Valley Voice August 2022

August 2022 . Issue 11.8

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August 2022

Valley Voice

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Valley Voice

August 2022

Rants...

Contents Gravel Riding at its Best!

Page 4

Support for First Responders

Page 5

Sandhill Crane Migration

Page 6

Local Theater? It's Alive!

Page 7

Radical Women: Continued

Page 8

Saturday's Apocalypse

Page 9

The Role of Tourism in Routt County

Page 10

One Hundred Years in Routt County

Page 11

The Angling Matchmaker

Page 12

By Greer Van Dyck/ SBT GRVL

By Dylan Roberts

By Katy Pickens

By Brad Kindred

By Ellen and Paul Bonnifield

By Fran Conlon

By Scott L. Ford

Publisher/Art Director: Matt Scharf mattscharf1@gmail.com Sales:

valleyvoicesales@gmail.com

By Elaine Callas Williams

By Ken Proper

Wildfires Page 13

By Stuart Handloff

Valley Voice is published monthly and distributed on the last Wednesday of each month. Please address letters, questions, comments or concerns to: Valley Voice, LLC, P.O. Box 770743 or come by and see us at 1125 Lincoln Ave, Unit 2C, Steamboat Springs, CO 80477.

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County Fair/ New Restaurant in Hayden Page 14

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Not-So-$pendy Summertime Brews

Page 15

Mensa National Annual Gathering

Page 16

Peace, Quiet, and Blue Skies?

Page 17

By Sean Derning

By Wolf Bennett

By Johnny Walker

Helen Page 17

By Joan Remy

By Chelsea Yepello

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I bet all the people on the STR petition list all own vacation rentals…

When a small mountain community feels like downtown New York…

Getting hit by a car on your bicycle with serious injuries…

All the dying evergreen trees that are turning brown overnight…

Closing the Yampa River to fishermen…

Raves...

Closing the Yampa River to tubers…

When cars flash their headlights to warn oncoming drivers of animals on the road…

Routt County staying green longer in the season…

The amazing rainbow over the first Free Summer Concert at Howelsen Hill…

What can you say? It was the Wes Fest!...

By Brodie Farquhar

Your Monthly Message

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Comics Page 19

Please send us your RANTS, RAVES and SAY WHATs! The Valley Voice wants to hear your thoughts as we struggle to find our center.

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“One of the housing authority members resigned and is moving to Denver because he recently lost his housing?”

“Can I ride a Schwinn Sting Ray at the SBT GRVL race?”

“A grown man checked in while he was trying to eat his t-shirt.”

“Ignorance is bliss they say. That’s why the IRS keeps calling.”

“That fool buried his ex-wife on his golf course?”

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Locations where to pick up a copy of the Valley Voice Steamboat Springs Arctic Liquor Moe’s BBQ Steamboat Community Center Art Depot Bud Werner Library Seedz Cafe Rabbit Ears Motel Old Town Hot Springs Routt County Courthouse The Shack Y-Not Shop Southside Liquor Central Park Liquor Steamboat Discount Liquor Pet Kare Clinic

Walton Creek Bus Stop Wild Plum Market Steamboat Springs Chamber Hayden A-1 Liquor Hayden Library The Granary Oak Creek Bonfiglios Oak Creek Post Office The Colorado Bar Oak Creek Medical Center Yampa Sinclair Gas Station Montgomery’s Mercantile Yampa Library

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August 2022

Valley Voice

SBT GRVL 2022

Gravel Riding at its Best!

By Greer Van Dyck/ SBT GRVL/ Community Relations Director

S

S M

B

Photo by Linda Guerrette

Help the Environment!

Reuse any plastic laundry container with a refill of quality, eco-friendly laundry detergent.

SBT GRVL has many new programs for 2022, one being the introduction of our Juniors category. After outreach to junior cycling organizations across the country, the event will welcome ~90 riders under the age of 18 from various organizations and bike teams.

Photo by Linda Guerrette SBT GRVL 2022 will be a weekend to remember. 3,000 individuals coming from every state and 24 countries will be lining up together on August 14th, 2022 for a day of fun on two wheels. This year’s event will include two days of an expo featuring local, regional, and national vendors showcasing their interest and contribution to the cycling industry. Race day will start bright and early on Yampa Street between 9th & 10th and will feature four separate courses that go all over Steamboat Springs.

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Our four featured courses: SBT GRVL Black is the experience you’ve been looking for and is 142 miles with approximately 9,200 feet of climbing. The ultimate Steamboat challenge with unmatched beauty and unmatched support. It is the best day you will ever have on a bike. SBT GRVL Blue is the best of Steamboat wrapped up in about 100 miles and features 6,000 feet of climbing. SBT GRVL Red is 60 miles with about 3,600 feet of climbing and is the go-to route for a solid day on the bike. Whether you are looking to throw down the hammer or spin around some gorgeous Steamboat gravel enjoying the scenery, this course will prove to be an amazing day for everyone!

And lastly, SBT GRVL Green is 37 miles approx 2,000 feet of climbing and is the introduction to the best riding in Steamboat. It is accessible to all abilities, ages and experience levels.

For those who live here and for those who wish they did.

Executive Director of Mile High 360, Eric Eiteljorg, speaks to how he and his organization are feeling about race day: "This is our first bike race and we are flooded with emotion about what it will be like to join thousands of others in Steamboat for a weekend of all things cycling. And, we have never trained for anything this big before....What is so meaningful to us is the feeling of being welcomed by Steamboat and its cycling community.”

SBT GRVL is very committed to advocacy and community and works hard to maintain year round relationships with its partners. Alpine Bank is their official Banking partner, and Vice President David High has participated in SBT GRVL each year. He and his team have helped support efforts to bring together the recreation and agriculture industries here in town. He said in reference to how SBT GRVL influences the community, “I think it builds a better community. The gravel event improved the level of awareness and respect that cyclists have for ranching. There will always be challenges but the overall acceptance and respect seems to have grown.”

The SBT GRVL team is looking forward to hosting a another fun, challenging and inclusive event, creating the best day that one can have on the bike. For more information please visit www.sbtgrvl.com.

Valley Voice

August 2022

5

State Representative/ Eagle and Routt Counties

Support for First Responders to Make Our Communities Safer

By Dylan Roberts

prepare fire departments and their firefighters to address wildfires. We also passed legislation to give volunteer firefighters support in their service to our communities.

Support for law enforcement Often the first people on the scene of any incident are law enforcement officers. Working with law enforcement, including with local agencies, I crafted several bills to give the men and women in uniform the tools and resources they need to make our communities safer.

I was the lead sponsor of SB22-005, a bipartisan bill which provides major funds to expand mental health support services for law enforcement officers so that they can receive the support they need to cope with difficult on-thejob experiences and help agencies recruit and retain more officers.

Here in Western Colorado, we rely on our courageous first responders to keep us and our communities safe every single day.

From search and rescue teams and emergency responders to law enforcement officers to wildland firefighters, first responders are the people who run towards danger and put their lives on the line to protect our families, our homes, and our lives.

That is why this legislative session, I worked to pass important bills to support first responders and ensure they have access to the critical tools and resources they need to keep us safe. The work we did this year represents the largest and most impactful investment in our state’s first responders in many years, and I am proud of what we accomplished together.

Tools and funding for firefighters Chief among the threats heading into summer is the everpresent danger posed by increasingly severe wildfires.

With fire season growing longer each year, we stepped up our support to provide firefighters the resources they need to better prepare for, mitigate, and respond to catastrophic wildfires through a comprehensive package of bipartisan bills.

Bolstering emergency responders As part of this important work to support first responders, I also fought to strengthen our state’s ability to help folks experiencing an emergency.

In rural Colorado, we face both funding and workforce challenges when it comes to ambulance and EMS services. That’s why I worked with local and statewide EMS providers to write and pass SB22-225, which modernizes and better funds our emergency services and ensures Coloradans can continue to count on strong and reliable EMS and ambulance services no matter where they live or find themselves needing help. I also led SB22-172 which will attract and retain more health care workers to rural Colorado, including EMS providers.

Search and rescue resources

I was also the lead sponsor of a bill that changed the law to ensure better enforcement of retail theft so that we can protect consumers and businesses from crime as well as legislation that cracks down on those who intimidate witnesses and victims of crime and gives our prosecutors more tools to protect victims. We also passed SB22-001, the Safer Streets Act, a bipartisan bill to fund the police and needed community safety investments.

Finally, our backcountry search and rescue workers and volunteers are true heroes who deserve more support.

That is why I proudly co-sponsored a bill to fund search and rescue teams and give employees and volunteers alike more workplace support, benefits, and resources to help them do their life saving jobs. This builds on two prior years of legislative changes and investment to better support our search and rescue teams.

