “You might not like anise or licorice flavor, but these cookies with lots of lemon zest, to me, are pretty heavenly. Ideally, these have an outer crunchy hollow shell with a chewy interior base. Along with a strong coffee, Kräbeli are an excellent afternoon pick-me-up.” The third recipe is for Orangebeck or Lemonbeck, a citrus-glazed butter cookie. The fourth, Spitzbuba, you might recognize as a jelly sandwich cookie. All are sublime. One way to work off the “quarantine 15” is to use stevia. So besides offering measurements for regular cane sugar in the recipes, I have added measurement conversions for using Pyure Organic Stevia Blend, an all-purpose sweetener with no calories, no sugar and a zero glycemic index rating. The equivalents are in parentheses next to the usual sugar amounts. The rule of thumb for Pyure Organic Stevia Blend is to use half the amount of this Stevia Blend to the amount of sugar in the original recipe. Note that the jelly sandwich cookie recipe below (Spitzbuba) requires a confectioner’s sugar-type stevia. The Pyure Organic Stevia Blend I used contains organic erythritol, organic stevia leaf extract (REB A) and natural flavor. It tastes and feels like sugar but has no sugar in it. Because you want to get the taste just right, if you are using a liquid or other type of stevia, please check the manufacturer's website for information on measurement conversions as they vary significantly across the wide variety of stevia products. Adjustments in baking times and quantities have been made for the Colorado altitude of 5,290 feet above sea level. Nüsskonfekt (Pecan Sandies, but better) Thinking ahead • Use red ring (6mm or 1/4”) on rolling pin for proper height cookie • Have butter and the egg at room temperature • Grind the nuts first 2 C pecans or walnuts, heaped. Set aside
Clockwise from upper left: Nüsskonfekt, Kräbeli, Orangebeck or Lemonbeck, Spitzbuba some whole nuts to use as decoration. Grind the rest to a fine consistency, in a food processor or by hand. 2 sticks salted butter, softened. Add a pinch of salt if using unsalted. 3/4 C white sugar (or 1/4 C plus 2 T stevia blend) 2 C white flour 1 egg yolk plus 1 T water for glazing • Cream butter and sugar together Add all of the ground nuts and about 1 1/2 C flour. • Mix well and turn out onto lightly floured surface. Work in enough of the the remaining 1/2 C flour just until the dough can stick together • Either proceed directly to bake; or form dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for a day or two until ready to bake. Let the dough warm up a bit before attempting to roll if it has been refrigerated. • Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to 1/4” thick. • With a medium large knife, cut dough into 1 1/4”squares. • Place cookies on a parchment-covered baking sheet, leaving 1/2” of space between each cookie. • Whisk together the egg yolk and 1 T water. Gently brush each cookie with the glaze and place a piece of a reserved nut in the center of each, pressing until slightly indented. • Bake in a 350F° preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until a rich golden color, but not brown. Store these cookies loosely covered with foil, to keep them crisp. If you cover them in an airtight container they will become crumbly. Kräbeli (Addictive crispy and chewy) Makes abiut 34 cookies Thinking Ahead… Allow enough time. These cookies need to be formed and allowed to rest/rise overnight to get their “feet.” Bake the following day. The shape of the Kräbeli reflects its name “little claws” or “little scratchers.”
