Local author, illustrator and educator Cari Shurman shared her new book, “Tai Chi for Kids — and the Adults Who Love Them,” with a room full of practitioners at the Carbondale Library on Saturday, Sept. 13. The book teaches eight meditative forms to increase wellness based on decades of studying the ancient Chinese movement art of tai chi. It is available locally for purchase at White River Books.
You’ll be reading this towards the end of the Jewish month of Elul, a few days before Rosh Hashonah (the universe’s birthday) and maybe two weeks before Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). The 10 days between are called “The Ten Days of Awe.” Here’s how these 39-days work.
Yom Kippur, a day of fasting and prayer, is said to be when God decides whether to seal us into the book of life or the book of death for the coming year. So, we better finish our unfinished business before the sun goes down. Since that’s obviously too much to do in one day, especially while fasting and praying, we have the Ten Days of Awe to do that work. If we’ve wronged God or anyone, depending on which book we’re in, this could be our last chance to set things right. To make that a little easier, it is said, God makes himself especially available during this time. Being an Atheist, I’m not concerned about wronging God, but people . . . oh yeah!
Figuring out who I’ve wronged and how to make amends isn’t easy. And that’s just the prep work. That’s what the 29-days of Elul are for: the prep work. The whole process is something like an annual moral checkup along 12-step lines. During Elul, we take moral inventory; during the Days of Awe, we apologize and make amends; and on Yom Kippur, we experience spiritual renewal.
Doing this work can be problematic for Jews. Christians who have mistreated people can ask God for forgiveness, but in Judaism God only forgives offenses against God. When we wrong people, we have to ask those people for forgiveness and make amends directly to them. So, what can we do when those people are dead?
financially comfortable. People addressed my father, a dentist, as “Herr Dokter.” They had a housekeeper/cook, skied, attended the opera, danced beautifully and vacationed abroad. By the time I was in middle school, they had clawed their way back from deep poverty to just being constantly broke while trying to appear middle class. I didn’t realize it (and they would never admit it), but they were ashamed of themselves. I was ashamed of myself, blamed it on them and treated them terribly. I demanded things they couldn’t afford. I screamed and called them names. I slammed doors. Once, in an argument over food, I dumped a plateful on my father. Four days before my wedding (I was 24), I humiliated them by moving out and refusing to arrive at the ceremony with them. I invited them for a speedboat ride, then, in spite of my father’s heart condition, I drove recklessly enough to terrify them. My offenses are endless.
Therapy helped, and by my mid-thirties I treated them respectfully. Though we were never close, my anger gradually lessened, and they finally enjoyed a well-deserved quarter century with their only child and his family. But they also deserved an apology they never got, and now it’s too late. Or is it?
By Ron Kokish
That question is painfully real for me. Like many of us, I started disrespecting my parents in my mid-teens. Unlike most, I kept it up for two decades. It wasn’t their fault. They gave me what they could and then some. They didn’t restrict me or make excessive demands. But they spoke with Austrian accents. We were poorer than most of my friends’ families, and lived in a crappy apartment on the edge of a classy neighborhood. My mother hovered over me, walking me to school until the fourth grade. I shared her bedroom until the sixth grade, while my father slept alone. They were kind, loving parents. But their Viennese customs and accent seemed weird to their American son, and our relative poverty embarrassed me.
In Austria, before fleeing from the Nazis, my parents were
‘Here Comes the Sun’
The Rabbis say I can’t make amends, and I have to live with that, but I can rehabilitate my character by publicly acknowledging my wrongful behavior in the presence of at least 10 adults, and by giving to charity and doing good deeds in their honor. That may sound like a religious technicality, but the spirit is this: Don’t just regret silently. Say it aloud, own it publicly and then live differently. That’s how we change who we are. I wrote my story hoping that at least 10 adults will read this column, thereby fulfilling the first requirement. Going forward, I dedicate my work with Age-Friendly Carbondale and my donations to two congregations and four nonprofits (including The Sopris Sun and KDNK Radio) to the memories of Ernest and Trudy Kokish.
Mature Content is a monthly column about perspectives on aging or about life from the perspectives of older people. I’m 84. Sometimes it takes decades to admit how we failed those who loved us most. Time and the wisdom of a faith tradition can help make honesty less frightening and more comforting. My thanks to the Down Valley Jewish Chavurah, and especially Joan Wallis and Niki Delson for their guidance.
Mature Content is a monthly feature from Age-Friendly Carbondale.
On Sunday, Sept. 21, 350 Roaring Fork invites the public to celebrate solar power and learn how to take advantage of existing financial incentives to make your home more energy efficient! This informational, fun gathering will be in Chacos Park at 4th and Main from 11am to 1pm as part of nationwide Sun Day events.
Music with local talent, free ice cream, a chance for kids to draw the things they like to do in the sun and information about all the existing financial incentives to help people do solar installations and efficiency renovations will be available!
Carbondale has 245 to 295 days of sun per year! That sun powers the plants that become our food and powers quite a few public buildings as well as businesses and homes. Learn about our solar history: the first town hall in Colorado to have PV, the first educational program in solar technology at CMC and Solar Energy International. Speakers will share the past and help us plan for a future with even more renewable energy.
Presenters include Ken Olson from Sol Energy and a co-founder of Solar Energy International, Soozie Lindbloom will share her experience teaching kids how to wire solar suitcases to send to schools in Masai territory in Kenya so those kids can have computers in their schools. AnaSophia
Brown, president of Roaring Fork High’s Environmental Club will bring us up to date on the club’s goals for this year.
CLEER and CORE will provide information about programs that exist to help you make your home more energy efficient and perhaps even add a solar array. You have to act fast because the federal government ends solar incentives Dec. 31, 2025. Businesses have until July to install solar with a tax incentive.
Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org and The Third Act has a new book celebrating the worldwide increase in clean energy, “Here Comes the Sun.” He hopes to come this winter to cross-country ski and share more positive information on how fast solar power is growing. Come have some ice cream and join the nation in celebrating clean energy now and in the future!
For a preview of new solar on Colorado farms come to the library Friday, Sept. 19, from 5 to 6:30pm for a documentary on agrivoltaics — mixing solar panels with crops and farm animals.
Illène Pevec Carbondale
R.I.P. Ernie Gianinetti
My sincere condolences to the Gianinetti family. I grew up here in the Roaring Fork Valley and I have been to several of the events put on by those who
have used their beautiful place for different purposes down on the bottomland. Ernie was a solid, devoted person for all of the items mentioned in his obit. Thank you Sopris Sun for saying what we all feel. We will miss this giant of a man. My grown children are friends to everyone of the Gianinetti family. The Spaulding family will be sending prayers to each of them. If there is anything we can do to help lift your family, please feel free to contact us.
Audrey Jane Spaulding Cabondale
Library Report
I went to the Library Board meeting last Thursday, and I was so pleased. Although they came from different ideologies there was no friction, only cooperation and respect for each other’s opinions. They had already agreed not to change library regulations, and they are working on ways to allow citizens to voice their opinions. Four citizens spoke for up to three minutes; there were different opinions, but no rancor. The meeting lasted less than two hours, discussing finances, library hours and new members of the Oversight Committee. Two librarians were recognized for awards they received from the state.
After two contentious years of library meetings arguing about book banning
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Highway 6 fatality
Friends and family of 23-year-old Derrik Romero-Evans celebrated his life during a memorial in Montrose on Aug. 23. The young man was killed after being struck by a vehicle while working with a road crew on Highway 6 near Glenwood Springs on Aug. 11, according to a Sept. 11 article in the Post Independent. His mother, Stephanie Wilken, is calling for tougher distracted driving laws, as the suspect in the case, Madison Burke (39), faces a class one misdemeanor for alleged careless driving in Garfield County. The case is still pending and set for a court appearance on Oct. 16.
The 116th annual Potato Day celebration needs volunteer support! From set up to take down, the organizing committee is looking to fill 60 two-hour shifts throughout the day on Saturday, Oct. 4 at Sopris Park. Be a part of living history, and sign up to lend a helping hand at www.bit.ly/potatoday2025
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Shortly after we went to press last week, fire restrictions were lifted for Garfield and Pitkin counties thanks to abundant autumnal rainfall.
“About 200 fish were found dead on Aug. 18 on the banks of Grizzly Reservoir,” reported Aspen Public Radio. Colorado Parks and Wildlife had stocked the reservoir with rainbow trout one week prior. A similar mortality event occurred in 2021. Climate change is blamed, increasing the concentration of naturally occurring metals, like copper, in bodies of water with less snowpack and precipitation to dilute them.
Aspen Fire and the Wildfire Collaborative Roaring Fork Valley have become the first organizations in Colorado to provide the public with access to live wildfire detection camera feeds enhanced using artificial intelligence technology. The public can now monitor conditions in real time across the Valley at www.rfvwildfire. org and www.aspenfire.com
The Bureau of Land Management’s Grand Junction Field Office signed a decision declaring roughly 14 miles of unpaved road in the vicinity of Garfield County Road 200 as open to all modes of travel. The roads had previously been considered open to
administrative use only. They pass through private property and allow access to more than 50,000 acres of public lands. This decision follows a nine-year court battle between Garfield County and High Lonesome Ranch. Four-wheel drive is recommended and there will be no winter maintenance in these areas.
Tom Bailey, local landholder and founder of Janus Capital, passed away at his Iron Rose Ranch home on Aug. 31 at the age of 88. The Sopris Sun is anticipating an obituary to publish in next week’s paper. Notably, Bailey transferred his land into a 1,000-year, fully-endowed trust to protect its future.
The 3 Mile Mobile Home Park resident ownership project reached a milestone on Sept. 11, breaking ground on infrastructural improvements — including floodplain mitigation, creek bank stabilization and the replacement of a vehicle bridge — for a total estimated cost of $2.5 million. The improvements are intended to defer longterm capital costs and make the property attractive for financing, as the interim nonprofit landlord, Roaring Fork Community Development Corporation, prepares to eventually sell the 20-unit property to residents. Construction is anticipated to continue through May of 2026.
Carbondale Rotary’s annual Highway 82 clean-up is scheduled for Oct. 18, meeting at the Red Hill parking lot at 8:30am. All volunteers will be provided with lunch and water. To sign up, contact 970-948-1369 (texting preferred).
A Way Out’s annual Addiction Breakfast Symposium returns to TACAW on Friday, Oct. 3. This year’s focus is “substance use and the effects on families” with presenters Jerry Moe, Sherry Gaugler-Stewart and Dr. Nick Kardaras. Find details and registration at www.bit.ly/2025addictionsymposium
They say it’s your birthday!
Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Jackson Burcham, Coral Eva Froning, Frosty Merriott and Nancy Payne (Sept. 18); Kenny Hopper (Sept. 19); Wylie Chenoweth, Maria Judith Alvarez Quiroz, Marty Garfinkel, Josh Smith and Ralph Young (Sept. 20); Frances Castillo, Karen Funk Ireland and Bianca Ortega (Sept. 21); Cheryl Cain, Betsy Browning, Nancy Helser and Dawson Kuhl (Sept. 22); Cathy Derby, Barbara Dills, Oliver Goddard, Kent Jones, Jerome Osentowski, Julia Hortenstine and Luke Wander (Sept. 23); Jon Fox-Rubin (Sept. 24).
