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Because every town needs a park, a library and a newspaper

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Volume 11, Number 44 | December 12, 2019

Earn Your Tree

The Brennan family (Connor and Pete, pictured, accompanied by mom Mandy and Katie the dog on this particular occasion) takes cutting down their own Christmas Tree to new heights by skiing in every year. That's a particular feat up Marion Gulch, as you have to pass through Cattlemen's Association property before you can use your Forest Service tag. Photo by Will Grandbois

‘Too many junk’ from Christmas past OPINION

SEEKING HIGHER GROUND

By Nicolette Toussaint

When I was a teenager, long before the Marie Kondo simplification trend, a young Japanese woman came once a week to restore order to our home — a house peopled by two adults, three huskies, two cats and five teenagers.

Miko’s real reason for housekeeping was to practice English; she wanted to master her second language well enough to manage her fiance’s martial arts studio after her wedding.

She practiced on us. Sometimes, the results were, well, “hanabanashī”!

I keenly recall Miko opening our door, post-Christmas, and exclaiming, “Too many junk!”

Hai. So true, Miko-san.

Recently, Olivia Pevec posted a photo showing the Near New Thrift Store’s steps blockaded by “too many junk” dumped there. Olivia issued a pleA: “Dear Carbondale,

while considering what to give for Christmas or Chanukah, or whatever, remember that … our addiction to stuff is drowning not just this store, but the entire planet.”

I belong to two Facebook groups dedicated to building community, recycling and gifting. In both the local “Buy Nothing” and “Gifting Between the Valleys” groups, you can ask for something, gift something or thank someone. No money changes hands.

Outgrown toys and housewares are regifted, new moms bond, appliances get fixed, magic happens. (A young man who couldn’t afford a guitar was gifted one after his mom posted an “ask.”

Now he “brings it everywhere and plays every chance he gets.”)

I asked these gifters to share traditions that celebrate the season’s deeper, spiritual meanings while avoiding white elephants that, frankly, don’t spark much joy.

Stacy Royal’s family creates a gratitude wall, an annual collage made of fabric and found objects. This year’s is a girl wearing a green velvet dress and a tiara. “This year we wrote what we are grateful for on the backs of snowflakes,” says Stacy. The snowflakes now falling around the long-haired girl “will be joined by many more by winter solstice.

After Daria Stakiw-Harlow’s family draws names, each person plans a date or experience for one relative. “With little kids, the date has been massages, house cleaning, breakfast in bed,

snowshoes and hikes. Older siblings have planned swimming, movie tickets, lunch dates and mani/pedis!”

Jeanie Child and Rachel Mulry emphasize experiences: pool passes, museum memberships, ski lessons, a trip to see the lights at the Denver Botanical Gardens. Rachel is giving the cousins a "family book club kit” that includes snacks and activities tied to a book. Books and activities will be shared in Skype dates that Rachel hopes “will help the cousins stay connected even though we live in different states.”

For relatives who want to give “a thing”, Rachel asks for “supplies for art projects or games to play together.”

Crafty! Art has many ways of capturing memories.

At Christmas, Cheryl Anne’s mother, grandmother and aunts would cut old clothes into squares. During the year, they made “memory quilts” from the squares. The quilts became gifts that honored a marriage or a new baby. “No matter how many miles separated our families, we were still together,” Cheryl recalls. “Years later…we would point out daddy's overalls, my old cheerleading outfit, momma’s maternity blouse, grandma's apron. Grandma insisted we not waste things, and would call them "the fabric of our lives’.” Now, “those raggedy old quilts are priceless.”

Here’s more art magic: Last week, Carbondale Arts directed a woman I’ll call Alice to my Alaprima artists group. Alice explained that her family

LETTERS Responding to Mutt & Jeff Dear Editor: Where in heaven (pun intended) did Paige Meredith get his definition of religion in his Nov. 28 column?

Merriam-Webster defines religion as: (1) the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance.

Humanism does not meet that simple ubiquitous standard. It is certainly a system of beliefs and values, but there is no godly or supernatural aspect. Conflating mere earthly notions of right and wrong with religion represents either ignorance, demagoguery or both.

The Pride Parade in Carbondale (and elsewhere) is based on a values-based belief that no one ought to be disadvantaged or shunned because of their personal sexual feelings or noncoercive sexual behavior choices. Meredith assumed the school forced humanism on students. He used his unique (made up?) definition of religion to incorrectly label humanism a religion and then argued that the school imposed religion on its students.

More likely, I think, is that the students’ parents imparted decent values to their offspring and the school allowed and helped the students express those values. These aforementioned values represent inclusiveness;

no deity required.

Meredith wrote he wants a public school system that "doesn't meddle in sensitive topics of morality." He wrote that he has "no problem with 'this group' and its 'followers' standing up for their lifestyle" but he objects to "a public school … advocating … for 'practices' which many find immoral." Wow! Sexuality has leaders who advocate practices? Inclusiveness is a religion? Standing against sexual prejudice is a sensitive topic of morality?

How many readers believe Meredith's column represents anything other than bigotry using self-generated premises and convoluted reasoning to create an illusion of fair mindedness?

Ron Kokish Carbondale

Tourism through the ages Dear Editor: When I moved downvalley to Carbondale over 25 years ago, Carbondale was a bedroom community for people that worked primarily upvalley. Even then, however, there was a push to create more development and business. It was just at this time that the referendum to allow the RVR development was very narrowly approved by the voters. The die was cast.

It was clear that the future of Carbondale was going to change significantly. The new

draws lots and gifts one family member.

Gifts must fit a theme. This year, it’s “locally made” — and Alice’s gift will be locally made in my studio! I got Alice’s commission, the job of painting a “before” portrait of a truck that’s being tenderly restored by Alice’s fatherin-law. That adds up to wonderfully personal gift for him, and a project that feels like one for me too.

Many folks make cookies and goodies for neighbors and friends.

Maura Carlson gives homemade cookies to the police, firemen and hospital on Christmas morning.

“We also did 12 days of Christmas to someone who had a loss or difficult year,” she says. “We gave things like pear bread or two turtle candies taped to two Dove chocolates. We left it secretly at the door each day with a sweet note.”

My husband, Mason, buys lunch for the staff at the Carbondale Library.

(This was a secret until a librarian thanked me for his generosity!)

Alica Hamlin Stanley’s family fills Christmas stockings with snacks, socks and hygiene items. When they hand the stockings to homeless folks, “their faces always light up.” Tessa Ice and her kids do the same. Tessa says, “I want my kids to grow up with the focus being on loving and blessing others and not about what they want to get under the tree!”

Frankly, all these ideas sparked joy for me. Arigato, friends. You’re all hanabanashī!

The views expressed in opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect those of The Sopris Sun. The residents community is invited to submit letters of up to 250 words to in RVR P.O. Box 399 or 500 words to news@soprissun.com. Longer would columns are considered on have more a case-by-case basis. The deadline for submission wherewithal is noon on Monday. than average

wage earners and would insist on more services and amenities.

The additional government services would require more tax dollars to support. The Town’s income depends mainly on sales tax; therefore, more retail business was needed. The common complaint was being unable to buy underwear in Carbondale. Unacceptable!

The last Sopris Sun ran an op ed titled “How Carbondale Tourism is advocating for the Community.” To understand the title, we must know that “Carbondale Tourism” is actually “an entity of the Carbondale Chamber (of Commerce).” Their goal is to “raise the profile of our small mountain town.” They hope to attract more “high-yield visitors” to create a “stronger economic base” for Carbondale businesses.

Essentially, the op-ed tries to “balance” the needs of the business community with both the needs of the residents and the needs of our environment. This concern is as old as resort Continued on page 22

Correction The Nov. 28 edition had a pair of miscredited photos: the one which accompanied an article on CAFCI was actually by Mark Burrows and the parting shot at St. Mary's was by Jeanne Souldern.

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • DECEMBER 12, 2019 - DECEMBER 18, 2019

Sincerest thanks to our

Honorary Publishers for their annual commitment of $1,000+

Email barbara.dills@gmail.com for more information.

Jim Calaway, Honorary Chair Kay Brunnier Scott Gilbert – Habitat for Humanity RFV Bob Young – Alpine Bank Peter Gilbert Umbrella Roofing, Inc. Bill Spence and Sue Edelstein Greg and Kathy Feinsinger Carolyn Nelson Jim Noyes True Nature Healing Arts Nicolette Toussaint Jill and Gary Knaus Megan Tackett Ken & Donna Riley Michelle & Ed Buchman

Legacy Givers for including us in their final wishes.

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And all our SunScribers and community members for your support.

It truly takes a village to keep The Sun shining.

Donate online or by mail.

P.O. Box 399 Carbondale, CO 81623 520 S. Third Street #32 970-510-3003 www.soprissun.com Editor Will Grandbois • 970-510-0540 news@soprissun.com Advertising: Todd Chamberlin • 970-510-0246 adsales@soprissun.com Graphic Designer: Ylice Golden Reporter: Roberta McGowan Delivery: Tom Sands Current Board Members board@soprissun.com Marilyn Murphy, President Raleigh Burleigh, Vice President Linda Criswell, Secretary Klaus Kocher, Treasurer John Colson • Kay Clarke • Carol Craven Megan Tackett • Gayle Wells The Sopris Sun Board meets at 6:30 p.m on second Mondays at the Third Street Center.

Contact board@soprissun.com to reach them.

Founding Board Members Allyn Harvey • Becky Young • Colin Laird Barbara New • Elizabeth Phillips Peggy DeVilbiss • Russ Criswell The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a proud member of the Carbondale Creative District The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

Donations to The Sun are fully tax deductible.

Dos Gringos supports community giving with 1111 campaign

By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent Dos Gringos Burritos and Café Olé coffee shop (Dos) recently launched a 52-week giving campaign leading up to their 20th anniversary on 11/11/2020. The campaign, known as 1111, will conclude with a total of $11,000 cash donated over the year to 52 nonprofit organizations in the Roaring Fork Valley.

Each week, Dos spotlights one nonprofit as a donation recipient. For the first 14 weeks, an employee will select a charity to support.

Dos co-owners, Julie and Nelson Oldham, are no strangers to giving back to the community.

From the start, they signed on to have 100 percent of their electricity produced through wind power. Julie recalls, “When I started the restaurant, and I signed up for wind power, it was like our electric bill every month is $1,000. So Dos gave me a platform to invest in the community and in organizations and programs that Nelson and I are passionate about at a much bigger scale.”

