Valley Voice March 2020

March 2020 . Issue 9.3

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Steamboat Springs Hayden Oak Creek Yampa

Hovering above Whitewood - Photo by Movses Mikaelyan

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March 2020

Valley Voice

Open Tuesday Sunday

Open Daily www.blueherondispensary.com (970) 736 - 2268

970.846.3534 J.W Schuller playing March 7th from 8-10pm

“Creative Inspirations�

First Friday Artwalk/ Steamboat Depot Art Center/ 1001 13th Street Artwork by Maggie Smith For those who live here and for those who wish they did.

Friday, March 6, 2020

Valley Voice

March 2020

Rants...

Contents Wednesday Morning Watercolorists

Page 4

Q&A with Councilor Lisel Petis

Page 5

Steamboat Local's Winter Checklist

Page 6

A Widespread Economic Disconnect

Page 7

Colorado's Cruel and Bloody Civil War

Page 8

Look Up! Part II

Page 10

By Ellen Bonnifield

By Lisel Petis

By Sean Derning

By Scott L. Ford

By Ellen and Paul Bonnifield

By Karen Vail

Hayden Roundup Page 12

By Brodie Farquhar

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

The Illusory Truth Effect

Page 17 Page 18

By Wolf Bennett

Accounts Manager:

Scott Ford

Rumor and Myth

Sales:

valleyvoicesales@gmail.com

Spring Cleaning Page 19

Event Calendar:

Eric Kemper ericvalleyvoice@gmail.com

By Sean Derning

By Aimee Kimmey

Nightime Leg Cramps

Page 20

Chakras: Our Energetic Intelligence

Page 21

By Kari Pollert

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.

Or contact Matt Scharf: 970-846-3801.

Scott Ford: 970-819-9630.

Website www.valleyvoicecolorado.com. Subscription rate is $40 per year (12 issues). All content © 2019 Valley Voice, L.L.C. No portion of the contents of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission from the Valley Voice.

Official Fine Print

By Winter Clark

Transformation Page 21

The traffic here is like beating an old bag of potatoes – it goes nowhere…

Getting stuck in a snow drift behind Emerald at 11pm, with only two miles from the house and you have to walk it in…

A five wire winter...

The unbridled fear of deadly flus…

When it is clear you don’t belong and you just keep hanging around…

Part-timers who say they're full-timers…

Tourists’ sense of unearned entitlement…

Getting old...

Raves...

When a good old friend comes to town unexpectedly to visit and ski…

Getting all the shoveling done before the next storm…

Optimism…

Compassion…

Meeting a cool neighbor that you didn’t know you had…

Old guys who ride dirt bikes...

The end of winter is near...

Daylight Saving Time...

By Joan Remy

Bear Proof Containers

Page 22

How to Build Actors: Mentoring

Page 23

This is How I Remember You

Page 23

Calendar of FREE Events

Page 24

By Roger Freed

By Stuart Handloff

By Fran Conlon

By Eric Kemper

Advertisers assume full responsibility for the entire content and subject matter of their ads. In the event of error or omission in the advertisement, the publisher’s sole responsibility shall be to publish the advertisement at a later date. Advertisements and articles are accepted and published upon the representation that the author, agency and/or advertiser is authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The author, agency, and/ or advertiser will indemnify and save Valley Voice, LLC harmless from all claims and legal action resulting from the contents of the articles or advertisements including claims or suits resulting from libel, defamation, plagiarism, rights to privacy and copyright infringements.

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Yepelloscopes Page 26

By Chelsea Yepello

Comics Page 27

“A bike on the road is worth two in the shed.” - Me

Say What?...

“What do you mean, I need to shovel it? It'll melt” “I read this Dick and Jane book somewhere, and that’s when I knew I wanted to play with ranching.”

"Don't you get sick of the winters?" “It’s the summers that keep you here.”

“Attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure.”

“You need us! What about that new gondola?”

“There you go talking about yourself again!”

We go to press March 30th for the April 2020 Edition!

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“I found I could say things with color and shapes I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.”—Georgia O’Keeffe

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March 2020

Valley Voice

Art in the 'Boat

Wednesday Morning Watercolorists

By Ellen Bonnifield

First Friday Artwalk March 6, 2020

Approach the Eleanor Bliss Gallery at the Steamboat Depot on a Wednesday morning and listen to the happy chatter. Peek inside and you will see twenty-four watercolor artists painting, comparing notes, and helping each other. The “Wednesday Morning Watercolorists,” as they informally describe themselves, are presenting an exhibit of watercolors for the March 2020 First Friday Art Walk.

The show will be on display through the month of March.

“Creative Inspirations” include the multiple styles and techniques the group has exhibited in past shows. Be prepared for a surprise element this year!

The variety and charm of displayed art work belies the varied experience of the artists. Some started their art journey in recent years. Former public school art teachers and lifelong artists take delight in learning new techniques. All blossom under the patient instruction of Mary Levingston. A few of the artists have blank greeting cards of their work featured at Lyon’s CornerDrug and the Museum Store at Steamboat Art Museum.

An opportunity to observe and experience watercolor will be available from 6 to 7 p.m. during the Art Walk. Nancy Perricone and Diane Kelly will be painting during this time. They will be available to demonstrate and guide in beginning techniques of watercolor. Paints, paper, and brushes are provided for your use. In connection with the show, Mary Levingston is offering a Beginner’s Watercolor Workshop on March 14 from 9 to 1 at the Depot.

This workshop is open to the public. More information at Steamboatcreates.org

Models help artists create accurate paintings

Leslie Lovejoy refines clouds while Chris McGrorty adds touches with a watercolor pencil

Kendall Geer combines two paintings into one

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

Mary Levingston explains a technique to Jan Spencer

Valley Voice

March 2020

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City Council Voices

Q&A with Councilor Lisel Petis Lisel Petis

What is the best thing accomplished last year and why?

I think the best thing accomplished last year was getting the property tax passed to support Fire/ EMS. With a large increase in population in Steamboat Springs which results in a large increase in Fire/ EMS calls it is not surprising that our Fire/ EMS call volume has increased greatly too.

With a couple close calls, it was clear to Council that we needed more funding for this department to appropriately serve our community and make sure a tragedy didn't happen. I get that no one wants to pay more in our taxes (heck, I don't!), but making sure we have sufficient personnel for Fire/EMS is really an insurance policy for our entire community to help make sure we stay safe and I am so proud that our community strongly supported funding it.

to help the community in this area, but with a complicated issue and many differing opinions, I feel like the movement has been way too slow.

We are continuing to look at policies that could be changed, what to do with the housing fund, and potential publicprivate partnerships. But I would also encourage the community to send along innovative ideas to help make sure that we can preserve the character of our community by housing people locally.

What is your primary focus or goal for 2020?

My goal for 2020 is to think bold. If we want to see real positive change on some of our goals, we need to think big, think bold, and then deliver.

I am having discussions with many individuals in the community to see: • What things we could try?

• What is cutting-edge?

• What would have the most impact?

• If something was tried in the past and failed, why?

I’m excited to see what could be accomplished with the leaders we currently have in the community.

Advice to citizens?

Get in involved! Complaining online may feel good, but it likely isn't going to get you the results you are looking for.

All council members are available by email and phone.

What did you feel could have moved farther along but didn’t?

Further, Council hosts monthly "lunch and listen" as well as is part of the Farmer's Market tent all summer long.

Find an issue you care about, research ways that the city could help, rally people to support your idea, and bring it forward!

Affordable Housing. I can't wait for the day when this no longer is a priority for the City because we got the issue solved! I think the current council is committed to trying

I would love to see more true engagement from our community and see what great ideas to create a positive impact could come forward.

Howelsen Hill

Oldest Operating Ski Area in North America Downtown Steamboat Springs, Colorado Ski Free Every Sunday until March 15

Photo by the City of Steamboat Springs staff

“Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind.”—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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March 2020

Valley Voice

Routt County 101

Steamboat Local's Winter Checklist

By Sean Derning -You start to watch The Shining movie and become sympathetic instead of frightened by Jack Nicholson’s character as he slowly descends into madness following the long winter, not using the flimsy excuse that the hotel was haunted. Although a local should know that murdering friends/family/coworkers is wrong (correct, right?), chopping down a door with an axe to relieve midwinter angst is perfectly acceptable. Just make sure the door is an interior one. Replacement/repair can be made in spring after the ski hill closes for the season.

-A local will be able to count on two hands the different types of snow removal equipment they have used during the winter season.

-Everyone in a local family knows which circuit breaker to throw to get the roof heat tape to work.

With cabin fever either setting in or firmly smothering area locals, see if any of the following winter-related issues ring a bell with you: -Realtors here insist on location, square footage and views as being ‘everything’ when selling a home. Baloney. An experienced local here will look for a home with a short driveway to shovel, a garage to store a car when it’s 30 below zero and heat tape on the roof to keep ice dams and excessive snowdrifts from collapsing into your home.

-Scoria. It is not a skin disease, nor fine Italian restaurant. Locals know this ‘gravel’ is used to improve traction on icy streets, and can also share scoria’s origin/ application/environmental issues. As this material is also responsible for chipping windshields, an experienced local can identify their windshield repair person by first name at any social event.

-A local will let their mind wander while they are shoveling sidewalks. One recent thought was who would you least like to be stuck with on the ski hill gondola. I’ve determined that it would be Geraldo Rivera, Rudy Guiliani and social commentator Mo Rocca. I’ve also gone so far as to think how I would react if granted such misfortune. I would probably reverse my ski pole and force the deep tip into my abdomen, committing a crude Japanese seppuku suicide. Or just do society a favor and use the pole on them instead.

-You have used your elementary school child or neighbor as a ‘yardstick’ when sending photographs of insanely high piles of snow in your neighborhood to family and friends around the country.

-Offering to plow an elderly neighbor’s driveway will get you cookies and hot chocolate. Offering to rake the snow off their roof will get you into their will.

-You spend the pre-winter months of Sept. through Nov. looking for a second/third job so you can afford a ski pass and/or new snow tires.

-You are able to correctly time your après ski regimen by getting fed and fuzzy while still making it home before sunset.

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

-A sudden wave of grief, hopelessness and despair wash over a local when they are in a bad marriage, a family member passes away or the snowblower won’t start.

-Local winter footwear choices are made by function only.

Fashion is an afterthought. If it is a slip on model with a sturdy sole and tread, great. If not, forget the purchase until summer.

