Horsin’ around
PHOTOS AND TEXT BY WILL SARDINSKY
Taylor van Zyl and Mark Drummond are the owners and drivers of Pair a Dice Carriages, performing this Thursday, Aug. 7 at the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo (CWWR).
“There’s nothing quite as exhilarating as witnessing a gleaming stagecoach drawn by six big black Percherons thunder into the arena,” CWWR’s website describes.
“The ground rumbles beneath the power of their hooves, and the sight of these majestic horses transports every onlooker back to the days of the Wild West and the legendary spirit of John Wayne.”
Wrangler, Mark (the horse), Ace, Levi, Ty and Houston are all Percherons, a breed of draft horse known for their calmness, steadiness and extreme athleticism.
Van Zyl and Drummond first met at Carbondale’s rodeo and later found themselves
driving sleighs at the Pine Creek Cookhouse in Aspen. Both had rodeoed their whole lives and wanted to incorporate their shared passions for driving horse teams.
Thus, Pair a Dice is a commercial horse-drawn carriage service based in Arizona. In the winter they work weddings, parades, private events and Christmas festivities. Come summer, they travel with the stagecoach and six-horse hitch on the rodeo circuit where they get hired to be a VIP ride or as a specialty act.
“They’re just a lot of fun… when you learn all the trust and they learn to trust you and you’re able to
drive,” said Drummond.
“He has a bigger grin driving six horses than I’ve ever seen,” van Zyl added.
“You’ve got 12,000 pounds in two hands,” Drummond remarked.
“The places I can go and situations we can put them in, most horses, you can’t do that with,” van Zyl said. “And even within the Percheron breed, to find six of these that can do what we ask our horses to do is…” she paused. “I mean, to go on the street and do carriage rides and then go to the arena with 10,000 screaming people… it does take a special horse. They’re extremely talented, extremely well natured.”
Mosey on over to the Gus Darien Riding Arena for this specialty performance and the third-to-last rodeo this Thursday, Aug. 7. Gates open 5pm, slack is at 5:45pm and grand entry at 7:30pm, sharp.
From Burger King to the classroom
I came to the United States when I was 16 years old, carrying a suitcase full of dreams and shaky hope. I didn’t know the language, didn’t understand the culture and I had no idea what path to take. The only thing that was clear was that I was in a new, unfamiliar country and my priorities had changed. Now, I had to work, help support my family and survive.
My first job was at a Burger King. There, I learned to wrap burgers at lightning speed and flip patties with precision. But while my hands worked, my mind wandered. I often thought about everything I had left behind. I wondered if I would ever touch a computer again, if I’d have a second chance to go back to school or even dream of a career.
HOUR
By Ingrid Zúniga
There were days when the sadness weighed as much as a double shift. I felt frustrated, angry and invisible. Being an immigrant is more than just crossing a border; it’s learning how to live between two worlds without losing yourself. And when you don’t speak the language, everything feels 10 times harder. Your goals begin to fade. It almost seems easier to let go of your dreams and just focus on paying bills and surviving.
But something inside me refused to give up. I started learning English while working. Sometimes I had two jobs, but I never stopped going to class. It was exhausting, of course, but every new word I learned was one more step toward freedom. And one day, I was finally able to hold a conversation in English. That moment changed everything.
Thanks to the encouragement of some amazing people who believed in me, I decided to pursue my GED. I took the classes, studied hard and eventually earned my certificate. That day was one of the most emotional days of my life. It wasn’t just a piece of paper; it was a key, a symbol that it is possible. That even without resources, without the language and with countless challenges, dreams don’t die — they adapt.
With my GED in hand, I started taking college classes and slowly discovered what I wanted to study. It wasn’t easy. Those were years filled with struggles, exhaustion and long days that started before sunrise and ended late at night. But through it all, I never let go of my belief in the power of education.
Education opens doors, yes. But it also gives us power. It gives us freedom. It connects us to what we love and lights a fire inside us. In this country, where everything moves so fast, finding your voice and purpose through learning is an act of resistance and hope.
Today, I’m still studying, with new goals and bigger dreams. I am resilient, and I know so many others like me are too. This story doesn’t end here. It’s just the beginning of something greater.
VOICES ARTery Tiny Stage is an intimate mobile space for music and storytelling. In this event of “HerStory — Strong Women in the Valley,” co-presented by VOICES and Bookcliffs Art Center — and recorded and co-produced live by Creative Archeology — four storytellers from different walks of life in the Colorado River Valley communities shared stories about their origins, their becoming and their way of being, as mother, writer, community leader and creatives. Tune in to KDNK this Friday, Aug. 8 from 6 to 7pm, to hear these stories or find the archive at www.voicesrfv.org/voices-radio-hour
LETTERS
CORRECTION: The article “Chacos Park design proceeds with best intentions” referred to Dan Bullock as the chair of Carbondale’s Tree Board. Lisa Paige is now chair of that advisory body.
Thank you, firefighters
I would like to publicly thank, from the bottom of my heart, all of the heroic fire folk who fought the Coulter Creek Fire on Sunday.
We live on County Road 100 in Missouri Heights and watched from our front porch all day. The dramatic, professional and elegant response was a sight to behold. Within minutes of a black plume of smoke rising, vehicles were speeding toward the scene. All day neighbors reached out. We were a community caring for each other amidst an extremely frightening threat. We waited and wondered how it would end.
As I closed my curtains that evening I was suddenly overwhelmed with feelings of unspeakable gratitude. Across the street at the fire station I saw probably a dozen fire response vehicles parked. I now knew I could sleep that night. In a world filled with so much random cruelty, total strangers were watching out for me. They were watching out for all of us. I had seen the very best of humanity this day and I am beyond grateful...
Julia
Behar Missouri Heights
Labor statistics
The credibility of our government’s statistics determines fiscal and monetary policy, guides our businesses in hiring, expanding, or holding decisions and is foundational to investor trust.
Trump’s petulant firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics chief on Friday was akin to a 6-yearold flipping the Monopoly board because he’s losing the game.
The data validated what economists have been warning about for months. The “stable genius” has no clue what he’s doing.
It’s bad enough for us, but imagine if you lived in Lesotho, where textiles accounted for nearly 90% of industrial jobs. Because of Trump’s blather of imposing a 50% tariff on goods from this tiny African country, Walmart, Levi’s, JCPenney, etc. cancelled orders. Now many thousands there are back living in abject poverty, barely able to feed or house themselves, much less pay school fees for their children.
It’s disgusting and shameful that one petty, ignorant, self-important individual could render this much harm to so many people.
Annette Roberts-Gray Carbondale
Bombing Iran
At the behest of Israel, our country recently bombed Iran with 2,000-pound bombs. Iran has done nothing to the U.S. This attack was not authorized by our Congress. As a caller said on CSPAN, not one word has been said about Iranian people who were killed or injured. This incident is unacceptable in every way. Fire Trump.
Patrick Hunter Carbondale
Schumer and Jeffries
In this historical moment, as President Donald Trump and his fascist allies are dismantling American democracy, I’m frequently unsure what the best progressive strategy moving forward is. One thing of which I’m certain, though, is Democratic congressional leadership, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, must be replaced. They’ve proven themselves to be wildly out of step with their party’s base. The pair are more interested in fighting leftists in their own ranks than the right-wing authoritarian menace engulfing this country and setting us back generations. It’s a particularly shameful state of affairs, given both of these conservative Democrats are from New York, which should be a progressive powerhouse.
For instance, both Schumer and Jeffries have so far refused to endorse the winner of the New York City Democratic mayoral primary, Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist. The Big Apple, of course, is home to a massive number of people who voted for them and their party. The pair’s Mamdani snub is a betrayal of these voters, who have clearly expressed their preference in the contest.
Vice President Kamala Harris was to my right on just about every issue. Still, I voted for her in the 2024 presidential race, and urged others to do the same, in the name of unity against a looming fascist threat. How will Schumer and Jeffries have any credibility urging leftists to rally behind a centrist primary winner, at any level, if they won’t back Mamdani, when the shoe is on the other foot?
More recently, Schumer voted against a resolution put forward by Senator Bernie Sanders, blocking the sale of bombs to Israel. I’m by no means an expert on foreign policy or the precise scholarly definition of genocide, but how can you see
continued on page 22
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Runners rejoice!
Our very own Independence Run & Hike has been named one of 65 top running stores in the country for 2025 by The Running Event — North America’s premier run and outdoor specialty retail conference and trade show. “After 20 years of hard work, I’m absolutely over the moon to see Independence Run & Hike recognized as one of the best running stores in America,” wrote owner Brion After in a press release. “I couldn’t be more grateful to our amazing employees — past and present — and to this incredible community that’s supported us every step of the way.” The 2025 program received 7,967 nominations across 45 states, representing nearly 270 unique stores.
Trailer parks success
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“The current owners of Mountain Valley Mobile Home Park and Aspen-Basalt Mobile Home Park on Monday, July 28, accepted an offer from the residents of those parks to purchase the communities for $42 million,” The Aspen Times reported on Friday, Aug. 1. These two communities are working toward becoming resident-owned with assistance from Thistle, a Boulder-based nonprofit, and the West Mountain Regional Housing Coalition. “Between various local governments in the Roaring Fork Valley, private businesses and fundraisers, the communities are still about $6 million short of the $20 million dollar goal for the purchase,” the article stated. Meeting this goal will help residents keep their rents stable, however this will not affect their ability to purchase the parks thanks to additional assistance from ROC USA in the form of a $22 million loan.
Regional resource directory
The West Mountain Regional Health Alliance is maintaining an online resource directory for Pitkin, Garfield and Eagle counties, compiling free, low-income and reduced cost resources encompassing food, education, health, financial assistance, volunteering and more. The guide (www.westmountainhealthalliance.org/resources) is also accessible in Spanish.
Rivers running low
The Roaring Fork Conservancy’s July 31 River Report revealed that the Crystal River is flowing at 6% of normal for this time of year at the Fish Hatchery. “While we are in monsoon season, it has not yet produced much rain for the Roaring Fork Watershed,” the report stated. Rain gauge totals for July were much lower than average. Valley residents are urged to conserve water, indoors and out.
Carbondale ditches
The Town of Carbondale has adjusted its ditch operations in response to declining river flow rates. “These adjustments allow us to balance irrigation needs with the limited water resources currently available in the river,” a press release stated. To maintain a balanced approach, ditch users may need to adjust the timing of when they water. The recent Crystal River Restoration Project is attributed for more stable diversions at the Weaver Ditch headgate, compared with past years.
