Delta County Independent, Sept. 23, 2015 by Delta County Independent

NORTH FORK TIMES

SURFACE CREEK NEWS

BOUNTIFUL HARVEST

SPORTS

EVERY PENNY COUNTS

Mountain Harvest Festival celebrates all things local, B1-8

SMALL TEAM, BIG HEART

Cedaredge thrift stores give the community a lift, C2

DELTA COUNTY

Paonia tennis program draws players from Hotchkiss, B10

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 VOL. 132, NO. 38

75¢

INDEPENDENT

www.deltacountyindependent.com

Appeal made for homeless shelter BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

As construction of the homeless shelter moves toward completion, The Abraham Connection finds its building fund depleted. Board members have approached the city for help in ensuring the facility can open as anticipated on Nov. 1. The Abraham Connection is also applying for grants, conducting fundraisers and appealing to community members to cover the shortfall, board president Cheryl Oeltjenbruns said at the Sept. 15 city council meeting. The new 4,800-square-foot shelter is located at the corner of 5th and Silver, on land purchased from the city for half its appraised value of $40,000. In addition to that $20,000 donation, the city paid over $18,000 to have a sewer line moved. Soon after excavation began, the construction crew encountered the remnants of an old feed mill and coal loadout station. Instead of an estimated five days, excavation took 22 working days. The cost escalated from $8,477 to $21,762 to excavate, remove and dispose of the coal residue

and 150 to 200 cubic yards of concrete. A sewer grease trap and pipeline also took more money and time than anticipated. In addition, the city required the installation of a six-inch potable water line ($7,709), a tap fee of $5,800 and site drainage work ($6,879). None of the costs were anticipated. These unexpected expenses total $34,903. Several board members attended the city council meeting, including Oeltjenbruns and general contractor Dick Kirkpatrick. They had no specific requests, but were looking for anything the City of Delta could offer to help the homeless shelter open on schedule. Abraham Connection is asking the county for help with the gravel parking lot. Council members were sympathetic, but reluctant to refund any fees for fear of generating a long line of similar requests. Instead, they directed city staff to work with The Abraham Connection to issue a temporary certificate of occupancy that would allow specified items — unrelated to HOMELESS SHELTER TO A3

Road work is winding down

Photo by Pat Sunderland

Colorado Department of Transportation crews pause to let a Union Paciﬁc train pass through the crossing at Highway 50 in Delta. The railroad crossing was closed for several days while UP and CDOT crews worked around the clock to make much-needed improvements to the crossing. When this photo was taken Tuesday morning, crews were repaving the highway on both sides of the railroad crossing, with the expectation the highway would be reopened by the end of the day. Steve Glammeyer, City of Delta public works director, said 5th Street will reopen soon, as well. Wells Farming & Excavating is in the ﬁnal stages of the stormwater project funded by a $1 million DOLA grant, with a $500,000 city match. On F Road, paving was scheduled to begin Wednesday following extensive replacement of culverts.

Chamber is rethinking Downtown DeltaFest BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

With the completion of the truck route, the Delta Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed the unique opportunity to close down a portion of Main Street for special events such as parades and street fairs. The intent — to draw area residents downtown to enjoy music, food and vendors, and to see what Main Street merchants had to offer. Similar events have been confined to side streets in the past; this year the chamber obtained a permit to close Main for three Downtown DeltaFests, the last on Sept. 10. Those three events were

enough to convince many downtown merchants that shutting down Main Street is a bad idea. To allow vendors time to set up, city crews have blocked off the street as early as 3 p.m. for an event that started at 5 p.m. Traffic was redirected from Highway 92 to 6th, although the event itself was confined to the 300-500 blocks, depending on the number of vendors, which varied. Scott Thomassen, co-owner of Classic Computers said the closure cut off access to his business, which is located at 238 Main Street. Customers who didn’t realize they could access parking via the alley had to park some distance

away — not the ideal scenario for those carrying a computer in need of repair. “I understand the intent is to bring people downtown, but closing the whole street is not the answer,” Thomassen said. “I would like to see the street remain open in front of my business if they’re not going to put any vendors there.” Another business owner in the 200 block threatened legal

BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

The City of Delta has been asked to increase its membership status and commit an additional $3,000 for special events. The request was made by executive director Leslie Workman during a city council work session. She began by thanking the city for its support. Without assistance from city hall, parks, recreation center staff, public works and the police department, none

INDEX

Accent ........................... A4 Activities ....................... A7 Back Page ................. D10 Bruin Tracks ................C3-8 Church ........................... D8 Classifieds .................. D1-2 Editorial ......................... A2 Legals ......................... D3-7 Mtn. Harvest Fest .... B5-8 North Fork Times ........B1-4 Obituaries ..................... A6 School Zone .................. A5 Service Directory ........ D9 Sports ........................B9-12 Surface Creek News . C1-9 TV Listings ..................C4-5

of the events sponsored by the chamber would be possible. Workman said she would like that partnership to move to the next level — the President’s Circle, the highest tier on the chamber’s membership structure. After discussing the benefits of the President’s Circle, she presented the request for $3,000. Most chamber events, she said, are funded by sponsorships. The $3,000 could go to a particular event, at council’s discretion, or would be used 2015 HIGHLIGHTS TO A3

said at a city council work session last week, “but I don’t know what the street fairs will look like in 2016.” Workman has invited every person who signed the petition to air their concerns at a meeting Sept. 22. She also hopes to hear some possible solutions. “We just want to do something positive for the community,” she said.

School superintendent’s contract extended 4 years BY PAT SUNDERLAND Managing Editor

Chamber shares 2015 highlights

action. A petition was circulated saying Main Street should be closed only for maintenance, emergencies, parades and Halloween. The petition was signed by 33 individuals, some from the same business. Because of the negative feedback, the chamber is rethinking the street fairs. “The need is still there,” chamber director Leslie Workman

After a favorable performance evaluation, the Delta County Board of Education approved a contract extension for district superintendent Caryn Gibson. Gibson is a 26-year employee of Delta County Joint School District and has served as superintendent for four years. The school board conducted a formal evaluation centering on the superintendent’s goals to increase achievement and growth for all students; build staff capacity to perform at a high level; provide prudent stewardship of district resources to best support student success; and to engage the communities, staff, families, students and other stakeholders in support-

Valdez pleads guilty Mark Valdez, one of two defendants charged with vehicular homicide in the death of Trevor Rawson, has pleaded guilty to reckless manslaughter and transfer or alteration of a hunting/fishing license. The plea was entered Sept. 18 before Judge Jeff Herron in Montrose County. The accident occurred just south of the county line near Crawford, as Rawson was riding his motorcycle on Highway 92 in October 2013. Both Valdez and co-defendant Kevin Keener were scheduled for a trial beginning in early October. Keener’s trial is still on the docket.

ing the schools and improving educational outcomes for all Delta County students. School board president Pete Blair said Gibson’s contract was set to expire at the end of the 2015-16 school year. The contract was extended four more years, to the end of the 2019-20 school year. Blair said there will be a school board election in 2019, so the new board will have an opportunity to evaluate Gibson for at least six months. “That way we’re not committing future boards,” Blair said. He added that school board members awarded Gibson high marks on all her goals. “Over the past three years, since I’ve been on the school board, we’ve lost over 250 students, yet we still seem to make the finances work. In fact, we increased our fund

balance with less revenue. “We also thought she’s doing a good job with community engagement, and academically students are doing well.” Plus, North Fork Montessori at Crawford and North Fork School for Integrated Studies offer choices for families. Gibson’s salary is $125,000 a year, and by contract will be increased each year commensurate with certified staff salaries. If there are no funds for staff salary increases, Gibson’s salary will not be increased either, Blair said. Gibson said she’s looking forward to continued support of students and staff. “We’ve been working in a very positive direction, and we want to continue the good things we’re doing for students and staff,” she said.

Bear not involved in hunter’s injuries Wildlife officers from the Grand Junction area have completed their investigation of the reported bear attack and mauling on the Grand Mesa Saturday evening, concluding that the injuries to the individual were not caused by a bear. The man, a hunter in his late 60s, was parked on his ATV on Forest Service Road 105, above Powderhorn Ski Resort, when he says a bear approached and attacked, causing him to drive over a small cliff into large rocks below. The crash resulted in extensive but non-life threatening injuries. “We investigated this incident thor-

oughly over the last three days and we found conclusive evidence that a bear did not attack this individual,” said Colorado Parks and Wildlife area wildlife manager JT Romatzke. “This individual is certain that he saw a bear. We are not discounting that he saw something that caused him to react.” Romatzke adds that some of the initial media reports that a bear had attacked and mauled the individual, based on law enforcement scanner traffic, proved to be premature. The hunter’s name is not being released.

A2 Wednesday, September 23, 2015

OPINION

LETTERS

An old Eagle completes the circle in Paonia

BELA provides amazing opportunities for kids Dear Editor: As parents, we see enormous value in providing young children with the opportunity to love education before they even start kindergarten. We are extremely lucky to have BELA (Backpack Early Learning Academy) preschools in Delta County to start our kids on the right foot. Many factors make BELA an exceptional introduction to school for Delta County kids. A wonderful collaboration between BELA staff and the Delta County School District has allowed our preschoolers to attend local elementary schools, meeting their future teachers, learning lunchroom routines, establishing library and hallway etiquette, and finding out what it means to be a student from examples

all around them. BELA teachers, well-trained in early childhood education, do an excellent job of providing these and other life lessons, at the same time giving our youngsters the compassion and nurturing they still require as 3- and 4year-olds. BELA provides opportunities for learning outside the school as well, with their amazing Backpack box program, which gives each participating family a new themed box every month containing educational toys, books, craft projects and more. The amount of work that goes into making these programs function effectively is mind-boggling, but as parents we see the product of a successful team with a smoothly running system. Financial

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Using, Not Abusing, Our Public Land

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Delta County Independent

assistance and an accommodating staff make it easy for us to enroll our children and know they are safe throughout the school year. Because of the high quality of their introduction to school, we believe that our son and his classmates have a better chance of success in their future education, social lives, and creative endeavors. We would like to thank BELA staff and their supporters for making this possible for Delta County’s youngest residents. Leah and Steve Morris Paonia

Dear Editor: Success — it always feels like it should happen for both the individual and the team (group). It sure takes both halves to make success be complete and feel as good as it can. The ideal is for both parts to happen at the same time. But for some of us, “completing the circle” takes so much longer and lots of “curves in the road.” This is one of those stories. As an Eagle athlete at a 1-A school (Scott HS, Scott, La.) I had a fair share of success as an individual. Team success (in terms of winning games we should have won) was a lot harder to come by. Even for those games where I had, for example, lots of solo tackles, what I should have been able to feel from the personal accomplishments was overshadowed

by having to deal emotionally with one more L (loss)! We “just know,” if it’s a group activity THE TEAM is more important than “the me.” That’s why no amount of “both parts” success I’ve enjoyed in many areas of life since then was ever able to fill the hole of not being a member of winning sport teams during my high school years. Fortunately, my instincts were screaming at me when I discovered (a year ago) the Paonia Eagles’ winning ways in all sports! It was very clear that becoming a part of and contributing to this would be the second half that would “complete my circle.” The reality is even more exciting and satisfying than I had imagined! Many thanks to the people here in Paonia that are so committed to

Grandpa exemplified the meaning of hard work Dear Editor: Labor Day has come and gone. Did anyone even notice, or remember what it once meant? Or was it just another day for some Republicans to declare what is wrong with our world today, and why many people’s income is barely enough to live on, while one percent of American citizens enjoy a hog’s share of what is produced, and that’s fair because the struggling folks did not work hard enough when they should have. Whenever I hear that excuse for greed, I can’t help thinking about my father’s father. I wonder whether any of those greed defenders could begin to match his work record. He was 87 when he died. He raised five children and a couple of

them went on to become Harvard graduates. He worked in what was essentially a factory that produced things like doors and windows, in an area where logging and loggers were common, so there was a lot of material. The town he lived in had many prosperous folks; many lived in mansions that were enhanced by those materials. Grandpa must have been a good worker, because he worked for one company for 50 long years and get this — he never missed one day of work in those 50 years! Grandpa was a religious man and he sang himself to sleep every night by singing hymns. We kids would sit on the stairs and listen to him, even though he didn’t seem to know who we were.

Perhaps his forgetfulness could be explained by the fact that when he worked, workdays were 10 hours or more and he only had Sundays off. There was no such thing as vacation time or sick leave. And even though he was a big man, he must have been sick sometimes, or exhausted, and so were his co-workers. That and other things led to a strike by some of the workers against the company owners, who had built an incredible mansion for themselves to live in. So, whenever I hear comments from folks who have spent their entire adult lives in college classrooms and offices, and have never done a day of hard physical work, I remember Grandpa. M.E. Johnson Eckert

nurturing the habit of “preparing to perform” as well as we can in sports, academics, etc.! As a very mature head coach teaches, “We win the game in how we prepare on Monday through Thursday. Friday night we get to play the game and enjoy the results!” What a wonderful experience for our young students to have, right now, and to move forward with! Great for this “old Eagle” too, to come home and complete the circle! Gil Credeur Paonia

Gas prices are out of line Dear Editor: The price of unleaded gas in Grand Junction has fallen to $2.40 per gallon. On Monday it was $2.70 per gallon in Delta. A local retailer said they stay with the price common to the area. The local area retailers are ripping us off and is there a little price fixing going on? The price of crude has dropped and hovered in the $2.45 per bbl range most of the summer but our retail prices went up at the same time and continue to be much higher locally than in other areas. We deserve to have prices nearly the same as Grand Junction! The 30-cent difference is way out of line! And, there has been a steady creep in the price difference between grades. It was a steady 10 cents for many years, now it exceeds 20 cents in many places. Why? The quality has not changed. Again, another ripoff with no justification. Ron Bell Delta

Delta police, sheriff’s blotter

From the Delta the scene. Edward R. Ehlers, 70, Police Department: of Montrose was issued a ticket for alleged careSept. 9: Charles E. Foley, 79, of less driving after being Delta was issued a tick- involved in a one vehiet for alleged disregard cle crash on Highway a stop sign after being 50 South at Confluence involved in a two-vehicle Drive. No injuries were crash at 4th and Meeker. reported and the vehicle No injuries were reported was towed at the owner’s and one vehicle was towed request. Daniel L. Rocha, 36, from the scene. of Clifton was issued a Sept. 14: Kenny L. Wallace, ticket for alleged shoplift61, of Orchard City was ing. Echo C. Gray-Rocha, issued a ticket for alleged 30, of Clifton was issued expired license plates and a ticket for alleged shopfailure to present evidence lifting. Orson F. Beutler, 59, of of insurance. Delta was issued a ticket Sept. 15: Patrick B. Suazo, 42, for alleged careless drivof Delta was arrested and ing after being involved in jailed for alleged harass- a one-vehicle crash in the 900 block of E. 5th Street. ment and child abuse. No injuries were reported Sept. 16: A 16-year-old female of and the vehicle was drivDelta was issued a ticket en from the scene. for alleged careless driv- Sept. 19: Patrick B. Suazo, 42, ing after being involved in a two-vehicle crash at of Delta was arrested and Highway 50 and Bluff jailed on two warrants Street. No injuries were with no bond. Charles F. Raley, reported. Both vehicles were driven from the 57, of Grand Junction was arrested and jailed scene. for alleged turning and Sept. 18: Jesus E. Rodriguez, 30, required signals and of Delta was arrested and DUI. Jorge A. Quintero, 18, jailed on a warrant with a of Delta was arrested $2,000 bond. Rebecca S. Beck, 42, and jailed for alleged no of Delta was issued a license plate light, DUI ticket for alleged care- and DUI per se. less driving after being Sept. 20: Matthew B. Anderson, involved in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 92 at 23, of Delta was arrested Meeker Street. No inju- and jailed for alleged drivries were reported. Both ing on roadways laned vehicles were towed from for traffic (weaving) and DUI. Citations: 30 tickets for traffic violations were DELTA COUNTY issued this week, 22 for INDEPENDENT speeding. Please remember: DELTA COUNTY INDEPENDENT All criminal charges are (UPS 152-700) is published merely an accusation weekly on Wednesdays at 401 and the defendant is preMeeker St., Delta, CO 81416. sumed innocent until or Second class postage paid at DELTA, CO. POSTMASTER: unless proven guilty. Send address changes to: DELTA COUNTY INDEPENDENT, PO BOX 809, DELTA, CO 81416 401 Meeker St. Delta, CO 81416 (970) 874-4421

News: editor@deltacountyindependent.com Advertising: ads@deltacountyindependent.com

From the Delta County Sheriff’s Office (partial list): Sept. 15: An Orchard City woman reported a disturbance in the neighborhood. Shortly before 3 p.m. she heard three shots fired and a female asking

for help. Sheriff ’s deputies learned a couple had been arguing, but there was no physical altercation and no gunshots. The sharp sound was made by a door being slammed several times. No arrests were made. At about 8:30 p.m., sheriff ’s deputies were called to assist the Hotchkiss Marshal’s Office with an accident on the west edge of town. A Dodge Durango left the roadway, traveled into a ravine and came to a stop against a large tree. Alcohol was believed to be a factor. The driver was not injured but was transported to Delta County Jail. A suspicious car was parked in a pullout near Cedaredge. Sheriff ’s deputies contacted the occupant, who said he had been kicked out of his sister’s house and had been living in his vehicle. He promised to move on after picking up the litter that had been dropped around his car. Sept. 16: A large amount of trash, including a sofa and piles of trash bags, was dumped along the side of Back River Road. During a search of the trash bags, several pieces of mail, a work schedule and a parks pass were located. The suspect reportedly lives in the area. BLM officers will follow up. A Crawford resident reported the back door to her home had been pried open. Although the door jamb was broken, no contents appeared to be missing. Colorado Department of Agriculture officials revoked the license of a hemp grower on Pumpkin Hollow Road, Hotchkiss, after he refused to allow them onto his property for an inspection as required by state regulations. Sheriff ’s deputies then did a “knock and talk,” but the occupant also refused them access. The investigation continues. Sept. 17: An Orchard City woman filed a complaint

after she was bit by a border collie as she was walking down Baca Drive. Sept. 18: A Delta woman complained about harassing texts from an ex. A resident of F Road suspected her horse had been shot twice by a small caliber rifle. The horse was examined by a vet, but the sheriff ’s office had not been updated. Sept. 19: The theft of building materials and tools was reported from an unoccupied rental house south of Delta. A rancher said trespassing teens had broken his fence and let his sheep out. He believes he knows where the teens live and wanted the sheriff ’s office to be aware of ongoing issues. A stranded woman from Dove Creek was grateful for assistance from Sgt. Jim Lester. She had been airlifted to St. Mary’s, then released with no way to get home. She got a ride to Delta, where she contacted the sheriff ’s office. Sgt. Lester set up a relay using sheriff ’s deputies in Montrose, Ouray, San Miguel and Dolores counties and she was delivered safely to her home. Sept. 20: A Paonia woman called the sheriff ’s office concerned her kicking and screaming 5-year-old foster child was going to hurt himself. An ambulance was called and Delta County Health and Human Services was notified. At about 10:30 p.m., a dispute between two men escalated. One of the males said his boss had gone crazy and was pointing a gun at him. He got out of the vehicle they were riding in, but was uncertain of his location, which was ultimately determined to be Long Gulch Road near Crawford. Sheriff ’s deputies learned the boss did have a firearm, but never threatened anyone. No charges were filed.

LOCAL NEWS

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Homeless shelter FROM PAGE A1 safety — to be completed within a year. Normally, the applicant would be required to place in escrow 150 percent of the funds estimated for full completion. Landscaping, a retention pond and the parking lot were specifically mentioned as items that could be completed after the facility opens. Those costs could run over $10,000. “If we had that money, we wouldn’t be here ask-

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ing for a variance,” Kirkpatrick told city council. While council was willing to waive the escrow fees, that still leaves a shortfall. Councilmember Bill Raley commented, “I’m not sure this will help them that much. Will this help you?” he asked Kirkpatrick and Oeltjenbruns. “We’re to the point right now, anything we can do to knock $5,000 off, that’s $5,000 we don’t have to have this year. The gravel alone is $6,500,” Kirkpatrick said. “Regardless of the outcome of your decision, the need to help people who are temporarily without adequate housing and the chronically homeless is, I believe, a function of county, local and national government,” said Carol Rhan, pastor of Delta United Methodist Church. She worked extensively with the homeless and in law enforcement during a 23year career in the U.S. Air Force. The homeless shelter

has been housed in the basement of the Delta United Methodist Church for the past five years, and in 2014-15 provided over 1,100 bed nights. The obligation to take care of those who cannot or sometimes will not take care of themselves is something we are all called to do, Pastor Rhan stressed. After the meeting, Oeltjenbruns said she’s confident the shelter will be able to open Nov. 1. Mattresses, blankets and sheets will be moved from the church basement to the new facility; the rest of the furnishings and kitchen equipment will come with time, she said. Seasonal operation will continue, Oeltjenbruns added, while policies and procedures are adapted to the new facility. “Without knowing what this year was going to look like, we decided to move slowly, to make sure we have the right structure in place,” she said. Then, as staff and volunteers adjust, the shelter may begin open-

Austin man injured in motorcycle accident

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BY PAT SUNDERLAND

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Managing Editor

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Trent Ashby, 37, of Austin suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident at about 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17. Ashby was traveling southbound on Happy Hollow Road when he went through the “T” intersection of Happy

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Hollow and North roads. After losing control on the roadway, the motorcycle rolled onto its left side. Ashby was ejected from the 1995 Kawasaki. He was airlifted to St. Mary’s Hospital. According to the Colorado State Patrol, alcohol and speed are suspected as contributing factors.

2015 highlights FROM PAGE A1 for general funding. She highlighted the chamber’s 2015 successes: • Successful reinstatement of the Business Resource Expo, an informational night for business owners or those thinking of starting a business. • Successful execution of the Home & Garden Show. The chamber is planning a new name and a new format for 2016. The event will be called the Spring Expo, and will be open to all types of businesses. • The return of the rodeo to Deltarado Days was a huge success, and the stock contractor is already committed for 2016. Workman said ticket prices will be restructured, to make the cost more affordable for families. • The chamber offered over 20 various educational classes in partnership with Region 10. • The chamber has 29 new members, to date, for a total of 301 members. “Over the years, city funding has gotten tight-

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er and tighter,” commented councilmember Bill Raley, “but now I feel you’re accomplishing something.” Councilmember Robert Jurca agreed there’s been a “marked change” in chamber management. Council made no commitment, but will consider the chamber’s request during the 2016 budget process. Delta County Economic Development and All Points Transit are also making presentations to city council, as part of that process. Councilmember Ray Penick has asked for financials from all the entities seeking city funding.

ing earlier in the fall. The facility previously hired an individual to cover the midnight to 6 a.m. shift. There’s been increased interest from volunteers, and the working board of 12 is doing a lot of the administrative work, while also donating time and materials for the building project. Any donations of money or furnishings will be welcomed, Oeltjenbruns said. More information is available by calling 773-8290 or visiting Abraham Connection’s Facebook page.