Of course, perhaps the biggest - and almost certainly the most important - public safety issue we tackled this year is the fentanyl crisis sweeping our state. In response to this crisis, we passed a comprehensive and bipartisan bill which dramatically increases penalties for those who deal fentanyl and provides badly-needed resources for addiction treatment, Narcan, and more.

As a new parent myself and as a former prosecutor, making Colorado a safer place to live has been and remains one of my key focuses at the legislature. This session made great strides to provide urgently-needed support to the courageous women and men who dedicate their lives to keeping our families and communities safe. There is certainly more work to do and I welcome your thoughts and ideas anytime. My email is Dylan.Roberts.House@state. co.us and my cell: (970) 846-3054.

While this bill is not perfect - and I voted against my party for stricter penalties - it is a critical step in addressing this lethal drug’s impact on our communities and saving lives, and I am confident that the work we did will give law enforcement and communities the resources they need to stem the tide of this deadly crisis.

Rep. Dylan Roberts serves Routt & Eagle Counties in the Colorado House of Representatives

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I sponsored legislation designed to help communities designate strategic bodies of water as fire suppression ponds to ensure that water remains available when needed to battle a blaze, and we secured major funding to better

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Cycling is a good school for life. It makes you hard and gives you ambition, but you can never say you've arrived. — Eddy Merckx

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August 2022

Crane Viewings, Speakers, Bird Walks, Films, Raptors, Crane Art, Family Activities & More!

11th ANNUAL

Valley Voice

Craniacs

Sandhill Crane Migration and Welfare: Where do they go once they leave the Yampa Valley?

By Katy Pickens

Above the Mountains by Mike Mack

SEPT 1-4 STEAMBOAT SPGS, HAYDEN, CRAIG, CO Keynote: USFWS Rocky Mountain Sandhill Crane Expert Dr. Dan Collins International Crane Foundation Whooping Crane Expert Dr. Liz Smith Cornell Lab of Ornithology eBird Director Chris Wood Bird Watcher’s Digest columnist, radio host, author, humorist, Al Batt Bird Walks & Talk by Birding Editor Ted Floyd and family Guided Sandhill Crane Viewings with Sandra Noll & Erv Nichols Live Raptors with Nature’s Educators

schedule & info: coloradocranes.org Presented by Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition, Inc.

Sandhill Cranes are a truly ancient species— they have been on earth for at least 2.5 million years. And for that time, migration has been a key facet of the sandhills' lives and reproduction.

In recent years, the impacts of climate change, such as drought and shifting migration timeframes, have changed the practice for the cranes. However, the fundamental path and customs of migration have remained relatively consistent for thousands of years.

The Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition (CCCC) seeks to protect and celebrate the Sandhill Cranes, culminating in the annual Yampa Valley Crane Festival typically held the first week of September. The festival takes place when the birds are staging, or gathering to feed and build up energy to migrate south.

“In the fall, they gather in the staging areas,” said Erin Gelling, program director for CCCC. “In the Yampa Valley, there's a small staging area just west of Steamboat.

There's a staging area near Hayden, that's really big. And then there's a staging area out near Craig and some other areas as well.”

The Rocky Mountain Sandhill Crane Population The population of Sandhill Cranes which frequent the Rocky Mountain range from 20,000-22,000 individuals.

The cranes leave the area in late September and early This is a unique flock, distinct from Central Flyway schedule & the info: coloradocranes.org October, Gelling explained, and typically fly to the San Luis cranes or west coast flyway cranes.

Valley, further south in Colorado.

Roughly 1,500-2,000 individuals in the Rocky Mountain “In the fall, we just see groups, we just get a few 1000 here population spend their springs and summers in northand then a few 1000 there and then they all start going western Colorado, including the Yampa Valley. back down to Mexico and the Bosque del Apache refuge,” explained Deb Callahan, Monte Vista Crane Festival cochair and volunteer for Friends of the San Luis Valley.

After staging at the San Luis Valley for approximately a month in the fall, the sandhills fly further south to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico.

“We used to tell people, they come around Halloween and they leave around Valentine's Day,” said Deb Caldwell, executive director for Friends of Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, “But what we're finding is the numbers in October are not as high as what we've been used to. November is a building month, December is probably one of the best months and then into January.”

Crane Family by Abby Jensen

For those who live here and for those who wish they did.

Valley Voice

August 2022

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Yampa Valley Players

Local Theater? It's Alive!

By Brad Kindred

The Yampa Valley Players, who used to be the Chief Players, have been looking for a home ever since the Chief Theater closed down several years ago. While the building stands empty, the passion and desire for live theater stands strong.

This summer the YVP is presenting their traditional western melodrama, and, true to the name of Yampa Valley, they are performing in both Hayden and Steamboat Springs! The cast includes a diverse group of local talent from both towns and includes performers from ages 18 to 76.

The cranes typically winter in New Mexico, Arizona or northern Mexico.

As the winter melts into spring, the cranes reverse their journey, flying south to north and ultimately landing in states like Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado for breeding season.

Threats to the cranes’ path Although the Rocky Mountain sandhills have traversed this migratory path thousands of times, recent environmental changes are posing challenges to the birds’ routines.

Shows will be at the Hayden Center Theater and at Perry-Mansfield’s Julie Harris Theater. The performances at the Julie Harris in Steamboat Springs are Friday, August 19 and Saturday, August 20. The show at the Hayden Center is for one night only on Saturday August 27th and will include a full bar and community frivolity.

As warming temperatures skew the typical start and end dates of migration, water loss and drought is another pertinent threat to the cranes’ journey.

“The droughts that Colorado and the West have experienced over the last several years diminishes areas that they feed on,” Gelling added. “It diminishes crops and it also diminishes areas that they use for roosting, because cranes roost in the rivers when they're migrating and other times of the year.”

“The Diligent Daughter" or "Lips That Touch Wine” by Jerry James is published by Pioneer Drama Service and, being a melodrama, audience participation will be encouraged! Boo, hiss, laugh, and clap as the villain attempts to abscond with the family fortune AND the daughter! Cheer, applaud and sigh as the hero stands strong against the dastardly plans! Love, lies and avarice, along with loads of laughs, make “The Diligent Daughter” a family friendly event not to be missed.

Jenny Nehring, organizer for the Monte Vista Crane Festival and member of the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuges board, is a biologist and has seen the effects of these changes firsthand.

“The San Luis Valley is actually the largest wetland complex in the state of Colorado,” Nehring said. “Our groundwater resources paired with the Rio Grande River, have meant that this is a very wet place.”

“Climate change started hitting the San Luis Valley where we had a horrible drought starting around 2002,” Callahan added. “We pretty much have not gotten out of it since then.”

The impacts of climate change have begun looming in Bosque del Apache as well, Caldwell explained.

e“The aridity index is really high so the moisture we do get evaporates more quickly,” Caldwell said, making the typical food sources for the Sandhill Cranes more scarce in the San Luis Valley.

Tickets available online at eventbrite.com. $15.00 for adults, $8.00 for kids with tickets available at the door for $20 adults and $10 for kids under 12. Doors open at Julie Harris Theater at 6:00 pm with show at 6:30 pm. Hayden Center doors open at 5:30 with show at 6:30. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/western-melodrama-the-diligent-daughter-or-lips-that-touch-wine-tickets-389855567497

Each of the three Rocky Mountain crane organizations: CCCC, Friends of the San Luis Valley and Friends of Bosque del Apache are striving to protect the cranes and .their habitats, and have begun collaborating in service of that mission.

“Migration is overlooked, the miracle of just what it is they're doing, and then the importance of their resources when on that route,” Nehring said. “So I like to really promote the importance of migration, stopover habitat, and then I love to promote a miracle that migration is.”

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There's nothing like the buzz of live theater. You put it out there and receive an instant reaction: laughing, crying, yelling, applauding. — Samantha Barks

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August 2022

Valley Voice

Bonnifield Files

Radical Women: Continued

By Ellen and Paul Bonnifield

A Denver mistress placed a newspaper ad. “Nurse girl must take especial charge of two babies . . . must bathe them, wash their clothes, eat and sleep with them, soothe them at night if they are restless so the mistress will not be awakened. Mistress is very particular about how her work is done; say very few can please her but willing to teach them her way. Nurse must not expect to have any time to herself as there is plenty of mending, etc., $15 per month.” (That equals fifty cents per day.) Readers did not find the ad unusual.

Women have always been victims of sex. The International Workers of the World, (IWW a radical far left labor union) led a strike against the Press Steel Car Company employing five thousand workers from sixteen different countries. Employers considered these workers the least intelligent, the least independent, the least Americanized, and most content of work forces. Company officers routinely demanded sex with wives and daughters of employees.

Ending the practice was a key issue in a bitterly fought strike.