Now hiring
Two local conservation nonprofits are looking for qualified folks to join their teams. Aspen Valley Land Trust is seeking “a passionate and experienced stewardship director to lead the care and long-term protection of conserved lands throughout the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys” (www.avlt.org/join-our-team for more). Wilderness Workshop, meanwhile, welcomes “a passionate, committed and
dynamic communications manager to join our highly talented team working to protect the wilderness, water and wildlife of western Colorado’s public lands” (www.wildernessworkshop.org/careers).
Beaver conservation input sought
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is launching the development of a formal Beaver Conservation and Management Strategy and invites the public to weigh in through Aug. 31. Beavers are a keystone species which can boost biodiversity, improve water storage and support climate resilience. However, conflicts can occur when beaver habitat overlaps with human infrastructure. Learn more at www.EngageCPW.org
Fire restrictions
All lands managed by the White River National Forest and Bureau of Land Management Upper Colorado River District are joining Garfield County in enacting stage 2 fire restrictions beginning Friday, Aug. 8. This means no campfires or charcoal are allowed anywhere on these public lands, including in developed campgrounds and picnic areas.
Carbondale Homeless Assistance
Steve’s Guitars hosts a fundraiser for Carbondale Homeless Assistance this Friday, Aug. 8, beginning at 7pm. Performers will include Aggie Flores, Mugsy Fay and Olivia the Bard. All proceeds will go toward helping local people experiencing homelessness to meet their basic needs and get back on their feet. Find tickets at www.stevesguitars.net
They say it’s your birthday!
Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Ed Engelki, Charlotte Graham and Marcelo Lott (Aug. 7); Amber Sparkles, Chris Peterson and Jasmin Ramirez Ramos (Aug. 8); Dru Handy and Sarah-Jane Johnson (Aug. 9); Jeanne Souldern and Louise Holgate (Aug. 10); Tripp Adams, Morgan Hill, Bill Hofto and Sean Keery (Aug. 11); Caitlin Evans, Brian Gaddis and Alyson Romanus (Aug. 12); Briana Boland, John Ginn, Larry Gottlieb and Sarah Overbeck (Aug. 13).
Carbondale’s new Aspen-Sopris Ranger Station is 98% complete, The Sopris Sun was informed earlier this week. The construction fencing is coming down and furniture is moving inside. According to David Boyd, public affairs officer with the White River National Forest, they still anticipate opening later this summer. How federal staffing cuts will impact operations is yet to be seen. Photo by Raleigh Burleigh
Coulter Creek Fire quickly contained
JAMES STEINDER
RALEIGH BURLEIGH
Sopris Sun Editors
Around 11am on Sunday, Aug. 3, Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District (CRFPD) responded to a wildfire in the Missouri Heights area. “Upon arrival, firefighters found an active fire burning in grass, pine trees, juniper trees and sage, and spreading at high speed. The brigades immediately began extinction work from the ground, as air resources were deployed to assist,” CRFPD reported.
By 1pm, the fire had grown to around 40 acres and an evacuation order was issued by the Garfield County Sheriff for the Panorama Subdivision and nearby homes.
The Coulter Creek Fire grew to 115 acres Sunday, however all evacuation orders were lifted as firefighters from multiple agencies managed to slow the spread and protect homes.
After monitoring the fire overnight, crews began Monday with a mop-up technique called cold tailing, assuring already burned areas were fully extinguished. No homes were lost and no injuries were reported, but one outbuilding had been destroyed.
“The cause is under investigation by Carbondale Fire’s investigation team, but is not believed to be suspicious,” read a CRFPD press release. It’s suspected that “lightning in the area a few days before the fire started is believed to be the likely cause.”
Firefighters concluded their work on the Coulter Creek Fire Monday afternoon, achieving 100% containment. They will remain vigilant, however, in case of flare-ups.
“This was a true team effort,” said Incident Commander Bill Gavette. “Ground crews worked with air crews attacking the fire from multiple angles. That coordinated response was key to stopping the Coulter Creek Fire.”
An airplane drops fire retardant to slow the spread of the Coulter Creek Fire on Sunday, Aug. 3.
Photo courtesy of Sawyer Ivansco @ KASE_Spotter
Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District courtesy photo
With the fire located not far from this Missouri Heights pasture, these worried goats kept bleating, “This looks baaaaaad!” Photo by Jane Bachrach
Perched on a bluff in the Panorama neighborhood, this unobstructed view shows a helicopter dropping water on flames close to homes in the Coulter Creek Fire area. Photo by Jane Bachrach
Jonathan Hershberger was riding his bike when he spotted smoke and flames soon after the fire erupted. He snapped this courtesy photo after calling 911.
Local public radio says,
‘We’re not going
JAMES STEINDLER
Contributing Editor
After months of concern that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) would be defunded, thus revoking federal dollars which local public radio stations rely on, the Rescissions Act was signed by President Donald Trump on July 24. According to www.congress. gov, the act revoked $9.4 billion — at the recommendation of the Trump administration — in “unobligated” funds to the “Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development [and] various independent and related agencies,” which included $1.1 billion previously earmarked for CPB for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
The Senate passed the bill by 51-48, and the House by 214-212.
The Sopris Sun reached out to Colorado’s Third Congressional District House Representative Jeff Hurd, who voted in favor of the bill, and received a single-paragraph response that had already been referenced in other news coverage:
“The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 provides the President a formal pathway to propose rescissions of appropriated spending. I voted in favor of the Rescissions Act because it represents a small step forward in curtailing government spending by clawing back non-life-saving foreign aid and taxpayer-funded radio programming. I am reassured by commitments my colleagues and I in both chambers
anywhere’
of Congress secured to prohibit cuts to essential, lifesaving foreign aid programs such as [the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief] and international food aid, as well as redirecting unused climate change funding to tribal radio stations. As Congress ultimately controls the power of the purse, I look forward to working with my colleagues to preserve and strengthen essential services and programs as the fiscal year 2026 appropriations process continues.”
When The Sun asked Hurd’s office to elaborate, including asking if he listens to public radio, there was no response.
Hurd’s statement was received by The Sun following the Senate Appropriations Committee’s July 31 decision to exclude funding for CPB in its Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. Following that news, CPB President and CEO Pat Harrison sent an email to public radio stations across the country letting them know that the national nonprofit would “begin taking steps toward an orderly and responsible shutdown.” CPB plans to let go of most of its staff by the end of the congressional fiscal year (Sept. 30) and leave a transitional team in place through January 2026, before officially closing its doors after nearly 60 years.
Historically, CPB has allocated community service grants to public radio stations each year with its appropriated
funds. Without these grants, KDNK stands to suffer a loss of about $174,000 annually, Aspen Public Radio $210,000 and KVNF, based in Paonia, $161,500.
Outside of the community service grants, CPB has also subsidized things like music licensing and satellite interconnection for stations nationwide.
Ahead of CPB announcing its impending closure, National Public Radio (NPR) member stations received a breakdown of what this additional funding gap could look like respectively. For KDNK, its costs covered by federal funds (outside of the community service grant) were estimated at $51,733. The breakdown from NPR
also factored in staff-time and resources needed to make up the deficit — estimated at $83,809 for the Carbondale station. Therefore, KDNK’s overall “cost to replace lost federal funds” (including the yearly grant) was estimated at $310,321. In the case of APR, those additional costs covered by CPB amount to $62,172, plus nearly $100,000 in staff time and resources to fill the hole, bringing its total estimated gap to $372,943.
“There’s some core functional stuff we have to figure out how to do, and not just replicate, but do better, do smarter, do more cooperatively,” said Aspen Public
continued on page 19
KDNK Underwriting Director Tracy Strode holding down the live broadcast booth at the 54th Annual Mountain Fair. Photo courtesy of Megan Passmore
‘I’d
AMY HADDEN MARSH
Sopris Sun Correspondent
Paul Backes and Calvin Seneker, auditors with McMahan and Associates LLC, had fairly good news for the Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) on Monday, Aug. 4. Referring to how well the county manages its budget, Backes said, “I’d like to put you in charge of the federal government.” He also compared Garfield County to Moffat County as the coal-fired power plants in Craig and Hayden begin to close down and the coal mines are on the ropes. “They have a lot tied up in one industry,” said Backes.
According to the Colorado Sun, the power plant and mines provided 43% of property tax revenues for Moffat County in 2023. The oil and natural gas industry in Garfield County provided 66% of property tax revenue in 2007 and, according to Jim Yellico, county assessor, 73.6% in 2009 and 70.2% in 2013. More recently, 56% of property tax revenues in 2022 came from oil and gas and 44.6% in 2024.
The Rifle/Garfield County
Airport, by comparison, does not provide as much property tax revenue as the oil and gas industry. “The airport itself is exempt from property taxation and the hangars, etc. contribute at a nominal level,” said Yellico in an email to The Sopris Sun. “However, the airport generates revenue for the county in other ways.” Those other ways include fuel sales, land leases and hangar rent, landing fees and ramp use charges, commercial tenant fees and access and service agreements.
Auditors found a few snags with the county fairgrounds financials. “We identified various instances of non-compliance with county policy and procedures related to cash receiving and cash depositing,” said Seneker. He said he recognizes there was significant turnover in that department in 2024, but “policies and procedures are put in place for a reason, and we highly recommend everybody doing the best they can to follow them.”
He recommended that fairgrounds staff use new software to track reservations. “Delays in invoicing, card expenses,
reconciliations in incorrect billings of fair vendors, difficulties providing accurate and timely reconciliations of cash deposits and cash payouts, I mean, that’s pretty basic,” he said. Other recommendations include having the county treasurer involved with cash outflow and receipts and purchase card limits to reduce the risk of employees circumventing county spending limits.
Returning to the county airport, the BOCC approved a pause of additional land development solicitations until the airport master plan is finalized. The pause does not include county projects underway before Feb. 18, 2025 or county improvements to the airport. The master plan is expected to be finished in April of 2026.
“Looks clear.”
Commissioners also heard requests from five local nonprofits — the Grand Valley Park Association, Andy Zanca Youth Empowerment Program, Aspen Public Radio, YouthEntity and the Glenwood Springs Arts Council — for $5,000 each from the discretionary grant fund. The BOCC will respond to those requests at their Aug. 11 meeting.
A liquor license was transferred from Honey Butter LLC to 502 Diner LLC on Highway 133 in Carbondale.
The BOCC also approved a request from the City of Rifle for landfill fee reductions for the city’s 17th annual fall cleanup, Sept. 22 to Oct.3.