Help get Grand Mesa trails ready for winter

Help Grand Mesa enjoy all winter long. Nordic Council get ready Please bring work for the winter season by gloves, protective eyeparticipating in National wear, sunscreen and a Public Lands Day, the water bottle. It is recomnation’s largest, single- mended you wear long day volunteer effort for pants, a long-sleeved public lands taking place shirt and sturdy boots. on Saturday, Sept. 26. Dress in layers and bring Join GMNC this year clothing appropriate for at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, the weather. Lunch will Sept. 26, at Skyway on be provided by GMNC. the Grand Mesa where NPLD began in 1994 volunteers will tackle trail with three sites and 700 maintenance needs such volunteers. It proved to as clearing vegetation and be a huge success and fallen timber from the became a yearly tradition, nordic trails, replacing typically held on the last trail signs, marking trails Saturday in September. and raising the warm- Since the first NPLD, the ing hut near the Skyway event has grown by leaps parking area. Spend a and bounds. In 2014, Get rid of beautiful fall day enjoy- about 175,000 volunteers unwanted ing the golden colors of worked at 2,132 sites in Grand Mesa National every state, the District prescriptions the Forest while giving back of Columbia and Puerto The Delta Police to the public lands you Rico. Department and the Delta County Sheriff ’s Office will be participating in the DEA’s 10th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Event. �� The event will take �� place Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Clean out your medicine cabinet and bring your unwanted prescriptions to one of two locations — Delta Police Department, 215 W. 5th �� Street, and Delta County Sheriff ’s Office/North �� Fork Annex at 196 W. �� Hotchkiss Avenue. Items which can not �� be accepted: needles and sharps, mercury (ther�� mometers), oxygen con�� tainers, chemotherapy/ �� radioactive substances, �� pressured canisters and �� illicit drugs. For more information about the drug take-back �� initiative please visit �� www.dea.gov or www. A place where you can bee yourself DEAdiversion.usdoj.gov and click on “Got Drugs?” Follow us on tab.

Delta Farmers Market

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Tax-Aide volunteers are needed AARP TaxAide is seeking tax preparers for February to April 15, 2016. If you like to work with numbers and want to provide a service for your community, please call Jo Maxwell at 856-3007 or 661-400-1335. Training will be provided. Volunteers work 6 to 10 hours per week during tax season. Help is needed for Delta and Cedaredge sites.

SUBSCRIBE TO DCI 874-4421

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A4 Wednesday, September 23, 2015

ACCENT

Delta County Independent

Paonia woman needs a hero with a kidney Masa Holle, a resident of Paonia, is badly in need of a kidney. Holle, 62, is a Naropa grad with a successful counseling practice. According to Liz Payton, a friend of Holle’s

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from Boulder, Masa has kidney failure of unknown origin. She was recently placed on the deceased donor wait list, along with 100,000 other people. The average wait time for a kidney from

a deceased donor is 3-5 years. While she waits, she will have to go on life support via dialysis. Anyone who has been on dialysis will tell you that it is no way to live. Many don’t survive the wait — 12 people die each day while waiting for a transplant. “Masa is a kind, funny, bright and generous person who has devoted much of her life to caring for others, particularly youth and women in crisis,” Payton said. �� She has volunteered � �� countless hours at wom� �� en’s resource centers both in Boulder and on � �� the Western Slope. She �� became her nephew’s guardian when he was 11 ��

and raised him in Boulder when his own parents couldn’t. She continues to work with youth through a local program that matches a volunteer mentor with a young person trying to pursue a career in the arts. She has served hundreds of long nights on crisis hotlines and provides pro bono counseling services to low income clients through her practice. Her best chances of survival are if she receives a kidney donation from a living donor. With living kidney donation, one of a donor’s two kidneys is removed laparoscopically and transplanted into a waiting recipient. The donor spends a couple of

� �� Megan Collins and pounds, 7.4 ounces �� Dave Todd of Crawford and was 20.5 inches in

BIRTHS

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are the parents of a son, Leo Boyd Todd, born Sept. 5, 2015, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. He weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces and was 19.5 inches in length.

Waylon and Sarah Cross of Delta are the parents of a son, Tristin Lee Cross, born Sept. 12, 2015, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. Felicia and Donald He weighed 4 pounds, Abeyta of Delta are the 14 ounces and was 18.25 parents of a son, Javonie inches in length. Christopher Abeyta, born Sept. 10, 2015, at Edgar and Silvia Delta County Memorial Saenz of Delta are the Hospital. He weighed 8 parents of a daughter, Emily Saenz, born Sept. 15, 2015, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. She weighed 6 pounds, 15.8 ounces and was 19 inches in length.

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length.

Dustin and Jenesse Sammons of Cedaredge are the parents of a daughter, Eva Belle Sammons, born Sept. 16, 2015, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. She weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces and was 18.5 inches in length. Kevin and Shiree Johnson of Delta are the parents of a son, Lucian Robb Johnson, born Sept. 19, 2015, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. He weighed 9 pounds, 5 ounces and was 21.5 inches in length. Danielle Cordova and Austin Kenyon of Cedaredge are the parents of a daughter, Carly Mae Kenyon, born Sept. 20, 2015, at Delta County Memorial Hospital. She weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces and was 20.5 inches in length.

days in the hospital and then a few weeks recovering at home. “What’s it really like to donate a kidney?” Payton asks. “Please feel free to ask my husband, Roger, who donated a kidney on my behalf. Or ask David in Toledo, who donated a kidney directly to me so that his friend could receive a lifesaving kidney from Roger. Either of these kidney donors would be happy to talk to you. Almost three years later, Roger is doing fine and living a normal life, riding his bike to work, hiking with our dog, and being a dad to our two kids. David has not slowed down at all — he competes nationally in speed golf. These guys are my heroes. “Masa desperately needs a hero, too. Having been the one who cares for others for so long, she finds it difficult to reach out on her own behalf. That’s why I hope you will consider kidney donation to save a life. You don’t have to be a blood type match to help her. If your blood type does not match Masa’s, it might match another waiting recipient who has a partner who is a match for Masa. To inquire about living kidney donation, please

call the University of Colorado Transplant team’s living donor coordinator at 720-848-0855. Let them know that you’re calling for patient Masa Holle. They will answer your questions and keep your information confidential. For more information, visit https://www. uchealth.org/Pages/ Services/TransplantServices/Kidney-Transplant/Living-KidneyDonation.aspx or National Kidney Foundation, https://www.kidney.org/ transplantation/living donors. Masa’s Facebook page can be found at https:// www.facebook.com/

HUNTERS BALL

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Masa Holle

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SCHOOL

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Grant will improve access for kids’ mental health BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer

Access for children and their families to needed services of mental and behavioral health are improving greatly for Delta County residents, the county commissioners were told on Sept. 21. The Families Plus program founded in 1998 by psychologist Brenda Holland and directed by her, along with an associate, John VanDenBerg, presented the Board of County Commissioners with an encouraging update of progress during the BoCC’s regular meeting. The board of commissioners which helped establish Families Plus with a $50,000 contribution in 1998, had also recently given its endorsement on a grant request Holland submitted for federal funding. Holland said that to her surprise the grant was awarded. It will now allow new staff to be hired and new clients to be taken into the children’s mental and behavioral counseling programs available. The grant will provide $200,000 per year for three years to make services available and

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS Rebecca Deal of Eckert is a resident assistant for Fort Lewis College for the 2015-16 academic year. Deal is majoring in elementary education. Resident assistants are student staff members who live on a floor in a college residence hall to serve as primary resources for information and assistance. The objectives of resident assistants are to exhibit a concern for others and relate in a positive manner to the students. They are responsible for creating a living environment that is conducive to the academic mission of the college, maintaining the safety of the facility, and assisting the student in their college experiences.

Bands compete in GJ Saturday The 38th annual Colorado West Marching Band Festival will be held Saturday, Sept. 26, in Grand Junction. Bands from Delta, Cedaredge and Olathe will participate. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. with the bands stepping off from Grand Junction High School on Tiger Avenue. The parade route will start on 5th Street, proceed north a short distance before turning west on Kennedy Aveue. The bands will turn south when reaching Sherwood Park and march around the park clockwise. The parade route returns to GJHS along North Sherwood Drive. The field show will start at 1 p.m. at Stocker Stadium. Cedaredge High School will perform at 1 p.m., followed in 15-minute intervals by Gunnison High School, Olathe High School and Delta High School. Field conductor Sara Jurca and the DHS band are slated to perform at 1:45 p.m. The bands get progressively larger during the afternoon. Competition concludes around 5 p.m., after which awards will be announced. Tickets for the field show are $8 for adults and $6 for children, senior citizens and active military. Children under the age of 5 will be admitted at no charge.

improve access to mental and behavioral counseling. It will make some counselors available for immediate access at a local doctor’s office, according to the report the commissioners received. In addition, the program is now qualified for billing Medicaid directly for certain kinds of therapeutic assistance for local children. Holland said receiving the grant is “really big” for children’s mental health programs here. “We’re doing good work here,” she told the BoCC. The Families Plus program is currently helping provide services for about 60 youth, Holland reported. VanDenBerg added there are probably some 320 children in the county who are in need of the services. VanDenBerg explained to the county commissioners that there is still a stigma that individuals and families see attached to seeking mental health

services for their children. By having a counselor available in a regular physician’s office, the access to needed counseling will be greatly eased. VanDenBerg told the commissioners, “We are moving in the direction of integration” of available programs and services including doctors’ offices, the schools, and the county health and human services department. “We are working toward the model of a therapist in the doctor’s office,” he said. “It will increase children’s mental health service capacity dramatically.” He explained that it will increase effectiveness of outcomes and eliminate waste that occurs with having multiple programs operating separately. Because of various funding constraints, the Families Plus program has become “the de facto child mental health agency” for Delta County, he added.

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Montessori students perform

On Thursday, Sept. 17, the Delta County School Board met at the North Fork Montessori at Crawford. The 60 students in the upper elementary (grades 4-6) classes performed a dance to showcase some of the systems of the human body — the vascular, respiratory and muscular systems. The 42 students in the lower elementary (grades 1-3) classes showed their “Constitution” projects, which included puppets, PowerPoint presentations, and crafts. The entire school, including the kindergarten and preschool students, sang the Preamble Song in honor of Constitution Day. It was Principal Bill Eyler’s birthday, so everyone sang “Happy Birthday” too!

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to all of our loyal customers, and to our past and present employees for your continued support of Delta Hardware. Come help us celebrate our 100 years serving this wonderful community that we are so thankful for. ��

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 Delta Hardware’s 10th Annual

Salsa CONTEST

There will be two categories: Canned and Fresh Each category will have a Mild and a Hot entry. Entries must be turned in by 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. Judging will begin at 11 a.m. and winners will be announced later that day. 1st Place - $75 Delta Hardware Gift Card and Epicurean Delta Hardware Cutting Board 2nd Place - $50 Delta Hardware Gift Card and Epicurean Delta Hardware Cutting Board 3rd Place - $30 Delta Hardware Gift Card and Epicurean Delta Hardware Cutting Board

Girls and Grills COOKING CLASS 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Join Chef Jason Morse, the Ace Grill Expert and Owner of 5280 Culinary Spices, for a class designed to get you the skills to master the grill. Ladies, we will have a blast cooking Colorado Lamb Beef, Pork and Chicken. We will show some fun appetizer ideas and how to roast amazing veggies. Come hungry because we are MUST REGISTER FOR THE going to sample everything we cook.

CLASS BEFORE SATURDAY, SEPT. 26

Call 874-9595 to register.

Browse Delta Hardware and

PICK YOUR OWN PRIZE you’d like to win.

Must include stock number of the item on your entry form. Drawing held Sunday, September 27, 3:00 pm. See store for details.

121 W. GUNNISON RIVER DR. DELTA • 874-9515 Store Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

www.deltaacehardware.com

A6 Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Betty Pallas

Betty J. Pallas of Delta died Sept. 4, 2015, at Crossroads Assisted Living in Delta. She was 90. She was born on the family farm in Walthill, Neb., Oct. 11, 1924, the sixth of eight children

OBITUARIES

born to Frank and Viola Sherwood. She enjoyed farm life but always noted that “it was a lot of hard work!” She attended Dana College in Blair, Neb., and graduated from Wayne State Teacher’s College in Wayne, Neb., in 1942. Mrs. Pallas experienced many challenges with her first job teaching grades 1-8 in a oneroom schoolhouse in Decatur, Neb. She taught for one year in Decatur and two years at the Winnebago Reservation government school. In 1943 she moved to Thurston, Neb., a predominantly Czechoslovakian commu-

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nity, where she taught for three years. It was while in Thurston that she met her future husband, Edwin Pallas, in 1946. Following Edwin’s deployment to Japan, he returned home and they were married on June 20, 1948. They had a son, Larry, and a daughter, JoAnn, while living in Thurston, Neb. In 1958 the family moved to Ames, Iowa, where Mrs. Pallas supported the family as a film editor for WOI-TV while Ed attended college at Iowa State University. Following his graduation in 1963, they moved to Denver. After a year they moved to Colorado Springs where they lived for 43 years. They moved to Delta in 2006 to be closer to their son and daughter. Mrs. Pallas enjoyed music, reading, animals and spending time with her family. She was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Ed; and their son, Larry. Mrs. Pallas is survived by her daughter, JoAnn Lewis of Delta; a granddaughter, Lara Janiszewski of Longmont; a grandson, Edward Lewis of Denver; and her younger brother, Amos Sherwood of San Marcos, Calif. A memorial service will be held Saturday, Oct. 3, at 10 a.m. at Taylor Funeral Service Chapel in Delta. Taylor Funeral Service and Crematory is handling the arrangements. View the Internet obituary and sign the online guest registry at taylor funeralservice.com.

and seven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife of 43 years, Joyce; and his sisters, Lola Hillis and Linda Williams. Funeral services will be held at the Redd Ranches Sale Barn in Paradox Saturday, Sept. 26, at 2 p.m. Interment will follow at Paradox Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or by calling 800-805-5856. Taylor Funeral Service and Crematory is handling the arrangements. View the Internet obituary and sign the online guest registry at taylor funeralservice.com.

Wes Hammerich

George Wesley “Wes” Hammerich of Eckert died Aug. 28, 2015. He was 82. He was born in Glenwood Springs Nov. 8, 1932. He was raised on the family ranch on Four Mile. He worked for the U.S. Post Office in Aspen and supervised the Snowmass Village branch when it opened in 1967. Soon after his retirement in 1992, he and his family moved to Eckert. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Bette; a daughter, Judy of New River, Ariz.; a son, Scott (Amy); grandchildren, Lucy and Westley of Boulder; sisters, Elizabeth Stapleton of Aspen and Elouise (Harold) Fender of Rifle; and extended family. A celebration of life will be held at a future date.

Delta County Independent

Dick Kennedy

Delta resident Richard “Dick” Kennedy died Monday, Sept. 14, 2015, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction. He was 70. A graveside memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 24, at Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado in Grand Junction. Mr. Kennedy is survived by his brothers, Philip (Mary Ella) Kennedy of Evanston, Wyo., and Andy (Beth) Kennedy of Cedaredge; his siters, Karen Winterfeldt of American Fork, Utah, Linda Martin of Sandy, Utah, and Mary (Mark) Winterfeldt of Shiocton, Wis.; and extended family. Taylor Funeral Service and Crematory is handling the arrangements. View the Internet obituary and sign the online guest registry at taylor funeralservice.com.

Eileen Miller

Olive Eileen Miller died Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. She was 89. She was born in Wayside, Neb., May 12, 1926, to Lawrence and Margaret (Helena) Nixon. She spent most of her childhood in Oelrichs, S.D., where she graduated from Oelrichs High School. On Nov. 23, 1947, she married Paul Miller. Mrs.

Miller was a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Delta. She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Paul Miller of Montrose; her son, Alan Miller of Cartersville, Ga.; her daughter, Pauline Dale of Indianapolis, Ind.; eight grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 23, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Memorial contributions may be sent to Habitat for Humanity, P.O. Box 162, Montrose, CO 81402, or St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 145 W. 5th St., Delta, CO 81416. Crippin Funeral Home and Crematory in Montrose is handling the arrangements.

Neal Knutson

Neal Knutson died Monday, Sept. 14, 2015, at his home in Austin. He was 66. No formal services are scheduled. Neal William Knutson was born in North Dakota Oct. 8, 1948, to Riley and Amalia (Moritz) Knutson. He spent his childhood in North Dakota. Mr. Knutson served in the U.S. Army. He was a rancher and enjoyed mules. He is survived by his companion, Marion Calnon; a sister, Grace Simonson; and a nephew. Taylor Funeral Service and Crematory handled the arrangements. View the Internet obituary and sign the online guest registry at taylor funeralservice.com.

Elections certification aimed at accuracy, trust BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer

William Calhoun

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William Alec Calhoun died Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015, at Larchwood Inn in Grand Junction. He was 79. He was born June 9, 1936, to Frank and Alene (Atchley) Calhoun. He graduated from Delta High School in 1954. He served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Canberra (CA-70). Soon after his service he married Joyce Hendrickson. Mr. Calhoun was a cattle rancher. He spent the majority of his life in southwestern Colorado. He was a member of the Nucla Seventh-day Adventist Church where he served as an elder. He is survived by two sons, Calvin (Leigh Anne) of Redvale and Rusty (Bobbie) of Naturita; three daughters, Lori (David) Worix of Beckley, W.Va., Shelley (Leroy) Archer of Nucla and Tonya (Joe) Gabardi of Grand Junction; 13 grandchildren;

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The county elections department conducted a public test of voting equipment last week to help ensure voters that their votes are being counted completely and correctly. Although the upcoming coordinated election will be conducted via mail ballot, there are still voting booth terminals and other electronic ballot counting equipment that must be tested and certified in proper working order before any voting takes place. The county’s equipment was tested and certified in good working order last week by county elections department staff and representatives of two county political party organizations. In a nearly four-hourlong procedure, elections director Rene Loy, along with Anne Every of the county Democratic Party and Nancy Hovde representing the county Republican Party, put the equipment through its paces. The testing process was open to the public also. Loy told the DCI the “public logic and accuracy test” is required to verify that ballots are tabulating correctly. Any necessary settings on the equipment are also made at that time. After the voting and counting equipment is certified in working order, it is secured until it is put into use for the election. Loy said ballots will be

Dance to be held at Montrose Pavilion The Montrose Pavilion Dance Club is hosting a dance at the Montrose Pavilion, 1800 Pavilion Drive, on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 7:30 to 11 p.m. Music will be provided by Preferred Country. Admission is $5 per person. Bring refreshments to share if you wish. For information, call 2527172.

mailed during the week of Oct. 12. Early voting will begin Oct. 26 at the courthouse and North Fork Annex where voting booth terhandicapped minals, accessible, will be available for use. At both of those locations there will also be a 24-hour drop box for

depositing ballots until 7 p.m. on the official election day this year, Nov. 3. Completed ballots may also be mailed and must include 49 cents postage provided by the voter. In order to be counted, ballots must be mailed to ensure their delivery by the 7 p.m. Nov. 3 election day deadline.

Photo by Hank Lohmeyer

Testing of the equipment used in voting and counting election ballots was done last week at the county courthouse. Observing the procedure was county clerk and recorder Teri Stephenson (back left in photo).

Delta County Independent

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ACTIVITIES Learn to handle a gun safely Certified instructors Dave Brown and Christopher McMillan will lead a “Handgun Safety” class at Bill Heddles Recreation Center Saturday, Sept. 26, and again on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This class will help you fill the requirements for a concealed handgun permit. You will also learn safety and firing techniques of a semi-automatic pistol and revolver, range safety and laws related to owning a handgun. There will be an opportunity for target practice. The class is $70. Please register by 5 p.m. three days prior to the class of your choice. To register, call Bill Heddles Recreation Center, 874-0923.

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Learn English country dance at Sept. 26 workshop English country dance, a fun, lively and graceful style of dance similar to contra dance, can be enjoyed Saturday, Sept. 26, at La Puerta Ballroom, 523 1/2 Main Street, Grand Junction. Period attire admired, but not required. Learn the dances at a workshop from 4 to 6 p.m.; dancing starts at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for students and $5 for ages 1017. For more information, call 260-5852.

The Piano Men, starring Jim Witter, opens the Delta-Montrose Community Concert Association season. This fabulous performance, which will grace the stage at Delta Performing Arts Center, 822 Grand Ave., on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 7:30 p.m., is a musical celebration of the 1970s — year by year, hit by hit, from the songs of Billy Joel and Elton John. The Piano Men’s concert is one of the many great, entertaining concerts DMCCA continues to bring to the Delta-Montrose area. Jim Witter, winner of several prestigious awards, and a big name recording artist, with his band of five members leads this tour of the entire decade that begins with “Your Song” and winds along on a musical time machine, saluting two of the century’s most popular songwriters. This multi-media production, utilizing rearscreen projection, returns the audience members to the newspaper headlines, the automobiles, the people, the events, the toys and the TV shows that shaped the 1970s decade.

Along the way, the sounds of “My Life,” “Candle in the Wind,” “Rocket Man,” “Just the Way You Are” and many more classic hits create an evening that is just too much fun to let it end. With Jim Witter at the piano and his sizzling musicians on keyboards, guitar, bass, flute, sax and drums, the music is not an attempt to recreate or mimic the sounds of Billy and Elton, but instead Witter unleashes his golden tenor voice on hit after hit to recreate visits to specific landmarks in the pop culture of the day. If you can remember where you were when Elvis died, this show’s for you! If you can smell the interior of your 1973 VW Beetle, you will recognize every song! If you watched Gilligan’s Island or Green Acres,

The Montrose Community Band, in partnership with the Montrose Jazz Band, presents “Music That Is Out of This World” at a concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, at the Montrose Pavilion. The concert is free to all space cadets, the spaced out and anyone who takes up space.

CMU faculty piano trio performs Oct. 7

CMU’s faculty piano trio will present a concert in the Moss Performing Arts Center Love Recital Hall Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 7:30 p.m. The trio is composed of Alejandro Gómez Guillen, violin; Kristen Yeon-Ji Yun, cello; and Arthur Houle, piano. The trio will be assisted by Jun Watabe, alto saxophone, both her life and the life on an original piece writwithin her. ten by Dr. Houle. Other For more information, pieces presented will be call 874-5733. Notturno in Eb by Franz

A fall tradition

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Schubert, Sonata for Violin and Cello by Maurice Ravel, and Piano Trio in B by Johannes Brahms. Both the Schubert and the Ravel are rarely heard and are arguably unjustly neglected, yet great masterpieces. Tickets for the CMU faculty piano trio are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, faculty/staff and $5 for students. They are available by calling the box office at 248-1604.

Photo submitted

Whitewater rafting is the theme of the corn maze hosted annually by DeVries Fruit and Veggie Roadside Stand south of Olathe. The maze is open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays in October, explore the maze by moonlight from 6 to 10 p.m. For more information, call Pamela Friend at 209-7508.

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you’ll find yourself singing along! And if you still have your bell-bottom jeans and Puma running shoes, then you will probably need more help than Witter can provide! Now splitting time between Toronto and Nashville, Jim is a devoted husband and father — and an artist who truly does justice to the two giants known as “The Piano Men.” Doors to the Performing Arts Center open at 6:30 p.m., with the auditorium opening at 6:45. Season tickets may be purchased at the concert for $40 for adults, $15 for students or $85 for the family. Single admission at the door is $20 for adults and $5 for students. For further information contact Connie Pittenger, 249-4308, or Ron Austin, 874-7970.

Enjoy ‘Music That Is Out of This World’

Walk for Life planned in four communities On Saturday, Sept. 26, the Delta Pregnancy Resource Center will host walks in Delta, Hotchkiss, Cedaredge and Paonia to raise funds. The Walk for Life begins at 10 a.m. in each community. Route maps and pledge forms can be found on the PRC website at www.delta pregnancyresourcecenter. com. Pledge forms are also available from the Pregnancy Resource Center at 523 Dodge Street, Delta, during office hours Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Pregnancy Resource Center provides a wide range of services for moms-to-be including pregnancy testing, counseling, maternity and infant clothing, baby furnishings and nutrition counseling from a Christian perspective. Anita Chavez, director, and trained volunteers explain all the options to pregnant women, believing that such facts will help the woman reach a decision which respects the will of God and recognizes the sacredness of

Community concert series opens with The Piano Men

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Wednesday, September 23, 2015

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A8 Wednesday, September 23, 2015

O B I T U A R Y

Delta County Independent

“Old soldiers never die, they just fade away” – Gen. Douglas MacArthur

Feb. 4, 1924 ~ Sept. 6, 2015 Jake Drusell, an old soldier, passed away as he lived, making people smile, at the age of 91. He is survived by his son, George Butcher, and his daughter-in-law, Cindy Butcher. No memorial service is planned.