Julie notes the idea for the giving campaign was “percolating for a couple of years.” As a result, she adds, “I am learning new

things every day about the good works in Carbondale and the Valley.”

The Oldhams, who had been living in the Valley for a couple of years at the time, saw the need for an independent restaurant that had fast counter service and offered menu items made from scratch. They are committed to not using pre-made, processed, or frozen ingredients. Their coffees are fair trade and organic. The pastries are made in Aspen and the bagels in El Jebel.

Dos, located in Carbondale at 588 Highway 133. They were the first ones to sign a lease in La Fontana Plaza. Julie says the developer at that time, Terry Alexander, “used us as a sales tool to get other tenants because we created so much foot traffic.”

Though their lease started on Nov. 1, Julie says they waited until Nov. 11 to open their doors. She explains, “Eleven has always been a lucky number for me, which is why we started on 11/11, and it's also why we picked $11,000.”

The floor layout has the same number of tables since the 2000 opening. The menu selection is virtually the same, with only a handful of items added over the years. In 2004, they opened the Café Olé coffee shop.

A marked change, Julie recalls,

came in 2008, “When we hit the recession, we froze our prices for five years. We added the medium burritos so there was a lower price point. We just added more and more options at various price points, so that people can still feel like they were treating themselves.”

They continue to successfully create year-round employment in a valley driven by seasonal industries. Julie emphasizes that “Unlike some businesses that have seasonal employees, we are working really hard to operate on a super small dedicated crew so that we can create yearround sustainable employment for people in Carbondale, in a business that fluctuates pretty drastically seasonally.” She adds it requires teamwork from all employees to learn and cover all tasks, from dishwashing to counter service.

Though the Oldhams are now divorced, they agreed the business was important to them and the community. Julie says of their collaboration, “We still respect the partnership and appreciate the complementary skill sets and personality traits [of one another] that make us business partners.”

To date, the nonprofits and the employees who have chosen them,

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Nelson and Julie Oldham in Dos Gringos almost 20 years ago. The space may look different, but DOS's community presence remains a constant.

Courtesy photo are Return to the Dirt (selected

by Deatra Glock); Ascendigo Autism Services (selected by Emily Baker), the Carbondale Clay Center (selected by Jennifer Arnold), and The Rampage, Roaring Fork High School’s newspaper (selected by Ricky Camacho).

“What’s more impactful is the exposure that we can give them” Julie says by featuring

the nonprofit’s information posted on Dos' website, in the restaurant, and on social media sites.

The restaurant business can be a fickle one. Julie reflects on the bigger picture of Dos’ longevity by saying, “We wouldn’t be here if the community didn’t support us.”

Visit dosgringosburritos.com for more information.

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SCUTTLEBUTT

Send your scuttlebutt to news@soprissun.com.

David Clark headlined the special Lake Christine Fire section of the Roaring Fork Conservancy's watershed photo contest (left), while Mark Fuller topped the amateurs.

Jeremy Joseph won first among pros for the watershed in general and Les Rosenstein led the amateurs and bagged People's Choice. — visit roaringfork.org to see them all.

Clark was also one of several locals to capture a strange contrail over Sopris — visible everywhere from Paonia to Leadville. It turned out not to be high-altitude military training as some surmised, but Delta Flight 442 from Fort Lauderdale to Salt Lake City. A Delta spokesperson said the loop was likely an attempt to cut congestion at the destination, although the plane ended up landing early anyway.

Music to our ears

Enter the Matrix

KDNK’s hiring committee has officially announced Cody Lee as the unanimous selection for music director. “Several strong candidates with radio experience materialized during our national search, but Cody is clearly the best person for the job,” Station Manager Gavin Dahl wrote. “Thanks once again to Luke Nestler for assistance with the transition after 15 years in the role. Stay tuned!”

The Aspen Golf Club’s Full Swing Golf Simulator is now open to the public and allows players to hit the driving range or work on a short game on over 50 courses around the world.

Stop by Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 9 p.m. or catch a free trial at the special open house from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12 — email apr.golf@services.cityofaspen.com to RSVP.

Share your story

The needle and the healing done

The Manaus fund is interested in understanding and improving housing opportunities for people who live and work from Parachute to Aspen. As such, they are collecting stories — visit tinyurl.com/MANAUSHS to participate.

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • DECEMBER 12, 2019 - DECEMBER 18, 2019 • 5

The locals’ mountain opens for the season

By Roberta McGowan Sopris Sun Staff With — count them — 680 acres of skiable terrain, Sunlight Mountain Resort is quite the ski hill with expansion and improvements on the near horizon. Its size today matches that of upvalley Aspen Mountain.

Sunlight opened a week early for skiing in the 2019/2020 season. And this weekend's official opening will be quite the celebration.

As a thank you to the community, Sunlight is offering special discounts on Saturday and Sunday for pass holders from any other resort.

The mountain boasts not only terrific skiing for beginner, intermediate and advanced skiers, but also a ski school for skiers and riders of all abilities. The Sunlight Winter Sports Club (SWSC) runs a variety of kids' ski racing programs as well.

As Troy Hawks, Sunlight Marketing & Sales Director stressed, "We're mostly an all volunteer operation with a strong community feel." that has been attracting not only locals, but ski enthusiasts from the region and around the country.

"It's a 60/40 mix," he added, "With a special appeal for families."

Lynn Merriam, SWSC president and spokesperson, explained that the racing programs run from January 19 to March 16, excluding Presidents' Weekend.

These include Buddy Werner for kids six to

12 who want to develop ski racing skills in a fun, kid-oriented program. All volunteers and coaches are registered with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, undergo background screening and are trained and tested in the United States Olympic Committee SafeSport program.

Next step is The Youth Ski League (YSL) team, designed for the racer who wants more coaching and contact days than the traditional Buddy Werner program, yet isn’t ready to commit to the full Ski Team program. Skiers ages eight to 16 years meet with ski team coaches all day on Saturdays and Sunday mornings.

Schedule permitting, YSL may also elect to enter Roaring Fork Valley Series races (with Aspen and Powderhorn).

The Ski Team for Age Class & Ability provides coaching for kids ages 10 to 14.

Plus, SWSC has the Big Wednesday after school training for kids in any YSL or part time participant (and others approved) the opportunity to enhance their racing experience.

SWSC three head coaches, Jake Gentry, Caroline Rubin and Leigh Sheldrake credit their love of the sport and their dedication to helping young skiers reach their potentials with inspiring them in their roles as volunteers for the programs.

Sunlight also was the starting point for Olympic and World Cup racer Alice

Troy Hawks and Lynn Merriam hang out on the slopes. Photo by Roberta McGowan McKennis who began skiing at age three. Born in 1989 in Glenwood Springs, McKennis grew up near New Castle. She gained her first World Cup victory (and podium) in 2013.

She specializes in the speed events of downhill and super G. In the 2018 Olympic Downhill, she finished in an impressive fifth place.

Hawks announced that three new tree trails on Sunlight’s East Ridge will be named after McKennis, nicknamed “The Aligator.” The trio of steep glades will be known as “Aligator Alleys.” Hawks and the entire Sunlight family are looking forward to McKennis’ anticipated visit sometime in March.

On the planning board for Sunlight, Hawks noted, are a new fixed grip quad lift and expanding the total terrain by 100 acres.

Sunlight season lift tickets are now $589,

according to Hawks.

Walk-up day lift tickets are $68 for adults, and $45 for kids six to 12, members of the military and seniors 66 to 79. Kids under five and adults over 80 ski for free. At the resortowned Sunlight Ski and Bike retail store in Glenwood Springs, for $700 a customer can get a lift pass, skis or a snowboard and a nice warm soak in the Glenwood Hot Springs.

The resort offers ski and stay packages, special events throughout the season and is planning another January X Games package.

Sunlight, now it its 53rd season, is a resort where you can park for free, walk to the lifts, never stand in line and ski all 67 trails back to the lodge.

As the resort claims, without the crowds, the powder lasts for days.

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Helios Center brings light and color to therapy

By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent Helena Hurrell, director of the Helios Center in Carbondale, has spent much of her life studying and offering therapies that she says, “help nurture the soul.”

One such offering will be a “Candle-light Viewing of Raphael’s Madonnas in a Healing Sequence” from 7 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec 14 at the Helios Center (behind 601 Sopris Ave.). The event is free and open to the public.

Participants will spend time in contemplation and meditation viewing, by candlelight, 15 images of Madonna and Child. Thirteen of the 15 images were created by Italian painter Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520).

The adoption of Raphael’s Madonna images as part of a healing therapy came after a meeting between philosopher Dr. Rudolf Steiner and a physician, Dr. Felix Peipers. Peipers arranged Raphael’s Madonna images in a sequence that formed a fivepointed star, or pentagram.

Hurrell describes the human body’s etheric forces as “a current that is in this pentagram form, and it goes from our left foot up to our head, down to our right foot over to our left hand and [across to our] right hand.”

Above, Helena Hurrell seated in front of a representation of Raphael's Madonnas in the Helios Center.

Photo by Jeanne Souldern Right, a group viewing an MCLT glass panel; rose-colored, goldinfused and illuminated by sunlight passing through it. Courtesy photo Steiner founded the Anthroposophical Society and may be best-known for the educational philosophy he developed, known today as Waldorf education.

In a lecture, Steiner said of Raphael’s Madonna images, “the Madonna is the supreme representative of the Eternal Feminine for Western souls — the wisdom of Sophia, the compassion of Kwan Yin.” In a chaotic world, Hurrell says Steiner’s teachings are experiencing a revival of sorts. She says, “... and I'm wondering why I wonder why that is. And I think it's because of our political situation, and that we need this feminine Sophia impulse in our world right now, especially in the West. We need

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more understanding and quiet and love. It's very quiet, looking at the series of images in the dark by candlelight.”

Hurrell also teaches a Nurturing Arts program at the Helios Center.

She utilizes her education as an art therapist to facilitate bringing the artistic experience to individuals and groups. She works as an art therapist at the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork (WSRF).

She began her art therapy studies at the Tobias School of Art and Therapy in southern England, graduating with a Master of Arts in Anthroposophical Art Therapy.

While living in England, she began her Waldorf training and started teaching kindergarten.

She returned to the United

States in 1998 and began working as a kindergarten teacher at WSRF. After moves to Durango and Boulder, she settled back in Carbondale in 2014.