“Last year we hauled out 350,000 pounds of trash and junk to the Garfield [County]
Landfill,” said Alan Lambert, community service officer for the Rifle Police Department. He encouraged people to put out unwanted items just before collection day and warned “shoppers” — those who like to find treasures in others’ trash — to be neat about it. “Don’t tear open the bags, don’t leave stuff scattered over the street,” he advised.
Prohibited items include tires, paint, oil, computers, televisions and car batteries. “And please don’t hide them in the refrigerators or washing machines,” he said. “Because we find them in there once in a while and then we end up leaving them on your lawn.” And no putting out freezers with spoiled meat in them, either. “They’re very yucky to have to pick up,” he said.
Dr. John Emerick of Redstone appointed to CPW Commission
KATE PHILLIPS Sopris Sun Correspondent
The opportunity of a lifetime has arrived for Redstone resident Dr. John Emerick as he was recently appointed to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission on July 3 by Governor Jared Polis. Filling the member at large position, Emerick, a retired professor of environmental biology, will use a scientific lens to help set regulations and policies for Colorado’s state parks and wildlife programs.
“CPW has an enormous responsibility to manage hunting and fishing and our parks. We have a lot of state land out there,” said Emerick. “It’s certainly been an interesting agency to me because of my interest in park lands and wildlife. I applied for the position because I wanted to give back to the people and state that have given so much to me.”
A lifelong ecologist, Emerick is best known for his work with riparian, stream and wetland ecology. In the Roaring Fork and Crystal River valleys, he founded multiple watershed health and restoration efforts, including a three year assessment of the in-stream and riparian habitats with ecologist Delia Malone and the Roaring Fork Stream Health Initiative; this work continues onward with the Roaring Fork Conservancy.
Furthermore, Emerick has co-authored numerous books (e.g., “From Grassland to Glacier: The Natural History of Colorado”), conducts research with the Colorado Natural Heritage program, held board positions with Wilderness Workshop and ColoradoWild and currently serves as the Crystal River Caucus chair. As chair, he has advocated to thoughtfully conserve the flow and health of the Crystal River, including a current movement to designate it as Wild and Scenic. Across the state, peers have praised Polis for Emerick’s nomination, noting his versatility and commitment.
“The appointment of Dr. Emer ick continues the unprecedented effort by Governor Polis to add to the professionalism and scien tific expertise of the Commission by nominating an esteemed field expert whose career demon strates his proficiency in the topics under the purview of the CPW,” said James Pribyl, Colorado Nature Action Board Chair and former CPW Commission chair.
Growing up, Emerick was raised to appreciate the natural world. His father was a geologist and the family often relocated to follow his studies; but Emerick’s fascination for ecologyremained consistent.
Recalling his youth, Emerick
said he brought home snapping turtles and alligators from the Florida swamplands, Tucson desert tarantulas and, one time, a family of shrews.
“My dad would let them go, but I’d go out there and collect more,” laughed Emerick. “One of the things my dad taught me was that you have to be kind to critters. At some point I stopped collecting them and went another direction.”
That other direction became academia. After finishing his B.S. in fisheries biology from the University of Washington, he earned a M.A. and Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Colorado. During his graduate studies he met the late Dr. Beatrice Willard, an internationally recognized tundra ecologist who greatly influenced Colorado ecological education and policy. Willard, impressed by Emerick’s work, recruited him to teach at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM). Together they developed the Department of Environmental Science and Ecology and became the first fulltime faculty members to offer students a degree that married ecology, engineering and economics. Emerick continued teaching for two decades and found his greatest joy bringing CSM students into the field to explore various American West ecosystems.
“It was so much fun. The students were very focused on their studies, smart and a pleasure to work with,” said Emerick. “You build lifelong relationships with these students.”
Emerick retired from CSM in 2001 and said he is looking forward to this next chapter with CPW. Pending confirmation from the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee he could serve for four years and work with an esteemed group of commissioners such as Carbondale cattle rancher Tai Jacober and Farm Collaborative Executive Director Eden Vardy. Alongside Emerick, Polis appointed Frances Silva Blayney of Colorado Springs to CPW’s sportsmen and outfitters position.
“I am excited to appoint two well-qualified Coloradans who will bring people together and bridge divides,” said Polis. “Together these appointments will help bring down the temperature and move away from any politicization of this board.”
Emerick attended his first commissioner meeting on July 17-18 in Grand Junction and was struck by the collaborative atmosphere.
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Upscale Thri Shop: Habitat RFV ReStore
Address: 53 Calaway Ct., Glenwood Springs
Open Hours: Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm
The Habitat RFV ReStore offers high-quality home goods, furniture, and building materials - every purchase helps build affordable homes in our local community.
Deluxe Consignment Shop: Village Vintage
Address: 1429 Grand Avenue, Glenwood Springs
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm
Village Vintage offers a mix of consignment fashion, furniture, handmade pottery, local art, and unique gifts - where style meets creativity and sustainability.
Address: 2412 S Glen Ave, Glenwood Springs (next to car wash)
Phone: 970-945-0234
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10-5pm
Sunday/Monday closed
This non-profit has been providing affordable, quality, second-hand items to the community since 1997. Our proceeds are used to support local organizations in the region, and employment opportunities through Mountain Valley Developmental Services. Store profits and your donations are making a positive impact on the community and those in need.
Address: 574 HWY 133, Carbondale
Thri Boutique: LuLu’s Thri Shoppe
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am - 6pm & Sunday 10am - 4pm
Phone: 970-963-1984
Consignment quality at thrift store prices. Lulu’s is the cleanest and most organized thrift store in the valley. We also have the fastest turnover of inventory, putting out 1000 new items every week.
Thrift and Thrive!
Address: 1676 County Rd 100 Unit N-2 Carbondale
Phone: 970-963-9025
Hours: Monday-Thursday 10 AM–6 PM, Friday 10 AM–5 PM, Saturday 10 AM–4 PM Sunday Closed (unless OPEN Flag is UP)
We preserve the history of skiing, by finding classic images & vintage ski equipment that brings skiing memories to life, promoting the joy & passion of skiing. Our 1-of-a-kind, vintage ski items enhance any decor, provide special gifts, and supply a treasure trove for collectors of vintage ski products.
Boutique Consignment: Susie’s at Willits
Address: 0331 Robinson Street, Basalt (Reed & Robinson in Wilits Town Center)
Hours: Monday- Sat 10:30-5:30pm and Sunday 12-5pm
Always fresh, Always fun, Always affordable and Always Classy! Susie’s at Willits curates a range of consignment clothing, housewares, & furniture for our customers.
A Consignment Shop: Heirlooms
Address: 144 Midland Avenue, Basalt, CO
Phone: 970-927-4384
Hours: Open Monday thru Sunday 10am - 6pm + Sundays 10am - 3pm
Since 2003, Heirlooms has been the Roaring Fork Valley's premier consignment store. From retro to trendy, they have been there for all of it.
Vintage Ski Store: Vintage Ski World
Upscale
Thri Store: Defiance
TRTC gears up for 2025-2026 season
MYKI JONES Arts Correspondent
Thunder River Theatre Company (TRTC) had a jampacked and well-received summer season of peripheral programming events. They now approach the debut of their 2025-2026 mainstage season, which aligns with the TRTC’s 30th anniversary. The community theater nonprofit will harken back to its earliest days by opening with “True West,” Aug. 29 through Sept. 14, which was the first show TRTC ever did when the curtains first rose.
This American classic, written by Sam Shepard, tells the story of two brothers at odds with one another over a film project. The play explores themes like the double nature of humanity, the fallibility of the “American Dream,” mixing business with pleasure and how family continually influences a person’s destiny.
“TRTC is going into its 30th season, which is huge considering theaters in general have not been faring well since the pandemic,” said Artistic Director Missy Moore. “One thing I wanted to harken to, especially with our season opener, was the roots of the theater when Lon [Winston] first opened the doors.” Moore will be directing this season opener.
Starring in the show is an all-star cast of TRTC veterans. Brian Landis Folkins will star as Lee and Jack Trembath will portray his younger brother, Austin. Libby Rife will be appearing as the boys’ mother and William “Bill” LeDent will portray Saul.
The remaining shows of the mainstage season include Kyle John Schmidt’s “The Secretary,” running Oct. 3 through 19. Directed by Brittany Crooke, this offbeat comedy centers around the topic of gun violence in America. Following will be Patrick Meyers’ “K2” — premiering Feb. 13, 2026, and running through March 1, 2026. This play, also directed by Moore, is a survival thriller about two climbers stuck on the K2, the second-highest mountain on Earth, quickly approaching an impossible decision.
The season will close with Sarah Ruhl’s “For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday” May 1 through 17, 2026, directed by Renee Prince. This story follows siblings actively dealing with their father’s passing away in a hospital room. As this occurs, the four siblings recount memories of their childhood, ranging from political arguments to their transitions to adulthood.
Moore said TRTC is a huge fan of Ruhl’s plays, having produced other works by her like “Eurydice,” “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” and “The Clean House.” Ruhl’s work has a long-standing history with TRTC due to the deeply human nature of her works. Moore said each show is subjective, and while folks may love one and not another, so long as audiences leave the theater with a new conversation, the story has done its job.
I started the selection process [for this season] with the idea of what it would be like to step into the unknown.
- Artistic Director Missy Moore
“I started the selection process [for this season] with the idea of what it would be like to step into the unknown,” Moore explained. “I consider that to be a very broad brush stroke for my choosing of this season, and it was a secondary element in the process. My driving factor was highlighting the 30th season.”
She continued, “I asked myself, ‘How can I highlight a theater that’s been around for 30 years?’ [TRTC] has produced anything from relatively brand-new, contemporary plays to what I call ‘American classics.’ Stories like ‘True West’ and ‘K2’ are approaching 50 years old and are part of the American canon. With ‘The Secretary,’ we are only the sixth theater in the nation to produce it.”
With each show, TRTC is hosting a “Sips & Scripts” event, featuring the cast and crew fleshing out the scripts in real time as an audience of friends and donors observe while enjoying complimentary refreshments. TRTC will also be reviving its cabaret series, in addition to other programming, which will be announced at a later date.
Season tickets and passes are now live and available on TRTC’s website. To purchase tickets, make a donation or get updates on other exciting programming, visit www.thunderrivertheatre.com
Defiance Community Players unveil new plans while sticking to old values
GUS RICHARDSON Sopris Sun Contributor
A couple of months ago, the Defiance Community Players, a local nonprofit theater group based in Glenwood Springs, teased a few new upcoming projects, with a radio play being the main yet-to-be-unveiled attraction.