3 eggs 2 C white sugar (1 C stevia blend) 3 T anise seeds, spread on a plate and warmed in the microwave for 30 seconds. The zest of two large lemons, very finely cut 1 t baking powder 3 C white flour • Mix all ingredients in a food processor, using only 2 1/2 C of the flour. Pulse until the dough holds together, adding more flour slowly as needed. • Turn the dough out onto a surface covered with granulated sugar. The dough is very sticky, keep coating your palms with granulated sugar for easier handling. • Cut off walnut-sized pieces of dough and roll into tube-like shapes about 3 to 3 1/2” long and 1/2” thick. Place on the parchment paper and curve into a horseshoe shape Into each cookie make 6 to 8 slashes with a sharp knife or sharp scissors dipped into sugar. Go all the way around the dough on the outside of the curve making cuts not past the center of the shape. This creates the “little claws.” Allow for plenty of space between cookies as they grow in all directions overnight. • Set the cookie sheets in an undisturbed warm environment overnight, so they can “get their feet.” No need to cover. The cookies grow their own little pedestals overnight. • Bake the following day at 300° for about 20 to 25 minutes. Do not allow to brown, just a nice beige color is perfect. Orangebeck or Lemonbeck (Citrus-glazed butter cookie) Makes about 50 small, diamond-shaped cookies These are basically glazed butter cookies made with either lemons or oranges depending on personal preference or what’s on hand. Betty says, “They are usually very well received and are sturdy little diamonds.” 2 sticks unsalted butter 3/4 C granulated white sugar, generous (1/4 C + 2 T generous stevia blend) 4 egg yolks 2 T fresh lemon or orange juice Zest of 2 lemons or 1 orange, finely
chopped. Reserve a bit for the icing 4 C white flour, approximate 1 t baking powder For the glaze: 6 oz confectioner sugar, sifted and combined with 1 to 3 T fresh juice with some zest • In the food processor beat butter until creamy. Then add all of the other ingredients and blend well. • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll 1/4” to 1/2” thickness. Cut into long strips and and then into diamond shapes. • Place on a plain cookie sheet. With the back of a fork carefully press down to form grooves on top of each cookie. • Bake in a preheated 350° oven about 12 minutes until golden. • While the cookies are still warm on the cooling rake, gently brush on the glaze. • Make sure they are completely cooled before storing in an airtight container or they will stick together. Spitzbuba (Jelly sandwich cookie) Makes 30 double cookies, so Betty usually makes 2 batches. Thinking Ahead… • Use orange ring on rolling pin for proper height • Have eggs and butter at room temperature 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened (Add a pinch of salt if you like) 1 C confectioner’s sugar, sifted (There is a confectioner’s sugar consistency stevia that you might like to use) 1 t vanilla extract 1 egg white 2 1/2 C+ flour Clear jelly for center (Betty usually uses one red jelly and one yellow, like currant and quince jelly) • Mix ingredients (except the jelly) in the food processor using just 2 C of flour. Process only until the dough is formed. Turn the dough out onto a countertop, adding enough flour to form a ball. Try not to over handle the dough; add flour oly as needed. Roll into a ball and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow ease of handling; dough is very sticky. • Preheat oven to 350° • Roll out dough on a surface sprinkled with granulated sugar to a generous silver dollar thickness. Cut into rounds using a French scalloped cutter dipped in sugar. On half of them use a thimble dipped in sugar to cut a center hole where the preserves will show through. Make an equal number with and without thimble holes. • Lower the oven temperature to 325°. • Place cut dough on parchment-covered cookie sheets. Bake the solid bottoms and the top “holed” pieces on the same baking sheet, in even numbers. Don’t crowd your sheets. • Bake at 325° for about 20 minutes. Bake to a very light brown. They overbake easily becoming too crisp. • Place approximately 1/2 t of jelly on the center of the solid cookie base, enough to glue the top and bottom but not ooze out the sides. They must be fresh out of the oven, still hot when you place the jelly on the solid bases so it melts slightly and glues the top and bottom together. • Gently place cookie with the hole on top, hold together and quickly roll just along the outside edges in a dish of granulated sugar. • Place on cooling rack as you go. Store in airtight metal container after they have thoroughly cooled.
DECEMBER 16, 2020 / JANUARY 13, 2021
LEAF Continued from Page 6 thankful for our community’s support of LEAF’s work. This year has delivered plenty of stress and strain to all of us. I’m continually blown away by our 100 volunteers’ passion and commitment to serving. And I’m honored to know that our small little agency has provided so much encour-
REDSTONE • REVIEW
agement and met so many needs this year. I’d like to share this note I recently received from a LEAF client: “I want to tell you thank you for doing everything to get my car fixed. I just got my car back. I am very grateful to LEAF and everyone who works to help the community of Lyons. It has been a tough year not only for me, but for the whole world.