She completed a master’s equivalent of art and therapy, using the salutogenic model, which examines the relationship between health, stress, and coping. Hurrell characterizes it as “looking at the wellness in the human being rather than digging into all the problems of revisiting all the trauma.”

In her private therapy practice, Hurrell uses a modality called Metal Color Light Therapy (MCLT), which incorporates large colored-glass panels infused with metal oxides.

MCLT was developed

by Marianne Altmaier, an anthroposophical art therapist who researched color light therapy and developed a method of infusing glass panels with metal oxides and then carefully etching patterns on its surface. When a client sits in front of an MCLT panel, the light produced conveys the qualities of the metal transformed into color.

Altmaier made 12 panels, each using a different metal and etching motif. Metals include cobalt, copper, gold, iron, and silver. Each panel weighs about 100 pounds and is approximately 110 x 65 x 1.8 centimeters.

Hurrell works with individuals addressing trauma, ranging from dealing with a health crisis to a divorce, or the loss of a loved one.

“They're like mirrors, these panels … they show you where you are right now, in this moment.”

Hurrell suggests one way to cope with everyday stressors is: “we have to turn off the news. We will get the news anyway. We'll see it here, there and everywhere. It doesn't mean that we don't care.”

She adds, “We have to go slowly.”

You may RSVP for the Dec. 14 Raphael’s Madonnas event by calling 720-390-8388 or emailing nuturing arts@comcast.net.

Visit helioscenter.org for more information.

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • DECEMBER 12, 2019 - DECEMBER 18, 2019 • 7

Art career after the video store

By Ken Pletcher Sopris Sun Correspondent Staci Dickerson is having her first solo art show this month and next. She readily admits that it’s a big deal for her.

For longtime Carbondale residents, her name might more immediately conjure up fond memories of the popular video rental shop that she ran here for more than a quarter century.

More recent arrivals may be better acquainted with her from Carbondale Arts at the Launchpad, where she has been on staff for more than four years.

Those who know Dickerson well, though, are very familiar with what she describes as her decades-long “curiosity, interest and passion” for art.

Regardless of how folks are connected to her, all agree that for the four-plus decades she has lived in the Valley she has been a tremendous asset to our community – be it the support she gave for fundraisers at schools, churches and other organizations when she had the shop or the warm way that she greeted people coming to this year’s Deck the Walls event at the Launchpad on a recent Saturday.

As one of her coworkers at Carbondale Arts put it, “Staci is very tuned in to what the word 'community' is all about, and she strives to make Carbondale a better place for all through her work there.”

When her video store closed in the spring of 2009, Dickerson told The Sopris Sun that her life had “come full circle” — and indeed it had. She had

begun taking art classes at Colorado Mountain College campuses in the Valley in the late 1990s and soon was exhibiting in group shows around the area. By 2006 she had won the first of three People’s Choice awards at the annual Carbondale Arts Valley Visual Art Show (the other two were in 2012 and 2017).

Her store gone, Dickerson enrolled in Naropa University in Boulder in 2009 and completed a BFA in visual art there two years later. “I wanted to go back to school to develop my skills more … [it was] a journey to find my voice.”

That voice eventually took the form of Abstract Expressionism, the movement in painting that emerged in the late 1940s and '50s in the United States, popularized by Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner and others. She was drawn to the work of abstract artists such as Joan Miró and Agnes Martin, as well as of the West Coast painter Richard Diebencorn. “I was doing representational work for about 15 years as skill building and began doing abstract work the last couple of years,” she explained.

Her work has been exhibited in numerous group shows at several venues in the region, including the Aspen Chapel Gallery, the Red Brick Center for the Arts in Aspen and the R2 Gallery at the Launchpad. For many years she also has had pieces at the locals’ booth at Mountain Fair.

This fall, she was one of the area artists whose works have been on display at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver.

Above, with Sounds Easy long gone, you'll find Staci Dickerson at the Launchpad these days. Photo by Will Grandbois Right, “Unknowing Beauty,” oil, 18 by 24 inches is among her displayed works.

That exhibit was made possible by her connections to the state-supported Carbondale Creative District and Colorado Creative Industries.

In August, much to her surprise, Dickerson was invited by Julia Bennett, the coordinator for the CMC ArtShare Gallery in Glenwood Springs, to mount her own show. Titled “Ocular Patterns,” it consists of 10 paintings, all but one of which were made after receiving the invitation. “I’ve been very busy,” she admitted.

Per a CMC press release, the paintings explore “the involuntary movements of the artist’s eyes as she creates her abstract paintings.” Dickerson further stated that she hopes people seeing her work will “thoughtfully experience and respond to the painting; to just notice what the eye notices … and to experience their own ‘ocular patterns.’”

‘Ocular Patterns’ reception Where: CMC Artshare Gallery (815 Cooper Ave., Glenwood Springs) When: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, on display through Jan. 19.

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970-379-0575 On November 21st, Carbondale was officially welcomed into the AARP National Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities. The leaders of the Carbondale AgeFriendly Community Initiative (CAFCI) would like to thank the following businesses and organizations for their generous contributions to the CAFCI Community Assembly.

We look forward to working with residents, organizations, businesses and government to make Carbondale ever more age-friendly. Thank you for your support.

8 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • DECEMBER 12, 2019 - DECEMBER 18, 2019

AARP Colorado, Alpine Bank of Carbondale, Amore Real Estate, City Market - El Jebel, Custom Catering of Aspen, First Bank of Carbondale, Heidi’s Deli Carbondale, Heritage Park Care Centers, Rebekah Lodge, Sopris Lodge, Peppinos Pizza, Whole Foods

THIS COMMUNITY AD SPACE DONATED BY COOL BRICK STUDIOS.

OUR TOWN

If you know of someone who should be featured in “Our Town,” email news@soprissun.com or call 510-3003.

Will Handville saves lives and makes art

By Roberta McGowan Sopris Sun Staff The Sopris Sun regularly presents a series of interviews with folks you may not have seen in the paper before — a sort of introduction to your neighbors. This week, we caught up with Will Handville, a paramedic for the Carbondale Fire Department and also an accomplished metal sculptor.

Q:What brought you to the Valley and to Marble?

A: I moved to Carbondale when I was hired by the Carbondale Fire Department.

Then I met my now wife Evie, and we bought a home in Marble 12 years ago. We love it here, so quiet and peaceful. I couldn’t do what I do without her support and encouragement.

Q:Why did you join the Carbondale Fire Dept?

A: I had been an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) since 1974. Then, I found out that Carbondale offered a lot of opportunity and growth. I learned that the fire district is about 360 square miles. This

doesn’t include I-70. But, if we asked to help out elsewhere, we go. My schedule is several 24-hour days at the station followed by several days off.

And I get to drive a big red truck!

Q:You’ve helped out during many disasters. Does one of them stand out for you?

A: Yes. After 9/11, I travelled to New York with my coworker Rob Goodwin as part of Carbondale’s response.

I vividly remember the sidewalks in front of the fire stations were caked in candle wax, sometimes six or eight inches thick, from the candles that had been lit in vigil to those lost and missing.

Q:Why did you become a paramedic?

A: I had always wanted to go that route. I felt there was so much more I could do as a paramedic to help people. As an EMT, I could perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), give patients oxygen, administer glucose for diabetics and help with treatments for asthma attacks or allergic reactions.

With paramedic certification, I can start intravenous therapy (IV) to deliver fluids and medications directly into a vein and perform a tracheotomy to keep the patient’s airway open. I was so fortunate that the department completely funded my schooling for eight months — including housing — at St. Anthony’s Hospital near Denver. As a paramedic, my goal is to package (stabilize and ready for transport) and get the victim to definitive care, like a hospital.

Q:How do you feel about it now?

A: Being a paramedic is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life. This a lot of psychological stress that comes with the job. We do an “after action review” to discuss what happened after an incident, and how we are dealing with the results. There can be a lot of burnout. We have learned how to sometimes separate ourselves from the trauma we’ve seen.

Q:You are also a metal sculptor. How did you get interested in that art?

A: My father was a welder, so I was drawn to learning those skills. I like that I could make anything I wanted. I explain I build art with junk, from rusty old farm equipment to old cars and trunks and anything recycled or just discarded.

Q:Please describe your art.

A: I call it kinetic art as I want my work to move as the air moves.. When I search for materials, I look for whatever has an artistic flavor. Doing modern sculptures is very demanding. I enjoy that challenge. I am very proud that I have been part of the Redstone Art Foundation Labor Day art show.

Q:How do sculpting and paramedic go together?

A: I find sculpting very relaxing. Especially after a tough shift at the station, I’m glad I can go home and build something in my shop. What’s also great about living here is that Marble doesn’t have cell phone service. We don’t have a television either.

Paramedic and sculptor Will Handville.

Photo by Roberta McGowan

THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • DECEMBER 12, 2019 - DECEMBER 18, 2019 • 9

10 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • DECEMBER 12, 2019 - DECEMBER 18, 2019

Holiday cheer brings together art and community

Carbondale welcomed the holiday season this First Friday. In addition to the annual tree lighting, sleigh rides and meeting Santa, shoppers enjoyed buying a wide variety of artisan goods while supporting nonprofits. Clockwise from top left: all the little lights enchanted attendees, a young shopper at the Launchpad shows off her holiday goodies from the artisan market (which runs through Dec. 28), shoppers check out the mugs available at the CoVenture silent auction benefiting KDNK and Carbondale Clay Center, Marble Charter School students sell bracelets to raise money for women in Central America, Santa waves to the crowd and folks warm up around the fire. Photos by Laurel Smith THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • DECEMBER 12, 2019 - DECEMBER 18, 2019 • 11

See who gets their ‘just desserts’ Roaring Fork offers baked goods alongside murder mystery

By Will Grandbois Sopris Sun Staff This Friday the 13th, let the misfortune unfold onstage instead of in your life. The Roaring Fork High School drama class presents “Off At the Holiday Bake Off ” at 6 p.m. in the auditeria (2270 Highway 133).

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids — email mkuhlman@rfschools. com for reservations.

The action unfolds in a Holiday Inn in upstate New York. Junior Marcus Lopez declined to disclose whether the baking might be a motive for the murder, and indicated that the character he portrays, Detective Detective, might be even more clueless than the viewers.

It does, however, create the perfect pairing with the baked goods the students will be offering in lieu of traditional dinner theatre fare. It’s a twist on what has become a standard for a class still reinventing itself after teacher Marcia Kuhlman brought it back.