“We’re working on one right now and we want it to be a surprise,” Travis Wilson, president of the Defiance Community Players, told the Post Independent in June.
However, Defiance has decided it is time to unveil this surprise, as Wilson has opened up to The Sopris Sun to give the people of the Valley a bit more information.
Defiance Theater, now Defiance Community Players, was originally founded in 1969 and became a nonprofit in 1976. Courtesy graphic
“The goal is to do a retelling of ‘War of the Worlds’ by Orson Welles for the Halloween season. Part of that goal is to have it recorded live from the Glenwood airport to give it more of an authentic feel of being in an era where they’re having plane activity and warcraft.”
This production is one step in a plan to “revive” the company after the major hit it took thanks to COVID-19. The Players’ business model is based on community engagement and real world connections, which was rather difficult to accomplish during a worldwide pandemic. However, this new plan promises a return to form.
“We’re starting with smaller projects,” said Wilson, “and the goal is to hopefully get back to what we used to do in a couple of years: big musical productions that had the entire community involved.”
Wilson continued to speak on the importance of community engagement in his vision of true “community theater,” claiming that he wants to see the entire community “whether they were on the stage, behind the scenes or just helping raise money and spreading the word of the show.”
To anyone who wants to make this vision a reality, Wilson leaves the following message: “Keep an eye out. Be supportive, come and see us or listen in whenever we do have events. And just that notion of, if you want to be a part of the village, you got to be a villager. So if you want to see the community theater scene come to life, you have to be a part of it. We need all the help we can take. It can’t be done by just a small group of people. It takes a community.”
To reach out to the Defiance Community Players, email (defianceplayers@ gmail.com) or call 970-251-0462.
Defiance Community Players dressed festive for a recent parade. Courtesy photo
The Defiance Community Players brought an interactive story activity to Strawberry Days. Pictured are two board members (left to right): China Kwan Clancy and Ricki Bowden. They serve as the secretary and treasurer respectively. Courtesy photo
TRTC Executive Artistic Director Missy Moore and Managing Director Dani Taylor-Moxon pictured at the recent Colorado Theatre Guild awards ceremony. Courtesy photo
RFSD Report: School board elections,
summer meetings and back-to-school reminders
ANNALISE GRUETER
Sopris Sun Correspondent
The sound of whistles and upbeat raised voices from sports fields herald the turn of the summer. Autumn sports practices have begun, and the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) is preparing for the start of a new school year, just two weeks away. High schoolers return to classrooms on Wednesday, Aug. 20, while elementary and middle school students will begin classes the next day, Thursday, Aug. 21.
Updates from over the summer include details on this autumn’s school board director elections (for which two seats are open), updates from RFSD’s June special budget meeting and reminders for the beginning of another academic year.
School board elections
This year, two of the board’s five seats are up for election. District A covers the area east of Highway 133 and south of Highway 82, approximately east Carbondale, Emma and sections of El Jebel and Willits. District E, also east of Carbondale, runs along the north side of Highway 82 and up the Fryingpan Valley. Each of these seats is up for a four-year term.
Per RFSD, the board is a nonpartisan elected governmental body that establishes and revises policies for school districts to ensure equitable educational opportunities for all students in the district. Candidates must be registered voters within the district for which they are running for at least the past 12 months, and may not be full-time employees of the school district. While employees can run for the positions, if elected, they would be required to relinquish their previous position. Being a board member is not a salaried position, though members do receive a small monthly stipend.
To run, eligible candidates must file an official petition with at least 50 elector signatures by Aug. 29. Additional details are available on the RFSD website. As of late July, only one person had officially declared candidacy for either seat. Elizabeth Cockrill Taylor is running for the District E seat. Her son recently graduated from the Aspen School District.
June board meeting
On June 25, the RFSD board met virtually to review and pass the final 2025-2026 school year budget. The fiscal year runs from July 1 this year to June 30, 2026.
Total appropriated funds approved are $211.6 million, with about $16 million for special revenues like food services and student activities, $46 million for the district’s housing fund and $118 million for the various facets of the general fund that cover education.
A letter from Superintendent Dr. Anna Cole and Chief Financial Officer Christy Chicoine was included in the meeting packet. It offered a summary of the challenges in the previous year’s budget and the way the new school year budget aims to address and prevent those issues moving forward. The presentation accompanying the letter included details on how district strategic goals factored into budget decisions including specific quantifications
of teacher-student ratios and use of property taxes to support the district’s schools.
The budget presentation in the packet included flags of challenges the district wants to observe closely over the year. For example, uncertainty about federal funding in the coming years, declining enrollment due to population decline and concerns about health insurance expenses. The packet included extensive graphics and tables demonstrating allocations, funding sources and the projected expenditures.
During the meeting, board director Lindsay DeFrates led the move to approve the 20252026 budget as presented, and was quickly seconded by board member Kenny Teitler.
Back-to-school reminders
Given that sports practices are back in session, community members are encouraged to slow down and pay extra attention while driving near campuses and athletic facilities. Garfield County library locations have a variety of resources for students preparing for the new school year and completing summer assignments. A website called Colorín Colorado has bilingual checklists and other resources for families. Children’s Hospital Colorado also provides recommendations for transitioning into the school year and advocating for one’s children.
The next RFSD board meeting will take place on Monday, Aug. 25.
Evening light washes over the quiet Basalt High School building. Fields are already filled with middle and high school athletes training for their fall sports, but the buildings will be full again in less than two weeks.
Photo by Annalise Grueter
Roaring Fork student’s love for whitewater paddling going global
JOHN STROUD
Sopris Sun Correspondent
An acquired affinity for kayaking gained through summer camps and paddling rivers far and wide with friends and family is taking Helen Dillard on a big adventure this coming school year.
Dillard, a student at Roaring Fork High School entering her sophomore year, was selected to attend the prestigious World Class Kayak Academy (WCKA).
Based in Washington state, the traveling high school offers a year-long program providing students with opportunities to sharpen their paddling skills and explore unique cultures around the world, while also completing their academic studies.
Dillard will join 15 other students later this month at the academy. They’ll spend the first quarter along the Ottawa River in eastern Canada, the second quarter in New Zealand, the third in Chile and the fourth traveling around Europe.
Her parents, Scott and Vida Dillard of Carbondale, are avid kayakers, and in fact met through kayaking while in college. They introduced Helen and her younger sister, Morgan, to
paddling at a young age.
“I started paddling in little duckies, probably when I was around 8, and then I got my first kayak roll when I was 10, and then I really started kayaking around 12,” Helen said.
She admits it took her a while to embrace the sport and think
about it as more than just a family activity.
A summer camp last year along the Salmon River in Idaho with her aunt and uncle, Tommy and Polly Hilleke, also of Carbondale, and several other Roaring Fork Valley youth, helped seal the deal. Tommy is Vida’s brother,
and each year the Hillekes take a group of local youth to their kayaking camp.
“It was great, because I had some friends that were my age there, and that made it much more enjoyable for me,” Helen said.
This summer, she attended the month-long Keener Camp in Ottawa, Canada, considered one of the top youth kayaking development programs in the world.
“We would paddle every single day, all day,” Helen said. “It
Roaring Fork High School sophomore Helen Dillard successfully paddles through a large rapid on the Gauley River in West Virginia last summer, marking a major progression in her skill level. She’ll spend the coming academic year honing her skills as part of the Work Class Kayak Academy. Scott Dillard courtesy photo
was really focused on making us better kayakers, and also making us better people.”
She and the only other girl in the camp stayed in a cabin where it was their responsibility to make their own breakfast and keep the place tidy — life skills she’ll need when she’s away for a whole academic year.
Her WCKA application got a thumbs up from several personal references, including accomplished kayaker Buffy Burge.
There’s something about being on the water with friends, and the camaraderie that comes with that, she said. “You feel really connected to the water and just, like, where you are and the people you’re with.”
The Keener camp helped tighten that tight bond in preparation for the year ahead. “It’s just nice to be screens-free and in the moment. Everybody who’s part of that really connects, especially when it’s days on end,” she said. “I feel like there’s definitely a connection between people that’s super special.”
Her parents weren’t certain she was ready to take her kayaking to another level until last summer, with plenty of safety support from fellow kayakers, they observed her navigate some Class IV rapids on the Gauley River in West Virginia.
“It does have some places you
continued on page 22
THE LITERATURE OF JANE
AUSTEN AND WOMEN’S ISSUES
Explore Austen’s commentary on relationships, love, and societal expectation and why it is still relevant to women today. Mondays, 6-8pm, 8/25-10/6, Basalt
More Community Education Classes
PONDEROSA FOREST WALK
Learn the ethnobotanical uses of various edible and medicinal plants at Basalt’s Food Park. Sunday, 5-6:30pm, 8/17, Basalt
AIKIDO (TRY IT FOR FREE)
Learn to re-direct, neutralize, or avoid an attack altogether without harm to the attacker. Tuesdays and/or Thursdays, 6-7:30pm, 8/26-10/9, CB
MEDICINE OF OUR TREES
Explore the healing properties of several local tree species and the gifts they offer us. Thursday, 5-7pm, 8/28, CB
BEGINNING SWING
DANCE - SEPTEMBER
Learn Jitterbug basics: steps, turns, spins, dips, and other fun Swing Dance moves. Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30pm, 9/3-9/24, Carbondale
INTRO TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Explore A.I. - the ethics and impacts of this mega trendwith hands-on practice using the basic tools and their uses. Wednesdays, 1:30-3:30pm, 9/3-9/24, Carbondale
SEWING
Learn to sew with a simple project provided or bring your own project. Upcycling and thrifting is encouraged. Wednesdays, 6:30-9:30pm, 9/3-10/22, Carbondale
SCULPTURE
A class in 3-D design including projects that introduce sculpting materials and processes.
Thursdays, 1-5pm, 9/4-10/3, Carbondale
HAND MENDING FOR KNITS AND WEAVES
Repair your sweaters, socks, hats, and jeans using hand darning, patching, and stitching.
Fridays, 4-6pm, 9/5-10/10, CB
Register Today 970-963-2172
THURSDAY, AUGUST 7
BANNED BOOK CLUB
The Banned Book Club discusses “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison at the Basalt Library from 4 to 5pm.
MUSIC AT THE LIBRARY
Aspen Music Festival and School students perform chamber music at the Basalt Library at 5:15pm.
SECRET LIFE OF THE BRAIN
Aspen Institute’s Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit Series presents renowned psychologist, neuroscientist and best-selling author Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett and “How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain” at the Paepcke Auditorium at 6pm. The event is at capacity and there will be an in-person waitlist at the venue beginning one hour prior.