One vet’s story Photo from Army Air Corps training manual

The war effort required many Americans doing many jobs, including that of radioman Jake Drusell of Delta, who went through technical school for the Army Air Corps and learned Morse code in a classroom like the one pictured before shipping out to the Paciﬁc Theater and serving under Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s command.

BY HANK LOHMEYER

OBITUARY

Staff Writer

f you’ve talked with military veterans from the World War II era about their experiences, you may have discovered that some of them don’t take much to the title of “hero” they’re often given. One of those was Jake Drusell, who lived at Crossroads in Delta. “He didn’t claim to be part of ‘the Greatest Generation’ or any of that,” says Jake’s son, George Butcher of Delta. “He didn’t consider himself a hero at all.” Jake tended to see his military service attached to Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s 6th Army as a job to do, which he did during a life that included lots of hard work. “They wanted us to go and do a job, and we just did it. That’s all,” Jake said. But Jake is a hero in his son’s eyes. After all, Jake was in the Army, and his son, George, followed in his footsteps and went to Vietnam, though as a Marine. Still, George notes with good-natured humor, “He only made tech-five.” Jake is a hero for other reasons that don’t involve the military because, as George observed with the needling good humor that is a man’s

way of expressing feeling, “All he ever really did was just work three jobs at one time to make enough money for supporting his wife and kids.” Nevertheless, Jake’s military experience in Gen. MacArthur’s Army is noteworthy. Jake served in the 25th Signal Corps, attached to the 25th Infantry Division (Tropic Lightning) attached to MacArthur’s 6th Army. The force consisted of 154,000 combat troops supported by 60,000 other personnel. Jake was an RTO/radio telegraph operator doing an important job that involved air traffic control, direct assist of fighter and bomber crews with navigation and other matters, aircraft recovery, and serving as a radio relay link with flight operations coordinating close air support, George explained. Jake went to the Army Air Corps technical school at Boise, Idaho. There he learned Morse code during a 14-week technical training. With his truck-mounted mobile radio station and his M1 carbine always close at hand, Jake and his unit accompanied MacArthur’s 6th Army combat troops on their 165-mile battle march

Home on leave in Milford, Ohio, before shipping out to the Paciﬁc Theater, Jake got time to visit with his dad.

Jake as a restaurant operator. He built the business up thinking he was the owner only to discover when the business got going good the former owner wanted it back and Jake didn’t have the proper legal paperwork to prove their agreement.

One for the family scrapbook: Jake Drusell as an American soldier in World War II. beginning at the south end of Luzon Island and ending on March 3, 1945, with the battle to liberate Manila. They had landed in January 1945, at Linguayen Gulf as MacArthur observed from a high bluff overlooking the site, George said. After the liberation of Manila, Jake’s unit went to Nagoya, Japan, where it was stationed for a year. Jake earned several decorations: the American Theater Ribbon, Philippine Liberation Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic Pacific Theater Ribbon with one bronze star, and the World War II Victory Medal. Jake took to the Army way of life and tried to stay in the service. But, as George explained, “congress decimated the military after the end of the war” and Jake became a civilian along with millions of other veterans. Jake says, “They didn’t need me any more.” Jake went back home to Milford, Ohio, and then in 1947 moved to California and he began his peacetime life of raising a family and working hard to provide for them. He had brought home a samurai sword souvenir which one day on a family outing became a fishing pole for George to catch his first blue gill with. He was always a hard worker. “I could never say ‘no’ to a work offer,” Jake says. He held down three jobs at one time. Work had become a way of life for Jake even before the military, doing the back-breaking job of delivering ice. The iceman’s customers left orders by posting one to four black paper squares (displayed on a field of white) in their front windows to indicate the amount of ice they wanted for the day. That saved the iceman a trip to the house to get an order; he could read the number of squares from his truck at curb side. Jake was a lumberman for 15 years, a successful restaurateur, worked for Meadow Gold Dairy, and was dam keeper for 21 years at the Morris Dam at Azuza, Calif., George notes. Jake’s work life during peacetime subjected him to dangers he never encountered even in the military. As a liquor store clerk, he was once robbed at gunpoint and locked in the store cooler. On another occasion working as a pin setter in a bowling alley, a

O B I T U A R Y

Jake Drusell at home in Delta’s Crossroads Assisted Living Facility.

Jake Drusell (right front) is shown in this photo with two of the three stripes he eventually earned. The photo is probably dated to 1944 before he shipped out to the Philippines. wayward pin sent flying by a bowler’s split landed squarely on Jake, stationed several lanes distant — no Purple Heart for that one. Jake and his late wife, Geneva (who passed away in August a week before her 96th birthday) were competitive amateur bowlers and collected trophies and cash prizes in tournaments. Jake’s biggest payday was a $1,700 jackpot at one event. Hobbies have been woodworking and he built numerous life-sized nativity scenes for outdoor decoration. He also collected stamps and coins. Jake enjoyed a comfortable and social life at Crossroads where George visited

regularly. Jake had his sharp sense of humor fully in gear at all times and loved to get along with people. He kept his neighbors and the Crossroads housekeepers on their toes with his friendly wit. “It’s just a sense of humor I’ve always had,” he said. “I’m not going to change.” Jake had six grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. George’s hero encouraged him as a youth to get involved in Boy Scouts earning his Eagle. He taught him outdoor skills that led to membership in the National Rifle Association. “He was just the best father a kid could ever have,” said George.

This isn’t Jake, but the man he worked for in an ice delivery business. It illustrates the work involved in handling the bulky “half blocks.”

NORTH FORK

September 23, 2015

TIMES

Section

www.deltacountyindependent.com

MOUNTAIN HARVEST FESTIVAL

15th Annual

Sept. 24-27

See event guide beginning on B5

Blue ribbons show support for law enforcement BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

A small group of people took to the streets of Hotchkiss Saturday morning to put blue ribbons up as part of the national Blue Ribbon Cam-

Photo by Tamie Meck

Blue ribbons were put up in downtown Hotchkiss and in Crawford Saturday as part of the national Blue Ribbon Campaign. Saturday was also National Thank a Police Ofﬁcer Day.

paign. Michelle Sparks, who has friends and family members working in law enforcement, said she learned about the ribbon campaign through a Facebook group dedicated to support of law enforcement and begun by a group of police wives who want to show their support for law enforcement in light of national negative attention. Sparks was given permission from Hotchkiss mayor Wendell Kuntz to place ribbons on stop signs and light poles, and recruited friends, including town trustee Lindee Cantrell and Sheriff ’s deputy Chad Lloyd, to help with tacking and tying of ribbons. The group also asked local businesses to show their support by displaying a blue ribbon on their doors. Sparks, the Hotchkiss High School dance coach, said her friend and fellow dance coach, Stephanie Neff, was putting up ribbons in Crawford Saturday morning, too. Part of the reason they chose Saturday, said Sparks, is that it was also National Thank a Police Officer Day.

Paonia updates its fines and fees BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

As part of the Town of Paonia’s efforts to maintain existing services and bring outdated fines and fees closer in line with actual costs, a draft fee schedule was recently released to the public. The draft, available at Town Hall or online at townof paonia.com, splits fees and fines into three categories: “A” for administrative items handled by town staff; “B” for items that must come before special boards and committees for consideration, such as building permits and variances requested; and “PD” for legal fines, citations and summonses, which make up the majority of the schedule.

Legal fees, some of which have not increased in up to 30 or 40 years, will see the biggest increases, said town manager Jane Berry. The dollar amounts of all fees and fines are intended to reflect the amount of hours staff puts into each item. Berry reminded both trustees and members of the public that the town is seeking to recoup only part of its costs. Columns include the section of town code where the item is located, the fees currently imposed, and the proposed new fees. Three additional columns provide, where available or applicable, fees currently imposed by the communities of Ridgway, Salida and Telluride. FINES AND FEES TO B2

A grand way to tour Colorado

Photo by Tamie Meck

Rony Kalina and Miles Morris arrive at the Delta County Fairgrounds Friday morning as part of the Colorado Grand tour. Kalina and Morris arrived from Grand Junction via Steamboat Springs in a 1958 Ferrari 250GT (Grand Touring) Pininfarina Series 1 Cabriolet. A similar car sold for $6.1 million in 2014. For more on this year’s Colorado Grand please turn to the Back Page feature on page D10.

PHS diploma presented 46 years after graduation BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

It may have come 46 years after the fact, but Frank Michael Griffin is officially a high school graduate. Griffin was awarded an honorary diploma from Paonia High School during halftime ceremonies of Friday’s Homecoming football game. Griffin, who goes by Michael, received a big thank-you for his patriotism and willingness to sacrifice for his country. “It’s an honor,” Palmer told Griffin after the ceremony. “We are very proud of you.” Griffin is a Delta County native and grew up in a large family on Stucker Mesa in Paonia, where his maternal grandparents homesteaded. Griffin said that he still has family in the area and nine of his 10 siblings are still living. Griffin would have graduated in 1969, but left Paonia his junior year and enrolled in high school in California. Griffin left school, then returned to graduate, but due to strict graduation requirements, he didn’t receive a diploma. He was studying for his GED at a junior college in California when he was drafted in 1969. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Tomcat Squadron during the Vietnam War in the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing 3rd Battalion. Griffin recalled that after returning home from Vietnam, he and his buddies were

Photo by Tamie Meck

Paonia High School principal Randal Palmer presents Frank Michael Grifﬁn with an honorary diploma during the Homecoming game halftime ceremonies. Grifﬁn was drafted into the Vietnam War before earning his diploma. greeted with jeers and protests. “It was a very hard time,” said Griffin. He continued serving in the Marine Corps in aviation ordnance for five years after the war. While he earned a GED during his time in the Marines, his records, including medical records, were destroyed. He returned 30 percent disabled, and was unable to attend college because he lacked a diploma or proof of GED. Griffin and his brother started a company in 1977 in California, designing, engineering and manufacturing

aircraft cutting tools for the aerospace industry. In 1989 they brought the business to Colorado. The company made parts for military fighter jets and used in space shuttles. When Boeing developed problems with the tail section of its 707, they designed the retrofit packages used to fix the problem. Griffin also helped develop pinpoint bombing methods used in Desert Storm. Griffin enrolled at Northwestern Community College in 1998-1999 to study criminal justice, where he earned a 4.0 GPA and made the Dean’s PHS DIPLOMA TO B2

Teens on Farm produces future farmers BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

With many of the area’s farmers and ranchers reaching retirement age, and much of the area’s youth moving away after high school and college, who will be tomorrow’s farmers? If anyone knows, and knows them personally, it’s probably Cassandra Shenk. In 2009, Shenk started Teens on Farms, a countywide non-profit whose mission includes providing confidence and leadership skills to the area’s youth through agricultural employment, while helping to meet the needs of North Fork farmers. Shenk, who lives in Hotchkiss with her husband and two daughters, is an educator with a background in science and business. She was part of an eight-person round-table discussion last Saturday, hosted by the Delta County Democrats where she spoke of “the value of young people and how they are an untapped resource, for our economy and for our community.” Farms are part of what makes the area beautiful, and it takes a lot of work to keep them functioning, Shenk said. “How many of you know the work that it takes to water those fields?” Simply put, farming takes

a lot of hard work, and many area farmers lack the resources or don’t want to hire young people because they lack a strong work ethic. Teens on Farms networks on behalf of farmers to find young people willing to work on farms. The program teaches solid work ethics and provides payroll and insurance, while farmers provide educations in farming through first-hand experience. Mountain Harvest Creative, which hosts the 15th annual Mountain Harvest Festival this Friday through Sunday in Paonia, provides scholarships to cover wages as well as other support. Produce grown by Teens on Farms and 4-H members as part of the Plants R Us program at the Maloney House property in Hotchkiss has been sold this summer at the Hotchkiss Farmer’s Market. The Plants R Us program teaches kids about soil health and growing plants from seed to harvest, as well as expense planning and other skills related to running the market. This Saturday during Mountain Harvest Festival, Plants R Us will open its farm market booth at Paonia Town Park. It offers an array of vegetables, including squash, peppers, root crops and cru-

ciferous vegetables. The purple cauliflower matured just in time for the event, said Shenk. Plants R Us will be the only booth selling produce Saturday, with all other growers opening on Sunday.

After-school harvesting will continue through the end of the week, and planning can begin on the 2016 growing season. “I want to see young people out there irrigating, learn-

ing about the soil, about the pasture,” said Shenk. I know that if we take these people and teach them, that they will do great things. They will be thinkers. They will be doers.”

Photo by Tamie Meck

Isaiah Moreno, left and twin brothers Hayden, center, and Hunter Moreno work the Plants R Us produce booth at the Hotchkiss Farmer’s Market Saturday. The Plants R Us booth to beneﬁt Teens on Farms and 4-H will run the only produce booth this Saturday as part of Mountain Harvest Festival. All other growers will operate booths on Sunday.

B2 Wednesday, September 23, 2015

NORTH FORK TIMES

Delta County Independent

Hotchkiss students have special visitor SPECIAL TO THE DCI

Photo by Tamie Meck

Students in Emily Horn’s ﬁrst grade class at Paonia Elementary School raise their hands to ask questions while Betsy Frank reads a book about the desert. Frank and her daughter, Ellie Roberts provide the books through Paonia Reads, a school-to-home reading program they created, based on the national Raising a Reader program.

Paonia Reads! helps students enjoy books BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

It’s Tuesday and Betsy Frank collects book bags from Emily Horn’s students. A week earlier the 20 first graders received the bags filled with books and took them home. On Wednesday they will all take home their bags filled with a new set of books. “The kids look forward to it every week,” says Frank. “They can’t wait to get home and read with their parents.” The book bags are provided through Paonia Reads!, a program Frank and daughter Ellie Roberts established for Horn’s first-grader. Frank said they are constantly hunting for books at thrift stores, yard sales and library book sales. Each book is cleaned and protected with a clear, washable cover. “I spent half my summer cleaning them up,” said Frank with a smile. Roberts, a social studies and geography teacher at Paonia JuniorSenior High School, made all 25 of the heavy-duty

book bags, and Lasting Impressions printed the logo, which features the image of a book worm. Mother and daughter are both very passionate about reading. Frank taught high school English for 35 years and is now retired. Roberts has a masters degree in reading and was a middle school reading specialist for the Aspen School District before moving to the North Fork area. The program is modeled on the national Raising a Reader program. According to its website, www. raisingareader.org, it has helped more than a million families “build and sustain reading routines in their home...” While they could have tapped into the program, Frank and Roberts decided they would create their own program locally and consider it in the future. At a minimum, each bag is sent home filled with two picture books and at least two non-fiction, grade-level reader books. Students reading above grade level receive second-year readers.

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Getting children to read is so critical, said Frank. She sites a statistic from Patricia Mathes, who authored “Early Interventions in Reading” (SRA/McGraw-Hill), that “a student who fails to learn to read adequately in the first grade has a 90 percent probability of remaining a poor reader by grade 4 and a 75 percent probability of being a poor reader in high school.” Reading is a factor in determining a child’s future, said Frank. What she is seeing with the program, and through spending time in the classroom, is that kids look forward to reading. Parents also receive a weekly newsletter with reading tips and reminders on when the bags are due back at school. Not all books make it back, and that’s okay, said Frank. At the end of they year they plan to let each child keep a book, which means they need to be on the lookout for more books. Frank said there is a lot of interest from other teachers and the school library and they hope to expand the program to other grades in the future.

Open house at pasture grass plot CSU Extension - Small Acreage Management will be holding a pasture grass open house for TriRiver Area small acreage landowners on Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Delta County Fairgrounds in Hotchkiss. Participants will be able to take a self-guided tour of the irrigated and dryland pasture grass plots, view the irrigation system on display, discuss weed control methods used on site, and ask questions of local professionals. The program will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the grass pasture demonstration plot located on the fairgrounds. This event is open to the public and there is no charge to attend. Please contact the Montrose County Extension office with questions and to RSVP at 249-3935.

The students of Susan Hamrick’s class at Hotchkiss K-8 School received a special treat when they were visited on Sept. 14 by U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Steve (Randy) Allyn. The class had written cards and letters and sent a Christmas package to the former Hotchkiss High School student last year. Allyn presented students with a plaque made of the material that formed a wall around their compound in Afghanistan. The students’ names are all on one side of the plaque. The back side of the plaque is

an “Outstanding Teacher Award” for Ms. Hamrick, who retired last spring after 23 years as an educator. She continues to stay involved with the school and works halftime as a librarian. “She truly is Hotchkiss Pride,” said principal Carrie Yantzer. On the back of the plaque, Allyn thanks Hamrick with “sincere gratitude for the compassion, guidance, and wisdom you brought to so many students’ lives daily! Your shining spirit will never be matched!” “Your education is like this material, protecting you for the future,” Allyn

Lt. Col. Randy Allyn told the students. “You can get no better education anywhere than here in this valley. And you can be anything you want to be.” Allyn is the son of Steve and Connie Allyn of Paonia.

Photo submitteddd

Susan Hamrick’s class from the 2014-2015 school year at Hotchkiss K-8 were surprised last week with a visit from Lieutenant Colonel Steve Allyn, a former student of Hotchkiss High School. The class sent letters and a Christmas package to Allyn last year.

Fines and fees FROM PAGE B1 The draft fee schedule was first proposed by town staff in the fall of 2014, prior to Berry’s arrival. When she received it, the column for proposed fees was blank. Recommended fees and fines were considered after meeting with department heads, town staff and trustees to determine the amount of time and resources required by the town for each item. Of the 12 administrative fees now imposed by the town, the annual dog tag fee of $5 ($15 for “untouched” animals), rent of the community center at Town Hall, and park event fees and vendor fees will remain the same. Other fees will increase. Trustee Amber Kleinman expressed concern over the special event liquor license fee, proposed to increase from $50 to $150. Applications must be approved by the board. “A lot of our non-profits use that to do fundraising at the park and serve beer at the festivals,” said Kleinman, pointing out that Telluride charges $78. Berry defended the increase, stating that “a tremendous amount of work” and many expenses are involved in each license application. Under the “B” category, many of the items will include a fee plus actual costs, and some services that currently have no associated fee will see new fees established.

Fines associated with crime in the PD category will see some of the biggest increases. In the schedule, recommended fines marked “SUM” are determined by the courts and state statutes and indicate that a summons was issued. With some of the fines, including “animals running at large,” increasing from $10 for a first offense and $25 for the second to $50/$100, respectively, with a summons being issued on the third infraction, Berry explained that for most of those types of issues, the party has received prior warnings before being issued a citation, and staff has spent considerable time on the issue before imposing a fee.

The document does not include fees for the town’s water, sewer and trash services, which will be addressed as budget deadlines approach. Trash fees last increased in 2007, water base rates increased by $5 per tap in 2014 as mandated by loan coverage requirements related to the state-mandated and ongoing water improvement project, and wastewater (sewer) has seen no increase since 2005. Trustees will address public concerns over the draft at the Sept. 22 board meeting and plan to vote on the schedule that evening. At an earlier meeting, Berry described the schedule as something that is subject to amendment on at least an annual basis.

PHS diploma FROM PAGE B1 List. His situation, including the fact that he received an honorable discharge, fit the criteria for “Operation Recognition,” which coordinates awarding of high school diplomas to “deserving and qualified” veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam through the Department of Veteran Affairs. In Colorado, diplomas are awarded in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Education and Association of School Boards. In 2003, PHS awarded

an honorary diploma to a World War II veteran through the American Legion. Griffin said he will use his diploma to apply for funding for college. “You have to have it,” he said. The entire application took about six months. After receiving a letter from Palmer stating that his application was accepted and he would be awarded his diploma, he used the letter to enroll in college. Griffin said he plans to continue his studies in criminal justice and computer science.

NORTH FORK TIMES

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Westesen Farm, Houseweart Ranch honored BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

Two area farms were honored in August by History Colorado at the 2015 Colorado State Fair for remaining in operation under the same family for more than a century, despite economic, environmental, societal and other pressures. Westesen Farm and Ranch, located near Olathe in Montrose County, was established in 1903, according to History Colorado.org. Carl Westesen, who immigrated to America from Denmark in 1888, owned a feed store in Denver with his wife, Maude Bishop. “In 1903, he traded the store and $1,600 for 160 acres near Olathe,” where he kept sheep and other livestock and grew crops and planted an orchard. Their son, Harold, took over operations in 1945

Photo courtesy History Colorado

Three generations of the Houseweart family gathered on July 4 to celebrate 100 continuous years of operation at Houseweart Ranch on Rogers Mesa. From left, Ira, Cynthia, Izzi, CeCe, Tucker, Betty and Cody Houseweart. William “Bill” Houseweart is holding the portrait Oran Charles Houseweart, who moved to the area in 1898 and purchased the original 20-acre plot in 1915.

after serving in World War tors. Harold built concrete II, and made the transi- irrigation ditches and the tion from horses to trac- largest onion cellar in the state. Harold and wife Dorothy also grew onions for seed, and Moravian barley for Adolph Coors. Today, their son, Dan, and wife Diane, produce Olathe Sweet corn and other crops and produce honey. They also replanted the orchard with the same heirloom tree varieties that Carl originally planted. The farm has been home to five generations. Photo courtesy History Colorado Houseweart Ranch A 1912 photo shows all of the equipment and hors- was established in 1915 es that Carl Westesen used to operate Westesen by Oran Charles HouseFarm, which he established in 1903 near Olathe. weart, who moved to the Carl is standing in the center foreground holding area from the family farm the hand of his 2-year-old son, Harold. in Kansas in 1898 at the

age of 24 at the advice of doctors in order to alleviate his asthma symptoms. After working for other ranchers, he and his sweetheart, Mable Grove, purchased 20 acres on Rogers Mesa near Hotchkiss, removed the fruit trees, and planted pasture for milk cows and chickens. They eventually expanded their operation to include beef cattle and purchased 60 more acres and a U.S. Forest Service grazing permit. Their son, Oran Grove, took over the business following Oran Charles’ death in 1936. Today, Oran Groves’ son, Ira, wife Cynthia, and their daughters currently live on the original plot of land purchased by Oran Charles. Ira operates a blacksmith business, Ira Houseweart Metal Works, and Cynthia markets Princess Beef, a homegrown, grass-finished beef from the family’s herd of prized AngusSimmental cattle. Some of the herd’s mother cows descended from the original Houseweart herd. Almost 500 farms and ranches have been designated as Centennial Farms since the program began in 1986. Other Delta County operations and the years they began operation and were recognized include: Mt. Lamborn Ranches, Ltd., Paonia - 1889/1999 Hice Ranch, Austin 1910/2013 Valley Homestead, Hotchkiss - 1899/2013 Jones Polled Herefords,

Plan for chicken barn clears APC BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer

The Leroux Creek Area Planning Committee has forwarded a specific development request for the Kuntz Chicken Ranch to the county planning commission with a recommendation for approval. The county planning commission will hear and review the application request on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 5:30 p.m. in the county courthouse. The board of county commissioners will decide on the application at a later date. According to the spe-

cific development application for the ag operation, it will be a cage-free, organic egg laying facility. The application states that upto-date technology will be employed for monitoring water use, barn temperatures, feed consumption, chicken weights, and other factors to help ensure welfare of the chickens. According to the application, “Chickens are kept for approximately 14 months and then they are sold for food processing. The barn is then cleaned and new chickens are brought in two weeks later.”