-You know better than to pick a fight with someone who shovels roofs for a living as the end result would put you in either the hospital or the morgue.

-Locals wonder aloud if there is a parallel medical connection between excessive amounts of Steamboat’s famed ‘Champagne Powder’ snowfalls and their drinking issues.

-The city/highway worker who operates a snow plow and consistently plows in the end of your driveway has more power over you and controls your destiny greater than the religious figure you follow.

-A rite of passage into adulthood for a local youth does not include confirmation or a bat/bar mitzvah, but happens when the child is able to operate the snowblower without adult supervision. Knowledge of how to apply jumper cables to start frozen/dead car batteries is also included in this passage.

-If you haven’t seen the movie No Country for Old Men, it is NOT a winter documentary made about people who live here.

-Local sheep herders and natural fiber fanatics exalt the benefits of wool clothing but won’t admit their clothing in winter will always include at least one arguably superior man-made insulating material; Gore-Tex, Thermaloft, Thinsulate or PolarTec fleece.

-Wet, heavy spring snowfalls, also called Sierra Cement, are the leading cause of hernias, bad backs and domestic disputes in our area.

Y

A

B

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Valley Voice

March 2020

Your Money - Your Life

"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

A Widespread Economic Disconnect

By Scott L. Ford

There is a classic economic disconnect occurring in the American economy. This disconnect is occurring because consumer spending is increasing faster than wages.

According to the Department of Commerce, consumer spending for all of 2019 was up 4%. A separate report for the same time period from the Labor Department showed wages for private-sector workers rose 3%. Here is the disconnect. Spending up 4% and wages up 3%. This one percent difference does not sound like much until we understand what it means.

Simply put, they ran out of money. Interestingly, this is irrespective of income.

Essentially American households went deeper into debt to finance this one percent difference. According to the New York Federal Reserve, household debt surged by more than $600 billion in 2019, marking the biggest annual increase since just before the 2008/09 financial crisis. The majority of this increase came from consumer non-mortgage debt. Non-mortgage consumer debt includes credit cards, auto loans, student loans and other. Buy now and pay later is an all too common American household mantra.

In 2019, a greater percentage of American households’ income was directed into repayment of consumer debt.

For many American households, their pay checks are spent before they’re even received because of loan repayment obligations. This perfectly describes the paycheck to paycheck cycle of how about 80% of folks live. Living on the edge is now considered normal in America. A problem occurs when a household falls off this knife’s edge. For about 1/3 of American households in any given six-month period, on at least two occasions there was more month than money.

Breaking the paycheck to paycheck cycle is very difficult if you have debt. Debt is a thief. Do you know what you have when you do not have any loan repayments? MONEY!As I have mentioned previously in many columns, you can easily wander into debt – but it is very difficult to wander out. One cannot wander out of debt until as a household there is an intense commitment to getting and staying out of debt.

The reality is that we have all been there at some point in our lives. With the exception of those who are oblivious, this situation causes intense money worries. There is a general perception that running out of money before the end of the month is isolated to households with lower incomes. Not true! Higher income does not equal less money worries. The chart below illustrates this.

Where to start your journey out of debt? The first step is to develop and follow a zero-base budget. From my perspective, the two best cloud-based programs that support a zero base budget are:

EveryDollar(www.everydollar.com) YNAB – You Need a Budget (www.youneedabudget.com) Both websites provide a great deal of support that will help you develop and follow a zero-base budget.

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39%

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$85K to $100k

39%

$70K to $85k

$25K to $40k

$15K to $25k

27%

< $15k

$40K to $55k

$25K to $40k

$15K to $25k

27%

28%

$85K to $100k

44% 28%

< $15k

49%

$55K to $70k

50%

37%

$70K to $85k

40%

$55K to $70k

40%

Percentage of Households with Intense Money Worries

By Household Income Levels

$40K to $55k

Percentage of Households Running Out of Money between Paychecks

By Household Income Levels

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March 2020

Valley Voice

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Bonnifield Files

Colorado's Cruel and Bloody Civil War

By Ellen and Paul Bonnifield

Paul Hands 970.846.9783

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Hayden

Steamboat Springs Walden

Meeker

"The ever memorable and blessed revolution, which swept a thousand years of villainy in one swift tidal wave of blood." - Mark Twain Dr. Barron B. Beshoar’s medical practice placed him in close contact with coal miners. Years later he wrote the classic, Out of the Depths: The Story of John R. Lawson a Labor Leader, in which he said, “Hatred and despair gripped the polyglot peoples of the Colorado coal districts as violent winter of 1907 gave way to a mountain excuse of spring. Far underground in labyrinths of gaseous shafts, thousands of men toiled long hours each day with a sullenness matched only in the squatty mules that tugged overladen coal cars . . . but most of all they hated their employers with all the intensity of simple men who rankle under abuses which they feel powerless either to correct or escape.”

At the Brown Palace, on March 2, 1902, the Colorado Mine Owners Association and the smelter interests agreed, “We, members of the Colorado Mine Owners’ Association individually and collectively hereby pledge ourselves to lend our earnest endeavors and our resources to stamping out of existing evils and the assertion of the law.” They were looking for trouble.

The powerful State Citizens Alliance of Colorado led by James C. Craig was also spoiling for trouble. Craig said, “The socialists and anarchists of the United States have selected Colorado as the best field in which to exploit their peculiar ideas politically, and funds have been gathered from all over the United States to promote the passage of the eight-hour bills, employers’ liability bills, and initiative and referendum . . . and other labor measures, and to capture the political machine generally.” By gaining control of Colorado businesses, newspapers, banking, and government the Alliance had free reign to attack their designated enemy.

The key to success depended upon the governor and his willingness to wield maximum military and economic

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

power without regard to legal necessities. James H. Peabody, the Cañon City banker, investor in smelters, coal, and mineral mines was ideal. Like other successful businessmen, Peabody depended on the First National Bank of Denver for his line of credit. Before the Federal Reserve System, the First National Bank was the banker’s bank.

It provided funds for Peabody’s investments including shares in the Denver, Northwestern & Pacific RR, West Hayden, and the Royal Flush Mine at Hahns Peak. (With our vision of frontier individualism and self-reliance, it is hard to get our heads around the near absolute power of Denver’s elite; none-the-less, they ruled Colorado with an iron fist until World War II.) Silver mines at Comstock, Nevada, became hotter the deeper they went. Getting clean, cooler air into the workings was of little concern to mine owners. The ore was mixed in a compound of iron pyrite and SO2. Men working long hours in the smelters soon found their lungs scarred, breathing labored, and life shortened. Believing a shorter work day would reduce their suffering, miners and smelter workers began advocating an eight-hour day in 1867. The eight-hour movement became a national issue which has a long and torrid history.

The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Utah eight-hour law. Colorado promoters copied that law verbatim and the legislature passed it; however, the Colorado Supreme Court found it unconstitutional. Taking advantage of the recently approved initiative and referendum legislation, promoters turned to voters. In November 1902, by a vote of 72,980 to 26,266, voters approved a constitutional amendment calling for an eight-hour day. With the large mandate, voters expected the legislature and government to honor it. Instead, legislators bowed to the demands of the powerful Citizens Alliance and did not pass the necessary enabling laws. Bloody war soon followed.

Vernon H. Jenson in Heritage of Conflict wrote, “As a direct result of the failure of the Colorado general assembly to enact an eight-hour law in accordance with the

Valley Voice

mandate of the people, the 250 miners at Idaho Springs working in the Sun and Moon, Arizona, Teller, Gum Tree, Brighton, and Shafter mines demanded of their employers on April 10 that the eight-hour day be established.” Upon refusal, they struck on May 1. Within six weeks, the Arizona, Teller, Shafter, and Gum Tree agreed to the demands and it appeared that others would soon follow.

All was well until July 28 when an explosion destroyed the transformer house at the Sun and Moon. The watchman E. A. Powers shot an unidentified Italian presumed a member of the Western Federation of Miners. (In 1902, Italians were often considered a subspecies and insignificant.) The victim was blamed for the explosion. The coroner’s jury found the accusation contained problems, and the poor man was probably shot somewhere else and dumped on the mountain trail above the mine.

H. E. Bartholomew, Anarchy in Colorado (1903), found, “the union guiltless and the attack at the mine was a plot to destroy the union.” Nevertheless, the local Citizens Alliance, led by bank president and leader of the Mine Owners Association Lafayette Hanchette and the Idaho Springs city attorney organized a mob and drove all the union men and their families from the county. The Union men appealed to Governor Peabody and were rejected. They also appealed to courts in Clear Creek and Gilpin counties where they were found innocent of wrong doing. Mobs wanting to spill blood in a righteous cause rarely concern themselves with justice based on truth. Innocent men and women were driven at gun point from their homes.

At Globeville, now a suburb of Denver, the A S & R operated the Globe and Grant smelters. National union leaders, Charles Moyer and Bill Haywood, curiously advised against striking. The smelter workers believed in the eighthour law and the Colorado voters had approved a constitu-

March 2020

tional amendment. Workers struck.

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A smelter owner, Ex-Governor James B. Grant, believed unions were entirely un-American, workers were satisfied, and happy laborers were being intimidated by unlawful union government. It was his duty to drive the union out. With bravura he said, “We are in the fight and we’ll be there at the finish.”

Using the courts and heavy-handed physical action, the Citizens Alliance drove the union men and their families out of Globeville. When union members left, they let the furnace of the Grant smelter freeze. The smelter never reopened and the tall, idle smoke stack remained a landmark on Denver’s horizon until recent years.

The1898 strike against the Northern Coal and Coke Company in Boulder and Weld counties was arbitrated, but the Northern failed to fulfill its agreement. In a spontaneous 1901 meeting with no labor organization involved, miners from across the Northern Field drew up a list of grievances. The grievances included poor wages, bad air, company stores, required living in company mine camps, doctor fees when no doctor or hospital was available, and no eighthour day agreement.

A joint committee of the State House and Senate investigated and found the miners had a bona fide case. Following the 1898 report, the companies made a token pay increase while raising prices at stores an average of twenty-five percent. On basic food items, prices advanced 100 percent. It was simply impossible for a miner to put food on the table. Payday was the third Saturday of each month. Employees were required to work a full month plus three weeks before receiving any pay-usually in company script. Employees ran out of money before payday and were forced to pay five percent interest on anything purchased on credit. Blacksmith work, black powder, caps and fuses were also charged against the miner.

