Arvada Press January 2, 2025

Olde Town hosts its first Caroling Contest

Community Table provides update on move to new building

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Arvada’s busiest food bank, Community Table, will be moving into new digs in the next few months as the nonpro t prepares to relocate its operations from its longtime home at 8555 W. 57th Ave. to a new facility located at 4600 W. 60th Ave this spring.

e City of Arvada purchased the property on 60th for $3 million in early 2024 and will lease the building to Community Table for $100 a year — the same terms the nonpro t pays for the current lease, which is also at a city-owned building.

e building is currently being remodeled to the tune of about $1.9 million, which is being raised through a capital campaign organized by Community Table and through donations from the public.

e remodel work, which began in October 2024, will allow Community Table to expand its operations — which currently include the food bank, showers, mental health services and other resources for the less fortunate — though the nonpro t is doing all it can to ensure that its services do not impact the surrounding neighborhood, according to Community Table CEO Sandy Martin.

“We intend to take this building that was vacant for quite a while and make it a really beautiful, thriving building in the community and impact the neighborhood as little as possible,” Martin said. “Our new waiting room is going to hold the capacity of 55 people, so there won’t be people standing out in line.”

Martin said the nonpro t has become aware of concerns of residents regarding the neighborhood impacts of another city project aimed to serve the less fortunate; the former Early College of Arvada building that was purchased by the city with the goal of turning it into a homeless navigation center.

While the ECA building — located at 4905 W.60th — is in the same neighborhood Community Table’s new facility, the projects are not connected, and Martin clari ed that the new Community Table building will not provide navigation services, nor will it house the city’s One Small Step program, an idea which had been discussed previously.

“I don’t believe One Small Step will be moving over with us,” Martin said. “So no, the homeless court won’t be in our building, but we are going to bring partners in, like we have currently. ings like Je erson County Human Services to help provide mental health services, and we’re looking at some other medical programs that could come in, like the Adams County Health Department would like to come in and do some work with us.”

Residents’ concerns about the ECA building’s use have prompted the city to pause plans to use the site as a navigation center. at building’s future remains unclear at the moment.

Six groups competed in the inaugural Caroling Contest, as attendees were tasked with judging. Listeners voted for their favorite caroling team in each category.

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEPHANIE PAUL.

Olde Town hosts its first Caroling Contest

Arvadans take to the streets with a tune

BY LILLIAN FUGLEI

SPECIAL TO THE ARVADA PRESS

As festivities abound in Olde Town throughout December, a new musical celebration has joined the lineup: the Caroling Contest.

On Dec. 20, Arvadans took to singing in the streets and spreading holiday cheer with just a dash of competitive spirit. e Caroling Contest — which was put on by the Olde Town Business Improvement District — welcomed all carolers, from seasoned caroling vets to amateurs.

Groups of carolers were scattered about Olde Town as attendees wandered about, enjoying the songs of the season. Attendees were able to vote for their favorite caroling teams in the categories of Best Carolers, Best Dressed and Most Holiday Spirit.  Out of six teams, one — Kaleidoscope — stole the show. e team, composed of teenage girls, won all three awards.

“You get fteen high school girls together

that are full of Christmas spirit, they just can’t be stopped,” said BID Director Joe Hengslter.

With this being the rst year of the caroling contest, Hengstler said there may be some changes in years to come.

“We de nitely learned a few things that we’ll tweak for next year,” Hengstler said. “But overall it was great to bring some holiday spirit to the streets of Olde Town.”

Hengstler said in the future, he’d like to have more caroling groups, as well as give them candles or lights of some form to make them stand out more. While carolers were given one spot to sing this year, he said that in future years, carolers may be allowed to roam about Olde Town. No matter what changes the future may hold, the Caroling Contest seems set to be a source of holiday cheer for years to come.

“ is holiday season, we wanted to try a bunch of new events and activities in Olde Town,” said Hengstler. “We absolutely loved the caroling competition — it was heartwarming to see the public come out and participate in this event.”

Je erson County chapter of Guys Who Give donates $19,000 to Hope House

Local branch of national nonprofit sees growing membership, funds

Men are giving back to the community all over Je erson County, and one group in particular is helping them get in the giving spirit; Guys Who Give, a national nonpro t that started up a Je erson County chapter nearly two years ago.

e local Guys Who Give group gave $19,000 to Hope House Colorado as part of their quarterly giving initiative, which sees members suggest and then vote on which community nonpro t should receive their donation.

“ e guys nominate a charity, and then we all vote,” Je co Guys Who Give Vice President Brock Maher said. “(Our member) Jackson (Pugh) nominated the Hope House and did a two-minute speech about it. And since it’s Je erson County 501(c)(3), it quali ed, and we all decided that was the one that should be awarded.”

Pugh, a local high schooler, said he nominated Hope House because of his family’s history of volunteering with the nonpro t, which helps local teen moms work towards self-su ciency.

“(My connection with Hope House is) mainly through my mom,” Pugh said. “You know, she’s hard working. She does a lot for our family, and she’s always about bene ting people who are maybe less fortunate than us.

“And so, she introduced me to this charity a couple years ago when we were like dropping o donations, and ever since then, I’ve just been trying to help as much as I can,” Pugh continued.

Maher said Guys Who Give’s membership has been growing, which has allowed them to donate more money to selected charities. He added that it’s a fairly simple way for men in the community to get involved with causes that are of interest to them.

“It’s an easy way to give back,” Maher said. “We meet once a quarter. It literally takes us, like, a half hour to get through what we want to get through. And that’s just a huge impact, because we’re all kind of pooling together, and it just kind of checks all the boxes.

“Jackson and his family is involved with Hope House,” Maher continued. “So, we wouldn’t have known about Hope House unless he would have spoken about it. And then we pick three (nonpro ts) out of a hat, have those three come up and give their two-minute elevator speech, and then we tally up the votes. And it’s really fun to see.” ere are currently eight Colorado chapters of Guys Who Give, according to the nonpro t’s website.

Kaleidoscope swept the contest, winning all three awards: Best Caroling, Best Dressed and Most Holiday Spirit. PHOTOS COURTESY OF STEPHANIE PAUL.

Attendees traversed the streets of Olde Town, hearing holiday classics as the musical festivities were underway.

One of several new events this holiday season, the Olde Town Caroling Contest left its musical mark on Arvada.

Je erson County Guys Who Give present Hope House Executive Director Lisa Steven (2nd from right) with a $19,000 check

NAR’s 2024 Survey of Buyers and Sellers Provides Some Interesting Insights on the Market

Every year the National Association of Realtors (NAR) publishes a “Profile of Buyers and Sellers” which contains some useful data and insights on the real estate market.

The 2024 survey was just released and contains some interesting trends which I’ll summarize here.

The image at right is an example. In the posting of this week’s ad at http://RealEstateToday.substack.com you’ll find the full highlights of the report on the following topics:

Characteristics of home buyers

Breakdown of homes purchased

Use of real estate professionals

The home search process

How homes are being financed

The experience of home sellers

Use of listing agents by sellers

For Sale by Owner statistics and trends

Here’s just one of those highlight pages, to give you an idea the detail provided. This is the one about FSBOs (for sale by owner):

Here are some of the key take-aways from the other chapters;

Characteristics of Home Buyers: The median age of home buyers surged in 2024 over the prior year — 56 vs. 49. The median age for first-time buyers jumped from 35 to 38, and for repeat buyers jumped from 58 to 61. 73% of buyers had no children under 18 in the home, and 17% bought a multi-generational home. First-time home buyers constituted 24% of home sales, down from 32% in 2023. This was the lowest percentage since NAR started doing these surveys in 1981.