A large force of troops and law officers set out to break the strike. With rocks, sticks, kitchen knives, and clubs, wives and daughters fought back – yelling at their men, “if you are afraid, go home and tend to the babies.” Despite the gun fire, the women continue to fight and in time they

won the strike. Bosses no longer had free access to the bodies of wives and daughters.

The National Association of Manufactures and their affiliates set out to destroy all un-American labor unions in 1903. James C. Craig in Denver organized an affiliate, the Citizens Alliance, and went to war against organized labor.

Assured of government support by electing Governor James H. Peabody, the Alliance intentionally caused a strike at Idaho Springs that resulted in numerous clashes between company guards, local lawmen, state militia and the Western Federation of Miners. Following the attack on the Sun & Moon property, the union miners were marched out of the county at gun point. Their wives and children were left to fend for themselves in a hostile community.

Next the Citizens Alliance caused a labor war at the AS&R and Grant smelters at Globeville a short distance from Denver. The majority of the workers were immigrants, and the Alliance successfully drove the WFM from the company town causing desperate hardships on the women and children.

Craig’s next target was the smelters at Colorado City (suburb of Colorado Springs) and the mines at Cripple Creek and Telluride. The war spread to the Colorado coal mines.

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For those who live here and for those who wish they did.

The state was a region of open warfare. Killing and terror- M ism were common. The judicial system was a farce. In the P end, the militia, county sheriff, and hired thugs in Cripple l Creek forced union men into bull pens, where they were f held until loaded onto cattle cars and hauled by rail to the u Kansas line and dumped off. The coal miners at Trinidad g were hauled to New Mexico, and the miners at Telluride p were taken to Montrose and later shipped to the Utah G desert. They were not allowed to pick up personal possessions, money, or clothing. At Telluride, a young mother s with a baby attempted to board the train with her husbandc and was brutally thrown off. r

Emma Langdon accompanied her husband to Victor where I they worked for George Kyne at the Daily Record.

G When she first arrived, she held no strong opinions F concerning labor relations. She simply wanted to be a goodt wife and mother. She later wrote, “I have felt my blood boil s many times... I can understand why men shoulder a gun T and fight when goaded beyond endurance... The workers s do not ask favors; we want justice.”

A The Daily Record printed a story critical of the militia r and Emma’s husband and three others were sent to the b bullpen. Emma hurried to the newspaper office and locked w herself in. She wrote and printed a four-page edition d demanding freedom of press and she made uncompliment- o ary statements concerning the Guard. Next morning, with arms full of papers headlined, “Somewhat Disfigured but J Still in the Ring,” Emma headed for the bullpen. The guard f prevented her from distributing papers to the prisoners. a h Emma was now an uncompromising radical who actively H campaigned against Governor Peabody’s re-election. She n later wrote a brief book, The Cripple Creek Strike: Indus- I trial Wars in Colorado that remains one of the better firstperson accounts of the labor war. She also played a leading J role in organizing the Denver linotype operators, and she m was one of the few women attending the organizational i meeting of the International Workers of the World (IWW). t l The Citizens Alliance broke the strike and destroyed the – Western Federation of Miners. In its place a more radical d union formed. The IWW organized in January 1905, and u it welcomed women. Attending the organizational meeting a were Mother Jones, Lucy Parson, Emma Langdon, and w Luella Twing. The union was a far-left anarchist organiza- s tion that used all the tools of the trade including strikes, s dynamite, and Free Speech Rallies. p O The IWW sent organizers into larger communities, Denver, t Los Angles, San Diego, Salt Lake, as well as small cities. b Speakers stood on soap boxes at major street corners or in front of important government and business buildings W and railed against serious labor problems and starvaU tion. Listeners gathered and some joined the IWW. The J established power in cities sent lawmen and arrested the r speakers. The IWW responded by calling for more speak- d ers. (This was the peak of the “hobo era” in America.) Sooni a city was full of speakers on every corner, and the jails a were full of men and women. The city had to shelter and l feed them. The police response became more violent. a f In 1909, Vincent St. John sent Elizabeth Gurley and her t husband Jack Jones to Missoula to organize. (St John h was the previous leader of the WFM at Telluride. The Mine t Owners Association attempted to frame him for murder.) w Elizabeth was a master speaker on a soap box. The Los Angeles Times labeled her, “Most Bloodthirsty of Agitators and the She-Dog of Anarchy.”

Valley Voice

Missoula was a center for “shark employment” agencies.

Prospective employees paid a cash fee to an agency to locate a job. When the employees arrived for work, they found no job, but they could work for board and beans until a job opened. A “gypo” timber company worked a logger until pay day then ran workers off at gun point or only paid a small percentage of the wages due.

Gurley organized Free Speech street action against the sharks and gypos. After heavy fighting, the jails full, the city full of hobos, and no end in sight, the city relented and reforms began.

In Spokane, with similar problems with sharks and gypos, Gurley and her husband Jack Archibald Jones organized Free Speech rallies and group songs. Gurley, expecting their first child, did not take part in street talks; instead, she was the organizer. Among the IWW men she felt safe.

The Spokane police arrested her and harassed her until she miscarried.

After Thecla Fair’s arrest, several men crowded into a room to question her. “We’ll make [you] talk. . . She’ll talk before we get through.” Gang raped and placed in a cell with a man who also raped her, police held her for three days without food. Thecla Fair was considered “an enemy of the people, a lewd woman, and got what she deserved.”

Jane Tulle was a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl when she fell under the charm of a military veteran of multiple wars and a world traveler, Jack Street. After they married and had a child, she learned her husband’s real name was Herbert R. Bumpass. He had at least one other wife, was a notorious child predator, and had never been in the army.

In a cruel joke he named his son Dawn Philander Street.

Jane divorced Jack but kept the name Street. Jane Street moved to California and became a stenographer. Life having its ways, Jane then moved to Denver and for a brief time worked as a housemaid before organizing a unique labor union. She became the employment agency for maids – no strikes, no violence. Jane methodically collected data on Capitol Hill mistresses and provided lodging for unemployed maids. Jane did not charge a broker fee. She also knew valuable information about the mistresses who were hiring. Jane wrote to Elmer S. Bruse that the high strung, nervous mistresses were easy to handle. Within a short time, she had increased maids’ wages fifty percent, plus they enjoyed eight-hour days, and one day off a week.

Other maid organizations were spreading across the nation. Even the New Orleans prostitutes organized seeking better pay and working conditions.

With success came enemies, and they proved ruthless.

Under pressure the Denver Newspapers stopped running Jane’s ads to assist house maids and domestic servants; reporters who originally were friendly and helpful began distancing themselves and running negative columns. It is not certain who was behind the change. Originally Jane allowed men into the rooming house with the maids. The liberal attitude soon resulted in loose tongues talking about immoral acts. Then agents, both men and women, from Market Street, the city’s red-light district, began attempting to recruit young ladies living at Jane’s rooming house. More gossip and bad press followed. Adding to her troubles, her former husband, Jack Street, showed up. He was nothing but trouble for her.

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August 2022

Poetry

The key to Jane’s success were her files she kept on all the mistresses on Capital Hill. She had over three hundred names and personal records. One day she went to the restroom.

Upon return she found her office in shambles and her records stolen. It was an inside job. The Denver police refused to investigate the theft of some papers. Without the records she could not successfully bargain with the Capital Hill mistresses.

Starting again, she rented another place and began putting her files back together, but the costs were greater, and the negative attacks took their toll. She faced two other powerful adversaries -- enemies that would prove her undoing.

The IWW’s propaganda claimed it was open to everyone, One Big Union, for all races and gender – women were welcome. After Big Bill Haywood became the national leader, the role of women and the opportunities for women were greatly reduced.

Jane and the Household Maids were betrayed. In Denver, Phil Engle led the combined unions of the IWW. Whereas Jane was succeeding; he was not which deflated his macho ego. He was also known to be unstable. He made advances and Jane rejected him. Engle became a dangerous and bitter foe.

“I’ll see you out of the IWW” Engle threatened Jane. He was the source of most of the gossip about the rooming house being a house of prostitution. The recruiting of young girls for prostitution at Jane’s boarding house was probably the work of Engle. He may have been responsible for the theft of Jane’s records. He reported to Bill Haywood that Jane was running a lewd house. Haywood sent a friend and supporter of Engle to spy on her. As a final act, Engle destroyed Jane’s membership papers in the IWW and effectively threw her out of the union.

America’s entry in World War I turned all the sources of hell loose in the nation. The American Protective League with 150,000 volunteer members, the Plant Protection Service, and many smaller organizations were auxiliaries of the FBI. They spied on everyone and everything. The IWW was considered enemy number one. Every IWW headquarter was raided, tons of material taken, and mail opened and seized. Homes were broken into. Thousands were arrested. One trial in Chicago had 100 defendants with over 10,000 charges. In a brief trial the accused, judged guilty of all charges, received sentences up to twenty years in prison.