CRYSTAL THEATRE
The Crystal Theatre shows “Naked Gun” at 7pm tonight, tomorrow, Saturday and next Thursday. Sunday’s show is at 5pm. “The Life of Chuck” also shows this Saturday at 4:30pm.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 8
MUSHROOM FESTIVAL
The Eagle Mushroom & Wild Food Festival kicks off with an opening ceremony by Gabrielle Cerberville at 5pm followed by live music by Sweet Jessup and the Dirty Buckets. Find details at www.eaglemushroomfest.com
DANCE OF LOVE
Ann O’Brien guides a workshop applying the principles of Aikido to various relationships at True Nature from 6 to 8pm. Tickets at www.annobrienliving.com/ services/events
MARBLEFEST
MarbleFest returns with a kick-off party at Slow Groovin tonight! David Walker Good opens at 5pm, followed by Josh & Wendy at 5:30pm and Tommy the Animal at 6:30pm. The music continues tomorrow and Sunday from noon onward. Find details on Facebook.
HOMELESS ASSISTANCE
Steve’s Guitars hosts a fundraiser for Carbondale Homeless Assistance beginning at 7pm. Performers will include Aggie Flores, Mugsy Fay and Olivia the Bard. Tickets at www.stevesguitars.net
SATURDAY, AUGUST 9
VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT
The Maroon Belles Volleyball Club and Town of Carbondale host a youth outdoor volleyball tournament at Miners Park. The format is doubles, with grass and sand courts. Age groups are 18U, 16U and 14U for both girls and boys. To register, visit www.bit.ly/cdalevball
TRUCK N’ ROLL
The Carbondale Library invites kids to check out some big trucks and working vehicles from 9 to 11am. The second hour will involve sirens and lights.
CAVERN SPRINGS
Cavern Springs mobile home park residents (5387 County Road 154, Glenwood Springs) host a yard sale to raise funds to purchase the land for sale beneath their homes and become a resident-owned community, from 9am to 3pm. For more information, call 970-379-6602 or email soprismountaincollective@gmail.com
BIODYNAMICS
Learn the basics of the biodynamic calendar and how to apply its wisdom at True Nature from 10am to noon. Learn more at www.truenaturehealingarts.com
ICE CREAM SOCIAL
The Aspen Historical Society hosts its annual ice cream social at the Wheeler/ Stallard Museum from 2 to 4pm. Expect “A Briefly Complete History of Aspen” and boozy milkshakes for a small fee.
GLENWOODSTOCK
The annual glenWOODSTOCK arts festival highlighting talented local teens returns from 4 to 8pm at the Glenwood Springs Community Center.
MEETING THE MOON
True Nature Healing Arts offers a full moon circle for teens led by Lena Maude from 5 to 7pm. Learn more at www.truenaturehealingarts.com
STEVE’S GUITARS
David Singley performs at Steve’s Guitars at 8pm. Tickets at www.stevesguitars.net
ANNA TIVEL
Portland-based songwriter Anna Tivel performs with Luke Henry at the Wheeler Opera House at 8pm. Tickets at www.wheeleroperahouse.com
SUNDAY, AUGUST 10
FAMILY YOGA
Kerrie Martin leads a donations-based yoga class for all ages at True Nature from 10 to 11am.
MAGIC CARPET RIDE
A Spiritual Center welcomes Marti Barbour sharing her magic ride of discovering new perspectives through imagination from 10 to 11:30am at the Third Street Center.
SOPRIS SUNDAY CONCERT
The Taylor Scott Band opens for Peach Street Revival in Carbondale’s Sopris Park at 4pm.
BOOKCLIFFS CONCERT
Tim and Melissa, a husband-wife songwriting duo, perform at The Bookcliffs Arts Center in Rifle at 6pm. This will be the final Hilltop Summer Concert Series event of the season.
MONDAY, AUGUST 11
BLOOD DRIVE
The Vitalant Bloodmobile will be outside the Basalt Library from 11am to 3pm. Sign up to donate blood and save lives at wwww.donors.vitalant.org/ dwp/portal/dwa
PSYCHEDELICS & ECOLOGY
Lindsay Branham, an environmental psychologist, filmmaker and psychedelic facilitator presents at True Nature from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Sign up at www.truenaturehealingarts.com
POTTERY WHEEL 101
Carbondale Clay Center offers single-session intro classes teaching the basics of throwing pottery on the wheel from 6 to 8:30pm every Monday through Sept. 15. Single-session intro to glazing classes, also held on Mondays from 6 to 8:30pm, will be offered from Sept. 22 to Oct. 6. These classes are meant for people 15 and up. Register at www.carbondaleclay.org/classes2
TUESDAY, AUGUST 12
ENGLISH GARDEN PARTY
The Aspen Chapel invites the community to its annual English Garden Party, to include a best hat contest, wine tasting, music from the Aspen Music Festival and School, face painting and more, from 3 to 6pm. Tickets at www. aspenchapel.org
CODING CLUB
The Aspen Science Center teaches coding to teens at the Carbondale Library from 3:45 to 4:45pm today and on Aug. 26.
Center events, clubs and camps at www.aspensciencecenter.org Courtesy photo
SACRED BROTHERHOOD
Kyle Jason Leitzke guides a donations-based men’s group at True Nature from 6 to 7:30pm. More info at www.truenaturehealingarts.com
DRAWING CLUB
The Roaring Fork Drawing Club visits artist James Surls’ Missouri Heights studio at 6:30pm. Find details on Instagram @rfdrawingclub
STARS ABOVE ASPEN
The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies invites all ages to explore the cosmos at the Aspen Mountain sundeck from 6 to 10:30pm. For more info, visit www.aspennature.org/activities
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13
LUNCH-PREP WORKSHOP
Kids and their parents learn to prep nutritious and affordable lunches together at the Basalt Library from 3:30 to 4:30pm. Register at www.basaltlibrary.org/ events/full-calendar
BASALT CONCERT SERIES
The Confluents opens for Graham Good and the Painters at Basalt River Park at 5:30pm. The headliner starts at 7pm and KDNK will live broadcast the concert.
GLENWOOD MUSIC
The Glenwood Springs Summer of Music series wraps with Valle Musico opening for Selasee & The Fafa Family at 6:30pm.
GARY SPRINGFIELD
The Center for Human Flourishing welcomes Gary Springfield via Zoom exploring energy healing and manifestation with Lisa McKenzie from 6:30 to 8pm at the Third Street Center.
MIGRATION WONDERS
The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies teaches about migrating birds at Toklat from 6 to 8pm. For more info, visit www.aspennature.org/activities
‘NOBU’
Aspen Film shows “Nobu,” for one night only, at the AF Isis Theatre at 7:30pm. Tickets at www.aspenfilm.org
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14
BIRD SONG AND BEHAVIOR
The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies teaches about the songs of birds and “birding by ear” at Toklat from 8am to 2pm. For more info, visit www.aspennature.org/activities
WILD WORDS WHISPER
Jess Barnum leads a garden writing ritual at True Nature from 10am to noon. To sign up visit www.truenaturehealingarts.com
COSMIC SOUND JOURNEY
Danielle Klein leads a healing sound journey at True Nature from 6 to 7:15pm. Tickets at www.truenaturehealingarts.com
HOT BUTTERED RUM
Sweet Jessup and the Dirty Buckets opens for Hot Buttered Rum at TACAW at 8pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15
THE KEARNS FAMILY
Catch The Kearns Family, a husbandwife duo, performing for their first time at Steve’s Guitars at 8pm.
CEREMONIAL BREATHWORK
Join Davis Cowles for a ceremonial breathwork session at True Nature from 6:30 to 8:30pm. Tickets at www.truenaturehealingarts.com
TAUK
TAUK, a Mountain Fair favorite from 2024, performs at TACAW at 8pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org
SATURDAY, AUGUST 16
COMMUNITY YOGA
Ellen Bradley leads a free, all-levels yoga class at True Nature from 11am to 12:35pm. Later, from 5 to 6:30pm, she will guide a workshop about motherhood from 4 to 6:30pm. Learn more at www.truenaturehealingarts.com
DANCE OPEN HOUSE
New and returning dancers and families are invited to tour Legacy Dance Company in Glenwood Springs and register for fall classes which begin on Aug. 18, from 2 to 4pm. More details at www.legacydancegws.com/openhouse
BALLET PERFORMANCE
The Crystal River Youth Ballet Company performs an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Launchpad tonight and tomorrow at 7pm.
REDSTONE CONCERT
The Magical Moments Summer Concert Series presents Shawn Mayer performing at Redstone Park at 6pm.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 17
EQUINE EXPERIENCE
WindWalkers welcomes horseman Josh Aikens for a free clinic on the art of connection, trust and understanding between horses and humans at 1030 County Road 102 from 1 to 3pm — no RSVP needed.
ONGOING EVENTS
ROARING FORK ZEN
A new Zen meditation community based in Carbondale gathers at True Nature to sit from 8 to 9am on Mondays weekly.
MOMMY MEET-UP
The Glenwood Springs Library hosts a “mommy meet-up” on Mondays from 11am to 12:30pm for mothers and their babies ages 0 to 3. There will be play items provided for the little ones and coffee and conversation for the moms.
IN STITCHES
The In Stitches Knitting Club meets at the Carbondale Library every Monday at 1:30pm.
‘EL PLACER DE LEER’
Delve into Spanish literature with Angélica Breña at the Basalt Library every Monday from 5 to 6:30pm. Spanish comprehension is necessary to participate. For more details, visit www.basaltlibrary.org
MONDAY MEDITATION
Roaring Fork Insight guides a weekly meditation group meeting at the Third Street Center (Room 31) from 7 to 8:30pm. A Wednesday session takes place at St. Peters of the Valley in Basalt from 11:30 to 1pm with a Zoom option.
YARN GROUP
Basalt Library hosts a weekly yarn group on Tuesdays at 5pm. All are welcome.
BIKE PROJECT
The Carbondale Bike Project Shop helps people repair their bicycles on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 6pm and Sundays from noon to 6pm on the east side of Third Street Center.
FARMERS’ MARKET
The Carbondale Farmers’ Market season is underway, every Wednesday from 10am to 3pm at 4th and Main.
SPANISH CLUB
Practice Spanish and enjoy specials at La Raza in Carbondale every Wednesday from 5 to 7pm.