“It’s a class production, and our student base changes, so we try to offer a wide variety of opportunities,” Kuhlman explained.

“Murder mysteries and dinner theatre are something you can bring the whole family to, so it seemed like a good entry point.”

“It’s a growing program. We’ve

definitely made some progress,” she added. “The students have a real respect for the dedication and effort it takes to do a full production and the goal is to do more established plays soon.”

In the meantime, junior and Assistant Director Jessica Kollar pointed out, there are a wide array of ways to be involved.

“It’s not just a class for people who want to be on stage,” she said.

“There’s lighting and set building and costuming. Anything you want to do in theatre is here, or we can make it happen.”

Kollar herself has had ample opportunity to practice her art through the Stage of Life theatre program.

“It was a really good experience,”

Above, Inspector Inspector is having trouble living up to his name.

Photo by Sue Rollyson Right, there are many more people involved in a drama production than you see on stage. Behind-thescenes roles range from costuming to set design.

Photo by Will Grandbois she recalled. “Nowhere else could I be with kids my age doing drama.”

But she’s also enjoying taking a more high-school approach and stepping into the director’s chair — though she also has a role onstage, bickering with fellow Assistant Director Zane Hanlon’s character.

“It’s interesting to watch people

learn,” she said. “To be able to see them step out of their own feelings and into a role has been amazing. I feel like we can dive deeper into the themes of the show instead of just blocking.”

Hanlon himself is still learning.

He was involved in the same plays as everyone else at Carbondale Community School, but got involved

in the Roaring Fork drama program mostly with filmmaking in mind.

Then he was cast as a lead in a past production, and now he’s really branching out.

“It’s challenging, but sometimes it just clicks,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun. There are a lot of good people here.”

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Musical satire that will knock your socks off TRTC production scores high

By Roberta McGowan Sopris Sun Staff “The Doyle and Debbie Show’’ performance at Thunder River Theatre Company(TRTC) is a hysterical romp through the raucous, honky tonk world of the Nashville country music scene.

From the play’s opening scene with a background recording of “Whiskey for my men and beer for my horses” by recording stars Willie Nelson and Toby Keith, the stage is ready for the outlandish and racy story to follow.

The singing and acting are superb. As many actors say, comedy is more difficult to put on than drama, as it must have razor sharp humor and perfect timing. But here, TRTC hits a home run.

The 90-minute show without an intermission keeps the audience’s belly laughs coming nonstop.

The masterfully written play by Bruce Arnston includes original country lyrics and music which could be ideal for a comedy album. (Bruce, take note.) TRTC Director Patrick Holloran asks the audience to for a big “yee haw.”

With exuberant performances by Christopher Keener, a Crystal Palace alumnus as Doyle, Basalt local Sonya Meyer as Debbie and Patrick Fagan as Buddy, their guitar playing musician, (and in his 27th year as an instructor at Snowmass ski school) the audience was well rewarded for attending opening night.

A viewer is taken into this low-brow world and feels like being actually in Nashville watching the ill-matched duo make war and love. The character

Buddy is the perfect foil for these two.

Doyle is a drinker and a cheat. Debbie first appears as a sweet, innocent petite woman, but she packs a wallop when cornered. Her three young kids (she is presently unmarried) wait in her car parked outside. A hilarious yelling match between momma and kids takes place over a walkie talkie.

A neon sign above the wood panelled stage proclaims “Station Inn” — presumably announcing the venue. Flashing lights emphasize the ribald action to come. And guess what? The real life Doyle and Debbie team do perform every week at this location in Nashville.

The backstory involves an 11-year hiatus from performing by the three. Not surprisingly, Doyle has had several different “Debbies,” over the years, one being his ex wife.

Doyle met his newest Debbie when she was performing at a VFW hall. HIs motives for choosing her were not quite innocent, but she makes clear on stage that nothing is going on between the two misfits.

The play is reminiscent of the Elvis Presley era with the over the top glittery outfits Doyle wears.

Debbie struts around in a Dolly Parton-style dress sans cleavage. This is old time country music, not the modern pop/country hybrid played on the radio today.

The show’s climax comes in two parts. First, Doyle recounts how his yodeling was his best trick to keep the ladies coming and then starts up again, turning Debbie into a puddle of unrequited love right on the stage.

The second part is a bit darker. As the audience has already learned, the recent death of Doyle’s dad still haunts him. And the ghost is still around as lights flicker and eerie sounds echo around

Talk about the battle of the sexes! Doyle and Debbie spar on and off the Nashville stage of the Station Inn. But don’t worry; Romance soon follows. Photo by Roberta McGowan Doyle attempted solo respite in his dressing room.

“Daddy” isn’t quite finished yet. Doyle has kept an old lunch box with a major souvenir from his father. That relic turns out to be hair, or more like a small scalp, which takes on a life of its own when freed from confinement.

Both Buddy and Debbie scatter when Doyle waves this memorabilia around high above his head. The hair wiggles on its own, quite an “uh oh” moment. Then, with the “hair” safely back in its container, the group sings and laughs through several more tunes.

Classic country will never seem the same.

Song titles To catch a fuller glimpse of the theme of the play, just take a look at the title of the songs they perform: “Stock Car Love” “Just Keep Me Barefoot And Pregnant” “Twang,Twang” “Harlequin Romance” And the not to be missed *Fat Women In Trailers.”

LaFontana Plaza | Hwy 133 | Carbondale, CO 81623 | 704-0909 | www.IndependenceRunAndHike.com THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • DECEMBER 12, 2019 - DECEMBER 18, 2019 • 13

God Bless Us Every One

Bless Us y One

COMMUNITY CALENDAR proudly presents

God Bless Us Every One

THURSDAY DEC. 12

of My Voice” (PG-13) at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 13; “JoJo Rabbit” (PG-13) at 5 p.m. Dec. 14 POPCORN & A MOVIE and “Fantastic Fungi” (NR) at 5:30 p.m.

Get out of the cold and watch a special Dec. 15. Closed Dec. 18 & 19. winter screening of “Abominable” at 4 p.m. at the Carbondale Branch Library. The FRI DEC. 13 & SAT DEC. 14 movie is free to attend, open to all, and refreshments will be provided. For more NUTCRACKER information call 963-2889.

The Crystal River Ballet School presents a full, student version of this classic holiday play featuring Brianna Avendano as Clara.

THU DEC. 12 - SUN DEC. 15 Guest artist, Nicole Zinn as the Sugar A CHRISTMAS CAROL Plum Fairy and the return of Sarah Ptacek Stage of Life presents the classic tale with as the Nutcracker. Curtain rises at 6:30 music from the beloved Muppet version p.m. at the Carbondale Middle School (180 at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday Snowmass Dr.) Tickets are $15 for adults, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday. Visit $12.50 for seniors and $45 family rate for soltheatrecompany.org for tickets — $15 immediate family. General admission sold for adults and $10 for kids. only at the door.

FRIDAY DEC. 13 SAWLIDAY HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

based on the book by Charles Dickens

featuring music from The Muppet Christmas Carol

Thursday, December 12th at 7:00 p.m.

Friday, December 13th at 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, December 14th at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, December 15th at 2:00 p.m.

The Round Room at the Third Street Center

Come to a holiday art sale from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Studio for Art and Works (525 Buggy Cir.). Artists are creating a "Stocking Surprise Spectacular" stuffed with handmade goodies that will be offered up as a door prize $5 per entry or $20 for five entries; funds support SAW and help pay for improvements behind the studios along the Rio Grande ArtWay. Contact alleghanym@gmail.com or 618-7479 for information.

GRAND HOLIDAY TRADITION

God Bless Us Every One

Tickets $15 for Adults and $10 for Students 12 and under Tickets available at the door or at soltheatrecompany.org

Proudly sponsored by

Little ones and adults alike can meet Santa and some of his live reindeer while enjoying hot chocolate, freshly made donuts, and roasting marshmallows over an open fire from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Garfield County Courthouse (109 Eighth St., Glenwood Springs). Contact glenwoodmarket.com or 618-3650 for more information.

Call for poets of all styles and ages to come and share their voices. No experience necessary — just your own original work of three minutes or less. Prizes to follow.

From 6 to 8:30 p.m. at KDNK. (76 South Second St.) Contact kdnk.org or 963-0139 for information.

ROCK ‘N ROLL LOVE SONGS Caleb Cofsky performs covers and original music live from 7 to 10 p.m. at Marble Distillery (150 Main St.) No cover charge. Go to marbledistillery.com for information.

MESSIAH PERFORMANCE

Enjoy one of the longest running and most beloved musical holiday traditions. From 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Grace Church (1776 Emma Rd., Basalt) Go to aspenchoralsociety. org or call 309-8565 for $15 tickets in advance. $20 tickets available at the door.

Youth tickets and $5, and $1 for children under four. Also at The Wheeler in Aspen on 12/14 and St. Stephen's in Glenwood Springs on 12/15.

“My Favorite Local Gifts to Give & Receive!”

Join students and staff to taste chilis made from vegetables grown by Yampah Mountain High School (695 Red Mountain Dr., Glenwood Springs) The event runs from Also, take a look at the gift bazaar with a variety of products crafted by students. This $5 per person event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and benefits the Sustainable Science Pod, aka Homegrown Empowerment. Go to YMHS.org or call 945-9463 for information.

MOUNTAIN MADRIGAL SINGERS

SUNDAY DEC. 15 COMMUNITY SOUNDING CIRCLE

Bonte Lane will guide participants through a light and lively exploration of vocal sounding to get in touch with their authentic voices.This community event open to all, no singing experience required.

From 6 to 7:30 p.m. at True Nature (100 N Third St.) Tickets are free at eventbrite. com, and donations are accepted. Call 3190108 or email bontelane@gmail.com for information.

TUESDAY DEC. 17 NATIVE AMERICANS AMERICAN DREAM

AND

THE

The American DreamTrust, “Providence, Pilgrims,” is a multimedia presentation

by Connie Baxter Marlow and Andrew Cameron Bailey from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Third Street Center (520 S Third St.). $15 donation is suggested; go to davinikent. com/events for more information.

LOCAL ROCK BAND RETURNS

BONEDALE BUSINESS BOOTCAMP

Sleepy Justice is an alternative rock band which has branched into an original sound with hints of jazz, blues, rock and more future songs. Show starts at 8:30 p.m. at Steve’s Guitars (19 N. Fourth St.) Call 9633304 for tickets.