Saturday's Apocalypse

By Fran Conlon Time for Saturday’s apocalypse, No doubt it will be a sensation, Filled with bad historical slips, I’ll listen for some revelation.

Econ folks talk of inflation, A dime’s not worth what it used to be, Folks run away with speculation, I’ll keep the change for today’s fee.

Views include imploded societies, Doubts about now and tomorrow, Too much talk about anxieties, Not enough laughter; too much sorrow.

The weekend’s free for a castaway, A vagabond with no debt owed, Heaven’s area is the heart’s display, I’ll check for its right zip code.

There’s room for a new tomorrow, With its own afterglow. zirkel-valleyvoice-ad-3.1667x5.5-071421.pdf

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Jane made one more stand. Going against Haywood and the Denver IWW, she presented a plan to organize women for police patrol, firewomen, post office mail delivery, and streetcar conductors. The men quickly squelched her plan.

Labeled a dangerous woman, she was forced to leave town.

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After attempting to help the strikers at Bisbee, Jane fled to San Diego to hide, but government spies found her. The court declared her an unfit mother and took her children away. Her life became a tale of endless hardship until her death in 1966.

For a complete coverage of Jane Street see Jane Little Botkin, The Girl Who Dared to Defy. It is great reading and a Spur Award winner.

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To be truly radical is to make hope possible rather than despair convincing. — Raymond Williams

10

August 2022

Valley Voice

Go Figure

Hayden

Steamboat Springs Walden

Meeker

The Role of Tourism Plays in Routt County's Economy

By Scott L. Ford Routt County - Pct. of Tourism vs. Non- Tourism & Year Round Employment 100% 75% 50%

Happy Feet, Happy Life

25% 0%

2010 2011 2012 Source: US Census Bureau / ACS Table: S2404

The only podiatrist in the region!

Happy feet carry you through your day and let you do the things you love.

Derek Harper, Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, sees patients for general foot and ankle issues and performs simple and complex surgeries.

Derek Harper, DPM

970-826-2465

2201 Curve Plaza • Steamboat (West of Ace Hardware)

memorialregionalhealth.com

2013

2014 Tourism

Former County Commissioner Doug Monger frequently described Routt County’s economy as a three-legged stool.

The three legs being Agriculture, Mining and Tourism. Oh, if only the local economy was that simple. Over the past several months I have used my column to take a deep dive into these three legs of Routt County’s economy.

This has been a learning journey. The first leg we explored was the role agriculture has and still plays. The second we explored was mining. The exploration of those two legs alone has taken seven months.

To recap what we have learned.

"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline - it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer."

-Frank Zappa The Original Local’s Liquor Store New Hours: 970.879.2191 Mon. thru Sat: 10 am - 9 pm

On the corner of US40 and Hilltop Pkwy Sunday: 11:30 am - 7:30 pm

Agriculture – The primary Ag products are cattle and hay. Our local Ag producers are good at growing little cows into bigger cows.

These bigger cows are subsequently shipped off to be fattened up which makes them taste better to eat.

When adjusted for inflation local agriculture is roughly the same size it has been over the past 50 years. However, its economic footprint in the county has been growing smaller. Currently agriculture’s economic footprint in Routt County is about 1.7% of the county’s total GDP of $2.1 billion. The bottom line is that Ag has stayed relatively the same and the economy has grown up around it.

One of the biggest challenges facing the local agriculture community is the fragmentation of the working landscape as it is being subdivided into smaller parcels.

Mining –

Go Old School! only

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Routt County’s mining history began in the 1860’s with the discovery of gold in the Hahns Peak area. Compared to other Colorado mountain counties, Routt County did not have a lot of gold. With the arrival of the railroad in 1908 coal mining became the major extraction activity.

Throughout the years Routt County has had numerous coal mining operations. Currently the Twentymile mine located south of Hayden is the only working mine in the county.

Operations at Twentymile peaked in 2012 when over nine million tons of coal were mined. At this peak the mine represented about one-third of the state’s total production.

Last year production was down to just shy of two million

For those who live here and for those who wish they did.

2015 2016 Non-Tourism

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tons. Much of this current production is being consumed by the Hayden Power plant.

The Hayden power plant is scheduled to be closed by 2028.

Its closure will mark the end of large-scale coal mining in Routt County. Although there is a lot of discussion concerning the loss of high paying jobs, the end of mining will have a greater impact on the tax base in the county. Routt County government itself and the South Routt School District will be the most impacted.

Mining’s current economic footprint in Routt County is about 4% of total county GDP. The last steps of this learning journey will be to turn our focus to tourism. This is a tough one to explore because tourism does not have its own industry identification in the data. What we can see, however, are industry sectors heavily influenced by tourism activity. Of the 20 industry sectors government data is sorted into, the following two sectors are where the economic impacts of tourism are manifested: 1. Food Services/Accommodations 2. Arts, Recreation and Entertainment

M -

For the purposes of this discussion going forward, I will M be using US Census Bureau data vs. data from the Bureau t p of Economic Analysis. The reason for this is because an individual’s economic impact is far greater based on t a where they live vs where they work. The downside of Census data is that it lags by about two years. In addition, r in Routt County the data is based upon a five-year rolling h average. I am OK with these drawbacks because economic t data at best is used to determine magnitude and trends. s Very little economic data has absolute pinpoint accuracy b in real-time.

M The Census defines year-round full-time employment as o

being an individual working 50 weeks per year with an average of 35 hours or more per week. There are currently M about ten thousand individuals living in Routt County that are employed year-round full-time. Over the past decade B R Tourism year-round full-time employment has average t about 17%. t Next month’s column I will turn my focus to the aggregate 1 earnings Tourism contributes to Routt County’s overall T w economy. c

Valley Voice

August 2022

11

Routt County Memories

Over One Hundred Years in Routt County: A Brief History of My Greek Immigrant Family

By Elaine Callas Williams

My grandfathers Stelios (Steve) and Manolis (Mike) knew each other in their native village because they were across the road neighbors in the Cretan mountain village of Mahairous. Little did I know that they were probably third or fourth cousins, confirmed by some sleuthing of family DNA. On an island as small as Crete, I think everyone had to have been related.

Disparate Calendars and Age Confusion We really never knew exactly how old my grandfathers were, given that young men made themselves younger to avoid the Balkan War in 1912. Another element was Greek people only kept track of name days and sometimes baptism dates. Birthdays were never acknowledged. Lastly, in Greece, our Greek Orthodox Church followed and still follows the old Julian lunar calendar instead of the “newer” Gregorian calendar. So, the ages of my grandfathers were probably just good estimates. They also guessed a birthday month and day.

Brothers George Callas and Spiro Callas (Around 1931) Several standing structures, concrete foundations and a railroad spur now define McGregor. It is currently being used as a landfill.

My Grandfather Steve Callas and My Father George Callas - McGregor, Colorado 1923-1924 My husband and I have lived in Castle Rock for seventeen years. After living in Denver, we yearned for a more peaceful life among ponderosa pines and open spaces. If the wind is just right, I hear the whistle of a nearby train about three miles from our home. Far from annoying, it reminds me of my childhood visits to my grandparents’ house, where the train still runs about 100 feet from the Callas house, on the other side of the little Oak Creek stream. The sound of that coal train is at once soothing, but also evokes many memories and stories.

My love of Oak Creek and Routt County is as deep a part of my fabric as anything else in my background.

My Grandfathers’ Immigration Both my maternal and paternal grandfathers came to Routt County in the early part of the 20th century from a tiny village on the island of Crete, Greece, to work the bustling coal mine in McGregor, Colorado. McGregor is about 12.5 miles from Steamboat Springs along US Highway 40.

The town no longer exists, but when I was young, there was a tall water tower, with the town’s name, that you could see from Highway 40.

My grandfathers immigrated to these Routt County mountains between 1908 and 1910. In the early 1900’s, agriculture had fallen in Crete and there was no work for young men. The Balkan War was also on the horizon, which scared both sets of my great- grandparents; fearful their sons would be conscripted into the military. Routt County reminded them of the parched, rocky mountains of their native Crete, the White Mountains, (Lefka Ori), named because of the snow that falls there. Little did these islanders know of the harsh and endless winters that awaited them in this foreign land.

My paternal grandfather, Stelios Kelaidakis (Callas), was anywhere between 17 and 20; my maternal grandfather, Manolis Milonakis (Milonas), was 18, having come to America via Argentina because he was too young to enter the US without his parents. The myth is that the customs agents at Ellis Island changed the names of my grandfathers to anglicized versions. In truth, my grandfathers changed both their first and last names, maybe independently of anyone, or maybe with the help of already immigrated Cretan friends.

Manolis first went to Van Houten, New Mexico, where his cousin lived and worked in the mines, and then heard his friend Stelios moved to McGregor. Manolis soon followed him.