Happy Holidays! THE FORMER BRADFORD ESTATE, AVAILABLE NOW TO THE PUBLIC FOR FIRST TIME IN DECADES! Amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own one of the most beautiful and coveted properties on the front range! Nearly 7 acres of forested, fertile land in the country, but walking distance to town, schools, parks, trails, etc. Charming, updated 1935 farmhouse with an open floor plan, lots of character, and tremendous potential! Large red barn for all your critters and/or storage needs. Majestic, old-growth trees, irrigation ditch, huge garage, 2k gallon water cistern + extensive irrigation piping installed, large garden area — the perfect hobby farm! Additional study on upper floor, Solar PV system = low electric bills. For those with school-aged children, Lyons schools are rated among the best! Bring your horses, too! A truly rare paradise! 227 County Road 69 / $2,400,000
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AMAZINGLY EFFICIENT CUSTOM PASSIVE SOLAR HOME ON A BEAUTIFUL, GENTLY SLOPING, SUNNY, SOUTHFACING 6+ ACRE LOT WITH STUNNING MOUNTAIN AND FRONT RANGE VIEWS! Main floor is modeled after a tiny home floor plan, then greatly expanded, and built with a full walk-out lower level basement. Light and bright with walls of windows and high-end finishes! Super solid and durable concrete construction insulated on both sides, (known as ICF); Solarium on lower level, with an enormous deck above off of main level. 24x36 garage/shop building with loft and 12' overhead door for RV storage and all of your additional storage needs. Much stronger than average well for the area, last tested at 5 gpm. 1 smaller outbuilding finished for office/studio use, and another for storage. Ideal property for anyone seeking a simpler, quieter, and safer rural lifestyle! 1404 Rowell Drive / $850,000
RARE AFFORDABLE BUILDING LOT JUST OUTSIDE OF LYONS WITHIN EASY EARSHOT OF THE NORTH ST. VRAIN RIVER! Adjacent to jointly-owned 1.3 acre outlot with river frontage on west side, and Boulder County open space on the east! Nearly flat, circular building envelope is located approximately straight ahead as you approach lot (i.e. below road as it ascends to neighboring homes). Great solar access! 57 Longmont Dam Road / $218,996
SWEET LITTLE LOT 17 MINUTES FROM LYONS FOR YOUR MOUNTAIN RETREAT! 2/3 acre size makes for affordability, rare these days! In the middle of a forest , so plenty of tree energy! Features of this lot include fairly easy road and driveway access, good sun, and mostly usable terrain, gently sloping to the south. Enjoy unlimited access to Roosevelt National Forest right across the road! 49 Pine Drive, Lyons / $100,000
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But with LEAF coming into my life, you have changed my world. And thank you for pulling me up and not letting me fall completely. My heart really is filled with tears of happiness and joy.” I think these words tell the story of what LEAF is all about: It’s about people helping people, with LEAF serving as the conduit to make it happen. If you are someone who has been able to support us this year, thank you! You repaired this mom’s car, provided healthy food, checked on the most isolated among us, provided mental health care, and more. Thank you, indeed, for pulling people up and not letting them fall in their time of need. Our Holiday Giving Tree was a beautiful success again this year. Led by our Board Chair Tricia Marsh, along with Ellen Keane, Pam Browning and a team of holiday elves, over 140 gifts were purchased, wrapped, and delivered to folks in our community who otherwise might not have received a holiday gift this year. This is the holiday giving spirit at its very best. Our final gift to you is LEAF’s latest creative collaboration with Blue Skye Barn and Arthur Lee Land. On Sunday, December 20 at 7 p.m., experience “A Col-
orado Heart(h) Warming,” a musical celebration of Winter Solstice. This virtual event will feature songs and conversations about navigating the darkness and light in these times. With special musical guests Daniel Rodriguez (Elephant Revival), Emma Rose, and Arthur Lee Land, LEAF’s mental health therapist Cherie Maureaux will facilitate an intimate conversation with the artists, gathered by hearth fire, and fueled by their songs and life experiences of 2020. This event will raise funds and awareness of LEAF’s Mental Wellness & Addiction Recovery program, and provide tools to support the overall health of our community. Visit LEAF’s website (leaflyons.org) or the Facebook event for details and the link to join in this Colorado Heart(h) Warming conversation. It’s going to be beautiful. Thank you, friends and neighbors, for navigating this unexpected journey that has been 2020 with us. I tip my hat and raise a toast to all of you. I respect and admire your grit and perseverance, your generosity and grace. 2021, here we come
Letter Continued from Page 2
alive microbes. This means with healthy plants you spend less money in the longrun because the healthy microbes do a lot of the work for you. The other reason is brainwashing. About 98 percent of independent studies find synthetic herbicide and pesticide to be harmful to humans, wildlife, pets or aquatic life, while only 33 percent of corporate sponsored studies find them harmful (Goulson, pg. 3). Our universities, media, government, lobbyists, etc. are all run and are funded by a few large corporations and their families. So back to land management, what happens when the only seeds are sterile GMO seeds or the soil is so dead it can’t grow anything organically anymore? So let’s stay connected people, protect the soil that grows the food that enlivens the bees that pollinates the plants that release moisture and eat carbon. And for goodness sake, if you can’t spend time with people this winter spend time planning your garden – preferably with a kid.