RODEO TIME
It’s Carbondale Wild West Rodeo season at the Gus Darien Riding Arena. Every Thursday, gates open at 5pm, slack starts at 5:45pm and grand entry is at 7:30pm. Free shuttles run from The Orchard and 4th and Colorado between 6 and 10pm. Find the list of special events at www.carbondalerodeo.com
GROUP RUN
Independence Run & Hike leads a weekly group run on Thursdays departing from the store’s location, next to the Carbondale City Market, at 6:30pm.
COFFEE WITH THE MAYOR
Carbondale Mayor Ben Bohmfalk posts up at Bonfire every Friday from 8 to 9am, and everyone is welcome to stop by to chat.
SUNDAY MEDITATIONS
Dr. Elliott Dacher guides Sunday morning meditations each week over Zoom at 8am. The Zoom meeting ID is 819 5897 2394 and the passcode is 202224
SUNDAY MARKET
Basalt’s Sunday continues every Sunday through Sept. 28 along the Midland Spur from 10am to 2pm.
The Aspen Science Center offers free STEM exploration programs each month at every library from Parachute to Aspen for ages 5 to 13. Find information on all Aspen Science
Carbondale revisioned as ‘The Twilight Zone’ thanks to local author
MYKI JONES
Arts Correspondent
Patrick Quinn Kitson, aka Lunar Lunatic on KDNK, is a published horror/comedy writer who grew up in Carbondale. He recently appeared at Mountain Fair to promote his most recent book, “Bonedale.” This collection of 13 original short stories, all of which take place within the Roaring Fork Valley and other iconic Colorado places, features elements of mystery, horror, science fiction and humor.
Kitson also published “Night” and “Day” — both in 2024 — following a similar format of 13 stories per book.
Some places featured in his stories include the Glenwood Springs Hot Springs Resort, a dig site in Fruita, Denver International Airport, Starwood estates in Aspen and surrounding forests. Many of these stories have appeared on “Transmissions from the Campfire” — a horror-based podcast which Kitson hosts with Daniel Kelley.
“My works are mostly in a milieu that I am referring to as ‘Valley Horror.’ There is a particular chill kind of mindset that is very specific to Colorado. When I am working on stories such as this, I am always trying to frame it within that mindset with the goal of creating a different kind of horror,” Kitson told The Sopris Sun.
“The type of horror that I write is a different kind of horror that’s not quite as focused on grim, dark introspections into the human condition. I really like monsters. I do like when they’re metaphorical, but you know, I
like monsters. I like heroes and I like humor, so my horror tends to be more like creepy ‘Twilight Zone’ episodes that are set largely in and around the Roaring Fork Valley.”
horror has always been more fun. I like seeing spooky stuff,” he shared. “I think Halloween is fun. I think horror can be fun.”
His inventions include a mythical creature devouring tourists at a lake, a religious cult terrorizing a group of teenagers at a house party along Cattle Creek Road and a monstrous appendage that puts a character in a life-or-death struggle in a beaver pond up Thompson Creek. Discussing the inspiration for these stories, Kitson said there’s a kernel of truth from events he experienced growing up in the Valley.
My works are mostly in a milieu that I am referring to as ‘Valley Horror.’ There is a particular chill kind of mindset that is very specific to Colorado. When I am working on stories such as this, I am always trying to frame it within that mindset with the goal of creating a different kind of horror.
- Patrick Quinn Kitson
Kitson shared an excerpt from “Bonedale” in a ‘Works in Progress’ feature within The Sopris Sun leading up to Mountain Fair. This short story, titled “Flicker,” takes place at Mountain Fair and paints the scene for a spooky event that begins unnoticed due to the collective euphoria and absurdities of the fairgoers.
“There’s been this movement toward grim, dark nihilism in the last like 25 years in the horror genre. I’m kind of pushing back against that a little bit because, to me,
In the story centered around Mountain Fair, for example, Kitson recalled working the event with his father at the Lost People’s Booth in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, where the purpose was to establish a waypoint for lost children to be reunited with their parents. Kitson said it served a second unofficial purpose, which inspired his fictitious story.
“The second, unofficial function of the Lost People’s Booth was to be somewhere for people tripping balls to cool their heads so they could assimilate with the collective, instead of freaking out everybody in the crowd. Basically, it was for the babies and the trippers,” Kitson explained. “I featured it in the story because it is one of those things that could only really exist at a place like Mountain Fair and in a town like Carbondale.”
Kitson said he has always been a writer
but didn’t take the craft seriously until a few years ago when he sat down to write his first two story collections. With the publication of all three, he said the response from readers has been overwhelmingly positive. He was even nominated for a Killer Nashville Award, which he will hear back on in the coming weeks.
“Bonedale.” “Night” and “Day” are all available for purchase on Barnes and Noble and Amazon. The newest book is also at White River Books in Carbondale and Alpenglow in Glenwood Springs. To keep up with upcoming releases, check out “Transmissions from the Campfire” on YouTube and Spotify.
BOOK REVIEW: ‘The Dance of Love’
KEN PLETCHER
Sopris Sun Correspondent
There are scores of books available on or about the Japanese martial art aikido. Most of them are of the how-to variety depicting step-by-step explanations of aikido techniques or movements. Many also delve into the philosophical or spiritual aspect of the discipline, beginning with the translated writings of aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba (or O-Sensei, “Great Teacher”).
The great majority of these books are well-written, insightful and extremely helpful to those wishing to hone their physical skills or learn more about the deeper aspects of aikido. There are some, though, that are frivolous or even verge on exploitation. From my several decades of aikido practice — two of them with a direct student of O-Sensei, whose no-nonsense approach was: just practice – I have become leery of those latter tomes.
When I first saw the title of Ann O’Brien’s latest book, “The Dance of Love: Mastering Your Relationships through Aikido Wisdom,” I must admit feeling a touch of skepticism; was this one of those books?
But I have known and prac-
ticed aikido with her for several years, am aware of her highly regarded reputation as an intuitive counselor and spiritual guide and trusted that her book would be serious and deeply thoughtful. And so it is.
In the introduction, O’Brien writes:
“Aikido is a martial art that brings us to unity. This is neither the merging of co-dependence nor the neutralization of roles that is currently trendy. In its dance of feminine and masculine, give and receive, attack and surrender — polarity is ever-present. We live to learn in a continual state of aliveness. Through the play within technique, we learn to participate in love as if our lives depend on it. They do.”
Those themes described above run throughout the book and underscore its goal of applying the lessons and understandings that O’Brien has gleaned from her aikido training to her professional practice. As she told The Sopris Sun, “Writing this book added another element to my counseling work that my clients really appreciate.” Conversely, she said, writing the book “helped my aikido get better ... to find my aikido from within.”
The book is divided into some
70 short topical chapters (often two pages or less) with titles like “Learning the Art of Receiving,” “Redirecting Tension” and “Stay Present No Matter What.” Interspersed are a half dozen “Writing Practice” assignments with study questions to help guide the previous discussions. There is a handy glossary at the end with definitions of the various Japanese terms used in the book.
Throughout her book, O’Brien relates clearly described aikido movements and techniques to approaches one can take in managing relationships. For example, in the section discussing tenkan (getting out of the way of an attack by turning one’s body and thus letting that momentum pass before responding), she describes an instance where she used “mental tenkan” to buy some time, and that helped her diffuse a situation.
relationships, she says, “Choosing to give and steering clear of taking is what distinguishes healthy feminine and masculine versus all-too-prevalent toxic topics … The spirit of sharing is what perpetuates life.”
A major recurring theme in the book is generosity. “Aikido is based on generosity of spirit,” she writes. Later she relates how, when one’s partner grabs your wrists, you extend energy to the partner, and in that way establish a connection that can then be used to respond to the attack. In making the analogy to
In one of the book’s longer chapters, she draws the distinction between “the game of manipulation and the art of love,” noting that an aikidoist manipulating an attacker to protect themself is “not the same as conniving to cause harm, stealing something from another, or ruthlessly attempting
to ‘win’ while they ‘lose.’” Later in the chapter, “Most of us have some shadowy places where unconscious exploitation slips in. Aikido seeks to change this, and it’s one of my wishes through this book to offer another way.”
“The Dance of Love” is dense but well-written, and in keeping with the running theme of generosity, O’Brien shares candidly her own personal experiences and challenges. A lot is packed into each short chapter, and the periodic study questions are useful tools for the reader. This is a unique and welcome addition to the literature on both the practice of aikido and managing personal relationships.
The book is available online and at White River Books and (soon, hopefully) True Nature and also as an audio book. O’Brien will lead a workshop based on the book on Friday, Aug. 8, from 6 to 8pm, at True Nature Healing Arts. Registration and tickets at www.bit.ly/TNaikido
Collective innocence
In third grade, Ms. Ames kept us spellbound for weeks, months even, in a state of wonder, 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. It was my first exposure to what it meant to look into my humanity, to sift through the amoral and immoral, searching for what Ms. Ames called “the truth.”
We discussed how truth was intimately connected to our identity and that a restless conscience could guide us through the whimsical world of “the gods of fate.” We were shown how when our untruths are left unattended, they lurk in the background only to fester and to reappear later — just like the Furies — with an impatient desire for revenge.
For 50 years, I’ve carried these ideas, and the thrilling conversations Ms. Ames began, into my classrooms. It became clear to me that these ideas — quests for truth, virtue and courage — are requisite parts of becoming a more realized human being, and that when these attributes are alive and well, we can live in a state of innocence.
Innocence is a choice. I recognized that all the heroes and heroines in my life live lives
closely linked with innocence. Not innocence as we normally define it — a state of purity that we swiftly move past as we grow up — but an innocence achieved by choosing to live without causing harm. In this definition, innocence is aspirational and accessible to all.
Innocence is the foundational DNA of our Constitution, the spirit of our nation, waiting patiently behind the curtain of our juvenile national arrogance. Waiting for an uncompromising cultural and political commitment to truth, and a refusal to cause or be complicit in causing harm. The guarantee of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” has always been a national north star, a compass bearing for the destiny of our nation, never fully realized.
We, like Odysseus, are inspired to undertake an arduous journey where we struggle to avoid the song of the Sirens, the clever trickery of Circe and the material bliss of the Lotus Eaters, all seeking to usurp our innocence and thwart our coming “home.” The Declaration is truly a commitment to be our most robust, best selves, as people and as a nation. The spirit of our Constitution insists that genuine innocence can only exist when human rights and
OPINION
SEEKING HAYSTACKS
By A.O. Forbes
dignity are accessible to all of us. This is the dream currently being violently dismantled.
