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Natalie Spears to debut first solo album

TACAW hosts release party on June 7

MYKI JONES Arts Correspondent

On June 7, Natalie Spears, an acclaimed local musician known for Pearl & Wood and other collaborations, will celebrate the launch of her debut solo album, “Hymn of Wild Things,” at The Arts Campus at Willits (TACAW). Those in attendance will get early access to the album’s tracks in tandem with a live performance from Spears.

“This album felt like an opportunity to allow all the parts of myself to come out,” Spears told The Sopris Sun. “This is the first time I’ve ventured out on my own to record a solo record — I think the opportunity to step into my own being and to allow every part of myself to exist has been a rewarding part of it all.”

Audiences are in for a deep, vulnerable, soulful, raw and relaxing listen when the album goes public on June 28. Spears said the album’s title track will take listeners on an adventure to some of the most ethereal places in life.

“It’s about a sandhill crane migration. For me, sandhill cranes are a connection point to a greater wildness. They’re a touchstone into another world, and much of the record is about that,” Spears stated. “So much of the record is about this process of connecting to the wildness of the land around us and the wildness in ourselves.”

The album also features jazz influences, primarily inspired by 1930s club jazz, which Spears said holds a special place in heart due to its association with her late father, to whom she pays homage in this album.

“My dad has a big influence on this record. In particular, he was a jazz and classical pianist, and he got me playing music when I was young. Music was a big part of our lives growing up; my parents fostered that in me. Even until he passed, music was a big part of our connection,” she shared.

Spears further explained that even as her father battled with Alzheimer’s, he could sit down at a piano

and recall how to play jazz tunes. She stated, “There is an element of reckoning with grief on the record and venturing into that tender corner of life.”

Although this solo record belongs to Spears, she expressed profound gratitude to the folks she collaborated with to make it happen, some of whom will be joining her for the album release party at TACAW,

including Longmont-based producer Jayme Stone. Many people donated to the album’s Indiegogo fundraising campaign and Carbondale Arts selected Spears for a creative fellowship.

“I’m so appreciative of all the people who were willing to take a chance and invest in this process, and I’m excited to give the music back to them,” Spears said.

Other key players include Carl Meinecke on bass, continued on page 4

Natalie Spears’ debut solo album “Hymn of Wild Things” will officially be released on June 28. However, the Roaring Fork Valley has a chance to hear it first at TACAW on June 7. The release party will feature guest appearances by a few of the artists who lended their talents to the project. Above photo by Teya Rose Cranson, album art by Emily Teague, Ashley Mosher and Jayme Stone

Why I support nonprofit journalism

My family’s journalism roots trace back two centuries to the National Intelligencer in Washington, D.C. and, more recently, to a multi-generational family enterprise encompassing local papers across five Midwestern and Western states. While I take great pride in my family’s legacy, our business has provided a front-row seat to the unprecedented challenges the digital age has ushered in for traditional newspapers.

In this light, The Sopris Sun looks like a small miracle.

The Sun stands as a thriving source of dependable, professional local news and information, embodying a sustainable nonprofit model that champions community interests over profit margins — a blueprint for the future of newspapers.

This is why I am honored to serve on The Sun’s board of directors and am asking you to join me in regularly contributing as a SUNscriber. Our support guarantees that The Sun remains a steadfast pillar of grassroots journalism, fostering transparency, accountability and social cohesion.

OPINION

Within my family, the crisis in print journalism manifests as sleepless nights for my uncles and cousins as revenue evaporates and they agonize over decisions about cutting staff and publication days, closing presses and seeking miracles to prevent the rural communities they love and have been rooted in for generations from joining the growing creep of news deserts.

SOPRIS SUN BOARD

By Anna Huntington

The media landscape is now littered with staggering statistics. According to Pew Research, newspaper circulation in the U.S. has plummeted from its early 1990s peak of 63 million subscribers to 21 million today. Over the past two decades, advertising revenue has nosedived by more than 70% resulting in the loss of over half of newsroom jobs. More than a quarter of U.S. newspapers have folded, with two more shutting down each week. A fifth of our population resides in “news deserts,” areas deprived of local news sources, leading to decreased voter participation and an environment ripe for corruption.

LETTERS

GarCo leadership

I’m glad to see the vacancy on the Garfield County libraries board filled, and congratulations are due to Myrna Fletchall who appears to be a wonderful candidate.

But to the GarCo Commissioners: your use of selective over-reach in this process isn’t fooling anyone in the electorate. That partisan politics, and your need for control, are what informed a sudden and abrupt change in how appointments have been handled for over a decade, just shows us your true colors. Now we know what to expect from your leadership in the future.

Respectfully, Izzy Stringham, Carbondale

Gaza doctor

I have been involved in the national and local #ceasefire movement since last November. Recently, I have attended the Carbondale trustee meetings (online or in-person) to help support or ask for them to discuss a proposed ceasefire resolution. They have responded at every meeting (except for two trustees) saying that this is not a local issue and to please find another venue for this conversation.

I connected with two other faith groups, the RFV United Methodist Church Justice Ministry and Two Rivers Unitarian Universalist church along with my congregation, Western Slope Mennonite Fellowship, to present an educational opportunity to bring the community together around this issue.

On Thursday, May 23 at 7pm at the United Methodist Church in Glenwood Springs, we are hosting Dr. Barbara Zind, a pediatric oncologist, to share her work and experiences. She was in Gaza on Oct. 7 to treat sick children and was caught there for 40 days until returning home to Grand Junction.

Against this backdrop, The Sopris Sun is a beacon of hope. When the corporate owners of its predecessor, the Valley Journal, shuttered its doors 15 years ago, The Sun emerged thanks to a collective effort by volunteer community leaders. They recognized the unique power of local news to generate shared stories and facts, essential elements of community understanding and democratic society. The Sun was at the forefront of a movement toward nonprofit local newspapers, a trend that started gaining momentum in the 2010s as traditional newspapers grappled with mounting financial pressures.

Nonprofit models empower newspapers like The Sopris Sun to solicit donations and pursue grants, all while operating with a mission-driven ethos, rather than solely for profit. This transition represents a lifeline for local journalism in communities where traditional for-profit models struggle to survive. We are all custodians of our community, and it requires our collective effort and investment to ensure that nonprofit newspapers like The Sopris Sun can persist in prioritizing the needs and interests of their communities.

To SUNscribe with a recurring monthly donation to The Sopris Sun, visit www.soprissun.com/donate

I invite you to join this presentation by Dr. Zind who has worked with critically ill children in a variety of war-torn countries over the years. She will speak and then refreshments will be served. Child care provided.

Katrina Toews, Carbondale

Freedom of speech

Americans are forgetting our Bill of Rights. We have a constitution in Colorado that gives citizens greater free speech rights than the First Amendment, according to the Colorado Supreme Court.

Therefore, #Solidarity with artist and Native American mother of two Danielle

SeeWalker who was canceled from Vail for criticizing Israel’s ongoing #genocide in Gaza. Our ruling elites often use Aspen as a test case. Take union crushing: Aspen was the leader! The sociopathology of the billionaire class in regards to abuse of power and illegal union canceling tactics continue what the government and big money (mine owners) started in the Colorado Labor Wars of 1903-04. It hasn’t gone unnoticed.

The United States government is the largest organization in the history of the world. The “people’s house” passed a resolution that aims to criminalize any American who criticizes Israel. Do we realize where we are?

Lee & Sandy Mulcahy, Basalt

Highway 133

Ron Kokish notes in the May 15 Sun that our CO-133 commercial suburban strip is a nightmare. Some planners call this a “stroad,” a dysfunctional combination of a through road and a local street which can’t make up its mind about what it should be, though planning seems to keep prioritizing the tyranny of the through road.

Discussions about its problems often

emphasize its impediments to bike and ped mobility, but it doesn’t work for local car and truck traffic either. It certainly brings out the worst in me as a driver.

I say, make it a street. The worst section is really quite short. Just put in coordinated traffic lights every 500 to 700 feet or so at existing and reconfigured intersections. Think downtown Glenwood or Aspen but without the on-street parking. Through traffic doesn’t stop at every light, so six or seven added lights isn’t as much stopn-go as it sounds. Less stress for most folks, but it won’t be a faux rural route anymore. I’d bulldoze the roundabout too with its crazy crosswalks. Statistics say there are more pedestrian accidents at traffic lights, but that’s really a statistical fluke because pedestrians are rare at most roundabouts.

Minimizing lanes to discourage traffic has been a mantra for progressive planners, but it’s not working. Eventually plan on a consistent five lanes, so traffic can stack and pulse with gaps. The existing assemblage of random acceleration and deceleration lanes means there are already four or five lanes at many intersections, so we could just start with cheap cable-hung traffic lights. There would be a bit more noise and fumes from stops and starts for now, almost all of that from the 5% of vehicles which are somehow exempt from minimal pollution controls. That needs to be and, technically, can be fixed easily. (I find it hard to get excited about the grand green future of clean quiet EVs when it seems the number of foul diesels is currently increasing, not decreasing.)

I’m not going to hold my breath for this; a little first step would be for the street department to increase crosswalk markings and switch to some paint that doesn’t wear away in a month.

Fred Porter,

Carbondale

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Carbondale’s gateway gains art

MYKI JONES Arts Correspondent

Carbondale Arts, in collaboration with three sculptors and five muralists, will soon debut the makings of the Gateway Public Art Project. This concept has been in motion since December 2020, when a new storage facility was approved along Highway 133 with the caveat it include a public art park. The murals and sculptures will screen a new Central Self Storage building near Carbondale’s northern gateway.

“We thought the value of having five different pieces spoke to this being a gallery of works that can speak to all the different elements and communities and perspectives in Carbondale,” Carbondale Arts engagement director Michael Stout stated. “While people might not love every mural, hopefully, there’s something about each one that speaks to someone. We’re hoping it works together collectively.”

All eight artists selected for the project are Colorado-based, with several Roaring Fork locals in the mix: Brad Reed Nelson, Chris Erickson, Leah Aegerter, Sandra Fettingis, Juls Mendoza, Alexandra Pangburn, Bimmer Torres and Nicholas Ward.

“I think the murals are a great opportunity to connect with the community,” Ward told The Sopris Sun. “It’s like sharing a story of the community with the community.”

Ward is based in Carbondale and his primary medium is oil paint. Stories and scenes from the “Wild West” typically influence his work. His mural for this project in particular was inspired by rock and tree formations that imitate human faces. He said that his piece will personify Red Hill.

“I try to paint a mural each year, and that is certainly what I look forward to most during that period — getting out and interacting with people who are enjoying it,” he stated.

Reed Nelson, a sculptor also based in Carbondale, said he is honored to be a part of the project. He’s participated in Carbondale’s Art Around Town rotating sculptures show and loves to see the direction this project is unfolding.

“My work is an interpretation of pallets and how things get shipped,” he explained. “I think about how pallets come from other parts of the world, South America, Mexico and Asia, and how we’re happy to receive those pallets, but we’re not always happy to receive the people who brought them. What a weird juxtaposition. I want to see an inclusive world.”

Asked how he hopes those who see the work will respond, he said, “I hope they love it or hate it, and they’re not just passive about it. I just hope that it evokes emotion. I think the Town of Carbondale has done a great job over the years creating an experience of public art, and I am happy to be a part of it.”

There will be an artists meet-and-greet at Mountain Heart Brewing on May 29th from 5:30 to 7pm. The first 50 people in attendance will be offered free beer and everyone will have the chance to mingle with these artists and gain a deeper understanding of their processes.

A completion celebration is also being discussed with Carbondale Arts for the first week of June, with more details to come shortly. For more information in the meantime, visit www. carbondalearts.com/gateway-project

Tobyn Britt on drums, Sophia Clark on harmonies, Dustin Lutomksi on trumpet and the Singing Bone Medicine Show, a puppet theater troupe from Paonia. All will join Spears on stage.

“I like opportunities to crosspollinate,” Spears expressed. “I think that’s exciting. Another rewarding part of this is having the opportunity to collaborate more differently.”

Asked how she hopes audiences will respond to the record, she said she is open to seeing whatever buzz surrounds it as it takes on a life of its own.

“This whole process has been like birthing a child, in a way, similar to when they enter the world and you don’t know what they’re going to do or what their personality is going to be like. This being, this record, is going to have its own life. I am open to what that looks like.”