Learn how to launch a lucrative business that makes a difference for mission-driven service professionals of the Roaring Fork Valley.This free event is from 7 to 9 p.m. at Marble Distilling (150 Main St.) Go to bonedaleacademy.com for information.

GET SPOOKY

New Designs, Gift Wrapping & Holiday Cheer

TASTE OF THE HOLIDAYS

The Annual Holiday Concert includes their vocal music celebrating sounds and spirit for their 39th season. The program is comprised of both traditional and contemporary songs, some classical and some light.The performances are free and open to the public. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

HOLIDAY MURDER MYSTERY at Glenwood Church of Christ (260 Soccer Enjoy this family friendly show to raise Field Rd., Glenwood Springs) Please call funds for the Roaring Fork High School 269-910-1354 for more information.

Theater Program. Your ticket will get you PINHEADS LIVE a thrilling performance and a tasty treat.

The performance is from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Come out for an awesome night of punk Roaring Fork High School (2270 Highway rock by the Pinheads, From 9 p.m. at The 133). Email mkuhlman@rfschools.com for Black Nugget (400 Main St.). Contact blacknuggetsaloon@gmail.com or 963tickets and information.

4498 for information.

POETRY SLAM

J E W E L RY D E S I G N

SATURDAY DEC. 14

ACADEMY

Enjoy Callin’ Old Souls and Mugsy Fay playing spooky music from 9 p.m. at The Black Nugget (411 Main St.) Contact 9634498 for more information.

FURTHER OUT

FRI DEC. 14 - THU DEC. 19

COMMUNITY CELEBRATION WITH ELF

MOVIES

THURSDAY DEC. 19

Enjoy this celebration of the holiday season The Crystal Theatre (427 Main St.) from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Basalt Library presents “Harriet” (PG-13) at 7:30 p.m. (14 Midland Ave.) for a screening of the classic Dec. 13-17; “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Christmas comedy “Elf.” Christmas cookies, 14 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • DECEMBER 12, 2019 - DECEMBER 18, 2019

Handel’s

MESSIAH PRESENTED BY ASPEN CHORAL SOCIETY MUSICAL DIRECTOR: PAUL DANKERS

Basalt

Friday, December 13 7 pm, Grace Church

Aspen

Saturday, December 14

7 pm, Wheeler Opera House

Cedar Ridge Ranch (3059 CR 103) is inviting folks to visit the aplacas and create an ornament or felted soap while they're at it. RSVP at cedarridgeranch.com — it's $25 for kids under 12 and $50 for adults with midday timeslots on Dec. 14, 15, 21, 22 and 28. Courtesy photo treats and cider will be provided at this free event. Presented by TACAW. VALLEY WOMEN’S ARTISTS AND CREATORS

Visit a “Green Line & Sparkles and Stones & Photography” pop up from 6 to 10:30 p.m. at Batch (358 Main St.).

TRANSGENDER DOCUMENTARY

Enjoy dinner and the 2016 documentary “Growing Up Coy” about a landmark Colorado Civil Rights decision which ruled in favor of a transgender student who wanted to use the girls bathroom at the Fountain Colorado Elementary School. Dinner is available for purchase at 5:30 p.m. at the Carbondale Middle School. (180 Snowmass Dr.). The PG-rated film runs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAY DEC. 20 CRAFTS AND COCOA

Teens and tweens are invited to a fun afternoon of hot cocoa and holiday crafts including making a Christmas tree using recycled paperback books This event is free and is designed for ages 10 and up from 3:45 p.m. at the Carbondale Branch Library (320 Sopris Ave.). Call 963-2889 for more information.

MOONLIGHT BLOOM

Come check out this mind-bending psychedelic rock band from Denve starting at 9 p.m. at the Black Nugget. ( 403 Main St.).

No cover charge.

FRI DEC. 20 & SAT DEC. 21 LET THEM ROAR

Celebrate Winter Solstice and listen as the band weaves a tapestry of progressive folk from threads of tradition. The "I See My Light" show celebrates the “Let Them Roar” 2019 immigrants rights project. Doors open at 7:30 and close at 8 p.m. at Steve’s Guitars. (19 North Fourth St.) Get tickets at letfthemroar. com and name your own price to donate with a portion of each ticket goes to the project.

Presented by KDNK and Carbondale Arts.

Audience members are invited to learn several songs in advance from 4 to 6 p.m.

DARK NIGHT

The 11th Annual event features multimedia storytelling by author Craig Childs. The subject will be "time," ranging from archaeology to the end of the universe. The show starts at 8 p.m. at the Paradise Theater (215 Grand Ave., Paonia). Advance tickets are $25 and day of the show for $30. Go to brownpapertickets.com to purchase.

ONGOING

SATIRICAL COUNTRY MUSICAL

Thunder River Theatre Company (TRTC) continues its 2019-2020 Season with the hilariously brash, bold, and satirical country

Glenwood Springs

western musical, “The Doyle and Debbie Show,” This product contains adult material that may not be suitable for youngsters.

Performances are Dec. 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21. The full schedule and detailed ticket information are available at thunderrivertheatre.com or 963-8200.

Sunday, December 15

7 pm, St. Stephen Catholic Church

DECK THE WALLS

A carefully juried show, open to artists and craftspeople in the Valley, comes to The Launchpad (76 S. Fourth St.), offering a chance to take home thoughtful and wellmade local and regional goods.

HOLIDAY INVITATIONAL

The Carbondale Clay Center (135 Main St.) features local and national ceramics for appreciation and sale. For information contact info@carbondaleclay.org or 963-2529.

TICKETS: $15 advanCE | $20 door | youTh + ChIld TICKETS avaIlablE O N S A L E N O W AT A S P E N C H O R A L S O C I E T Y. O R G whEElEr opEra houSE TICKETS: www.aSpEnShowTIx.Com | 970.920.5770

HEALTH THROUGH NUTRITION

Free opportunities include a powerpoint presentation by Dr. Greg Feinsinger about the science behind plant-based nutrition at 7 p.m. the first Monday of the month, free onehour consultations for heart attack and other chronic illness prevention by appointment Monday mornings (call 379-5718) and a plantbased whole-foods potluck at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of the month — all at the Third Street Center (520 S. Third St.).

TEEN ADVISORY GROUP

The Carbondale Branch Library (320 Sopris Ave.) invites seventh through twelfth graders to discuss plan and sponsor events with planning at 4 p.m. on the second Friday of each month.

YAPPY HOUR

Colorado Animal Rescue’s Yappy Hour at the Marble Distilling (150 Main St.) takes place at 5:30 p.m. the third Thursday of the month. Sip on handcrafted cocktails and meet a C.A.R.E. dog, with $1 from every drink donated to C.A.R.E. Bring your own dog along as well.

COMMUNITY MEAL

Faith Lutheran Church (1340 Highway 133), in collaboration with Carbondale Homeless Assistance, hosts a free community meal from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the third Saturday of the month. Visit faithcarbondale.com or call 510-5046 for information.

RUN AROUND

Independence Run and Hike hosts a weekly group run on Thursday nights. Meet at 6:30 p.m. at the store, 596 Highway 133 (in La Fontana Plaza) during daylight saving time and at 6 p.m. during the darker months for a four mile loop around town. All paces are welcome.

Call 704-0909 for more information.

Cross-Country Ski Lessons at Spring Gulch: Classic and Skate style lessons for beginners through intermediate start as early as December and run through February.

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Intro to Tone & Stretch (try it for 1 week) Qigong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Integrative Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Beginning Swing Dance . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1/14-3/5 (TTh) . . . . . . . . 1p-2p 1/7-1/9 (TTh) . . . . .10a-10:50a 1/7-1/9 (TTh) . . . . . . . . .4p-5p 1/14-3/5 (TTh) . . . . . . . .2p-3p 1/24-3/6 (F) . . . . . . 10a-11:30a 2/5-2/26 (W) . . . 6:30p-8:30p

CMC will be CLOSED December 23-January 1

REGISTER TODAY AT... www .coloradomtn .edu/community-education Carbondale Lappala Center • 690 Colorado Ave • 963-2172

THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • DECEMBER 12, 2019 - DECEMBER 18, 2019 •

Task Force finalizes 2020 events

By Roberta McGowan Sopris Sun Staff As the new year rolls around, there will be lots to do here, as the 2019 Special Events Task Force meeting approved a variety of events taking place on town property. The calendar will be presented to town trustees for final review.

Also as a boon to many programs, officials approved the purchase of a mobile stage, complete with lights and electricity.

As Parks and Recreation Director Eric Brendlinger explained, “Although still in the works, the $70,000 stage which can be towed by a pickup truck and will add options at sites including the North Face Park and the Fourth Street Plaza.”

Several new or revised events were given the go ahead. The Task Force reviews special events open to the public that utilize a Town street, park, open space, indoor facility or the rodeo grounds.

The inaugural O2 Outdoor Women’s Festival will take place Sept. 17 to 20 at a variety of locations with the Recreation Center designated as the hub. The festival is expected to draw up to 500 women. The three-day event pass will cost $499 with some scholarships available.

As festival organizers Lisa and Duane Raleigh noted, this event is for women of all ages and abilities who love the outdoors and want to come together.

Lisa explained why it is called O2, “We are all about oxygen, breathing and being active.”

She also emphasized the festival is still in the preliminary planning stages, with a major focus on attracting sponsors.

Preliminary activities include motivational speakers, adventure films, athletes and coaches offering clinics for women of all abilities on climbing, trail running, biking, fly fishing, backpacking, dryland training, yoga, sustainability, gender equity and healthy living.

Other options include camping/glampings options at the Gus Darien Arena and possible women folk music performances.

2020 will also see the annual pickleball tournaments switch from a recreation department run event to one organized by the Roaring Fork Pickleball Association (RFPA) for its members.

Organizer Val Snearly said that for 2020, the event will be non-sanctioned, “So we can get our feet wet.”

Carbondale 2019 EVENT CALENDAR Draft — subject to change

First Friday Creative District Art Walk March 6 (Friday) 5 p.m.

Downtown Main Street

Bonedale Bike Week May 15-21 (Friday-Thursday) Carbondale Recreation Center

Green is The New Black Fashion Show March 12-14 (Thursday-Saturday) Carbondale Recreation Center

Bike Park Competition May 19 (Saturday) 9:30 a.m.

North Face Bike Park

First Friday Spring into Wellness April 3 (Friday) 5-9 p.m.