The men went on strike which spread throughout the state. Although the 1903 strike was bloody and state troops were involved, this was not the big strike of 191314; however, at New Castle a labor leader emerged who played a monumental role in Colorado’s bloody bath.

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Entering the Pennsylvania coal mines at eight and enjoying success as a prize fighter, John Lawson wanted to escape the cruelty of large eastern mines. He moved his family to New Castle, Colorado, where he found conditions even worse. Looking for justice, he became a union leader and in 1903 led miners out of the pit. During the strike, Perry C. Coryell, a local mine owner, instigated dynamiting Lawson’s home and three others. Lawson’s wife Olive and baby Fern were in the house but uninjured. Coryell and the Citizens Alliance blamed the crime on the union and got away with it. Lawson was forced to leave. He returned after a brief period in Nevada mines, whereupon Coryell shot John in the leg. Lawson survived but was blacklisted and could no longer find a job in any Colorado coal mine.

To avoid the law, Coryell briefly left the state. Out of a job, Lawson became deeply involved in the labor turmoil in the Northern Coalfield.

“If I went to work in a factory the first thing I’d do is join a union.”—Franklin D. Roosevelt

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March 2020

Valley Voice

'Boat Almanac

Look Up! Part II

By Karen Vail

Photos by Karen Vail

A bright dot of white or colored light to the left and right of the sun on the same horizon is a parhelia, also called sun dogs or mock suns. Parhelia are the most easily formed of the sky effects and are a clue to cirrus clouds which, you guessed it, can be an early warning for an advancing front. Bright spots also occur to the sides of the moon and are called paraselenae or moon dogs. If you notice sun dogs in the sky look around for other interesting and beautiful arcs, especially if there is “fairy dust” in the air. It really does become quite the show with arcs going up and down and on top of each other.

Double Rainbow

Another common effect around the sun and moon are coronas. These are mostly round areas of pastel-hued clouds, are more diffuse and not in as perfect a circle as the halo, and are typically smaller. Remember to NEVER look at the sun but use a protective filter or look at a reflection. Where halos were produced through ice crystals, corona are produced through relatively thin clouds of small water droplets (occasionally ice) of similar size. The size of the particle will determine the size of the corona in an inverse relationship; the smaller the particle, the larger the corona. In one cloud you could have a non-circular shaped corona where maybe the particles were smaller to the edge of the cloud, where the corona would swell wider, and larger particles toward the middle where the corona would be smaller. Corona often indicate young altocumulus or cirrocumulus clouds, which, as you know, could lead to weather in the future.

Have you been enjoying scanning the sky for the everchanging cloudscape? This month we continue to look skyward with a look, first, at how wind affects the sky and can be another thing in our weather prediction toolbelt.

In a broad sense, wind can be classified as “local winds” or “weather winds.” Local winds tend to be shaped by the local topography and it takes time to get to know the character of local winds. These local winds also change day to day, season to season, and with elevation. But, if you begin to pay attention, you will notice consistencies over the seasons, in certain places and times of the day.

Weather winds can, for simplicities sake, be considered lower and upper winds. The upper winds are like a ceaselessly marching army moving west to east and pulling lower weather systems along below them. They are very steady. Lower winds have more of an attitude and very often are not behaving at all like the upper winds. They are definitely affected by the upper winds, but the lower winds behavior is much more erratic, and changes can be very quick compared to the steady upper winds.

A weather phenomenon that is most likely to impact your outdoor recreation is a front. This is the “front” end or advancing edge of an air mass that will soon replace the air mass that’s over a specific region. So, a mass of cold air might be replaced by a mass of warm air, or vice-versa.

When a frontal system approaches, two key things happen.

First, the lower winds change directions dramatically relative to the steady upper winds, and, second, weather happens! If you stand with your back to the prevailing (lower) wind and notice what the upper winds are doing, this will help you make weather predictions. Notice if those upper winds are traveling from left to right, right to left, or in

the same direction as the lower wind you feel. Most of the winds are moving counterclockwise around a low-pressure system. So if we feel the wind on our back and point to the left (direction of upper winds), we are pointing to the center of the low-pressure system. Winds blow toward the low pressure, and the air rises in the atmosphere where they meet. As the air rises, the water vapor within it condenses forming clouds and often precipitation. Tristan Gooley (“The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs”) sums it up nicely: Left to right Warm air is on the way; there may be an advancing warm front and deteriorating weather, with prolonged precipitation possible. Right to left Cold air is advancing; a cold front may have gone through and improving weather is most likely. Same direction No imminent change is likely. So, stand with your back to the wind, look for the highest clouds and remember “Left to right, not quite right”.

A ring around the sun or moon? This is a halo (cue the angelic music!). These whitish or colored rings or arcs appear around the sun or moon and require illuminated ice crystal clouds or a sky filled with falling ice crystals.

The inner edge of a halo is weak red and the outer ring is pale blue, but the halo could be mostly white. The halo could be a complete or partial ring. The most common form is the 22 degree halo which is just over two extended fist widths from the sun to the halo, and, rarely, the 46 degree halo can be seen. Halos can indicate cirrostratus clouds, which are often the precursors of weather moving in. I highly recommend checking out Atmospheric Optics website https://www.atoptics.co.ukor https://www.weatherscapes.com for incredible pictures and more detailed explanations.

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

My favorite sky sighting is a brilliant flow of colors, like the bright colors on bubbles or oil, along the edges of clouds near the sun. These colors are essentially fragments of corona and are called cloud iridescence or irisation. Similar to how coronas are produced, iridescence occurs when parts of clouds are thin and have similar size droplets producing bright patches or bands which change as the cloud evolves. They will only form coronal rings when the droplet size is uniform throughout the cloud. Iridescence is mostly seen in young clouds that have similar size droplets.

Sunbeams

Valley Voice

March 2020

11

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It is a beautiful sunset and from the horizon an impressive fan of rays streams into the sky. You are witnessing “God’s rays”, known as crepuscular rays (Latin “crepusculum” for twilight). These are a type of sunbeam that originates below the horizon. Crepuscular rays are often orange because of the high amount of particles the light is passing through at the horizon. Sunbeams are the gorgeous rays shining from the edge of silver-lined clouds and are basically a light, dark illusion. The dark shadows are really parallel, but because of perspective, like looking down a long straight road that narrows toward the end, the beams seem to converge on the sun and fan out.

Last, and absolutely not least, are the magical arcs of splendid color, rainbows. To see a rainbow we need rain, sunshine on that rain, and an observer with their back towards the sun facing the developing rainbow. Because rainbows are formed in relation to your position, they are different for each observer. Rainbows also follow you as you move because you are the central point of the effect.

Rainbows in the morning usually mean we are about to get wet, rainbows in the evening usually mean things are improving. The colors we see in a rainbow are clues to the size of the drops (and how wet you might get, or just got!).

The colors, from the outer ring out are Roy G Biv; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Generally, the paler the colors, the smaller the droplet size. Big raindrops will produce a vivid red band and bright violet and green bands, but lighter blue. As the raindrops get smaller, the red band gets paler. Tristan Gooley gave us an easy way to remember this: “Lots of red means a wet head.”. Occasionally when the drops are small, faint supernumerary arcs of electric greens, pinks and purples form just inside the main bow. You might also notice a secondary rainbow outside the main bow. The brighter the secondary bow, the larger the droplets. And look in between the two arcs and there is a noticeably darker area called Alexander’s dark band.

Time to get outside and look up! Notice the amazing things happening in our sky day and night. I will see you on the trails.

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“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky”—Rabindranath Tagore

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March 2020

Valley Voice

Hayden Roundup

By Brodie Farquhar

building on Walnut Street in downtown Hayden. The building had previously been the site for the Lift Up food bank, which has now moved across the street from Town Hall.

Owner Charlotte Wuestewald noted this will be the third, and hopefully final, site for the Roost in just a few years.

“We’ll have more space to display our wares,” she said.

There’s also a separate door and narrow room she wants to utilize in developing a walk-up ice cream store, which will operate May through September, during evenings and weekends. The ice cream shop will bring more people downtown for other businesses, as well as The Roost.

The Roost is now located at 118 Walnut Street.

Dean of Students or utility infielder?

Hayden Mayor Tim Redmond Mayor seeks commissioner seat Hayden Mayor Tim Redmond announced his intention to run for a seat on the Routt County Commission, District 2, currently held by Doug Monger.

Redmond, who has served three terms as a town councilman and is in his first term as mayor, said his campaign will be focused strongly on economic diversification.

He expressed worry that the region’s dependence on coal-mining and coal-burning in the Hayden power plant, bodes ill for local jobs and economic stability. International, national, state and regional concerns about climate change are threatening coal-based jobs. At the same time, an abundance of natural gas and technological progress in wind and solar energy are making coal more expensive and less competitive.

“I’m focused on a soft landing for our miners and power plant workers,” said Redmond. “Economic diversity can do that.”

Redmond said he’s anxious to bring new businesses and expand old businesses in town – all in an effort to boost local jobs and tax revenues. He’s invited a hemp manufacturing plant to town, and supports a community center located in the current high school. Redmond said industries that have looked at Hayden are asking about whether there is a skilled work force available. He’d like to see a greater emphasis on vocational/technical training opportunities, using all available resources.

Hayden School District is advertising for a K-12 dean of students position for the upcoming school year, when students, teachers and administrators will move into the new school campus in the fall.

School Board President Brian Hoza said the board was interested in staff conversations and recommendations from the past year, over what direction the district should go with a new school complex and curriculum.

These discussions and debates led to the question of leadership for the district – whether the new complex needed one principal or two, or whether two principals needed backup, said Hoza.

“Staff recommended that they wanted two principals and a dean of students,” he added. The elementary principal would supervise K-5, while the secondary principal would supervise 6-12.

The dean of students would have quite a hefty portfolio, supervising athletics (like an athletic director) and activities/events like band, theater, field trips, clubs, etc.

The dean of students would also work with counselors on issues like discipline and restorative justice.

That would leave the principals free to function as the district’s principle leaders on instruction, said Christy Sinner, district superintendent.

Redmond said he’s also interested in improving mental health services for county residents, especially since he’s learned that suicide is a major cause of death for young adults. He’s also focused on protecting water rights for municipalities and other users.