“Hymn of Wild Things” is available to prepurchase on Spears’ website, nataliespears.com, and anyone in attendance at the TACAW show can purchase a CD or a digital download of the album. The title track single is already available on streaming platforms.

IN A NUTSHELL

Who: Natalie Spears

What: Album release party

When: June 7, 8pm

Where: TACAW

Tickets: www.tacaw.org

Photo by Teya Rose Cranson

Audubon brings on free birding and music this summer

Sopris Sun Correspondent

A whole season of guided birdwatching takes flight this spring, brought to you by Roaring Fork Audubon (RFA). On May 20, RFA kicked off a dense schedule of free birding field trips through July, with more to be announced as the summer progresses.

RFA, a local chapter of the National Audubon Society, is a volunteer-operated organization that’s passionate about naturalism and protecting native species of all kinds. All birding trips are led by experienced members of RFA who are excited to share their understanding and love for our ecosystem – including the parts we might typically breeze right past on our mountain bikes.

Those who register for a field trip can expect to hike along familiar paths in a small group, capped around eight participants so as to minimize disturbance to the wildlife. After meeting in a designated area — typically at 7am — participants begin a meandering day hike through lunch time, keeping an eye out for various species as the leader shares their expertise and passion. Better yet, the binoculars are complimentary.

In addition to field trips, RFA also hosts surveys in which participants can gather vital data about their local ecosystems to assist with conservation and research.

Ranging from mellow hikes along ranch meadows to steep climbs up Yule Creek, a few of the scheduled field trips are more strenuous than others. However, although some trails may be more challenging, the slow and steady nature of birding means that birders are given plenty of time to catch their breath. In either case, all participants should bring snacks and plenty of water to sustain themselves, and trekking poles can come in handy on steeper trails.

The full schedule can be found online at www.roaringforkaudubon.org/field-trips, and registrations are made by emailing individual trip leaders. However, the birding season is off to a healthy start, as the first several events of the year have already been booked full. Spaces open up

in the first weeks of June, so booking in advance is recommended, and inquiries about availability can be emailed to info@roaringforkaudubon.org

Additionally, not all field trips are listed on the website. In order to stay up to date with every event coming up on RFA’s schedule, RFA chair Mary Harris recommends subscribing to the RFA newsletter. Subscribers will receive first notice on any new field trips that are announced in addition to other naturalism news.

Harris added, for those who are very interested in going birding but don’t have the availability to register

for any listed field trips, one can contact RFA directly and the team of dedicated volunteers will try their best to arrange a trip. All age groups and experience levels are invited to register.

As ecosystems across the globe change and sightings of various species continue to decrease every year, Harris notes the flux we can see in our own environment. While southern, warmer-weather species have been appearing more frequently in the Roaring Fork Valley, general sightings are decreasing. “We are losing our birds,” Harris says. “We’ve already lost a third of them in the last 60 years.”

She stresses the importance of increasing our personal understanding of our ecosystem with a quote from Senegalese forester Baba Dioum: “In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.”

Birdsong Project

In addition to RFA’s birding field trips, fans of our feathered friends can also mark their calendars for an avian-inspired musical event in Aspen on Saturday, July 27 from noon to 2pm. The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) is partnering with the National Audubon Society and “For the Birds: The Birdsong Project” to show Aspen how the beauty of birds connects people from across the world, and how artistic expression can drive conservation.

Guests are invited to a picnic lunch at the ACES Catto Center, where they will hear an opening talk by Audubon Chief Scientist Chad Wilsey as well as a performance by Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) students. There will be a “morning bird outing” in collaboration with RFA the very next day.

For additional information, visit www.audubon.org/ events/aspen-summer-birds-2024

Birders are likely to see — and hear — native songbirds like the Western Tanager on field trips and surveys throughout the Roaring Fork Valley this summer. Photo courtesy of Roaring Fork Audubon

Barbara Adams

Mary Kate Adams

Dan & Holly Richardson

Terri & David Ritchie

Jean & Steve Alberico

Diana Alcantara

Clay & Elizabeth Allen

Kelley Amdur

Eric Anderson

Jane Bachrach

Kathy & Carter Barger

Kathy & Carter Barger

Bartlett

Daniel Benavent

Rob Benedetti

Edward Holub

Joel Rittvo

Rivers Dentistry

Jessi Rochel

Nancy Roen

Maureen & Artie Rothman

Tommy Sands

Aly Sanguily

Eric Smith

Terri Slivka

April Crow Spaulding

Sheija Binshaban

Kathleen Bradley

Carrie & Keith Brand

Wickes Brewster

Michael Brown

Katie Browne

Michelle & Ed Buchman

Raleigh Burleigh

Debbie & Marc Bruell

Todd Chamberlin

Patricia Chew

Kay Clarke

Brian Colley

Barbara Collins

Cathy Cooney

Susie Darrow

Peter Davidoff

Larry Day

Hannah Hunt Moeller

Anna Huntington

Eilene Ish

Greg & Sean Jeung

Leslie & Patrick Johnson

Susan Jordan

Wewer & Steve Keohane

Sarah Klingelheber

Katherine Knickerbocker

Alice Steindler

James Steindler

Wendy Stewart

Danny Stone

Hollis Sutherland

Kenny Teitler

Andrew Travers

Hank van Berlo & Shelle de Beque

Colin & Alice Laird

Theresa & Gary Langley

Gayle Wells

Kate Friesen & Peter Westcott

Terry Lee & Bill Perich

Blake Leonard

Laurie Loeb

Jeffrey Loomis

Kim Magee

Rita & Dick Marsh

Donna & Jerome Dayton

Barbara Dills

Dana Ellis

Sue Engelhardt

Michelle Page

Megan Passmore

Beverly, Bear & Hazel Patera

Matthew Patera

Tom & Liz Penzel

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Fred and Connie Williams

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Aspen Psychedelic Symposium returns with two-day event

JEANNE SOULDERN Sopris Sun Correspondent

After a successful inaugural run last year, the Aspen Psychedelic Symposium returns to the Wheeler Opera House on May 31 and June 1. This year’s event sponsors — Aspen Public Radio, the Aspen Psychedelic Resource Center (APRC) and the Healing Advocacy Fund — have expanded the event to two days.

Zach Leary, the son of psychologist and ‘60s and ‘70s psychedelic counterculture leader Timothy Leary, is returning as emcee and will deliver opening remarks at 10am on Friday. This will be followed by a “Psychedelics 101: Respecting Our Roots” panel moderated by Joe Moore, the Breckenridge-based co-founder of Psychedelics Today.

Sandor Iron Rope, president of the Native American Church of South Dakota, advocates for the ceremonial use of peyote and other traditional practices, and Leary will engage in a dialogue focusing on the cultural roots of using plant-based medicines.

passed the Natural Medicine Health Act (NMHA), or Proposition 122, establishing a regulated program for natural medicine access and personal use. Colorado became the second state, after Oregon, to issue licenses for the commercial production of federally-illegal psychedelic substances.

After the passage of NMHA, Betti and Martha Hammel founded APRC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating community members on the beneficial uses of psychedelic medicine. APRC hosts affordable events throughout the Roaring Fork Valley year-round, and its website (www.aspenpsychedelicresourcecenter.org) includes an extensive list of local resources and educational information.

For the first time, at the state level, we have the potential to bring powerful medicines to people who have previously lost hope and give them hope again,

-Kevin Franciotti, licensed addiction counselor

“Sandor is a member of the Lakota tribe with a family legacy of practicing peyote traditions. He is going to present a beautiful perspective on the importance of spirituality in healing and humanity,” said

“We’re not proselytizers; we’re not selling anything. We want to give you information so you can make an informed decision,” Betti concluded.

Ibogaine’s potential

Also on Friday, Kevin Franciotti, a licensed addiction counselor based in Littleton, will moderate the “Ibogaine: The Promise, The Protocol, and Protecting the Sacred” panel. Ibogaine is a naturally occurring

Mountain Paws Veterinary Center

We are excited to announce, starting in June, we will be offering much more than mobile services! In addition to house calls you can expect in-clinic care, dentistry, surgery, urgent and

folks get stuck in this vicious cycle of wanting to self-soothe when struggling with neurological conditions, and many are finding that ibogaine helps them both break free of their dependency on drugs that are not helping them and recover some brain capacity to function,” Franciotti explained.

Franciotti’s goal in speaking at events like the symposium is to educate the public about the beneficial uses of natural medicines. With the passage of NMHA, Colorado’s Natural Medicine Advisory Board is now establishing the regulatory framework related to the use of ibogaine.

“I’m strongly interested in petitioning and lobbying the legislature and the natural medicine advisory board to seriously look at the need to bring rules around ibogaine so businesses can set up licensed facilities in the state to bring this medicine to the public,” he continued. “For the first time, at the state level, we have the potential to bring powerful medicines to people who have previously lost hope and give them hope again.”

Safety and support

The Healing Advocacy Fund, according to its website, aims to “protect and expand safe, affordable state-regulated access to psychedelic healing for all who need it.” On Saturday, Tasia Poinsatte, the nonprofit’s Colorado director, will moderate a panel titled “Psychedelic Healing and Community Empowerment: Navigating State Access Models in Oregon and Colorado.”

“The goal of this panel is to help people imagine what might be possible

as we make this change in Colorado and Oregon. We now have this opportunity to see what’s happening in Oregon and learn from their process. I’m fortunate to have spent some time in Oregon speaking with people opening businesses and running nonprofits that provide psilocybin therapy today,” Poinsatte shared.

The conversation will focus on how the state model creates opportunities for “innovative approaches to healing that actually bring us back to these more ancient ways of working in ceremony and community,” she explained. Poinsatte emphasized the importance of safety and support in psychedelic experiences, stating, “We always want to make sure to emphasize that the psychedelic experience is not risk-free.”

Film screenings

The symposium kicks off on May 30 with two film screenings at the Aspen Film Isis Theatre. At 3:30pm, “Of Night and Light: The Story of Iboga and Ibogaine” explores the psychedelic treatment landscape. At 6pm, “From Shock to Awe” follows veterans seeking relief through psychedelics, followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker and veteran activists. A cocktail reception follows at Mollie Aspen Hotel at 7:30pm.

IN A NUTSHELL:

What: Aspen Psychedelic Symposium

When: May 31-June 1

Tickets: Two-day passes at $100, single-day at $60, aspenshowtix.com

Schedule: www.bit.ly/APS2024schedule

for

Thurs, May 23, 4-5:30PM

Middle and high school students are invited to create beautiful art, meant to be given to someone else, while enjoying delicious drinks! Registration required.

Senior Social Lunch

Fri, May 24, 11AM-1PM

A luncheon offered in collaboration with the Pitkin County Senior Center, and Eagle County Healthy Aging. Lunch, dessert, drinks and giveaways! Registration required.

Closed Mon, May 27

The library will be closed Monday, May 27 for Memorial Day. Have a safe and happy holiday.

Courtesy photo from last year’s event

Paint & Mocktail

Teens

We are delighted to offer you, our community, the opportunity to take advantage of low-cost blood tests

Online aspenhospital.org/health-fair, or by phone 1.800.217.5866

Monday–Friday, 9 am–4 pm

June 7 & 8

ASPEN

Aspen Valley Hospital Campus

Hosted at Aspen Ambulance 0403 Castle Creek Road

June 9

EL JEBEL Eagle County Community Center 20 Eagle County Drive

By appointment only 8-11:30 am

Lab Tests Offered

• HealthScreen w/CBC – $79

Includes CBC, CMP, Ferritin, Iron Panel, Lipid Panel, TSH and Uric Acid (Fasting Required)

• hsCardio CRP – $42

• Hemoglobin A1C & EAG – $44

• PSA, Total – $47

• Vitamin D – $54

• T3, Free – $32

• T4, Free – $32

• CBC (Complete Blood Count) – $32

CALENDAR

THURSDAY, MAY 23

TEEN ART

Basalt Library invites teens to create art to give away during the library’s Senior Social Lunch on Friday. The event runs from 4 to 5:30pm with canvas and acrylic paints provided and mocktails will be served.

HOME EFFICIENCY

Basalt Library presents “PowerUp: Energize Your Savings” from 5 to 7pm — a free event focused on local and federal rebates available for your next energy upgrade project. Registration is recommended at www.basaltlibrary. org/events-calendar

LILY’S LINKS

Browse some dainty jewelry made of real gold and silver at El Dorado from 5 to 7pm.