Sopris Sun Correspondent
On Sept. 1, the Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI) was awarded a $962,977 contract from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for a year-long clinical study into improving treatments for osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions. The study will focus on the use of microscopic particles in the body, known as extracellular vesicles, and be conducted at SPRI’s lab in Vail as well as its Linda & Mitch Hart Center for Regenerative and Personalized Medicine (CRPM) laboratory in Basalt.
Extracellular vesicles are essential for cell-to-cell communication in the body, and SPRI’s research team hypothesizes they can play a critical role in joint repair. Specifically, the team intends to examine how extracellular vesicles derived from a patient’s own blood and bone marrow can assist in the joint healing process.
“An important initiative for SPRI and CRPM has been expanding our innovative regenerative therapeutics research to our Basalt SPRI lab” said Dr. Johnny Huard, CRPM director and SPRI’s chief scientific officer. “The extracellular vesicles project is a perfect fit for our research team there, including Aspen Medical Director Dr. Jared Lee and pain management physician Dr. Dustin Anderson.”
Under Dr. Huard’s leadership, Dr. Lee, Dr. Anderson and Laboratory Operations Coordinator Greta Gohring will conduct the clinical study in Basalt.
This clinical study marks the third contract the DoD has awarded SPRI, and the sixth project SPRI has performed with
DoD funding. Much of SPRI’s other funding comes from grants from the National Institute of Health, as well as philanthropy. While the institute’s research timelines differ case by case, many projects begin as an independently funded pilot study. If a pilot study proves promising, it can provide the basis for an application for funding through the DoD.
The DoD — rebranded as the “Department of War” in a presidential executive order on Sept. 5, but yet to be ratified by Congress — commonly allocates funding to medical research through Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). Founded in 1992, in order to support both the military and the public, CDMRP funds research for conditions ranging from Alzheimer’s to cancer.
Thursday, Sept. 25, 6:00 p.m. (doors open at 5:45 p.m.)
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“This award from the DoD is another testament to the groundbreaking work happening in our SPRI labs, both in Vail and now in Basalt,” said Marc J. Philippon, MD, chairman of SPRI and managing partner of The Steadman Clinic.
SPRI’s Basalt laboratory was opened in April of 2022 with a goal of expanding the institute’s clinical studies to the Roaring Fork Valley. While patients of the Steadman Clinic have long been eligible to participate in SPRI’s research, patients of the Aspen location once had to make the drive to SPRI’s lab in Vail. The Basalt laboratory enables patients to engage with SPRI’s research within their community.
Much of SPRI’s research is performed through collaborations, with partners
ranging from the Shaw Cancer Center in Edwards to the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center in Norway. The Basalt lab embodies SPRI and the Steadman Clinic’s symbiotic relationship, epitomized by a large glass window through which visitors to the clinic can have a look at SPRI’s research in real time. The building itself was constructed in partnership with Aspen Valley Hospital, Vail Health, the Steadman Clinic and Orthopedic Care Partners.
SPRI’s regenerative medicine research focuses on how the body can be used to heal itself. In a different clinical trial, SPRI is examining how injecting a solution derived from the patient’s own bone marrow into reconstructed ACL tissue can potentially accelerate healing.
Eligible patients with osteoarthritis can participate in the new extracellular vesicles treatment technique in conjunction with other treatments. Participants will be orally administered a dietary supplement and/or an FDA-approved drug in order to test how these substances may alter the composition of extracellular vesicles, and whether these changes could be directed to reduce inflammation and fibrosis in osteoarthritic patients. This current study expands on SPRI’s previous studies examining oral interventions in osteoarthritis.
Depending on the research outcomes, the study could solidify the effectiveness of extracellular vesicles-based regenerative therapy for a wide variety of conditions beyond osteoarthritis. SPRI hopes the research will help pave the way for novel extracellular vesicles treatments which could improve the lives of millions suffering from joint pain.
In honor of the 100 year anniversary of the Great Gatsby, Potato Days presents,
FRED PORTER
Sopris Sun Correspondent
Over McClure Pass, between Hotchkiss and Delta, one of the nation’s most innovative photovoltaic power projects is complete and will have a grand opening Sept. 30. It will be the largest solar farm on Colorado’s Western Slope. The Garnet Mesa Solar project has tracking photovoltaic panels over 400 acres of former cattle pasture, but now sheep will be grazed beneath them.
Similar “solar grazing,” a subset of agrivoltaics, is practiced on 130,000 acres nationwide. Here, in a first, the fields underneath will be irrigated with drop nozzle sprinklers beneath tubing supported by the solar racking system.
At 400 acres (just under half the size of Carbondale), the Garnet Mesa Solar project will generate about 200,000 megawatt hours per year, about five times the town’s annual consumption.
By early next year, two slightly larger solar projects will be completed. One is the 600-acre Axial Basin project halfway between Meeker and Craig on coal company land and beneath the powerlines between Craig and Rifle. The racks are installed over sagebrush and grass and divided
into five sections separated by wide wildlife corridors. The similar Dolores Canyon project is under construction southeast of Dove Creek.
Closer by, 40-acre solar projects are nearing completion near Mamm Creek and Parachute Creek. Garfield County has been successful at squeezing solar into our narrow valleys, but applicable areas are limited by the steepness of our topography. Slightly further afield is an innovative project north of Alamosa, where failed panels on a quarter of Xcel’s pioneering 2007 solar farm will be replaced. These were unique concentrating panels, the other three-quarters were conventional and are still in service.
However, during the past year, counties have denied land-use permits for five large solar projects. These averaged 500 acres and were located near Norwood, Cortez, Craig, Alamosa and Durango. Combined, they would have displaced 5% of Colorado’s coal-generated electricity that otherwise annually emits 2 billion pounds of CO2 and evaporates 2,000 acre-feet of water.
Visiting all these locations requires trips off the standard tourist tracks of Colorado. They
are on differing types of land, sometimes within a “viewshed” but those views always included existing powerlines or substations. In the San Luis Valley, water over-appropriation has led to the fallowing of 25,000 acres, a 10th of their irrigated land. A 500-acre solar project was proposed on some dry land there and rejected by Alamosa County.
While Colorado now generates 50% of its electricity from solar and wind, it’s in last place among the Four Corners states for solar electricity generation in 2024-25, possibly due to landuse restrictions.
On-site solar constitutes about 20% of solar in most of these states. In Colorado, this is 4% of all electricity supply. In Carbondale itself, owing to years of residents’ efforts this fraction is over double at almost 10%. There is more potential, but also hard physical limits.
Near-term additions of solar on the West Slope are difficult to project. The largest is the Ute Mountain Ute’s Sun Bear project for 2029. “Solar moratoriums” are in place in Montezuma and Montrose counties. In Montrose County, Scott Mijares, one of the commissioners who supports extreme restrictions, is facing a recall election.
An electrified future for Colorado could be powered by solar on about 0.5% of the state’s crop and pasture land along with tripling our current wind turbine capacity. Still, many of the objections to solar projects concern the loss of agricultural production. Projects like Garnet Mesa assuage this concern but incur some added construction costs. The grazers are paid to bring the sheep, but that cost is usually similar to mowing. Cattle have grazed successfully
under raised solar arrays for a decade at a few ag college sites. These solar designs have been expensive to construct, but more affordable systems are being tested by builders.
There will be a celebration of and rally for solar power at Carbondale’s Chacos Park on Sunday, Sept. 21, at 11am and a short film on agrivoltaics at the Carbondale Library this Friday, Sept. 19, at 5pm. Both are part of national Sun Day events.
KEN PLETCHER
Sopris Sun Correspondent
Earlier this summer, ValleyOrtho announced that Tomas Pevny, MD, was using a relatively new procedure that involved using an implant – trade name BEAR (Bridge-Enhanced ACL Restoration) – to repair torn anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) in knees. ValleyOrtho, based at Valley View Hospital (VVH) in Glenwood Springs, also has branch clinics in Aspen, Willits, Eagle and Silt. Pevny has been an orthopedic surgeon since 1995; he is the only physician at ValleyOrtho using the procedure.
In a VVH press release, the procedure was described as “the first disruptive technology in ACL tear treatment in more than 30 years.” It continued, “Transforming how this common, mountain community injury is addressed, the BEAR Implant enables a torn ACL to heal and restores the natural function of the knee.”
In a conversation with The Sopris Sun, Pevny explained that “disruptive” in this case referred to the fact that the BEAR procedure allows surgeons to repair torn ACLs rather than reconstructing them, as, he said, has been the “gold standard” up until now. He noted that previously, an attempt to repair a torn ACL (rather than reconstruct it) was “pretty much a disaster,” which made surgeons “skeptical” of attempting it.
Thus, until the advent of the BEAR Implant, surgeons would replace the damaged ligament. As Pevny described it, that would involve obtaining tissue (a section of quad, patellar or hamstring
FOOD GARDENING IN THE ROCKIES
Everything you need to know to successfully grow your own food in our mountain environment. Tuesday, 1-4pm, 9/23
THE WORLD BENEATH YOUR FEET
The soil food web teems with life underground. Class includes a live demo of microorganisms. Wed, 6-8pm, 9/24, Basalt
PLEASANT DOGS AND PLEASED OWNERS
Benett Bramson’s Seven P’sbasic guidelines for dog owners. Tue, 5:30-8:30pm, 9/30 ONLINE
PHOTOGRAPHY 101
Learn to capture and process dynamic photo and become a more confident photographer. Tue, 6-8:30pm, 10/7-10/28
FUNDRAISING FOR NON-PROFITS
Expand knowledge and development tools to build successful solicitations.
Tue, 5:30-8:30pm, 10/7, Online DIY FIRE CIDER IMMUNE BOOSTER
Preserve your garden or wild harvest in a medicine to use through the winter months. Thur, 5:30-7:30pm, 10/9
tendon) from a “harvest site” on the patient’s leg and grafting it into the knee joint. This meant more invasive surgery, more discomfort (since two wounds had to heal), longer rehabilitation time and more pain than the new procedure.
The press release described the BEAR Implant as “a bovine collagen-based sponge that bridges the torn ends of the ACL and promotes healing.” It continued, “Surgeons inject a small amount of the patient’s own blood into the implant before positioning it between the ACL’s torn ends. The combination of the implant and the patient’s own biological healing factors allows the ligament to regenerate naturally while preserving its original attachments to the femur and tibia. Over time, the implant is absorbed by the body.”
The implant was approved by the FDA
AIKIDO (TRY IT FOR FREE)
Learn to re-direct, neutralize, or avoid an attack altogether without harm to the attacker.
Tue/Thur, 6-7:30pm, 10/21-12/11
in late 2020, but Pevny decided to wait until there were published studies on its efficacy. After those became available and showed that the implant “did very well,” he began using the procedure “about a yearand-and-a-half ago.” Noting that the BEAR Implant “acts like a scaffolding” between the two damaged sections of the ACL, Pevny said that “the healing rate is much better” and that “we’ve been able to repair ACL tears that we couldn’t in the past.”