Photo by Hank Lohmeyer

The completed 26,000-plus square-foot building in which David Kuntz is seeking speciﬁc development approval for operating a 20,000-hen egg laying operation, as seen from a view along Buffalo Road.

David Kuntz, DVM, is proposing to house the business in a 26,000-plus square-foot barn he has already constructed on his property along Buffalo Road. He told the APC members that his sons will manage the chicken barn operation. He also has a cattle operation and raises cattle feed. The location is very rural with no close neighbors, the application notes. Another resident of Buffalo Road, Dave Whittlesey, spoke in favor of the egg laying operation at the APC meeting. There were no comments against the plan. There will be up to 20,000 laying hens in the barn. “The day-to-day operation will consist of walking through the barn at least two times a day and checking for any sick birds and packaging the eggs for storage in the cooler. This will be a oneperson job,” states the application. Vehicle traffic generated by the facility will amount to a weekly feed delivery by a single-axel

truck. Also approximately once a week a standard semi will deliver feed. Semis are also used for removal and restocking of chickens every 14 months, the application states. The chicken ranch application included detailed site and drainage plans.

Eckert - 1886/1988 River Road Ranch, Delta - 1885/1988 Hotchkiss Family Ranch, Hotchkiss 1880/1994-1995 Cribb-Leitzinger Farm, Hotchkiss - 1898/1997-

1998 Kehmeier Ranch, Eckert - 1894/1999 Vela Ranch, Eckert 1893/1999 Hotchkiss Ranches, Inc. (Delta and Gunnison counties) - 1881/1989

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B4 Wednesday, September 23, 2015

PHS HOMECOMING

Delta County Independent

Burns, PHS freshmen build a better bonfire BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

When is a bonfire more than just a bonfire? During Homecoming Week, of course. A little more thought and planning went into

Paonia High School’s 2015 Homecoming bonfire. The structure was built by members of the PHS class of 2019, including Dustin Largent, Jesse Burns, David Lozano, Anthony Felice,

Photo by Scott Burns

Sackett Chesnik, Soul Connolly, Jonathan Miller, Jose Pantoja and Clint Putman. The project was overseen by “creative consultant” Scott Burns. Construction began with a tipi-style tripod, said Burns. The tripod structure was stabilized by nailing boards to the base of the poles, resulting in a collapse-resistant frame. The frame was then stuffed with as much cardboard as it could hold, and wood slats were piled around the tipi structure to hold the cardboard in. The theory, said Burns, is that the cardboard burns faster than Photo by Tamie Meck wood so that the entire structure burns quickly, The PHS student body gathers for senior speeches during the annual Homewith bigger flames, and coming bonfire. This year’s bonfire was designed to burn hotter and more with more intensity than quickly than the typical bonfire. a typical bonfire.

Scenes from a PHS Homecoming

From left, Paonia High School freshmen Dustin Largent, Jesse Burns, David Lozano, Anthony Felice, Sackett Chesnik, Soul Connolly, Jonathan Miller, Jose Pantoja and Clint Putman built this year’s Homecoming bonﬁre, which was designed not to collapse and to burn hot and fast. Scott Burns, a school custodian, was creative consultant for the project.

Photo by Tamie Meck

From left, Homecoming attendants Jeramiah Hillman, Deon Jensen, Bo Pipher and Devin Kne ride in the Homecoming Parade in style in a 1931 Bentley 8 Litre. The car was one of more than 100 classic race cars touring with the Colorado Grand.

After threats of rain canceled Monday’s capture the ﬂag games, the girls played dodgeball in the gym. Members of the junior girls’ dodgeball team avoid a ball launched their way.

Photo by Tamie Meck

Taylor Walters and Cheyanna Christian were crowned 2015 Homecoming king and queen at halftime of the Paonia/Centauri football game. Senior attendants were Devin Kne and Bo Pipher, Tessa Heiniger and Trevor Walters, and Deon Jensen and Jeramiah Hillman. Junior attendants were Sophia Anderson and Dagan Rienks; sophomores were Anika Carlson and Cyrus Malek-Madani; and freshmen were Jacquelin Mora and Jesse Burns. Photo by Tamie Meck

A vehicle’s headlights cast a shadow Thursday during the traditional lighting of the P. The torch used to light the ﬂames was carried on foot to the school and used to light the bonﬁre.

Photo by Tamie Meck

The freshmen, in pink tutus, compete against seniors, wearing black and red and pearls Thursday night in Peach Fuzz Volleyball. The junior class won the volleyball tournament, and the seniors won the overall Homecoming class title.

Photo by Tamie Meck

Seniors Trevor Plymale (32), Devin Kne and Bo Pipher thank 2015 Homecoming grand marshals Joe McNally (18) and Gary Handschumacher for their ongoing dedication to the school and the Paonia community.

Photo by Tamie Meck

Tuesday was Triplet Day at PHS and these sets of unusual triplets were happy to have their photo taken. This year’s themes also included “America” on Monday, “Hillbilly and Hobo” Wednesday, “Beach Bum” Thursday and “Red and Black” Friday.

Photo by Tamie Meck

School spirit ran deep during Homecoming Week Going by the theme of music of the 1980s, the junior class as PHS students cheer the Eagles volleyball team rocks to the sounds of AC/DC during Friday’s Homecomon in its 3-0 homecoming win over Plateau Valley. ing Parade. Each class ﬂoat represented an era of music in America.

Photo by Tamie Meck

Sophomores Randi Rapke and Clay Campbell parade the school colors while Kassidy Rapke and Cade Meilner rock to the music of Elvis and the 1950s.

Delta County Independent

MOUNTAIN HARVEST FESTIVAL

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

15th Annual

MOUNTAIN HARVEST FESTIVAL Sept. 24-27

Mountain Harvest Festival growing strong BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

To look at the long list of events planned for this weekend’s Mountain Harvest Festival, it’s hard to believe that it all began 15 years ago when Rick Stockton and Helen Highwater decided to throw a party. The husband-andwife duo made a sampler of more than a dozen western Colorado artists at their recording studio and wanted to throw a release party. Everyone liked the idea, said Stockton, and suggested it be more of a festival than a release party. That original festival included a Friday night chili cook-off, poetry reading and an arts opening at the Blue Sage, recalled Stockton. Saturday night, two venues offered live music by the recording artists, and Sunday a block of Grand Avenue was closed off for more live music and a farm market for local growers. “It was originally a one-shot deal,” said Stockton. “Now it’s just really taken off.” That first year set the template for what is today a three-day event, said Stockton. Now it’s a long list of artists, food offerings, wine and farm tours, bicycling events, kids’ activities, and all of the events still carried over from year to year from that first little festival. The poetry reading is now the Thursday night Harvest of Voices. Tickets sold out fast, and in response to its popularity, the event will be streamed live at the Paradise Theatre. The festival also outgrew the downtown core, and in 2009 the organization formed a board of directors, received nonprofit 501(c)(3) status, and moved the festival to Town Park, said current board president Sarah Bishop. In response to that growth and anticipated future growth, this year the board created the Mountain Harvest Creative, a charitable arm of the MHF that puts on the festival and provides year-round support for local arts and agriculture. Money earned by the festival cycles back into the community through donations and scholarships. Bishop said that two

things pushed the board to create the MHC: When the organization applied for grants, the festival name created confusion about its mission; and the board wanted to shine a brighter light on what they do throughout the remainder of the year. “We are growing,” said Bishop. “We are extending our reach,” and creating more ways to support the community. This is not just about Paonia, Bishop stressed. The MHC mission is “to celebrate and serve our communities, and that includes the entire North Fork community.” Examples include the Teens on Farms program started in 2009 (see related story on page B1), the 2015 film school workshops at the Paradise Theatre, and the Embodying Rhythm program taught at all three North Fork elementary schools by rhythm enthusiast David Alderdice. MHC seeks “any opportunity to support young people’s interests” through scholarships and other means, said Bishop. Organizations and individuals looking to support the arts and agriculture are invited to submit an application of support for consideration. Final decisions will be made in February. This year’s list of events is long and begins Thursday with a special seating farm-to-table dinner at The Living Farm Café. Food enthusiasts can also enjoy local creations during the annual chili cook-off and pie contest on Friday, food booths and a vegan potluck lunch Saturday at Town Park. Stone Cottage Cellars will host the inaugural MHF winemaker’s farmto-table dinner Saturday — a four-course feast of culinary delights. Slow Foods Western Slope will host Disco Soup, a gourmet spread of seasonal delights, Sunday evening. Local drink, including juices and ciders, hard cider, wine and beer, is available throughout the weekend. Book lovers can hunt for the perfect read Friday at the Paonia Library Harvest Book Sale. Beginning at noon, six local galleries will host the annual

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Art Walk. Several events are happening at Paonia Town Park and vendors will be open from 4-7 p.m. For cyclists, Saturday’s free-range ride with the Paonia Bicycle Club offers rides of 10, 25 and 50 miles. There’s the slow bike race and toss, sponsored by the Paonia Bike CoOp; a kids’ bicycle obstacle course for kids up to age 18, sponsored by Shish KaBikes; and the North Fork Valley fall bike swap meet on Sunday at the Bike Co-Op. Or get your exercise by participating in the 5k Fun Walk/Run or enjoying a stimulating yoga session at Town Park. The event would not be complete without the harvest. On Saturday, the youths of Plants R Us will sell their bounty at the park and on Sunday, the local farm market will include local harvests, prepared foods, breads and more. Demonstrations will also be offered throughout the day. The popular Grape Stomp, also a benefit event, begins at noon Saturday. Skip Naft needed to look no farther than the Western Slope to fill the weekend with 16 quality musical acts. One goal in booking acts was to avoid repeats of past performers, said Naft, who

also recruits acts for the annual Cherry Days celebration. During the chili cookoff and pie contest, enjoy music by the Telluride band Joint Point, which Naft discovered at the 2014 San Juan String Fest in Ridgway. Saturday’s live music in the park begins at 3 p.m. with all-original sounds by the 3 Tinkers. For a $30 ticket, music lovers can experience 10 local music acts performing at four downtown venues Saturday evening. The format is sort of a “mini South by Southwest” music festival, said Naft of the multi-venue event. “There’s a different vibe going on at each venue.” While past Saturday night performances have changed hourly, this year’s sets will be an hour and a half long. That allows pub crawlers more time to enjoy each of their favorite acts and not feel so rushed to get to the next venue, said Naft. Sunday’s music in the park runs from 11 a.m. to 4:10 p.m., followed by music by the all-star band featuring musicians from throughout the weekend. Look for some interesting collaborations by popular local artists. Last, but not least, the kids’ area, hosted by the Kampe Foundation and

Hotchkiss High School Honor Society, allows kids to discover all kinds of games and crafts from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the park. “I think this year is going to be really great,” said Stockton. There is a lot of new interest in the festival, which is now drawing people from across the state and

throughout the region. There really is too much to list. Visit www. mountainharvestfestival. org or the Mountain Harvest Festival Facebook page for tickets for the Saturday night concerts, a full list of events, writeups on all of the musical acts, photos, artwork and how you can get involved. See you at the festival!

GLENNIE COOMBE GALLERY Fine Art

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138 Grand Ave. • Paonia • 970.527.6622

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�� All events with � take place in Town Park

��10:00am–5:00pm – Harvest Market (park vendors) ��10:30am–11:30am – Hoola Hoop Hoopla Contests � �11:00am–4:00pm – Self Guided Farm tours (see map) � �11:00am–5:00pm – Self Guided Winery tours (see map) ��Noon – Vegan Potluck Lunch at SE Pavilion ��Noon–2:00pm – Grape Stomp ��Noon–5:00pm – Kids’ Area activities ��Noon–6:00pm – Drink Locally Pavilion Open � 1:00–4:00pm – SEI Van Tour of Wineries, starting at Town Park � 2:00–3:00pm – Cow Bingo, east of football �ield ��2:30–4:00pm – 3 Tinkers - Live Music � 3:00–4:00pm – Slow Bike/Bike Toss, by SE Pavilion � 4:00–7:00pm – Delicious Orchards BBQ with Live Music � 4:30–6:00pm – Justin Thompson Trio - Live Music � 6:00–8:00pm – Winemaker’s Dinner at Stone Cottage 5:00pm – Lots of dinner options in town 7:00pm–10:00pm – Musician Meet and Greet at Eccentric Artist, downtown 7:00pm–12:30am – Saturday Night Concerts - ten bands in four downtown venues (see page 21) 8:00pm–1:00am – Late night gnoshing on Grand Avenue

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5:00pm – Special Seating Farm-to-Table Dinner at The Living Farm Café 7:30–9:00pm – Harvest of Voices: Poetry and Prose at the Blue Sage Center - live streaming to Paradise Theater.

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12:00–4:00pm – Art Walk, Downtown The Hive, Colony Room – 130 Grand Avenue Glennie Coombe Gallery – 140 Grand Avenue Blue Sage Gallery – 228 Grand Avenue Eccentric Artist Gallery – 217 Grand Avenue Elsewhere Studios – 107 3rd Street The Art Den - 136 Grand Avenue First Colorado National Bank - 133 Grand Avenue 1:00pm–5:00pm – Paonia Library Book Sale - 2 3rd Street ��4:00–7:00pm – Drink Locally Pavilion and vendors open ��5:00–7:00pm: Chili Cook Off Pie contest Live music with Joint Point Pub Crawl, Friday evening, Downtown Revolution Brewing – 325 Grand Avenue No Fo Foods – 312 Grand Avenue Back Country Bistro – 210 3rd Street Louie’s Pizza and Loft – 202 Grand Avenue Featuring: The Scones Paradise Theatre – 215 Grand Avenue Thomas Waldo’s – 240 Grand Avenue

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8:00am–1:00pm – 50-mile Free Range Ride with the Paonia Bicycle Cub, starting at Town Park � �9:00am–1:00pm – 10 & 25-mile Free Range Ride with the Paonia Bicycle Cub ��9:00–10:00am – Gentle Flow Yoga with Samara, near stage 10:00am–4:00pm – Paonia Library Book Sale - 2 3rd Street ��10:00 am–5:00 pm – Farmers’ Market by Plants Are Us (teenager managed)

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8:30am – 5K walk/run with brunch, south end of Grand � 9:00–Noon – Best Buddies Bene�it Brunch at Teen Center ��9:00–10:00am – Forrest Yoga with Ayana, near stage � 10:00am–5:00pm – Harvest Market ��11:00am–5:00pm – Farmers Market and Demos 11:00am–5pm Self-Guided Winery tours (see map) ��Afternoon – Bike Swap ��Noon–5:00pm – Drink Locally Pavilion ��Noon–5:00pm – Kids’ Area activities ��Noon–1:30pm – Ferraris in the Park, at Teen Center ��11:00am–6:00pm – Live music: 11:00am – The Grizzly Pears 12:50pm – Rare 2:40pm – Tjaar 4:30pm – Harvest Festival All-Star Band ��4:00–6:00pm – Slow Food Disco Soup, by playground

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B6 Wednesday, September 23, 2015

MOUNTAIN HARVEST FESTIVAL

Delta County Independent

Grape Stomp is a must-see event The popular Grape Stomp Competition is a must-see event at Paonia’s Mountain Harvest Festival. The “stompin’”

begins at noon Saturday, Sept. 26, in Paonia’s Town Park. The event is generously sponsored by Orchard Valley Farms

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and the Black Bridge Winery. This fundraising event benefits two local nonprofits: Solar Energy International’s K-12 program and the Paonia Public Library Foundation. Both organizations are also sponsors of Mountain Harvest Creative. SEI’s K-12 outreach program is devoted to teaching the growing importance of energy — both how it is used and where it is sourced. The library foundation is committed to raising, investing, and disbursing funds for the expansion of the Paonia Library. This annual competition highlights the North Fork Valley’s amazing wine culture through a hands-on (or shall we say feet-on) event! How does it work? Local businesses, families, nonprofit groups, kids of all ages, church groups and crazy friends form teams of 3-4 people to compete for the grand prize of “Most Juice Collected” by stomping 20 pounds of grapes in wine barrels. Teams are encouraged to dress in costumes and compete for other prestigious awards. The theme for this year is “History.” Your group is encouraged to represent

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your favorite historical moment to win the “Best Costume Award.” Whether 1787 or 1987, the sky is the limit! Or perhaps your team would like to go old-school and compete for the “Best Lucy Look-A-Like.” (You know, the famous grape stomping scene.) NEW for 2015: Audience choice! The audience is encouraged to bribe the judges by donating money in the name of their favorite team. The team with the most bribe votes wins! Plus there are special prizes for kids’ teams, including most juice collected and best costume! Registration forms for teams and sponsors, as well as rules for the Grape Stomp, are available at the Paonia Library, SEI or online. Call 970-234-9428 for more information.

Friday’s menu features tasty chili, homemade pies This year’s Mountain Harvest Festival will mark the 14th annual Chili Cook-Off in the park. The cook-off, which has been run by the Blue Sage Center for the Arts for the past eight years, is a signature part of Mountain Harvest Festival that is anticipated by many members of the community. The competition is open to any individual or organization and is broken into five categories. Each entry is judged by a secret panel of culinary experts and also competes for the coveted People’s Choice award. Prizes are as follows: Best Green Chili $50 Best Red $50 Best Meatless $50 Best Exotic $50 Best in Town $0 (for restaurants) People’s Choice $150 You can taste the chili in Paonia Town Park on Friday, Sept. 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. when all the cooks will be assembled, eager to wow you and win the coveted “People’s Choice Award.” Tasting will start promptly at 5 p.m. — no sooner, and no later. When you purchase your taste tickets, you will be given a token of some sort to use as a People’s Choice vote. Once you’ve tasted all the chili you would like, decide which one (or ones) you like the best and put your People’s Choice votes in the colored can on the cook’s

Run/walk benefits two great causes BY TAMIE MECK Staff Writer

The Mountain Harvest Festival 5k Run, Walk, Stroll not only follows a great course this year, it benefits two good causes. Organizer Dave Knutson said the course follows the route of the early MHF races. It begins at the south end of Grand Avenue across from Lizzy’s Market and travels to Mathews Lane, up O Road onto Lamborn Mesa, and back down Lamborn Mesa Road into town. The route is more scenic than in recent years and gives participants a chance to see some of the area’s beautiful farmland, added Knutson. The course offers a challenge for the more competitive runners, yet is suitable for families, beginners, strollers, and even dogs — on a leash, of course. Race-day registration is $25, $15 for students and free for ages 10 and under. Cost includes a full breakfast following the race and supports the Mountain Harvest Creative and the Flight of the Eagle Project at Paonia High School. Call Ashley at 303746-6114 or Dave at 5273969 for details.

table. You are allowed to cast more than one vote to a chili if you like! At the end of the evening all the People’s Choice votes in each cook’s tin will be counted, and the coveted People’s Choice Award will be announced. In order to taste the chili, you will have to purchase taste tickets. Prices start at two tastes for $1. I Love Pie In conjunction with the Chili Cook-Off, students from the Hotchkiss and Paonia High School Speech Club will again

sponsor the annual “I Love Pie” contest. Pies will be judged as: best harvest pie, best savory pie, best fruit pie, best gluten- and dairyfree pie, and best decorative pie. Pie bakers can enter each pie in only one category, but may enter as many pies as they like. The only rule is that all pies must be homemade. Bring your best pie to the park by 4 p.m. Friday for judging. Slices of pie will be available for sale starting at 5 p.m., with proceeds benefitting the speech club.

Drink locally, drink responsibly Enjoy a glass of beer or wine at the festival this year, when you stop by the Drink Locally Pavilion in Paonia Town Park. The Drink Locally Pavilion features beers provided by Paonia’s Revolution Brewing, founded and owned by Gretchen and Mike King. Their handcrafted ales and lagers are made using local hops and fruits to craft their brew. They even grind their hops using bicycle power! Wine lovers can choose from a variety of wines from several of our local wineries. These are among the finest made in Colorado, from vineyards located at some of the highest altitudes to produce wine. Some of the vintners may be on hand to help you decide which wines may be most pleasing to your palette. Delicious Orchards makes Big B’s juices, and generously provides them for the festival. Be sure to try ’em; they are bursting with flavor. Water and juice are also available for those wanting a non-alcoholic

alternative. The Drink Locally Pavilion will open Friday at 4 p.m. and remain open throughout the festival. Wristbands will be given out after IDs are checked.

Don’t miss pub crawl Friday night Enjoy some great entertainment, food and drink at several venues on or near Grand Avenue Friday night. Participants include Revolution Brewing, No Fo Foods, Back Country Bistro, Thomas Waldo’s, Paradise Theatre, and Louie’s Pizza and Loft. Many venues will feature live music during the evening. Louie’s is hosting The Scones. Or come down to the Paradise for a DJ dance party. A donation of $10 is suggested for the dance party, a benefit for the Paradise. Be sure to check out the downtown scene Friday night!

MOUNTAIN HARVEST FESTIVAL

Delta County Independent

Local, regional bands have been handpicked for this year’s festival Since 2001, the annual Mountain Harvest Festival has brought to the stage an eclectic assortment of handpicked local and regional musicians. This year, you’ll have an opportunity to meet the musicians at a meet-andgreet reception to be held at Eccentric Artist, 217 Grand Avenue. Just 50 tickets will be sold for the reception. They are $50 and include admission to all of the venues for the Saturday Sundown Swing. See mountain harvestfestival.com for ticket information. For the Saturday Sundown Swing, one block of Grand Avenue will be closed. KVNF (233 Grand Avenue) and Glennie Coombe Gallery (140 Grand Avenue) will provide acoustic music in a coffeehouse setting while the Paradise Theatre (215 Grand Avenue) and the Blue Sage (228 Grand Avenue) are the venues for full bands and dance music. Wristbands for the Saturday night concerts are $30 in advance and can be purchased through Thursday, Sept. 24, in Paonia at Paonia Farm and Home Supply or Back Country Bistro, or in Hotchkiss at Hardin’s Natural Foods and the Creamery Arts Center. The online ticket outlet can be found at http:// mountainharvestsaturday night15.brownpaper tickets.com. Tickets will also be available at the information booth in Paonia Town Park Friday and Saturday, or at KVNF, 233 Grand Avenue, on Saturday night. Tickets purchased

Saturday will run $35. Skip Naft has lined up 10 acts that will have something for everyone, all in one block of beautiful historic downtown Paonia. The lineup includes:

layered vocal harmonies and authentic acoustic resonance. Katherine Taylor, Jenny Hill, Lizzy Plotkin and Andrew Cameron have developed a new style of Americana called “honeygrass.” The elements are BLUE SAGE familiar — harmony Bonewagon singing, twin fiddle, open 7 to 8:30 p.m. back banjo, guitar, manBonewagon, a local dolin, storytelling and favorite in Ridgway, mountain culture. The makes its Paonia debut alchemy is all their own. Saturday night. The group has an original PARADISE THEATRE acoustic rock sound with The Royal We many eclectic influ- 7:30 to 9 p.m. ences. Bonewagon has The Royal We is a played multiple events at Ridgway-based rock band the Chipeta Sun Lodge playing originals and covincluding KVNF’s string- ers from the likes of Los fest last year as well as Lobos, Van Morrison, the Sherbino Theater. Susan Tedeschi, Grace Potter, Jackie Greene. Six Shooter Rodeo Catch its Paonia debut at 8:45 to 10:15 p.m. the Paradise Theatre. Formed in Montrose, Six Shooter Rodeo is a trio Brodie Kinder Band that brings a fresh per- 9:15 to 10:45 p.m. Brodie Kinder, former spective to bluegrass and old-time music. The group front man of an underconsists of Erik Stucky on ground acoustic hip-hop mandolin/vocals, Stephan group in Honolulu, has Wargo on guitar/vocals, taken on several incarnaand A.J. Fullerton on tions from solo, to duo, upright bass/vocals. Their and finally to five-piece sound is an amalgam of band. Landing in Paonia, traditional bluegrass this throw-back heartfavorites, Americana throb is taking the valley undertones, and classic by storm and dreaming rock influences. Despite up possibilities with his being a new band on the local band, The Killer Colorado music scene, it Bees. As a second generahas already been widely tion Up With People affilpraised for their vocal iate, he draws inspiration harmonies, song arrange- from a culturally diverse ments and instrumental travel history, crafting his music with positive fluidity. intention. Free The Honey Spore Favore 10:30-midnight This folk quartet is 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Spore Favore is a homegrown on the Western Slope of Colorado and unique Colorado jam offers up old-time and band based in the Roaroriginal tunes with richly ing Fork Valley, playing stimulating originals, captivating jams, well-known covers. The fully electric five-piece outfit delivers danceable grooves born out of a fusion of electrified bluegrass, funk, jam and good old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll. Spore Favore’s sound comes from John Carlin on electric guitar and vocals, Guy Welles on electric mandolin, electric fiddle and vocals, Brad Manosevitz on percussion, tubes, acoustic guitar and vocals, Tom Sherlock on bass, and Free The Honey Ryan Grow on drums.