Downtown Main Street & Carbondale Recreation Center

Jaripeo Y Baile Mexican Rodeo May 24 (Sunday) 4-9 p.m.

Gus Darien Arena

Healing Hoof It April 3, (Friday) Smiling Goat Ranch Downtown Town Easter Egg Hunt April 11 (Saturday) Scavenger Hunt Run 8:30 am 10 a.m. Sopris Park “Where my Peeps at” 5 Point Film Festival April 22-25 (Wednesday-Sunday) Carbondale Recreation Center Fourth Street and Fourth Street Plaza First Friday Family Block Party May 1 (Friday) 4 p.m.

Fourth Street Plaza & Park Festival Las Americas May 3 (Sunday) Noon-8 p.m.

Sopris Park & Gazebo Dandelion Day May 9 (Saturday) 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sopris Park & Main Street

Roaring Fork Pickleball Tournament (RFPA Members Only) May 30 (Saturday) 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

Callaway-Young PB Courts

Downtown Farmer’s Market June 10–Sept. 30 (Wednesday) 10 a.m.– 3 p.m.

Fourth Street Plaza & Park Ninth Annual Bonedale Skate Revival June 13 (Saturday) 9:30 a.m.

North Face Skateboard Park RFPA Summer Smash June 18-20 (Thursday-Saturday) 7 a.m.-5p.m. June 18-20 June 18-20 (Thursday-Saturday) Callaway-Young Alpine Bank Courts

Mt. Sopris Runoff & Four Mile Run July 25 (Saturday) Porcupine Loop Bike Race July 26 (Sunday) Sopris Park & Prince Creek Road First Friday Rally Palooza Aug. 7 (Friday) 5-9 p.m.

Downtown Main Street Sopris Park Summer Park Concerts Aug. 9 (Sunday) 3:30-7:30 p.m.

Sopris Park Gazebo

Team Roping & Sorting Event June 26 – 27 (Saturday-Sunday) Gus Darien Arena

Jaripeo y Baile Mexican Rodeo Aug. 9 (Sunday) 4-9 p.m.

Gus Darien Arena

First Friday Community Celebration July 3 (Friday) 5-9 p.m.

Downtown Main Street

The Hoot Aug. 14 (Friday) 5-10 p.m.

Fourth Street Plaza Park to Garfield

19th Annual Mt. Sopris Music Fest July 3 (Friday) 5-10 p.m.

Fourth Street Park

Our Town - One Table Aug. 16 (Sunday) 5-9 p.m.

Fourth Street (Main to Euclid)

Wild West Rodeo Series June 4 – August 20 (Thursday) Gus Darien Arena

Fourth of July Parade & Pool Party July 4 (Saturday) 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m

Cowboy Up Dance & BBQ Aug. 21 (Friday) 5-10 p.m.

Fourth Street Park & Plaza

Community Pedaleando June 7 (Sunday) 10:30 a.m-2 p.m.

North Face Park

Jaripeo y Baile Mexican Rodeo July 11 (Saturday) 4-9 p.m.

Gus Darien Arena

Sopris Park Summer Park Concerts June 14 (Sunday) 3:30-7:30 p.m.

Sopris Park Gazebo

Sopris Park Summer Park Concerts July 12 (Sunday) 3:30-7:30 p.m.

Sopris Park Gazebo

First Friday, Creative District Art Walk Sept. 4 (Friday) 5-9 p.m.

Hattie Thompson Birthday Party June 7 (Sunday) Noon-3 p.m.

Thompson House Museum

Mountain Fair July 24-26 (Friday-Sunday) Fri Noon to Sun 7 p.m.

Rotary Club Running of the Balls Sept. 4 (Friday) 5-9 p.m.

Downtown Main Street & Fourth Street

Art aRround Town Art Walk June 4 (Thursday) 5:30 p.m.

Begin at Town Hall First Friday Creative District Art aRound Town June 5 (Friday) 5-9 p.m.

Downtown Main Street

RFPA Tournament Aug. 22-23 (Fri. & Sat.) 8 a.m.-4p.m.

Callaway-Young Alpine Bank Courts

Wilderness Workshop Party Sept. 4 (Friday) 4-9 p.m.

Sopris Park

Celtic Fest Oct. 9 (Friday) 5-9 p.m.

Fourth Street Park & Plaza

Roaring Fork Ranch Roping Sept. 12-13 (Saturday-Sunday) Gus Darien Arena

Oktoberfest Celebration Oct. 10 (Saturday) Noon – 9:30 p.m.

Fourth Street Park & Plaza

Western Slope Pickleball Tournament Sept. 12-13 (Sat. & Sun.) 8 a.m.-4 p.m Callaway-Young Alpine Bank Courts

Aloha Shaka Cross Series Race #1 Oct. 20 (Sunday) RFHS & North Face park

Sopris Park Summer Park Concerts Sept. 13 (Sunday) 3-7 p.m.

Sopris Park Gazebo

Bike Cyclo-Cross Race Day Race #2: Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving Day)

Chamber Business Conference Sept. 16 (Monday) Third Street Center

First Friday Dia De los Muertos Nov. 6 (Friday) 5-9 p.m.

Third Street to Main Street Parade Route

O2 Outdoor Women’s Festival Sept 17-20 (Thursday-Sunday) Carbondale Recreation Center

Turkey Cross Trot (5k run) Nov. 26 (Thursday) 8 a.m.

North Face Park

Clay Center’s Annual Fundraiser Sept. 19 (Saturday) 5-9 p.m.

Carbondale Clay Center

First Friday Light Up Carbondale Dec. 4 (Friday) 5-9 p.m.

Downtown Main Street

Homecoming / Harvestfest Oct. 2 (Friday) 5-9 p.m.

Downtown Main Street

Jingle Bell Run Dec. 20 (Sunday) 11 a.m. start Independence Run & Hike Store

Potato Day Parade & BBQ Oct. 3 (Saturday) 10:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

Main Street Parade Route & Sopris Park Ross Montessori 5k & Marmot Mile Oct. 3 (Saturday) 7:30-11 a.m.

Ross Montessori School

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CALL 963-0139 OR GO TO KDNK.ORG AND CLICK DONATE 16 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • DECEMBER 12, 2019 - DECEMBER 18, 2019

Call Christine at 970-963-2430 900 Garfield Ave. Carbondale

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adsales@soprissun.com | 970-510-0246 THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • DECEMBER 12, 2019 - DECEMBER 18, 2019 • 17

GOVERNMENT BRIEFS RFSD seeks calendar feedback Roaring Fork School District is seeking public feedback to inform the next multi-year school year calendar, beginning with the 202021 school year. Students, staff, parents, and community members are invited to provide feedback through the calendar planning survey, which is available in both English and Spanish, by Jan. 15, 2020 — visit rfsd.k12.co.us to participate. The calendar planning process is outlined by an interest based bargaining (IBB) agreement that calls for a committee of district, board, and IBB representatives to work together to research options, get stakeholder feedback, and ultimately develop calendars for board approval in the spring. In February, specific calendar versions will be shared publicly for additional feedback before a final recommendation is presented to the board for approval in March.

North Star the focus of public open house Pitkin County Open Space and Trails will host an open house on Thursday, Dec. 12 to discuss future management of North Star Nature Preserve and seek input from the community. The event, from 4 to 7 p.m., will take place at Local Coffee House, 614 E. Cooper Ave., Aspen. There will be snacks and drink specials. The public is welcome to come ask questions, review maps and other informational materials, talk with OST staff and fill out a survey that will help inform an update to the North Star Management Plan. The survey is also available online at www.pitkinOSTprojects.com through Jan. 6, 2020. The current North Star Nature

Preserve Management Plan, adopted by county commissioners in 2015, is due for an update that will be completed in 2020. Survey responses will help shape a draft of an updated plan, which is scheduled for review by the Pitkin County Open Space and Trails Board in early February. Then, another round of public comment will follow.

Coloradans concerned about healthcare costs A majority of Coloradans are concerned about the rising costs of healthcare and prescription drugs, and prefer a public option to enroll in Medicare or Medicare for All over the current system, according to a statewide survey by Healthier Colorado, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health of all residents throughout our state’s diverse communities. The poll was conducted Nov. 6-9 among a sample of 650 active voters, with an oversample in West Slope counties. Roughly half of voters surveyed said the cost of healthcare is unaffordable, while 82 percent believe the cost of prescription drugs and medication is too high. When presented with the option to keep the current system in which health insurance is purchased through one’s employer or privately, or move to a public option or Medicare for All, only one-third of voters prefer to keep the current system. The other two-thirds were evenly split between wanting a public option or Medicare for All.

Senate passes Gardner’s FAFSA bill The United States Senate recently passed bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), among

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others, to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid filing process for nearly 20 million students and their families. The Faster Access to Federal Student Aid Act will allow students to answer at least 11 and as many as 22 questions with just one click. Gardner’s legislation was included in a bipartisan agreement to permanently fund historically black colleges and universities and minority serving institutions.

Want to get involved?

Contact your elected officials about the issues that matter to you Senator Michael Bennet

Bennet takes aim at invasive mussels U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) have introduced the Stop the Spread of Invasive Mussels Act of 2019, new legislation to slow the movement of aquatic invasive species, like zebra and quagga mussels, into Colorado, Montana, and other Western States. Aquatic invasive species pose a significant threat to Western rivers and reservoirs. Once established, these intruders are nearly impossible to eradicate and wreak havoc on crucial water infrastructure, limit recreation opportunities, and harm ecosystems and local economies. The Stop the Spread of Invasive Mussels Act would: strengthen prevention efforts by providing the Bureau of Reclamation explicit authority to partner with states and municipalities to fund watercraft inspection and decontamination stations; provide all federal agencies who participate in the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force the same authority and generally eliminate problematic differences between the various agencies.

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Senator Cory Gardner 354 Russell Senate Office Bldg.

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Congressman Scott Tipton 218 Cannon HOB Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-4761

CO Senator Bob Rankin 200 E Colfax, 346 Denver, CO 80203 (303)866-5292

CO Rep Perry Will 200 E Colfax, 07 Denver, CO 80203 (303)866-2949

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Colorado is owed 9,900 acres by the federal government

By Jason Blevins The Colorado Sun The whisper of transferring federal lands to states typically ignites firestorms, with conservationists, sportsmen and mountain communities fearing a shift of ownership could lead to unfettered development, lost access, habitat degradation and injury to recreation-based economies.