Initially, the BEAR Implant was approved only for complete ACL tears and was available only for adults and children as young as 14 whose bone growth was largely complete. Pevny said, “My cutoff was 25,” adding, “Historically, the ideal patient is someone in their 30s to 50s.” However, in May this year, the FDA approved the implant for partial tears as well as for
children as young as six months old.
The new approval holds great promise for partial tears of the ACL. Until now, as the press release stated, normal treatment options were “limited to physical therapy, bracing or full ACL reconstruction.” It continued, “The BEAR Implant provides a ligament-preserving surgical option that stabilizes the knee while retaining the remaining healthy ACL tissue.”
Even more promising is the effect the expanded approval is expected to have on pediatric ACL treatment. As Dr. Sean Keyes, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at AdventHealth for Children, described in a MedPath article earlier this year, “Surgery to fix an ACL disease tear is different in children because we are concerned about causing damage to the growth plates, which can lead to issues such as limb length discrepancies and angular deformities. The BEAR Implant allows us to restore the ACL to its original, natural state while preserving the growth plates.”
While acknowledging the potential impact for younger patients, Pevny said that he was again waiting for the results of clinical studies before performing the procedure on them. He stated, “If the results are good or better than reconstructive surgery, I’ll do it.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Dr. Pevny was the subject of an October 2023 article on his *pioneering use of iovera°® , a cryoanalgesia device, in knee-replacement surgery. Asked about it recently, he said, “It’s been a game-changer” that he uses in every procedure.
CHRISTMAS COOKIE DECORATING
AGES 8+
Decorate your own cookies and get pro tips from the Pastry Chef Lab. Parents welcome. Wednesday, 3-5pm, 12/3
GINGERBREAD CONSTRUCTION
AGES 8+
Build a classic Gingerbread House. Supplies provided. Parents welcome. Saturday, 1-4pm, 12/13
PAPER WINDOW STARS
AGE 9+
Fold colored wax paper to create geometric patterns of varying translucency. These stars make great gifts.
Wednesday, 3-4:45pm, 12/10
*MONO/LASER PRINTS - Cesark Tue, 4-7:15pm, 9/23-10/28, Aspen
*BEZEL MAKING - Seedorf Wed, 5:10-9:30pm, 11/5-12/10, CB
*Call campus for Registration Info Scan to Register
This fall, Snowmass transforms into a one-of-a-kind Oktoberfest celebration! MAKE IT A STAYCATION! Pack your lederhosen and your hiking boots! Stay the weekend to enjoy brews, fall views and discounted rates on select Snowmass lodges.
KATE PHILLIPS Sopris Sun Correspondent
Easing access to critical community resources, the West Mountain Regional Health Alliance (WMRHA) recently updated its all-encompassing online directory for residents of Garfield, Pitkin and Eagle counties. Available in Spanish and English, the user-friendly directory provides information about free, reduced-cost and low-income services.
“The goal is to put everything into one location so people don’t have to look all around or figure things out on their own,” said Berta Rivera, WMRHA’s regional health connector. “There’s a lot of information, and it might be overwhelming when you’re just trying to find a specific need.”
Currently, the directory has 12 resource categories: animal and pet care; community and personal safety; disabilities and special needs; employment and personal development; financial assistance; food; health; housing; legal support; mental and behavioral health; transportation; youth and family support. Within each category are multiple subcategories to streamline the information. For example, under “housing” the subcategories are: affordable housing, emergency assistance, homelessness and senior housing.
The directory also includes other regional service directories such as Immigration Resources, Garfield County Public Health’s Dental Directory, Community Compass and Mountain Youth. Statewide resources for Yampah, Routt and Chaffee counties and Southwest Colorado are also available.
Intended to be comprehensive, the directory may be used by people as needed or integrated into daily lives — for volunteering, social connection or family planning, for example.
One such resource is Elephant Circle, a Denver-based nonprofit with the mission to advance birth justice. Through the directory, residents can find information about Elephant Circle’s free Doula Is a Verb program where families can connect to over 100 Colorado birth doulas who are Medicaid, low-cost and no-cost providers. They also have a
statewide Medicaid-approved doula training program and provide advocacy work, public health and legal support for LGBTQIA+, multiracial, low-income, teen and incarcerated reproductive, pregnant and parenting populations.
“Overall, our goal is to ensure that every person in the perinatal period feels safe, connected, loved and able to make choices that they feel are best for them and their bodies,” said Sarah Lopez, Elephant Circle’s community doula ambassador.
Families can also access long-term support as they navigate potential challenges during the perinatal and parenting period, including the family policing system and legal system. For Elephant Circle, a supportive and informed collective will help establish and amplify equal access to self-determination during the perinatal period for all people.
Like Elephant Circle, WMRHA’s directory came to fruition as the community’s need for support became apparent. For nearly two years, the directory has been Rivera’s priority project. In that time she has been compiling data, researching nonprofits and analyzing the tri-county region’s top barriers.
“Among the top three issues for all three counties was access,” said Rivera. “This meant access all over, including resources, healthcare, food. People did not know what resources were available and how to access them.”
Since last year’s launch, the directory has received consistent positive feedback. Residents can now seamlessly access information and local nonprofits with limited time, and nonprofits can focus more effort on providing direct services rather than constant advertising. Recently, Rivera has created and distributed bilingual paper booklets for organizations to keep in-house for translating and educational purposes.
True to its founding ideals, the resource directory is another nod to WMRHA's mission to build an integrated health system that supports optimal health for this region’s residents. Founded in 2010, WMRHA originally examined the access to care gap of perinatal care for low-income women in western Eagle County. Now, the nonprofit has
expanded to include whole health systems as it seeks to improve social determinants of health for all people by identifying issues and finding solutions.
Looking toward the future, Rivera intends to continue gathering feedback and routinely updating the directory in response to the community’s needs. All the while, she is excited to advance WMRHA’s vision to increase equal access to high-quality, comprehensive, integrated and cost-effective healthcare services.
“It’s really amazing to see this come to life,” said Rivera. “It’s now ready to be advertised and put out there for community members to really benefit from the resources and services.”
Visit www.westmountainhealthalliance.org/resources to access services, including Elephant Circle, using WMRHA’s resource directory.
ANNALISE GRUETER
Sopris Sun Correspondent
In mid-August, herds of goats once again appeared along the Rio Grande Trail between Catherine Store and Carbondale. The popular weed-mitigation program is now in its ninth year. Using the goats for corridor flora management helps the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) minimize pesticide use and build soil health. This year, RFTA started a contract with a new goat provider, Goats On The Go (GOTG), owned by landscaping business Olson Outdoors. As a government agency, RFTA is required to put the opportunity out to bid periodically. Of the four bids, GOTG won the three-to-five year contract over locally-based Goat Green, LLC, which had managed the grazing work for the past eight years. RFTA asks that the public refrain from trying to pet the working goats, that they listen to herders and stand at the shoulder of the trail if watching the animals.
During last week’s monthly meeting, the RFTA board covered considerable territory over the course of two hours. First, they authorized a letter of support for the City of Glenwood Springs, which is submitting a Garfield County Federal Mineral Lease District grant application. The City
is working to improve Coach Miller Drive during the spring of 2026 with the goal to upgrade access to trails and parks and improve stormwater drainage. Part of the City’s plan includes updates to a trailhead near Glenwood Springs High School, located inside the RFTA railroad corridor. RFTA’s support does not include a financial contribution, only support for the funding application to Garfield County.
Next, the board considered a letter of support for the Colorado River Valley Economic Development Partnership (CRVEDP), which is applying for a Colorado Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiatives grant. RFTA Mobility Coordinator Mary Harlan provided details.
CRVEDP focuses on economic development in the Colorado River Valley and is working to build a coalition to identify and advance conservation and sustainable recreation objectives. Multiple local, statewide, federal, municipal, nonprofit and private stakeholders will be engaged in the coalition once formed. CRVEDP is not asking RFTA for funding at this time. CRVEDP is applying for the maximum grant amount of $150,000. The Colorado Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative currently contributes funding to the Roaring Fork Outdoor Coalition, Eagle County
Community Wildlife Roundtable and West Slope Outdoors Alliance. CRVEDP hopes to serve the current gap between Glenwood Springs and De Beque.
RFTA Director of Sustainability and Legislative Affairs David Johnson started the presentation with discussion of a grant application to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) SB-230 Formula Program. His department’s recommendation was that the board authorize requesting up to $2,175,000 from the CDOT fund in 2026. Applications to the new CDOT program are due this Friday, Sept. 19. Back in July, the Colorado General Assembly’s passage of SB-230 imposed a fee on all oil and gas produced
in the state. That fee now funds CDOT’s Clean Transportation Enterprise, which will support transit agencies such as RFTA in expanding and improving services. CDOT anticipates having upwards of $34 million to allocate to proposals in fiscal year 2026 and $70 million or more available in fiscal year 2027.
Director of Finance Paul Hamilton and Budget Director David Carle then walked the board through a presentation of the first draft of RFTA’s 2026 budget. As the budget in progress is extensive, it will be covered in more detail in a future Sopris Sun report.
The RFTA board discussed and approved changes to the Passenger Code of
AMY HADDEN MARSH
Sopris Sun Correspondent
Steve Kuschner, organizer for 350 Roaring Fork, spoke up during the morning public comment period at Monday’s Garfield County Commissioner (BOCC) meeting, drawing attention to a letter, which would otherwise not have been discussed publicly due to its placement on the consent agenda.
The letter is an invitation from the BOCC to U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to be guest speakers at Garfield County's 2026 Energy and Environment Symposium next April, focusing on energy security, public lands and rural economic resilience.
It cites a 2016 U.S. Department of the Interior geologic survey that put Garfield County’s “undiscovered and technically recoverable” shale natural gas deposits at 66 trillion cubic feet, shale oil at 74 million barrels and natural gas liquids at 45 million barrels, all in the Piceance Basin. The letter also highlights the county’s midstream pipelines and a commitment to liquid natural gas exports. It presents extraction of the county’s fossil fuel resources as a way to stabilize the rural economy.
Kuschner urged the BOCC to move away from depending on
non-renewable energy extraction to bolster the local economy, to understand that natural gas contributes to greenhouse gases, to invest in renewable technologies and prioritize conservation of public lands.
“The reliance on federally-managed lands for expanded fossil fuel extraction risks disrupting ecosystems, wildlife habitats and water resources, which are vital to environmental health and biodiversity,” he explained.
Kuschner requested a commu
Chair Tom Jankovsky reminded Kuschner that the public comment period was not a time for decisions from the board.
“There are differences of opinion to your opinions here on this board,” he added. “I would refer you to the Department of Energy's latest study or paper on greenhouse gases and climate change. And I'll just leave it at that.” He suggested that Kuschner contact the GarfieldCleanEnergyCollaborative.
Later in the meeting, Commissioner Mike Samson said he respects Mr. Kuschner’s comments but that energy development is crucial to the nation’s independence. “There is no reason in the world that I can think of that this nation should not be energy independent totally,” he said, “and should be supplying energy to the rest of the world.”