HOTCHKISS 394 East Bridge, 970.872.4900 PAONIA 218 Grand Ave., 970.527.5488 • bankofcolorado.com

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Free Samples of Fresh-Pressed Apple Cider

Roasted Chili Peppers Pumpkins Winter Squash Wine Tasting Shop the Market Picnic By the River

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performers who can keep an audience on the edge of its ears. From the melodically percussive guitar style and inspired wordsmithing, to an impressive ability to stomp and shuffle his feet, there is something positively fun and refreshing about Russ Chapman. During a Nashville co-writing session with Earth, Wind and Fire founding member Ronnie Laws, a giddy Laws proclaimed, “You’ve got a good thing going there, man!” Harry Harpoon 9:30 to 11 p.m. At 50-plus, Harry Harpoon’s voice has matured into a powerful instrument that infuses life into whatever he sings, while his slide playing and rhythm guitar licks range from sweet and soulful to rousing and even raucous. At his solo gigs, he somehow manages to play drums at the same time. But it’s his raw energy and the bone-deep tone and range of emotion on the harmonica that trademark each of Harry Harpoon’s live performances.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

WE L�VE LOCAL! ��

COLORADO LOCAL: ��

NAME BRANDS: ��

Come See Us Soon!

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Email articles and letters to the editor at: editor@deltacountyindependent.com

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GLENNIE COOMBE GALLERY Devon Meyers 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. Devon Meyers’ musical career started in 1984 on a porch on Matchless Street in Aspen. He and his friend Steve started the band called Stevo Devo and never looked back. Devon is a lover of everything from Hot Rise to Galactic and just loves anything funky and delta! A songwriter, he’s fortunate to play his folkwith-soul in small venues in both Colorado and Southern California. Frank Martin 9 to 10:30 p.m. Frank Martin is a staple of the Roaring Fork Valley’s music scene. He has played on his own for years and been a part of the popular bands Let Them Roar and All The Pretty Horses. He’s a versatile and accomplished guitarist with a unique style that draws from Mark Knopfler, Richard Thompson, B.B. King and, his favorite, Ry Cooder. As a vocalist, his phrasing and nuance reflex his experience, while the band’s repertoire also sets the stage for the soulful mark of gospel and blues. KVNF COMMUNITY ROOM Russ Chapman 7:45 to 9:15 p.m. With a decidedly creative style, Russ Chapman stomps and sings highly original music drawn from the deep well of Americana. Combining a keen sense of melody and lyrical wit with medicine show sensibility, here is one of those rare

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B8 Wednesday, September 23, 2015

MOUNTAIN HARVEST FESTIVAL

Delta County Independent

Local writers featured at Harvest of Voices BY LEAH MORRIS

Delta County Libraries

“One of the things I like best about local authors is they usually deliver their books by hand, so you get to meet them,” says regional manager Lea Hart. This is more than an occa-

sional occurrence at the Delta County Libraries, as western Colorado has a wonderful abundance of local authors, and the libraries work hard to collect and exhibit their books. Subjects vary from fishing to domestic violence to fantasy to poetry.

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Some books are self-published and some have won national awards. Given Delta County residents’ diverse range of backgrounds and interests, it makes sense that so many subjects are represented locally. With the coordination of Paonia’s Literary Committee, the Delta County Libraries and the Blue Sage Center for the Arts are collaborating to give area writers, known and unknown, a chance to share their work with the community. The event, Harvest of Voices, was started by the Blue Sage many years ago, and the two groups have worked together much of that time to make

the event a success. It coincides with Paonia’s Mountain Harvest Festival. Paonia Library staff member Laura Lee Yates has worked on the Harvest of Voices for the past eight years. She explains, “Since the Mountain Harvest Festival celebrates the bounty of the North Fork Valley, it was decided that we should also celebrate the plethora of great writers that call this home.” Every year has included a remarkable share of quality authors and poets. Yates describes, “Past readers have included international sci-fi star Paolo Bacigalupi, award-winner Craig Childs, and critically-

acclaimed memoirist Lisa Jones; each year we wonder which rising star or debut reader will knock our socks off.” This year’s event, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m., has actually outgrown the Blue Sage, where standing-room-only crowds have historically overwhelmed the building. Event organizer Mary Bachran states, “The most exciting thing for me this year is the simulcast. We are going to live stream the event to the Paradise Theatre to accommodate the overflow crowds we have had in the past. The lineup of readers is stellar, with old favorites like Eric Goold presenting as

Celebrate the harvest with self-guided farm, wine tours On Saturday, Sept. 26, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mountain Harvest welcomes back the much-celebrated free farm tours. Each farm will have fresh goods for purchase, including gourmet cheese, gorgeous produce, wines, wool and more. Included on the selfguided tours are: Avalanche Cheese Goat Farm & Dairy, 11510 Crawford Road, Paonia. Delicious Orchards, 39126 Highway 133, Paonia. Desert Weyr, 16870 Garvin Mesa Road, Paonia. Small Potatoes Farm, 40575 O Road, Paonia. Orchard Valley Farms & Market, 15836 Black Bridge Road, Paonia. The Living Farm, 12506 Crawford Road, Paonia. Thistle Whistle Farm, 10872 3500 Road, Hotchkiss. Zephyros Farm and Garden, 11466 3725 Road, Paonia. Wine lovers will have an opportunity to tour the beautiful vineyards surrounding Paonia both Saturday and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit www.mountainharvest festival.com for information about a guided van tour, or check out the map of self-guided tours. Maps will also be available at the Mountain Harvest Festival booth in Paonia Town Park. The participating West Elks AVA wineries

include: Alfred Eames Cellars, 11931 4050 Road, Paonia. Azura Cellars & Gallery, 16764 Farmers Mine Road, Paonia. Black Bridge Winery, 15836 Black Bridge Road, Paonia. Delicious Orchards/ North Fork Cellars, 39126 Highway 133, Paonia. 5680’ Vineyards, 14652 Peony Lane, Paonia. Leroux Creek Vineyards, 12388 3100 Road, Hotchkiss. Mesa Winds Farm & Winery, 31262 L Road, Hotchkiss. Stone Cottage Cellars,

4176 Reds Road, Paonia. Terror Creek Winery, 17445 Garvin Mesa Road, Paonia. On Saturday, Sept. 26, Stone Cottage Cellars will host a winemaker’s farmto-table dinner. This oneof-a-kind culinary event will feature four delicious courses paired with four complementary wines. Dinner starts with bites from the winery’s woodfired pizza oven and ends with blackberry streudel with berries picked from the winery. Reservations can be made by calling 527-3444.

well as new faces.” Library calendars highlight several other upcoming events incorporating local and Colorado authors. Award-winning Colorado author Lou Dean will give a presentation at the Delta Library Monday, Sept. 28, at 5:30 p.m. followed a month later by Colorado writers and ghost hunters Mark and Kym Todd on Halloween. Katherine Colwell will visit the Paonia Library Oct. 24 with a 22foot-long art book she created to reflect her experiences living in Utah, and Paonia’s Literary Committee has several other events in the works. All the Delta County Libraries offer author events throughout the course of the year. Blue Sage director Annette Pretorius describes the challenges faced by writers in the area, saying, “There aren’t many opportunities for local writers and poets to get up in front of the community and say, ‘Hey! This is what I’m doing,’ the way it is for musicians and visual artists.” The libraries work to support and promote local talent as much as possible; community members can help show their enthusiasm for area writers by visiting their libraries and other community organizations like the Blue Sage, attending events, and reading the books that represent the work of so many local residents.

New events to savor Mountain Harvest online.org/ and www. Festival organizers are rezdawgrescue.org/ pleased to present two new events in 2015: Harvest Disco Soup Sunday, Sept. 27 Best Buddies 4 to 6 p.m. Benefit Brunch Paonia Town Park Sunday, Sept. 27 Join Slow Food West9 a.m. to noon ern Slope for a Disco Teen Center Soup seasonal spread. Paonia Town Park This spread will be preStart your Harvest Fes- pared with fresh ingretival Sunday morning off dients, sourced from with a hearty breakfast local farms that would at the Best Buddies Ben- have otherwise gone to efit Brunch from 9 a.m. to waste. With this Disco noon. The breakfast will offer locally sourced egg and meat dishes, fruit, pastry, coffee and a cold drink. All proceeds from the brunch will go to local animal rescue groups CAWS and newly local RezDawg Rescue. Both groups work to provide adoption, spay and neuter, foster care and vaccinations for abandoned and relinquished pets in Delta County. To learn more about these organizations visit their websites at caws

Soup, Slow Food Western Slope aims to create conviviality around food and to raise awareness of the unimaginable quantities of food that go to waste every day. We will do this by providing you with a delicious solution for wasted food! Soup will be $5 a bowl, and proceeds benefit Slow Food. Join us at the pavilion near the playground for a special meal during this harvest season!

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SPORTS

Delta County Independent

SPORTS September 23, 2015

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

www.deltacountyindependent.com

Panthers win five more times BY WAYNE CRICK DCI Sports Editor

Delta’s Panthers played their second straight week of five softball games. The week began in Gypsum where Delta got the best of Eagle Valley’s Devils 203 on Tuesday, Sept. 15. The rest of the week included four games played in the Panther’s Invitational Tournament. Delta defeated Durango, 9-4, in its first tournament game and avenged

Photo by Wayne Crick

Delta junior Lily Lockhart came in from right ﬁeld to make this catch against Cedaredge Saturday afternoon.

an earlier loss to Montrose by defeating the Indians 10-6 on Friday. Saturday games included a 16-1 win over Gunnison and a tense 76 win over a determined Cedaredge Bruins’ team. Highlighting play for the past week were 11 home runs for Delta. Jenna Sutliff, Megan Sandoval and Lily Lockhart had three each while Keilee Womack hit two over the fence. Delta 20, Devils 3 The Panthers outhit Eagle Valley 14-3 on their way to an easy 4A WSL win. Sandoval had four hits in four at bats, including a home run, to lead Delta with five RBIs in the game. She scored three runs and was coach Steve Reiher’s Player of the Game. Hannah Easter was 22 with two RBIs, while sophomore Shyanne Steele was 1-for-3 with two RBIs as well. Eagle Valley’s Cody Osteen had two hits to lead the Devils’ offense. The Panthers took a 4-2 lead in the second inning and were never challenged again in the game.

A five-run third led to an 11-run explosion in the fourth to end the game with a 20-3 win for the Panthers. Delta 9, Demons 4 Jenna Sutliff was one of the leading hitters in this game with a 3-3 plate performance, three RBIs and a home run, her third. Womack also had three RBIs that came on a 2-3 day at the plate that included her fourth home run of the season. She was also the winning pitcher. Saydee Culver picked up two RBIs and scored three times on a 2-4 day with the bat that included two doubles. Delta 10, MHS 6 The Panthers jumped on Montrose for an 83 first-quarter lead and added single runs in the second and third innings to avenge an earlier 1211 loss to the Indians. Montrose scored three runs in each of the first and fourth innings, accounting for its six runs. Delta had three home runs, Sutliff, Sandoval and Lockhart, to augment its offense against the Indians. Lockhart was

Delta’s leading hitter with three, including a double to go with her home run. Sutliff and Womack had two hits each. Madisyn Minerich was Montrose’s top hitter with two singles in the game. Hannah Easter was the winning pitcher for Delta. Delta 16, Gunnison 1 The Panthers kept their home run hitting streak alive against the Cowboys with three dingers. Sutliff ripped her fifth four-bagger of the season while Womack hit her fifth, and Lockhart sent her ninth over the fence. Sutliff had four hits, scored four runs and knocked in a run to lead the Panthers’ hit-parade. Womack had four RBIs on three hits in three at bats and she scored three runs herself. Lockhart’s three RBIs came on her home run, while Sandoval was 3-4 with a double and two RBIs. Lockhart was the winning pitcher for Delta. Delta 7, Bruins 6 Delta eased its way to a 3-2 lead after one inning of play. Neither team scored

in the second. Cedaredge took the lead in the third frame with a four-run spurt. A big inning, where the Panthers scored three times, tied the game at 66. After Cedaredge failed to score in the top half of the fifth, Delta got some traffic on the base paths and plated the winning run as time ran out in the game. When asked about his team’s overall performance in the tournament,

coach Reiher was complimentary of his team. “I was very pleased. We had 10 home runs this weekend (and another against Eagle Valley on Tuesday). We had lots of intensity all weekend and got on base to score runs. I didn’t think our pitching was its best, but we got the job done. We’re 11-4, but we can’t stop there. It’s time to put teams away. We’ve still got Rifle, who’s better than before, and Palisade is strong.”

Photo by Wayne Crick

Delta freshman Jenna Sutliff tags out a Durango runner during tournament action last Friday afternoon in Delta. The Panthers played four games over the weekend and were victorious in all of them, pushing their record to 11-4 on the year.

CHS gridders win 35-0 BY WAYNE CRICK DCI Sports Editor

Cedaredge’s homecoming festivities included a 35-0 football victory over the visiting Aspen Skiers last Friday night. The Bruins scored three times in the first quarter and were never threatened in the game. A scoreless second quarter left Cedaredge ahead 21-0 at the half. Two more touchdowns in the third stanza boosted the Bruins’ lead to 350 and accounted for the game’s final score. A 44-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jake Ostrom to senior wide receiver Kyler Anderson finished off a 65-yard scoring drive that took seven plays. A Brendon Klaseen kick was good for the extra point and a 7-0 Bruins’ lead with 8:13 left to be played in the first quarter. The Skiers failed to move the ball past their own 38-yard line with their first possession. After punting the ball away, Cedaredge took over at its own 30-yard line. Christian Reynolds provided 23 yards in the 70-yard drive and carried the ball in from six yards out with 3:05 remaining in the opening period. The

extra point kick made the score 14-0. Aspen fumbled the ball on the second play of its next possession, giving the Bruins the ball back at Aspen’s 15-yard line. Senior Tyler Cooper picked up seven yards on the first play and was stopped at the line of scrimmage on his second straight carry. Ostrom handed the ball to Reynolds who scooted 8 yards to the end zone for six points. The PAT was good, and the Bruins were up 21-0 after one quarter of action. Aspen got the ball to begin second-half play but lost the ball on downs after moving it to Cedaredge’s 24. Cedaredge’s first possession after the half started with an Isaac Swoffer 50-yard scamper for what looked to be a Bruins’ touchdown. Unfortunately, a chop block penalty brought the ball back to the Cedaredge 35-yard line. Ostrom picked up 35 yards on a run, and Swoffer added 21 more to move the ball to Aspen’s 13. Brandon O’Hern took an option pitch from Ostrom to cover the final 13 yards for Cedaredge’s fourth touchdown of the game. With the PAT, Cedaredge

held a 28-0 lead with 3:47 left in the third quarter. Fortune befriended the Bruins on the ensuing kickoff when the Skiers fumbled the ball at their own 34-yard line where it was recovered by the Bruins. A pass from Ostrom to O’Hern moved the ball from the 34 to Aspen’s 6. From there, Swoffer ran the ball in for the game’s final touchdown with 3:08 on the scoreboard clock. Klaseen’s kick made it 35-0. Cedaredge ran 82 plays and produced 20 first downs in the game. Ostrom was 4-11 through the air with 103 yards and a touchdown. He also was intercepted once. The leading groundgainers for Cedaredge were Ostrom and Swoffer with 61 yards apiece

on eight carries each. O’Hern finished with 55 yards and Reynolds had 52. Cedaredge rushed for 275 yards on 37 carries, and finished with 378 total yards. Anderson topped the Bruins’ receiving corps in yardage with 54 on two receptions. Defensively, O’Hern led the Bruins in tackles with 12, while Reynolds and Swoffer were next in line with 11 and 10, respectively. Jake Ferlisi led Aspen’s defense with 15 tackles. The Skiers finished with 36 yards through the air and another 117 on the ground with Ferlisi leading the way with 91 yards. O’Hern had two sacks, with Drew Markley and Ethan Fritchman being credited with one each. Cedaredge shares the CED FB TO B10

Photo by Wayne Crick

Sophomore Pedro Madaleno takes down Aspen’s Nick Hanle during last Friday’s homecoming game. Madaleno, a defensive end, came into the game in the fourth quarter to play quarterback for the Bruins. Cedaredge shut out the Skiers, 35-0.

Eagles soar and score for 48-6 Homecoming win BY ERIC GOOLD DCI Sports Writer

Paonia had all the motivation it needed going into last Friday night’s football game against visiting Centau-

Photo by Eric Goold

Sophomore Jaden Miller runs the ball for Paonia in the ﬁrst quarter and drags a host of Falcons with him as Centauri’s Hayden Huffaker, 11, moves in to help ﬁnish tackling Miller. Paonia won its Homecoming game, 48-6. The Eagles share the league lead with Cedaredge, a 35-0 winner over Aspen, with 2-0 records.

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It was the Falcons who last beat Paonia, a little over two years ago, handing head coach Brent McRae and star quarterback Taylor Walters their only high school defeat. And it was Homecoming. The Eagles responded for the second week in a row with an explosive offense and a dominant defense in a 48-6 rout of the Falcons. Senior Jeramiah Hillman may have understated the situation after running for two touchdowns and snagging an interception in the victory. “Tonight was a solid win,” Hillman said. “We played very well tonight.” Paonia took the opening kickoff and drove 71 yards in less than three minutes. Walters scampered 38 yards for a touchdown and the Eagles led 7-0. Centauri ran three plays and punted, then Walters ended Paonia’s next drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Dagan

Rienks. Paonia led 14-0 after its first two possessions. Eagles junior Colby Simpson intercepted Centauri quarterback Nate Anderson and set up the offense after a long return. “We stopped the run well, that was good,” Simpson said. “We had some miscues on pass defense, but we got them fixed. We just made adjustments. That’s one of the big parts of our game, making adjustments.” Rienks ran in from 1 yard out for his second score, and Paonia was in command at 21-0. The defense stopped Centauri on downs and gave the Eagles the ball right back for a nine-play scoring drive. The key play was a 19yard option run that saw Walters pitch to Hillman right before he was tackled. Hillman finished the drive with a 1-yard score to make it 28-0. The Eagles exploited the Falcons’ defense with the option pitch several more times in the game.

“We’ve done that play since the fifth grade,” Hillman said. “We have that connection. When he (Walters) knows he’s not getting any more yards, he just sends it off to me and lets me pick up a few more.” Walters wasn’t done yet, busting off a 30-yard touchdown run, and the Eagles were up 35-0. Then Hillman’s pick set up the Eagles’ offense. They needed only one play to score this time as Hillman collected a pitch from Walters and blazed into the house for a 42-0 lead and a running clock before halftime. Simpson made all six of his first half extra points, but after senior Trevor Plymale scored on a 16-yard touchdown run midway through the third, the Eagles kicker missed his first extra point of the season and Paonia led 48-0. Sophomore Derek Holt is the long snapper and Rienks is the holder in Paonia’s kicking formation. Simpson never kicked before his PAO FB TO B10

B10 Wednesday, September 23, 2015

SPORTS

Delta County Independent

Paonia volleyball 5-0 in middle of schedule BY ERIC GOOLD DCI Sports Writer

The Paonia High School volleyball team is putting all the pieces together. After beating Plateau Valley and Gunnison last week, the Eagles are up to 5-0 and are rolling into the middle portion of their schedule with some tough challenges ahead. Plateau Valley came to the Paonia gym last Thursday and ran into an Eagles squad that was fired up for Homecoming. Paonia started strong and, despite a brief letdown in the third set, pulled out a 3-0 match win against the visiting Cowboys. “I think Plateau Valley is a much better team than they showed, and I do believe they played better as the match progressed,” said Paonia coach Krista Carsten. “Our girls did play well, but I think our intensity wavered a little bit early in set three.” Brianna Van Vleet served 18 consecutive points from the line as the Eagles completely dominated the serving statistics in the match. Paonia served at a 94 percent clip in the win. “As a whole, the team served aggressively, but we were much more relaxed from the ser-

vice line, which results in fewer errors,” Carsten said. “Consistent serving is definitely important in creating momentum in a match.” Paonia was helped along by 11 hitting errors by the Cowboys in the first set and by three big runs in the match. The Eagles ripped off 19 straight points in the first, 10 points in a row in the second and 11 consecutive points in the third set to complete the big Homecoming win. The longest run by Plateau Valley was four points in the third set, and Paonia posted a whopping 54.5 team hitting percentage. Paonia kept the momentum going in a road trip to Gunnison last Saturday. The Eagles won the match in three sets 25-18, 25-18, 25-10. “We didn’t really get into an offensive rhythm until late in the first set but still struggled through the second set offensively,” said Carsten. “We played well in the third set, which is indicated by the score.” Taylor Carsten, Ashley Van Vleet and Emily Pieper shared the hitting load against Gunnison and finished with seven kills apiece. McKenna Hartigan recorded four blocks and

Music XC titlest BY WAYNE CRICK DCI Sports Editor

Last week’s Ramble at the Reservoir in Ridgway did not attract a large number of teams. Only eight varsity teams were listed. On the boys’ side, the top three teams included Crested Butte Community School that finished first with 37 points, Mancos High School was second with 41 points and Delta placed third with 44 points. John Ames finished fourth and was the first Delta male runner

to cross the finish line with a time of 21:14.13. The next four runners to count toward team points included Wade Stinson, 22:17.40, Logan Freed, 22:46.42, Elias Carlson, 22:48.68 and David Husmann, 24:22.59. Delta’s Mykayla Music was the race’s top female placer with her time of 24:02.22. Other Panther runners placing in the top 10 included Beki Atchley, 26:37.38, Anha Richards, 27:17.06, Abbi Beckwith, 27:20.18, Summer Hood, 37:42.51 and Amanda Fuller, 41:58.76.

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two aces while Brianna Van Vleet also had two aces in the contest for the Eagles. individual Pieper’s stats were bolstered by 13 digs and two aces and Taylor Carsten finished with 19 assists. Up next this week for the Eagles is their first look at rival Hotchkiss on Tuesday followed by a big test against Grand Junction on Thursday. Both matches are at the Paonia gym. “Against Hotchkiss our goal will be to execute and keep our intensity at a high level,” Carsten said. “Against Grand Junction we will need to shut down Tia Wright, Photo by Eric Goold their leading outside hitter. It will definitely take Paonia junior McKenna Hartigan, 1, returns the ball against Plateau Valley as a team effort to pull off junior Brianna Van Vleet, 6, looks on during game one of the Eagles’ Homecoming win last Thursday. the win.”