Characteristics of Homes Purchased: 15% of buyers purchased new homes from a builder. Among those who purchased existing

homes, the typical home was built in 1994, compared to homes built in the 1980s in two prior surveys. The typical home was 1,900 square feet, with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The median distance of the new home from the previous home was 20 miles, compared to 50 miles in 2022. (That was the height of Covid, spurred by remote work.) PreCovid, the median distance was typically 15 miles. 16% of 2024 buyers purchased in an urban area or central city, the highest such percentage since 2014, spurred perhaps by the end of some work-at-home arrangements. Proximity to the home buyer’s job was important to 34% of buyers, down from 52% in 2014. The top consideration this year was the quality of the neighborhood (59%), followed by proximity to friends and family (45%).

Home Buyers & Real Estate Professionals:

88% of home buyers used the services of a real estate agent. Looking at buyers of existing homes, that percentage rose to 92%. Only 63% of new home buyers were represented by an agent. 80% of first-time buyers said that their agent’s assistance in understanding the home buying process was “invaluable.”

40% of all buyers and 51% of first-time buyers found their agent through a referral from their friends, family or personal network. Most buyers only interviewed one agent — it was 71% for repeat buyers.

Although 88% of buyers said they would use their agent again or recommend him/her to others, only 21% of buyers actually used the same agent they had used before. Of those who purchased in 2024, 61% have already recommended their agent to others.

The Home Search Process: 43% of buyers said they started the process by looking at homes on the internet, with 21% first contacting an agent. 69% of buyers searched for homes on their mobile or tablet devices.

Open houses were deemed “very useful” by 23% of buyers. About 40% said they valued photos and detailed listing information, while 31% appreciated floor plans. The typical buyer spent 10 weeks house hunting and saw a median of 7 homes, 2 of them online only. 51% found the home they bought through their own online searching. 55% said that finding the right home was the most difficult part of the process.

59% of buyers said they were “very satisfied” with their home buying experience, and another 33% were “somewhat satisfied.”

Financing the Home Purchase: 91% of first-time buyers and 69% of repeat buyers financed their home purchase with a loan. These percentages were down from 92% and 81% respectively from last year. The overall percentage was 74%, meaning that 26% of all home buyers paid cash — an all-time high.

The median down payment was 9% for first-time buyers and 23% for repeat buyers, That’s the highest down payment percentage for first-time buyers since 1997 and the highest for repeat buyers since 2003. 25% of the first-time buyers used a gift or loan from a

relative to finance their down payment, but savings was the biggest source at 69%.

In 2009, 55% of first-time buyers used an FHA loan, but that has dropped to 29% now that there are many conventional loan offerings requiring minimal down payments and no mortgage insurance premium. In 2024, 52% of first-time buyers took out a conventional loan.

Home Sellers and Their Selling Experience:

The median age of home sellers in 2024 was 63 — the highest ever recorded. 69% of the sellers were married couples, the first increase in this statistic in four years. Of all the homes sold in 2024, 77% did not have any children

under 18 living in the house -- empty nesters! 66% moved within the same state, 16% within the same region. (Note: These are national statistics.) Roughly one-third bought a bigger house, one-third bought the same size house and one-third bought a smaller house. 52% bought a newer home, with the rest split equally between the same age or older home.

The single most common reason for moving (23%) was to be closer to friends and family. The median number of years that a seller owned their home was 10 years, a big drop from 6 years in 2000 to 2008.

Median time on market in 2024 was three weeks, up from two weeks in 2023.

68% of sellers were “very satisfied” with the selling process. 22% were “somewhat satisfied.”

Home Selling & Real Estate Professionals: 90% of sellers hired a listing agent, up from 89% in 2023. Only 6% were FSBO (for sale by owner), a record low percentage. Of those sellers who did not know the buyer, 95% used a real estate agent. Two-thirds of sellers used an agent who was referred to them or that they had used before. 81% interviewed only the one agent they hired. 71% of sellers who bought within 10 miles of their home used the same agent for both transactions. The most important criteria in selecting the listing agent were the agent’s reputation (35%) and the agent’s honesty (21%). 58% of sellers offered open houses.

Again, the full reports of each of the above sections can be found on our blog, http:// RealEstateToday.substack.com

Is a Reverse Mortgage the Best Option for You?

If the idea of not paying principal and interest for the rest of your life and possibly drawing a lump sum from your home’s equity to help you with taxes and insurance, sounds like something you’d like to explore, let me tell you about “reverse mortgages.” They are officially known as Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM). They can be used to purchase a home or to refinance your current home.

Many seniors are in a situation where they have substantial equity in their home but don’t have quite the amount of income they need to live on day-to-day or month-tomonth. If you are still paying on your mortgage, a HECM allows you to reduce that monthly expense by the amount of your principal and interest payment. That alone may be enough to improve your monthly cash flow, but you can also draw on your surplus equity to have additional money for living expenses or discretionary expenditures such as travel.

If downsizing is in your plans, the HECM can also be used to purchase a home that better fits your senior lifestyle.

Here’s the nitty gritty. You have to be 62 or older to qualify for a HECM. The amount of down payment or equity you need to have is based on your age and life expectancy, because the lender wants to know that you’ll outlive the equity which is going to be used up by not paying principal and interest until you die.

That down payment requirement (or equity requirement if you are refinancing into a HECM) ranges from 45% to 70%. A HECM

loan is FHA insured, which covers the possibility that you live longer than expected and drain all your equity by not paying those monthly principal and interest payments. When you die or move out, the home can be sold, and the FHA insurance means that the proceeds of the sale don’t need to cover the mortgage payoff.

If you’re married, only one of you needs to be over 62, and if the qualifying senior dies, the surviving spouse can remain in the house until he or she dies, even if that means the equity is exhausted.

You retain title to the house, just like with a conventional mortgage. You can sell at any time and pay off the loan balance with your proceeds at closing.

Because it’s an FHA loan, the closing costs of the HECM loan are greater than for a conventional loan, but, depending on your cash flow situation, it may be worth it.

Eligible property types include 1-4 unit properties, so long as you live in one of the units. It can include FHA-approved condos and townhomes, and properties that are titled in a living trust.

If you’re purchasing a home with a HECM, the seller can provide a concession for up to 6% of the purchase price to cover those higher closing costs.

If you’re not a senior but have parents who own their own home but are struggling with monthly expenses, you might want to explore with them the benefits of a reverse mortgage.

Our in-house lender, Wendy Renee, is an expert on this product. Give her a call at 303868-1903 to get your questions answered.

COMMUNITY

Martin said that she wants to assuage residents’ concerns about the Community Table building and added that the nonpro t is working on a number of partnerships, including participating Adopt-A-Street, to ensure that the nonpro t’s impact on the local community is minimal.

“We do have some things in mind in terms of that and already, the building on the outside looks beautiful,” Martin said. “It had gotten kind of overgrown with weeds and stu , and the city went in and had it cleaned up. And we’ll be doing an Adopt-A-Street program so that we’re

making sure there’s no trash or anything left on the street.

We’re doing that for a few block areas (around the building),” Martin continued.

Martin said the food bank hopes to complete its move in by May, in time for the annual Stamp Out Hunger Postal Food Drive.

“So, in February and mid-April, we’re going to be doing continuing the renovation through that those two months, and then inspections and move in are scheduled for mid-April to early May,” Martin said. “With actual move in probably late April, early May.

“We’re thinking we want to be in before the postal food drive in May,” Martin continued. “So we don’t have to move 80,000 pounds of food twice.”

Community Table CEO Sandy Martin aims to strike out hunger at the nonprofit’s new digs. PHOTOS COURTESY COMMUNITY TABLE.

Martin takes aim on a remodeling project.

Size comparison of Community Table’s old building and their soon-to-be-new location.

Floor plan for Community Table’s new digs.

Martin and Chief Operating O cer Rocky Baldassare look through a wall in the process of being knocked down. Martin and Baldassare have taken a hands-on approach with Community Table’s remodel.

FROM PAGE 1

Advocates push for full funding of Colorado’s Healthy School Meals for All program

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Parents, students, school nutrition professionals, farmers and community advocates recently gathered in Lakewood to push for the continued funding and full implementation of Colorado’s Healthy School Meals for All program.