I believe our culture now primarily supports forging identities around what we get rather than who we are. Material acquisitions are the measure of our existential worth and the objects of our affection. I am dismayed by our national reluctance to engage in any true critical self-reflection, refusing real conversations about the distance between our actions and our presumed values. We are inundated (and insulted) by images and stories of people who are rapacious in their appetite for more. Manicured performances and ill-gotten gains are rewarded by rapt attention and money, and little scrutiny is given to whatever
harm they (we) inflict. This culture of greed is not benign; it is corrosive — for the country, the earth and the individuals involved.
Thich Nhat Hanh told a story about a young girl on a small boat who was raped by a pirate. Consequently, she jumped into the ocean and drowned herself. “When you first learn of something like that, you get angry at the pirate. You naturally take the side of the girl. But we can’t do that. In my meditation, I saw that if I had been born in the village of the pirate and raised in the same conditions as he was, I would now be the pirate.”
When I ask my students, “If you grew up in the village where the pirate was raised, might you have a little pirate in you too, and if so, how do you keep your pirate behaving well?” They quickly realize that piracy is a tricky contest between our situation and our character. They understand that their innocence is bound to our national innocence in a kind of call and response.
We are pieces and parts of our nation’s ability to answer Lincoln’s call: “The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union,
when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” My students feel the beauty of this vision despite seeing that our country has been creating pirates since our founding — justifying looting with cleverness and rewarding the “looters” with actual “booty.” The Big Beautiful Bill is the latest theft.
My students unsentimentally talk about the vast distance between who we claim to be and who we are, as defined by our actions. They are heat-seeking missiles for hypocrisy. Far from being deterred by our moral gap, though, they are committed to action, seeing the aspirational spirit of the Declaration and Constitution as a state of “higher innocence” that inspires their own paths forward. Student Morgan Karow stated, “When we remove ourselves from the power sourced from our humanity — and allow attacks on others — we attack our own collective humanity and diminish our innocence as a people.”
Ms. Ames would be delighted to learn that those conversations in the Red Brick Schoolhouse in 1960 are alive and well, because she knew that education was about who we are, not what we get. Thank you, Ms. Ames.
As government steps back, we must look after our own
Our valley is a land of stark contrasts, with great wealth coexisting with near-poverty. While many among us enjoy unprecedented luxury, thousands of families and individuals from Parachute to Aspen struggle from paycheck to paycheck.
Recent federal policy changes will make life even harder for the people who keep the engine of our local economy humming. As government steps back, local governments, nonprofits and the compassionate people who support them will have to step up to fill the gap.
A significant portion of our population lives on the margins. About a third of households in the region currently live below the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) threshold, meaning they earn less than the basic cost of living for the county. Some are unable to work, such as seniors, full-time caregivers and the disabled, but most are active members of the workforce. They’re the people who change our oil, mow our lawns, look after our children, nudge us onto ski lifts.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Everyone knows that the cost of living — driven by the cost of housing — is exceptionally high here, and wages generally aren’t commensurate. Less well known is that an increasing number of people that we routinely interact with rely on a social safety net that is under great strain.
I work at LIFT-UP, a nonprofit that provides supplemental food to those in need from Parachute to Aspen.
The number of people using food pantries serves as an indicator of how
people are faring (or not) in the local economy, and our data shows an alarming trend. Visits to our brick-and-mortar pantries increased 120% between 2022 and 2024, and if you include our drive-through sites the increase was more like 200%.
Other human services agencies are also seeing rising demand, and they’re bracing for more. Their anxiety was palpable at the recent quarterly meeting of the West Mountain Regional Health Alliance, a forum for health care, mental health and food security organizations in our three-county area.
GUEST OPINION
By Dave Reed
I would like to think that this community’s response will be: challenge accepted. We will look after our own. We will ensure that no one here goes hungry or lacks for health care. We won’t let our neighbors fall through the cracks.
The chief worry for everyone in attendance: the massive federal budget reconciliation bill (aka the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) that was signed into law on July 4.
The legislation is a double whammy for those who are already most at risk. The Urban Institute estimates that 298,000 Coloradans will lose some or all of their SNAP food benefits. Additionally, 168,000 Colorado residents, including older adults and
children, will be at risk of losing their Medicaid benefits due to expanded work requirements. Extrapolating from those numbers, about 5,000 of our neighbors in the Aspen-Parachute corridor will face further economic hardship in the coming years as a result of the cuts to just those two programs. Meanwhile, funding to the states will be reduced and, in the case of Colorado, which is staring at a big budget hole of its own, costs will probably be shifted to the counties.
The speakers at the regional health meeting stressed that they’ll do everything in their power to maintain services. But they used words like “scary,” “daunting” and “traumatic” to describe the budget cuts and other federal policy changes, and they wondered out loud what more they can do to raise the additional funds they’ll need.
Whether you think this is good or bad policy, it is the reality we’re living in. As
a society, we’ve decided that the federal government is going to play a smaller role in providing a safety net, and that means charity will have to play a greater role. In keeping with the political philosophy now in ascendance, the responsibility for such services will be delegated to states and communities, which know best what they need and are willing to pay for.
I would like to think that this community’s response will be: challenge accepted. We will look after our own. We will ensure that no one here goes hungry or lacks for health care. We won’t let our neighbors fall through the cracks.
Empathy may be under attack in some quarters, but it’s alive and well here. We are a generous community that supports a host of nonprofits doing good and necessary work that, in turn, makes this a great place to live and brings out the best in us.
This is a moment in history when we are challenged to be our best selves and join in solidarity with those whose shoes we might be wearing if the cards had been shuffled differently. It’s an opportunity to put compassion into action and to strengthen the bonds of community. You will likely be hearing more funding appeals from local social services nonprofits in the coming months and years. I hope you will give what you can, whether it’s money or time. The more of us who come together to provide support, the lighter the load will become and the better off we will all be.
Dave Reed is LIFT-UP’s development director.
Kristin Lawrence
Kristin Lawrence of Carbondale died at home on July 23, 2025.
Kristin was a resident of the area for 53 years, spending her first few decades living in Woody Creek and then building her dream home in Carbondale where she has resided for the past 30-plus years.
Kristin was drawn to Colorado over 50 years ago because of her love of skiing and the pull of stunning natural beauty in the area. Wanting to share her passion for skiing, she founded and ran for decades the Snow Puppies Ski School at Aspen Highlands. It was the first ski school in the country devoted exclusively to teaching 3- to 6-year-olds how to ski. She instilled and fostered her love of skiing and deep reverence for nature in the thousands of young children she and her team taught. What made Snow Puppies so special and successful was that Kristin not only wanted to teach kids to ski, but also to make them feel good about themselves.
Kristin lived a life of integrity, kindness, grace and compassion, and she loved making people laugh. She touched the lives of thousands of people, from the kids she taught and their families, to her friends and those in the community. She is survived by her three sisters and nine nieces and nephews, along with her beloved Peachie. The family wants to extend their deep and heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to her caregivers at the Calaway-Young Cancer Center, Hospice of the Valley and, last but not least, her dear friends Marci Beattie and Judy Musser, whose friendship and care allowed Kristin to die at home, independently, as she wished. As everyone who knew her was aware, Kristin was fiercely independent and stubborn … right up until the end!
An informal memorial will be held at her home at 5357 Rimledge Road (Whispering Winds) in Carbondale on Oct. 4 at 3pm. For those unable to attend who wish to share their memories of Kristin with her family, we ask that you send a note to her sister, Kim Lawrence, at 35 Woodlea Lane, Briarcliff Manor, New York 10510 — or 216-316-5282. For those skiing at Aspen Highlands, remember to leave some Life Savers at Puppy Point in memory of Kristin. We will miss Kristin terribly and each of our worlds will be a little darker with her no longer with us.
Radio Executive Director Breeze Richardson. “We’re going to stay engaged with the national infrastructure and colleagues around the country as we try to do more with less.”
Following the Rescissions Act, KDNK has aired calls for support and about 40 new members have joined, according to Station Manager Megan Passmore. KDNK is also working on expanding its “major donors” list — members who contribute $500 or more a year.
Cutting programming is not in the cards for KDNK at this point, and wouldn’t be enough to replace the loss. “Can I cut programming and make up that number? The answer is no,” said Passmore. If KDNK dropped NPR and syndicated programming, she estimated it might save the station around $70,000. Likewise, neither APR nor KVNF plan to cut programming.
According to Richardson, about
CPW from page 7
one in 10 listeners donate to APR. “In our budget this year, we have $282,000 that we anticipate receiving from individual contributions,” she stated. “If those were matched dollar for dollar by a second of 10 listeners, we would make up that funding gap.”
KVNF’s fundraising strategy for the year ahead will be divided into three parts: 1) an initial Save Our Station (SOS) drive that wrapped up on Tuesday, Aug. 6 with a goal of $50,000; 2) major donor contributions; and 3) through foundations and grants. At the end of its SOS drive, General Manager Ashley Krest reported that KVNF doubled its goal, raising over $100,000.
APR concluded a membership drive recently and exceeded its $25,000 goal, with donations still rolling in as of Wednesday, Aug. 6.
“We’re not going anywhere,” concluded Richardson. “The question is: How do we move forward?”
commissioners welcomed me,” said Emerick. “During the deliberations, there was a sense of decency and civility despite opposing viewpoints. That really impressed me.”
While he mostly listened during that first meeting, since he is digesting the depth of information, Emerick is excited to offer the commission his comprehensive insight.
“I really hope to bring a scientific viewpoint to managing the wildlife and ecosystems … It’s more than managing numbers of wildlife and predators — it’s taking a holistic viewpoint,” she said. “I don’t know how this is all going to work out, but it’s something that I’m very honored to be part of.”
A Bond Beyond
A story of struggle, faith and community
I’m originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, and over 25 years ago, I came to the United States with a dream: to find better opportunities for myself and my children. It wasn’t easy to leave behind my country, my people, my roots. Nor was it easy to start from scratch in Parachute with no home, no car and not knowing the language.
At that time, the Hispanic community was very small. I was one of the first families to arrive. When I took my children to school, I met a wonderful person named Trish. She showed a genuine interest in helping us. She brought along a friend who spoke Spanish, and together they helped enroll my kids: one in high school, one at Bea Underwood Elementary (BUE) and the youngest in kindergarten. At the kindergarten, I met Ms. Shelly, who offered us warmth and support every step of the way.
by Antonia Peña
Over time, I realized that I knew my children better than anyone and that my ideas mattered too. At BUE, I faced a difficult situation: one of my sons is autistic, and 25 years ago, there was neither the information nor the support that exists today. My goal was to help the schools understand that we came from a different culture with a different language, but with the same desire to learn and belong.