New roost for the Roost Home furnishings and flooring store The Roost (a Hayden branch of Hayden Valley Design) recently purchased a

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

Hayden, Colorado - 1942

New business highlights horsing around at fairgrounds There’s a new business in Hayden, designed to promote and host equestrian events at the Routt County Fairgrounds. Hayden Horsepower is owned by Kevin and Wendy Lind. The couple started the business late last year, thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Hayden Economic Development Commission.

The Linds have been working with local contractors and businesses to plan for and execute a series of equestrian events at the fairgrounds, including the otherwise slow season of winter.

“We have long thought that the Routt County Fairgrounds is an amazing asset to our community and the Town of Hayden. When events such as the fair, horse shows, or horse clinics come to town, they bring new visitors to our area, and infuse a significant amount of visitor funds into our town,” said Wendy. “So when we saw that the Hayden EDC was offering business grants, we decided to jump in and start Hayden Horsepower. Our mission is to bring new events for a wide variety of disciplines, such as roping, reining, cowhorse, jumping, gymkhana and people that are just looking for new venues to work with their horse.

Earlier this winter, they put together a trail obstacle challenge, which had participants from age 4 all the way up, and from a wide regional area. “We’ve gotten input from Totally Kids, which wants to get a riding program going, as well as some regional show organizations and local youth riding groups. I’m looking for riding instructors and clinicians that would like help putting on events as well,” said Wendy.

Upcoming events: • Reining Clinic with leading reining trainer Ryan Rushing. March 14 and 15. The clinic is filled, but auditors are invited.

• Working Cowhorse Clinic with leading cowhorse and reining trainer, Andy Kurtz. Clinic spots will be opened for reservation next month.

• Monthly all around show circuit and Gymkhana series with show and overall circuit awards.

• Bible riding camp, jumping, and barrel racing clinics to be announced soon.

• Hayden Horsepower is also working with some local ropers to put on a series of jackpot ropings and clinics.

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Mensan Musings

The Illusory Truth Effect – Why we believe Fake News, Conspiracy Theories and Propaganda

By Wolf Bennett

“The sad truth is that the truth is sad.”

-Lemony Snicket

Not everything we believe is true. We may act like it is and it may be very uncomfortable to think otherwise, but it is inevitable that we all hold a substantial number of beliefs that aren’t objectively true or factual. This isn’t about opinions or different perspectives. We mostly pick up false beliefs for the simple reason that we’ve heard them many times. If something is slightly plausible and you don’t specifically have the knowledge to refute it, there is a very high degree of probability that you will end up believing false stories. This is basically how the illusory truth effect works: we all have a tendency to believe something is true after being exposed to it multiple times. The effect is so powerful that repetition can persuade us to believe information that we know is false in the first place.

The illusory truth effect is the reason why advertising works and why propaganda is one of the most powerful tools for controlling how people think. It is why the speech of politicians can be so bizarre. It is why fake news spreads and retractions of misinformation don’t work.

As I have pointed out before, your brain cannot handle all the information that is constantly bombarding it, so it does several simple things. It cheats. It turns off information streams. It creates its own reality. It finishes unfinished stories. It cobbles together a wide variety of “snapshots” to create a “memory.” Thinking is energy intensive, hard work. The brain uses about 20% of a person’s energy, even though it is only about 2% of body weight, so any time it can save some energy it will do so, even if false.

Any time it can, the brain will choose the shortcut of following a previous mental path as it requires less energy.

All habits work in a similar way, intellectually, emotionally and physically. Addictions follow a similar pattern, just to a more severe degree that can harm us. It’s not just chemical things that addict, it is how our brains are hard wired to listen to repetition.

Anything you practice will become permanent. Not correct or even very good, just permanent. Repetition sticks, right or wrong, good or bad, fake or real. This worked quite admirably during our millions of years of evolution back when life was simpler, but in today’s wide world of information and learning we have become victims of our own success and have become more susceptible to manipulative information.

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken.” Carl Sagan Fake news falls under the umbrella of “information pollution,” which also includes news items that misrepresent

information, take it out of context, parody it, fail to check facts, no background research and take claims from unreliable sources at face value. Some goes on parody sites that never purport to tell the truth, yet are occasionally mistaken for serious reporting. Some shows up on sites that replicate the look and feel of credible sources, using similar web design and addresses. And some fake news comes from sites dedicated entirely to spreading misinformation, without any pretense of being anything else.

No one has time to verify everything they read online. No one. Our information processing capabilities are finite and the more we consume, the harder it is to assess its value.

Moreover, we’re often far outside our circle of competence, reading about topics we don’t have the expertise in to assess in any meaningful way. This drip-drip of information pollution is not harmless. Like air pollution, it builds up over time and the more likely we are to end up picking up false beliefs which are then very hard to shift. For example, 57% of Americans believe that crime, especially violent types, is on an upward trend, year by year, since 2008. The actual reality is that crime has fallen by about 20% during that same time. Violent crime receives a disproportional amount of media coverage, giving it wide and repeated exposure. Surprised?

Propaganda has a lot in common with advertising, except instead of selling a product or service, it’s about convincing people of the validity of a particular cause. Propaganda isn’t necessarily malicious; sometimes the cause is improved public health or boosting patriotism to encourage military enrollment. But often propaganda is used to undermine political processes to push narrow and radical agendas.

Today, propaganda is more likely to be a matter of quantity over quality. It is about saturating the intellectual landscape with content that supports a single group’s agenda.

Firehose propaganda is predicated on exposing people to the same messages as frequently as possible. It involves a large volume of content, repeated again and again across numerous channels: news sites, videos, radio, social media, television and so on. It is often the sheer volume that succeeds in obliterating the truth.

Firehose propaganda does more than spread fake news.

It nudges us towards feelings like paranoia, mistrust, suspicion and contempt for expertise. All of this makes future propaganda more effective. Unlike those espousing the truth, propagandists can move faster because they are making up some or all of what they claim, meaning they gain a foothold in our minds first. First impressions are powerful. Familiarity breeds trust. Repetition builds belief.

Simply quitting the news frees up time and energy to engage with timeless wisdom that will improve your life.

Try it for a few weeks and if you aren’t convinced, read a few day’s worth of newspapers from 1978 and you will see how much the news reports really don’t matter at all.

If you cannot quit the news habit, stick to reliable, wellknown news sources that have a reputation to uphold and have been not beholden to any one group or ideology.

The BBC and NPR are good examples of sources far less biased than others like Fox or Mother Jones. Steer clear of dubious sources whenever you can as you will still end up absorbing quite a bit. Be cautious of sites that are funded entirely by advertising. Be mindful about the information that is intended to overwhelm you. Do not assume breaking news is better as it can take time for the full details to come out. Accept that you cannot be informed about everything. Pay attention to when news items make you feel outrage or other strong emotions, because this is probably a sign of manipulation. We cannot stop the illusory truth effect from existing, but we can seek to prevent ourselves from succumbing to it in the first place.

Our memories are imperfect. The effect is too powerful for us to override simply by learning the truth. We can’t just pull back and think illusory truth only applies to other people. It applies to everyone. We are all responsible for our own beliefs. We can’t pin the blame on the media or social algorithms. When we put effort into thinking about and questioning the information we are exposed to, we’re less vulnerable to the illusory truth effect. Knowing about the effect is the best way to identify when it is distorting our worldview. Before we use information as the basis for important decisions, it’s a good idea to verify if it is true, or if it is something we have just heard many times.

“It is easier to fool people than it is to convince them that they have been fooled.” - Mark Twain Truth is a precarious thing, not because it doesn’t objectively exist, but because the incentives to warp it can be so strong. It is up to each of us to seek it out.

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So how can we protect ourselves? The best route is to be far more selective. The information we consume is like the food we eat. If it is junk, our thinking will reflect that. We don’t need to spend much time reading the news. The vast majority of the news we read is just information pollution.

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“Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state.”—Noam Chomsky

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March 2020

Valley Voice

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Saint Patrick's Travels

Rumor and Myth

S

By Sean Derning

time, everybody is looking at me to get rid of them again.There’s been particular pressure put on me by the leprechaun’s union. Turns out the snakes are gobbling up the wee lads, leaving no clue but a tiny green hat and a shillelagh. Snakes aren’t listening to the leprechauns because they’re hungry and have zero use for a pot of gold.”

“What have the leprechauns threatened to do if the snakes aren’t being kept under control?”

“Well, first of all, no more Lucky Charms breakfast cereal. They might be magically delicious but there won’t be any more pink hearts, yellow moons or green clovers from the little fellows. And they control the green dye racket, so no more green beer for St. Pat’s Day. Same goes for bars of Irish Spring soap.”

“Terrible news,” I said. “This would change the face of a holiday where everyone is Irish for day.”

It was a cold, grey day outside the picture window of the Bud Werner Memorial Library a few weeks ago. The great piles of winter snow surrounding the parking lot were starting to recede in the warmer temperatures, their grimy humps peppered with scoria. I was brushing up on contemporary Chinese literature when someone pulled a chair out from my table, laid down a pastoral staff and sat.

Glancing across, I recognized the figure immediately. Saint Patrick.

“Well if it isn’t the Enlightener of Ireland,” I said. “How are you, your holiness? I see you brought some fine Irish weather with you.”

“Yeah, seems to always follow me around. My socks haven’t been dry since October.”

“You have your special day coming up in March, don’t you?What brings you to our fair mountain town?” I said.

“Just what I need, more inclusion,” he said sarcastically. “Overserved people wearing silly hats dancing to that maddening pennywhistle-driven music. And the following day’s hangover that swears them off drinking for a week or two. How would you like it if there was a holiday in your name synonymous with binge drinking?”

“Boy, it sounds like the meaning of your holiday has been distorted, my dear deity.” I said. “Kind of like the Charlie Brown Christmas where everyone is so driven by consumption and consumerism they forget the true meaning of the holiday.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” said St. Patrick. “I still enjoy a pint of stout after a day of creating miracles and divine intervention. But we’re also having some issues on the religious front and it’s got nothing to do with Catholics and Protestants.”

“Then what is it?”

“Come again?”

“So in the past when I was converting the masses to Christianity, I used the three leaves of the shamrock to illustrate the Holy Trinity,” he said. “You know, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.”

“Herpetology. You know, the study of snakes.”

“I follow you so far,” I said.

“Sure, but why?” I asked. “You chased them all out of Ireland back in 400AD. Is this a new career move, your eminence?”