“We decided to have our event here (in Lakewood) because it’s the heart of the Jeffco school district, and it’s where the Je erson Healthy Food Pilot program began,” said Erica Cervantes, Director of Organizing and Community Partnerships for Hunger Free Colorado.

Launched after the passage of Proposition FF in 2022, Cervantes said the program has already made a signi cant impact by providing over 600,000 free meals to students, reducing the stigma around free lunches and supporting local economies.

But amid rising food costs and growing participation, advocates say more funding is urgently needed to sustain the program. According to Chalkbeat, while Proposition FF raised more than $100 million to provide free meals for students, there was a $56 million shortfall last year.

ese advocates are calling on state lawmakers to step in during the 2025 General Assembly to ensure the program can continue to feed students, support school cafeteria sta and provide schools with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

A call for community-driven solutions

“ is assembly is important because we are the voice of our children and we are part of the community,” said Paola Carreño, a mother and part of the Je erson Food Pilot Council.

“It’s not just to leave our children without free, fresh, healthy and culturally relevant food since my son is part of tomorrow’s future. My participation in this event and e ort is a call to action to unite as a community because in unity there is strength,” she continued.

Several speakers echoed Carreño’s words at the event, and the message was clear: healthy free meals for all must continue.

Advocates highlighted the program’s bene ts, which include helping families save around $1,300 per child annually, reducing food insecurity and creating opportunities for students to access healthy, fresh meals at school, which may be the only meals they get during the week.

Beyond free meals

“We know the massive impact Healthy School Meals for All can have on the health of our local food system and everyone who touches it,” said Jen O’Neal from Common Harvest Colorado. “ ere is so much potential to continue

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to shape the future of our food system — for our kids, our planet and our local economies.”

O’Neal emphasized that supporting local farms and producers strengthens local economies and provides healthier meals for students.

Despite its success, parts of the program remain on hold due to a lack of funding. Essential components like wage increases for cafeteria workers, equipment for cooking fresh ingredients and infrastructure improvements in school kitchens are currently paused.

“ e food is free, but the rest of the pieces of the program are currently on pause because there’s not enough funding,” Cervantes said.

Without the necessary support, advocates fear the program will fall short of the vision Colorado voters had when they overwhelmingly backed Proposition FF.

Voices from the frontlines

“I like to say that I’m an educator who serves lunch because I try to educate my students on the importance of eating healthy and staying away from junk food,” said Andrea Cisneros, a kitchen manager for Je co Public Schools.

Re ecting on her childhood experiences with food insecurity, she said, “When I was a kid, growing up, we would go behind our local grocery store and jump in the dumpsters and get our dinner... My lunch ladies, my lunch men, my sta that fed me were very important to me growing up. ey must have known I was poor. ey’d always give me extra servings of food.”

Today, Cisneros nds herself on the other side, advocating for students to have access to fresh, healthy meals and for cafeteria workers like herself to be supported with livable

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wages. She pointed out that, due to budget constraints, many cafeteria workers are forced to sell junk food to students to generate extra revenue for school districts.

“I think our government, our local legislators, need to be held accountable to make sure that our schools receive enough money to keep this program going,” Cisneros said.

Her goal is to see schools fully funded so that processed snacks and a la carte sales are no longer used to ll budget gaps.

Advocates urge lawmakers to act

At the heart of the gathering was a call for lawmakers to recognize the Healthy School Meals for All program’s transformative potential and fully fund it. Advocates believe funding the program isn’t just about free meals.

ey say it’s about supporting students’ physical and cognitive development, strengthening local food systems and ensuring equitable access to healthy food.

“ is program has saved families money at a time of great hardship for many people in our community, and support has only grown as people have seen rsthand the positive impacts,” Cervantes said.

Cervantes explained that the goal is to sustain the program and fully implement its original promise to ensure local sourcing, pay school nutrition workers fair wages and create from-scratch meals in school kitchens.

“No kid should go hungry because their family is struggling to make ends meet,” Cervantes said. “We are working to make sure that we can sustain and build this program. e Healthy School Meals for All program is an investment in public education and in our children who need healthy food to learn.”

MEET CHEWY!

Chewy (302829) is a 4-year-old female American Pit Bull Terrier. Shelter volunteers say she loves petting, is easy to walk, sits politely, and excels at catching treats.

Chewy seeks a patient, gentle adopter and quiet home. She is available to dog-free households without kids, or with kids aged 10 or older.

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Community partners shared resources with those attending the assembly organized by Hunger Free Colorado. PHOTOS BY SUZIE GLASSMAN

My father had a story for almost every occasion. His stories were like a magical chapter book that would open and share insights from his life. A wonderful thing about the stories he shared was that they would span from the time of his childhood clear through that of my sister and me, the main character constantly changing.

One of the stories that he would share came from the Depression era. It started with him explaining that at that time, a dime’s worth of potatoes and a quarter’s worth of ground beef would feed their family of nine kids and two adults. en he would go on to explain that when he was about ten years old his mother entrusted him with a ve-dollar bill and told him to go to the corner grocery store and purchase potatoes and ground beef for dinner.

In his telling of the story, he left the house with the ve-dollar bill rmly in his hand. After walking a block, about half the distance to the store, he stopped; and with panicked energy began to look around for the money. He described the incredible depth of his despair as he retraced his steps, looked under every leaf,

To say 2024 was a year with a lot of ups and downs would be an understatement. A constant slew of unprecedented events kept everyone feeling on edge and I have a feeling that this unsettled sense is going to continue for a while.

Slow down and don’t panic

WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

through every drain, desperately trying to nd the currency. Finally, after what to a ten-year-old, seemed like forever, he realized he needed to go home and tell his mom about the lost money. With tears in his eyes, he walked up the stairs of the house and into the kitchen. He looked his mom squarely inthe face and gravely said that he had lost the ve dollars. He explained to her how he had looked everywhere, retraced his steps multiple times, and could not nd the money.

His mom watched him as he told his story, nished drying her hands, put down the rag she was using, hugged him, took his left hand, and pried it open, revealing the ve-dollar bill.

Being so completely my father’s son, I understand the incredible panic that the little boy in the story was experiencing.

Although Dad never said this specically, I know he was running through a

list of things that were going to happen because he lost the money, that he was berating himself for not being a better steward of the money given him, and that he was absolutely panicked to share about the loss.

Actually, I think we all understand his panic and thought process. When we face struggles, we all tend to miss what is literally within our grasp.

As I write about this story, I am struck by the number of times I have both guratively and actually panicked over losing things that are right in my grasp. It is easy to do — you get di cult news, or you struggle through your day and you convince yourself that you have lost something. For me, that panic shows up most often around physical abilities I think MS is taking. For you, it will be something di erent.

No matter the cause, that panicked response does not serve anyone.

My grandmother’s response, wiping her hands, giving dad a hug, revealing for him the truth of what was in his hand is a helpful reminder of a better way to respond.

When things seem truly awful, if we

slow down (Grandma drying her hands), remember the love that surrounds us (her hug) and look at our situation without panic (opening his hand), we will be able to deal with things more e ectively. We cannot control the fact that di cult things are going to happen in our lives; we can control how we respond in those moments.

You have got this.

I hope that you will nd inspiration in my words and share those words of encouragement with those who need it. ank you to all who have shared stories with me so far, I love hearing from you as you nd helpful morsels in these columns and nd ways to encourage those around you. I can be contacted at jim. roome@gmail.com

Jim Roome lives in Arvada with his wife Beth. He spent 34 years in public education. Lessons learned from the one two punch of being diagnosed with MS shortly before his best friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer led him into a new pursuit as a freelance writer and speaker. He uses his life experiences and love of stories to inspire, educate and encourage local, national and international audiences.

Music in 2024 reflected a challenging year COMING ATTRACTIONS

and subjects modern folk can encapsulate.