PHS tennis team better BY ERIC GOOLD DCI Sports Writer

“Ethan and Eli had a very good shot at winning the first set, before dropping that and the match 5-7, 0-6,” Benson said. “So all in all, not as bad as that 0-7 score would imply.” Durango kept up its winning ways, going to Grand Junction on Friday and winning the sixteam Delta County Invitational. Paonia finished right behind in second place. Paonia hosted the event and Benson reported that the Eagles came away with two championships. Durango had three and the Fruita JV and Steamboat JV each went away with one championship. Cortez and the Grand Junction JV were the other squads at the Invitational. Edwards won the No. 1 singles, with Yerion claiming second in the Invitational with wins

over Cortez and Fruita. Kropp took the No. 2 singles championship with wins over Cortez and Fruita, and he also won a marathon match against a state qualifier from Durango that featured two tie breaks. Cambria claimed Paonia’s other championship in the Invitational after winning all three of his matches in No. 3 singles. At No. 1 doubles, Eller and Etter defeated Cortez 6-0, 6-1, then lost to Durango, and then defeated Fruita 3-6, 6-4, 10-4. Fruita, Durango and Paonia all technically tied with 2-1 records, but because of tie breaking criteria Eller and Etter had to settle for third place at the Invitational. Fruita’s Wildcats were first and Durango second. Benson reported positive results from the No.

2 doubles. “Zach Sinai and Quentin Varner really had an outstanding day, competing very well I thought,” he said. “They won their first match against Fruita 6-1, 6-4, then narrowly lost to Steamboat, then lost the third-place match to Durango.” Isaac Van Horn and Logan Smith rounded out Paonia’s results at the No. 3 doubles. Benson said they both played very well in losing efforts to Fruita and Durango. The tennis team is headed into the final stretch of the season. The Eagles face Grand Junction’s JV today at 3:30 p.m. at Apple Valley Park, then travel to powerhouse Vail Mountain on Saturday. After a bye week, the Eagles will then go to the regional tournament in Grand Junction on Oct. 8-9.

The Paonia tennis team is small in numbers but big in heart and enthusiasm. The Eagles, featuring a combined team of players from Paonia and Hotchkiss, have improved steadily over the course of the season despite having to forfeit doubles matches because of a small turnout. Paonia faced regional power Durango last Thursday at Apple Valley Park for Homecoming. While the Eagles lost 7-0, they have much to build on going into the final weeks of the season. “We ended up getting swept by Durango, which is really not that surprising,” coach Brian Benson said. “Their No. 1 singles (Fred Edwards) is one of the best players in the state, and Luke (Yerion) actually played pretty well against him, it’s just hard to win any games.” Yerion fared well against Edwards early in their match, but Edwards’ big, booming left-handed serve eventually became too powerful to overcome. Enoch Kropp and Nick Cambria fought hard in close matches at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, respectively. “We also had good matches in the singles, with Enoch losing 4-6, 4-6, and Nick lost in a third set tiebreaker 7-6 (7-1), 0-6, 7-10,” Benson reported. As has happened often in the season, Paonia had to forfeit two of its doubles matches against Durango, but the play it got in the No. 1 doubles was encouraging. Ethan Photo by Eric Goold Eller and Eli Etter keep Eagles tennis player Ethan Eller looks back as partner Eli Etter returns the ball getting better and better in their No. 1 doubles match against Durango last Thursday at Apple Valley for the Eagles. Park.

Bruins battle in SB play BY WAYNE CRICK DCI Sports Editor

The Bruins have played up a few times this season and have recorded an overall mark of 5-4 with a 4-0 3A District 5 League record. All of the Bruins’ opponents this past week involved 4A and 5A division schools. A contest on Friday against 4A Palisade was an 8-4 loss. Saturday’s twin-bill included losses to 5A/4A Montrose, 18-4 and Delta, 4A, 7-6. A look down the road shows two more games against Palisade, one

The Bruins had 10 hits leading the way with two in the game, with Shayna each. Both had doubles, Dale and Lacey Rodriguez CED SB TO B11

each with Delta and Rifle and a season-ending doubleheader at home against 4A Eagle Valley. Palisade 8, Bruins 4 A five-run first inning was more than the Bruins could overcome in an 8-4 loss to Palisade High School. The Bruins had four errors that attributed to their defeat and issued nine walks to the Bulldogs along the way. Cedaredge held the Bulldogs to three runs while scoring four of its own from the second inning on.

CONTINUED FROM B9 league lead with Paonia as each team has won three games against no defeats. Maxpreps has Paonia as the number one team and Cedaredge is listed second. The Bruins travel to Center on Friday, Sept. 25, to take on 1A Southern Peaks League leader Cen-

ter, which has a 3-0 record as well. The Vikings have defeated Salida, Basalt and Lake County so far this season. Center is ranked sixth by Maxpreps. A look at state rankings shows Buena Vista on top, with Paonia second, Center 11th and the Bruins 12th.

After spending two seasons exclusively as a kicker, Simpson is making his presence felt in all three phases of the game. “I’m on the field a lot, so I don’t get a lot of breaks,” Simpson said. “But it’s fun. Like McRae says, it’s all about making

memories, so the more you’re out there, the better.” Centauri got on the board on its last play of the game, a 30-yard touchdown pass from Anderson to Brandon Buhr, and completed the scoring in the contest. Up next for Paonia is a

long road trip to face the No. 4 team in 2A, Bayfield, on Friday night. “It will be tough,” McRae said. “They returned a lot of players from last year, they’re coached well, they’re big and fast. It’s going to be an awesome test to see where we are.”

Ced FB

Pao FB CONTINUED FROM B9 freshman year and just thought he might try it out. “We practice it once or twice a week,” Simpson said. “We got pretty good chemistry. Derek does a great job snapping and Dagan gets it down well, so it’s a good job.”

SPORTS

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

B11

CHS volleyball team hot BY WAYNE CRICK DCI Sports Editor

ins in the match. Kenzie Henderson was high with eight, with Freeman and Hannah Gilmore adding seven each. Freeman and Kendall McHugh held hot hands at the service line as they provided six and five aces, respectively. In the digs department, Freeman and Amber Jenkins were good for 11 receptions each. McHugh had 28 assists for the Bruins in the win. Bruins 3, Cowboys 0 As the scores indicat-

ed, Cedaredge dominated in all categories on its way to a win. Henderson led the Bruins in kills with 14, while Gilmore was next high with 12. Gunnison’s top kills producer was Shay Percival with 12. Lydia Knutson and Henderson had their presence felt at the net with four and three blocks, respectively, for the Bruins. Cedaredge was led in digs by Freeman and Henderson with 14 each, while Jenkins finished

The Cedaredge Bruins have won their last four volleyball matches following a 3-1 loss to Class 4A Delta. Hotchkiss and Gunnison are the latest victims for the Bruins. It took three sets to determine the victor in each match. Against Hotchkiss, the Bruins’ defense was mighty stingy as it allowed just 17 points in the first two sets, 9 and 8, before giving up 16 in the third. Gunnison provided stiffer competition for the Bruins, but they still won in three 25-14, 25-20 and 25-22. Bruins 3, Bulldogs 0 Cedaredge started strong with a stout defense that controlled the Bulldogs’ offense with good reactions. The 25-9 start in set one more than established how the match was going to be played. Cedaredge followed up with a 25-8 win in set two to take a commanding lead in the match. The third set saw substitutions in the lineup for the Bruins and a more competitive 25-16 score. Three Cedaredge players, including coach Heather Dunbar’s VolleyPhoto by Wayne Crick ball Player of the Match Nellie Freeman, com- Cedaredge senior Lydia Knutson prepares for a kill bined for 22 of the 29 attempt against the visiting Gunnison Cowboys. kills scored by the Bru- The Bruins won the match, 3-0.

with 12 digs and Lacey Love had 11. McHugh’s 20 assists were tops for Cedaredge while Jarren Howard had 16 for the Cowboys. Gunnison had the top service receiver in Parker Hamilton, while the Bruins got 19 receptions from Gilmore and 13 from Henderson. Coach Heather Dunbar tabbed Henderson as the Cedaredge Volleyball Player of the Match. When asked about the week’s play, and Gunnison in particular, Dunbar wanted more determination. “Gunnison was better the second time (played on Sept. 5 with 3-0 win). They’ve gotten better. We need to work hard on finishing and not settling on just two wins; we want three.” A Wednesday, Sept. 23, visit to De Beque will find the Bruins in action with junior varsity play beginning at 5 p.m. and the varsity to follow at 6 p.m.

Photo by Wayne Crick

Kenzie Henderson, left, blocks a Gunnison kill attempt last week with Hannah Gilmore at the ready. Henderson and Gilmore had 26 of the Bruins’ 35 kills in the match.

Delta soccer team wins BY WAYNE CRICK DCI Sports Editor

Delta High School’s soccer team picked up its first win of the season last week against Palisade. The Panthers got three goals from sophomore Danny Mendoza and another two from sophomore Brandon Harper. Junior Luka Htoo and sophomore Ian Downey scored goals as well. Assists were made

by Harper, Downey and Marcos Gonzalez. Delta had four goals in the opening half and three in the second. BM 5, Delta 1 Battle Mountain, 4-1 and 5-2, is second in the 4A WSL with plenty of experienced players. The Huskies scored twice in the first half and finished the match with another three in the second half. Delta’s lone goal came

off the foot of junior Isaac Fuller while Donnie Leavitt paced Battle Mountain’s offense with two goals and an assist. Delta hosted Grand Junction Central on Sept. 22 and will play in Glenwood Springs on Sept. 24 at 5 p.m. Summit’s Tigers are in town for an 11 a.m. 4A Western Slope League matchup on Saturday, Sept. 26.

ans outhit Cedaredge 146. The Bruins were once again hurt by committing five errors in the game. Grace Sanburg paced Montrose’s 14-hit attack with three hits. Three players, Macy WebbAlexander, Taylor Brown and Eleny Perez had two hits and three RBIs for the winners. Chey Christian picked up two RBIs on a double, with Mykayla Wilkerson and Dale knocking in one run apiece. Delta 7, Bruins 6 After spotting the Bruins two runs to start the game, Delta came back with three runs of its own to take a 3-2 lead. Delta’s lead did not last long with the Bruins scoring four times in the third inning to take a 6-3 lead. Five of those Bruin runs came on two home

runs by Sam Galley, who was 2-3 in the game. Kendall had a triple for Cedaredge. The Panthers scored three more runs in the fourth to tie the game and then plated the winning run in the bottom of the fifth as time expired to end the game. Cedaredge limited the Panthers to eight hits with Lily Lockhart the only Delta batter to hit safely twice. One of Lockhart’s hits was a home run. Keilee Womack also hit a home run for the Panthers. The Bruins hosted Palisade at the Field of Dreams on Tuesday, Sept. 22. That contest’s results will appear in next week’s paper. On Friday Cedaredge goes north to face Meeker’s Cowboys, 1-1 and 6-5, the 3A District 5 League’s third-place team. Cedaredge and Delta will face each other for the last time this season on Sept. 28 at 4 p.m. at the Field of Dreams.

Ced SB CONTINUED FROM B10

with Dale collecting two of the Bruins’ three runs batted in. Palisade had three batters with two hits each, including a triple by pitcher Paige Orman. Junior Brittany Kendall started in the circle for Cedaredge and left after one inning. Rodriguez replaced Kendall and had six strike outs. Montrose 18, Bruins 4 Saturday morning’s contest against the Indians had a better start for the Bruins. Montrose managed to score once in the first inning and plated three runs in the second to catch the Bruins, who had scored four runs, and tied the game, 4-4. An 8-run third for Montrose was more than enough to hold off the upstart Bruins. The Indi-

Photo by Wayne Crick

Senior Sam Galley is all smiles after driving the ball over the center field fence in last weekend’s Delta Invitational Softball Tournament. Galley was good for five RBIs on two home runs in a losing cause, 7-6, to Delta in the tournament’s final game.

Cedaredge Ladies Golf

Photo submitted

The Cedaredge Ladies Golf Club played its championship match on Aug. 22. This year’s club champion is Nancy Sturgill, seated on the left. Other players pictured, not in order, include Helen Carner, 2nd gross, Sharon Johnson, 3rd gross, Patty Wilson, 1st net, Ginny Wise, 2nd net, and Judy Welch, 3rd net. Alma Evans was the winner of golf balls. A good time was had by all with door prizes and appetizers after play.

Triathlon relay team proves it’s 2 Fast 4U The team of Kindra Spiker, Jim Farmer and Jock Kallsen placed first in the Desert’s Edge Triathlon near Fruita. The Olympic distance triathlon was held at Highline Lake Sunday, Sept. 13. Kindra Spiker set the pace on the first leg of the triathlon, as she completed two laps around the lake, covering 1,500 meters in 32 minutes and 41 seconds. As she crossed the finish line, Jock Kallsen mounted his bike and set off on a scenic out and back ride covering 24.9 miles. He placed first overall in biking with a time of 1:08:37. Jim Farmer ran the 10k course in a time of 43:18, the top speed for

that event. The 10k runners made two laps of a course that followed gently rolling trails around Highline Lake.

The mixed relay team, aptly calling itself 2 Fast 4U, finished the event with a total time of 2:25:28.

Kindra Spiker, Jock Kallsen and Jim Farmer

B12 Wednesday, September 23, 2015

SPORTS

Delta County Independent

‘Dogs play hard, lose 25-15 Monte Vista’s Pirates came into last week’s contest against Hotchkiss with a 1-1 record and in third place behind Center, 3-0, and Dolores, 2-1. The Pirates’ win elevated Monte Vista’s record to 2-1 and it remains in third place in the 1A Southern Peaks League.

Hotchkiss, after losing its third straight game, is 1-3 in the 1A WSL and rests in fourth place behind Paonia, 30, Cedaredge, 3-0 and Meeker, 1-2. Monte Vista took a 157 lead to the second quarter and added a Parker Randolph field goal for an 18-7 lead at halftime.

Neither team scored in the third quarter, leaving the Pirates ahead by 11, 18-7. Each team scored touchdowns in the fourth quarter, with the Bulldogs shaving a point off the Pirates’ lead after converting their twopoint attempt for eight points to make the final

score 25-15. The Bulldogs picked up 72 yards through the air on 6-of-11 passing from Colton Deluzio. Hotchkiss’ ground game rolled up 188 yards on 39 carries. Kale Litzelman had 80 yards on 13 carries, with teammate Wade Katzdorn rushing 20

times for 70 yards. The Pirates were also stronger with their running game with 260 yards on 53 attempts. The passing game was good for just 16 yards with two completions in four attempts. Hotchkiss’ defense was anchored by Litzelman’s 13 tackles with help from

Cameron Matus and Colton Peebles’ nine tackles each. Michael Valdez led the Pirates with 19 tackles and Brock Martin was next with 16. The Bulldogs will have yet another stiff test Oct. 2, when they travel to Cedaredge to take on the streaking Bruins. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

Photo by Wayne Crick Photo by Wayne Crick Delta catcher Megan Sandoval reaches for the ball as the Bruins’ Hailey Lof-

All heads turn to where the coin landed to see who has the option of receiving or kicking off prior to last week’s Homecoming game between Cedaredge and Aspen. Cedaredge got the ball ﬁrst and scored on two straight possessions on its way to a 35-0 win.

ley attempts to put the ball in play with a slap-bunt on Saturday at the Delta Invitational Softball Tournament. Loﬂey fouled the ball off for a strike. Delta went on to eventually score the winning run in the bottom of the ﬁfth inning as time ran out.

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Photo by Wayne Crick

Cedaredge’s head football coach Brandon Milholland patrols the sideline during last Friday’s Homecoming game against Aspen’s Skiers. The Bruins played well and scored 21 points in the ﬁrst quarter on their way to a 35-0 victory.

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Photo by Wayne Crick

Delta junior Shelbi Ledesma pounds the ball at a double block by Steamboat Springs last Saturday in Delta. The Sailors ended Delta’s win streak at nine with a 3-2 victory in prep 4A WSL volleyball action.

The Mountain Harvest 5k Run, Walk, Stroll set for Sept. 27 The Mountain Harvest Festival 5k Run, Walk, Stroll will be held Sunday, Sept. 27. The course begins at the south end of Grand Avenue and travels down Mathews Lane, up O Road onto Lamborn Mesa, and back down Lamborn Mesa Road into

town. Race-day registration is $25, $15 for students and free for ages 10 and under. Runners/walkers of all abilities, dogs (on leash) and strollers are welcome. Call Ashley at 303-746-6114 or Dave at 527-3969 for details.

Want to advertise in the DCI? Contact one of our ad reps at 874-4421.

SURFACE CREEK September 23, 2015

NEWS

Section

www.deltacountyindependent.com

Decommissioning old hydro plant has big price tag BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer

Word of a federal government regulation carrying expensive consequences for the town came as a surprise to Cedaredge trustees on Sept. 3 during a preliminary work session on the town’s 2016 budget. The feds can assess fines of $12,000 per day if rules on how to deal with a piece of town property aren’t followed to the letter, trustees learned. Just dealing with decommissioning the town’s longdefunct small hydropower generator will cost an estimated $40,000, the town administrator told trustees. No fewer than four times during discussion of the issue trustees asked Town Administrator Katie Sickles for an explanation of how the federal government can levy huge fines on the town for dealing with its own equipment located on its own property? Four times Sickles answered that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) can levy $12,000-per-day fines on the town if it doesn’t comply with regulations — all the explanation that was needed. The issue began some two decades ago when Cedaredge installed a small hydropower generator on the inflow to its water treatment plant. The unit produced significant, reli-

able power and surplus power that was sold, according to an individual familiar with the project. It operated for around eight years before falling into disuse and disrepair. The turbine was abandoned and has not generated electricity since 2002, according to a letter from FERC. In April 2013, the facility was visited by an inspector from FERC. A letter informed town officials that, “Your project has been non-operational for 10 years, as such, you are in violation of Standard Article 1 and not in compliance with your exemption.” Over a year ago the town adopted a resolution disclaiming responsibilities regarding its FERC exemption. That wasn’t good enough for FERC which isn’t willing to let Cedaredge off the regulatory hook so easily. According to town staff, it will require official authorization from FERC if the town wants to decommission its old hydro unit. That will require all applicable FERC regulations be followed and the site of the hydro project, including a usable building, be “returned to nature” at an estimated cost of $40,000. Sickles told trustees the matter is now a legal issue, and the town’s attorney will be consulted as the town resolves the matter with FERC.

Silver linings

A cloud-ﬁlled early morning sky brings to mind some familiar words that are always good to remember.

Chief seeks funding for victim advocates BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer

Cedaredge Police Chief Dan Sanders is asking the town trustees for funds to continue support of a local victim advocate program as they work on next year’s budget.

Photo by Wayne Crick

The Cedaredge High School marching band, pictured during its outstanding performance Friday night during the CHS Homecoming football game, will perform its field show in competition on Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Colorado West Invitational Marching Band Festival in Grand Junction. The band will be the first to take the field at Stocker Stadium, entering the field at 12:45 p.m. and performing at 1 p.m. sharp. The CHS band has won four straight state Class 1A titles. Fifteen high school bands, representing five classes, and the Colorado Mesa University band are scheduled to perform field shows throughout the afternoon. Olathe High School is scheduled to perform at 1:30 p.m., followed by Delta High School at 1:45 p.m. Cost is $8 for adults, $6 for children and senior citizens, and children under 5 are free.

Melissa Gross leads CHS band to excellence BY MACKENZIE MOORE DCI Intern

Cedaredge High School welcomed Melissa Gross as the new band director in 2014. She led the marching band to not only another state championship last year, but to a performance at the Rockies game and an invitation to Washington, D.C. With a positive attitude and passion for her students, Melissa Gross continues to astound the community with the level

of excellence she instills in the band. Gross graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in music education. When she got the job as the CHS music director, she was pleased to find that she can see the stars in Cedaredge. “I also like how welcoming and willing to help everyone is in this town.” Although she can pick up any instrument in the band and play it fluently, her true love lies in playing vio-

Melissa Gross

Photo by Hank Lohmeyer

lin. When she’s not directing the CHS band, she plays in Wither Without Orchestra, a contemporary rock orchestra located in Denver. “I started beginning orchestra in fifth grade, and I knew I wanted to teach music my second year of college.” Music exists as a key asset in Gross’s life, and she hopes to continue to pursue music education for as long as she can. “I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.” Music pours through the town of Cedaredge late into the night, and Gross sits with her legs dangling out of the pressbox, pushing each band member in the right direction. “My favorite thing about this band is watching the growth and progression of not just the band as a whole, but also each individual member. I like their attitudes and commitment.” Gibson describes this year’s band as having a “go-get-’em” mindset. The upcoming band season approaches, and Melissa Gross prepares the band for competitions and the National Memorial Day Parade in May. She prioritizes the band’s well-being and talent. “Every member has so much potential, and I’m really excited to tap into that.”

Sanders, at a recent work session, asked the council to include $1,000 supporting the program which has been orphaned by budget constraints in the district attorney’s office. He explained that earlier this year District Attorney Dan Hotsenpiller notified law agencies that the grant funding the program had changed. Now the program is being discontinued. The local Surface Creek area volunteer advocates for the program want to stay on doing the work, and the $1,000 would be needed to cover basic costs, Sanders said. Sanders told the town board that his department has used the victim advocate services 20 to 25 times per year and hadn’t been paying the district attorney’s office anything for it. In other 2016 budget requests, the police are asking for a new cruiser paid for on a lease/purchase deal at $10,000 per year for three years. New tasers are also in the department’s budget request. The trustees did not make any funding decisions at their work session and final action on any funding requests will be included at final budget adoption in December. Sanders has also reported that officers will soon be using body camera units the department has bought. On Sept. 17 the Cedaredge trustees were told that cuts in current budget numbers lie ahead. Revenues for the town will not match expenses in 2016.

Projections are for $6.8 million in revenues and $7.3 million in expenses, according to Town Administrator Katie Sickles. That will require about a half million dollars in cuts in the 2016 budget. In other business at their Sept. 17 regular meeting, the Cedaredge trustees dealt with the following matters: • The board heard a presentation by DCED asking for increased funding for 2016. Director Trish Thibido made a presentation outlining initiatives DCED has participated in over the past year. • Scott Lock, public works co-director, gave a presentation with photos of repair work the town is doing at Slide Rock reservoir. Town crews have been working to repair its reservoirs on Grand Mesa and put them back into use. The work is being done in order to keep the dams and reservoirs off of a state list of abandoned dams which is being prepared for a 2020 deadline. • The town received seven applications for its wastewater plant operator and will interview four candidates for the position. • The trustees approved a lease agreement to replace 2007 model year golf carts now in use with newer, 2011 carts. • Boy Scout Blake Tullis attended the trustee meeting in pursuit of earning a citizenship and community merit badge, part of the requirement for attaining his 1st Class Scout rank.

Queen and king

Photo by Wayne Crick

Highlighting a fun week of Homecoming activities at Cedaredge High School was the presentation of the royalty during halftime of the football game against Aspen. Sierra Baldozier andd Shane Gates were crowned queen and king. Please see the Bruin Tracks on pages C3-C6 for more coverage of Homecoming week at CHS.