RANCHER’S PERSPECTIVE

Ginny Harrington represents the Holy Cross Cattlemen’s Association as she discusses Colorado’s wolf reintroduction from a ranching perspective at the Carbondale Library at 6pm.

GAZA DOCTOR

Th ree local congregations will host

RUMOURS Rumours performs folk-rock at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park from 5 to 8pm.

POLISH AMBASSADOR

TACAW presents The Polish Ambassador spinning dance music with Scott Nice and Grandfather Gold beginning at 8pm. Tickets at www. tacaw.org

MILEMARKERS

The Milemarkers perform classic rock and Americana at El Dorado from 8 to 10pm.

SUNDAY, MAY 26

SUNDAY SESSIONS

Enjoy a live ‘folktronica” music set by KDNK DJ Crème Brûlée at El Dorado from 4 to 7pm.

SOPRIS MOUNTAIN BOYZ

The Sopris Mountain Boyz perform bluegrass music at The Handlebar (303 River Valley Ranch Road) from 5 to 7pm.

ECSTATIC DANCE

DJ Eric Baumdiggity leads the monthly ecstatic dance at 13 Moons Ranch from 6 to 8pm.

MONDAY, MAY 27

Dr. Barbara Zind, a retired pediatrician from Grand Junction, talking about volunteering with the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund at the Roaring Fork United Methodist Church at 7pm. Dr. Zind was in Gaza during the fi rst three weeks of the war.

MEMORIAL DAY

FRIDAY, MAY 24

RURAL PHILANTHROPY

Registration closes today for Western Slope Rural Philanthropy Days taking place in Fruita, June 5-7.The event is organized by Community Resource Center and a steering committee of more than 20 rural leaders. For details, visit www.crcamerica.org

LAUNCHPAD EXHIBIT

“Xerocks & Potholes” and “Analog Nature” are two new shows opening today at The Launchpad. The art exhibits will remain on display through June 26 with a First Friday reception on June 7 at 5:30pm.

SENIOR SOCIAL LUNCH

Basalt Library celebrates May as Older Americans Month with a free luncheon from 11am to 1pm in partnership with Pitkin County Senior Center and Eagle County Healthy Aging. There will also be a book, DVD and audiobook giveaway and a free raffle with art made by teens. To RSVP, call 970-927-4311.

CRYSTAL THEATRE

The Crystal Theatre shows “The Fall Guy” at 7:30pm tonight and tomorrow and at 5pm on Sunday.

WHEELER PARTY

The Wheeler Opera House celebrates the 40th anniversary of its 1984 grand re-opening with Peach Street Revival performing tonight at 7:30pm. Then on Saturday, kids’ activities will be hosted with Aspen Historical Society and The Project Shop from noon to 4pm outside before Judy Collins takes the stage at 7:30pm. Tickets can be purchased at www.aspenshowtix.com

SATURDAY, MAY 25

MINERAL GALA

The Hotel Colorado hosts a fundraiser for the Marble Gem & Mineral Show with a taco buffet, silent auction and music by the Wooden Rock Band. The fun begins at 4 and lasts ‘til 10pm. Tickets at www.marblegemshow.com

Per Carbondale tradition, as organized by the American Legion Post 100, veterans will perform a gun salute fi rst at the White Hill Cemetery around 9am and then the Veterans Memorial Bridge on Highway 133 over the Crystal River. All are welcome to pay remembrance to those who served our country. Local libraries and most public offices will be closed in observance of Memorial Day.

MOMS GROUP

Basalt Library hosts a “moms group” led by Kaja of KLR Baby from 10:30 to 11:30am. Pregnant women past their 35th week and mothers with infants under 6 months are welcome. For details, call 847-894-6546.

AIKIDO

Crystal River Aikikai hosts aikido practice at 13 Moons Ranch on Mondays from 5:15 to 6:15pm and Wednesdays from 9:30 to 10:30am.

SOURCE DIALOGUES

The “Source Dialogues” book club led by Lisa McKenzie meets at the Th ird Street Center from 6:30 to 8pm. To reserve a spot and purchase a copy of the book, email info@tcfhf.org

MEDITATION

Roaring Fork Insight welcomes meditators of all backgrounds to practice together at 13 Moons Ranch from 7 to 8:30pm. Tea and 3 B’s Bakery cookies are provided.

TUESDAY, MAY 28

GIRLS WHO CODE

Basalt Library hosts a coding course for teens of all genders from 3:45 to 4:45pm.

KARAOKE

The Handlebar (303 River Valley Ranch Road) hosts karaoke night with host Jillian Gibbs from 7:30 to 9pm.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29

STORYTIME

Basalt Library offers storytime for families with young children at 10:30am.

WHAT LOW?

Kids 7 and up are invited to play Nintendo Switch at Basalt Library’s Treehouse Room from 2:30 to 3:30pm.

ASPEN CHAPEL GALLERY

The Aspen Chapel Gallery hosts an opening reception for “Teaching Artists” from 4 to 7pm. The mixed-media exhibit features works by Annie Bell, Curt Carpenter, Julie Grimm, Christie Helm, Annie Henninger, Linda Loeschen, Sue Martin, Erin Morrison and Stephanie Woods.

SPANISH CONVERSATIONS

A conversational Spanish club meets at Bodegón at 5pm.

BOOK TALK

Basalt Library’s monthly book talk explores “Seveneves” by Neal Stephenson with a discussion facilitated by Mary Fox from 5:30 to 6:30pm.

MEET AND GREET

Mountain Heart Brewing hosts the artists creating an outdoor art gallery at the new Central Self Storage facility in Carbondale from 5:30 to 7pm.

DRAWING CLUB

The Roaring Fork Drawing Club meets at Mountain Heart Brewing as well, beginning at 6:30pm.

GEOLOGY TALK

El Dorado hosts the Aspen Science Center Hometown Science speaker series with geology professor Garry Zabel teaching about the Carbondale Collapse feature, Mt. Sopris and local caves and hot springs.

THURSDAY, MAY 30

ART EXHIBIT

“In the House of the Trembling Eye,” a major exhibit by Allison Katz, opens at the Aspen Art Museum today. The show runs through Sept. 29, open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm. The artist will present a talk on June 1 at 5pm.

MARBLE MUSEUM

The Marble Historical Society’s museum is open Thursdays through Sundays from 11am to 4pm at 412 W. Main Street, Marble.

MINECRAFT

Basalt Library hosts a Minecraft club from 3:30 to 4:30pm.

PSYCHEDELIC FILMS

The Aspen Psychedelic Symposium will show two fi lms at the Isis Theater: “Of Night and Light” at 3:30pm followed by “From Shock to Awe” at 6pm with a Q&A session with veterans and the fi lmmaker. Tickets at www.aspenpsychedelicresourcecenter.org/events

LIVE MUSIC

Rodrigo Arreguin performs a mix of covers, from country and classics to modern hits, at The Handlebar (303 River Valley Ranch Road) from 4:30 to 6:30pm.

KINDNESS

Delfi na Huergo speaks about how kindness strengthens bonds and fosters community belonging at the Basalt Library at 5:30pm.

FRIDAY, MAY 31

MORNING WALK

True Nature offers a botanical Peace Garden tour with Laura Kirk and Megan Miller at 8am. Tickets at www. truenaturehealingarts.com

PSYCHEDELIC SYMPOSIUM

The Aspen Psychedelic Symposium kicks off at 10am. The event will continue on Saturday from 10am to 6pm. Tickets at www.aspenshowtix.com

SATURDAY, JUNE 1

POWERS ART CENTER

“Not Mine But Taken,” a new exhibit, opens at the Powers Art Center today. Details at www.powersartcenter.org

YARD SALE

Cainegel Connection hosts a yard sale fundraiser in Glenwood Springs from 8am to 3pm near \Sopris Elementary School. All proceeds benefit Cainegel Connection’s Pay It Forward Fund.

RFOV

Join Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers for a family-friendly community project at Rock Bottom Ranch from 9am to 3pm. Details at www.rfov.org

RUNOFF PARTY

Roaring Fork Conservancy throws its Runoff Party at TACAW from noon to 6pm with fl y casting instruction and games followed by the Fly Fishing Film Tour at 7:30pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org

Summer Classes in Carbondale...

OPEN PAINTING STUDIO

Bring ongoing work, or start something new while enjoying the inspiration of other artists. and teacher guidence if needed. Tuesdays, 5:30-8:30pm, 5/21-6/8

BALANCE AND MOBILITY

Consciously activate balance with strength, reflex, flexibility, sensory awareness, and concentration exercises.

Thurs, 1:30-2:20pm, 5/30-8/15

ZUMBA WITH MIMI

Burn lots of calories in this fun cardio fitness dance program with Latin music and rhythms.

Thurs, 6:30-7:30pm, 5/30-8/8

RELATIONSHIP READY

Explore the nature of thought, the purpose of emotions, and your ‘state of being’ to improve relationships to self and others. Mondays, 6-7:30pm, 6/3-7/8

BIPARTISAN PROBLEM SOLVING

Join Bo Persiko to discuss CMC Common Reader “The Bill of Obligations” by Richard Haas. Tuesdays, 6-8pm, 6/4-6/25

MICROSOFT EXCEL

Spreadsheet basics - formatting, printing, formulas and functions, charting, tables Excel tricks. Tues, 8:30am-12:30pm, 6/4-6/11

THE ART OF VISIBLE HAND MENDING

Learn to repair the clothes you love to create a unique piece of wearable artwork. Fridays, 11am-1pm, 6/7-7/19

High School, Middle School, and Beyond:

Start now by learning about the animals and plants where you live. Roaring Fork Audubon has FREE guided walks posted on the website RoaringForkAudubon.org and others will become available.

at

Aspen Polynesia dropped in on the Carbondale Library Saturday afternoon and presented “A Day in Tahiti.” Aspen Polynesia’s Garfield County Libraries tour concludes on May 25 at 2pm in Rifle and 6pm in Parachute. Lynn “Jake” Burton photo.

Record number of RFHS graduates earn Seal of Biliteracy

JOHN STROUD

Education Correspondent

Bilingual education is becoming a bigger focus for Roaring Fork High School (RFHS) students, as evidenced by the largest number ever of graduating seniors to have earned the coveted Seal of Biliteracy.

Among the 28 seniors at the Carbondale school who have proven themselves literate in at least two languages — representing 31% of this year’s graduating class — is the school’s first-ever Seal of Multiliteracy recipient, Eli Cohen.

A native English-speaker, Cohen said growing up in the Carbondale schools with its large percentage of Hispanic students whose native language is Spanish prompted him to become fluent in both languages at an early age.

“I’ve spoken Spanish most of my life going back to grade school, and then as I got older working in kitchens and playing on the soccer field is where I spoke Spanish a lot,” Cohen said. “I probably learned more Spanish there than in the classroom.”

A semester studying abroad in Italy his junior year prompted him to learn Italian, which he immersed himself in and used daily. And while there he was required to take French at the school he attended.

“I had studied a little bit of French when I was younger, but I had forgotten most of that, so I was happy to take it again,” Cohen said. “It definitely wasn’t easy trying to think in French and Italian, and translating it all in English in my head.”

Cohen continued his French studies upon returning to RFHS with teacher Eric Lamb.

“Mr. Lamb said he thought my French was good enough to go for the seal in that language, and so I decided to give it a try,” Cohen said.

He traveled with a group of students to France as part of a school trip this spring, where he had ample opportunity to use

the language in his daily interactions, and ultimately passed all of the biliteracy requirements for French and Italian.

Becoming literate in a language is a lot more involved than just learning the basics to become fluent, explained Amanda Martinez, instructional coach for culturally and linguistically diverse education at RFHS.

Students who are pursuing the Seal of Biliteracy or Multiliteracy must prove proficiency in the four language domains of speaking, listening, reading and writing.

“To prove proficiency and earn the seal, students have to take an overall language assessment in their second language, which covers all four of those language domains,” Martinez said.

Students can apply a high score on an Advanced Placement language exam toward their Seal of Biliteracy certification, but all in all it’s a rigorous process that can span all four years of high school.

The Seal of Biliteracy was adopted by the Roaring Fork School District in 2017 for each of its high schools in Carbondale, Glenwood Springs and Basalt, at the urging of two former Roaring Fork students, Tavia Teitler and Lorenzo Andrade.