It was di cult to keep up with the music world while so much was going on (unless you’re one of the pop stars who ruled the year). To help with that, I gathered ve of my favorite releases that may have slipped by you. I hope you nd something to excite you and comfort you as we head into a new year.

Blackstarkids — ‘Saturn Dayz/Heaven on Urf’

Describing a group like Blackstarkids is a tricky proposition. eir list of in uences is so wide-ranging that naming everything doesn’t do the project justice, but su ce to say they take elements of soul, funk and hip-hop and mash it together with synth pop, indie rock and pop-punk. It’s a heady brew, but the group make music that is often so beautiful, it takes your breath away.

For their last release as a band, Blackstarkids created a two-part concept album about a young woman making her way through the afterlife. Whether or not you want to invest in that side of the storytelling is up to you, but the songs they make are undeniable. Utterly gorgeous, infectious and full of the kind of pure joy we could use more of. It’s a shame it’s their nal release, but the group goes out on the highest of notes.

Bonny Light Horseman — ‘Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free’

Bonny Light Horseman is a collaboration between Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson and Josh Kaufman, all three of whom have deep experience blending folk sensibilities with pop, rock and any other number of genres. eir third album might be their strongest yet, a sprawling sonic exploration of the many directions

Genesee Park bison

e album’s 20-track total may seem excessive, but the cumulative e ect is one of pure pleasure, as the trio of Mitchell, Johnson and Kaufman discover new and catchy ways to tell their stories. ere’s something for almost everyone to dig into — more traditional numbers and others that get under your skin and stay there. “Keep Me…” is an album to immersive yourself in — you won’t regret it.

Liana Flores — ‘Flower of the soul’

“Flower of the soul,’ the debut fulllength from British-Brazilian singer/ songwriter Liana Flores, may well be the prettiest album of the year. It brings to mind the work of legendary jazz vocalist Astrud Gilberto, but while there certainly is a jazz element to the music, Flores leans more on the acoustic side of things, creating a sound that is both lush and slightly minimalist.

Flores’ music is so lovely you’d be forgiven for slotting it in as background music, but that would do a disservice to her songwriting ability. Songs like “I Wish for the Rain” sound like they were transported out of the 1960’s, but still manage to feel fresh, instead of just a rip-o . e resulting album transports the listener to warmer climes and times — it’s a free plane ticket to a place where you can just relax and vibe.

Japandroids – ‘Fate & Alcohol’ Sometimes, a band just knows when it’s time to go. As a fan, I’d rather see a group go out on their own terms than dissolve into ghting and bitterness. So even though I’ll miss them, “Fate & Alcohol” is a tting send o to Japandroids, the Vancouver duo of Brian King and David

Prowse.

e band’s fourth and nal album is particularly special because it completes the arc the group have been on since their debut. Japandroids has always tra cked in anthemic, sing-along style guitar rock (hitting the zenith on their immortal second album, “Celebration Rock”), and that remains present here. But the lyrics are no longer driven by an unquenchable urge to spend the whole night drinking with friends. It’s more about nding peace and moving forward into whatever comes next. Heading into a new year, that’s a lesson we could all do well to learn.

Soccer Mommy — ‘Evergreen’

Over the course of her career, Sophie Allison (who records under the name Soccer Mommy) has perfected a blend of 90s grunge and indie rock with an apprecia-

A Genesee Park bison stands along the fence and basks in the mid-afternoon sun Dec. 20 near the Patrick House Trailhead. Starting in 2021, Denver Parks and Recreation has been donating surplus bison to Native American nonprofits and tribal governments to enhance conservation herds on tribal lands.

tion of generational pop gures, like Avril Lavigne and Taylor Swift. On her fourth album, “Evergreen,” she digs even deeper, coming up with an album that is stunning in its beauty and lyricism.

Written after what Allison said was a period of “profound and personal loss,” the album feels richer and more sonically exploratory than anything she’s done before. “Evergreen’s” musical palatte features more acoustic and string elements, which she uses to paint pictures of vulnerability and hope. Songs like “Some Sunny Day” and “Dreaming of Falling” just wrap you up and stick with you longer after they’re done. e whole album is a testament to the challenges we all face and inner strength to move forward. Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.

Jim Roome

Clarke Reader

PHOTO BY CORINNE WESTEMAN

hands), us withbe ectively. cult lives; those in enit. stories you colthose jim. wife educatwo shortly with purHe stories local, Avril fourth deeper, stunning a loss,” sonically befeaelements, vul“Some Falling” lonis face apreached

TikTok and timeouts:

How I took my life back from

social media

“Hold up! You’ve been scrolling for way too long now. Maybe get some food, get some water, and then come back later.”

Annoyed, I rolled my eyes at the TikTok Man and kept scrolling. TikTok’s algorithm will occasionally interject one of these “time to take a break” videos into your feed, supposedly when you’ve been on the app for over an hour. But I thought the algorithm to be a bunch of baloney. I hadn’t even been scrolling for that long! Or… had I? I closed the app to check my “screen time,” a feature on the iPhone that monitors your usage of di erent kinds of apps. e apps are grouped into categories such as “social media,” “productivity” and “navigation.” Feeling smug, I was certain the majority of my screen time that week was spent on something worthwhile. Something in the “productivity” category, surely.

“TikTok: 3 hours 53 minutes,” my phone read. I had been scrolling on that darn app for almost four hours. Four hours! My most used category? Social media. e Information and Reading category came next. Navigation was third. (I am 100% dependent on Google Maps so this came as no surprise.) e Productivity category didn’t even make my top ve. My average daily screen time was 8 hours, 27 minutes, over an hour longer than the average Gen Z-er, and I already knew my generation spends an absurd amount of time on screens. We’re not quite iPad kids (that’s Gen Alpha) but we are absolutely “chronically online.” I was stunned. Was it true? Was I doomscrolling my life away?

Desperate, I quickly devised a plan. In my Notes app. Hopefully doing so would raise my daily average in the “productivity” category. at felt important. To be frank, the amount of time I was still spending on X (formerly Twitter) despite it being a terrible app ever since Elon Musk bought it, was downright embarrassing.

I decided to name my plan “No More Brain Rot”. “Brain rot,” ironically, is a term I learned on Xitter. Urban Dictionary de nes brain rot content as “the various ‘short’ type-videos (typically a YouTube short, a TikTok, an Instagram reel etc.) that swarm social media feeds. It’s very easy to get sucked in and watch one short after another without even noticing. is lack of stimulation (or more correctly, empty stimulation) ‘rots’ the brain because of its self-repetition and low quality.”

As I began to draft my plan, I was reminded of something my dad used to tell my brother and me when we were kids. He told us that watching too much TV can turn your brain into soup. I fear he was on to something.

While Urban Dictionary and dad jokes are great in their own right, they’re not exactly reputable sources. So I did a little bit more research. I could spend hours on TikTok or Instagram without even noticing, let alone remembering any of the content I took in. When I watched a movie, however, or read a long-form article, I retained virtually all of it. Why is that? I wondered.

It turns out that short-form content

GUEST

COLUMN

OBITUARIES

MCGLATHERY Deborah (Debby) Jane (Waymon) McGlathery April 25, 1948 - December 16, 2024

Deborah (Debby) Jane Waymon

McGlathery passed peacefully on December 16, 2024 at Chandler Hall Health Services in Newtown, PA, succumbing to the ravages of dementia.

the Arvada Presbyterian Church, and also a volunteer with Friends of Man, an out t that comes to the rescue with cash when it is direly needed.

London Lyle

like TikToks or reels on Instagram and Facebook give us an instant dopamine release in the brain’s reward pathways. Scientists say this makes dopamine levels spike to way above baseline. When you watch a movie or read a book, the dopamine release is a slow burn. You have to practice delayed grati cation to get the most out of the experience.  We live in an attention economy, meaning human attention has been commodi ed. Modern marketing tactics aim to “buy” your attention. Social media companies know this, and have designed their algorithms in a way that keeps you scrolling. And scrolling. And scrolling.