thinking is, a complete disconnect from reality. I have tested the soil in Lavern Johnson Park and the last time Round Up was used was April 2018, glyphosate was still present in November 2019. That is 1.5 years after the application, therefore the rest went into the water and into people/animals who breathed it in and more importantly the soil won’t recover for at least five years, probably more like seven. Let me tell you why our town and many of our neighbors fall for this trick of using commercial fertilizer. First of all, the grass looks so green. You know how when you go to the Flower Bin or Home Depot and you get these colorful alive flowers but, take them home and they die. It’s because they need a lot of “drugs” to keep them going. These lawns and flowers are users of fake fertilizers, like Miracle Grow which amp them up at first, but once the flowers aren’t getting a steady stream of intravenous synthetics the flowers discolor, wilt and usually die. Plants need strong roots grown in healthy soil full of very much
Lory Barton is LEAF’s Executive Director, overseeing LEAF’s programs and operations.
Tess McDonald, Lyons, CO
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REDSTONE • REVIEW
DECEMBER 16, 2020 / JANUARY 13, 2021
RECOVERY Trying to rescue a Common Loon By Mysti Tatro Redstone Review LONGMONT – One majestic water bird captured the hearts of bird lovers across Colorado, the nation, and Canada. A Tatro few weeks ago, as a wildlife photographer zoomed in to snap a picture of a bird floating on Cherry Creek Reservoir, he noticed something troubling. It was a Common Loon tangled in fishing line. The line was visibly wrapped around his beak, but it wasn’t until six days later that anyone would know the full extent of his injuries. Rescuing diving birds like this loon is a difficult task. This species is particularly good at evading humans and readily avoids capture by diving under water. Luckily for this bird, help was on the way. The photographer posted his photos and a plea for help on a Facebook page dedicated to Colorado Field Ornithologists. The post received a tremendous response, with dozens of concerned citizens wanting to help free him from the fishing litter. Several groups went to the reservoir to try and capture him so that he could be passed on to licensed rehabilitators dedicated to water birds. The park rangers at Cherry Creek State Park also tried their luck, but the loon managed to steer clear of their nets. Later, a woman and
her nephew took their kayak out to help him. They were able to corral him to shore, where someone tossed their hoodie over him and scooped him up. A licensed rehabilitator in the Parker area offered her assistance, and she was able to remove a hook and fishing line. The hook was embedded in the bird’s wing and the line was wrapped around his feet, neck, and tongue several times. The Parker rehabilitator called Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Lyons, and we met her half-way to retrieve the bird. Wildlife lovers from across the nation followed the Facebook story of the loon in hopeful anticipation. Once the bird was in Greenwood’s care, our staff rushed to evaluate his condition and collect samples for analysis. Our medical team’s initial findings showed that the water bird was severely emaciated, exhausted, and fighting to live. We treated him for pain and parasites before we began to feed him. The growing list of ailments and the loon’s poor condition worried our staff. Even though the fishing line that had caused his injuries had been carefully removed, his feet started to swell as blood flow returned to his legs, a common problem after prolonged blood vessel constriction. He was also unable to dive effectively. Supporters, wildlife enthusiasts, and veterinary staff from across the country, united over this loon’s story,
B •R •I •E •F •S Continued from Page 10
Community Trees at Lavern M. Johnson Park LYONS – The bright glow of the holidays has a different feel this year. Add your personal touch at the Community Trees in Lavern Johnson Park. Residents are invited to add an ornament to a Community Tree in LaVern Johnson Park. On its own, an ornament has few uses, but hung on an illuminated tree with an array of other unique ornaments, it helps form a beautiful and interesting work of art. To participate, bring an ornament to LaVern Johnson Park, and hang on one of the three designated Community Trees. The trees are located along the south side of the ice rink, and will have signs identifying each of the trees. Unfortunately, the town will not be able to return ornaments
This common Loon was brought to Greenwood after being seen floating in Cherry Creek Reservoir tangled in fishing line. PHOTO BY ROBERT RAKER waited to hear more on his condition. The next day, our rehabilitators came in ready for another day of treatment but found that he had not survived the night. We were all incredibly saddened, but thankful that we were able to relieve some of the loon’s suffering. Our team took postmortem X-rays and drove the body to Colorado State University for a necropsy. The results were disheartening. The X-ray images showed that the bird suffered from a tear in his wing from the fishing line which would have rendered him unable to ever fly again. Compounding the permanent wing injury, CSU found that he had a patch of deadly fungus in his lungs and had been slowly starving for a long while. Our main goal in wildlife rehabilitation
at the end of the season, so please make sure it’s one you are willing to give up. Please ensure ornaments can be hung securely, and sturdy enough to withstand any variation of weather. The Community Trees will be live from December 5 through the end of the year.