The Seal of Biliteracy is now officially recognized by the Colorado Department of Education and its counterpart in other states, Martinez said.

Across the school district, Glenwood Springs, Bridges, Roaring Fork and Basalt high schools have seen the highest percentage ever of graduates earning the seal this year.

“The Seal of Biliteracy honors our students’ cultural identities and who they are,” Martinez said. “It’s a great source of pride for our students to show that they are not only bilingual, but that they are biliterate and are being recognized and awarded for that.”

Roaring Fork High School graduating senior Eli Cohen earned the school’s first-ever Seal of Multiliteracy based on work to become literate in four languages over the course of his high school career, English, Spanish, Italian and French. The school had a total of 28 students earn the Seal of Biliteracy (fluent in two languages) the most ever. Photo by John Stroud

Un número récord de graduados de RFHS obtienen el Sello de Bialfabetización

JOHN STROUD

Traducción por Dolores Duarte

La educación bilingüe es cada vez más importante para los estudiantes de Roaring Fork High School (RFHS), como lo pone de manifiesto el mayor número de graduados que han obtenido el codiciado Sello de Bialfabetización.

Entre los 28 alumnos del último año de la escuela de Carbondale que han demostrado saber leer y escribir en al menos dos idiomas -lo que representa el 31% de la promoción de este añose encuentra Eli Cohen, el primer alumno de la escuela en recibir el Sello de Multialfabetización.

Hablante nativo de inglés, Cohen dijo que el crecer en las escuelas de Carbondale con su gran porcentaje de estudiantes hispanos cuya lengua materna es el español le impulsó a dominar ambos idiomas a temprana edad.

“He hablado español la mayor parte de mi vida, desde la escuela primaria, y después, a medida que crecía, trabajando en lugares de comida y jugando en el campo de fútbol es donde hablaba

mucho español”, dijo Cohen. “Probablemente aprendí más español allí que en el aula”.

Un semestre de estudios en el extranjero, en Italia, en su penúltimo año, le llevó a aprender italiano, idioma en el que se sumergió y utilizaba a diario. Y mientras estuvo allí, tuvo que estudiar francés en la escuela a la que asistía.

“Había estudiado un poco de francés cuando era más joven, pero lo había olvidado casi por completo, así que me alegré de retomarlo”, dice Cohen. “Definitivamente no fue fácil intentar pensar en francés e italiano, y traducirlo todo al inglés en mi cabeza”.

Cohen continuó sus estudios de francés al regresar a RFHS con el profesor Eric Lamb. “El Sr. Lamb opinaba que mi francés era lo suficientemente bueno como para conseguir el sello en ese idioma, así que decidí intentarlo”, dijo Cohen.

Viajó con un grupo de estudiantes a Francia como parte de un viaje escolar esta primavera, donde tuvo una amplia oportunidad de utilizar el idioma en

sus interacciones diarias, y en última instancia, aprobó todos los requisitos de bialfabetización para francés e italiano.

La alfabetización en un idioma es mucho más que aprender lo básico para llegar a ser fluido, explicó Amanda Martínez, entrenador de instrucción para educación cultural y lingüística diversa en RFHS.

Los estudiantes que persiguen el Sello de Bilfabetización o Multialfabetización deben demostrar aptitud en los cuatro dominios del lenguaje: hablar, escuchar, leer y escribir.

“Para demostrar el dominio y ganar el sello, los estudiantes tienen que tomar una evaluación general del lenguaje en su segundo idioma, que abarca las cuatro áreas del lenguaje”, dijo Martínez.

Los estudiantes pueden aplicar una puntuación alta en un examen de idiomas de Colocación Avanzada (AP por sus siglas en inglés) para su certificación del Sello de Bialfabetización, pero en general es un proceso riguroso que puede abarcar los cuatro años de la escuela secundaria.

Galardonados con el Sello de Bialfabetización:

Esmeralda Alverde Duarte

Genesis Castillon

Eli Cohen (Sello de Multialfabetización)

Mia Cubias

Diana Diaz Sanchez

Tabatha Galicia

Lelaney Gardesani

Jocelyn Gonzalez

Sugey Gonzalez Rascon

Mateo Ledezma

Audry Lopez Sanchez

Carly Matinez Govea

Yesenia Martinez Vasquez

Ruby Mata

Inez Passerini-Burks

Julissa Perez Romero

Lucianna Phillips

Angel Quinteros

Margarita Rangel

Andrea Romero Najera

Angel Romero Najera

Fernanda Ruiz

Andrea Salais

Gabriel Salas Mena

Sulema Santiago

Angelli (Xatziri) Serafin

Barragan

Annabelle Stableford

Ricardo Zavala

El Sello de Bialfabetización fue adoptado por el Distrito Escolar de Roaring Fork en 2017 para cada una de sus escuelas secundarias en Carbondale, Glenwood Springs y Basalt, a instancias de dos ex alumnos de Roaring Fork, Tavia Teitler y Lorenzo Andrade.

El Sello de Bialfabetización es ahora reconocido oficialmente por el Departamento de Educación de Colorado y su homólogo en otros estados, dijo Martínez.

En todo el distrito escolar, las escuelas secundarias de Glenwood Springs, Bridges, Roaring Fork y Basalt han visto el mayor porcentaje de graduados que obtienen el sello este año.

“El Sello de Bialfabetización honra la identidad cultural de nuestros estudiantes y quiénes son”, dijo Martínez. “Es una gran fuente de orgullo para nuestros estudiantes mostrar que no sólo son bilingües, sino que son bialfabetizados y que están siendo reconocidos y premiados por ello”.

Tener un grupo tan grande de receptores este año también puede ayudar a motivar a los estudiantes más jóvenes a perseguir los

requisitos para obtener el sello, dijo.

La mayoría de los alumnos que obtienen el sello estudian inglés y español. Muchos de ellos son hispanohablantes nativos que han trabajado a lo largo de sus años escolares para ser instruidos en inglés, pero no quieren perder su lengua materna.

“Enseñé a algunos de estos estudiantes como alumnos de sexto grado en Carbondale Middle School, y muchos de ellos son cercanos y apreciados”, dijo Martínez. “He visto cómo su desarrollo del inglés progresaba y se volvía más complejo, y luego leer sus trabajos finales para obtener el sello fue realmente gratificante”.

Esmeralda Alverde Duarte ayudaba con interpretación en las conferencias de padres y maestros en Crystal River Elementary School cuando inició su camino para obtener su Sello de Bialfabetización.

“El mundo está cada vez más interconectado y el inglés domina gran parte del discurso”, dijo. “Pero hay tanta belleza en muchos idiomas y no quiero perderla”.

Conectando comunidades desde 2021

Volumen 3, Número 13 | 23-29 de mayo de 2024

Los galardonados con el Sello de Bialfabetización reunidos en el escenario para una foto durante la Noche de Premios Académicos de Roaring Fork High School el miércoles 15 de mayo. Foto de John Stroud

Aunque el cambio venga en burro, de pérdida viene

Hoy en día se tiene una crítica generalizada en diferentes ideologías de pensamiento. Existe el pensamiento tradicionalista y podemos mencionar ejemplos básicos para poner en contexto el tipo de pensamiento. Por ejemplo, tomamos una idea social como la legalidad de que la mujer tuviera derechos a votar. En la actualidad creamos o no existen países en donde la mujer no tiene el derecho al voto y en base a ello aunque sea por algunas personas impensable que apenas hace algunas décadas la mujer no tenía el derecho al voto.

OPINION

Es decir a la vista del sistema en ciertos países no consideraba a la mujer como alguien que pudiera tener opinión. Así es en general la conceptualización de cualquier idea en una tendencia que se convierte en ideología.

ESPACIOS SIN LÍMITES

Por Victor Zamora

En la frontera se delimita un país del otro por medio de un muro, “The Wall of Trump” o “El muro de Trump”. Esta pared del exmandatario Donald, mediáticamente ha tomado mucho auge hoy en día en la política nacional e internacional, esto conlleva a la orientación social de observar la pared como un concepto migratorio y lleva a detener personas que intentan hacer daño a Estados Unidos con diferentes argumentos como el narcotráfico

y el terrorismo. La realidad es que se ha construido una idea de la barrera migratoria como un símbolo político en la época moderna del continente Americano. Creando esta idea imaginaria para gran parte de la población como una concepto de seguridad nacional. Aún sin embargo la idea colectiva de que si como sociedad cambiáramos ciertas perspectivas en torno a la delincuencia en países al Sur de Estados Unidos podríamos entender culturalmente el origen, el desarrollo y la evolución de la violencia en estos países. Al igual como disociar un concepto generalizado por estigmatizar enteras naciones por ejemplo pensar que todo Mexicano es narco o que todo Venezolano quiere ayuda del gobierno. Estos imaginarios urbanos estructuran ideologías en el colectivo social y por ende la idea es que se haga un ejercicio como sociedad en donde se imaginen dos países sin fronteras y diferencias entendiendo que es una sinergia circular de respiración en armonía con la ciudadanía. Si han tenido el privilegio de estar en la frontera entre Tijuana Y San Diego podemos observar ciertos patrones de arte como murales de diferente índole con mensajes de grupos activistas con frases de protestas y con retratos de víctimas que murieron intentando

Cada vez que usas tu tarjeta de débito Loyalty*, Alpine Bank dona diez centavos a las causas comunitarias que son importantes para ti.

¡Solicita tu tarjeta hoy mismo!

llegar a su destino en los Estados Unidos. Incluso la inocencia romántica de flores pintadas por niños y niñas las cuales te dan un imaginario de color pintoresco y agradable a la vista. Un imaginario hacia el arte plasmado en un concepto de delimitación, separación, desintegración excluyente o incluso militarizado, simbólicamente en la historia de las barreras de diferenciación ideológica como el famoso muro de Berlín en las Alemanes separadas o las ciudades medievales las cuales separaban a la ciudad del reinados con diferencia inquisitiva. En si, esta en nuestra formación humana la separación y la categorización, que existen en países como la India que sigue estructurando por clases llevándolo incluso a una organización financiera. El ejercicio al que se les invita es que imaginen un muro más colorido los que tienen la posibilidad de estar en la frontera pueden observar las grandes barras de metal oxidado sin color con unas acotaciones. En cada lado hay caminos de terracería por donde las patrullas pueden circular y no hay acceso para la ciudadanía de acercarse al muro y dirían ¿quién quiere caminar cerca del muro?

A veces no se trata de eso. En la frontera la pared se ve a distancia de diferentes puntos, la barrera metálica oxidada y sin color es así: simple y aburrida. Ese es el imaginario de la guerra, la división, las fronteras. Descolorida por ideologías militarizadas, la idea es imaginarse que desaparecerá por medio de arte que exprese algo como en Tijuana y que les haga imaginar el futuro por medio de una iniciativa para ver si la

Se observa un mensaje en el mural del muro fronterizo en la costa

pintura y los mensajes o los murales por diferentes colectivos generan un imaginario colectivo de cambio de libertad. Sin barreras de pacificación entre naciones aunque sea en el imaginario urbano. Se vienen las elecciones en México considerado uno de los países más misóginos del mundo y la ganadora seguramente será una mujer, este fue un imaginario colectivo de ellas, las mujeres que pelearon en su momento por derechos como el voto. Aunque el cambio venga en burro, de pérdida viene. “Imagine”… John Lennon.

de Tijuana, México. Foto por Anna White

BRIDGES HIGH school

Congratulations CLASS OF 2024

Angel Andrade Valeria Arechiga

Jose Canas

Rosemary Cannon

Meet Our Seniors

Caitlyn Johnson

Henry

Michael Hjerleid

Lovos Granados

Gabe Moreno

Eric Martinez Reyes

Alejandro Miramontes Zubia

Natalie Meraz

Leslie Gomez Ramirez

Jackie Cedillos

Amanda Garcia Rios

Maria EsparzaGarcia

Gemima Moreno Hernandez

Meet Our Seniors

Maggie Voller

Erick Saul Vazquez

Abadiel Rosales

Saori Suarez

Nicole Topete

Daniel Sanchez

Carlos PayanCasas

Anthony Peay

Mathias Nicol

ready for the world

CLASS OF 2024 Congratulations

Meet Our Seniors

Kendra Fernandez Jazmine Martinez

Faith Stevens

Home of the Rams!