As a result, young Americans’ attention spans have gotten shorter over time. ere is a growing amount of popular books, documentaries and TedX Talks on the subject, such as Atomic Habits, Scroll Zombies, e Social Dilemma, Dopamine Nation and more.

Not to be dramatic, but my reliance on those little dopamine hits throughout the day felt a little bit like an addiction in its own right. I was worried about what my “withdrawals” might look like. So as I put together my plan, I knew I needed to nd other things to do when I craved these digital drugs.

I thought back to what I used to do before social media. Tapped into my inner child. I used to spend more time outside. I used to read more books. I used to call my grandparents more often. Suddenly, the prospect of a digital detox seemed a little less scary.

No More Brain Rot was a minimalistic program. It only had three steps.

Step one: Delete, Delete, Delete e rst step was deleting all of my social media apps. Not my accounts, just deleting the apps o of my phone. While I had worries about missing the next “demure” joke, “Moo Deng” video, and other viral moments, I put my pride aside. What’s more important, being upto-date on all the latest lingo and online trends, or improving my mental health and quality of life? If I had to be out of the loop for a beat, so be it.

Step two: Timeout Timeline

e next step was to come up with a timeline. I had no idea how long a digital detox should last. I decided to shoot for 70 days because that’s how long Amy Winehouse said rehab takes, and this is basically the same thing. (Also, fortunately, I do have 70 days to work on this!)

I also decided to make a goal of cutting my screen time in half. at meant I would allow myself 4½ hours of screen time a day. is step was important because without setting goals related to my screen time, I risked replacing my social media usage with Reddit or Candy Crush. Sticking to it for 70 days ensured I had enough time to form new,

Debby was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on April 25, 1948, grew up in New Castle, and graduated from De La Warr High School. She went to Western State College in Colorado - even though she didn’t ski! ere she met and married John Garber, who died a few years later from the lingering e ects of Agent Orange.

Debby began taking coursework at the University of Colorado to become a Certi ed Teacher. She also began dating one of her teachers, Glenn McGlathery, whom she would soon marry. He had two daughters from his rst marriage and Deb took to the role of step-mother very well. Glenn was a big teddy-bear of a Texan and they often visited family members in the hill country. As a fth-grade teacher, she loved having her summers o , as did he, and they travelled widely. She was a member of

Alas, after 27 happy years of marriage, Glenn died in 2015 at the age of 80. She continued to live in the same house until it became obvious that her memory was failing her. Her older brother Todd brought her back east to the Floral Creek Memory Care facility in Yardley, PA, where she lived for almost 5 years.

Predeceasing her were her parents, Ernest and Marijane Waymon, who had moved from New Castle, Delaware to Arvada, Colorado in 2007. Deb is survived by her brother Todd Waymon and his wife Lynne of Newtown, PA. She also has two stepdaughters, Carrie and Laurie, and 4 grandchildren and 4 great- granddaughters.

In lieu of owers, Deb asked that contributions be sent in her name to Friends of Man in Littleton, Colorado, a charity dear to her heart.

Experts give insight on how to stick to your New Year’s resolutions

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Afew years ago, Randi Smith received an Italian accordion as a gift from her husband.

For years, it had been her goal to learn how to play the instrument. She planned to start learning once she retired, but her husband encouraged her to start before that.

But, despite resolving each new year to become an accordion player, Smith still hasn’t learned to play.

“I set myself up, because my goal to learn to play the accordion — it wasn’t speci c enough, and it certainly wasn’t attainable enough,” she said. “Whatever I did have in my mind was a fantasy rather than an achievable, measurable, stepwise map towards progress. It was just like, ‘I’m gonna learn how to play the accordion this year!’”

Smith, a professor of psychological sciences at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, said her story is a common one. Research shows that people tend not to stick to

their New Year’s resolutions beyond a few weeks, with some articles stating the failure rate is as high as 80% by February. rough her research and her work as a licensed psychologist and a licensed clinical social worker, Smith has seen that many people do not achieve their goals for a variety of common reasons. Whether people are making New Year’s resolutions or setting goals at another time of year, there are tips everyone can keep in mind when aiming to build new habits.

One strategy, Smith said, is to set realistic and measurable goals. Unlike her goal to learn to play the accordion, she said good goals should be speci c, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Many experts refer to these goals by the acronym “SMART.”

For learning to play the accordion, a smart goal could be to play 20 minutes per day, ve days per week and master the song “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” by February, Smith said.

A man scrolls on his phone in his bed at night. SHUTTERSTOCK

TOP LEFT: An accordion, gifted to Randi Smith by her husband. COURTESY OF RANDI SMITH

RESOLUTIONS

“It’s speci c,” she said. “I think it’s achievable. It’s time-bound because it just gives me one month to get that far. And, I can certainly measure it and see whether I’ve been able to do that.”

Smith said it can also be helpful to write goals down. Putting goals on paper encourages the goal-setter to think about how to make the objective more structured, and also helps a person track their progress.

It’s critical, however, to make sure that you aren’t too hard on yourself if you falter, Smith said. She said one roadblock to reaching a goal is “developing this all-ornothing thinking around it.”

“As soon as there’s something that is not counted as success toward the goal, the person feels like, ‘I’m a failure, I blew it — better try again next year,’” she said. “Obviously, that’s not good, and that’s why so many resolutions fail within the rst couple weeks or couple months.”

Smith said many people think they need to be hard on themselves in order to keep themselves accountable, but that strategy can actually back re.

“Sadly, the inner-drill-sergeant approach doesn’t really work, because then failure seems so total,” she said. “ e truth of the matter is — and it’s born out in the research, and I certainly see it in my own psychotherapy practice — that you’re actually creating more space for success if (you choose) to be more exible and kind to yourself.”

Cindy Morris, a clinical psychologist, said there are also things to keep in mind when deciding which habits to build for yourself. She is the clinical director of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus’ Behavioral Health and Wellness Program, where her team

trains organizations around the country to help them help patients and clients change their behaviors.

Speci cally, her program trains healthcare organizations, mental health organizations and community and public health groups to help their clients live nicotinefree, practice self-care and improve sleep habits, nutrition, physical activity and more.

Morris said self-awareness is the most important step to changing behavior. First, she said it’s important to reect on your emotions, especially when you feel guilty or bad about something you have done or continue to do.

“It’s important to listen to it and see what the emotion is telling you,” she said. “Is it,‘I feel bad because I have a rule in my mind, a thought, a belief that tells me this is bad to do?’ or is it that it actually isn’t right for me? Once you get a sense of what’s going on — what is it that you want or don’t want — then you can focus more on the behavior.”

When a person decides they want to change a behavior or build a healthy habit, Morris said, it’s helpful to re ect on the triggers or cues that lead to the behavior they’re trying to change, what their current routine is and what the reward is.

“As people are aware of this kind of habit loop, then they can choose a new, di erent behavior, or di erent habit that they want to practice, and then they can replace the routine,” she said.

For example, if a person nds themself going to sleep late because they always stay up scrolling on their phone, they might recognize that this happens in the lull in the evening after they nish cleaning up from dinner, Morris said. ey might try to replace their mindless phone use at that time of night with reading a novel or taking a relaxing bath — something that can still let them get the reward of turning their brain o for a little bit before they go to sleep, without keeping them awake all night.

Morris said practice is an important part of habit-

“It just feels good to not only be thinking about yourself but to have other people in mind and wonder how they’re doing on what they wanted to be accountable towards.”

Ty

building.

“It’s not like anyone does anything like, say, plays a sport or something (and) the rst time you do it, you’re incredible and you’re going to the Olympics,” she said. “It’s incremental. And so, we want to be gentle with ourselves.”

Morris and Smith both said having social support is a helpful environment when you are practicing new habits.