C2 Wednesday, September 23, 2015

SURFACE CREEK NEWS

Delta County Independent

Thrift stores give community a lift Shelter Shoppe operation provides a delightfully fun and positive social Small town living activity for the volunteers is thrifty living, and who help keep it running. Cedaredge families are Volunteers Alvena Richfortunate to have two wellard and Marilee Claxton managed thrift shop opersay that the time they ations that provide quality volunteer helping at the clothing and other needs shelter shop is an absoat very affordable prices. lute high point in their The Shelter Shoppe is weekly routines and located on North Grand lives. Mesa Drive just south of “You look forward to the elementary school, it because you love it,” and the Methodist WomRichard said. “We do fun en’s Thrift Shop is located things. We buy candy for in the heart of West Main the customers, and we Street. Both stores offer bring baked goods to the top-notch merchandising store to share. We’re like of quality apparel, and a family.” both go far beyond their Fortunately, this retailing store fronts in happy family of active the positive impact and community members is contributions they make looking for new members. to the community. Both There are openings now for anyone who thinks they may want to become a part of it all. Everyone is welcome. “We are like a unit,” Richard explained. New volunteer Kathy Wilcox agreed as the ladies went about their activities arranging merchandise, interacting with customers, joking and laughing and obviously enjoying themselves the entire time. The energy level is high, and the theme is to have a fun time. “This is my happy place,” Richard said. The volunteers work three hours per shift in as many shifts per week or month as they want to. Her life at the Shelter Photo by Hank Lohmeyer Shoppe has become such Two local shoppers leave the Methodist Women’s a regular part of RichThrift Shop in Cedaredge with their purchases. ard’s life that she volunteered for three shifts during a recent week. For those who think they might like to participate in the enterprise during even one shift but aren’t wanting to make a firm commitment, there �� are people who volunteer �� to serve in backup or on�� call shifts if a regular vol�� unteer can’t make his or �� her scheduled time. And, �� say Claxton and Richard, �� anyone and everyone is invited to just stop in and �� browse the store and its �� merchandise, meet the �� other volunteers, and �� see for themselves what �� a great place it is to vol�� unteer. As a little side benefit, �� volunteers are the ones who get the initial opportunity to see, and perhaps �� purchase, the new arriv�� ing merchandise that is �� donated by members of a

BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer

stores have community connections that run deep, and they provide vital funding for activities and community services without which life in Cedaredge would be much less livable. From the Shelter Shoppe’s signature cause supporting Friends of Cedaredge Animal Control and the Surface Creek Animal Shelter’s “adoption guaranteed” program, to the needs of preschool education and a dozen other community services that the Methodist Women’s store helps support, the town’s thrift shops are getting the work of community done. Besides being a valuable community asset, the

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generous community. “We really appreciate so much the people who donate items to the store, and also our wonderful customers. Some of them come in every week,” Richard said, “and we miss seeing them when they don’t.” Volunteering is a social event and a social occasion that does good for individuals and the whole community, “It is a great way for someone to get established in the community and make friends,” Claxton says. “I have made so many friends here,” Richard adds. “And not just with other volunteers, but with customers and donors, too. Sometimes we all go out and have lunches together.” Volunteering is a lifestyle enhancement in its own right. Though the Shelter Shoppe’s mission is to raise money to support Friends of Cedaredge Animal Control, volunteering at the Shelter Shoppe doesn’t require membership in FCAC or even a particular commitment to the FCAC mission. Around the corner on Main Street, the Methodist Women’s Thrift Shop operates with volunteer staff also. As the store is located right in the middle of the West Main Street district, the staff gets involved in community events that take place there. The Methodist Women’s Thrift Shop will be open all day both Saturday and Sunday, Oct 3 and 4, during AppleFest. They will be hosting some special art and craft displays by local artists and crafters that people will want to stop in and

Photo by Hank Lohmeyer

New customers, new friends. Shelter Shoppe volunteers Alvena Richard, left, and Marilee Claxton, right, are pictured with two new customers from Salt Lake City, John and Ming, who were driving through town last week and just stopped in. enjoy. Volunteer JoAnn Price is hoping to have as many as a dozen local artists with their works on display for the public to admire and purchase during AppleFest. It is a savvy business promotion idea by the

Methodist ladies and a fun one also that is an additional service to the local arts community which always needs more public exposure. Also, the Methodist Women’s Thrift Shop will have special pricing during AppleFest.

Enter your apple pie in baking contest The Cedaredge FoodTown and Cedaredge Area Chamber of Commerce are proud to sponsor the annual AppleFest apple pie contest. The contest is open to anyone and consists of two categories — truly homemade pies and pies baked by commercial bakers. There will be first, second, and third place prizes in both categories. There will not be a grand prize.

The first-place prize is a $50 gift certificate from FoodTown. Second place receives $20 and third place receives $10. Judging will take place on the porch of the Cedaredge Area Chamber of Commerce office at 245 W. Main Street at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 2. Your pie must be delivered to the chamber office between 8 and 10:30 a.m. on the day of the contest.

Cedar Mesa Club cookin’ at Pioneer Town car show Once again this year the women of the Cedar Mesa Community Club will be serving up their popular breakfast burritos, baked goods, burgers and brats at the Pioneer Town car show on Saturday, Oct. 3, during Cedaredge’s AppleFest. The club ladies are famous for their delicious muffins, brownies, turnovers, cookies, pies and breads, not to mention their breakfast burritos. All of these, plus hot coffee will be available beginning at 7:30 a.m. at their booth which is set

up on the north side of the blacksmith shop in Pioneer Town, adjacent to the car show. The hot and yummy breakfast burritos will be available until they’re gone, and because of their popularity, the club is cooking more of them this year. At 11:30 they’ll fire up the grill to offer lunch of hand-pressed hamburgers, or bratwurst, along with pop, water, chips and cookies. Lunch will be served from 11:30 until 1:30. The baked goods, coffee, pop and water will be for sale all day until

the car show closes down for the awards program at 2:30. The proceeds from sales at its Pioneer Town booth will help with the club’s non-profit activities. Throughout the year the club supports and donates to Surface Creek Community Services (food bank), Friends of the Cedaredge Animal Shelter, House of Promise, Delta Opportunity School’s Backpack Program, and other worthy charities, plus gives generous scholarships each spring to graduating high school students.

Time to register for AppleFest car show

— includes the car show, be open on Sunday, Oct. all of Pioneer Town and 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Time is running out a bonus of parking at the Then Pioneer Town closto register antique cars, Welcome Center (as space es for the 2015 season, �� reopening on Memorial classic cars and trucks permits). Cedar Mesa Commu- Day weekend in 2016. for the annual Antique & �� Reservations for rentClassic Car Show at Pio- nity Club will be on site, neer Town during Apple- on the north side of the al of the Stolte Shed and Blacksmith Shop, with a Chapel of the Cross can Fest 2015. WHY SHOULD I ATTEND The show will be held food and beverage booth be made throughout the THIS OPEN HOUSE? year by calling 970-778on Saturday, Oct. 3, (one from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Learn about the species we planted Pioneer Town will also 0218. day only) from 9 a.m. to and our tips and tricks that are imat irrigated and dryland pasture grasses SHOULD 3 p.m. TheWHY event takesI ATTEND portant for proper establishment, as THIS OPEN HOUSE? t your agricultural and natural resources place at the west end of well as some best management pracPioneer Town at the arbomanagement objectives tices to bring home to your site. Learn about the species we planted retum near Chapel ofthat are imandthe our tips and tricks A hands-on look at irrigated and dryland pasture grasses the Cross. portant for proper establishment, as Refreshments and snacks offered. to help you meet your agricultural and natural resourcesAntiquewelltractors as some bestand management pracSaturday at 9 am – 1 pm MT motorcycles welcome �� management objectives ticesare to bring home to your site. for display with no fee Join�� us for a self guided tour of our and no trophies given. grass seeding demonstration project Refreshments and snacks offered. at the Delta County Fairgrounds in Six trophies will be �� Hotchkiss. We will be getting our awarded for cars, at one in – 1 pm MT Saturday 9 am hands dirty looking at: each of the categories — ��  The dryland and irrigated grass species Join us Best for a Sports self guided tour of our Best Classic, seeded. �� grass seeding demonstration project  The on-site irrigation system, discussing Car, Best Street Rod, Best some proper irrigation techniques and at the Delta County Fairgrounds in Pickup and Best Antique. methods. �� Hotchkiss. We will be getting our  We will observe which species seem to Spectators will given hands dirtybe looking at: be�� doing best at this time, and discuss ballots to vote for the The dryland andPeoirrigated grass species how to evaluate your recent planting.  Pasture establishment and management seeded. ple’s Choice. Trophies will �� Oct 3 Open House techniques including weed control meth The on-site irrigation system, discussing gister be presented at 2:30 p.m. ods used on site. some proper irrigation techniques and Bring your questions and talk to �� The fee methods. for each car  Best management practices to bring local experts about your property �� home to your property.  We will observe which species seem to and truck entry is $12 be doing best this time, and discuss pre-registration or at$15 �� Photo by Hank Lohmeyer Meet at Delta County Fairgrounds, how to evaluate your recent planting. at the gate. For spe Pasture establishment and management 403 S. 4th Street, Hotchkiss, CO �� 3 Open cific information and/orweed control methtechniques including and follow Oct the signs to the House site Call to Register �� used oncontact site. Bring your ownBring lawn chair sit in. your toquestions and talkan to entry ods form work is being done at High CounBest management practicesLandscaping to bring �� Richard Udd at 970-778local experts about your property home to your property. try Avenue. Mayor Pat Means said the work is �� 9911. �� using funds obtained by a grant. “This is an VisitorsMeet are welcome at Delta County Fairgrounds, extention of work for the High Country Park th Street, to view the403 show talkHotchkiss, CO S. 4and area near the animal shelter. There will be and follow the signs to the site with the owners. Admisplants and some annuals in your children own lawn chairlow to sitmaintenance in. sion fee Bring is $2, season.” DELTA COUNTY under 12 years are free

BY VERNA BARR Staff Writer

re Demonstration Plot Open House

Pasture Demonstration Plot �� Open House �� October 3, 2015 October 3, 2015

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Landscaping project

BRUIN TRACKS

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

C EDAREDGE HIGH SCHOOL

575 Southeast Deer Creek Drive

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970 856 6882

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HOMECOMING 2015

The Athletics By: Alyssa Kissner Staff Writer Homecoming week at Cedaredge High School ended with a bang. Football, volleyball, and softball all had many victories. Bruin football destroyed the Aspen Skiers last Friday night with a score of 35-0 at the end of the fourth quarter. The volleyball team came together and won against Gunnison and Hotchkiss on Thursday and Tuesday, respectively, and softball competed in a tournament in Delta on Friday and Saturday. Four golfers from the boy’s team are competing in regionals Thursday in Steamboat, with the hope of making it to state. Additionally, the band had a successful performance as the halftime entertainers of the football game; they adeptly played their entire showpiece to an avid audience. All the athletic teams and organizations did very well and will continue with their fall seasons working their hardest and striving to be the best they can be.

The Big Finale By: Angela Saenz Staff Writer The roars of elementary schoolers, the cheers of the Cedaredge community announce the arrival of the parade. People lined Main Street and little children grabbed for candy. Cedaredge High School holds the parade annually to bring pride to its community. The student body at the High School spends all Friday preparing their ﬂoats. With each class given a different theme, the parade displays diversity, creativity, and Bruin pride. The students worked diligently and ensured that people enjoyed the sight of the class ﬂoat. After the dazzling parade, proud community members and proud students joined together at Cedaredge Park for a tremendous pep rally. As the band played, people gave their support to the different athletic groups, to FFA, and to the band. When the pep rally came to its conclusion, the crowd dispersed with high spirits. The successful event of the parade surely made everyone proud to be Cedaredge Bruins!

chs.deltaschools.com

WHAT’S BRUIN INSIDE Bruin Homecoming a success. Daily assemblies involve awkward games, tug o’ war, food eating contests, and a talent show. Brandon O’Hern is crowned Mr. Cedaredge for the second year in a row, Michael Baugh came in second and Jordan McMillan third. Dressup days throughout the week declared a success with Caveman Monday, Toga Tuesday, Western Wednesday, Decades Thursday, and Blue and White Friday. Varsity and JV volleyball swept Gunnison. Cedaredge volleyball dominated over Hotchkiss. Softball continues to hit it out of the park with a winning season. Golfers leave for regionals with high hopes and expectations. The community pep rally in the park with both the middle school and the town in attendance was a success. The Cedaredge Band led the entire community in singing the school song. Football wins over Aspen 35-0. King and Queen of Homecoming are Shane Gates and Sierra Baldozier Amber wins the talent show by impersonating Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball performance.

C4 Wednesday, September 23, 2015

BRUIN TRACKS

Students

Delta County Independent

Bruins

2016

Cedaredge High School

Royalty

The Homecoming Court:

Senior Attendants

King and Queen: Sierra Baldozier and Shane Gates Senior Attendants: Kenzie Henderson, Nellie Freeman, Anthony Antuna, Kerry Ribbens Junior Royalty: Callie Wasser and Tory Wilson Sophomore Royalty: Addison Schwarz and Brayden Blair Freshman Royalty: Briar Wagner and Peter Sandels

Homecoming King and Queen

Freshman Royalty Sophomore Royalty Junior Royalty

Friday’s Float-Building Fun Clockwise from top right: The Sophomores rush to construct their float. The Seniors’ completed float, with Kendall McHugh on her horse, Tonto. The Freshmen begin work on their Greek-themed float. The Senior class works to finish the Wild West float. FFA chose to build a float consisting of metallic items from the future. The Juniors had a caveman theme and displayed that on the back of their float.

TELEVISION LISTINGS

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C6 Wednesday, September 23, 2015 ��

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TELEVISION LISTINGS ��

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Delta County Independent

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BRUIN TRACKS

Delta County Independent

School

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Bruins

School Spirit

The Man Pageant competetors recieve the crown winners of the competition. Shane Gates stares down his eating challenge... The mighty onion.

Jessica Craig and Kayla Kensler attempt to pass a bat between their legs during the Awkward Games.

A group of senior boys prepare themselves for the upcoming games.

The Savage Patch Kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attempt to win the lip-sync off by wowing the judges.

Most of the School watches in amazment as the BonďŹ re burns bright.

C8 Wednesday, September 23, 2015

BRUIN TRACKS

School

Delta County Independent

Bruins

Bruin Territory The Future Is Near Joe Eiler searches for

The students

his date who is amidst in the crowd.

Grace Adams, Ty Grant, Riley Dawes, Jade Gummo, and Cole

Stumpf all dance together.

fall into lines

and dance as one group.

The student body breaks into little sections while enjoying the DJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

music.

A group of underclassmen join to make a dance circle.

BRUIN TRACKS Editor-in-Chief Lydia Knutson

Assistant Editor: Drew Markley Photography Editor: Lydia Knutson Advertising Editor: Kaeli Baugh Staff Writers:

Lexi Anderson Sierra Baldozier Kaeli Baugh Brittany Chlarson Hannah Hatheway Kenzie Henderson Colton Hoerr Megan Huggett Jared Hulteen Alyssa Kissner

Lydia Knutson Jacob Lewis Drew Markley Max Moore McKenzie Moore Sam Ribbens Angela Saenz Niala Stair Brooke Toothaker

The views expressed in the Bruin Tracks do not necessarily represent the opinions of Cedaredge High School or its staff. The Bruin Tracks is a public forum for student expression, striving for journalistic excellence; it is created as part of the Journalism class at Cedaredge High School. Bruin Tracks thanks all the advertisers and other community supporters. We welcome all comments.

SURFACE CREEK NEWS

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

What’s bugging you?

Pasture grass plot open house is Oct. 3

Problems of woody plants and their solutions

Colorado State University Extension - Small Acreage Management will be holding a Pasture Grass Open House for small acreage landowners in the Tri-River Area. It is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Delta County Fairgrounds in Hotchkiss. The program will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the grass pasture demonstration plot located on the fairgrounds. Participants will be able to take a self-guid-

Forum offers tips for emergency preparedness BY HANK LOHMEYER Staff Writer

The Boy Scouts know it — their motto is “Be prepared.” Any number of natural or human-caused events occurring while at home, on the road, or while on an outdoor adventure can place a person or family in the position of wishing they had been better prepared. Tips and instruction on being a better-prepared person who can then live life with more confidence and independence were the subject of a community forum on emergency preparedness held at the Cedaredge LDS Church last Saturday. There were nearly a dozen exhibitors set up in the gym with displays ranging from the low-tech topics of edible plants you can grow at home to the high-tech topics of advanced water filtration and secure emergency communications.

Photo by Hank Lohmeyer

Advanced water ﬁltration technology is available for those interested in a high-tech approach to being prepared for emergencies. Along with the displays was a series of mini seminars conducted through the afternoon and early evening. The seminars were hosted by local community resources and professionals who shared their knowledge on additional top-

ics. Those included the preparation of important legal documents that are considered key for families and individuals during life change emergencies, gardening and seed saving, freeze dried foods, and other topics. Thought provoking presentations included things to think about when deciding whether and how to prepare for an emergency event, and lots of useful information about growing and storing nutritious food supplies at home. There were commonsense tips on what kinds of everyday items are handy to have if the power goes out for a period of time, and knowing what kind of common camping gear to have on hand if Photo by Hank Lohmeyer the family ever has to Varieties of edible plants make commonsense addi- rough it at home for a few tions to a collection of favorite house plants or to days due to some emergency situation arising. year-round window box gardens.

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The Cedaredge Area Chamber of Commerce invites the community to come down to Pioneer Town on Friday, Sept. 25, when the Ferrari Club will make a stop. They are expected to begin arriving around 3 p.m.

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Ferrari club to visit Cedaredge

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Visitors to Cedaredge Town Park, especially at the upcoming AppleFest, should take note of and appreciate a recent improvement at Lions Pavilion. The north and west entrances have been landscaped with a continuous concrete lawn and garden curbing and groomed with a ﬁnish of crushed red rock shale ﬁnes. It creates in feeling and in actuality an extension of the pavilion shelter area. The addition will make the pavilion and adjoining space more accessible and functional for all users. Funds for the project were provided by Surface Creek Valley Lions Club with assistance from the Cedaredge Rotary. The Town of Cedaredge provided some labor.

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Pavilion improvement

ed tour of the irrigated and dryland pasture grass plots, view the irrigation system on display, and discuss weed control methods used on site. There will also be time to ask local professionals specific questions to help you meet your property goals. This event is open to the public and there is no charge to attend. Please contact the Montrose County Extension office with questions and to RSVP at 249-3935.

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Photo by Hank Lohmeyer

Cattles as the auctioneer. Coffee, beverages and food are available by donation. I hope to see you Oct. 10 at the Mesa County Fairgrounds behind the CSU Extension office. I’ll be at both this event and at the AppleFest booth. See if you can challenge me with your gardening questions. I’d love to visit with you. Jim Leser retired to Cedaredge in 2007 after a career with Texas A&M University Extension in entomology. He is a member of the Cedaredge Tree Board and a Colorado Master Gardener.

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Fall is upon us and winter can’t be too far away. There are a number of garden chores that can be accomplished now and besides, the weather is warm and sunny. Who wouldn’t want to be outdoors? And don’t forget upcoming events featuring an information booth, a raffle and a plant auction. It is time to review our plant’s watering needs and what strategy to follow. With both nighttime and day temperatures moderating from our previously hot days, our plants don’t need to be watered as frequently. This applies not only to my favorite woody perennials, but also lawns. Increase the interval between watering by about 25 percent now and even further as we move into October and November. One watering mistake I have observed throughout

greens. The most common spring evergreen browning problems we experience around here are from winter desiccation. Now is also the time to do some cleaning up in the garden, cutting back some scraggly plants and deadheading some others. Why put all garden cleanup into the spring. Wouldn’t you rather be planting new gardens instead? But also remember that some plants have interesting features that would make an otherwise drab winter garden look at least interesting. Are you interested in talking face-to-face with a master gardener? Do you have any unanswered gardening problems? Come to AppleFest in Cedaredge on Oct. 3 or 4. This is a wonderful street fair with lots of booths and lots of activities and tasty food. The Colorado Master Gardeners are sharing a booth with the Cedaredge Tree Board and I believe we will be somewhere on Main Street. Not only will we answer your gardening questions but we are also having a raffle for some really nice garden tools that were manufactured in the good old USA. Another upcoming event is the CSU Tri-River Area Master Gardeners’ annual plant sale and tree auction, Saturday, Oct. 10. Come bid on a variety of top-quality, full-size trees and plants, donated by local greenhouses and nurseries. All proceeds support the Master Gardener Program. The plant sale, book and hypertufa pot sale and bidder registration start at 9 a.m., with the tree auction starting at 10 a.m. with Buster

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BY JIM LESER Cedaredge Tree Board

the year is not watering enough where wood mulch is covering the planting bed. This is especially true when hand watering. The mulch looks real wet but in fact the soil underneath can be bone dry. While under watering can certainly lead to many problems, over watering can too. Remember that we have clay soils and if over watering you can close down the pore space in the soil, essentially suffocating the plant’s roots. Soil amendments can help this situation by increasing pore spaces. Also, when it rains, we can often delay a scheduled watering. Last year we received 2.5 inches of rain over the next 5 weeks. But don’t expect 0.1 or 0.2 inches of rain to substitute for that inch of water your garden may need. One last watering tidbit is to not forget some winter watering of at least your trees, especially your ever-

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C10 Wednesday, September 23, 2015

OHS HOMECOMING

Elizabeth Kimbro, Tania Perez, Hannah Johnson, Liz Torres, Lidia Frescas, Rachel Walker and Ana Gasca Patlan cheer on the Pirates at the football game.

Delta County Independent

The weather was ideal for Olathe High School’s Homecoming parade, held the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 18.

Olathe High School

HOMECOMING FFA members “cultivate the new blue.” At left: King Nikolas Rubalcaba and queen Audrey Stansberry. Homecoming royalty included freshmen Makenna Pope and Emmanuel Ledesma; sophomores Denise Espinosa and Daniel Nieto; and juniors Brooke Snyder and Brandon Julian. Senior attendants were Chayden Harris, Rosalio Garcia, Dexter Flick, Shelby Anderson, Vanessa Ceballos and Jordan Solseth.

The marching band provided a glimpse of the ﬁeld show it’ll be performing at the Colorado West Invitational Marching Band Festival in Grand Juncton this Saturday.

Photos by Pat Sunderland Quarterback Dillon Nelson successfully completes a two-point conversion on the road to a 24-0 trouncing of the Roaring Fork Rams.

The junior class found a ﬁtting spot for the Rams on their Homecoming ﬂoat.

Olathe’s cheerleaders-in-training perform during halftime of the Homecoming game.

Owl Creek maintenance The Forest Service announces that road maintenance work on Owl Creek Pass (Forest Service Road #858) from the forest boundary on the Ridgway side to the top of the pass is occurring. Road maintenance activities will be active

on Mondays-Thursdays. Work will continue until snow prevents continuation. During this time members of the public may experience up to two hour delays on the route. The road will be open Friday through Sunday with minimal delays.