CLASS OF 2024 Congratulations ROARING FORK HIGH SCHOOL

Highlights for the Class of 2024

From apprenticeships and career training to colleges and travel, our students are ready to contribute and explore their passions in aviation, engineering, cybersecurity, cosmetology, banking, nursing, human services, law, environmental design, architecture, skilled trades, real estate, and business We are excited to celebrate their accomplishments!

Colleges and Universities that our students are attending: Auburn, Aveda Institute, Brown, Colorado College, Chapman, CMC, Colorado Mesa University, Cornell University, CSU, CU, Fort Lewis, Grand Canyon University, Glenwood Beauty Academy, University of Hawaii, Metropolitan State, Colorado School of Mines, University of Missouri, Queens University of Charlotte, SCAD, Skidmore, Saint Michael's, University of Arizona, University of Arkansas, University of Tampa, UNLV, University of Rhode Island, University of Oregon

Highlights

Ricardo Zavala Magana and Eli Cohen earned the Boettcher Scholarship Ricardo will attend Colorado School of Mines next year and Eli will attend CU Boulder

Max Bollock is going to Fort Lewis College in Durango to play Division 2 football for the SkyHawks

Sam Friday is headed to Saint Michael's College to compete on the Nordic team

Evi Keating has a Hospital Internship in Spain

Foster Hayes is headed to Galicia, Spain to participate in a gap year program with Eture-a program that places players in D1 programs after playing with various soccer clubs in Spain for a year

Esmeralda Alverde Duarte has been the student co-leader for the District Equity Advisory Council

Nicholas Smith and Gary Littell completed coursework to earn industry certifications in HVAC and Construction

31% of this Graduating Class will earn the Roaring Fork Seal of Biliteracy! That's 28 seniors! Eli Cohen earned a Seal of MULTILiteracy – English, French, Italian, and Spanish!

Capstones

Brandon Thomas became a beekeeper and jarred his very own honey!

Mayra Torres Melgar donated her hand-knit baby hats and crocheted animals to the Valley Settlement Project and the YMHS Teen Parent Program

Micah Bays designed digital artwork worthy of a gallery!

Domany Santizo-Solorzano learned barbering skills and offered free haircuts to needy families

Yusbani Duarte Carrillo also learned barbering skills

Esmeralda Alverde Duarte hosted an environmental podcast on KDNK through the AZYEP program

JT Haberern and Haven Keery earned their pilot licenses

Angel Romero Najera performed a Folklorico dance solo.

Annabelle Stableford taught/co-directed a kids aerial acrobatics Harry Potter show Courtney Crooks earned his realtors license and hosted mock home showings

Lucy Silcox created an art show for Carbondale Middle School

Avery Smith raised funds for the girl's soccer program through holiday cookie bake sales.

Julissa Perez Romero painted a mural for the new youth park in Carbondale

CLASS OF 2024

Meet Our Seniors

Ariana Arellanes

Ashwin Acosta Lugo

Henri Andrade Machado

Esmeralda Alverde Duarte

B ll k

Jacob Barlow

Eli Cohen

Madalynn Connor

Brooks Chatman Cooper Chacos

Maria Candela

Genesis Castillon

Briseyda CamargoRochin

Keegan Burrow

Meet Our Seniors

Yusbani Duarte Carrillo

Brisa Farfan F d Schanae Dolores

Victoria Eakins

Diana Diaz Sanchez

Courtney Crooks

Ruby Denning

Mia Cubias

muel Friday

Jasmine Ferguson

Tabatha Galicia

Lelaney Gardesani Kailei Gianinetti

Emmet Garcelon

Meet Our Seniors

Jalen Isenhart

Nicholas Hopkins

h Hernandez

Jonathan Haberern Jolea Haroutunian

Sugey Gonzalez Rascon

Jocelyn Gonzalez

Mateo Ledezma

Nina Leslie

Ella Kipp

Kate Keleher

Meet Our Seniors

Zaida Leslie Gary Littell

Audry LopezSanchez

Nora Lindgren

Carly Martinez G Yesenia Martinez-Vasquez

Mountain Maes

S L

Julissa Perez Romero Angel Quinteros

Lucianna Phillips

Margarita Rangel

Fernando Perez Mendoza

Ruby Mata-Tarin

Inez Passerini-Burks

Cesar Ortega

Meet Our Seniors

Justin RojasMariche

Noel Richardson

Cynthia Rodriguez

Kyra Reeds

Angel R Na

Avery Shook

Sulema SantiagoNieves

Domany Santizo-Solorzano

Gabriel Salas Mena

Avery Smith

Nicholas Smith

Lucy Silcox

Xatziri Serafin Barragan

Meet Our Seniors

Annabelle Stableford

Mauricio VazquezChagoya

Brandon Thomas Mayra Torres Melgar

Maddox Stainton

Ricardo Zavala Magana

William Wherry

Aniayh Wofford

Skye Wempe

Carta a los padres con hijos universitarios

El otro día, estaba hablando por teléfono con mi mamá, poniéndonos al día. Las cosas eran bastante normales hasta que decidió darme una charla sobre por qué no está bien beber y conducir. Al principio, rodé los ojos pero luego me di cuenta de que ella solo quería lo mejor para mí. Probablemente lo escuchó en las noticias locales o a través del chisme del vecindario sobre un accidente reciente y simplemente quería hacer su parte para mantenerme seguro a pesar de vivir en otra ciudad.

Lo menciono porque me llamó la atención que cuando mi mamá se preocupa por mí o deposita mucha confianza en mi capacidad para ser una persona decente me recuerda lo obvio para hacer su parte. Hay algo profundamente honesto y valiente en su enfoque.

A medida que se acerca la graduación y algunos de nuestros jóvenes latinos del valle tienen el privilegio de ir a la universidad, es un buen momento para reflexionar sobre los estudiantes de primera generación y sus padres.

OPINION

Hablando con otros estudiantes de primera generación, navegar por el sistema universitario excesivamente complicado es difícil. Muchas de las regulaciones y calificaciones y cualquier “acción” las descubrimos por nuestra cuenta. La universidad no es diferente. De hecho, es aún más difícil porque las universidades actúan como si la disponibilidad fuera un sustituto a la accesibilidad.

CRÍTICAS

Por Hector Salas Gallegos

clubs, asistir a eventos y realmente involucrarse. Ese es mi mejor consejo. Es una de las mejores maneras de hacer amigos, encontrar influencias sólidas y comenzar temprano en su carrera. A menudo, hay un club para cada carrera, que ofrece oportunidades de networking y experiencias que otros estudiantes podrían perderse. Además, se ve genial en las solicitudes de pasantías y en las perspectivas laborales futuras. Los profesores a menudo asesoran clubs relacionados con sus campos. Al unirse a estos clubs, su hijo obtiene más tiempo cara a cara con la facultad, construyendo relaciones estudiante-profesor invaluables. Los profesores no solo califican los trabajos; conocen las ambiciones y la personalidad de su hijo, ofreciendo orientación mientras navegan por su camino académico. En campos con múltiples trayectorias profesionales, estas conexiones pueden marcar la diferencia. Lo último que diré es que la experiencia universitaria es de su hijo. Solo pasarán por esto una vez en su vida, así que permíteles vivirlo como consideren adecuado. Todos los consejos y sugerencias son solo eso. No hay una sola manera de pasar por la universidad. He visto estudiantes destacarse sin unirse nunca a un club y he visto a los estudiantes más involucrados fracasar. Si hubiera una guía paso a paso, simplemente la copiaría y la pegaría aquí para la columna de este mes.

Alverde Duarte también está empezando a aprender francés, e incluso ha tomado clases de Lenguaje de Señas Americano en el Colorado Mountain College, Tiene previsto asistir a la Universidad de Cornell después de graduarse.

Cohen y Ricardo Zavala Magana fueron los beneficiarios de la beca Boettcher de este año, y su conocimiento de varios idiomas les ayudó a ser seleccionados para el premio.

“Definitivamente ha fortalecido mi gusto por aprender idiomas”, dijo Zavala Magana. “Siempre me han interesado todas las diferentes formas que tienen las personas para comunicarse”.

Planea estudiar en la Escuela de Minas de Colorado, y su experiencia escolar de viajar a España y Portugal con el World Traveler’s Club el año pasado despertó también su interés por aprender portugués.

Me preguntaba cómo se sentía mi mamá al tener fe ciega de que la universidad iba bien para mí. Nunca me pidió mis calificaciones. No entendía la ayuda financiera. No tenía ni idea de qué trabajo conseguiría con mi título. Estaba en la oscuridad en un 90% de eso, solo veía mi campus cuando me mudaba a un nuevo dormitorio o cuando me visitaban los fines de semana. Debe volver locos a los padres estar completamente perdidos teniendo que confiar plenamente en su hijo durante cuatro años o más. Entonces, ¿qué hizo mi mamá? Me llamó y me recordó que intentara con esfuerzo y no me involucrara en las drogas.

Anima a tu hijo a sumergirse en la vida universitaria: unirse a

NOVEDADES

Traducción por Jacquelinne Castro

Narcan

En un movimiento activo para combatir muertes relacionadas con opioides en nuestra comunidad, las bibliotecas del condado de Garfield tienen Narcan a la mano para distribuir al público. Narcan es un medicamento que puede salvar vidas para revertir sobredosis de opioide. En un comunicado de prensa, “al adquirir narcan y proporcionar entrenamiento a nuestro personal en su administración, estamos empoderando a nuestra biblioteca a servir como un espacio seguro para los individuos que lo necesiten, asegurando

Afortunadamente, los pasos anteriores son sólo instrucciones frías que no capturan completamente la alegría, el pánico, la libertad, el estrés y la apreciación que su hijo experimentará en la universidad. Su viaje es suyo para dar forma. Solo estás ahí para recordarles suavemente lo obvio, en caso de que lo olviden.

Parte de la experiencia universitaria es aprender a tomar buenas decisiones, comprender las consecuencias, divertirse y convertirse en la persona que serán para el próximo capítulo de su vida. Ninguna cantidad de estudio puede prepararlos completamente. Ninguna charla tuya o de sus profesores lo cubrirá por completo. Solo haciendo, fallando y volviendo a hacer, aprenderán y crecerán. Qué hermosa es la vida.

que la ayuda está disponible rápidamente cuando cada segundo cuenta”.

Muertes recientes

El forense del condado de Garfield reportó recientemente tres fatalidades trágicas, Marshall Eanes, de 23 años de edad, montaba su motocicleta que chocó con un vehículo en la carretera 82 en la intersección de Catherine Store Road el domingo 19 de mayo. Kelvin Velis Rivera de 28 años de edad se ahogó en Harvey Gap State Park mientras utilizaba su paddleboard el 18 de mayo. Diego Gutierrez Caraveo de 26 años de edad se ahogó en Rifle Gap Reservoir mientras montaba su paddleboard el

12 de mayo. Ninguna de las víctimas de ahogamiento estaban usando dispositivos de flotación o correas y según el reporte ambos habían consumido sustancia antes del incidente.

Demoras el domingo

Los motoristas que viajaban en la carretera 82 entre Carbondale y El Jebel el 19 de mayo fueron desviados en Catherine Store Road (primero carril hacia el oeste, luego carril hacia el este) después de un deslizamiento en una vertiente, presuntamente causado por una rotura de tubería principal de agua en el pozo de grava de Western Slope Materials

Cohen tiene previsto estudiar ingeniería biomecánica en la Universidad de Colorado en Boulder. También quiere seguir aprendiendo idiomas y, tal vez, realizar otros estudios en el extranjero.

“Espero que después de la universidad pueda utilizar mis conocimientos de español, francés o italiano en mi trabajo”, dijo, mencionó programas como Médicos sin Fronteras como una actividad en la que está interesado.

Viaje en el bosque

White River National Forest está abierto durante el verano y viajes por bicicletas de montaña, pero “las condiciones pueden variar y no todas las calles están secas o pasables”, dijo el administrador del programa de recreación Sam Massman. “Le estamos pidiendo a los visitantes que sean pacientes y eviten usar las calles y senderos lodosos hasta que tengan tiempo para secarse o endurecerse para minimizar el daño”. Algunas calles y senderos no están programados para abrirse hasta más tarde. Encuentre más detalles en www.fs.usda.gov/whiteriver

“déjà vu” (3) por Leonardo Occhipinti

Rams baseball bows out in 3A regionals

JOHN STROUD Sports Correspondent

Two Roaring Fork High School spring sports programs were in action one final time before the end of the school year last weekend.