“( ere’s) good empirical support for having social support when we’re working on a new goal,” Smith said. “If my goal is to lose 30 pounds in 2025, having a partner who is engaging with me — maybe somebody I meet with to have some regular exercise, or joining a support group to improve my nutrition and master my overeating... We know those things are helpful.”

For Lakewood resident Ty Preizler, having social support is helpful when working towards goals. at’s why he started the Denver Healthy Habits Accountability Group, a community for people to come together to support each other in building new habits.

“I nd that I’m I’m way more motivated when I know that there’s going to be a group of people in a few weeks that I’m going to sit there and talk with about this,” he said. “Just having that companionship makes it a lot easier to stick to to the habits that we want.”

His group, which he launched in October, generally meets once a month. ey discuss their goals and sometimes do guided meditations or journaling sessions to re ect. With a variety of ages and backgrounds, the group members are working towards goals related to tness, nutrition and nding purpose in life.

Learn more about the group at https://www.meetup. com/denver-healthy-habits-accountability-group/.

So far, Preizler said his favorite part of the group has been getting the chance to help people, hearing their challenges and nding a community of people who understand and encourage self-improvement.

Psychology professor Randi Smith says it can be helpful to write down your goals. SHUTTERSTOCK

Preizler, Lakewood resident

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Cases coming out of the cold, thanks to DNA

Weld detective helping families uncover what happened to loved ones

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

One case that is always at the top of the mind for Weld County cold case Detective Byron Kastilahn is that of Nicole Silvers, a Longmont teen who disappeared 11 years ago in April.

Silvers’ sister had dropped her o at her Longmont home at 3 a.m. on April 9, 2014, and that’s the last time she was seen.

A roommate checked on her two days later and found all of her belongings gone. A missing juvenile report was made three days after that and local police, including Weld County, talked to her friends and family.

Nothing suspicious has ever turned up, and Kastilahn said that bothers him.

“ is case doesn’t make any sense,” said Kastilahn. “Like most cases, it could be drug-related, or a spouse did it. I can’t prove it. is one could be an abduction, or maybe she ran away, and then something happened.

“It’s a strange one. In this case, I’d like to nd out what happened,” he said.

Kastilahn, who joined Weld County’s cold case unit in 2020, has many cases just like Silvers. But this year, he has had some remarkable successes using DNA testing to solve four long-standing, complex cases – one dating back to 1973.

In June 2024, Weld County announced they had identi ed a man found in a eld in Greeley on Valentine’s Day 2000. An autopsy of the human remains found no evidence of foul play, according to ofcials. Deputies labeled the man John Doe 2000, and the case went cold until

what had happened to Kay Day. She had been murdered in 1979, found strangled in the back of her Datsun hatchback with the belt from her own coat. Investigators focused on her husband Chuck Day but could never settle the case.

What happened to Kay Day – and to Chuck, as it turned out – would remain a mystery until 2021.

A DNA test from the autopsy’s sexual assault kit turned up a match on the national DNA database belonging to James Herman Dye in Wichita, Kans. Dye had a history of sexual assaults and was a student at Aims Community College in 1979 who had attended classes in the building where Kay Day worked.

When confronted by Kastilahn and the

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cases may receive similar breakthroughs needed to deliver the answers and the justice the victim’s families so rightfully deserve.”

en in December, the department announced a break in one of their coldest cases, a young girl who had been found along the St. Vrain River west of Platteville in 1973. DNA results identify those remains as belonging to Roxanne Leadbeater, a 15-year-old girl who had disappeared in 1972 from Los Angeles.

Kastilahn said the department is still

investigating the circumstances of her

“It makes me feel great when I do solve these cases,” Kastilahn said.

Kastilahn was born in Pueblo, raised in Southeastern Kansas, and returned to Colorado when he was 19. After high school, he became interested in joining

“To be an FBI agent, you need a degree in either law or accounting, and neither interested me,” Kastilahn said.

“But there’s a third route you can go, where you can go to college and get any degree and then become a police o cer or some law enforcement career. If I did that for a few years, and then with the degree and the experience in police work, you can become an FBI agent,” Kastilahn

Kastilahn attended Colorado State University and earned a degree in social sciences with a criminal justice interdisciplinary degree, then started a job as a student o cer at Colorado State Univer-

“My rst job in the 1990s was with the Brighton police department. As a police o cer, I like this quite a bit. I enjoyed working in patrol much more than I thought I would, but I thought it was just a means to an end,” he said.

But Kastilahn learned that the work he was doing as a police o cer was much the same as what FBI agents do, just closer to where he wanted to be.

“It’s more local,” he said, “I’d be sent to Washington, D.C., and Quantico and then

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Detective Byron Kastilahn with the Weld County Sheri ’s O ce cold case unit. PHOTO BY BELEN WARD

COLD CASES

get assigned to Vermont or somewhere. I liked living in Colorado, so it made sense to stay in law enforcement here. I’ve always been in Northern Colorado.”

Kastilahn said he had admired the Weld County Sheri ’s O ce.

“I’d interacted with several deputies and detectives on cases, and I found the Weld County Sheri ’s O ce very professional and well-organized. ey do excellent work. So I wanted to be part of that,” Kastilahn said.

Into the cold

Kastilahn said he’s been working for the Weld County Sheri ’s O ce since 2019. He became a regular detective in 2020 for about two months and then became the cold case detective in March 2020.

“ e sheri wanted to have a cold case detective at the o ce, which they didn’t have, and he wanted to do it for a long time,” Kastilahn said. “When the position came up, I said I’d like to try that.”

What interested Kastilahn about the cold cases was that each was something di erent. “I had specialized in computer crime for a while. I have done a lot of property crimes, such as fraud, thefts, signi cant thefts, and other cases,” Kastilahn said. “I also investigated crimes with people from child sex assault to homicide, but a cold case was something I never even had an opportunity to look at.”

Matching DNA

replaced with newer genetic identi cation techniques.

Kastilahn said that law enforcement has solved more cases with DNA, but there are still plenty to sort through. Since Kastilahn started in 2020, they have had a backlog of 40 cases in Weld County alone. Keeping cases open

Some cases need ongoing investigation, Kastilahn said. Some of those are homicides. e instances that lack information are kept active just in case further information or evidence is found.

For example, Kastilahn said he’s looked more deeply into some tra c accidents. Although there may be other suspicious facts surrounding the accident, all the evidence demonstrates that’s all it was.

In one case, a woman su ering from a terminal disease fell down a set of stairs in 1986. She was injured and died from the fall, but the case remained under investigation.

“ at case stayed open because there was a history of domestic violence,” Kastilahn said. “You know, the husband says he was out shing, but let’s keep it open just in case. He had an alibi. He had a friend with them.” at said, Kastilahn is a fan of keeping tabs on it.

“I think it’s a good idea to keep the case open until you can guarantee it should be closed because it’s unfounded.”

Kastilahn’s success has depended upon DNA testing. Samples from crime scenes are submitted to the national combined DNA information system, or CODIS.

“If you have DNA from a scene, you can send it to a lab, and they’ll see if it matches somebody with a felony record. With CODIS, if you were convicted of a felony, they would have to provide DNA swabs and have your DNA in the system that is

nationwide,” Kastilahn said.

According to o cials, by the 1990s, the genetic ngerprinting of molecular structures of victims and suspects was used in criminal investigations worldwide. Today, RFLP-based DNA analysis is being

Visit the cold cases that are open and being investigated at https://www.weldsheri .com/Community/Cold-CaseFiles.

If you have any information regarding these cold cases, don’t hesitate to contact Detective Kastilahn at (970) 400-2827 or email him at bkastilahn@weld.gov.

WELD COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

healthier habits.