Active construction at 2nd Ave. LYONS – Please, no pedestrians. No golf carts. No bikes. As a friendly reminder, the 2nd Ave. Bridge site is an active construction area and dangerous for pedestrians, bikes and golf carts. For your safety, please stay out of the area, those excavators are BIG! And it can be hard for them to see you. The bridge will be demolished and removed next week, but in the meantime, please use the bridge at Black Bear Hole and stay out of the construction area. Thank you. Visit www.townoflyons.com/bridge for more information and weekly project updates.
is returning animals eagerly back into the wild and to minimize suffering to wildlife. While this bird was too badly injured for us to save, we were able to alleviate his pain and shelter him from the elements during his final hours. When working with wildlife, we don’t always have happy endings, but we are grateful that we have the chance to help these animals in any way we can. That is what Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center is here to do. Mysti Tatro is the Communications & Marketing Coordinator at Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. For information, call 303-823-8455 or www.greenwoodwildlife.org.
HOLIDAY ART MARKET LONGMONT – Holiday art market, located at 439 Main St., Longmont and hosted by the Cactus Coven, will have gifts and decorations on Saturday, December 19 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Featured will be multiple local artists showcasing their artwork, prints, jewelry, clothing, cards, pottery and much more. We are community based and hope to give many different artists a voice this holiday season.
Sally King paintings for sale Bear in the Briar Patch, 12”x12” and other larger works are for sale directly from the artist. A perfect holiday gift. Contact King at sallywhiteking@live.com.
DECEMBER 16, 2020 / JANUARY 13, 2021
REDSTONE • REVIEW
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Building a better Colorado begins with trust in one another – and in trustworthy local news By Tom Gougeon, Gates Family Foundation Lindy Eichenbaum Lent, Rose Community Foundation Redstone Review DENVER – It is one of the great paradoxes of our time. Never in the history of the world have people had more access to information. At the same time, never has there been more uncertainty and less trust in the information available. Yet in a sea of spin, misinformation and outright manipulation, people still seek trust and find empathy in their neighbors. That is why local journalists matter now more than ever. Through the isolation of 2020, they have provided a vital service to Colorado communities by keeping us connected and informed. Local journalists are our neighbors who risked their own lives to put faces and voices and stories to the thousands of Coloradans lost to COVID. They have held a mirror to our communities through a new season of racial protest that has challenged powerful institutions – including the media itself – to address systemic racism. They have asked tough questions of those running for elected office. And they have helped us sort through difficult decisions at the ballot box that will have far-reaching impacts on the future of our state. Our media landscape has transformed over the past decade in many ways. Young digital natives have very different sources and patterns of behavior from older adults who are used to consuming daily print newspapers, public
Town Continued from Page 1 You cannot take my constitutional or God-given rights away from me.” The board vote unanimously to continue the suspension of the Lyons Den’s liquor license and will continue the liquor license public hearing to Monday, Dec. 21. The board also held a public hearing on the suspension of the Lyons Den’s Business License. Dittman explained that without a business license, Yarbrough would not be able to sell anything out of his restaurant. Trustee Kenyon Waugh asked Yarbrough if the board agreed to allow him to keep his business license would he (Yarbrough) agree to follow the rules and make everyone wear a mask and keep social distancing. Yarbrough said that he already was doing social distancing (sheriff deputies testified that there was no social distancing at the restau-