The Rams baseball team advanced to the 3A Regionals as the 27th seed in the 32-team tournament, falling to regional host No. 6 Colorado Academy in Denver on Saturday, May 18 by a score of 9-5.

The teams were knotted 2-2 coming into the fourth inning, before the Mustangs broke it open with three runs in the bottom of the fourth and four in the fifth. Roaring Fork answered with three runs in the sixth, but couldn’t complete the comeback.

Junior Cole Fenton had two hits with four plate appearances, with runs batted in by sophomores Kenny Riley and Donny Read, and freshman Chase Fenton.

The Rams concluded the season at 11-13 overall after finishing third in the 3A Western Slope League at 6-3.

Three Roaring Fork senior baseball players concluded their prep sports careers with the final game: Noel Richardson, Ben Oldham and Max Seitel-Hayes.

Two Roaring Fork track athletes represented the Rams and Carbondale at the State Track and Field Championships in Lakewood

in the 3A division over the weekend.

Senior Kyra Reeds just missed the cut for finals in the 100-meter hurdles, finishing 11th with a time of 16.9 seconds. In the 300-meter hurdle event, she was 17th in 50.39 seconds.

Sophomore teammate Nikki Tardif competed in the 400-meter dash, finishing 15th with a time of 1 minute, 3.22 seconds.

Basalt High School had four podium finishes among its athletes at the state meet, including three by senior Jacey Read: fifth in the 100-meter dash in a season-best time of 12.47 seconds, fourth in the 200-meter dash with another season-best of 25.38 seconds, and fifth in the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 1 inch.

Also medaling, for the Longhorns boys, was junior Lorenzo Salazar Tedin in the 300-meter hurdles (sixth in the season-best 41.27 seconds). Junior Jared Tennenbaum qualified for finals in the 110-meter hurdles on Thursday with a seventhplace finish in 15.48 seconds, but was unable to compete in the Saturday finale.

Also competing at state for Basalt were senior Willow Bower, 18th in the 300 hurdles (50.90), the girls 4x100 relay team and, for the boys, senior Owen Lambert, 16th in the 800-meter run (2:00.05), and Tedin in the high jump, 14th (5-9).

Above: The Rams varsity baseball team put up a great fight against Colorado Academy, making five runs to Colorado Academy’s nine.

Photo by Donna Riley Left: The Roaring Fork Rams baseball team ended their playoff run in a loss against Colorado Academy on Saturday, May 18. Pictured here: Roaring Fork players before their final regular season game, beating North Fork 8-4 on May 11.

Photo by Noah Brockman

RFSD Safe haven policy comes to fruition

JEANNE SOULDERN Education Correspondent

A safe haven policy, years in the making, was codified into policy during the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) Board of Education meeting on May 8.

The push for a formal policy intensified in March 2023 when the U.S. Border Patrol had a table at a career expo at Glenwood Springs High School. Their presence sparked outrage among community members who thought it violated the district’s Safe Haven Resolution, which had been in place since 2016.

Alan Muñoz, regional organizing manager for Voces Unidas de las Montañas, a Latino advocacy group based in Glenwood Springs, explained the incident catalyzed a concerted campaign to adopt the resolution into a more formal and binding policy.

“We learned that the resolution needed to be a policy and a regulation so that incidents like the one in Glenwood Springs High School don’t happen again. In actuality, it shouldn’t have taken the school district until 2024 to pass the safe haven policy,” Muñoz underscored.

The safe haven initiative’s roots can be traced back to 2011 when a Carbondale police officer serving as a Student Resource Officer (SRO) at Roaring Fork High School was found to be collaborating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to gather information on undocumented students and their families, Muñoz shared. This discovery highlighted the need for stronger

protections for Latino students and their families and set the stage for the eventual policy.

Muñoz expressed confidence that the policy would be effectively implemented and respected by district staff “to ensure that all students feel safe and that their constitutional rights are being protected.”

RFSD Board President Kathryn Kuhlenberg acknowledged the long journey to finalizing the policy and recognized Board Vice President Jasmin Ramirez for her contributions, saying, “Jasmin has worked on this for years. Having the support of [superintendent] Dr. Anna Cole and the administration and ensuring that we got community feedback from appropriate stakeholder groups was invaluable,” she said.

An important policy aspect includes a clear agreement with local law enforcement. The district has established a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to contract with each local law enforcement agency to ensure consistent expectations and alignment across the district.

Earlier this year, the district engaged its Equity Advisory Council, which includes high school students, parents and community partners, to develop a policy. The collaborative effort included multiple revisions and consultations with local police chiefs to ensure the policy was comprehensive and aligned with community needs, she said.

Each school community has an SRO who travels between schools whenever needed. This school year, the Riverview K-8 school, located in unincorporated

Town of Carbondale Parks & Recreation Department

O ers a training and information session on natural integrated weed management strategies at the Carbondale Nature Park on Friday, May 24th from 9 am to 12 noon.

Katrina Blair, and her team from Bee Happy Lands , a project of the Turtle Lake Refuge in Durango, will provide training to Town sta and interested members of the public on organic weed management practices on our B-list noxious weeds, Canada istle, Yellow Toad ax, and WhiteTop.

ORGANIC LAND STEWARDSHIP CREATING VITAL ECOSYSTEMS FOR GLOBAL HEALTH

Bee Happy Lands Practices:

Promotes vitality and health of ecosystem

Improves soil fertility

Increases land stability

Minimizes weed presence

Promotes pollinator health

Increases microbial presence in soil

Improves drought tolerance

Creates balanced and diverse plant community

Safe for pets, kids, bees, me and you

If you are interested in attending please e-mail Town of Carbondale Parks & Recreation Director, Eric Brendlinger ebrendlinger@carbondaleco.net or call 970-510-1277

Garfield County, has had its own SRO. However, with the passage of the March 4 resolution declaring Garfield County a non-sanctuary county, Cole said the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office said they would not comply with the safe haven policy at Riverview.

Cole contacted Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario and was told that his office was “not aligned” with the Safe Haven policy.

“I decided not to renew that contract because of financial components. It was the same cost to have one SRO at one K-8 school as it was to have one SRO covering all of Glenwood Springs. It just didn’t make sense. I had already decided that

we wouldn’t continue to contract, but Garfield County’s unwillingness to align with our policy ended that contract early,” Cole said.

“He [Vallario] and I talked a lot about it, and he understands the political nature of these things. I said I have a board that’s standing behind this resolution and expects me to execute and implement, and I have a community that expects to execute and implement. He said, ‘Well, then I have the same thing on a different side.’” Cole continued, “We’re taking a pretty strong stance on how we stand on this.”

Riverview parents were notified immediately of the decision to end the SRO contract, with Cole communicating to families via online and in-person information sessions.

“What’s interesting is we had never had an SRO at that school. This was the first year we’d ever had one, and it was a little awkward to have none for eight years and then have a full-time person there. It was some mixed emotions, but I think generally people understood why we were ending that contract early,” she shared.

The district created a webpage where the information and resources for immigrant families, including the Safe Haven policy, can be found.

RFSD Board Vice President Jasmin Ramirez (left) and President Kathryn Kuhlenberg (right), photo by Jeanne Souldern

Thunder River Theatre Company leans into a co-leadership model

MYKI JONES Arts Correspondent

At the end of April, Thunder River Theatre Company (TRTC) announced in its newsletter that it is embracing a new paradigm in its leadership. Following former executive director Sean Jeffries’ departure, Missy Moore and Danielle Taylor-Moxon will now lead the theater-nonprofit in partnership.

“I have a lot of faith in those two wonderful women. They’re incredibly capable, and if anyone can figure out a new modus operandi, it’s them,” Jeffries told The Sopris Sun.

This change in leadership is one of many things that TRTC is looking to implement as a theater company with big plans for secondary programming, including more intimate working relationships with local businesses, such as La Raza and The Painted Pig.

“One thing that we’re excited about going into next season in this co-leadership is that Dani and I are looking to think outside the box and see how we can activate the community as a theater company outside the theater’s doors,” Moore stated.

She explained that TRTC is gearing up for more dance-related art next season, a season which is itself being completely restructured as this transition settles.

“We’ve completely reimagined next season,” Moore continued. “I’ve truncated

it so we close our season in mid-May, which means we’re in a true Henry cycle with the Colorado Theatre Guild. We’re also going to be doing a ton of secondary programming.”

Asked how the transition has gone so far, Taylor-Moxon expressed feelings of excitement while acknowledging the bittersweetness.

“It’s an ending of some things but a beginning of new things,” she said. “Missy and I are excited and thrilled to be able to step up and continue leading this company into the future and into a new era.”

rarely do patrons get that much of an insight into the rehearsal process.”

In a statement, Jeffries, who left the executive director role on April 15, said he decided to embark on a new journey after eight years of employment with the theater company. Speaking further with The Sopris Sun, he said he is looking to pursue his passion for design and building more intimately while still maintaining a working relationship with TRTC.

I have a lot of faith in those two wonderful women. They’re incredibly capable, and if anyone can figure out a new modus operandi, it’s them,

The new era also features read-throughs of productions that are open for the public. This past Monday, May 13, saw a sneak peek of “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive,” which Jeffries attended to provide a collaborative hand to the cast and director, Kate Gleason.

-Sean Jeffries

“I would say that my focus right now is just creating a world for myself where I have the freedom to take on theatrical designs that I want to and bolstering my income, like most other folks around here with several other enterprises,” he said.

“To have that sneak peek, to be in the room when the actors are reading it aloud for the first time and the designers are talking about their concepts and the director is saying, ‘This is my vision;’ I think it’s very cool,” Moore stated. “Very

Though he has stepped down, Jeffries will still be involved with the theater in other ways. He will be doing the fight choreography for the upcoming production and has been put on retainer for lighting design for summer events. He hopes the community doesn’t view this transition as negative.

“Missy and I have had many-a-conversation about how TRTC will still be my artistic home,” Jeffries assured. “My

stepping away is by no means a negative thing; it should not be seen as a negative judgment on the theater. I want to be there supporting 110% anytime I can. It was just that I had to step away from it.”

To stay in the loop about what’s happening at TRTC and find ways to support, visit www.thunderrivertheatre.com

Missy Moore, courtesy photo

Danielle Taylor-Moxon, courtesy photo

County human service needs on the rise

AMY HADDEN MARSH Sopris Sun Correspondent

Steven Kuschner, member of the Elk Springs Home Owners Association, expressed his disapproval during the open public comment period for the proposed Spring Valley Ranch Planned Unit Development (PUD) amendment. He cited roads, the projected 5,703 vehicle trips per day at full build-out and stress on the land, wildlife corridors and aquifer as reasons for denial of the project. Georgia-based Storied Development LLC’s revision of the existing PUD is under review by the Garfield County Planning Department and the land is under contract. The proposal includes 577 housing units, mostly second homes, two golf courses, a private ski area, hiking and biking trails and more.

Ivan Jackson, executive director of Lift-Up, was the first of several local human services providers to update the Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC). Each provider pointed to a growing Hispanic population in need of assistance, a rise in the need for substance abuse treatment in the general population and a widespread struggle with food insecurity and prosperity.

Commissioner Tom Jankovsky blamed the rise in “undocumented immigrants” on President Biden’s “open borders policy” and commented on how there is more poverty in the county.

Jackson said the number of people served by Lift-Up increased by 100% in 2023; 70% were from Garfield County. Lift-Up served 60,000 in 2022 and 128,000 in 2023. The organization, whose focus is to end hunger from Parachute to Aspen, sourced 49% of distributed food from local growers last year, including produce, meat, eggs and milk. Lift-Up also rescued 801,505 pounds (400 tons) of food from local markets and wholesalers.

“The need in this community continues — not just for food — but across many different areas,” Jackson explained, adding that, over the past 12 months, food prices have increased by 10.4%, rent is up by 8.3%, gas costs increased by 15% and utility costs have nearly doubled. He added that the decrease of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits has been the biggest struggle. “In 2023, 45% of funding went away from SNAP,” he explained.

“That was somewhere in the region of $350 to $400 per month for families that we’re serving.”