Step three: Touching Grass

Once I had a clean (app-free) slate and a rough timeline to work with, I was ready for step three, which I called “touching grass.” I thought of things I’d like to do more in my day-to-day life, and then when I wanted to go on my phone, I did one of those things instead. Reading, calling a friend, working out, meditating, journaling, pondering over the meaning of life … there are endless possibilities. I didn’t do all of these things every day, but it helped to have a lot of options.

My Takeaway

One of my goals for 2024 was to read ve books. It might sound like a low bar to clear, but up until I began this challenge in late September, my 2024 book count was a whopping two. And one was an audiobook, so does that really count? Determined to avoid yet another failed New Year’s resolution, I picked out a stack of books and got to work. I couldn’t believe I had abandoned my love for reading for hours of doomscrolling on social media. And while I still have one to go, I can con dently say it was a success.

One of the interesting things about giving up social media is you remember who your reallife friends are. My real friends and I still texted and hung out like normal. Sure, they couldn’t send me funny TikToks or memes for 10 weeks, but we still communicated. is made me examine the people on my social media. I realized I was following so many people I don’t talk to anymore, which made my social media experience all the more overwhelming at times.

Whether it was a classmate from high school, or someone I met at a party during undergrad, it all felt like unnecessary clutter. It’s nothing personal; it’s just that I don’t need to know Chad from eta Xi’s thoughts on cryptocurrency. I vowed to unfollow quite a few of these folks once my digital detox ended.

I wasn’t perfect every day, but I was reminded of one of my former editor’s favorite quotes, “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” Focusing on the good, the results of my 70-day digital detox are pretty rad. I got back into reading, learned how to do a pulIup, spent more time outside, and felt more present in my day-to-day life. I even inspired my stepdad to join in on the challenge with me. It was helpful to have someone else to go through the process with. And he’s actually still going!

So, what now?

While part of me thought I could keep going forever, it didn’t feel realistic for me to never return to social media, both as a young reporter and an Enjoyer of Memes. But the process has changed my approach to social media. I don’t use it as a distraction from real life anymore. Instead, I try to use other habits for escapism, like listening to podcasts, going out for a walk or getting lost in a book. Since I’ve unfollowed a lot of people, I notice that spending time on social media doesn’t make me feel bad about myself the way it used to. Comparison is the thief of joy, and comparing myself to in uencers was not serving me in any way. rough my research while on the break, I learned about a lot of tools people use to limit their social media usage. Once I returned, I set up controls on my phone that “time me out” of social media usage. It’s like using parental controls on a kid’s iPad, except I’m doing it for myself. ere are tons of apps out there that can help you limit your social media use.   I’m proud to say that if you look at my screen time report today, the ‘productivity’ category has taken rst place.

My average daily screen time was 8 hours, 27 minutes, over an hour longer than the average Gen Z-er, and I already knew my generation spends an absurd amount of time on screens. We’re not quite iPad kids (that’s Gen Alpha) but we are absolutely “chronically online.” LONDON LYLE

Colorado cyclist returns from 5-year trip around the globe

Ted Eliason details circumnavigating the world on his bicycle

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMNMUNITYMEDIA.COM

After over ve years pedaling across 56 countries spanning ve continents, Ted Eliason is back in time for the holidays and enjoying the creature comforts of his Westminster home.

On Dec. 14, Eliason, 57, turned the nal corner of his neighborhood bordering Westminster and Arvada on his Surly bike to return at last to his wife, Kendra, and the welcome sight of his friends, family and food he’d missed for a half-decade.

It only took 51,164 miles and 1,379 days.

Eliason had always planned to climb the Himalayas. To prepare for this bucket-list goal, he moved to Colorado in 1999 with the idea of using the Front Range as a training ground for tackling the tallest peaks in the world. He and Kendra had lived a life together of rock climbing, ice climbing, mountain climbing and all sorts of mountaineering adventures (including summiting all of Colorado’s 14ers), from the Rockies to the Alps to the Andes and in Canada.

But one day a mountaineering accident broke Eliason’s foot. To help in his recovery, he took up cycling, but could never have guessed the places it would take him.

“I had started watching people on Instagram doing this kind of cycling, and realized the money that I would spend on one guided peak in the Himalayas was enough to fund me for about three years on a bicycle instead,” Eliason said. “And so I sort of changed my lifetime goal at the last minute. Instead of taking three months with a 50% chance of success at one mountain, how about we take three years and try to go through 50 countries around the world in one trip? And so I was at a point in my life where I decided, if I’m ever going to take a shot at this, this is when I need to do it.”

Part I: Hitting the open road … and quick roadblocks

After weeks of planning and plotting, he set out on his expedition in 2019, pulling his loaded-up bike out of his garage to trek across the country to Newfoundland, stopping during nights to set up camp and nd at ground for his tent. In the beginning, it was easy to overthink, and to overdo just about everything, he said.

“Absolutely there were a lot of doubts,” Eliason said. “I started by over-planning, over-gearing, over-spending. And it’s funny. e longer that I’ve been doing this, the more my executive

thinking about, ‘OK, where do I have to be tomorrow? Where am I going to eat, sleep, you know, what can I a ord?’ And over time, I just got better at it.”

He rode his momentum down to Providence, Rhode Island, where he’d y across the pond to start his European stint. After landing in Dublin, Eliason powered up to Scotland before turning south for Brindisi, Italy, to wind around the Alps to the east.

A ferry took him to Greece, where he biked east through Croatia to the Danube River.

Following the ancient waterway from Serbia to Bulgaria, Eliason quickly learned that this trip wouldn’t be possible in just three years. e COVID-19 pandemic would halt his journey and the world over.

“I missed the Turkish border from Bulgaria by a day,” Eliason said. “ I got to Bulgaria, and then basically the whole country just locked down. Which, you know, if you’re going to get stuck, Bulgaria is a good place. It’s the least expensive country in the EU. I had a very comfortable one-bedroom apartment on the Black Sea. I wound up staying there for three months waiting

for the Turkish border to open, which it never did.”

Discouraged and antsy, Eliason reluctantly made for the So a International Airport, ashing his passport to guards through highway checkpoints and nally being let through.

Getting home was an expensive roadblock in his journey, costing him both his nances and his time.

Upon his return, Eliason quickly discovered (unsurprisingly) that he wasn’t satis ed sitting around waiting for the Earth to reopen. Before he knew it, he was back on the bike.

“When I got home, I wasn’t ready to stop,” he said. “My wife suggested I bike out to Oregon and see my brother, and I had always wanted to do the West Coast bicycle route down Highway 1. My COVID loop was up to Glacier, over to the U.S.-Canada border, down the West Coast to Tijuana. And back at that point, I was in California spending $8 on a box of Triscuits, and just was like, this is not the priority for spending. So I went home, and I kind of rotted for a year and a half and waited.”

Ted Eliason poses in front of a sign depicting the longest road through Australia. He biked from Perth to Sydney on his journey. COURTESY PHOTOS

Ted Eliason (middle in yellow) poses in front of his Westminster home with friends and family after a five-year cycling trip around the world. Eliason trekked across five continents before finally returning to the garage he had left five years prior.

Part II: Getting back in the saddle

By April of 2022, Eliason nally felt borders had opened enough to pick back up where he left o . But this time, Kendra was coming along, if only for a bit.

e adventurers went back to Greece for Round Two. ey enjoyed parts of Greece and Turkey together for two weeks before Kendra returned to the U.S. and sent him o for Central Asia. A bus took her to the airport in Istanbul.

As for Eliason, he made it into Turkey this time and followed a path across Georgia and Central Asia to the Chinese border.

Rather than go through China, which was still closed due to the pandemic, he traveled to Almaty, Kazakhstan, to y rst to Dehli, India, before connecting to Leh, one of the northernmost points of India and a key historical trade point also known for stunning views and cultural signi cance.

After enjoying a week of backpacking in the area, Eliason continued his journey down the west coast of India around the peninsula to Chennai on the eastern side. Kendra ew to meet him again in Bangkok in January 2023.