Kimberly Leisinger of Silt spoke next about the difficulties she has with public transportation, urging the BOCC to continue to support RFTA’s
“Let's not play. It's a shale game.”
down valley bus system. She stated that she has a disability that sometimes prohibits her from driving and that the RFTA bus schedule makes it hard to get to and from medical appointments. Jankovsky directed her to The Traveler, a transportation service for county residents living with a disability.
The first item on the agenda was the annual presentation by Linda Morcom of the Captain Richard Sopris Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution to proclaim the week of Sept. 17 to 24 as Constitution Week. Samson read the short proclamation aloud, which commemorates the 236th anniversary of the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.
Four action items remained on the agenda, including filling a vacant position at Community Corrections, approving two letters of support and a review of county health insurance coverage and cost options. The BOCC chose an option recommended by the county finance department and former human resources manager Diane Hayes that will increase county costs by 2.5%.
County budget meetings for the next fiscal year begin on Tuesday, Oct. 7 and run on consecutive Tuesdays for three weeks.
Join Aspen Valley Health and Aspen Historical Society for an inspiring evening of storytelling, history and community connection.
Thursday, September 18
4:30 pm Welcome Reception
5:30 pm Presentation led by Amy Honey from Aspen Historical Society
Aspen Valley Health Medical Center, Main Entrance
Enjoy light bites and refreshments
FREE and open to all
Explore Aspen’s rich healthcare history through images and a lively conversation featuring longtime locals whose dedication has helped shape healthcare in our community for generations to come.
Panelists
· John Sarpa, Moderator
· Dave Ressler, AVH CEO
· Barry Mink, MD
· Bud Glismann, MD
· Annette “Nettie” Kremer
Celebrate the past and glimpse the future of healthcare in our valley!
JOHN STROUD
Sopris Sun Correspondent
Roaring Fork High School’s boys soccer team continues on an early season roll, improving to 4-1 overall and taking their first 3A Western Slope League (WSL) win in action over the past week.
The Rams won 6-2 at home on Sept. 11 over league foe Rifle, followed by a 5-3 win at Summit on Sept. 13 and besting Steamboat Springs on the road Tuesday night, Sept. 16, 2-1.
“They’re looking really strong,” veteran head coach Nick Forbes said before the Steamboat win.
The Rifle and Summit games were both closer than the final scores would indicate, he said.
“But we were looking unruffled when we got behind on the scoreboard,” Forbes said. “We are starting to be clinical in front of goal and the team is starting to click. To play the way we did against [Rifle and Summit] bodes really well for the coming crunch time this season.”
Against Rifle, goals came from juniors Oliver Shook and Cal Stone (two each), with one by junior Wesley Serano. The other goal against the Bears was an own goal mishap.
At Summit, the teams were tied 3-3 at the half, but the Rams connected on two more in the second and held the Tigers at bay. Shook again had two goals, with one each from Stone, junior Kevin Morales and senior Eli Norris.
At Steamboat, the teams were scoreless at the half, before the Rams earned the edge in the second. Scoring stats were not immediately available. Next up, the Rams host Timnath on Saturday, Sept. 20, at Rams Field (2pm), and are back on the home turf on Tuesday, Sept. 24, against Grand Junction Central (6pm). Girls volleyball
Meanwhile, the Rams ladies volleyball team fell to 2-8 overall and holds a 1-1 3A WSL mark after losses at Grand Junction 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 16-25, 13-25) on Sept. 11, followed by a 3-1 loss at Vail Christian on Tuesday night this week (25-21, 17-25, 22-25, 11-25).
Against Grand Junction, the kills leader for the Rams was senior Nikki Tardif with 10, while junior Hazel Jenkins and sophomore Clover Hansen had five each. Next up, the Lady Rams are at Coal Ridge on Thursday, Sept. 18 (6:30pm), and back home against Soroco on Monday, Sept. 22 (6pm).
Boys tennis
The combined Basalt boys tennis team hosted Fruita Monument on Sept. 10, claiming a 7-0 team win as the Wildcats had to forfeit several matches. In the two matches that were played, Basalt senior Fritz Simmons won his No. 1 singles match over Fruita’s Rowdy Ellsworth, 6-0, 6-2. And, in the No. 2 singles match, it was Basalt sophomore Isaac Zevin over Fruita’s Caleb Reschke, 7-5, 6-0. Next up, Basalt hosts Steamboat Springs on Friday, Sept. 19 (3pm).
Girls softball
The combined Basalt girls softball team stands at 4-11 overall and 2-5 in the 3A WSL, following a 19-5 win at Battle Mountain on Tuesday. In other recent scores, the Longhorns beat Aspen, 22-6, at Aspen on Sept. 9, and lost a double header at home Sept. 13 to Montezuma-Cortez, 18-0 and 23-7.
JOHN STROUD
Sopris Sun Correspondent
While the Roaring Fork District Re-1 schools are celebrating overall academic growth among students from 2024 to 2025, serious concerns still exist over a large achievement gap for students who are in the process of learning English.
As a whole, the district — which includes schools in Glenwood Springs, Carbondale and Basalt — saw its accreditation rating improve from “Accredited with Improvement” last year to the higher “Accredited” rating, based on state testing done in the spring, the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) reported recently.
All but two schools in the district achieved a “Performance” rating this year — a marked improvement from last year when five of the district’s 14 schools (including two charter schools) were given the second-tier “Improvement” rating.
Data is not yet available for the district’s alternative Bridges High School, while Glenwood Springs Elementary School dropped to the third-tier “Priority Improvement” rating following the 2025 testing, according to the CDE report.
“We’ve been in ongoing conversations about how they are responding and addressing this,” RFSD Assistant Superintendent Stacey Park said during a presentation of the performance frameworks to the school board on Sept. 10.
A response plan is expected to be presented to the board in the next month, she said.
The district and school performance data is compiled by the CDE and reported to school districts across the state in late August or early September. The data is based on various types of standardized testing for elementary, middle and high school students conducted in the spring. The tests measure proficiency in English language reading and writing, math and, for certain grade levels, science.
Dropout and graduation rates, which also improved for RFSD, are also factored into the measures. A breakdown of the data can be found in Park’s memo to the board for last week’s meeting, and on the district’s web-based Strategic Plan Dashboard. It also includes data from the district’s own in-year measures and other school and district performance information.
The district continues to grapple with a large gap in achievement between white and Latino students, and especially those students who are on an English language-learning track. While the district strategic plan has addressed the issue and outlined goals for improvement going back several years, that gap — about a 39-40% difference between white and Latino students on average — has gone largely unchanged.
School board member Kenny Teitler emphasized during last week’s board meeting that it must remain a district
priority to close the gap.
“While we’re doing the right things academically, we still need to focus on what we need to change, and what kinds of things we need to put in motion that are going to help close that gap,” he said.
In looking at the overall academic improvement, “It’s a time for celebration,” he said, “but also a pause to say there are still specific things that we need to address.”
A leading Latino advocacy group in the Roaring Fork Valley, Voces Unidas, also criticized the district for allowing the achievement gap to continue without any improvement.
“The data suggests that Latino students are still not getting consistent grade-level instruction, much less catching up the two or three grades they are currently behind before getting to high school,” Alex Sánchez, president and CEO of Voces Unidas, said in a Sept. 10 press release. “We need results, not excuses, because the status quo — and this pace — are unacceptable.”
District Superintendent Anna Cole responded via email to the Sopris Sun that “persistent and significant gaps” exist across multiple subgroups, not just between white and Hispanic/Latino students, but for students from low-income families and students with disabilities.
“These are difficult and complicated student academic outcomes and do not yet meet the ambitious goals we’ve set in our five-year strategic plan,” Cole said.
“We caution against making broad generalizations about student outcomes,” she said, noting that the tests are administered in English, while nearly 45% of the student population who identify as Hispanic are currently receiving English Language Development (ELD) services, and are not yet proficient, nor on par with native English speakers.
Latino students who improved in their English proficiency beyond the need for continued ELD services have closed that achievement gap to within 7-10 points of white students, Cole also noted.
Overall, any measure that shows only 28-37% of students, regardless of ethnicity and language proficiency, meeting or exceeding grade level expectations, is not acceptable, she said. That’s the case in several academic areas, and also a key focus for the district.
“We recognize the significant student academic growth and achievement gaps evident in our student outcome data and appreciate the engagement and accountability that partners and our community provide,” Cole said. “Our mission is to ensure that all students develop the enduring knowledge, skills and character to thrive in a changing world — we haven’t achieved that yet.”
The latest school and district performance gains are a move in the right direction, Cole said.
“Although we have much farther to go, we are on the right track,” she concluded.
Online aspenvalleyhealth.org/health-fair, or by phone 1.800.217.5866
Monday–Friday, 9 am–4 pm
October 3
ASPEN
Aspen Ambulance Building
Aspen Valley Health Medical Center
0403 Castle Creek Road
October 4 EL JEBEL
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
SENIOR FALL FEST
FLORENCE WILLIAMS
Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers welcomes Florence Williams, author of “The Nature Fix,” for a meet and greet at 5:30pm followed by a community talk and book signing. RSVP at www.rfov.org
We are delighted to offer you, our community, the opportunity to take advantage of low-cost blood tests Lab Tests Offered
• HealthScreen w/CBC – $79 Includes CBC, CMP, Ferritin, Iron Panel, Lipid Panel, TSH and Uric Acid (Fasting Required)
• hsCardio CRP – $42
Eagle County Community Center 20 Eagle County Drive
• CBC (Complete Blood Count) – $32 By appointment only 8-11:30 am
• Hemoglobin A1C & EAG – $44
• PSA, Total – $47
• Vitamin D – $54
• T3, Free – $32
• T4, Free – $32
MONDAYS
URBAN LINE DANCING WITH QUEEN
6:15PM-7:15 PM
SATURDAYS
ZUMBA WITH ANDREA
10:30AM-11:30AM
ADULT HIP HOP WITH QUINCY
3:30PM-4:30PM
ADULT BREAKDANCE WITH JOH & ISRAEL 4:30PM - 5:30PM
TUESDAYS
KIDS ADVANCED BREAKDANCE WITH JOH 4PM-5PM KIDS/TEENS K-POP WITH JOAN 5PM-6PM
WEDNESDAYS
MINI ME RAVE & PLAY WITH JOAN (AGES 6 MONTHS-3YRS) 10AM-10:30 I $10/CLASS TINY TOTS HIP HOP WITH JOAN (AGES 3YRS - 5YRS) 10:30AM-11AM I $10/CLASS
KIDS BEGINNER HIP HOP WITH JOAN (AGES 7+) 2:30PM-3:30PM
Pitkin County Senior Services invites everyone “60 and better” to a fall festival at noon with seasonal flavors, music and connection. To RSVP, call 970-429-6161.
THIRD THURSDAY BOOK CLUB
The Third Thursday Book Club discusses “Sandwich” by Catherine Newman at the Carbondale Library from 2 to 3:30pm. Questions? Call the library at 970-963-2889.
AEROSPACE MAKERS
The Basalt High School Aerospace Club helps elementary and middle schoolers design and launch model rockets at the Basalt Library from 4 to 5:30pm. Register at www.basaltlibrary.org
MUSIC AT THE LIBRARY
Javier de los Santos serenades a small audience with his classical guitar at the Basalt Library at 5:30pm.