“It appears that the Father and Son are getting a bit tired of the attitude of the Holy Ghost. They say he’s walking around with a holier-than-thou attitude. And when they call him on it, he says, ‘Well, Holy IS in my name.’ The Father and Son are threatening if the Ghost keeps it up, there will only be a two leafed clover.”

“Herpetology,” he said.

“It appears that global warming has caused the reemergence of snakes in Ireland and since I got rid of them last

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

“Maybe it’s time to reel the Holy Ghost back in,” I suggested.

B

“Yeah, he’s got a few personal matters to address also, with the biggest one about him being a ghost. Says he doesn’t want to wear the white sheet anymore like all the other ghosts. Says it makes him look like a member of the KKK. I can’t blame him. He’s filed a grievance with the powers that be and is waiting for a decision.”

“Sounds like the responsibilities of being a saint are causing more administrative headaches than one would expect,” I sympathized.

“I wish I was a lesser known saint so I could fly under the radar a bit more. Like St. Drogo, patron saint of unattractive people and coffeehouses. Or St. Gummarus, patron saint of difficult marriages.”

“So who would you trade places with?”

“Well, that’s another reason why I’m here, to study other saints and see if their holy titles are appealing.”

“Any luck?” I asked.

“Plenty!” he said excitedly. “And I’ve narrowed it down to three. The first is St. Giles, the patron saint of breastfeeding. Boobs and happy babies? What’s not to like? Or St. T Bernardius of Siena, patron saint of advertising and public relations. I have my reservations about that one because S I’m not narcissistic enough. Or St. Balthazar, patron saint of playing card manufacturers so I can help supplement A t my income with some five card stud. I need to do some soul searching, even if mine is eternal. Hey, I just got off a a 40 day fast and I’m starving. Know of a good restaurant?” m “Sure,” I said. “There are several fine pubs in town. What s do you have a taste for? Corned beef sandwich or shep- y a herd’s pie?” t “Thanks for perpetuating the Irish stereotype, but no,” he a said. “I’ve become quite a foodie lately. Have developed a taste for Indian curries, Korean barbecue and soul food.” O b “What about Mexican?” t t “Meh, unless they’ve got good mole,” he said. n “Check around Lincoln Avenue, plenty of choices there. r Good to see you, your grace. ‘May the road rise up to meet W you, may the wind always be at your back.’” s fi He interrupted, “..may the sun shine warm upon your face until we meet again.’ Talk about a trite load of crap. f Did you know that phrase came from a Jewish Italian cobbler in Salerno? I swear I spend half my time dispelling " q rumors and myths with this job. Gotta go.” c And with that, he grabbed his pastoral staff and left me at the table, white robe billowing as he walked, light shining T H off the peak of his bishop’s hat and reciting a limerick.

Something about a woman from Dallas. " w c

Valley Voice

March 2020

19

Tales from the Front Desk

Spring Cleaning

By Aimee Kimmey

The story you are about to read is true... more or less.

Sunday. 11:43 am. Room 306.

As March descends upon the hotel, the torrent of guests tapers off to a manageable stream. The clerks finally come across occasional moments of peace. After several long months of non-stop running, talking, serving, and being short-handed, it's downright blissful to be so caught up you have literally nothing to do. Eventually it gets boring and the clerks start spring cleaning. But it takes a while to warm up to those unsavory chores you've been ignoring all winter.

On this particular lazy Sunday morning the clerk reclined behind the desk, chatting with her partner. Sure, she noticed the long, dusty, cobweb fluttering in the breeze under the TV. And she heard the dust bunnies breeding in the nooks and crannies all over the lobby. But she wasn't quite ready to dive into that project yet.

When the phone rang, the clerk didn't pounce on it like she would have last month. She waited for her partner to finish her sentence before picking up the receiver. "Hello, front desk."

"I'm up in room 306." The voice on the other end sounded queasy and faint. "My son is sick, he's thrown up. Can you come clean it up?"

The clerk felt her face scrunch into a grimace, "Oh! Ah..."

Hell no?! "We don't really..."

"Please, I can't, ug, oh God! There he goes again!" The woman in 306 sounded like she was about to pass out. The clerk could hear unsightly sounds in the background.

She envisioned a tiny boy wrapped around the porcelain bowl, her stomach flopped unpleasantly. "Uh... I don't..."

The woman in 306 practically wailed, "But I'm a sympathy puker. I can't be around someone who's throwing up, I'll throw up!"

"Uh..." The clerk's eyes darted around the lobby, desperately searching for any escape from this conversation.

Her partner watched with interest, clearly sensing her distress.

"He's made a mess of the bathroom and I can't go near it.

I'm about to throw up as it is. You have to come help me!"

The clerk reviewed her options: she could go up to 306, glove up, clean up some kid's puke, and risk heaving herself. She could see if her partner would do it, although that seemed highly unlikely. Or she could pass it on to the cleaning staff to take care of it after their rotation... much later. They would NOT appreciate that. Her choices were terrible.

She could see only one viable option; watching her partner's eyebrows sky rocket, the clerk lied through her teeth, "I am really sorry, but I'm all alone down here, I can't possibly leave the front desk..."

The woman heaved a squeamish sigh. "I guess I could try it..."

was miles beyond her job description. The clerk decided she would endure the guilt because the alternative was unthinkable.

A pale woman answered the door, she looked a bit green around the gills. Feeling slightly ashamed of herself, the clerk tried to smile, "Hi, here are those towels... They're all old so just put them in the trash when you're done."

Behind the woman, a young man tottered out of the bathroom. A grown. Assed. Young man. He was well over twenty. The clerk felt her eyes bulge, "That's your son?"

The woman smiled, "Oh yes! His cousin got married on St. Patrick's day... He celebrated just a bit too much."

The clerk's guilt vanished like a vampire in the sunlight.

A kid of that age, who had over served himself, could certainly clean up after himself!

"Yeah, that's rough, sorry to hear it." The clerk said, passing over the towels. "I'd better get back now, good luck!"

Walking back to the front desk, the clerk realized how much more appealing tending to those dust bunnies seemed in light of the mess she'd just dodged. Perhaps she's go find a duster when she got back, she thought with a smile.

The clerk felt a twinge of guilt, "How about if I sneak away real quick and bring you some towels?"

"Well, okay." As she hung up the clerk heard sounds of wretching coming from the background, ugh!

"What was that all about?" Her partner demanded.

"Some kid up in 306 is puking, his mom wants me to clean it up."

The clerk's partner recoiled in horror, "Oh HELL no! Why doesn't she do it?"

"Evidently she's a sympathy puker, she'd throw up too."

The clerk explained.

"Yeah? Who isn't?" The clerk's partner gaped at her as she walked around the desk, "You're not actually going to go clean up that kid's puke, are you?!"

The clerk looked at her sheepishly, "Do you think I should?"

"Are you kidding?! It's her kid, let her figure it out!"

The clerk debated as she collected a stack of old cleaning towels. She probably should go in and help this woman, it would be a kind thing to do. But the thought of it made her flesh crawl. It was bad enough cleaning up after yourself, but some stranger... No thank you!

Waiting outside of 306 for the woman to open the door, she felt the weight of her lie crushing down on her. But this

Photo by Gwen Skinner

“The piano has been drinking, not me.”—Tom Waits

20

March 2020

Valley Voice

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Nightime Leg Cramps

By Kari Pollert

How many times have you been rudely interrupted from a nice deep sleep by leg or foot cramps? You jump out of bed to stretch out the tight and shortened muscle as quickly as possible before it goes into a lockdown. And if it does go into lockdown, how long will the cramp last before it lets up and starts to relax? Sometimes it can last for many minutes, and the affected muscle can remain painful for days.

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Why does this happen and what can we do about it? It seems to happen more as we get older, but can also happen to teens and athletes. Muscle spasms can happen for different reasons including dehydration, exposure to temperature changes, complications of pregnancy or other health conditions, fatigue, sports, certain medications, and deficiency of electrolytes. The four main electrolytes are: sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. All of these elements are metals, and they all work together to assist in nerve conduction, muscle contraction, and muscle relaxation (as well as many other functions) When a nerve impulse reaches skeletal muscle, neurotransmitters from the nerve ending are released, which stimulate the opening of calcium-channels in the muscle.

The calcium ions that flow through the channel cause the muscle to contract. After the nerve impulse is finished, the calcium-channel needs to be closed and the calcium ions need to be transported back to their original place so they can respond to the next nerve impulse. Magnesium ions as well as magnesium attached to the energy-producing compound, ATP, are chiefly responsible for closing or blocking the calcium-channels to stop the outflow of calcium, and stop the muscle contraction.

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Sodium and potassium also have channels that they flow through in the muscle cell walls. The level of potassium in the cell helps the transporter enzymes move the calcium ions back through the calcium-channels to their starting point. When there is not enough potassium in the muscle cells, this prevents the transport of calcium ions, leaving the muscle to contract for a longer period of time. Magnesium is needed for the adequate functioning of the sodiumpotassium channels. Without magnesium, potassium reuptake is hindered and potassium will be lost through the kidneys. So you can see that muscle-potassium levels

depend on the magnesium levels. Both potassium and magnesium are considered to be muscle-relaxers by way of regulating the level of calcium present to contract the muscle..

This described scenario is of course an over-simplified explanation of how muscles contract and relax, but it helps me get to the main point of how muscle cramps occur. They occur when muscles can’t relax properly. The two most needed minerals are magnesium and potassium.

Inadequate levels of magnesium can cause other types of spasm-related issues such as angina (spasm of the heart muscle), high blood pressure (hyper-tonicity of the arterial blood vessels), intestinal spasticity, and bronchoconstriction related to asthma. Magnesium helps with blood sugar-metabolism. And it is the natural calcium-channel blocker. Inadequate levels of potassium can cause abnormal heart rhythms, elevated blood pressure, constipation, and muscle weakness. It is rare to have too high levels of magnesium or potassium, since they are easily excreted by the kidneys, and because most people have levels that are too low.

Some foods that are rich in magnesium and potassium are: seeds, nuts, beans and legumes, deep-leafy green vegetables, dried fruits, fish, red meats, whole grains, vegetables, and black-strap molasses. Another way to make sure you are getting adequate amounts of magnesium and potassium is to supplement with Organically Bound Minerals (for the potassium) at 3/day, and EZ Mag (for the magnesium) at 1 packet/day from Standard Process. Both of these supplements are plant-based and easily absorbed, compared to many over-the-counter preparations that are not easily absorbed. I take both of these supplements and it helps tremendously with nighttime muscle cramps.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have a problem with muscle cramps and spasms. There is a solution to this problem!