All the way from Bangkok to Nha Trang, Vietnam, the two cycled across Cambodia together for ve weeks. It was an experience the two will relish forever and was the favorite stint of the long journey for both riders.

“South Asia was freaking amazing. I would go back,” Kendra said. “ ere’s not many places I would say I would go back. e riding was so amazing. ere’s always a huge shoulder (to bike on), and they’re all on two wheels. You’d see families of six on one motorcycle. It was so crazy exhilarating to go through South Vietnam. e tra c was just insane. We had kids chasing us and cheering us on (and) little kids racing us on bicycles. It was like a bicycle culture.”

From there, Kendra went home while Eliason looped up through Vietnam solo to the Chinese border before wrapping around Laos to get to ailand. He moved south through Malaysia before hopping over to Indonesia to bike from Java to Bali, concluding the Asian stint of his journey.

Another ight took him to Australia, where he’d trek across the outback from Perth all the way to Sydney before taking to New Zealand. While this portion of his trip was undoubtedly beautiful, Eliason said Australia and New Zealand, much like the U.S., can be di cult to navigate.  “ e U.S. and Canada together, as well as Australia and New Zealand, are geared around cars, and how you travel through them is just very di erent from how you travel in the rest of the world,” Eliason said. “ e rest of the world is, in general, much easier. I mean, there are towns everywhere, there’s food everywhere (and) it’s more a ordable.” ere would be long stretches of highway between cities or towns that would make him push harder to reach a food source, or often camp for the night and survive on what he already had on his person.

After ve weeks in New Zealand, it was time to go back to the Americas.

Part III: Back to the Americas

Landing in Santiago, Chile, the nal stretch up South America back to Colorado was underway. But rst, he’d loop down the Carretera Austral highway to Ushuaia, Argentina, dubbed the “end of

the world” at the southernmost point of South America on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago.

Most of 2023 had passed since Eliason had seen Kendra. But she decided to y south for the winter in December to explore ve South American countries with him.

ey met in Calafate to cycle through Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande Do Sol Brazil, Paraguay and nally Bolivia to La Paz where she ew home again ve months after she’d arrived.

us began the last leg of his transcontinental journey. It began with Peru, which Eliason said was the beginning of his travel burnout.

“Peru was absolutely the most di cult for me,” Eliason said. “ e Himalayas are easier because the roads are like the Front Range — like (here). In Peru, they are not. ey are up and over repeatedly. So you’re doing 3,000-meter climbs, which can take two days, and then going down and doing it again. It’s very safe.

e people are very nice. e dogs are a bit aggressive. But getting through the Peruvian Andes for me was just really, really grueling.”

He continued up through Ecuador and Colombia before taking a sailboat to Panama. Central America took him through Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala before he broke through to Mexico.

e American Southwest was beckoning, and Eliason was anxious to chase it. He longed for his wife, his bed and some Taco Bell.

He nally broke through to Arizona, riding the desert up to Utah and cutting across to Colorado. Just a week from home, a snowstorm would hit Colorado, delaying his nal homecoming. He camped in Parker before making his way to Denver, stopping at the REI at Con uence Park downtown.

Local cyclists and friends joined him there to make the nal stretch back to his Westminster garage. Eliason was welcomed home with a party, a makeshift “ nish line” to break through, and lots of food he’d been missing.

After six sets of tires, countless ats, seven broken chains, eight sets of brake pads, over 20 spokes, four rim/wheel repairs, ve pairs of pedals, 3½ saddles and over 10 ights, he pulled into the garage he’d embarked from ve years ago.

Dismounting from his trusty Surly Disc Trucker, he fell into the arms of his wife while friends and family cheered, ready to celebrate his return. It was sunny and 50 degrees, and for the rst time, Eliason didn’t have to set up camp or worry about what tomorrow’s road would bring.

“ ere’s far, far less to fear about most countries in the world than I ever expected,” Eliason said, re ecting on a lifechanging journey. “ e vast majority of countries will greet a foreign traveler on a bicycle, even an American traveler, like a long-lost relative. I mean, people are just generally good, curious, kind, hospitable people.”

For more photos and to experience Eliason’s journey mile by mile, visit @ bikingthebluemarble on Instagram, and stay tuned for his experience in his own words in a forthcoming book he plans to begin soon.

THERE’S MORE ONLINE!

See more photos at https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/2024/12/17/ colorado-cyclist-returns-from-5-year-triparound-the-globe/ and read answers to four more questions we asked Ted Eliason.

Pictured is a campsite Ted Eliason from Colorado set up along Peru’s grueling highway through the Andes mountains.

Ted and Kendra Eliason pose for a photo as they cross into Brazil.

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Safe parking e ort runs out of money

CSPI worked to let homeless shelter in their vehicles overnight

BY MONTE WHALEY MWHALEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A program that drew volunteers, local faith communities and governments into an e ort to o er safe places for people sheltering in their vehicles is shutting down.

Despite its closure after COVID-19-related funding dried up, the Colorado Safe Parking Initiative helped bring to light the struggles of metro-area residents who lived in their cars, trucks and vans after they were forced out of their homes, a co-founder of the initiative said.

“I would say, in general, the experience and needs of unhoused people have been more prioritized since the pandemic,” CSPI Executive Director Terrell Curtis said via email.

“More speci cally, in the nearly ve years CSPI has operated, we have elevated the experience and needs of people relegated to sheltering in their vehicle because existing resources don’t meet their speci c needs. In our experience, communities across metro Denver have embraced and adopted a safe parking model and realized the success that brings to people who can stabilize and move on to appropriate housing solutions,” Curtis said.

“Safe parking is recognized across the Front Range, and elsewhere in the state, as a safe, simple, e cient and cost-e ective intervention for this unique population,” added Curtis.

CSPI will cease operations on Dec. 31.

CSPI was formed ve years ago after a group of volunteers and local faith communities came together to gure out how to provide safe places for people sheltering in their vehicles to park overnight, according to a CSPI news release.

Relying on funding related to COVID-19 recovery — including the American Rescue Plan Act — CSPI grew to offer “safe lots” in ve counties: Je erson, Denver, Broom eld, Adams, Arapahoe/ Aurora.

More than 100 people slept safely every night, formed communities, and found their way into stable living situations and the organization’s central operations were supported by government funds, according to the news release.

But available government funding is no longer su cient to support operations of the Colorado Safe Parking Initiative, and CSPI o cials do not expect that situation to improve in the coming years.

“ e federal government considers people living in their vehicles to be un-

housed. As a result, many city and county governments have diverted funding from safe parking to programs that immediately move people into housing or indoor shelter,” the news release states.

CSPI’s many partners will continue to operate in partnership with nonpro t and government partners in their communities.  In this way, the work of safe parking continues in Metro Denver, and we are working with them so they can be set up for success, according to the CSPI news release.

e lots that have been part of the CSPI program that are expectec to continue

o ering services include 11 churches,

e Salvation Army (which hosts one lot in Adams County), and a lot on a private commercial parking lot that will be supported by Almost Home in Adams County, Curtis said.

e need for some form of stable housing is still there, Curtis said.

CSPI received more than 1,700 calls for help last year and at least 799 people in the Denver Metro area have been identi ed as living in vehicles, Curtis said in the email.

“In the four short years since our founding, CSPI is proud to have demon-

strated the e ectiveness of safe parking as a community-based intervention for those experiencing homelessness and living in their vehicles,” Curtis said.

“We are so grateful to all of our government, nonpro t, and faith community partners, and especially to the generous donors who supported this vital work,” the news release states.

“Together, genuine change came for hundreds of families,” according to CSPI. “Additionally, CSPI could not have even been created without the support and generosity of our scal sponsor, e Barton Institute for Community Action.”

A designated safe parking area reserved for homless people living out of the cars in Lakewood in 2023. The e ort is suspending its e orts, although some individual groups will still o er safe parking. FILE PHOTO

IT TAKES A VILLAGE