LIVING AYURVEDA
True Nature offers the final session in a three-part series on “cultivating balance through food, mind and lifestyle” from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Tickets at www.truenaturehealingarts.com
‘PETS CAN TALK’
Veterinarian Dr. Ron Carsten presents “Pets Can Talk: Are you Listening?” at Colorado Mountain College’s Glenwood Center (1402 Blake Ave) from 6 to 8pm for free.
SPANISH CONVERSATION CLUB
Beginning and intermediate Spanish speakers practice conversational skills with one another at the Carbondale Library from 6:30 to 8pm.
CRYSTAL THEATRE ALLIANCE
Tonight is the last chance to catch “The Roses” (captioned) at the Crystal Theatre at 7pm. Next up, the nonprofit movie theater screens “Highest 2 Lowest” tomorrow, Saturday and Thursday, Sept. 25 at 7pm, and Sunday at 5pm – the Thursday and Sunday showings are captioned.
HARRY & FRIENDS
Harry Tuft swaps songs and stories with Roaring Fork legend Dan Sadowsky (aka Pastor Mustard) at the Swallow Hill Music – Tuft Theatre (71 East Yale Ave, Denver) at 7pm.
LIVE MUSIC
Rockin’ Randall joins Smokin’ Joe Kelly for a musical performance at Heather’s in Basalt from 6:30 to 9:30pm.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
STUDENT-ARTISTS SALE
The Carbondale Clay Center hosts a student-artists sale today from noon to 8pm, tomorrow from 11am to 6pm and Sunday from 11am to 2pm.
LIBRARY FILM
Basalt Library shows “Ex Libris,” a documentary film by Frederick Wiseman about the New York Public Library at 2pm.
MUSIC UNDER THE BRIDGE
The Queen Bees play at Bethel Plaza in Glenwood Springs from 4:30 to 7:30pm.
STEP UP FOR YOUTH
Stepping Stones hosts a fundraiser with food, performances, community connection and more from 5 to 8pm at 1010 Garfield Ave in Carbondale.
350 ROARING FORK
350 Roaring Fork screens a documentary about agrivoltaics, “Save the Farm, Save the Future,” at the Carbondale Library at 5pm.
COMEDY SHOW
Comedian Orlando Leyba performs stand-up at TACAW at 8pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org
TANKERAYS
The Tankerays perform rock-a-billy, punk, surf, Americana music at the Ute Theater in Rifle with Good for Now and Trailer Swift opening at 8pm.
RFOV AT GRIZZLY CREEK
Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers repairs the Grizzly Creek Trail from 8am to 4pm. Register to lend a hand at www.rfov.org
YARD WASTE DROP-OFF
Carbondale residents can drop off yard waste from 9am to noon at the dirt lot across from Town Hall. Proof of residency is required.
HISTORY HIKE
The Aspen Historical Society guides a historical hike at Hunter Creek from 10am to 1pm. Register at www.aspenhistory.org
PLEIN AIR WORKSHOP
Discover the art of plein air at the Soldner Center in Aspen from 10am to 5pm. Register at www.soldnercenter. com/plein-air-painting All levels are welcome.
OKTOBERFEST
The Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park celebrates Oktoberfest four Saturdays in a row — Sept. 19 through Oct. 11 — from 10am to 6pm with German inspired food, seasonal craft beers, live music and plenty to keep the kids occupied. For details, visit www.glenwoodcaverns.com
‘THE MARCHING BAND’
Aspen Film and the Aspen Music Festival and School present “The Marching Band,” a film by Emmanuel Courcol, at the AF Isis Theatre at noon.
DAVID SELIGMAN
Colorado Attorney General candidate David Seligman hosts a town hall with HD57 Representative Elizabeth Velasco regarding housing affordability at the Blue Bird Cafe from 12:15 to 2pm.
HARVEST PARTY
The Roaring Fork Valley Horse Council hosts Rumble Ridge, an autumn harvest party and horse tack sale at 1844 Upper Cattle Creek Road from 2 to 6pm. Participants are encouraged to bring a dish, beverage and saddles and bridles in good condition to sell.
SOUND IMMERSION
Ildi Ingraham guides a free meditative sound journey at the Carbondale Library at 4pm.
FEEDING GIANTS
Heather’s in Basalt presents “the soulful sounds of Feeding Giants” from 6:30 to 9:30pm.
JAM COUNTRY
TACAW presents Extra Gold’s Dead and Country performing at 8pm.
Shannon Bison, founder of Nourished by Nature, offers a five-day online reset to “refresh eating habits and feel lighter, clearer and more energized” beginning today. Register at www.getnourishedbynature.com/reset
WOMEN’S RETREAT
HeadQuarters presents “an empowering indoor-outdoor women’s retreat blending movement, reflection and connection” at 4Winds Farm in Glenwood Springs from 9am to 3pm. Scholarships are available. Learn more at headq.org/event
GRIEF RITUAL
True Nature offers a free community gathering around honoring and healing grief from 9am to 4pm. The day will include guided breathwork and meditation, journaling and reflection exercises, small group discussions, music performances and nourishing refreshments from local restaurants.
A SPIRITUAL CENTER
John and Kelly Field share spiritual wisdom and insight at Room #31 at the Third Street Center from 10 to 11:30am.
SUNDAY SET
Heady Hooligan performs music for the Basalt Sunday Market beginning at 10am.
SUN DAY
Join 350 Roaring Fork and Third Act for an international Sun Day celebration at Chacos Park in Carbondale at 11am, celebrating the Roaring Fork Valley’s solar energy accomplishments while making plans for the future.
POETS & WRITERS
The Carbondale Library hosts a poets and writers group every third Sunday from 3 to 5pm.
TEEN JAM
The Bluebird Cafe in Glenwood Springs hosts a teen jam and open mic session on the third Sunday of every month from 5 to 7pm.
‘FLOW FREELY, LIVE FULLY’
Five women share their personal stories of transformation at The Collective Snowmass at 6pm. Tickets at www. thecollectivesnowmass.com
LARC
The Lost Art of Random Conversations returns for a session at the Third Street Center from 6 to 8pm. Sign up at www. randomconvo.com/event
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
RIDE-IN DIG PARTY
The Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association invites volunteers to ride in and help reroute the Innie Trail on The Crown from 1 to 8pm. For details, visit www.rfmba.org
‘RALLY THE VALLEY’
Two “Rally the Valley” fundraising events supporting the Mountain Valley and Aspen-Basalt mobile home park communities in their bid for resident ownership take place tonight at TACAW and Friday, Oct. 3 at the Third Street Center — both at 6:30pm. RSVP at tinyurl.com/RFVRally
POTLUCK & FILM
The Center for Human Flourishing hosts a plant-based potluck and “inspirational” film screening at the Third Street Center from 6:30 to 8pm. Details at www.tcfhf.org
ALPENGLOW BOOK CLUB
Alpenglow Books & Gifts (720 Grand Avenue, Suite 4) in Glenwood hosts a bookclub featuring Fredrik Backman’s novel, “My Friends,” from 7 to 8pm.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
RECOVERY MEDITATION
Billy Wynne of Roaring Fork Zen guides a mindfulness meditation session at The Meeting Place from 4 to 5:30pm. Register at www.meetingplacecarbondale.org
ANIME CLUB
The Basalt Library invites teenage anime enthusiasts to watch movies and series, read manga books and enjoy snacks together from 4 to 5:30pm.
MOVIE TRIVIA
Gather a team of one to four friends and prove your cinema knowledge at The Crystal Theatre! Doors (and concessions) open at 6:30pm, and the questions roll at 7pm. Tickets at tinyurl. com/CTAmovietrivia
SOUND BATH
Nicole Korinek from Divine Moon guides a sound bath at the Basalt Library from 5:30 to 6:30pm.
LARC
The Lost Art of Random Conversations hosts a session at Craft Wellness in Basalt from 6 to 8pm. Sign up at www.randomconvo.com/event
HUES AND BREWS
Architect Ethan Merritt guides a LGBTQ-firendly sketching workshop at The Art Base from 6 to 8pm.
DRAWING CLUB
The Roaring Fork Drawing Club gathers at La Fogata at 6:30pm.
FIRST DRAFT
Mitzi Rapkin, host of “First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing,” speaks with author Jonathan Parks-Ramagen about his book, “It’s Not the End of the World,”at TACAW at 6:30pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
‘YOUR MONEY, YOUR FUTURE’
Three high school participants of The Finance Camp share essential investing concepts they’ve learned at TACAW at 4pm. RSVP at www.tacaw.org
BOOK TALK
Basalt Library hosts a discussion on “Enter Ghost,” a novel by Isabella Hammad about a production of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” being produced in Palestine, from 5:30 to 6:30pm.
FALL MEAL PREP
Shannon Bison instructs a threepart meal prep course at Colorado Mountain College’s Glenwood Center (1402 Blake Avenue) each Wednesday, 6-8pm, through Oct. 8. Register at www.tinyurl.com/FallMealPrepCMC
ACROSS THE AISLE
Mountain Action Indivisible hosts a workshop for practicing skills to have difficult conversations around politics at the Third Street Center from 6 to 7:30pm.
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.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
‘THRESHOLD’
True Nature hosts a three-day retreat for women guided by Kemi Nekvapil, Laura McKowen and Elena Brower beginning at 10am today. Register at www.truenaturehealingarts.com
RED HILL MAINTENANCE
Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers invites the community to help maintain trails and restore habitat on Red Hill from 2 to 6pm. Sign up at www.rfov.org
GRAPHIC NOVEL CLUB
The Carbondale Library hosts a graphic novel club, for ages 9-12, from 3:30 to 4:30pm with pizza! To sign up, call 970-963-2889.
For MinTze Wu, founder and director of BenFeng Music Productions, “beauty is not with the absence of pain and struggle.” Rather, beauty is sometimes heart-wrenching and often emerges from hardship.
Such is true in “Kreutzer Sonata,” a story written by Leo Tolstoy named after a convention-breaking sonata composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. Tolstoy’s novella in turn inspired Leoš Janáček’s reimagining of the music as a string quartet seeped in passionate emotion. BenFeng’s “Kreutzer” blends theatrical drama scored not only with the music of Beethoven and Janáček but also Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Ljova and John Tavener — all performed live with prerecorded elements adding atmosphere and depth.
The music of Rudolphe Kreutzer himself does not make an appearance. Kreutzer’s most notable contribution to classical music, Wu explained, was 42 etudes for violin study. His name was made immortal with the dedication of Beethoven’s “Sonata No.9” — a composition Kreutzer called “unintelligible.” According to Wu, the dedication was intended for another violinist-friend of Beethoven’s, but that relationship soured (the rumor goes) when he became romantic with a woman Beethoven was pursuing.
Jealousy in love is thus a fitting theme for Keutzer’s namesake novella by Tolstoy. In the story, the Russian author refers to
Beethoven’s “Sonata No.9” as “the most refined form of sensuality.” The provocative music (in true Beethoven style) becomes a catalyst for protagonist Pozdnyshev’s unhinged rage as he suspects an affair is unfolding between his wife, a musician, and another.