Of additional note is that there was also a change of calendar. In 1582, the Gregorian calendar was adopted in European countries, but not Greece. In 1922, the Ottoman Empire fell and Greece was free of Turkish rule.

In an effort to establish themselves as an independent European nation, on January 1, 1923, the Greek government officially changed to the Gregorian calendar. Our Greek Orthodox Liturgical calendar still uses the lunar Julian calendar. That is why, if you have Greek American or Greek born friends, their Easter does not coincide with the Protestant and Catholic Easter most years. Of course, birth years for all people born in Greece before 1923 were also affected.

For example, if someone were born in December on the last ten days of the month in December of 1922, their birthday would become the first ten days in January of the next year, 1923. This was the case of my maternal grandmother, Eleni. Her and her brother’s gravestones state they were both born in 1912, even though my grandmother was a year older. Very confusing!

My mother’s father, Mike Milonas, lost the top part of his thumb on the coal cutting machine at the McGregor mine.

He decided to move to Denver, in part to start a new hotel business with my grandfather, Stelios in about 1925, and then to marry my grandmother, age 16, in 1926. They lived in Erie, Colorado, where they raised their family.

Mike re-entered the coal mines, where he broke his back and remained partially disabled the rest of his life. His story, and that of my grandmother Eleni, or Helen, my mother Irene and my uncle Mickie are another chapter of my family story.

The following is the history of my paternal family that stayed in Routt County. In Oak Creek, my grandparents were known as Steve and Eleni, or Helen Callas. Their sons, George, my dad and my uncle, Spiro, and his wife Maria Callas lived in Oak Creek. Spiro and Maria died in Oak Creek at home in 2018 and 2016, respectively.

To be Continued; The Callas Family in Routt County

In the middle ages people were tourists because of their religion, whereas now they are tourists because tourism is their religion. — Robert Runcie

12

August 2022

Valley Voice

Victims of Love

The Angling Matchmaker

By Ken Proper

“This is my father,” she announced.

“Maybe next time,” Sam said then changing the subject.

“Corina how’s your health?”

“Call me Sam.”

“Oh, I’m fine.”

“Yes sir.”

“Well, you look healthy with the right amount of meat on your bones for a woman your age.”

“As you wish.”

With a flick of the reins, the team leaped forward. After bouncing across the Second Street Bridge, we got a few questioned looks from pedestrians for neglecting to wear proper clothes for church. She weaved the horses to Oak Street and stopped at the corner of 8th. Corina waited with a wicker picnic basket covered with a red and white checked cloth. Her hair was tightly curled in a bun and hidden in a small brimmed hat with a flowered patterned scarf tied around it. She wore a striped dress shirt, a red tie and sporting gray wool knickers; I know I gawked at them and the shape of her legs.

“Good Morning,” she chirped, “Nice to see you again Sam.” “The pleasure is all mine,” he drawled with a twinkle in his eyes.

The carriage, more of a surrey than a trap, creaked and dipped as Corina leaped to the long step. Then, she paused, smiled, gently placed her other shoe on the short step and gracefully slipped into the seat next to me.

“What a lovely day,” she cooed.

The note read, “Let’s go fishing. We’ll bring a friend. We’ll pick you up 9:00 AM. Which is better Sunday or Tuesday?”

(Signed) Miss Marjorie The delivery boy sported a bit of acne, apparently leaving adolescence for puberty, pinched his lips and then scowled. He rolled glass marbles in his pocket which made a muffled clacking with each twist of his hand. “Well? He said impatiently, “She wants a reply.”

“I loved the horn echoing through the forest. It was better than the food.” Again, she looked up at the clouds.

“Nice to meet you Mr. Perry,” I replied.

“And no ‘sir’ either.”

August 9, 1914

in love,” Corina wistfully remarked, then smiled at me. I glowed and winked.

Corina looked at me, a little shocked, then a big smile grew on her face and she replied, “Thank you, Sam.” He turned to me, “I’ve met your Uncle Thomas. He is a good blacksmith. He helped me out once in Hot Sulphur Springs when I was in a jam. Good horse doctor, as well, so I’ve heard. That’s a rare combination.”

“He started learning about horses as a child at the estate.”

“Why did an educated young man like you come to Steamboat Springs?”

“Opportunity,” I lied. He looked at me again for a long time.

“With the railroad it seems like a good place to make my fortune,” I added.

“Hmm, that can be done. You work at the Cabin Hotel restaurant; do you like it?”

“Well sir, ... ah Sam, I’ve worked in a kitchen and formally served food for most of my life. Certainly, it can be tedious; canning fruits and vegetables for weeks comes immediately to mind. Cleaning green slime from the drains of ice boxes is another unglamorous task, but I am a good conversationalist and people appreciate being served well.”

“They do.” He pondered and then looked at my bamboo fly rod and continued, “Do think you can catch some fish with your fancy rod?”

Polite small talk, a round of, “Doing well, thank you,” was followed by silence and interrupted only by the clopping of horse hooves on the street.

“I hope so.”

My mind wandered. We are on Oak Street, there is plenty of oak brush on the hillsides. Pine and aspen trees grow wild all through town. Why wasn’t there a Cottonwood Street? They lined the creeks, swayed madly in the wind with violent beauty and today were a lovely mixture of green with a slight tinting of gold.

Miss Marjorie turned the team off the road and down into a field of alfalfa hay. As we bounced along, holding our hats on, she said, “Some people think fishing on a Sunday is a sin.”

“We’ll see.”

“Tell her Sunday,” I stated and handed him a dime.

Corina bumped my knee hard with hers and said, “It’s just like the first seat in the brake.”

“I don’t believe that. If I catch a fish on a Sunday, I’ll reel ‘em right in,” Sam stated. “This is a friend’s ranch. There are some nice trout in here, for a river. The Elk is good too. Ever fish there?” He said to me.

The scowl slipped off his face. Smiling, he saluted saying, “Yes sir, right away.” He hopped on his bicycle and sped down Lincoln Avenue. Oddly, everyone calls it Main Street.

I laughed, “It is.”

“Too far for a bicycle.”

She shouted, “Samuel, blow your horn!”

“Maybe you should buy one of those fancy automobiles.”

“Why? No dogs along today.”

“Maybe I will.”

“Daddy, they use brakes for public house picnics too, not just for taking hunters to the fields.”

Sam smiled, “Really, I like to fish the lakes.”

Miss Marjorie knew my days off schedule at the Cabin restaurant and Maggie’s workdays too. No one had died recently, so Corina was available both days. It smacked of matchmaking.

Promptly at 9:00 this morning, the carriage arrived.

Marjorie wore a huge red bow in her hair, a white blouse, and another smaller red bow as a necktie. She was driving. Sam Perry sat beside her, cigar tightly held in heavy leather gloves and his campaign style hat tilted to one side.

“Any Saturday, during the summer, when I wasn’t working at the estate, I’d pay for a seat to the picnic. When I was older, I bought a few beers too,” I reminisced.

“You would sit next to the one you are sweet on, watch the trees pass by, gaze at the clouds and dream of being

For those who live here and for those who wish they did.

“Like Luna Lake,” Marjorie cut in. “It’s my favorite.”

“Yes, if you can keep rascals from dynamiting it for wholesale food. That’s why I’m okay with Game Wardens,” Sam contemplated.

Valley Voice

August 2022

13

Piknik Theatre The river sparkled in the morning sun. Red Osier Dogwoods and willows sporadically lined the stream banks which were stable and showed little erosion. Apparently, the rancher did not let his cattle wander in the river.

Wildfires

By Stuart Handloff

in performance situations that never overlap; or, as a last resort, firing the worst offender (or sometimes the offender who is least likely to cause irreparable harm to the production or is least well known).

Sam opened a Coors beer and indicated I could as well. I mentioned, “I see in your coming midterm November election an amendment for Prohibition.”

“It’s too easy to amend the Colorado Constitution. I was for Home Rule in 1912, and that’s the reason Steamboat Springs is dry, and Denver is wet.”

“And Brooklyn,” I added.

“Thank heavens; I read there is a medical provision for 24 quarts of beer, per household, per month. If it passes, I’m going to pay a visit to my doctor.” He took a swig of beer. I opened mine.

Then he took out waders for Marjorie and himself. “I have two more pairs, if they’ll fit you,” Sam said.

They did not and Corina looked disappointed. Sam pointed across the river saying, “It’s better on the other side.”

Soon Miss Marjorie and Sam started to wade across to river. Corina pleaded, ”Julius, please carry me across.”

Surprised, but more than willing, she put her hands on my shoulders. I jumped a little and she hopped on my back.

“This feels terrific,” I whispered.

“There is more where this came from,” and she tightened her legs on my waist. Ah, the delightful adventure of a woman’s attention.