But last week’s proposal by the Bureau of Land Management to transfer 17,700 acres of federal land and 6,000 acres of mineral estate to the Colorado State Land Board hasn’t raised a hackle. Yet. The BLM wants to pay a 143-yearold debt it owes the state. Under the Statehood Act, the federal government doled out land — a pair of 1-mile sections for every 36 square-mile township — to state land trusts to generate revenue for public schools.

When Colorado became a state in 1876, it got about 4 million acres. The State Land Board has about 2.8 million acres left that the board has leased to generate more than $1.7 billion for public education in the last decade.

The feds still owe the state about 9,900 acres that could not be delivered in 1876 because much of Colorado’s land on the Western Slope belonged to the Utes. Now the BLM wants to pay back that acreage, or the equivalent value, spread across 16 counties.

The BLM and the State Land Board have spent eight years working to identify transferable lands. Eliminating the debt has been on the land board’s to-do list “literally for 143 years,” board spokeswoman Kristin Kemp said.

“This land has been owed to Colorado’s schoolkids in the form of a trust since statehood,” she said.

Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed an order in March directing the BLM to safeguard public access for recreation when identifying lands for potential disposal or exchange. So the acres identified in this proposal largely includes smaller parcels near or intermingled with State Land Board land and will not change existing leases for oil and gas or grazing and will not impact access for recreation.

The identified acres are in Bent, Chaffee, Custer, Dolores, Eagle, El

Paso, Garfield, Grand, Huerfano, Garfield County Land Explorer Jackson, Kiowa, Ouray, Park, Pueblo, Garfield County Routt and Weld counties.

Garfield County, Colorado “At first blush, I don’t see any particular issues with what is being Cardiff proposed. In fact, at least in some of the proposed parcels, it’ll likely lead to better management,” said Luke Thunder River Schafer, the Western Slope director for Conservation Colorado. “Obviously, the devil will be in the details, but I’m not alarmed by anything that is being proposed.”

Aaron Weiss, the deputy director of the Center for Western Priorities, has some questions about a few of the proposed transfers along rivers and close to highways in Eagle, Garfield and Routt counties, but the overall plan did not raise any immediate issues.

“In general, this appears to be on the up-and-up, especially the parcels Cattle Creek that complete, or are adjacent to, existing state land,” Weiss said.

Kemp said if the lands are transferred, the use of those parcels will not change “in the short-term.”

“But over time, those lands will be integrated into existing state trust land uses,” she said, noting that the land board leases 98% of its lands for agricultural uses, while also providing leases for oil and gas development, renewable energy development and recreational uses like hunting and Dry Park Aspen Glen fishing.

This summer the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and Montana digital mapping company OnX issued a report showing 1 inch = 3,009 feet Garfield County Land Explorer 1.78 million acres of the land trust’s 2.8 1 inch = 0.57 miles million acres are closed to recreation in any form. The prohibition of access Garfield County Colorado Printed by Web User www.garfield-county.com Garfield County Colorado to those lands isolates 18,000 acres Disclaimer Th e closest transferred parcel to Carbondale is located along a ridge to the west of Ironbridge, and will be a topic of of federal land from public access, discussion at the Dec. 12 Planning Comission meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

Courtesy graphic according to the report, which also Printed: 12/6/2019 at 9:55:56 AM © Copyright Garfield County, Colorado | All Rights Reserved identified 435,000 acres of state land the next two years. this new agreement, there is a lot of “They will be state trust lands and board property that is inaccessible to “State trust lands are managed work to be done to get even close to the over time they will be released and the public because they are surrounded in a very different way than BLM hunting and fishing opportunities that managed like all other Colorado state by private land. lands,” said Tim Brass, the state policy are available on BLM land.” trust land to fund Colorado public In July the Colorado Parks and director for Backcountry Hunters and Brass said BHA would be taking a schools,” Kemp said.

Wildlife Commission expanded its Anglers, noting that hunting access closer look at the proposed exchange The BLM is seeking public Public Access Program, adding leases on state trust lands costs much more and will be engaging the State Land comment on the proposed transfer. for an additional 100,000 acres of State than hunting access to BLM land. “As Board to protect recreational access.

The proposed transfer will get a Trust Land for hunting and fishing. we’ve seen with Colorado trust lands, While the Bernhardt order requires second public scoping in March The state land board now allows recreational access for hunting and the BLM to consider recreation when and the state land board hopes to hunting and fishing on 585,000 acres fishing is definitely not guaranteed transferring public lands, it does not hold a public meeting next spring of its lands and hunters and anglers and while we have made great progress control what happens to those lands to review the transfer, Kemp said, have joined CPW with a goal to lease thanks to a supportive governor and after the lands are transferred to a state with hopes that a deal can be another 400,000 acres of trust land in the folks at CPW who helped broker and the agency’s existing leases expire. finalized in the summer of 2020.

0

0.4

0.8

1.6 Miles

¬

This is a compilation of records as they appear in the Garfield County Offices affecting the area shown. This drawing is to be used only for reference purposes and the County is not responsible for any inaccuracies herein contained.

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • DECEMBER 12, 2019 - DECEMBER 18, 2019 • 19

TOWN REPORT

COP SHOP

From Town Manager Jay Harrington's weekly report to trustees, staff and others.

LETTERS TO SANTA

can be dropped off in Santa’s Mailbox at the Carbondale Recreation and Community Center from Dec. 1 - Dec. 20. Make sure to sign your name and address so Santa can write back!

ADULT BROOMBALL runs 6 to 10 p.m.

Wednesdays and Fridays Jan. 8 through Feb. 7.

Sticks are required; helmets are required. It’s $200 a team and the registration deadline is Dec. 21.

COED VOLLEYBALL is entering playoffs, visit quickscores.com for league scores and standings.

RED HILL received a new recycling and trash

From Nov. 21 through Dec. 5, Carbondale Police handled the following cases of note:

container in addition to dog waste receptacles, with weekly pickup planned.

VANDALISM was repaired on a Sopris Park bridge, but not before someone damaged the new Miners Park playground.

RIVERFRONT & NUCHE PARKS are closed

to public or private use until March 15 to protect the eagles.

ICE RINKS should be filled next week, weather

permitting.

THE NETTLE CREEK LINE required a repair

THURSDAY NOV. 21 AT 10:32 A.M. Police took the first of several

stolen bike reports.

SATURDAY NOV. 23 AT 2:31 P.M.

Officers were dispatched to the second of two accidents.

following the abandonment of an old service.

SUNDAY NOV. 24 AT 10:33 P.M. A person was reported missing

OFFICER BILL KIRKLAND became the third

and their vehicle was later located in Glenwood Springs.

department member to finish FBI Arrest Control Instructor School.

MONDAY NOV. 25 AT 4:18 P.M.

Someone called about a hit and run accident.

FRIDAY NOV. 29 AT 4:46 P.M. A driver “dropped the stop sign and fled the scene.” In a possibly related incident, a knocked-down sign was later stolen.

FRIDAY NOV. 29 AT 10:32 P.M.

Jax Moss, Emily Tews, Oliver Requeno Argueta and Maisy Brock were selected as the Town's students of the month. Photo by Will Grandbois

for careless driving and arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and underage alcohol consumption.

SUNDAY DEC. 1 AT 12:08 P.M.

A 53-year-old was cited following a hit and run.

SUNDAY DEC. 1 AT 6:33 P.M.

Police investigated an accident in which a box truck struck a parked car on Roaring Fork Avenue and fled the scene.

TUESDAY DEC. 3 AT 2:05 P.M.

Someone reported a scam in which a faux motel employee attempted to glean credit card information. An hour later, someone else reported a scammer purporting to be from Publishers Clearinghouse.

TUESDAY DEC. 3 AT 9:45 P.M. A 37-year-old Hispanic man reportedly pulled a gun at the RFTA park and ride and was arrested for felony menacing, bias motivated crime, violation of a restraining order and an unrelated warrant.

Following a traffic stop for driving too fast for conditions, a 34-year-old man was cited for driving under the influence.

TUESDAY DEC. 3 AT 10:28 P.M.

SUNDAY DEC. 1 AT 1:02 A.M.

TUESDAY DEC. 4 AT 3:48 P.M. A

An 18-year-old man was stopped

77-year-old was cited in a hit and run.

Following a report of domestic violence, a 33-year-old man was charged with harassment.

Friday, Dec. 20, 2019 6-9 pm Third Street Center

CALL FOR CARBONDALE BOARD OF TRUSTEE NOMINATIONS Regular Election Town of Carbondale

Honoring earth-based traditions & welcoming the return of the sun. Join us for an indoor ritual & children’s program.

Outdoor bonfire & spiral dance.

Cookies, cocoa & caroling.

Free & open to the whole community.

The Town of Carbondale will be holding a regular municipal election on April 7, 2020. Three Board of Trustee seats (all four-year terms) are up for election. Those wishing to run for Trustee may pick up Nomination Petitions beginning January 7, 2020 Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. from the town clerk, 511 Colorado Avenue.

Qualifications: All candidates must be a qualified elector of the Town, a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years of age, and must have resided in the Town of Carbondale for one consecutive year immediately prior to the date of the election.

Petitions must be returned to the town clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, January 27, 2020.

The Town of Carbondale is a non-partisan body of local government, therefore, there is no party affiliation designation.

WWW.TRUU.ORG * Third St. Center * Carbondale, CO 20 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • DECEMBER 12, 2019 - DECEMBER 18, 2019

For more information contact town clerk Cathy Derby at 510-1206 or cderby@carbondaleco.net

Town acquires .75-acres in core

The view from the roundabout reinvisioned

By Will Grandbois Sopris Sun Staff

By Will Grandbois Sopris Sun Staff

The building is designed to seperate retail and residential and generally present a different aspect to different perspectives. Courtesy graphic

The last undeveloped lot at the intersection of Main Street and Highway 133 is under new ownership with a new development in mind.

On Dec. 10, Carbondale Trustees approved Sopris Lofts, LLC’s major site plan for a building with 27 residential rentals, some ground-level commercial and a public plaza, playground and trail connections.

The unanimous decision followed staff suggestions and the recommendation of the Planning Commission.

“They’ve been really responsive to my comments and suggestions,” Town Planner Janet Buck noted.

The development, she said, was in compliance with code in almost every respect.

And the exceptions — a higher density of trees and counting the plaza toward a 10-foot landscape buffer given the maximum 10foot setback — had more to do with issues in the code than the

application, making alternative compliance a slam dunk. An easement would also be granted to keep the current bus stop, which in turn reduced parking requirements.