Without knowing English, I attended parent-teacher association (PTA) meetings to understand how the school system worked. On several occasions, I was turned away by a board member who didn’t accept Hispanics. But I didn’t give up. Over time, we succeeded in getting interpretation services offered and ensuring that Latino parents were included in the PTA. To this day, I feel proud of that achievement.
Education has always been one of my goals. I fought and cried to make sure my son with autism was accepted alongside all the other students. I achieved that because I insisted that I knew my
child and that they needed to listen to me.
I have always been someone who defends rights and fights for equality. During the 2010 recession, when many families lost their jobs and houses, I opened the doors of my home. For 20 years, I sold tamales, and through that, I helped many people. Although I’ve never shared this before, it fills me with pride to have connected with families who, for various reasons, had to return to their home countries.
One of the people who inspires me is Dolores Huerta, a woman I deeply admire. In recent years, I’ve had a mentor who has taught me about leadership. Thanks to Carlos Martínez of the Latino Community Foundation of Colorado, I’ve volunteered with his organization for eight years, interviewing Hispanic families and learning about their lives in Garfield County.
I’ve also promoted adult education. Colorado Mountain College (CMC) gave me the opportunity to earn my high school diploma (GED). I learned that it’s never too late to graduate. I’m proud of Tinker Duclo, vice president and campus dean of the CMC Rifle Campus, who promotes equality and has learned Spanish to better communicate with our community. I continue to fight against the discrimination I face because of my immigration status. Even then, I have proven my values, not just for myself, but for the entire community. Anything is possible when you have dreams and you keep fighting.
I admire many Hispanic individuals for their accomplishments, and I know that one day, I will achieve all of mine. No matter how many doors close, I’ll keep knocking. My story is long, but I believe in dreams. My motto is: “Where I can’t step in, I peek in. And what I don’t know, I learn.”
To learn how to get your GED, visit: www.coloradomtn.edu/classes/ged
Follow Leonardo Occhipinti’s “Nuevo Mundo”
Share your works in progress with readers by emailing illustrations, creative writings and poetry to fiction@soprissun.com
Baron von Lingenhoven
By Golda Wolfe
This is an excerpt from an unpublished novel. All Rights Reserved. No use without permission.
Baron Eric von Lingenhoven bought the chalet in the Engadine when its rocks were splotched in bright lichen, attesting to their undisturbed age. Inside, Lingenhoven breathed the fragrance of sap that sweetly seeped from the century-old coffered walls and ceiling. For all its charms, the chalet had needed double paned windows, modern plumbing and rewiring to meet the build ing code. Otherwise, von Lingenhoven did not change anything. He believed in conti nuity. Like his parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, von Lingenhoven couldn’t imagine spending the month of December anywhere but at the chalet. He broke with family tradition the winter after Buzz White skied into his life. White was an auto parts tycoon from Ohio he met riding the lift on Corviglia-Piz Nair. On their ride Buzz bragged that he had built his family’s salvage business into the largest company of its kind in the U.S. By the time
Collaborate
Flexible
what’s happening in Gaza as anything less than a deliberate effort to exterminate an unwanted ethnic group or force them to
Beyond the profound moral emptiness of Schumer’s stance, from a political perspective, he’s completely out of step with the mainstream of the party he nominally leads. Poll after poll show Democratic voters are opposed to Israel’s one-sided “war.” I have no reason to believe Jeffries — a longtime, unquestioning supporter of Israel — would have taken a different posi-
The Democratic Party’s progressive base has a wide variety of policy goals. For example, as an animal activist, I’d like to see a massive infusion of state and federal funding into cultivated-meat research. The new protein is grown from livestock cells, without slaughter. However, none of our goals can be achieved under fascist rule, which Trump and his gang of crimi-
Unfortunately, Schumer and Jeffries are willing to sacrifice party unity and political effectiveness in order to retain their vision of a conservative Democratic Party. They have shown themselves fundamentally incapable of standing up to right-wing authoritarianism, perhaps because they view leftists as a greater threat. We have to replace these two so-called leaders of the opposition. Jon Hochschartner Connecticut
LETTERS POLICY: The Sopris Sun welcomes local letters to the editor. Shorter letters stand a better chance of being printed. Letters exclusive to The Sopris Sun (not appearing in other papers) are particularly welcome. Please, no smearing, cite your facts and include your name and place of residence or association. Letters are due to news@soprissun.com by noon on the Monday before we go to print.
don’t want to be, like undercuts, so you have to really know what you’re doing to be on that river,” Vida said. “We were like, ‘No, Helen, I don’t think you ready for it,’
Added Scott, “It was a huge step up for her. We were definitely stressed about it.”
This summer on the Ottawa, Helen showed them up a bit during their parent visit when she surfed a feature called Phil’s Hole that she and her camp mates had been practicing on. Helen got tumbled a couple of times, but surfed right out of it, while mom and dad got a bit pummeled.
“I finally came out and my helmet was stuck back behind me, which in kayaking we call our ‘beater meter,’” Scott said. “So,
And Vida? Well, she ended up having to
“That was the first time I’ve ever swam
in front of one of my kids, so it was a humbling experience,” she said. “Helen and her friends were really sweet and helped gather all my stuff and empty the water out of my boat. I was like, ‘Wow, I’m raising a compassionate, good kid!’” Helen said she looks forward to improving her kayaking skills even more, and will decide where to take it next after her academy experience. For now, she has her eye on studying in college to be a neonatologist, specializing in infant care.
Meanwhile, the Dillards have been part of a group of local kayaking enthusiasts who formed the Roaring Fork Kayak Club. One focus of the club is to work with business sponsors to make the sport accessible and affordable for both youth and adults who want to give it a try, Scott said. River safety and education is also a big focus of the club’s efforts, he added.
Congratulations to John and Kelly Field, winners of the latest Carbondale Treasure Hunt! This Carbondale couple moved to the Valley in 2012. Kelly is opening Bliss, a heart-based fine art studio and gift shop at 1370 Main Street, on Sept. 14. John is an in-home care partner helping families and people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. They took home a $200 gift certificate to Phat Thai. Watch for the next clue in our Sept. 4 issue, always ahead of First Friday. Photo by Raleigh Burleigh
LEGAL NOTICES
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Carbondale Board of Trustees for the purpose of considering an application for Final Plat for a townhome lot split at 1348 Barber Drive.
Project Description: The application requests to subdivide the existing property from 4-unit apartment building into a 4-unit townhome building. The application for final plat would create 4 new lots of record for each townhome unit. The existing structure and utilities would remain for each unit. The new lots would range in size from 3,760 square feet to 3,768 square feet and all lots would front on Barber Drive.
Property Location: 1348 Barber Drive
Applicant: 1348 Barber Drive, LLC
Owner: 1348 Barber Drive, LLC
Said Public Hearing will be held at Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 6:00 p.m. on August 26, 2025.
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://www.carbondalegov.org/ departments/planning/current_land_ use_applications.php
If you would like to submit comments regarding this application, you must send them via email to jbarnes@carbondaleco. net by 5:00 pm on August 26, 2025. The comments will be entered into the record. If you have questions regarding the application, please contact Jared Barnes, Planning Director at 970-510-1208.
Published in The Sopris Sun August 7, 2025
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 Accessory Dwelling Units (“ADU”) text amendments to the Unified Development Code (“UDC” and Title 17 of the Carbondale Municipal Code). The proposed text amendments would consider amendments to modify requirements related to ADUs outlined in UDC Section 4.4.4.A, Additional Standards for Specific Accessory Uses and Structures; Accessory Dwelling Units.
Applicant: Town of Carbondale
Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO beginning at 7:00 p.m. on August 28, 2025.
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/current_land_use_ applications.php
If you would like to submit comments regarding this application, please send them via email to jbarnes@carbondaleco. net by 5:00 pm on August 28, 2025. After 5:00 pm on August 28, members of the public are welcome to bring written comments to the hearing or speak during the public comment period.
If you have questions regarding the application, please contact Jared Barnes, Planning Director, at 970-510-1208.
Published in The Sopris Sun August 7, 2025
SERVICE DIRECTORY
PARTING SHOTS
Roaring Fork Valley Horse Council celebrates 20 years
On Aug. 2, the Roaring Fork Valley Horse Council (RFVHC) celebrated its 20th anniversary with a gala at the Hoffmann Hotel in Basalt.
The hotel’s Sopris Room hosted a warm gathering of 75 guests. The evening featured appetizers, a cash bar, a taco bar and a special “Equus Film Festival” production created especially for the occasion.
RFVHC proudly represents more than 400 members across all equestrian disciplines. Its mission remains clear: to promote safe, separate hiking and horseback riding trails — free from fast-moving mountain bikes and e-bikes — and to secure equestrian truck and trailer parking for trail access.
RFVHC accomplishments over the years include:
• Securing Sutey Ranch for horses and hikers only, leading the Bureau of Land Management BLM) to create a large equestrian parking lot.
• Achieving winter wildlife closures of roads and critical areas — saving both lives and habitats.
• Partnering with public land managers, including the BLM and Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers, for trail creation and maintenance.
• Creating the Trails Safe Passing Plan and educational signage programs to improve horse and rider safety on multi-use trails.
• Organizing and producing four free equine educational events during the summer of 2024.
• Sponsoring rodeos, horse shows, the RF Hounds Pony Club, WindWalkers, the Galloway Colic Fund and more.
• Establishing the Leslie Thomas Large Animal Rescue Fund.
• Hosting a community fire safety event.
Throughout the room, posters showcased biographies and recognitions of many of the Valley’s original horsemen and women — pioneers who helped establish the vibrant equestrian community still enjoyed today. The Western heritage of the Valley’s ranching community was woven into the evening’s theme.
The celebration concluded with a special birthday cake, topped with miniature pine trees and horses galloping across the frosting. Complimentary gifts were provided to all attendees as a thank-you from RFVHC.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to every supporter, past and present, who has helped the Roaring Fork Valley Horse Council thrive for 20 years,” RFVHC wrote. “What a wonderful celebration—and an even brighter trail ahead!”
The RFVHC board of directors: Rheta Fulton, Karin Reid Offield, Alexandra Anwyl-Davies, Marty Schlumberger, Shannon Weeks, Susan Cuseo, Holly McLain. Courtesy photo
Ginny and Tom Harrington of Crystal River Ranch. Courtesy photo
Brenda Mata
Brenda