“Wait, wait let me get my camera!” Marjorie shouted. She took a photo of us at mid-stream. Then suggested, “This is a good time to fall Julius.”

“Quiet, don’t encourage him,” Corina snapped laughing.

Marjorie landed a native cutthroat trout almost immediately. “I want to try fishing,” Corina exclaimed. “I love learning new things!”

Marjorie set up a pole for her and soon they angled side by side. I meandered upstream a bit and noticed a willow covered with ants and some fell in the flow at small bend in the river. The trout barely stuck their noses out of the water and sipped them in. Prepared, I sent short casts to just above the bush and caught fish after fish. Sam noticed. He trudged through the water to me and said with some irritation, “What are you using?”

I explained, “I saw ants falling in the town section of the river last week and the fish were eating them. I didn’t want to even try sticking an ant on a hook, so I got some rust colored thread and wool at the seamstress shop. Then tied it on a hook in the shape of an ant and wrapped a chicken neck feather around to look like legs.”

“Well, I’ll be damned. Got any more?”

“But of course, I have plenty.” I chuckled and gave him several.

It excites me that Corina likes to try new things. She is whimsical, intelligent, curious, and I love the warmth of her body against mine.

The Rim Fire in the Stanislaus National Forest near in California began on Aug. 17, 2013 This past May I took off on an extended drive-about intended to purge some of the COVID demons that had been building up since March of 2020. I had gotten to the point where I could possibly get very ill from COVID while traveling or be even worse off staying inside a sunless apartment. At least there were meds to counteract the worst of COVID.

But sometimes the smallest of sparks can explode into a massive human wildfire of heartbreaking proportions. And it can happen overnight. And it can scorch the innocent as well as the troublemaker. There’s a great line in Hamlet when he learns of the deaths of Rosencranz and Guildenstern, his erstwhile school chums who were hired by the murderous Claudius to determine the cause of Hamlet’s “lunacy.” Hamlet responds to the news of their execution with “'Tis dangerous when the baser nature comes/Between the pass and fell incensed points/Of mighty opposites.” When two powerful artistic egos go to battle, it’s sometimes the peacemaker who bears the brunt of the damage.

I was fortunate to have a friend working as a park ranger in Yosemite and we met up to hike the Mariposa sequoia groves. These massive trees are as old as time and put the human tragedy in perspective. Our little lives really don’t amount to much by comparison. Sadly, due to recent wildfires in the national park, the trails that I walked have been vastly changed. Although most of the sequoias survived, many other trees did not. And the wildlife that depended on this ecosystem for survival have died or moved on.

We get wildfires in the performing arts too, and this fire season I was not as fortunate to avoid the flames and smoke. Things usually start in seemingly innocuous ways: a misunderstanding here, a bruised ego there, and artistic differences that abound almost everywhere. Performing artists have the advantage of immediacy in performance: the feedback from audience and colleagues happens in the moment. But that also means you have no place to hide.

Hang a picture in the art gallery and unless you sit quietly and watch, you’ll never know if people engage in your work or pass by without a second glance. And unless your face is well known, the negative feedback is never directed at you personally.

It’s much more difficult for performers. Your insecurities are out, front and center for the world to see. A director mentor once told me “we’re all damaged goods in this business” and the frailties of performers is at best hidden by a thin veneer of apparent normalcy. The out-front vulnerability that makes for great performance is the same vulnerability that can make for great pain and suffering.

So, the dry tinder and fuel for the fire is always present.

All it takes is a spark to get the inferno started. Usually, the director or producer can step in and douse the flames by negotiating or mediating the conflict; separating the warring parties in different productions or placing them

Photo by Stuart Handloff Ego is an important tool for a performing artist. You must have confidence in the direction you’re taking in a role.

You must believe in yourself and your ability to find the truth in performance; and explore the direction you believe provides entertainment and opens a window into the human condition. However, the best of the best are willing to approach this work with humility, aware that there is no one right way to perform a role, or direct a production, and that listening is more important than willfulness.

When ego overcomes humility, the resulting firestorm causes permanent damage.

Or perhaps not. The fires in Yosemite caused devastation that will heal in time. I drove through the eastern Sierras on my way back to Steamboat and saw the results of a wildfire years earlier. Mile upon mile of blackened sticks that had once been beautiful trees; and yet the surrounding meadows were once again returning to springtime green. So, it might prove the same for relationships that are caught up in the wildfires of the performing arts. If not, one can always take solace in the comfort of trees whose solid, solid grounding in the timeless earth will last long past the age of humankind.

The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature. — Joseph Campbell

14

August 2022

Come to Hayden for the County Fair

By Brodie Farquhar

HAYDEN – The 108th Routt County Fair will be held August 12-21, at the Routt County Fairgrounds on the south side of Hayden. The fair will feature country-western singer Ned LeDoux and his “Beneath These Western Skies” live concert on the 20th. There will also be a demolition derby, bonfire, livestock exhibitions and sales. Open competitions, beer gardens, horse shows, dog show, gymkhana (featuring barrel and pole racing). Poultry show, swine show, rabbit show, beef and dairy show. Also a goat show, sheep show, a free community barbecue, egg toss, youth rodeo and the Lion’s Club Parade through downtown Hayden.

Location Key: DCP - Dry Creek Park EH - Exhibit Hall F - Field LB - Lockhart Barn M - Midway MPB - Multi-Purpose Building OA - Outdoor Arena SAB - Small Animal Barn T - Track FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 8am 4-H/FFA Livestock Stalling (MPB) 8am Home Arts Set up 8:30am Open/4-H Ranch Horse Versatility 6pm Open Horse Show Freestyle Reining SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 8am 4-H/FFA Livestock Stalling (MPB) 9am Open Horse Show (OA) 6pm Ranch Sorting, Chicken Sorting (OA) SUNDAY, AUGUST 14 8am 4-H/FFA Livestock Stalling (MPB) 9am Open Horse Show/Gymkhana (OA) MONDAY, AUGUST 15 8am 4-H/FFA Livestock Stalling (MPB) 9am 4-H Western Horse Show (OA) 9am Home Arts Superintendent Set Up TUESDAY, AUGUST 16 8am 4-H/FFA Livestock Stalling (MPB) 8:30am 4-H Dog Show (F) 9am 4-H English Show (OA) 12pm 4-H Gymkhana (OA) 12pm 4-H Rabbit and Poultry Check-in (SAB) 6pm 4-H/FFA Swine Weigh-in (MPB) WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17 8am 4-H/FFA Poultry Show (SAB)

Open Poultry Show

(immediately follows 4-H Show) (SAB) 9am Fancy Future Fair Royalty Fun (EH)

Valley Voice

10am 4-H/FFA Sheep and Goat Weigh-in (MPB) 11am Egg Toss-Royalty 11:30a-12:30p Steer Weigh-in (MPB) CLOSED TO

PUBLIC DURING STEER WEIGH-IN 1-8pm Home Arts Check-in (EH) 3pm 4-H/FFA Breeding Swine (MPB) 3pm 4-H/FFA Swine Showmanship (MPB)

Market Swine Show (immediately follows Showmanship) (MPB) 5-7pm FFA Fundraiser BBQ all are Welcome(F) 6pm Steamboat Motors Power Wheels Derby 7-730pm Ice Cream Social 7:30pm Open Jackpot Team Roping

(with Breakaway), Muley Roping (OA) THURSDAY, AUGUST 18 “Ride Free Fun Day” Courtesy of Mountain Valley Bank 8am Exhibit Hall open 8am 4-H/FFA Rabbit Show (SAB)

Open Rabbit (immediately follows

4-H Show) (SAB) 9am Home Arts Judging begins (EH) 10am-6pm FM Light & Sons Ag Experience (LB) 12:30pm Bucket Calf Show (MPB) 12:30pm 4-H/FFA Dairy/Beef Breeding Show 2pm 4-H/FFA Beef Showmanship (MBP)

Market Beef (immediately follows) 5-10pm 7pm

Beer Garden Mountain Valley Bank’s Beneath These Western Skies BONFIRE (OA)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 “Ride Free Fun Day” Courtesy of Mountain Valley Bank 8am Exhibit Hall opens 9am Cloverbud for a day (EH) 9am-6pm FM Light & Sons Ag Experience (LB) 10am Dress Your Animal Contest (M) 11am 4-H/FFA Goat Show (MPB) 2pm Bum Lamb Contest (MPB) 2pm 4-H/FFA Breeding Sheep 4-H/FFA Sheep Showmanship

(immediately follows) (MPB)

4-H/FFA Market Lamb Show

(immediately follows) (MPB) 5-11pm Beer Garden 6pm Wine and Beer Contest (EH) 7:30pm Hill Petroleum Demolition Derby,

Stick Horse Rodeo, Royalty Crowning SATURDAY, AUGUST 20 “Ride Free Fun Day” Courtesy of the Town of Hayden 8am-4pm Exhibit Hall opens 8:30am 4-H/FFA Round Robin Showmanship 10am Lion’s Club Parade, downtown Hayden 10am-4pm FM Light & Sons Ag Experience (LB) 11am YVEA’s Mutton Bustin’ (T) 3-5pm 4-H Bobby Robinson Sr. Memorial

Community BBQ (F) Sponsored Alpine Bank and the Paoli Group 3pm KRAI Free Coke Floats (F) 3:30-11pm Beer Garden 4pm EXHIBIT HALL WILL BE CLOSED

For those who live here and for those who wish they did.