The production is set on a train. We don’t know where it’s going or departing from, but for a moment in time, Pozdnyshev holds captive an audience that includes the musicians on stage for a retelling of his murderous jealousy. Poznyshev will be portrayed by Micha Schoepe.
What: “Kreutzer” by BenFeng Music Productions
When: Sept. 26-28 with shows at 7:30 and 2pm
Where: Thunder River Theatre, 67 Promenade, Carbondale More info and to buy tickets: www.benfengmusicproductions.org/ kreutzer
Other performers include Chih-Long Hu on piano, Michael Graham on cello, Chieh-Fan Yiu on viola, Delaney Meyers on violin and Jacon Danelle (an Aspen High School senior) on cello. Wu herself will portray Poznyshev’s violinist wife.
The first production of BenFeng’s “Kreutzer” took place in a warehouse in Taiwan with some of these same musicians. “It was such a breakthrough, because the subject is dark,” Wu explained. “It’s not easy to tell this story and tell it well — to tell it for people that could still find beauty and hope in it.” Wu’s barometer was her mother, a deeply religious person. Wu thought, “This piece is going to offend her. She is going to walk out of the theater … but she loved it.”
BenFeng is proud to partner with Thunder River Theatre Company (TRTC) for this third iteration of the show. “The first time I stepped into TRTC seven years ago, I thought, ‘We have to do Kreutzer here,’” she said. “It’s like a wild dream.”
“The succession of Beethoven’s violin Sonata, Tolstoy’s novella and Janáček’s string quartet is the most unique chain of related masterpieces in music history,” remarked Dr. Tom Buesch, a professor of arts and humanities at Colorado Mountain College. “Can a work of art presenting the musical and theatrical elements buried in the three masterpieces reveal the emotions and ideas behind those masterpieces?”
“I think in art and music we try to look through the cracks,” Wu concluded.
MYKI JONES Arts Correspondent
Beginning Oct. 3 and continuing through Oct. 31, The Art Base in Basalt will present a standalone show featuring local cartoonist, painter and award-winning illustrator Larry Day. You’ve undoubtedly seen his work in the pages of The Sopris Sun, a media sponsor for the exhibit. A professional illustrator since the early 1980s, Day is excited about this opportunity to display his work and engage in conversation regarding the collection.
The title of this show, “Ha Ha Ha,” was decided thanks to Day’s wife, Miriam Busch, an accomplished children’s books author. When asked by her husband what he should name his exhibition, she came up with it on the spot.
“I'm looking forward to seeing the entire Art Base filled up with my cartoons,” Day expressed. “I'm looking forward to seeing how they have it laid out. I'm also looking forward to talking with people and mingling. One of the things that's fun when you have a show is you get to hear what people say about certain things when they are seeing a piece.”
In addition to his work producing local news cartoons, Day has had an extensive career in illustration across a myriad of media, including making artwork for pinball machines and as a storyboard artist for major networks and agencies like Allstate Insurance, Hallmark, Disney and Kellogg's.
While the marketing jobs are enjoyable, Day told The Sopris Sun, this newspaper allows much more creative freedom, and the subjects vary from week to week allowing for a more individualized working style.
“In the advertising world, I'm given a script from the creative team or the copywriters,” he explained. “There would be anywhere from 10 to 20 people working on [a project], even if it was five seconds of film. With cartooning for The Sopris Sun, it's basically like this: if you send me a script of what you're doing, I'll illustrate it, but it's my idea. I don't have to go through a committee to do it.”
This upcoming showcase came to be when Day’s neighbor mentioned how he would be submitting proposals to The Art Base for its 2025 gallery season. Day felt called to submit his work, and it turned out that he would be showing solo, rather than having a partner artist share the space.
“As the artist, you can enlighten people,” Day said. “It’s pretty cool when people see your work from different points of view that you may not have even thought of, and I’m so thankful to The Art Base for making this possible.”
Catch the opening reception on Friday, Oct. 3 from 5 to 7pm with a talk by Day at 5:30pm. The show is supported with a
JAMES STEINDLER
Sopris Sun Correspondent
Ceramic students of the Carbondale Clay Center will have a chance to show, and sell, their pieces during an upcoming pop-up at the center, Sept. 19-21. The unique thing about this sale is that the designs and the modes of creation are dynamic and abundant, each student having explored a plethora of techniques.
The styles of four of the featured artists The Sopris Sun had the pleasure of previewing were certainly distinct, and with up to 20 featured artists, the sale is sure to have a robust blend.
“Each piece that I have in here demonstrates something I was working on,” Gail Mathieson told The Sopris Sun, “what I’ve been studying.” There’s a lot of variety, echoed Sara Lenart, who’s been dabbling in pottery since high school, “because you’re exploring, you’re learning, you’re trying new things.”
“We’re all looking for our voice,” summed up longtime-local Denise Moss, who has been searching for her own under the guidance of the Clay Center for five years.
What: Carbondale Clay Center’s student sale
When: Sept. 19 (noon to 8pm), Sept. 20 (11am to 6pm) and Sept. 21 (11am to 2pm)
Where: 135 Main St., Carbondale
More info: Support these budding artists, who take home 80% of their profits — the rest being kicked back to the nonprofit. Folks can pay with cash or card.
“I would say community is more than just an element,” chimed Green. “It’s almost central.”
We’re all looking for our voice.
- Denise Moss
After 12 years with the Clay Center, and eight as a board member, even Claire Green is still figuring out her style. She’s in a “sets” class now, challenging her to make cohesive pieces that stack and match.
Students have ample opportunities to learn from experienced local potters as well as internationally known ceramicists who pop in for workshops, broadening their own horizons. From sculpting to tea pot classes, the Clay Center is not short of talented instructors who come with varying specialties.
This isn’t to say, in the least, the student pieces are mediocre. Every one is beautiful and the care that goes into each is apparent. The teachers, of course, help students manifest these creations, but the students also inspire one another, exchange ideas and give honest feedback — as true friends do.
Before Lenart even moved to the Valley in 2019, she signed up for a class at the Clay Center, in no small part because she wanted to find a sense of community.
And there are lots of people, of all ages, being reached by the nonprofit. Moss, who does some grant writing for the Clay Center, said it serves 6,000 people a year. “We have all kinds of classes and 21 other organizations that we work with,” she stated. These organizations bring in young people, the disability and recovery communities, women in transition and so on.
There’s a psychological benefit, added Mathieson, who happens to be a psychiatric nurse practitioner. “There is a big mental health piece,” she said. “It comes down to: You can’t create something unless your clay is centered” — c'est la vie.
And the center doesn’t turn anyone away, Moss assured. Scholarships are available for students as well as a work-exchange program in trade for shelf space. “It’s busting at the seams,” said Moss. Which is why the center is fundraising to build a space that can eventually accommodate the ever-increasing demand.
Green brought up that students don’t typically create to sell, and Mathieson conceded it can feel vulnerable. But Lenart added that it can be empowering, too, when she generally considers her stuff as a “work in progress.”
While their and their families’ home cabinets are filling up, this is the chance for students to pass on some of their loved pieces.
ANNALISE GRUETER
Sopris Sun Correspondent
Autumn has arrived with a sense of impatience this year, with rainstorms bringing cooler temperatures, changing leaves and even high-elevation snow. Pumpkin spice products already line the shelves at grocery stores. While several fall celebrations have already occurred in the region the past few weeks, many more are just around the corner.
These community parties carry on an ancient tradition. From the Celtic Mabon festival to the Norwegian Haustblot to Central American sweating ceremonies, humans have celebrated changing seasons for centuries by gathering, sharing food and making things. Here is a summary of events in the Roaring Fork Valley and the broader Western Slope in the coming weeks.
OKTOBERFEST, Sept. 27-28,
Base Village, Snowmass
This brand new Oktoberfest celebration runs from noon to 8pm on Saturday and noon to 6pm on Sunday. Attendees are encouraged to wear traditional German costumes of lederhosen and dirndls. The Snowmass Mall and Village around the bottom of the ski area will be filled with traditional beer-hall tables hosting a variety of classic Oktoberfest traditions and foods. While beer will be limited to attendees 21 and up, all ages are welcome.
CARE currently has 6 dogs, 5 cats, and 2 Bunnies ready for adoption!
, Sept. 27-28, Elk Camp
From noon to 4:45pm, Aspen Snowmass marks its last weekend of summertime operations with family-friendly activities and live music at the top of the Elk Camp gondola. The events are free for children under 6 and the cost of a sightseeing ticket for older children and adults without season ski passes. There will be face-painting stations in addition to seasonal food and drink.
, Sept. 26-28,
Across McClure Pass, the 25th annual Paonia Mountain Harvest Festival highlights arts, music, wine, cider and theater. The Paonia Public Library hosts a book sale on Friday and Saturday. Local musicians perform each afternoon. Both Saturday and Sunday afternoon, the town park has a specific kid’s creative zone. This well-loved event celebrates creatives and agricultural artisans from the West Elks in addition to saying goodbye to summer.
OCTOBERFEST, Saturdays, Sept. 20, Sept. 27, Oct. 4, Oct. 11
Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park hosts beer and music on four consecutive Saturdays. The park added a day after a
successful run last year. In addition to normal park operations, the Caverns will have a variety of autumnal contests, German foods and souvenirs. The price of admission is a standard ticket up the gondola. Since the festival runs from 11am to 6pm, this is a great way to amplify a visit to the park.
The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) location in Hooks has its annual
autumnal celebration from 11am to 5pm. There will be two harvest sessions during the day for those who want to get into the dirt and help collect squash and other produce. The $15 per person tickets cover hayrides, crafts, dancing, apple pressing and pumpkin carving. Additional catered food and beverages will be available for purchase. Parking will not be available on site. ACES instead encourages attendees to bike or take shuttles from Emma or Basalt.
There’s a sweet reward for making a trip over to Cedaredge. Like the Paonia celebration the weekend before, Applefest centers community, arts, food and more. On Friday morning, the festival launches with a golf tournament. A community bike ride takes place in the afternoon ahead of the Five Alarm Chili Cook-Off. Saturday starts with a five-kilometer race ahead of a day full of arts and crafts, games and live music, from 9:30am to 10pm. As of printing, Sunday Oct. 5 festivities are listed as tentative.
A local classic, Potato Day never disappoints. Folks can start the day with the Ross Montessori Tater Trot run and a Rotary Club pancake breakfast ahead of the 10:30am parade. Games and live music will follow in Sopris Park until 3pm with the traditional community lunch served from 11am to
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Catching the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on its Farewell Tour
AMY HADDEN MARSH
Sopris Sun Correspondent
I kept looking over my shoulder during the opening act of the Garfield County Fair’s Saturday night concert. Between songs by musician David Nail, I’d give a glance to the northwest to check on the smoke plume from the state’s largest wildfire this season: at the time a 100,000acre behemoth called the Lee Fire. Red flag weather had blown this beast northeast towards Meeker for a few days, panicking the settlers there, then turned it in the opposite direction towards Garfield County and the City of Rifle, where the County Fair was in full swing.