radio in the car and the evening news on TV. Social media is king (at least for now) and algorithms that breed outrage and polarization manipulate our feeds. Facebook and Google also capture up to 70 percent of all digital advertising spending from local businesses, decimating revenue that previously went to local media. As a result, nearly one in five Colorado newspapers has closed since 2004. The number of professional reporters covering critical information needs of Coloradans across all media formats declined by nearly 44% between 2010 and 2018, from 1,010 to 570 reporters statewide. But local newspapers still manage to produce the largest share of original, local stories covering critical issues. Meanwhile, public media models and digital startups are growing in number and hold promise for mission-driven journalism that covers critical information needs. There is a great deal of work to do in fashioning a new way forward. Many Coloradans are no longer satisfied with the one-way conversation that old-school journalism provides. It is not enough to observe and then report or broadcast. The public expects a conversation, where journalists engage in multiple ways to establish trust. And in truth, we never built a local news and media world where all voices were represented, or where the media looked like all of us who are here now in Colorado. Even with these giant challenges ahead, the crisis in local news may also be the best forced “do-over” ever. Where there was once only competition among newsrooms, there is now unprecedented cooperation. Journalists from nearly 100 local outlets are now part of the
rant) and then he said “No,” he would not require staff and patrons to wear masks. The board then voted 4 to 3 to suspend the Lyons Den’s business license. To answer the accusations that the board was not business friendly, Trustee Hollie Rogin said that the town staff along with other groups in town have worked so hard to raise money for grants to help local businesses stay alive during this pandemic and other business have managed to follow the rules. Administrator Simon said that Lyons Den has one of the best places in Lyons to operate successfully because they have a covered outdoor patio. Trustee Greg Lowell pointed out that the board had in the past held a social event there to support the business. Administrator Victoria Simonsen said that Yarbrough can reapply for a for a business license. On Monday, December 14 some sup-
Colorado News Collaborative, a statewide resource hub and ideas lab where newsrooms work together on stories and big projects in public interest. Through News Voices: Colorado, communities are being invited to co-create a new, more equitable and inclusive future for local news. And this month, CMP launched a statewide campaign to raise a quarter-million dollars for local journalism by matching individual contributions to 25 high-quality local news outlets. We invite you to check it out and join us at http://www.thisisnewsconeeds.org and to share your favorite Colorado journalism on social media with the campaign tag: This is #newsCOneeds. In a nation of ideas, foundational truths are necessary for productive discourse. Accurate information is the bedrock for strategic action. That is why it is important for all of us to support the existing, evolving and emerging sources of trusted local information, independently reported by Colorado’s local journalists. Your support ensures that our state continues to have access to accurate, timely information on the issues you care about most. And as the past year of political turmoil and transition, a global health crisis, an economic downturn, a racial justice reckoning and massive climate events have shown us – trustworthy local news matters, more now than ever. Tom Gougeon is president of the Denver-based Gates Family Foundation. Lindy Eichenbaum Lent is president and CEO of the Rose Community Foundation. Both are on the executive committee for the Colorado Media Project, a community-based initiative started in 2018 to navigate the future of local news in our state. Note: A version of this post was published as an opinion piece by The Denver Post on December 6, 2020.
porters held an outdoor rally in front of the Lyons Den. In other news, the board approved a resolution for the Lyons Farmette, 4121 Ute Hwy., to build a pole barn on the premises. The pole barn would replace a temporary tent structure used by the event center. The proposed development exceeds 2,000 square-feet and would be used for events at the Farmette. The board also discussed a feasibility study presented by Joseph Cavanaugh for building a hotel in Lyons. He showed the board potential tax revenues for Lyons for both a small hotel 30 to 50 rooms and a larger hotel 60 to 80 rooms and showed revenues for 60 percent occupancy. Trustee Kenyon Waugh pointed out that this was a boiler plate format and that 60 percent occupancy was not realistic for year-round occupancy in Lyons.
Lobo and his human friend Cathy at Bee Hugger Farm wish everyone a joyous holiday season. PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS
Jonelle Tucker 303-902-6250 jtucker@realtor.com www.tuckergroupinc.com Jonelle, Donna, Kari, and Tamara wish you a healthy and happy holiday season and send our heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped keep us safe this year! STUDIO NEAR CU!
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