He said that 52% of people served by Lift-Up are Hispanic. “We want to continue to strengthen our commitment to diversity inclusion,” he said. “And we want to continue not only treating them with respect but providing them the food they prefer at our distribution locations.” Lift-Up operates six fixed food pantries and nine drive-through pantries between Parachute and Aspen with plans to open mobile food pantries this year. The organization also purchased a building in west Glenwood Springs to use as a food distribution center.

Mind Springs Health has served 1,165 clients this year, down 4% from 2023. But, said Hans Lutgring, Glenwood Springs and Rifle out-patient program director, with less than two months left in the current fiscal year, those numbers could change. Rifle client visits are soaring. “Our fiscal year 2024 service counts have increased by more than 420% over 2023,” he said. Program highlights include partnerships with the Rifle veterans community, the RE-2 School District and the 9th Judicial District. The new medically-assisted Withdrawal Management Treatment facility opens June 17 in Glenwood Springs with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, May 23.

A Way Out director Becky Gordon told the BOCC that 62% of her clients in 2023 came from Garfield County. The substance abuse treatment referral agency works with clients from Garfield, Pitkin, Eagle and Summit counties. “We are maintaining that [number] this year with 150 Garfield county residents helped so far in 2024,” she said, “which is 61% of our clients.” Gordon added that the biggest success of 2023 was adding a Spanish-speaking peer counselor to help with treatment options and more.

Aspen Hope Center (AHC) offers crisis relief services in three counties. “We have programs that span the continuum of crisis care from prevention through recovery,” explained Natasha Lucero, operations director. AHC has school-based clinicians in 17 RE-2 schools from Aspen to Glenwood with plans to expand into Rifle schools. “We also offer fatality response in collaboration with victims advocacy [services],” she added.

“This is a beautiful place. Let’s ruin it.”

Courtesy graphic

Affordable senior housing coming to Glenwood Springs

LONDON LYLE Sopris Sun Intern

Glenwood Springs is set to expand its affordable senior housing options by the latter part of 2025 with the construction of the Benedict Project, a fourstory building with 34 one-bedroom apartments for seniors 55 and older. The Colorado State Housing Board recently awarded $1.7 million in funding toward the project as part of the larger $21 million allocation for affordable housing and homeownership initiatives across Colorado. The Benedict Project is a collaboration between Archdiocesan Housing, Inc. (operating under Catholic Charities Housing) and BlueLine Development, Inc.

“Securing that $1.7 million is critical for the Benedict Project. This funding will cover some crucial costs, making sure we can keep rents affordable,” said Justin Raddatz, executive director of Catholic Charities Housing. “It’s what we need to turn our plans into an actual home for seniors.”

The Benedict Project goes above and beyond state housing requirements, meaning qualifying senior residents will likely have a much lower cost of living than they would if they lived in traditional affordable housing units. While state regulations require 20% of units to be reserved for residents with incomes restricted to 100% of the Area Median Income (AMI), the Benedict Project imposes a 40-year restriction on units for incomes between 30% and 80% AMI. This translates to monthly rents ranging from $550 to $1,500, making the apartments accessible to a broader range of seniors in need of housing.

“We invested a significant amount of our capital into this project, but because of historically high construction and development costs, that still wasn’t enough,” Raddatz said.

While the state may have policies designed to limit the cost of affordable housing units, advocates have noted that they aren’t low enough to meet the needs of senior residents living on a fixed income, given the unpredictability of inflation. “We’ve decided to go beyond the state’s requirements because we really want to make living affordable for seniors in Glenwood [Springs]. By setting the income cap between 30% and 80% AMI and extending restrictions to 40 years, we’re making sure these homes stay affordable for a long time,” Raddatz explained. “The rent range of $550 to $1,500 means more seniors who need financial relief can actually afford to live here. It’s about providing stability and peace of mind to our residents.”

The Benedict Project has also earned a competitive Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) from the federal government. Watkins Fulk-Gray, senior city planner for Glenwood Springs, noted the significance of this achievement during a Jan. 18 city council meeting, saying, “What we see when projects that apply for LIHTC awards don’t get them is the projects tend to either not happen or they pivot to a market-rate project.”

One longtime, 93-year-old Glenwood Springs resident, Patricia Leonetti, is among the seniors who will qualify to move into the new facility next spring. She told The Sopris Sun that living on a low fixed income as a senior citizen in Glenwood Springs is a struggle.

The Benedict Project is named in honor of Fritz and Fabi Benedict, generous benefactors in the Valley who donated funds to Catholic Charities Housing to be used for projects like this one. Fritz Benedict worked as an architect in Aspen, designing over 200 buildings over the course of his career. He was known for his innovation and community-oriented approach to building.

The development will be built on a vacant half-acre lot at the Midland and 27th Street intersection, offering convenient access to the 27th Street underpass and RFTA Bus Rapid Transit station. This location ensures that residents who rely on public transit will have easy access to buses, making it easier for them to maintain independence, stay connected with the community and access essential services.

Redstone Plein Air Festival takes flight for a fourth year

JESSICA PETERSON

Sopris Sun Correspondent

The Redstone Plein Air Festival kicks off the summer season in Redstone in mid-June this year. Redstone Historic District has long been regarded as a community that celebrates the arts, according to the Redstone Art Foundation (RAF) website. This year’s festival, spanning six days, will begin June 18 and conclude June 23. The RAF website states that Redstone has held a reputation for artists since the 1930s, and Cindy Cole, secretary of the RAF board, said the festival is another way RAF is working to continue this legacy.

“Our goal is to make Redstone recognized as an artistic village,” Cole wrote in an email. “We want to continue embracing the arts with the Labor Day Redstone Art Show and classes available.”

Cole said she’s lived in the Crystal Valley since 1976 and got started with Redstone art shows back in 2012 where she would showcase jewelry she made with her husband, Tim. She began watercolor painting in 2019 and said it was around this time that she also learned about plein air painting.

Rather than working on artistic creations indoors or isolated in a studio, PaintOutside.com, a website aptly named for its focus on blending painting with the

natural beauty of the world, states that the first documented plein air painters were creating work in the 16th century. However, the act of painting outside is likely as old as painting itself.

“Painters realized that they could more accurately represent the colors and the light by painting in nature,” a page titled “The History of Plein Air Painting” states. “Though painting outdoors took considerably more effort, the results were worth the trouble, as they found paintings done on location came alive.”

Dione Holt, an artist who specializes in oil paint and gouache, also local to the Crystal Valley and a member of the RAF board since 2020, agreed with that sentiment — painting outdoors is a difficult yet rewarding feat.

“Outdoor painting brings so many challenges, with the weather and conditions changing quickly, especially in the mountains,” Holt wrote in an email. “However, plein air paintings often have a freshness and immediacy that comes from painting quickly to capture the moment before the light or weather changes.”

Holt has participated in the past two plein air events in Redstone and plans to return this summer. RAF began to sponsor this specific event in 2021 as an alternative to the Labor Day Art Show because of the pandemic. Becca Trembley, a local artist who partnered with Cole to organize the event, said that the festival’s first year culminated in a “Quick Draw” contest where artists had three hours to complete a piece

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from start to finish. The contest has continued each year and will be judged this summer by an artist from Marble, Connie Hendrix, with cash prizes for winning artists ranging from $250 to $1,000. Another twist in this year’s event is that it is now being sponsored by Redstone Gallery, run by Joy and Steve Springfield.

“This will bring it up to the status all respectable plein air exhibitions require,” Trembley wrote in an email, “a commercial space to hang with the potential to sell!”

Amid the art-making, there will be various other elements to look forward to — a wine tasting on Friday, live music including the Magical Moments concert on Saturday, a farmers’ and artists’ market and plenty of networking opportunities.

Mark Mace, a local artist who has yet to miss a Redstone Plein Air Festival since its inception, said he has lived in the Roaring Fork Valley for 51 years and was drawn in by his love of outdoor activities and kept here by the thriving culture. Mace described the excitement of the festival as a race against the

IN A NUTSHELL...

When: June 18-23

Where: Redstone, CO

clock displayed on a large canvas as onlookers pass by, and encouraged other artists to come out for this year’s event.

“I’m looking forward to meeting new people and artists,” Mace wrote in an email. “I might encourage other artists to think ‘bigger’ and stop doodling with tiny brushes, a suggestion my girlfriend made to me decades ago!”

Registration for the event is open up until 11am on Saturday, June 19. Artists and supporters of the arts are encouraged to come out and join the fun.

Larry Day, Sopris Sun cartoonist and repeat participant of the festival described his thoughts on the event rather poetically: “In the Redstone area in Colorado, the light is strong, steady and long — making colors vibrant and shadows deep, rich and lively. Then there’s the rushing water meandering down the mountainsides over fallen branches, and rocks the size of turtle shells to boulders the size of small countries. These are the things I’ve loved painting in Redstone.”

More info: www.redstoneartfoundation.org

133, Dangerous as Designed: Excessive speed

By Age-Friendly Carbondale

Imagine driving into Carbondale from Highway 82. Just past the Cowen intersection a large, attractive sign arching overheadreads,“Welcome to Carbondale’s Bonedale Boulevard. Speed Limit – 25 mph.” Narrowing lanes, central planters, shrubbery along the curbs, pedestrian refuge islands, roundabouts and signalized, raised crosswalks every 600 feet (two city blocks) make it unlikely that you will want to exceed that limit.

OPINION

school zone speed limit does not change during school hours. Lack of crosswalks in a school zone does NOT prevent people from crossing. In fact, this school zone is one of the areas where adults, children and even wheelchair users commonly jaywalk.

For more than a year, Age-Friendly Carbondale has been studying what residents and frequent visitors think Highway 133 is like and what we would like it to be. The study is now complete and the paragraph you just read describes what we think most people want. There are many obstacles to achieving it, but one obstacle affects all the rest and has to be overcome before other significant improvements can be made. That obstacle is vehicular speed.

Respondents repeatedly cited excessive vehicular speed as contributing to accidents, near accidents and, most of all, to fear of being in an accident as a pedestrian or cyclist. They said they would increase their walking by 24% and cycling by 72% if they weren’t so afraid.

The speed limit from Highway 82 to Meadowood Lane is 35 mph, including the “School Zone” from Keator Road to the Snowmass Drive intersection, and road conditions make motorists comfortable driving at that speed and faster. The

Research supports people’s fear of excessive speeds. When a vehicle traveling at 20 mph contacts a pedestrian the fatality likelihood is 8%. At 30 mph it’s 20%, and at 40 mph it’s 46%. Locally, danger is exacerbated by increased traffic volume from recent developments, increased volume of vulnerable users from the same developments, a growing number of distracted drivers and increasing environmental distractions. To reduce the danger, we need to do two things: lower the speed limit and redesign the street to make motorists feel unsafe when they speed. Existing Colorado law allows us to move in the direction of lower speeds on 133 inside town limits. This is the essential first step for transforming 133 from a fast-moving vehicular corridor to a pleasant boulevard that accommodates motorized traffic without prioritizing it over pedestrians, cyclists and even more vulnerable users. But it is only a first step, and it’s the easy part, because most of us don’t drive at the posted limit. We drive as fast as it feels safe to drive. That means major redesign work from Highway 82 to RVR. We’ll talk about the specifics of that in the coming weeks.

Doug Graybeal shows off a fresh painting outside the Redstone General Store in 2021. Courtesy photo

JESSICA PETERSON Arts Correspondent

Izzy Stringham, the owner of White River Books, and Jessica Amber Barnum, a teacher and author, are pairing up to offer free workshops for community members seeking a group setting to explore creative writing. Stringham has worked with Barnum before to do a memoir writing workshop. With Barnum’s teaching experience, White River Books will host monthly gatherings from May through September.

“No one needs to have a project going or be a ‘Writer,’ but just interested in creative writing, the process of putting a pen to paper,” Stringham wrote in an email. “Jess [Barnum] has a wonderful method of connecting to muses and inspiration and doing writing prompt exercises that get straight to the task: actually writing. Our hope is that anyone looking to learn or practice or just have fun with words will come and participate.” The workshop is free and open to all, with donations accepted.

The Sopris Sun caught up with Barnum to get a better sense of her experience, learn what it means to be a writer and share what workshop attendees can expect.

Sopris Sun: Please introduce yourself. Barnum: I am Jessica Amber Barnum or Ms. Jess (to my students). I’ve lived in the

Valley for five years and moved here to be with my husband and my two stepchildren.