4:30pm Routt County Junior Livestock

Sale Sponsored by Master Petroleum 8:30pm Live Music by Ned LeDoux (OA)

Courtesy of Routt County Fair Advisory Board SUNDAY, AUGUST 21 “Ride Free Fun Day” Courtesy of the Town of Hayden 8am Exhibit Hall Opens 8:30am Chuck Fulton Memorial Open

Draft Horse Competition (OA) 9am 4-H/FFA Pen tear-down –

MPB closed to public 10am Pretty Baby Contest (EH) 10am Open Barrel Race, Youth Bull Riding,

Mini Broncs (OA) 11am YVEA’s Mutton Bustin’ (T) 12-4pm HOME ARTS EXHIBITS RELEASED,

Open class payout (EH) 1pm Adopt-A- Pig, pre-registration

and fee required (T) 1:30pm Adult Adopt-A- Pig contest,

Pre-registration and fee required (T)

New Effort to Open Restaurant in Hayden

By Brodie Farquhar

The restaurant across the highway from the Hayden Post Office has reopened as the Creek View Grill, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The menu is American, with just a touch of Latin, said Maritza Juandedios, the manager.

She and brother Rey (the cook) and sister-in-law Felicia, form the core of the operation, though she hopes to recruit some wait staff in Hayden. “I also have a couple of friends coming down from Steamboat to help out,” said Maritza.

The Grill will feature a full bar of beer, wine and mixed drinks.

“Breakfast will feature classics like pancakes, eggs benedict, eggs with breakfast meats and potatoes,” said Maritza. “Lunch will feature sandwiches, burgers and salads. For dinner, we’ll have burgers and steaks and special nights, like barbecue ribs on Thursdays and prime rib Saturdays.”

The Grill offers catering and reservations for larger groups. This summer, customers can relax, dine and drink on the outdoor patio, she said.

Menu items are priced lower than most menus in Steamboat Springs.

Valley Voice

August 2022

15

Suds Central

Not-So-$pendy Summertime Brews

By Sean Derning aka A Beer Fairy

A Better BBQ Beer

Low dough lagers; Mickey's malt liquor, Carlsberg pilsner and Rolling Rock extra pale.

Nine percent inflation. Five dollar gas at the pumps. And now we’re in the midst of the dog days of summer. As most Americans are being affected by the price increases and searing summer heat, beer drinkers are no exception. So what to do? Should you just buy less and consume less due to the appearance of the $10 craft brewed six pack?

Or is this an unrealistic request when the temps are in the 90s, wallets are lighter and thirsts are raging?

A Beer Fairy would like to suggest several beers that not only taste good but serve as strong compromises without breaking the bank to slake thirsty throats. These beers are based on volume, taste and price and are sure to satisfy.

Suggestions will also be made for where to enjoy each beer tduring a summer activity.

Lawn Mower Beer Our first budget brew is from Rolling Rock, a Latrobe, PA-based brewery that has been brewing extra pale lagers since 1939. The brand was sold to Anheuser-Busch in 2006 and is currently brewed in Newark, NJ, according to Wiki. It’s a beer light in body and color and best served when consumed, as my uncle used to say, “teeth-cracking cold.” The 4.4% alcohol by volume (ABV) rating offers a less intense beer drinking experience when you are having more than one. These beers are exceptionally refreshing after strenuous summer activities like cutting the lawn (consume after the project is done, please), gardening or completing a nice mountain bike trek. No greater reward than reaching into the fridge, pausing to let your forearm cool off, and snapping the tab off a Rolling Rock. A six pack will run about $5.70 and is a cheaper alternative than a $7.20 Budweiser six pack.

Next is the slightly richer and more satisfying Mickey’s malt liquor. This is a full bodied beer but not so filling as a second can’t be enjoyed. There is corn in the nose of this beer and it has a very nice snow white head that sticks around.

The 5.6%ABV is a bit ahead of a traditional Miller High Life, the current brewer of Mickey’s (MillerSAB), and the beer features the most brilliant beer value concept in recent memory; the puzzle located on the wide mouth cap underside.

Why not put your brain to work as well as your liver? These puzzles, called rebus puzzles according to Wiki, use images to create common word phrases and seldom are they duplicated.

And if you can’t figure it out, you can cheat by going online to find the answer. This beer really shines when served in a chilled stein with grilled foods from the BBQ and for the ultimate pairing, try one with a bratwurst, pickle relish and stone ground mustard. A six pack of Mickeys will set you back about $6.50, again cheaper than the $7.20 six pack of Miller.

A Famous Danish Finally, if you appreciate a really great European lager on a budget, search out a twelve pack of Carlsberg 16 oz. lager cans. This Danish lager is nice and refreshing, moreso than a Heineken or a Stella Artois. There is more malt backbone but the beer isn’t filling and the kiss of hops allow the subtle malty sweetness to come through. At 5% ABV, it won’t overpower the drinker and the 16 oz. tall boy allows for additional summer refreshment. This is a beer best enjoyed at the end of the day while relaxing over a nice sunset and conversation. As Budweiser tall boys are running around $10 a six pack, the Carlsberg twelve pack can be had for less than $16, making it a sound beer buy.

Who’s idea was this?!

Having been a hockey fan for decades, A Beer Fairy knows what gets put on the ice surface during the course of a game, namely four types of bodily fluids. But the Coors spokesperson stated, “The use of the ice is completely sanitary because the ice was filtered using reverse osmosis membrane ultrafiltration technology.” Whatever. Feel free to put a bow tie on your bottle of crap, sir.

Conclusion There are other solid beer values out there and beer drinkers shouldn’t have to compromise their beer if they take the time to shop around. Be a savvy consumer and look out for sales, end of the season specials and read reviews on new brands that may interest you. Read the labels too as most quality beers will tell you where they are made, the specific ingredients, ABV, freshness dates and IBUs (international bittering units), a fancy name for how bitter a beer is. So the higher number, the more hop bitterness is present. Utilizing this information, you might find a new favorite in the process by becoming a better educated beer consumer.

-Sean Derning is A Beer Fairy and offers beer/brewery reviews and videos at Beerfairytales.com

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As A Beer Fairy often presents rosy reviews of exceptional beers and promotes the beverage as a drink with a deep history, he seldom likes to pull punches. But this time, one beer has gone too far. Called Coors Light Championship Ice, it is a beer celebrating the Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup victory and will be brewed with ice shavings from the team’s Ball Arena ice rink. “We tapped our brewers to craft Coors Light made with the actual ice the hockey final was played on," said a Coors spokesman to the Denver Post’s Dan Shalin in a June 29, 2022 interview.

Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine. — Lord Byron

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August 2022

Valley Voice

Mensan Musings Located at Neste Auto Glass

Mensa National Annual Gathering

By Wolf Bennett

In early July, I attended my first American Mensa Annual Gathering. It is a fairly large event, held over 5 days just after the 4th of July. Several thousand Mensans show up and like any typical sort of convention there are meetings, planning sessions, food available 24/7, parties, meet and greets and lessons. The difference is that this is a group of the highest IQ people on the planet (top 2% and up) so things get interesting very quickly.

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There is a game room with several thousand games. The vast majority I had never played, much less heard about or imagined. A huge room with several dozen tables and all four walls stacked high (it took six of us several hours to simply put them in boxes to be shipped to the next event).

There seemed to be several groups there at all hours and even more people during competitions.

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The puzzle room was more subdued and a little smaller, probably only about a thousand puzzles of all types, sizes and experience levels. There are only 14 tables in there.

(I solved one in a couple of hours and was quite proud of myself because it said “4 years and up." 3D puzzles, holographic designs, pictures and patterns and everything you can name and some you cannot.

The lecture rooms were constantly abuzz with talks of all sorts going on from early morning until late night. Physics, archaeology, astronomy, psychology, pirates, sing along, book reviews, poetry reading, counseling, health issues, physiology, Yoga, cyber-security, debate rooms, AI, mobsters, make your own hedgehog, Punctilious Punctuation, stress management, historic events, murder mysteries, sea shanty singing, Hell’s M’s, neuro science and languages. That list is only part of one day’s lectures.