Jake Boyles of Crystal River Spas expressed some concerns on that front, although he was in favor of the development as a whole.

“There are a whole lot of other things that are parked along Colorado Avenue,” he noted.

“Everybody lives here because they like to do things that require toys.”

In Marty Silverstein's estimation, that issue was outside the developer’s scope.

“Whatever is developed here, those people are going to be displaced from their parking and that’s going to put a strain on the neighborhood,” he “This is an ideal development for a couple to get buy with one car or even with no car.”

The remainder of the public comment was also positive. Said Amy Kimberly, “This is the kind of growth that we want to see here. It’s thoughtful; they’ve really talked with people in the community and done the work.”

In other action, trustees…

• Recognized Sandy Joyner for 15 years as a Town employee.

• Heard a complaint from Michael Adams regarding the municipal hauler fees for those who don’t use the service — an issue that will be revisited in January.

• Approved the 2020 budget.

• Inked a letter to CDOT with safety concerns on the Village Road / Highway 133 intersection.

• Reviewed proposed changes to CORES’ Residential Efficiency Building Program.

• Placed the entirety of town within a single precinct for municipal elections.

Carbondale has closed on the property at the northeast corner of Fourth Street and Colorado Avenue across from Town Hall, which it has long leased for parking, leaf and tree recycling and other municipal purposes.

“I think it leaves future boards a lot of options,” Town Manager Jay Harrington said. “We’re really thankful that we’ve had public use of this property for all these years at minimal cost to the Town.”

The lot is one of several downtown properties put up for sale last August by LLCs connected with local landowner and philanthropist Bren Simon.

A .44-acre property on the corner of Sixth and Main was acquired in November by Eastwood Carbondale Investors LLC — which is affiliated, by address at least, with Eastwood Developments, Inc., the owner of the Aspen Highlands base. So far, the only indication of the ownership change is the removal of a large fake Christmas tree which had held down the corner for the better part of two years.

The $1,369,636 purchase price puts the $1,345,000 put up by the Town for its larger lot in perspective. According to Harrington, it’s a comparable figure to what had been negotiated with another party that had planned on purchasing the properties together. That deal fell out of contract, opening up the possibility of a direct purchase after years of trying to acquire the parcel.

As for why this particular property proved a priority, Mayor Dan Richardson explained, “This one is on the outskirts but still has access, so it makes sense for parking… Let’s let the prime property be developed.”

Among the remaining properties for sale are the old Town Center lots (which surround Thunder River Theatre on three sides), the grassy area adjacent to the Fourth Street Plaza (which the Town is also interested in acquiring someday) and two properties currently leased for parking (across from the Launchpad and Back Door Consignment).

“I don’t think people realize… how few of the current parking spaces are actually owned by the Town,” Harrington noted.

Thanks to its size and position against the Rio Grande trail right-ofway, the Town’s new property has the surface capacity for 80-90 cars when it’s not hosting leaf days or the like. As lots currently leased for parking get developed, a parking garage may even be on the table down the road.

With the streetscape fund tapped out by the purchase, however, it’s unlikely to see much more than a new sidewalk and irrigation system in the immediate future.

“It’s when the demand warrants it, really,” Richardson said of longterm development and whether any additional parking would need to be acquired. “The optimist in me hopes this will suffice.”

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LETTERS

Continued from page 2

communities. We could go back to the Mediterranean coast in Roman times.

The reality is that development creates winners and losers.

A minority prosper and the rest hold their own or get pushed out. The winners can afford to hire the consultants, attend the meetings, and press their wishes on the rest. We have a “Uniform Development Code” for the stated reason to “make it easier for developers”. Economic growth is the creed of all modern economies.

What the op-ed hints at and tacitly admits is that there is a price to pay for courting tourism. Whistler Resort in Canada has followed this path. They now complain that “over-tourism”, as they call it, has brought problems they can not solve.

In short, never ending growth creates a host of problems locally, but also threatens our very lives globally. We ought to rethink these policies and check our priorities.

Patrick Hunter Carbondale

Watergate as seen from Carbondale Dear Editor: The article about Watergate and the hearings was very interesting. I have been thinking about that time a lot and so here are my observations.

In ’65, I was a junior at CRMS and turned 18. I rushed down to the American Legion hall in Glenwood and got my draft card.

I now had a legitimate ID to buy 3.2 beer! The only news that I saw about Vietnam were short articles in Time magazine. By the time I graduated in ’66, it had started to heat up.

I started at Denver University as a history major that fall and that’s when I really began to understand the card that I had thought was my key to drinking was also potentially the way to my death. Thanks to a very lively and seemingly endless series of teach-ins, my opinion of the war changed dramatically! I really loved my major and I was a good student and maintained a healthy grade point, so my student deferment put off the inevitable.

I pretty quickly became a card-carrying hippy, which

included the consumption of illegal substances. The next big revelation was that, not only was the government out to kill me, but every cop and narc wanted to throw my scrawny hippy ass in the can! Thanks to CRMS, I never stopped loving America for the natural wonders that it offers nor did I buy into being a Commie, but my belief that we were an exceptional country was tried pretty hard. J ust as I was about to graduate, the lottery was instituted and I got a high number, so my risk was gone.

Fast forward to ’73, when I opened my High Fi and Record shop on Main Street. To say that business was slower than molasses in January would be an understatement! In the summer, I brought my portable black and white TV from my home and watched the hearings. As a history major, I was and still am a hopeless news addict! As I watched this whole thing unfold, my cynical attitude about our government began to slip away. It truly was one of the finest moments in our Democracy and the way that both parties worked together as events unfolded was proof that our Constitution was a living document!

After Nixon resigned and the war finally ended 10 years too late, America took a few deep breaths and slipped into, what Tom Wolfe called “The Purple Decade”. Carbondale continued to work on becoming what it is today.

Wick Moses Carbondale

The climate refugees are coming Dear Editor: Vexed about the hordes of immigrants pouring across our southern border? Afraid these caravans from Central America are gonna steal our jobs and our women?

Pull your MAGA caps on tight because that’s a situation that doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon. The government thinks the migration can be stopped by primitive walls that can be cut through with saws sold at Ace Hardware and climbed over by 8-year-olds, and gestapo tactics from the Border Patrol, DHS, and ICE. That’s because the government has an incomplete understanding of why these immigrants are leaving their homes.

It’s not just the corrupt, oppressive military juntas that

replaced benevolent left-wing regimes with the help of the CIA, or the murderous gangs that’re pressing young men into joining them with assault rifles made by American gun manufacturers.

These are serious problems to be sure. El Salvador’s murder rate is ten times the global average. But the overriding cause for the mass exodus is a ten-year drought the Center for Climate Security describes as, “the worst in recent recorded history.”

Seventy-five percent of the maize and bean crops have been lost. Thousands of cattle have died. The U.N. estimates 3.5 million people in Central America are in need of humanitarian assistance. Autocratic government and gang violence can make life tough, but when your tummy’s empty, you’re gonna get moving.

Instead of putting up futile resistance, why don’t we welcome these wayfaring pilgrims to our booming, labor constrained economy? They’d love to fill the need for unskilled, manual labor our citizen workforce seems unable to do.

Better yet, let’s teach the Central American farmers about sustainable agriculture, diversifying crops, agroforestry, and rainwater storage. Where’s the Peace Corps?

Best of all, have our government join the rest of the world to mitigate climate change. As the Center for Climate Security says, “Immigration control will fail if climate change is not addressed.”

Fred Malo Jr. Carbondale

Winter wonderland Dear Editor: White flakes float and fly White on white piles high and high White drifts and gray skies JM Jesse Glenwood Springs

Helping The Sopris Sun shine year ‘round

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Keep up with the seasons and update your marketing efforts to ensure better online rankings and more!

Join our webinar on Tuesday, November 18 to learn more:

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“The Sopris Sun is the quintessential community newspaper, in my mind. Even the nonprofit structure is reflective of the charm and spirit of the paper: it’s pretty innovative for a newspaper to embrace a nonprofit status, yet somehow fits perfectly with the unique relationship The Sopris Sun maintains with the town. Its pages tell stories of the triumphs and sorrows of our neighbors in such a way that allows the community to celebrate and mourn, to share and grow together.” ~ Megan Tackett Thank you to Megan Tackett, for your commitment to local, independent journalism.

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PARTING SHOTS

The Ram basketball girls came out strong in the Brenda Patch Tournament last weekend, defeating Rifle 50-40 and Steamboat 52-34.

The boys struggled, with a 50-30 loss to Lutheran and a 58-16 loss to DSST Byers. Photos by Sue Rollyson

SERVICE DIRECTORY

We Sell Tires!

Come to Sunburst for your Winter tire changeover!

We are open Monday through Saturday from 8am-5pm and Sunday’s 9am-4pm (car washes only).

970-963-8800 745 Buggy Circle in Carbondale w w w. s u n b u r s t c a r c a r e . c o m

See Thundercat at

“don’t trash it – cash it” We pay CASH for METALS! ALUMINUM CANS • COPPER • BRASS • LEAD • STEEL • CARS/TRUCKS APPLIANCES • EXTENSION CORDS • BATTERIES • RADIATORS STAINLESS STEEL *ANYTHING METAL* New Location Glenwood! (2 miles south of Walmart, next to Airgas)

CARBONDALE ANIMAL HOSPITAL New location!

289 Main Street, Carbondale on the corner of Third and Main Street

(970) 963-2826 Find us on Facebook

3710 Hwy 82 Glenwood Springs, CO 970-948-0333

Dr. Benjamin Mackin

Gypsum location accepts large steel quantites please see our Gypsum location by Costco

Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Open - Tue-Fri 9-4 • Sat 9-1 • Closed Sun/Mon

Guaranteed best prices in the mountains!

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • DECEMBER 12, 2019 - DECEMBER 18, 2019 • 23

We even offer gift cards!

We have everything you need for the holidays.

It’s that time of year. From holiday decor to brand new mattresses for your guests to “Scratch & Dent” appliances, we’re your one-stop shop for all your holiday needs. Come see why people say our Habitat for Humanity ReStore is the best in the country for high quality, gently-used (and some new!) home furnishings, appliances, building materials and more. And remember, when you shop with us, you help us build homes with local families in need of affordable housing. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

53 Calaway Court, Glenwood Springs

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For more info & hours: HabitatRFV.org

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