We are all poetic masterpieces in momentum. This is what I’ve been privileged to witness during my 30 years teaching English language arts, creative and intuitive writing, literacy and mindfulness. I am a teacher and author. I offer private sessions, classes and camps that empower all ages to mindfully sprout their reading and writing skills, voices, talents, imagination and self-trust. We jump “write” in!

SS: What prompted the workshop?

B: Writing is my nectar for a mindful head and heart, my playground for calm, creativity, joy and sensibility … I absolutely love witnessing other people’s writing journey and hearing and reading what they write … Also, the world is craving opportunities to raise the vibration of connection, and writing does that — the flurry of feathers that empowers whatever wants to take flight.

Izzy and I wanted to offer the sanctuary of her bookstore, a quiet space surrounded by both the literature on bookshelves and the frequency of millions of muses that have helped manifest those masterpieces. How inspiring to write in a place where you are surrounded by author’s words, books and pages and pages of wildernesses! I call it Scribe Tribe Osmosis!

SS: What do you hope the takeaway will be for participants?

B: I believe in the sacredness of self-discovery, and I believe that this belief is what empowers mindfulness in writers

… When writers trust their journey, the wilderness of ourselves and the world lights up colossal notches.

SS: Should folks attend all sessions or is it possible to pick and choose?

B: Izzy and I are thrilled to offer the Creative Writing Club monthly with a freeflow vibe. Anyone can attend anytime. No registration required. As writers, it’s important to listen to the mood of the moment. Do I feel like writing tonight in the company of others? … Of course, there’s always the

option to attend even when you don’t feel like it. That’s often when the muses arise with wings spread and ideas soaring! Muses are moody-mood busters!

SS: Why do you think people should attend?

B: When a muse flings an idea through you, the world can feel it. That’s a good thing. When we write, and we are our authentic selves in that process and we trust that the layers of our voice (subconscious-conscious) is a vessel of mindful empowerment, the world is elevated. What an honor.

The next Creative Writing Club meets on Thursday, June 6 at White River Books from 6 to 7:30pm. The club will meet at the same time on the following Thursdays: July 25, Aug. 22, Sept. 26.

Q&A with Carbondale’s Creative Writing Club CARE. PRIMARY REGION’S LARGEST NETWORK OF

Jessica Barnum leads the first Creative Writing Club at White River Books. Participants snap collectively after individuals share with the group. Photo by Jessica Peterson

Seeking Haystacks: An Introduction

As a child, I longed to be a hero, to be seen not just as Arthur, but as King Arthur, bringing chivalry to an unchivalrous world. I had a wicked crush on my third-grade classmate, Susie Wirth, and during recess, we would ride around on the back of her broom — she was a good witch, I was a knight. Together we would fly around Aspen’s Red Brick school grounds, four legs buzzing in unison, saving people like Piggy in “Lord of the Flies” from the cruel nature of Roger, and the weak compliant resolve of Jack, inspired and intoxicated with our daily good deeds.

On good days — and with the help of my teacher, Ms. Ames — there was the burgeoning notion, a sprouting seed of conscience and an evolving identity, that wanted to be kind and save the innocent from a less-than-kind world. Every day, Ms. Ames kept our class spellbound, reading us versions of “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey.” We discussed who was heroic, and what it looked like to have virtue, to be brave, to be kind. Little did I realize that I was onto something — more than just having a crush on Susie Wirth. I grew up and became a teacher, and have now spent

almost 50 years in the classroom circling the ideas Ms. Ames introduced. I have carried forward her questions into innumerable conversations, which have been the most compelling and illuminating of my life and are the inspiration for an upcoming series of columns in The Sopris Sun called “Seeking Haystacks.”

Einstein said, “The purpose of education is to nurture thoughtfulness; to decide for oneself what is of genuine value in life and then find the courage to take your thoughts seriously.” I believe that to be true, and I have had the privilege to witness the precious thoughtfulness of thousands of students, including students in the current Tomorrow’s Voices classes. Every Monday night now, a class of courageous students discusses ideas about justice, freedom and equality. I am awed by their honesty, perceptiveness, and the fresh thinking that occurs, and ultimately by who they are. My students have been a true inspiration and I am lucky to know them. I begin by thanking Isaac Gerber — a senior at Glenwood Springs High School headed for the University of Chicago — for coining the term “Seeking Haystacks,” alluding

to the unmistakable passion in Claude Monet’s painting of haystacks and what passion and beauty can teach us. The way Monet took the world in revealed our intimate connec-

OPINION

SEEKING HAYSTACKS

By A.O. Forbes

tion to beauty and to ourselves. Monet wanted to teach us to see life.

Throughout the years, I’ve tried to sneak an anecdote about my grandmother into all my classes (as every student of mine can attest!). More than a personal narrative, she manifested a level of decency and morality she described as being “squeaky-clean” (the sound of clean, freshly shampooed hair). She knew that

wisdom, kindness and courage are the currency of justice and that navigating the complexities of this world demands that we are “clean.” I’m quite sure my grandmother never read Camus, Hannah Arendt or Martin Luther King Jr., yet they all lived and died tucked within her life. And she would never have used the term “hero,” or “self pure” or considered herself heroic or exceptional. Yet, with an inspired sense of decency, she leaned into her version of innocence where kind deeds spoke louder than words, where the means, not the ends, were most critical. These notions live at the heart of my moral compass, and ring true for my students.

Thich Nhat Hanh said, “Our own life is the instrument with which we experiment with the truth.” The simple and inherent desire of my students to be their best selves fuels their courageous willingness to name what is true, both personally and collectively. Their eloquent discussions about how to be “squeakyclean” are the essence of hope. This column will attempt to share their questions, thoughts, and ideas, as well as those of authors who inspire us

to bring dignity and an enlightened sense of decency to the world. This starts with our everyday choices and lives — redefining heroism to look less like King Arthur and more like my grandmother. It is a simple choice, but not easy. To seek haystacks as a way of life is a much tougher call, perhaps best described by a conversation between civil rights activists Bryan Stevenson, Rosa Parks and Johnnie Carr. Stevenson described his work in the justice system to these two women: “I gave them my whole rap, about not enough justice and too much injustice and when I finished she [Rosa Parks] looked at me and said, ‘Mmm mmm mmm. That’s going to make you tired, tired, tired.’ And that’s when Ms. Carr leaned forward … she put her finger in my face, and she said, ‘That’s why you’ve got to be brave, brave, brave.’”

My grandmother would be delighted to know that she is a small part of these class conversations — half a century after her death — helping ordinary people to be brave, brave, brave. And she would gently insist, “It is really the only game in town.”

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Carbondale Planning and Zoning Commission for the purpose of considering a Special Use Permit to allow the existing business, Ragged Mountain Sports, to remain operable in an industrial zoned building.

Project Description: Ragged Mountain Sports has operated in this same building since November 2021. Commercial retail uses of 10,000 square feet or less require a Special Use Permit to operate in the industrial zone district, therefore the business is requesting a Special Use Permit to allow the business to continue to operate in its current location.

Property Location: 826 Unit A1, Highway 133 (aka Lot 2, Commercial service subdivision)

Applicant: Beth Fults-Osborn, Class 5 Design

Owner: Tracy Vermeyen, Carbondale Commercial Services

Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 7:00 p.m. on June 13th, 2024.

Copies of the proposed application are on file in the Planning Department office, Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO and may be examined during regular business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The application may also be viewed on the Town’s website at:

https://carbondalegov org/departments/ planning/curent land use applications php

If you would like to submit comments regarding this application you must send them via email to epeterson@carbondaleco.net by 5:00 pm on June 12th, 2024. The comments will be entered into the record. If you have questions regarding the application, please contact Ellie Peterson, Planner at 970-510-1212.

TOWN OF CARBONDALE 511 Colorado Avenue Carbondale, CO 81623 www.carbondalegov.org (970 963-2733 Fax: (970) 963-9140

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Scene One

By Don Marlin

My body ached along my right side and kept bleeding through the bandages. My right shin and knee had six-inch gashes that bore markings like a bear paw being slowly drawn down along my flesh. My right thigh was almost twice as big as my left, turning blue, and bore the same claw-like markings. The upper ribs below the only hairs on my chest had an outline on the gauze bandages that could be identified like the Shroud of Turin. The 13 titanium screws in my clavicle had to be loose because I could hardly hold the Reader’s Digest from December of two years ago. Maybe the blame should rest on the granite gravel, my mountain bike, or my weakening metabolism.

My wife keeps up with every month of the Reader’s Digest while I reach for them whenever I am sick or hurt, lying in bed. It helps to confuse my mind and make me forget about my medical condition. Tonight was no exception.

The “Christmas Gifts on a Budget” article didn’t offset the throbbing and my eyes were tired, so I turned off the light. A faint cobalt blue glow filled the room as my eyes began to adjust to the room with the outline of the gable trusses across the ceiling, the oak slats in the walls, and late 18th- and early 19th-century furniture we had picked up on our travels around the country.

The light was pulsating at about the same rhythm as my injured muscles were swelling. The ebb and flow of the light rays made me wonder if the dishwasher was causing some of the suppression in electrical flow. If I put the machine on the antibacterial mode, this was going to be a long night, but all Mary made me for dinner was chicken soup and olive bread, washed down with some vintage zinfandel, so I became puzzled in the darkness. We didn’t have a dishwasher.

The LED numerals on the clock and the humidifier were blue, but we normally cover them up with a hand towel to keep it dark, and the security panel is a dull orange. I was even more bewildered since we had those items at our last house and not in this one. She didn’t wake up as I rotated my legs out of bed, or when I exhaled loudly to stand and walk across the floor, but the muffled scream that I made as I saw the sleeping faces of my friends in the cobalt blue of the oval 18th century mirror on the wall made her fall right out of bed.

To be continued…

Comparte tus proyectos creativos aún en proceso con nuestros lectores. Puedes enviarnos un correo electrónico con tus ilustraciones, creaciones literarias y poesía a fiction@soprissun.com

Two of Cremona, Italy’s finest Clelia Anselmi (left) and Tea Uggeri happened to come across a copy of the May 2nd issue of The Sopris Sun at the heart of their beautiful city.

Photo by Tristan Mead

Bonedale Bike Week

from page 10

Having such a large group of recipients this year can also help encourage younger students to pursue the requirements to

Most of the students who earn the seal study English and Spanish. Many of them are native Spanish speakers who have worked throughout their school years to be literate in English but don’t want to lose their native language.

“I taught some of these students as sixth graders at Carbondale Middle School, and so many of these students are near and dear to my heart,” Martinez said. “I’ve watched their English language development progress and become more complex, and then to read their final pieces for the seal was really rewarding.”

Esmeralda Alverde Duarte was helping with interpretation at parent-teacher conferences at Crystal River Elementary School when she started down the path to earning her Seal of Biliteracy.

“The world is becoming so much more interconnected, and English is sort of dominating a lot of that discourse,” she said. “But there’s so much beauty in a lot of languages, and I don’t want to lose that.”

Alverde Duarte is also starting to learn

French, and has even taken a Colorado Mountain College class in American Sign Language. She plans to attend Cornell University after graduation.

Cohen and Ricardo Zavala Magana were this year’s recipients of the Boettcher Scholarship, and their knowledge of multiple languages helped in being selected for the award.

“It has definitely cemented my love for learning languages,” Zavala Magana said. “I’ve always been interested in all the different ways that people communicate.” He plans to attend the Colorado School of Mines, and his experience traveling to Spain and Portugal with the school’s World Traveler’s Club last year sparked his interest in learning Portuguese, as well.

Cohen is planning to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder to study biomechanical engineering. He also wants to continue learning languages, and perhaps do another study abroad.

“Hopefully in my career after college I can use my Spanish-, French- or Italianspeaking skills in my work,” he said, mentioning programs like Doctors Without Borders as a pursuit he is interested in.

The 15th Annual Bonedale Bike week went off without a broken chain, or at least not one that couldn’t be fixed. Even more Carbondalians than usual were seen out and about commuting on two wheels sans a combustion engine last week, and participating in some of the fun and quirky events associated with the local tradition.

Photos by Will Sardinsky

As the school year comes to a close Roaring Fork High School students and staff gather for the traditional all school photo taken (also customarily) from the rooftop of the school by Sue Rollyson. Congratulations to all Roaring Fork Valley students for finishing up another term of academia and here’s to each of this year’s graduates’ future endeavors.

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