Kari Pollert is a licensed acupuncturist with extensive training in nutrition and herbal medicine. If you want to learn more about nutrition and supplements, please contact Kari at: 970-846-8985 or email her at: info@lifelinehn.com.

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

Valley Voice

March 2020

21

Energy Healing

Chakras: Our Energetic Intelligence System

Metaphysical Wellness with Winter Clark

By Winter Clark of Source and Stone

As humans we are multilayered beings. We think, we feel, we act and we absorb. We also sometimes know things that we can’t always explain or understand how or why, especially when we enter different spaces and environments or interact with certain people.

Our energy bodies are always active and collecting information, which we then use subconsciously as a guide in the most subtle of ways. Some call it a hunch, our instinct or intuition. We have our chakras to largely thank for this and this is how they work!

Arranged along the midline of the body, they are constantly opening and closing as they encounter and interact with other energies. If we’re sensitive to energy sometimes we can feel this happening physically; it might be felt as a slight pulsing sensation in the center forehead area or as a light outward fluttering around the center of the chest area.

Here’s a diagram of the chakras, their colors and where they’re located on the body. Each one has a different function, yet they all work together.

The Crown Chakra is located at the top of the head and represents our connection to the Divine or our higher Self “knowing.” This is also how we can connect to the collective consciousness for guidance.

The Third Eye Chakra is located between our eyes, just above our eyebrows (think center of forehead).

This is our processing center where we can receive insights, visions and use our imagination to shape our reality.

The Throat Chakra is located at the base of the throat and helps us to speak our truth in the form of desires, needs, feelings and plans of action.

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The Heart Chakra is located in the center of the chest, next to the heart but more towards the midline of the body. This is where our truth lives and where we can speak with compassion and honesty. This is also our love center and where we carry our pain as well as our joy.

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The Solar Plexus Chakra is where we shine our light out into the world.

Located at the apex of the ribcage (the corner-like area where our ribs meet), it represents our personal power and how we represent ourselves to others.

The Sacral Chakra is our center of creativity as well as our passion and sensuality. It sits below our belly button, in our lower belly. This is where our fire and sass lives!

The Root Chakra is our home base, where we connect with the earth to feel safe and secure in the world. This is the energetic center that assists us in re-centering and grounding ourselves in times of upheaval.

We are more than just our bodies, we are energetic beings!

When we’re aware of this it can help us navigate our daily lives with more ease and understanding, especially when we’re feeling a bit off after being in certain environments or have interactions with people that are less than ideal.

This is also where energy work such as Reiki can be really supportive, to get us back on our groove and feeling like ourselves again!

About the writer: Winter Clark is a Master Usui Holy Fire Reiki Practitioner and a third generation intuitive. She’s been working with energy healing since she was young, when she was first taught by her mother. Also the author of Goddess Grows Up: You are the Gift, she has a wellness sanctuary in downtown Steamboat Springs called Source and Stone. If you’d like more information or have any questions about this article, she can be found at sourceandstone@gmail.com.

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Poetry

Transformation

By Joan Remy How to interact Being socially correct Saying the right words Really don’t care about that Some always try to rule Creating a Tsunami Beautiful souls get swept into Figureheads Will it be the King or Queen In royal clothes Yet naked I have to look It’s amusing What’s it all about Love

“Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is.”—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

22

March 2020

Valley Voice

Things I Know

Bear Proof Containers

By Roger Freed

Most tourists stay within the confines of the Visitors Center and the RV sites, but a few intrepid, adventuresome and, most importantly for the bears sake, well fed souls wander into the back country to experience Nature intimately, perhaps more intimately than they expected.

Campers are supposed to set up their sites in a triad form- the tent at one corner of a pyramid shape with the cooking area and food storage area 300 feet away from each other. Any smart bear would simply watch the following scenario and figure things out for himself- The camper comes out of his tent, wanders over to the bear proof container, takes out his food, wanders over to the cooking area, cooks and eats his food, then wanders back to the tent. And what would your smarter-than-the average-bear do with this observation? He would watch, wait and when the hiker is back in the tent at the end, go down and get all his food at once in one convenient location, much like the drive through at McDonald’s. It would be like getting a giant breakfast burrito with everything in one wrap. The tent is also a much easier package to undo than the bear proof container.

For those wishing to explore the back country of Denali National Park in Alaska, one of the requirements that the Rangers insist upon is that the avid hikers must take with them a bear proof container. This is a small, barrelshaped container which also proves it to be human proof if you don't carry a screw driver with you to open it. The containers are designed to keep your hiking food in so that you and not the bears dine on it.

People come to Denali to see bears. Denali is mostly tundra with limited food resources. No food, no bears. No bears, less tourists. Less tourists, less work for Rangers.

Less work for Rangers, Rangers must go out and get real, miserable jobs like the rest of us.

Does anyone see the problem with this?

Bears need to eat a lot in the summer. A LOT of food. Yet tons of fresh feed is delivered to the park everyday by buses and trains. Fresh meat of all shapes, sizes and textures is virtually delivered to the bear's doorstep in droves. Food that will of its own free will walk into the wild country and present itself and I don't mean Domino's Pizza. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I mean tourists! That bastion of Alaska's summer economy! That natural resource that dresses in moose t-shirts and Alaskan baseball caps! That element of the food chain that looks to bears like walking corn dogs!

Rangers, being resourceful individuals, have not overlooked the practicality of this. How much more convenient can it be to have your food come in on it's own two legs well packaged in cotton, nylon and wool? Among the Denali bears, the 3:30 Anchorage train is referred to as 'Meals On Wheels'.

I thought so. If a hungry bear cannot get the human food out of the canister, then he might instead try to get the human food out of the human himself! With the human it is a lot less aggravating to get the wrapping off. It's like the difference when we have a can of tuna and a candy bar to eat, but no can opener. A few bits of thermal clothing and parkas are nothing to experienced bear claws.

One might question if the Park Rangers are aware of this problem. Don't bother asking- THEY ARE ENTIRELY BEHIND IT!!!!! That's right – THEY SUPPORT IT 100%!!!

Behind those cute, boy scout-like earnest faces, starched uniforms, dorky hats, and benign smiles are sinister smiles. Look at the logic of it:

The Rangers have thereby made a pact with the bears as evil as that which Stalin signed with Hitler.

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

Can the Rangers truly be this evil to play a part in this sordid affair? I'm sorry to say, it gets even deeper. The bear proof containers (which will be hereafter referred to as 'The bear provocation devices') have a second sinister purpose.

They also slow down a hiker by having to carry their extra weight. No sense in making the bear work too hard getting his much needed calories for the winter. Just give the hiker a little extra weight to bog them down enough for the bear to catch up with them easily. That puts the food chain back in the proper order.

Rangers also have a Faustian deal worked out with the people who make the little silver 'bear bells' that hikers are supposed to attach to themselves to let a bear know you are in the area and supposedly cause them to avoid you. Hardly. There's nothing like having a dinner bell chiming on your body to set a bears saliva glands in motion and announce to all that dinner is approaching. The Rangers’ retirement program apparently receives 10% of every bell sold. So twisted are these government servants that next year’s model of the bells will be made out of lead to further enhance the 'catch-ability' of the wearer.

Once acquired, bear provocation containers provide great entertainment for the bear. The first fun part is catching the hiker with one. Then comes the joy of ripping open the backpack it is in, much like the happiness of kids opening Christmas presents. Then they can play soccer with the canister until it breaks open and they can go after it like kids breaking a piñata. For desert, there is always the hiker himself. Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too?

Valley Voice

March 2020

Piknik Theatre

How to Build Actors: Mentoring

By Stuart Handloff

I was fortunate to have a coffee conversation with Jeffrey Huard, the new head of the theatre program at PerryMansfield. As I listened to his stories about his work with Broadway and educational theatre, one comment theme emerged that resonates with the story about how Piknik Theatre began. Mr. Huard commented that a theatre company near his home in California has hired professional actors to work alongside the student performers in a current production of “High School Musical.” Certainly the professionals can demonstrate skills that most kids only dream of developing but mentoring is more than just giving mere mortals moments of awe.

Acting is an art form: telling someone else’s story as if it were your own. It takes lots of practice and dedication, just like writing a book, playing the piano, or painting the portrait of your mother that hangs in the Musee D’Orsay.

Actors learn the skills during a lifetime of practice and equally as important - training. You could pick up a violin and spend the proverbial 10,000 hours making sounds but it wouldn’t make you a competent musician. Acting is no different. The practice is essential but guided practice is the key to artistic success.

Does that mean years of educational training immersed in Stanislavsky’s school of Method Acting? Maybe that works for some artists. According to Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet, the “Method” is as effective in training actors as asking a pilot to flap his arms in the cockpit to increase the airplane’s ability to take off from a runway. There are certain skills with text or communication (for hearing or vocally impaired performers, as an example) that are essential. An audience needs to understand the story you’re telling. But your emotional state as a performer is of no interest to an audience. How you feel means nothing; what the audience feels means everything.

I recently saw a production at The Curious Theatre of “The Secretary,” a modern text that uses gun control for the theme of the story. The end of the play is minutes of

silence and stillness with one character leveling a firearm at another. By this time of the show, guns have been tossed around and featured onstage for the entire production. And the rule of theatre is that if you bring out a gun in act one, you better use it by act three. None of the stage firearms had ever been fired by this point in the show. In these final moments of the show, the audience just KNOWS that the character holding the weapon is going to shoot and kill the other character. Yet the two performers just stare at each other, motionless and in silence, for minutes.

The two actors could have been thinking about getting drinks after the show and celebrating this final performance, or remembering that the laundry is still in the washer, or anything else totally unrelated to an emotional state. All that’s required is that they stare at each other without moving and in silence. The audience is doing all the work in these final minutes and we were all totally silent too, listening and waiting and wondering where this story would end. Our minds and hearts were working so furiously, wanting something to happen that would bring about a satisfying ending to the story, that the smoke was pouring out our ears. We were ready to choke when the lights went out and the play was over. What happened?

That’s for us to imagine and talk about after the show.