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There were events planned like formal dinners, featured guest speakers (the role of African American women in the space program – I had no idea of their huge impact), dances, talent shows, performances, competitions, etc.

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A full day program was spent on the Mensa Foundation and its goals and processes for education in schools around the world. The goals are not related to the gifted but to all students to build programs that help all students

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achieve higher ranges by opening doors to creativity and guided discovery learning. It is titled “Unleashing Intelligence.” We all have possibilities and talents inside of us that are unused and untapped. Just a little nudge might get us into that state of joyous learning that we have all known but have not developed for various reasons.

IQ is very often misunderstood. I’ve heard many things like, “he’s smart because he gets good grades” or “I’m not as smart as you because I’m not good at math” or “I make too many mistakes to be considered smart.” All these are incorrect. High IQ does not mean that one is healthy, wealthy or wise. There are many types of intelligence. The official Mensa test (though they accept many other standardized test scores) measures over 15 different types of intelligence and if you qualify on any single one then you have qualified for membership in Mensa. You might be surprised. Just as in sports you would not expect the weight lifter to be great at swimming or expect the marathon runner to be a great skier or a cyclist. They might be pretty good at other related things and only stellar at one but that is all it takes to be a Mensan. Are you good at word games? (I’m not) How about spatial skills or math puzzles or an avid reader or are you just curious about lots of things? You could very well be a Mensan.

The Gathering ultimately was a big group of regular people with all the typical things that happen to us all. The only real difference was the intellectual level of those talks and the people you meet. High levels of education were common, with lots of computer type people and high level positions. There were many who were simply just fun folks.

You could count on never knowing what would be said at any given moment over lunch or in a hallway. A taxi driver from Chicago and I were discussing AI computer analysis of calculus patterns and the possible applications for teaching skiing. They both want me to come back next year and teach a class on teaching and ski principles for nerds. I think I just might. I had an awesome time learning all sorts of stuff and I met fascinating people with great stories. Lots of great t-shirts, ideas to share, histories to explore and dreams to be nurtured. You should join us next year in Baltimore.

Photo by Gwen Skinner

Valley Voice

August 2022

Adventure... A Guide to Life's Challenges

Peace, Quiet, and Blue Skies?

By Johnny Walker

I lived and traveled on that boat, mostly alone, for three years following the accident. "Tumbleweed" had no motor, no electronics, and no phone. My cost of living was very modest. The sails would quietly propel my home down the East coast and through the Bahama Islands. These travels were not without mishap or adventure, but for good and bad, I was immersed, and occasionally submerged, in nature! The adventures were often challenging but the rewards were breathtaking. It was the perfect medicine to recover from an accident that left me with a scarred body and a crippled left hand.

Maybe this is an age thing. After all, many of us are in our seventies and I know that I was once, in another publication, referred to as the “Curmudgeon.” As I look into our distant past, I see a young open minded couple searching for peace, quiet and clear skies. They found it in many wonderful places. Gigi and I became partners in the winter of ’75/’76. She was an x-country ski guide/instructor for Mountain Craft and I was just discovering our incredible backcountry. Life was bountiful in those early days as we shared our love for all things natural. Summer turned those forest and meadows into a wonderland of flowers and streams laced with narrow trails or no trails at all.

We slept outside under clear skies with no sounds to be heard and rarely a jet in the sky. All was quiet and peaceful.

I owned a small cruising sailboat that was moored off a village in the sea islands of South Carolina. The little ocean going boat was the “payoff” of an industrial accident in 1970.

Adventure: If it doesn’t kill you it will make you stronger than ever!

My memories of those early years on board were not about tragedy or even discomfort. They are memories of peace, quiet, and stars overhead.

Later years were filled with annual hut trips, and back country skiing. Gigi and I still returned to "Tumbleweed" with our young family and travelled for months on end.

We eventually did home school on board while working in the Bahamas. When the kids grew older, we lived winters in Steamboat and summers in an outdoor retreat called the WildRose. All was peaceful and quiet.

I am thankful for those years of tranquil harbors without generators or party boats. I am thankful to have set first tracks on backcountry slopes. I am thankful for those years of sleeping thorough the night without the fireworks. We bless those years and wonder if they will ever return... but we are still loving life here in Routt County.

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Poetry

HELEN

By Joan Remy

The West Virginia girl Deep Emerald eyes A smile that touched my soul I loved her sweet tone Unending kindness It created beauty in my heart To deal with this harsh world Dad was an amazing musician Teaching me not to be afraid On any “stage” August in Harrisville Was filled with music and laughter Grandpa Loui’s country home Asleep in his chair Lit cigar hanging out Neighbors were intrigued The New Yorkers arrived Fresh corn, string beans, blueberry pie Running barefoot How I miss the supposed “days of innocence”

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Maybe it is just an age thing and we just need to keep searching for that elusive peace and quiet, and clear skies.

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I like fishing. Not actual fishing - I like the peace and quiet of being at sea. It's different. — Rafael Nadal

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August 2022

Valley Voice

Yepelloscopes

Your Monthly Message

By Chelsea Yepello Aries

March 21 - April 19

You love spending as much time as possible with your family. They are supportive, earnest and sympathetic but your favorite attribute is their midwestern trait to avoid conflict, therefore giving you money whenever you ask without question.

Taurus

April 20 - May 20

You always gave electric scooters a bad rap.

You thought that they were silly little machines made for hipsters to tote around their frisbees and impossible burgers. That is, until you are forced to buy one due to high gas prices. Your whole life changed when you first felt the sheer power of cruising past all the suckers on the bike path at a neck breaking speed of 20 mph, while honking your tiny highpitched horn.

Gemini

May 20 - June 20

It’s August, you may now begin listening to Christmas music. You will be shamed and ostracized by all the self-respecting people in your social circle, but that’s never stopped you before.

Cancer

June 21 - July 22

If it was up to autocorrect, you would be talking about ducks more often than even the most dedicated ornithologist.

Leo

July 23 - August 23

After rewatching the Never Ending Story, you decide that enough is enough and aim to sue those sick f#%*s that decided to subject millions of children to watch an awesome fantasy horse become so depressed that it gave up and drowned in a pit of mud. Killing Bambi’s mom is one thing, but come on.

Virgo

August 23 - September 22

Despite your house recently burning down, you refuse to cancel your plans and pivot from the home cooked meal you promised your date from Tinder with a picnic. However, after your date begins to squirt gasoline on your thoughtful picnic and lights a match, it occurs to you that your house may not be a coincidence and you should probably be more careful about your online love connections.

Furniture - Art - Antiques Apparel - Home Decor - Gifts

Libra

September 23 - October 23

You have Amazon Primed bulk quantities of duct tape, trash bags, bleach and rubber gloves. You don’t want to fall behind on your projects.

Scorpio

October 24 - November 21

It’s such a hot day, you decide to take off your clothes and open all the windows and doors to cool down. You do feel much better, but the rest of the people on the plane are kind of freaking out.

Sagittarius

November 22 - December 21

People have always misunderstood you and despite your many attempts at changing the way people view you, they still see you as being short tempered and irritable. What they don’t get is, you’re actually an incredibly pleasant person, you just don’t like annoying… or grating… or stupid … or entitled… or loud chewing… people.

Capricorn

December 22 - January 19

Your employers question your dedication and commitment to being part of the “work family.”

You never go to the after-hours mixers, you’ve never attended the company retreats, you haven’t joined the softball team, you’ve never forwarded the enthusiastic work emails and your motivation rarely encourages you to go above and beyond your job requirements. It’s almost like, you only work there for financial stability and you have friends, family, appointments and a life that doesn’t include those jokes.

Aquarius

January 20 - February 18

Your plans for an all-inclusive trip to Ft. Lauderdale Florida might have been postponed, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have an Instagram worthy vacation. Which is why you’ll be found taking selfies on your front lawn, sitting in a warm kiddie pool wearing nothing but your favorite leopard print speedo, drinking a daiquiri out of a plastic cup and cat calling all the cuties walking by.

Pisces

February 19 - March 20

You will soon conspire that the beginning of the ozone depletion was caused by years of hairspray overuse. Now, you have even more reason to continue sending the celebrated 80’s hairband Cinderella hate mail.

109 East Main St Oak Creek, Colorado 80467 970-736-1104 For those who live here and for those who wish they did.

Valley Voice

August 2022

19

20

August 2022

Valley Voice

Check out our new cocktail kits!

Featuring our popular Warhorse Whiskey Mule and Hibiscus Rum Mule.

Recreate these popular summer cocktails at home!

Warhorse Whiskey Mule

LIVE MUSIC Local Favorite

Trevor Potter August 6th & 20th Don’t Miss It!

Hibiscus Rum Mule

Summer Sale!

All Swag and Retail Merchandise 20% OFF

Contact us at: steamboatwhiskey@gmail.com For those who live here and for those who wish they did.