Nashville star Nail and his band opened for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (NGDB). Jeff Hanna and Jimmie Fadden are the two original band members with four other guys, including Hanna’s son, Jaime, playing a mean lead guitar and singing alongside his dad. It was the Garfield County Fair stop on the band’s farewell tour, which may have made the rounds more than once. I seem to remember they came through here a few years back on a farewell tour but, I’m almost as old as they are so I could be getting my farewell tours mixed up.
I chatted up a few concert-goers, all under the age of 40, about their favorite Dirt Band song. “Fishin’ in the Dark,” said Lila,
who may have been 20 and was there with her mom. “I grew up listening to that.”
“Fishin’ in the Dark,” said Levi, who sat next to me in the premier seats. But I was there to hear Jeff Hanna’s sweet voice ringing out over the decades — a time portal to my younger days.
NGDB opened with “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” a Dylan tune. I swooned when I heard the loping rhythm of the song. One thing though, the words about flying “down in the easy chair” never made sense to me, conjuring images of a winged La-Z-Boy. But those are the real lyrics; I had them right all along. It’s a great chorus to belt out, which I did during the show.
Oo-ee ride me high Tomorrow’s the day my bride is gonna come Oh lord are we gonna fly Down in the easy chair
Then there was that Jimi Hendrix Purple Haze thing — “scuse me while I kiss this guy” — much more risque back then than it is now, and a mix-up with a Beatles’ lyric. Another long-ago person thought the girl McCartney saw standing there
That song, written by Jimmy Ibbotson when they all hung out in Woody Creek and Aspen, will always remind me of Colorado when I first arrived.
Jimmy Ibbotson when they all hung out in Woody Creek and Aspen, will always remind me of Colorado when I first arrived.
I-70 was a two-lane road through Glenwood Canyon. Feet of snow blanketed the mountains from Hallowe’en to Easter and Aspen was still a locals’ town. Carbondale’s Main Street might not have been paved and drunk cowboys rode their horses into the Black Nugget saloon.
At least one did. He wasn’t really a cowboy but he was drunk and spurred his horse right through the front door, whooping and yee-hawing his way into the bar.
cattle drives than cars. And no wildfire smoke.
The Lee Fire’s smoke plume had disappeared under cover of darkness. A full Sturgeon Moon was on the rise. “Buy for Me the Rain,” NGDB’s first hit single, would have been an appropriate tune for this particular night at the fair. But, no luck.
“Fishin’ in the Dark” brought the younger crowd, including Levi, to its collective feet. Some were swinging their partners and everybody sang along to Jim Photoglo and Wendy Waldman’s honky-tonk love song.
I still don’t understand the flying easy chair part, but it’s Bob Dylan, so who’s to say? Someone I knew long ago had a similar problem with Creedence’s “Bad Moon Rising.” She would sing, albeit slightly off-key:
Don’t go around tonight
Well, it’s bound to take your life
“There’s a bathroom on the right.”
was “wavy on the hair” instead of “way beyond compare.” And she swore Sam Cooke twisted the night away wearing “chicken slacks” instead of dancing with a “chick in slacks.”
Meanwhile, back at the fair, the Lee Fire’s pyrocumulus formation cast the scene in surrealistic gloom; a giant muscular cloud looming in the background while “locals were up kickin’ and shakin’ on the floor,” as Joni Mitchell once wrote.
“Ripplin’ Waters” got me up and out of my seat. “It’s my favorite song!” I shouted at Levi as I hurtled past him toward the stage. Then the time travel really kicked in. That song, written by
I remember the bar itself was on the east wall. Pool tables were arranged in the center of the room and booths were shoved against the west wall. This guy (name withheld) trotted his steed around the pool tables, still whooping and yee-hawing, and left the same way he came in. It was just a regular summer afternoon in Carbondale, while waiting for the laundry to finish.
Ibbotson’s Colorado is hard to find now — a cabin among tall pine trees, lace covering a frayed spot on a red, second-hand chair.
And you make me feel fine Warm as the mountain sunshine
On the edge of the snowline
In a meadow of columbine
I remember those days. No crowds, no roundabouts. More
Down by the river in the full moonlight
We’ll be fallin’ in love in the middle of the night
So many songs, so little time. But there was time for the encore version of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” The music was all I could hope for until it got even better, when Hanna and the boys slid right into “The Weight.”
Take a load off, Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And (and) (and) … you can put the load (put the load) right on me
Tears sprang to my eyes as NGDB channeled The Band — Levon, Garth, Richard, Robbie and Danko, all gone now. They would have been proud.
When I was 12 I was talking with my mom at the dining table. Suddenly she looked up, stood up and said, "Mother?" She asked me, "Did you hear that?" I'd heard nothing.
"I hear my mother calling my name!" she said. She walked around the house, upstairs, out front. My maternal grandparents lived about 300 miles away in Ohio. We didn't think they were coming to see us. Mom called Ohio. There was no answer.
A couple hours later we got a call: My grandmother had been in a car accident, knocked out but okay. When the ambulance came for her, she was whispering my mother's name, over and over.
Years later, I was studying martial arts, and we got a visit from a slender, slightly stooped Chinese man. He was 35 years old, but was introduced to us as a master. He was asked to demonstrate his skills and did three things. First, he asked a sword-wielding student to attack him, which the student did in a great leap. To me, it looked like the master just raised one hand; the student went flying straight back.
The master then invited two of the burlier students to lift him off the ground. They had to be about 225-250 pounds each. The master looked like he weighed maybe 135 pounds. They could not raise his feet from the floor. He just kind of slumped there, smiling.
We all have moments like that, stories like that. We can't quite figure out how to talk about them.
I'm thinking about all this because I heard a fascinating lecture at the Frontiers of Knowledge Symposium at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen. Jeff Kripal, a professor at Rice University, talked about donations to his school of what he called "the archives of the impossible." Many of them were reports of alien abduction experiences.
By Jamie LaRue Garfield County Public Library District
Then he said he was going to direct his chi — his internal spirit or energy — to flow between his hands. He asked for a volunteer to pass their head between his palms, held about two feet apart.
What stays with me is this: When you asked the "experiencers" what happened, they could describe crisp memories of what they insist actually took place. Something descended from the sky, took them up, probed them, sometimes talked to them. Often, the experience began with something like terror. Not all of them ended on a positive note.
But when they were asked what it meant, whether the experience had been some kind of extraterrestrial contact or spiritual crisis or drug reaction (the experiences were similar to those of people exposed to the hallucinogen DMT) they said something you just don't hear much these days.
They said they didn't know.
They said they couldn't deny what they went through, and believed it really happened. But they had no idea how to explain it.
Later, several of the speakers talked about something they called "ontological shock." Sometimes something happens that knocks people right out of their worldview, their fundamental
from page 8
Conduct. The changes were prompted by work with law enforcement to more clearly define the purpose of RFTA properties, including a time limit for use of bus stops and stations. Local law enforcement has observed what it terms “loitering” with community members lingering on RFTA property for long periods of time. The new Code of Conduct language specifies that RFTA buses and facilities are only for accessing transit services, and that all transit connections can be made within 45 minutes. Individuals remaining beyond that timeframe may be asked to leave.
The next board meeting will occur on Oct. 9 at 8:30am in Carbondale. The public can also join via Webex. An agenda will be available at www.rfta. com a week ahead of the meeting.
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1:30pm. This year, (the 116th) organizers established the Potato Days Community Impact Fund. The inaugural recipient of funds raised is Seed Peace — Casey's Fund Supporting Farmers, founded to honor the legacy of Casey Piscura, a passionate regenerative farmer, educator and community builder who passed on last winter. Seed Peace helps those who carry on his mission — nurturing soil, community and spirit — by offering critical support in times of need.
14, 1947July 15, 2025
Former Colorado State Beekeepers Association president and second-generation commercial beekeeper Paul Limbach of Silt departed Earth on July 15, 2025. He battled cancer for 23 years.
Born Oct. 14, 1947 to Genevieve Irene Cassidy Limbach and William Edmond Limbach in a one-room house in Grand Valley (Parachute), Colorado, he majored in entomology at Colorado State University. After college, he worked bees in Australia and Arizona and pioneered beekeeping on Forest Service land on the Flat Tops. In his spare time he grew his hair long and ski-bummed in Aspen.
He bought his dad’s 1,100-hive operation in 1976. Paul ran 2,500 colonies across Northwestern Colorado, from Silt to Craig to Steamboat to Aspen. For three years he wintered bees and raised queens out of Terlingua, Texas down on the border. Later, he sent bees to California to pollinate the almonds.
Commercial beekeeper and fishing buddy John Haefeli called him “the best damned beekeeper I ever met!” Coming from someone whose family kept bees for generations, going clear back to the old country, that’s a compliment.
Of course, John also called Paul “the best damned fly fisherman I ever met!” But that was Paul’s magic. He excelled at whatever he did. His vegetable patch was a Garden of Eden.
He served as president of the Colorado State Beekeepers Association for term after term after term, back when it was primarily a commercial beekeepers’ group. Back when Penncap M was the big pesticide issue and nobody had ever heard of neonicotinoids.
Paul and his wife, Nanci, hosted the summer beekeepers meetings in their backyard. Nanci gave tours of her wildlife rehabilitation facility. You cannot imagine a lovelier spot to sit in the shade, spit watermelon seeds and learn about apis mellifera.
By example and by inclination Paul was a teacher. At one state bee meeting he showed off honeycomb samples infected with three important honeybee diseases: chalk brood, European Foulbrood and American Foulbrood. You could hold those frames in your hands and get a good look. You can’t get that kind of education out of a book.
At one most memorable bee meeting, attendees headed up to the Flat Tops to look at Paul’s comb honey hives. Afterwards, to get back to town, Paul suggested a scenic shortcut. Several cars nearly got high-centered. Paul was a little sheepish. “I guess that road’s gotten worse since the last time I was on it,” he reflected.
He was always out there on the front line, willing to do what he could to help others, especially struggling beginning beekeepers.
A workaholic on the job, if you wanted to talk to him in the morning, you had to follow him around the honey house as he got loaded up for the day’s beekeeping adventures.
Paul lived to fish. He fished in every kind of weather. As he fought his long illness, friends remarked that he willed himself to stay alive in order to catch one more trout. And then another. Near the end, when he could barely walk, he still fished. When he could no longer walk, he’d cast from a wheelchair.
His prowess on the water was the stuff of legend. He tied flies that no one else knew about. He caught fish when no one else could. For more than 50 years he haunted his beloved Fryingpan River. At the fly shops they venerated him. He traveled to fish, too — all over the Lower 48, to the Bahamas, Belize and Alaska. He got as far as Christmas Island.
Paul Limbach leaves behind his wife, Nanci Limbach, son, Andrew Limbach, brother, Fred Limbach, cousin, Carl Limbach, and nephew, Jeb Limbach.
With great sorrow, we share the loss of our beloved son and brother, George Salem Abraham, at the age of 22.
Services will be private at the request of his family. Cremation arrangements are under the care of Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors of Canadian.