How does an actor learn these kinds of skills if not in school or from intense navel gazing? Where can the 10,000 hours of guided practice be found if not in an acting program led by the giants of Broadway? This is why mentoring is so valuable. A great actor can teach in more ways than through texts or telling war stories of the way it was back then. Demonstration is important, of course, but mentoring means listening and questioning, more than answering. Listening to what young or inexperienced actors want to know to become artists, listening to the stories they attempt to tell, offering choices and asking the newbies to see what works. Want to know if you’re good at standup comedy or improvisational theatre? Get in front of an audience; they’ll let you know if you’re funny or can tell a good story.

Critical questioning of your work and offering choices are the key to finding effective ways to tell a story. This is where professional mentors can support performing artists in building their skills. You’ve got a story to tell: alright, you try it this way. Hmmm, here’s another option.

Now, wait, how about this choice? Then your mentor offers feedback and more questions. You continue this practice for 10,000 hours, working with skillful people whose judgment you trust - or at least have limitations you can live with - and then the artist emerges.

In the early days of Piknik Theatre, actors from New Zealand came to Steamboat on holiday and enjoyed our beautiful summers while telling stories in words and music. Although some of the stories were better than others, and some of the actors too, each of them brought a desire to share both New Zealand culture and the skills they had developed through years of guided practice. They were good mentors. This tradition continues today with every Piknik Theatre season. The professional actors who come to Steamboat for weeks in the summer and fall are more than hired guns. They bring hours and hours of skill and expertise they’re willing to share with anyone willing to listen and practice and ask questions. Maybe, take advantage of this opportunity? Whaddya think?

23

Poetry

This is How I Remember You

By Fran Conlon

My mind's eye has its reflection, Of youth and vigor in our love, A meld of wind, bay coast, sun's selection, To make movements like one hand in glove.

Now they seem like ancient days, Mountain life has wind and snow, December's cold, a mystic white-out haze, That touches nose and lips, with a silver moist glow.

An interim now with jobs complete, To look anew at a partner's face, Search out the special lines, so neat, Always at home no matter the place.

Miles pass; now children grown, Grand-kids attained, for my slower pace, A whirlwind has settled; a zephyr is now shown, My walk is more touched by grace.

My companion is still across the room, Capturing a snooze from this day's bloom.

(Memories were many before the word, An adventure like many still unheard.)

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“We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality.”—Iris Murdoch

24

March 2020

Valley Voice

Calendar of Free Events To submit your free events or calendar information e-mail to: ericvalleyvoice@gmail.com Events may be edited for length or content. Calendar entries must be received by the 15th of each month.

TUESDAY MARCH 3

FRIDAY MARCH 6

TUESDAY MARCH 10

FRIDAY MARCH 13

One Book Discussion: “Inheritance”

by Dani Shapiro 12-1PM @ Library Conference Room. FREE. www.steamboatlibrary.org/ events/one-book-steamboat

Scholastic Book Fair @ Hayden Public Library.

Through March 16.

Bake Sale @ Hayden Public Library.

City Council Meeting 5PM @ Centennial Hall steamboatsprings.net

Late Night Radio w/ Recess 10PM @ Schmiggity’s. $12 ADV/$15 DOS. www.schmiggitys.com

City Council Meeting 5PM @ Centennial Hall steamboatsprings.net History Happy Hour 5:30PM @ Butcherknife Brewing Company. FREE. treadofpioneers.org Sean Patrick McGraw 9PM @ Schmiggity’s. FREE. www.schmiggitys.com WEDNESDAY MARCH 4 One Book Discussion: “Inheritance” by Dani Shapiro 5:30-6:30PM @ Library Conference Room. FREE. www.steamboatlibrary.org/ events/one-book-steamboat Bud Werner Memorial Library’s Foreign Film Series at the Chief “Complicity” 7:00PM @ Chief Theater. FREE www.steamboatlibrary.org/ events The Moxie Strings with Steamboat Springs Middle School & Emerald Mountain School 7PM @ Strings Pavilion.

FREE. Tickets Required: RSVP @ StringsMusicFestival.com THURSDAY MARCH 5 “Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here” 6:30PM @ Library Hall.

FREE. www.steamboatlibrary.org/ events Live Band Karaoke/ Schmiggity Jam 9:30PM @ Schmiggity’s.

FREE. www.schmiggitys.com

Muse Of Marble: The Works Of Artist Gutzon Borglum On display through July @ Tread of Pioneers Museum.

FREE. treadofpioneers.org Richard Galusha Retrospective: An Artist’s Journey Dec. 6, 2019 – April 11, 2020 @ Steamboat Art Museum. steamboatartmuseum.org First Friday Art Walk 5PM @ Downtown Steamboat. Self-guided tour of local art galleries, Museums and alternative venues. FREE. Grant Farm 10PM @ Schmiggity’s. $10. www.schmiggitys.com SATURDAY MARCH 7 J.W. Schuller 8PM @ Steamboat Whiskey Company.

Russ Liquid w/ Blossomn 10PM @ Schmiggity’s. $10. www.schmiggitys.com SUNDAY MARCH 8 Daylight Saving Time Begins MONDAY MARCH 9 Meditation and Journey to the Akashic Records with Winter at Source and Stone (1125 Lincoln Ave, Suite B10, above Threads thrift store), 6pm - 7pm, tickets available on Eventbrite.

Dance On Film: “Bobbi Jene” 6:30PM @ Library Hall.

FREE www.steamboatlibrary.org/ events Moonlight Snowshoe Tour Time TBA. $20 includes snowshoes. RSVP required. www.yamaptika.org

Tread of Pioneers Museum’s Winter Film Series 6PM @ Chief Theater.

FREE. treadofpioneers.org Spafford w/ Cycles 9PM @ Schmiggity’s. $30. www.schmiggitys.com WEDNESDAY MARCH 11 Historic Preservation Commission 5PM @ Centennial Hall steamboatsprings.net/ agendas Parks & Recreation Commission 5:30PM @ Centennial Hall steamboatsprings.net/ agendas One Book Author Event: Dani Shapiro, author of the NYT bestselling memoir “Inheritance” 6:30PM @ Library Hall.

FREE. www.steamboatlibrary.org/ events/one-book-steamboat

Comedy Show w/ Korey David 7:30PM @ Schmiggity’s. $5. www.schmiggitys.com SATURDAY MARCH 14

First Day Of Spring

FRIDAY MARCH 20

SUPER Ski Free Sunday & Closing Day 10AM-4PM @ Howelsen Hill. steamboatsprings.net/ skifree

Lunch & Listen 12-1PM @ Centennial Hall steamboatsprings.net/ agendas

MONDAY MARCH 16 City Council Meeting w/ Routt County 12PM @ Board of County Commissioners, Routt County Courthouse. steamboatsprings.net

TUESDAY MARCH 17

Planning Commission 5PM @ Centennial Hall steamboatsprings.net/ agendas

St. Patrick’s Day

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

Mountaintown Film Collective Monthly Gathering 6:30PM @Ski Locker FREE MFCFilms.org

SUNDAY MARCH 15

THURSDAY MARCH 12

The Mammoths w/ Kind Hearted Strangers 10PM @ Schmiggity’s.

FREE. www.schmiggitys.com

THURSDAY MARCH 19

Andy Frasco w/ Sweet Lillies 10PM @ Schmiggity’s. $20. www.schmiggitys.com

Spafford w/ Cycles 9PM @ Schmiggity’s. $30. www.schmiggitys.com

Adult Spelling Bee @ Steamboat Whiskey Company.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 25

Dynohunter 10PM @ Schmiggity’s. $10. www.schmiggitys.com

Wild Films: 6 Shorts from 2019 International Wildlife Film Festival 6:30PM @ Library Hall.

FREE www.steamboatlibrary.org/ events

Colorado Symphony’s Beethoven 2020 7PM @ Steamboat Art Museum. $25 steamboatartmuseum.org

Snowshoe Through History & Happy Hour Time TBA @ Legacy Ranch.

FREE. 1 hour snowshoe followed by warm alcoholic beverages and guest speakers. RSVP required www.yampatika.org

City Council Meeting 5PM @ Centennial Hall steamboatsprings.net Comedy Open Mic Night @ Steamboat Whiskey Company.

Corb Lund w/ Lauren Morrow 9PM @ Schmiggity’s. $10. www.schmiggitys.com WEDNESDAY MARCH 18 Indie Lens Pop-Up: “Bedlam” 6:30PM @ Library Hall.

FREE www.steamboatlibrary.org/ events

Charlie Parr w/ Whippoorwill 10PM @ Schmiggity’s. $10 ADV / $15 DOS. www.schmiggitys.com SATURDAY MARCH 21 Glitteratti (Members of Trample By Turtles) 10PM @ Schmiggity’s. $10. www.schmiggitys.com MONDAY MARCH 23 Ag Appreciation Week Historic Storytelling: Ranching in the Yampa Valley w/ 3 generations of the Daughenbaugh & Allen Families 6:30PM @ Library Hall. FREE. www.steamboatlibrary.org/ events TUESDAY MARCH 24 Steel Betty with Steamboat Springs and Moffat County High Schools 7PM @ Strings Pavilion.

FREE. Tickets Required: RSVP @ StringsMusicFestival.com Ag Appreciation Week Film: “The Biggest Little Farm” 6:30PM @ Library Hall.

FREE. www.steamboatlibrary.org/ events

Community Reiki at Source and Stone (1125 Lincoln Ave, Suite B10, above Threads thrift store) 5:30pm - 6:30pm, tickets available on Eventbrite.

Women’s Adventure Film Tour, Vol. 2 6:30PM @ Library Hall. $10. www.steamboatlibrary.org/ events THURSDAY MARCH 26 Planning Commission 5PM @ Centennial Hall steamboatsprings.net/ agendas Live Band Karaoke/ Schmiggity Jam 9:30PM @ Schmiggity’s.

FREE. www.schmiggitys.com FRIDAY MARCH 27 A Taste Of History Noon @ Tread of Pioneers Museum. FREE. treadofpioneers.org Write Minded 10PM @ Schmiggity’s. $5. www.schmiggitys.com SATURDAY MARCH 28 Schism 10PM @ Schmiggity’s. $10. www.schmiggitys.com MONDAY MARCH 30 Artists On Film: “I Am Big Bird: The Life and Career of Puppet Performer Caroll Spinney” 6:30PM @ Library Hall.

FREE www.steamboatlibrary.org/ events

March 2020 Schmac and Cheese

Valley Voice

First Friday Artwalk

Recurring Weekly Events:

March 6, 2020

ART GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS STEAMBOAT CREATES 1001 13th St. | 970.879.9008 RIVERWALK COLLECTIVE 1001 13th St. 970-879-9008 IMAGINE ART STUDIOS 1125 Lincoln Ave. | 484.889.6753 WINDFALL FINE ART GALLERY 1015 Lincoln Ave. | 970.761.8000 YOUNG BLOODS COLLECTIVE AT THE SKI LOCKER 941 Lincoln Avenue, #100a | 941.321.2809 GALLERY 89 1009 Lincoln Ave. | 970.439.8196 OFF THE BEATEN PATH 68 9th St., | 970.879.6830 JULIA DORDONI | CHIEF THEATER 813 Lincoln Ave., | 808-250-0544 JACE ROMICK GALLERY 837 Lincoln Ave. | 970.846.8377 STEAMBOAT ART MUSEUM 807 Lincoln Ave. | 970.870.1755 URBANE 703 Lincoln Ave. | 970.879.9169 SOLAR FLARE GLASSWORK & DESIGN 635 Lincoln Avenue, Ste. M | 970.875.3420 MANGELSEN - IMAGES OF NATURE GALLERY 730 Lincoln Ave | 970.871.1822 WILD HORSE GALLERY 802 Lincoln Ave. | 970-819-2850

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SUNDAY

WEDNESDAY

Off The Beaten Path: Intuitive Readings with Winter in the Loft from 12-4pm, 20 min for $30.

Karaoke Night 9PM @ Schmiggity’s.

FREE www.schmiggitys.com

Ski Free Sunday THURSDAY (Through March 15) 10AM-4PM @ Howelsen Hill. Steamboat Springs steamboatsprings.net Writers Group Noon @ Art Depot.FREE Swinging & Ski.D.M. Sunday www.steamboatwriters.

7PM @ Schmiggity’s. FREE. com West Coast Swing Dance Lessons 7-8PM Ski with a Naturalist DJ Dance Party 10PM (Through March 14) www.schmiggitys.com 1:30-2:30PM @ Top of the Gondola at the start of the MONDAY Why Not trail. FREE www.yampatika.org Meatball Monday & Piano Bar Night FRIDAY 8:30PM @ Schmiggity’s.

FREE. Uranium Mine Snowshoe www.schmiggitys.com Tour (Through March 14) 10AM-1PM @ Yampatika.

TUESDAY FREE RSVP Required Senior Wellness Group www.yampatika.org 10:30-11:30AM @ Old Town Hot Springs SATURDAY Non members are always welcome.

Emerald Mountain Call 970-846-3415 for more Snowshoe Tour information.

(Through March 14) 10AM-Noon @ Emerald Ski with a Naturalist Mountain. $20 (Includes (Through March 14) Lift Ticket & Snowshoes) 1:30-2:30PM @ Top of the RSVP Required.

Gondola at the start of the www.yampatika.org Why Not trail. FREE www.yampatika.org Two-Step Tuesday 7PM @ Schmiggity’s (Free Country Dance Lessons). FREE. www.schmiggitys.com

821 Lincoln Ave - schmiggitys.com McGraw n Patrick a e S d r March 3 itys Jam Tuesday, Rock) 9 pm FREE! /Schmigg e k y o r t ra n a u K o !

(C pm FREE Live Band rch 5th - a live band) 9:30 a M , y a d ith Thurs g along w (Play or sin $10 nt Farm 6th - Gra try, Reggae) 10 pm h c r a M , y un Frida egrass, Co mn (Rock, Blu w/ Blosso id u iq L s th - Rus , March 7 Saturday ic) 10 pm $10 (Electron ycles fford w/ C a p S h t 0 $30 March 1 Tuesday, unk Therapy) 9 pm F cles (Electro ord w/ Cy ff a p S h 11t $30 ay, March Wednesd unk Therapy) 9 pm earted F w/ Kind H s h t (Electro o m m - The Ma REE! arch 12thes/ Rock) 10 pm F M , y a d s r lu Thu (Psych/ B rey David Strangers ow w/ Ko h S y d e m - Co arch 13th Friday, M $5 Recess 7:30 pm Radio w/ DV/$15 DOS t h ig N e t A 12 - La ) 10 pm $ arch 13th Friday, M ip Hop / Electronic (Funk / H hunter th - Dyno 10 4 1 h c r a $ ,M Saturday st Techno) 10 pm row e r uren Mor fo a L in / w (Ra d n Corb Lu rch 17th - 10 a M , y a d s $ Tue illies olk) 9 pm / Sweet L w o (Country/F c s a r F th - Andy March 19 sic) 10 pm $20 , y a d s r u Th oorwill d Soul Mu w/ Whipp r (Feel Goo r a P e li r S - Cha V / $15 DO arch 20th mple Friday, M ic) 10 pm $10 AD ers of Tra b s u m e M lk (M i o (F litteratt h 21st - G $10 c r a M , y a Saturd s) (Rock) 10 pm gitys Jam ke/Schmig o ra a

By Turtle K d FREE! ive Ban 0 pm 6th - L band) 9:3 , March 2 Thursday g along with a live (Play or sin e Minded

- Writ arch 27th ie) 10 pm $5 M , y a id r F /Rock/Ind (Hip-Hop Schism rch 28th - pm $10 a M , y a d r ) 10 Satu ute Band (Tool Trib day

TREAD OF PIONEERS MUSEUM 800 Oak St., | 970.879.2214 PINE MOON FINE ART 117 9th St. | 970.879.2787 W GALLERY 115 9th St., Lincoln Ave. | 970.846.1783 SQUIRE STUDIOS 842 Lincoln Ave. - Above Lyon’s Drug #9 | 970.846.1063

hart 7 pm i.D.M. Sunns with Scott Good k S & g in Swing st Swing Lesso West Coa Party 10 pm ht 8:30 pm DJ Dance no Bar NigMartinez & ia P & y a Mond Mike Meatball g good time with y last! n e h lo t a e hil Sing ssons atballs w Dance Le y r t n u o C $FREE me pm: FREE Tuesday 7 ich 7-8 pm p te S o w T nda Leftw m FREE! with Ama Night 9 p e k o ra a K ay: Wednesd

Oh Schmiggity!

879.5929 905 Weiss Drive - across HWY 40 from the Holiday Inn

Schmappy Hour 7-9 Da Tickets online at schmiggitys.com or at All That.

$1

“We cannot make events. Our business is wisely to improve them.”—Samuel Adams

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March 2020

Valley Voice

Yepelloscopes

Your Monthly Message

By Chelsea Yepello Aries

March 21 - April 19

After your first dream about the male nurse with a man bun, you will be confused and puzzled. Then, after a series of dreams with the man reoccurring, you will begin to embrace and grow to love him. Eventually his complicated plot to take over your brain will succeed and your friends will wonder why you began night nursing school and have a tiny man bun.

Taurus

April 20 - May 20

Gemini

May 20 - June 20

It’s interesting that you refuse to eat calamari, caviar or sushi because of the texture, yet you will gobble down Spam out of the can.

As you quit your job, you vow that you would rather die a thousand deaths before you ever work there again, but shortly after your 496th death, you realize that your job may not have been all that bad.

HANDCRAFTED CANNABIS

Cancer

June 21 - July 22

You will be delighted when you overhear that your friends and family are throwing you a surprise party. You are even more thrilled that they are putting this all together and it isn’t even your birthday. When you arrive at your party, it will quickly become clear that it’s actually an intervention and everyone is really concerned about you. To add insult to injury, no one brought cupcakes.

Leo

July 23 - August 23

It’s best to make your own mistakes, unless of course that concludes with releasing a deadly global virus or burning down a medium sized city, but everything else can be conducted as a live and learn situation.

Virgo

OPEN DAILY Recreational & Medical

1755 Lincoln Avenue Steamboat Springs, CO On the Free Bus Route

970-870-2941

www.GoldenLeaf.co For those who live here and for those who wish they did.

August 23 - September 22

Sometimes the truth is hard to believe. It can hurt, it can be disturbing and it can change your perspective on life. Sometimes you just have to hear the truth despite the pain it may cause, so you can acknowledge it and move forward with your life, so here it is... Santa is mad at you.

Libra

September 23 - October 23

As the world changes and evolution remolds the world, you too will become a different and transformed person, you just have to be patient for the next two billion years.

Scorpio

October 24 - November 21

You will convince your dear grandma that you have become one of the elite and glamorous redcarpet movie stars. You have given her something to brag about to her bridge club and make all her friends jealous that their grandchildren aren’t as talented as hers. That is, until you have to explain why your face detached from the movie star’s body it was crudely glued to on the picture in the magazine you gave her.

Sagittarius

November 22 - December 21

Your life will truly begin on your birthday, but that’s how it usually works.

Capricorn

December 22 - January 19

You know you have a problem with confronting people when the guy on your couch starts getting mail delivered to your house.

Aquarius

January 20 - February 18

Your life will seem all doom and gloom until you reconnect with your oldest childhood friend.

It seems like a promising reunion, but this particular friend was the one no one else could see and got you into trouble. Unfortunately, at your age, having an imaginary friend is frowned upon and the sort of mischief it talks you into can get arrested.

Pisces

February 19 - March 20

You will awaken this week to a person in your kitchen making pancakes. You will also observe two children at your kitchen table and a dog staring at you from the floor. It will quickly dawn on you that you may have stumbled into the wrong house last night. Luckily, this is not the first time that this has happened and your kindly neighbors don't seem to mind feeding you a hot breakfast.

Valley Voice

By Matt Scharf

March Madness Steamboat Style

March 2020

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March 2020

Valley Voice

RIDE THE COG May 30, 2020 Experience history at the speed of a bike!

Early Bird tickets

$40 per person!

After May 15th tickets $50 Purchase tickets: Haydenheritagecenter.org

3 Rides to chose from: Gravel Grinder, Mud Ride or Combo Ride (Ride ticket includes after Ride Party w/ Lunch & Live Music)

Maps w/ elevations and ticket sales online at haydenheritagecenter.org

-Fundraiser Event for the Hayden MuseumMore info: tickets/ sponsorship opportunities/ volunteer opportunities! contact the Museum:

haydenmuseum@zirkel.us/ haydenheritagecenter.org/ 970.276.4380

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