George was born to Salem and Ruth Ann Abraham on April 4, 2003, as the youngest boy of eight kids. Out of all the siblings, George was the hardest worker, the funniest and the best athlete. He loved being active and getting outside. He spent many beautiful days with his family, friends and dogs on the River Ranch, where he loved to hunt, swim, fish, ride ATVs and dirt bikes and work outside. He was driven and competitive, finding many friends and much joy in basketball, football, tennis, skiing, track and cross country. He graduated from Canadian High School in 2021. After many visits and football games with his dad and brothers, he fell in love with the University of Notre Dame. He was accepted to Notre Dame and Pepperdine but chose to be an undergraduate at Notre Dame. He enjoyed plenty of old-man hobbies too, like beekeeping and hunting for antiques.
We all admired George’s strength and drive, but George’s best quality was his heart. It’s what we will miss the most. He brought so much laughter and joy to his friends and family. His beautiful blue eyes, lop-sided smile and infectious giggles lit up every room. He always found plenty of time to spend with his siblings, family and dogs. We’re so grateful for the time and memories.
After a long and courageous four-year battle with bulimia, anxiety and depression, George died by suicide the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 2 in Canadian, Texas, on the ranch he loved so dearly. We sorrowfully respect his decision. We never could have had enough time with George. His loss will be felt in our hearts forever. We know George has found the peace and rest he and ourselves so desperately wanted for him. He did his best. He has and will always be the best son, brother and friend we could ask for.
George is survived by his parents, Salem and Ruth Ann Abraham; his sister, Kate, and her husband, Alex Tiernan; his brother, Mitchell, and his girlfriend, Alli Acuff; his sister, Claire, and her boyfriend, Dr. Joe Ruzbarsky; his brother, Robert, and his fiancée, Katherine Doherty; his sister, Ann Marie, and her husband, Dan Botero Lopez; his sister, Grace, and her boyfriend, Alex Finan; his sister, Ellen; his yellow lab, Jozie; and many friends and family. He was preceded in death by his favorite dogs: Rosie, Coco and Hank.
The family suggests donations to The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, The National Eating Disorders Association or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Donations can be mailed to Abraham Trading, 124 Main Suite 200, Canadian, Texas 79014, with attention to the Foundation in Memory of George Salem Abraham.
Feel welcome to sign the online guest register at www.carmichael-whatleyofcanadian.com
Mark passed away on Sept. 3 in Pueblo West, Colorado, succumbing to various medical problems. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts to Vincent and Patricia Hockmeyer, the family moved to Andover a few years later.
Mark was a standout hockey player throughout his public school years. His high school team went to Sweden,
Moscow and Switzerland in 1969. He then attended Leicester Junior College, where he played on the school team. He also played with the semi-pro Lowell Chiefs after high school. After moving to Colorado in the mid-’70s, he played for the Aspen Leafs. He then coached the Aspen High School team to a state championship.
Mark worked as a professional mason
in the Roaring Fork Valley; the most visible example of his work being at the Three Bears building in Downtown Basalt, where he did the entire brick work himself — including erecting staging and mixing mortar. He spent some time working on natural gas rigs in Wyoming in the ‘80s, and he was known to tear up many a dance floor.
BIANCA GODINA A Ray of el Sol (Un rayito del Sol)
EDITOR’S NOTE: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Livier Cruz is an artist, puppeteer and creator. Originally from Mexico City, she has lived and studied in Spain. Today, the Valley is her home and the stage where she has found the space to flourish.
Where does your love for art come from?
I started doing theater when I was very young, as a child. I think it was in middle school when I began taking workshops at school. My parents always supported me; we were always immersed in the world of art. We used to go see shows, storytellers, theater, dance ... We were always doing something [artistic].
In what ways have you explored your artistic creativity?
I've always loved working with my hands. Besides acting, I enjoy making things: props, crafts. I make puppets, and I love working with children. Although, now I’m also interested in exploring projects for adults.
I really enjoy film, and I’m passionate about bringing art into schools, especially short films. I think there’s a lack of activities and performances for children.
What motivates or drives you to create?
It’s like a necessity. For me, creating is a meditative moment. When I’m painting or working with my hands, I’m completely present and focused. It’s an active meditation — a space
I’m grateful because the Valley has opened so many doors for me. This is a moment in my life when I’ve been able to find work, and what I do has been really well received. I’ve presented my shows in schools and libraries. Artistically, doors have opened. I’ve been able to flourish.”
“Trust the universe and wish for things with love.
where I feel at peace.
That space calms me, but it also awakens me. Hours can go by. My mind drifts, and I allow my being to express itself freely.
What three words describe your work?
Creative, original and emotional. I always try to touch people’s hearts.
What would you say to someone who’s curious, but hasn’t yet taken the leap to create?
Get closer, be curious. Try it! Take the risk. Approach it without fear. Sometimes it just takes saying, “I’m going to see what’s there,” and maybe that little door opens ... and you love it.
Do you have any upcoming events?
Yes! I invite everyone to join us on Sunday, Oct. 5, 10am to 3pm, at The Launchpad. It’s a free event for kids, ages 10 and up, and for people of all ages who are interested in crafts. We’re going to learn how to make cardboard calaveras and skeletons for the Día de los Muertos parade. We’ll be painting, cutting and creating together. It’s very easy, and lots of fun.
Share your works in progress with readers by emailing illustrations, creative writings and poetry to fiction@soprissun.com
Comparte tus proyectos creativos aún en proceso con nuestros lectores. Puedes enviarnos un correo electrónico con tus ilustraciones, creaciones literarias y poesía a fiction@soprissun.com
For those of us who live in Carbondale or surrounding areas, we were all under the weather last Saturday. If you were fortunate enough to be outside or happened to be someplace where you could see the storms blow in, we were treated to a magnificent rainbow and spectacular display of storm-related art, courtesy of Mother Nature.
and the First Amendment and parent rights, it was delightful to experience this
Cooperation and goodwill — how do we get our leaders and influencers to
Many of us received the news of Charlie Kirk’s assassination with horror. We understand unequivocally that political killing is never justified and should not be celebrated.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the response from prominent leaders on the left was universal condemnation. The response from many right-wing figures, however, was fundamentally different. Trump blamed the “radical left” and said that “we just have to beat the hell out of them.” Republican Senator Nancy Mace said “Democrats own what happened today” and falsely indicated that the perpetrator was a trans person. Steve Bannon, former Trump advisor and far-right commentator, alleged that Kirk had been under constant threat from “evil people” on the left. Conservative activist Isabella Maria DeLuca, a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter, posted, “They couldn’t beat him in a debate, so they assassinated him.” Thousands of posts from the right called for a civil war. Elon Musk posted, “The left is the party of murder.”
Then the shooter was arrested: a 22-year-old cisgender white male who grew up in a Mormon household in Utah with Trump-supporting parents. Available evidence indicates he is not a leftist, and had likely been radicalized in the far-right corners of the internet. The rhetoric changed vertiginously, from demonizing the left and calling for war to encouraging people to pray for this man. It is almost as if they are disappointed to not have a better target at which to direct their hatred. One neighbor of the shooter said the quiet part out loud: “This is not who I wanted it to be.”
We are at a dangerous point in the U.S. Though the vast majority of us do not want further violence, we are fed lazy, hateful and divisive propaganda that is often devoid of evidence. Most of us want to solve problems, like the extremist radicalization of our young men, with the tools of a healthy democracy: civility, cooperation and productive dialogue. This will not be possible if we do not demand more of ourselves and our leaders.
Britton DeFord
Glenwood Springs
One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes inside people. He said “My Son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.”
One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
Robert Mineo Up the Crystal
Happy birthday-anniversary
Jeffery Michael Bier — happy second anniversary on your 40th birthday! You are as magnificent as a mountain. You have the patience of an alpine lake. As steady as a river, you are one in a grove of aspen trees. With roots that intertwine, supporting a larger family, and a larger community.
I’d say, on the 4th anniversary of your 20th birthday, you have made a difference in the lives of many!
Happy 80th birthday, Dad!
Oriana Bier-Moebius Crystal Valley
Harvest feast
I want to share some good news! Recently, the spirit of Carbondale was celebrated by the Carbondale Community Garden, the longest-running community garden in Carbondale. We had a gardener potluck on Sunday, Sept. 7. It was a smashing success. Over 20 people attended. Each gardener shared their garden bounty in a variety of dishes, including kale salad, some with quinoa, some with farro, some with cranberries and some with halloumi cheese. Also, a variety of zucchini casseroles, green chili and tomatillo dishes, lots of garlic and, of course, rhubarb crisp was enjoyed. Some of the attendees were part of the original garden, which was founded decades ago. The love and joy of gardening in Carbondale was in full bloom.
Janet Earley Plot #13
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PHOTOS
AND TEXT BY
JANE BACHRACH Sopris Sun Correspondent
Both kids and adults were all fired up last Saturday during Carbondale Fire’s annual Community Open House. There was so much to see, to do and to learn, including fire truck rides, firefighter demonstrations, station tours, a kids scavenger hunt, face painting, free swag, fun, plenty of food and so much more that we can’t fit on this page!
The Sopris Sun is excited to introduce programs that let kids try new activities, build skills, and connect with their community in fun and meaningful ways.
Sketching and Drawing Level II age 10-17
Students with some experience loose sketching will continue to advance their skills by sketching and drawing di erent forms, including pets and humans to introduce anatomical proportions, and landscapes to introduce perspective.
Wednesdays, 3-4pm, 10/15-11/5
Christmas Cookie Decorating ages 8+
Get creative and decorate your own special Christmas cookies while learning pro techniques from the Pastry Chef Lab. Cookies and decorating supplies provided. Instructor is bilingual. Parent participation is welcome with your younger students. Wednesday, 3-5pm, 12/3
Children of all ages can explore, play, and learn through a wide variety of our engaging programs o ered each week.
From storytimes that spark a lifelong love of reading—whether for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, or the whole family—to active sessions like “Get the Wiggles Out” and “Shake Your Sillies Out,” there’s something for every energy level. Creative minds can dive into hands-on fun with “Spark” and “STEM Exploration” events, while bilingual and sensory-friendly programs ensure every child feels welcome and included.Across all six library branches—Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, New Castle, Silt, Rifle, and Parachute—families will find opportunities to connect, learn, and grow together. Whether you’re looking to introduce your little one to their first storytime, inspire curiosity with science and art, or enjoy enriching cultural experiences, the libraries are here to help your child’s imagination soar.
FOR MORE INFO: www.gcpld.org
Girls Basketball 2025 (grades 3rd- 6th)
Start date: October 13, 2025 End date: December 19, 2025 Time: 3:30pm-7:00pm
Location: CRCC
This league plays games against Aspen, Basalt, and Glenwood. The season will start October 13th. The kids will have two weeks of practice and then begin games on the 27th. Please register based on which practice schedule works better for you, either Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays. Practices will last an hour and will be scheduled after school. Games will be played Monday-Thursday evenings. You can expect to have one game per week after they get started. We are looking for volunteer coaches. If you are interested please email wtempest@carbondaleco.net
Dates: October 13th – December 19th
Days: Practice Schedule dependent Cost: $95 or $75 if you have a uniform from last season
REGISTRATION OPENS 8/18 @ 9:00 AM