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September 23, 2015

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REAL ESTATE

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MEAT PROSSESSING

EDUCATION PIANO LESSONS FOR beginners to intermediate level, students or adults. Learning the language of music enhances the brain and adds enjoyment to your life. $15/30 minute weekly lesson. Call Buffy at (970) 874-3562. (3x38)

HELP WANTED

YARD SALES

RENTALS

AVAILABLE IMMEDIately - Delta - 3 BR/2BA beautiful duplex across from downtown park. $900/ month, $900 deposit. Small pet with deposit. Call Renee, (970) 433-8084 (3x36) TWO BEDROOM APARTment, downtown convenience, 2 full baths, garage, 1200 sq. ft., fridge, stove, dishwasher, washer & dryer, electric baseboard heat, evap. cooler, $600 per month plus utilities. $500 security deposit, no smoking, no pets. References required and checked with application. (970) 874-7845. (2x37)

LOST & FOUND

GARAGE SALE. ALL kinds of things you want and need. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25-26 81. 583 NE Ginter Grove, Cedaredge. (1x38)

COLOR WEEKEND YARD LOST - GRAY AND WHITE sale. Sept. 24-25-26-27 from Shih Tzu, 11 years old, blind 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. and deaf. Owner is very New antiques from storage, devastated. Reward offered. tools, furniture, glassware, silver-plate, Please contact (970) 874- household, lamps, etc. 19850 2325 Rd. 0123. (2x38) north of Cedaredge. Watch FOUND SOMEONE'S for signs. (1x38) puppy? Let them find it in MULTI-FAMILY YARD the DCI Classifieds. sale. Friday & Saturday, ADVERTISE TODAY! Sept. 25 & 26, 9-4. 3243 1600 Rd., Delta (1x38)

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HUGE MOVING SALE Oct. 2 & 3, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. 1305 SE Fairway Dr., Cedaredge. Furniture, kitchen, books, clothing, etc. (2x38)

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MOVING? CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS? Please give the Delta County Independent 10 days’ notice — PO Box 809, Delta CO 81416 970-874-4421

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Advertising Makes Sense! Call 874-4421 For Info

SUPPORTED LIVING Assistant/Relief Driver. Community Options is seeking individuals who would like to provide assistance and training to adults and/or children with intellectual/developmental disabilities in order to help them achieve more meaningful and productive lives in accordance with the values and statements of Community Options, Inc. Part-time and full-time positions in our Support Services Department. Duties can include respite, homemaking duties, personal care services, activities with clients, transportation and mentorship. Creative and flexible hours available. We are also in need of a part-time relief driver to provide transportation for our clients. Generous benefit package for full time employees. Must have valid Colorado Driver License and High School Diploma, GED, or appropriate experience. For more information, contact Wendy at (970) 249-1412 ext. 237. Apply.at 336 S. 10th St., Montrose or apply online at www. communityoptionsinc.org. (2x37)

For all your printing needs call Randy Crespin at 874-4421.

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ADVERTISING SALES Representative: High Country News (HCN), a nonprofit multimedia news outlet, seeks a salesperson to sell print and digital advertising programs. Candidates should have excellent communication skills (written, phone and digital), two years of sales experience, preferably in newspaper or related field (or any other combination of education and experience). This fulltime position includes competitive salary and benefits. To apply, send cover letter and resume to jobs@hcn. org. HCN is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a diverse work force. (3x37)

Seeking Employees? Advertise in the Delta County Independent

Classified Ads are where people look for jobs! Call 874-4421 to place your ad now.

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PUBLIC SERVICE THE DELTA COUNTY Independent runs these items as a public service free of charge for non-profit organizations, if no fees are charged. However, each group is asked to please keep them current by calling 874-4421.

THERE IS A VFW MEETING on the first Monday of each month. At 6 p.m. there is a potluck and the meeting is at 7 p.m. at the IOOF Hall, 860 Hwy 92, Delta. For further information, call 874-8172 Jim Baker, Quartermaster. (tfx12)

WOMEN ONLY AA MEETings, Delta. Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m., closed (Alcoholics only) at Friends of Bill W. Club, 897 Palmer. Saturdays, 11:00 a.m., open (others may attend) at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 5th & Palmer (back door). (tfnx3)

BECAWS! ADOPT A DOG or cat today. Call 970-5273350, or visit cawsonline. org. Delta County Citizens for Animal Welfare and Shelter (CAWS)

FREE DIAPERS FOR UP to one year! Pregnant women in Delta County can now get help to quit smoking and get something they can really use after their baby arrives — free diapers. Healthy moms have healthy babies. Enroll in the Baby & Me Tobacco Free program today. Contact the Delta County Health Department at 874-2165 or your local physician. (TFNx2) SUPPORT THE DELTA Public Library. Give a gently used book in the Downstairs Book Store.

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Subscribe and be informed! Do you know what happened at city hall? Do you know what happened in local sports? Do you know what happened in your neighborhood? You’ll know, if you get your day off the ground with our newspaper! DELTA COUNTY

INDEPENDENT 401 Meeker St., Delta • 874-4421

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WELCOME RETURNING Veterans, Post 9221 VFW meets at 5:00 p.m. on the 4th Thursday of each month in Cedaredge. To find out how to participate in promoting patriotism and assisting veterans, contact Wayne Hamrick, (970) 2501180. (tfnx23) AARP DRIVER SAFETY Course. Save on insurance, keep up on newer traffic laws, learn defensive driving techniques. For details and schedule contact John Loring (970) 856-6924 or (970) 424-1778. HOTCHKISS-CRAWFORD Historical Museum. Winter hours, Saturdays 1-4 p.m. thru December 24. $3 admission or free to members. Come see our museum at 2nd & Hotchkiss Streets in Hotchkiss. 872-3780. (tfx44) CHECK OUT THE BOOK store at the library. You'll find a great selection of paperbacks at reasonable prices. IF YOU LOVE BOOKS, you will love the Downstairs Bookstore in the basement of the Delta Public Library. NARCOTICS ANONYmous meets at 9th and Palmer, Delta, Mondays and Fridays at 8 p.m. (tfnx5) BECAWS! DONATIONS needed. Credit cards accepted. Call 970-5273350, or visit cawsonline. org. Delta County Citizens for Animal Welfare and Shelter (CAWS) DELTA FOOD PANTRY needs meals for Delta families who are temporarily in need. Donations of non-perishable food may be brought to 628 Meeker. (tfx36) HELP!!! KEEP THE animal population under control, and SAVE an animal's life. Adopt your new cat or dog from the Delta County Humane Society. Adoption fee is minimal. Call 874-2149. (DCHS) ADVERTISE!

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874-4421

Delta County Independent

PUBLIC SERVICE

HEALTHY BABIES START with early prenatal care. Delta County Health Department. Offers access to immediate, temporary Medicaid for pregnant women who qualify. 8742165. (tfx25) BOOKS MAKE GREAT stocking stuffers. Find books at great prices in the basement of the Delta Public Library.

FOSTER GRANDPARENT Program enriches the lives of senior volunteers while improving the education of children with special needs. Volunteers, 55 and older, needed to assist in class rooms tutoring and mentoring children. Low-income volunteers may qualify for a stipend. Teachers in Delta area class rooms request "Grandparents" to come in and work with students who need the extra help to achieve their best. For information on how you can use your talents to help kids call Tanya at 263-9091. (tfx7)

PUBLIC SERVICE COLORADO QUITLINE IS a free, confidential telephone coaching service for anyone calling from a Colorado area code. With QuitLine, tobacco users can receive free supplies of the nicotine patch as they work with trained coaches who create a personalized quit plan just for them. To contact the QuitLine, call 1-800QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or visit www.coquitline.org.

BECAWS! DISCOUNT BECAWS! DO YOU HAVE spay and neuter coupons an animal rescue sucCHAPTER, UNITS OF DAV available. Call 970-527cess story to share? Call regular meetings on the 3350, or visit cawsonline. 970-527-3350, or email second Monday of each org. Delta County Citizens rescuemagazine@gmail. month at 7 p.m. at the for Animal Welfare and PARENTS — FREE com. Delta County Citizens Veterans Building, 15th & Shelter (CAWS) information and referrals for Animal Welfare and Howard, Delta. For further for licensed child care pro- Shelter (CAWS) information, call Paul Carter FARM WORKER HEALTH viders. Call Bright Futures Services: We offer assis874-5150. (tfx19) THE DELTA COUNTY tance with medical, dental Child Care Resource & Democratic Party invites ARE YOU NEW TO THE and medicines. If you work Referral at 877-728-5613. you to visit their Facebook Delta area? Stop by the in agriculture you may (TFNx1) page for announcements, Delta Area Chamber of qualify for our services. For BECAWS! VOLUNTEERS information and intelligent Commerce at 301 Main St. more information call 323- needed. Call 970-527-3350, discussion of issues. You for you FREE Welcome Bag, 0538. (tfx12) or visit cawsonline.org. are not alone! Contact filled with goodies, samDelta County Citizens for www.facebook.com/pages/ SERVICIOS DE SALUD ples, discounts and commuAnimal Welfare and Shelter CO-Delta-County-Democrat De Campesinos: Ofrecemos nity information, courtesy (CAWS) s/109082339170167 of Chamber members and ayuda con doctores, dentistas, y medicinas. Si trabajas sponsored by Kim GuthriePLEASE HELP! VOLUN- BECAWS! DONATION en agricultura puedes califi- teers needed to help get items needed for Barkin' Burch of Re/Max Today. car para nuestros servicios. new animal shelter in Delta Bargains Thrift Store in YOU HAVE THE POWER TO Para mas informacion llame off the ground. We need Paonia. Call 970-527-5111. change a child's life! al 323-0538. (tfx12) temporary or long term Delta County Citizens for Children are waiting for foster homes, foot soldiers, Animal Welfare and Shelter senior partners in Delta THINK YOU'RE PREG- light research, paperwork (CAWS) nant? Abused? Need help? County right now! Can you and phone people. Many spare 3 hours a week? We The Pregnancy Resource hands make light work. ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCenter in Delta offers free need your help! Call today ciation Caregivers' Support Thank you! Another Chance for more information. Please service, support and advice Critter Haven. 874-9011. Group, Cory/Austin. All volunteer to spend time with to all teenagers and women Saints Lutheran Church, a child in our community. in crisis pregnancy situa- DEDUCT IT FROM YOUR 20101 Deer Creek Road. tions. For Christian help, Partners of Delta, Montrose taxes! Donations of: pet Last Wednesday of every and Ouray, 874-4661, www. anytime, call 874-5733. food, old blankets, tow- month, 1 p.m. partners-west.org. or www. YOU CAN QUIT. WE CAN els, kennels, carriers, pet deltayouth@montrose.net. help. Colorado Tobacco beds or dishes, and money ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCiation Caregivers' Support (tfx13) Quitline offers free, confi- always appreciated. Another Group, Delta. Hospice and Chance Critter Haven. 874AMERICAN dential assistance. Call 1- 9011. 501 (c) (3) PAONIA Palliative Care of Western Legion runs a year round 800-QUIT-NOW. (TFNx28). Colorado, Grand Mesa non-perishable emergency GOT TIME? RSVP NEEDS JOIN FORCES WITH US! Oncology Center, 1501 E. food pantry. This is for senior citizen volunteers Animal lovers rescue 3rd Street, Tuesdays at 2 the North Fork area. For throughout area. If you groups, shelters: let's band p.m. information, call 527-6252. have 2 - 4 hours per month together and get a countyHUNGRY? PLEASE JOIN (tfx49) minimum, opportunities in wide shelter built! We us for a free meal. Tuesdays, are here for the animals. Delta/Montrose counties SAVE EYEGLASSES, OLD Another Chance Critter 5:30 - 7 p.m., and Saturdays jewelry and silver or bits of that match your interests Haven. 874-9011. 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Served gold and silver scraps. The are available. YOU are the at Westminster Hall, 135 E. Grand Odd Fellow Lodge is missing LINK. Call 874-8657 BECAWS! DOG/CAT 4th St., Delta, across from or 249-9639. (tfx28) sending them to: New Eyes foster families needed. Call the post office. No income for the Needy, 549 Millburn FAMILIES BELIEVING 970-527-3350, or visit caw- restrictions - if you're hunAve., Short Hills, NJ 07078 in families: Tandem sonline.org. Delta County gry, please feel free to join or send them to: Gale Families is an innovative, Citizens for Animal Welfare us. For questions, to donate Conger, Secretary of IOOF private non-profit mentor- and Shelter (CAWS) or to volunteer, please call Lodge #116, 544 St. Hwy. ing program providing serthe Abraham Connection, BECAWS! SHOP BARKIN' 548, Delta, CO 81416. vices for at-risk children of Bargains Thrift Store in (970) 773-8290. THE AMERICAN RED Delta and Mont-rose coun- Paonia. All proceeds to to SELLING YOUR HOUSE? Cross needs you. Become ties. Anyone interested in CAWS. Call 970-527-5111. Advertise it in the DCI Clasone of the Red Cross vol- volunteering their services Delta County Citizens for sifieds. 874-4421. unteers who says, “We’ll Be or donating usable items Animal Welfare and Shelter SUBSCRIBE TODAY! There, Because Help Can’t should call 874-3000 or 252- (CAWS) Wait!” Call your local Red 7445. (TFNx8) Cross Chapter at 970-242- THE AMERICAN LEGION 4851 or 1-800-HELP NOW Post 97 Paonia is seeking for information on the dif- the names and addresses of MISC. MISC. ference you can make in all persons currently servsomeone’s life as a disaster ing on active duty in the volunteer. ((TFNx4)) military from the North Fork Colorado Statewide DELTA HAS A BOOK- Valley in order to contact Classified Advertising store in the basement of them and show our supNetwork the library featuring gently port. Send addresses to To place a 25-word COSCAN Network ad in 81 Colorado used books and magazines. American Legion Post 97, newspapers for only $350, contact your local newspaper or PO Box 277, Paonia, CO Come check it out! call SYNC2 Media at 303-571-5117. 81428 or call 527-6552. HELP WANTED HELP WANTED - DRIVERS UNEMPLOYED? JOIN others for a time of net- PARENTS FREE! INFORM- Can You Dig It? Heavy Equipment Flatbed Drivers - Earn 44-50 cpm starting (based on experience), working, encouragement, ation and referrals to Operator Career! We Offer Training and Certifications Running Guaranteed Pay first 2 weeks. High and skill improvement. licensed child care provid- Bulldozers, Backhoes and Miles! BC/BS Insurance, Pets Latent Resources meets ers, call Bright Futures Child Excavators. Lifetime Job Placement. Allowed. CDL-A, 1-year OTR Care Resource and Referral, VA Benefits Eligible! the first Thursday of each required. 888-476-4860 1-866-362-6497 www.drivechief.com month at 6:30 at the Delta 1-877-728-5613. (TFNx4) United Methodist Church SUPPORT THE DELTA HELP WANTED - DRIVERS DRIVER TRAINEES NEEDED! (5th & Meeker). Attendants Public Library. Give a gently Indian Creek Express Become a driver for Stevens Transport! NO EXPERIENCE and visitors are encouraged used book in the Downstairs NOW HIRING– OTR CDL-A NEEDED! New drivers earn $800+ Drivers, Home Weekly. Health to dress professionally Book Store. per week! PAID CDL TRAINING! Benefits, Big Miles = Big Money! and bring a note pad and Paid Weekly. Call for more details: Stevens covers all costs! a willingness to learn and DO YOU HAVE AN UN- 877-273-3582 1-888-734-6714 drive4stevens.com be challenged. Find us on wanted item that is taking SYNC2 MEDIA facebook.com & twitter.com up space in your closet? Buy a 25-word statewide classified line ad in newspapers - search "Latent Resources", Sell it through the DCI across the state of Colorado for just $350 per week. or call James at 970-901- Classifieds! Call 874-4421. Ask about our Frequency Discounts. Contact this newspaper or call SYNC2 Media, 303-571-5117 9463.

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LOCAL NEWS

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

What’s happening at your local library? The Delta County Libraries offer many educational and entertaining activities and events for you and your family to enjoy. If you want to know what else your library is offering, please contact the library or visit the Delta County Libraries website at www.delta libraries.org. Check out these programs: Cedaredge Storytime for Babies, Tots and Preschoolers at the Cedaredge Library. Thursdays starting at 10:30 a.m. Parents and tots are invited to participate in a reading time together. Computer Class. Introduction to Photoshop Elements. Edit, enhance, crop, retouch and more. Friday, Sept. 25, at 10:30 a.m. Genealogy. Who’s Who in Whoville ... find out who you really are. Friday, Oct. 2, at 10:30 a.m. Crafts Group. Crafters meet each Tuesday at 10 a.m. to share ideas and show and tell. Contact the library at 3997674 for details. Tech Soup Saturday. Bring your devices and your questions. Our expert “techies” will do their best to answer your questions. Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Makey Makey Maker Station. This activity will be available for the whole month of September. Crawford Storytime for Babies, Tots and Preschoolers at the Crawford Library. Stories, games, songs, activities and crafts for kids 0-5 and their parents or caretakers. Thursdays starting at 10:30 a.m. Scrapbooking. It’s our monthly scrapbooking get-together. Bring your projects and enjoy some company while you scrapbook your memories. Please call 399-7784 if you are coming. Saturday, Sept. 26, at 11 a.m.

Crawford Cookbook Club. Discover new recipes, sample new foods, and enjoy eating and chatting with a fun group. This month’s theme will be breakfast — bread, pastries, eggs... you decide! Thursday, Oct. 8, at 12:30 p.m. Computer Tutor. Librarians will be available to help you with questions and problems about computers or mobile devices. Contact

Utah where a dog saved her life and inspired her first book, “Angels in Disguise.” Monday, Sept. 28, at 5:30 p.m. Talk & Tangle Yarn. This is a group of knit and crochet enthusiasts who get together to work on their individual projects. Anyone is welcome to join. Mondays starting at 5:30 p.m. Tech Talk. Bring in your devices and get help from our tech-savvy staff!

the library at 399-7783 for details. Delta Storytimes. Storytimes for babies, tots and preschoolers are Wednesdays starting at 10:30 a.m. Author Reading and Book Signing. Award-winning Colorado author Lou Dean will talk about her journey from the steps of a oneroom Oklahoma school to a horse ranch in eastern

Every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Hotchkiss Baby, Storytimes. tot and preschooler storytimes are Wednesdays starting at 10:30 a.m. Join us for stories, activities and crafts downstairs. Tech Help. Librarians will be available to help you with questions and problems about computers or mobile devices. Tuesday–Thursday by

appointment. Contact the library at 399-7781 for details. Paonia Storytimes. Baby, tot and preschooler storytimes are Tuesdays starting 10:30 a.m. One-on-One Computer Help. Individualized instruction with any computer or electronic device. Call the library at 399-7881 to schedule a time that is convenient for you!

Badgers successfully raised, released On April 24, a badger den near Bayfield was destroyed by gas well drilling. At the end of the day, district wildlife manager Stephanie Schuler arrived at the site to pick up the one out of the den, and then she reached way into the den and retrieved the remaining two. Their hole was starting to fill with water. Tara Bodine, mammal rehabber in Durango, called Brenda Miller of Roubideau Rim Wildlife Rescue outside Olathe to see if she could take the badgers. Brenda insisted that they go back out for the night, in the hope the mother would come back for them. The staff at the Durango Vet Clinic warmed the badgers up and hydrated them, then Stephanie took them back to the den area in a box. Mother did not come back. The badgers were taken back to the Durango Vet clinic the next day and cared for a couple of days until arrangements could be made for their transport to Brenda Miller. Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) volunteer Jennifer Dewey picked them up Sunday in Durango, relaying them to Bill Sanburg and his wife in Ridgway for them to take to Brenda. These were nestling babies; their eyes and ears were just starting to open.

over the hole, then burying it back up with front feet. Their front claws were about an inch long at time of release, and very sharp — they are fast diggers! Brenda never saw them groom themselves, and that may be because they never had a parent to do it for them, then teach, or maybe they do it in their dens. Miller expressed her appreciation to district wildlife manager Stephanie Schuler for rescuing the badgers, the staff at the Durango Animal Hospital, CPW volunteer Bill Sanburg and Jennifer Dewey (who also transported them to the release site), Laura and Paul Lenihan and numerous 4-H youth in Montrose County for donating their rabbit culls, and Buffy at Rocky Mountain Rodents in Hotchkiss for her generous donation of mice. (Badgers eat the bones of their prey, which supply calcium.) “So much appreciation and thanks to the many citizens who have donated old meat, fruit and vegetables when cleaning out their freezers,” Miller said. “Thank you to those people who have made monetary donations that cover food, supplies, fuel, caging materials, medicines, licensing fees for the non-profit. It takes the help of many people to

There is no such thing as badger formula for babies. They had a difficult time the first 10 days adjusting to their milk replacement formula. The female especially had a difficult time with diarrhea. A lot of work went into keeping them clean, warm and fed. They required a very large outdoor cage to grow up in, where they could dig tunnels for their homes. Tunnels in dirt are much cooler during the day than temperatures above ground. The two males and female weighed between 11 1/2 and 14 pounds at release on July 26, at a ranch outside of Ignacio where they have plenty of prairie dogs to hunt. As of the writing of this story, they are all still alive. Badgers’ main food is prairie dogs. They keep the populations in check, along with coyotes and raptors which also hunt prairie dogs. Badgers also eat many kinds of bugs, carrion and vegetation of rosehips, tubers, leafy plants, fruits, seeds and nuts. When raised by humans, they are at an extreme disadvantage in learning what to eat and where food is to be found. They have to learn this on their own, once they have been released. They bury their feces and urine, by first digging a hole with their front feet, squatting

assist a volunteer, licensed wildlife rehabilitator to raise a creature, and get it released back into the wild. “It is rare that a wildlife rehabber ever gets to know if something they have raised has survived. Raising the badgers has been a once-in-a-lifetime for me,” Miller said. Roubideau Rim Wildlife Rescue still seeks a donation of land, or long-term lease to build a wildlife rehab facility and education center. “We have received a generous donation to cover the costs of building a HUGE flight cage for large birds, and indoor, heated hospital cages for winter time care for these

birds,” Miller explained. “Now, we need land to put it on! We appreciate hearing the public’s thoughts and ideas, so please contact us at rrwildliferehab@gmail. com, 209-5946 or P.O. Box 750, Olathe, CO 81425. If you are interested in becoming a wildlife rehabilitator, go to the Colorado Parks & Wildlife website, click on “Special Licensing,” then click on “Wildlife Rehabilitation.” Please feel free to contact Roubideau Rim Wildlife Rescue with questions. A wildlife rehabilitator is a volunteer for Colorado Parks & Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. No monetary compensation is provided.

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CHURCH

Delta County Independent

St. Luke’s hosts jewelry sale, lunch

Photo submitted

New location

Raising Hope Thrift Store has a new location, at 460 Main Street in Delta. Pictured at the Sept. 19 grand opening are chamber director Kylynn Wilson, Crossroads Assisted Living; Dick Kirkpatrick, Raising Hope board director; Dorothy Pew, Raising Hope board director; Jesse Messenger, chamber ambassador, All Windows & Doors Plus; Phyllis Hoffman, chamber ambassador, Western Slope Long Term Care Solutions; Nancy Wood, chamber board director, RE/MAX Today; Kira Pierce, chamber board director, Crossroads Memory Care; Lance Boren, Raising Hope board director; Pastor Cathy Hamrick, Raising Hope board director; Dewey Blair, Raising Hope store manager; Robert Jurca, Delta City Council; GW King, chamber ambassador, King Retirement Solutions; Mayor Ed Sisson; and Cheryl Oeltjenbruns, Abraham Connection board president. Raising Hope’s board members decide how to divide the store’s proceeds among charitable organizations in Delta County.

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suggested. All proceeds from the luncheon go to St. Luke’s building fund. Proceeds from the craft and jewelry sale go to African Team Ministries. Stop in to see a fabulous array of jewelry and crafts made from beautiful natural stones and woods from Africa. There is something for everyone, with prices so reasonable you’ll want to do some early Christmas shopping.

Your church or organization having a special event? Call the DCI 874-4421.

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St. Luke’s Episcopal Church is hosting a craft and jewelry sale featuring products from Africa. The sale will be held Saturday, Oct. 10 and Oct. 17, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in St. Luke’s Muller Hall. On Saturday, Oct. 10, you can also enjoy a potato and dessert bar lunch downstairs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A donation of $7 for adults and $4 for children 12 and under is

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SERVICE DIRECTORY

Delta County Independent

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

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D10 Wednesday, September 23, 2015

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Delta County Independent

B A C K P A G E

A grand way to tour Photos by Eric Gooldd

Driver David George backs up his 1923 Alfa Romeo after arriving at the Delta County Fairgrounds. The car is one of two existing and one of only four ever made. The car was by all accounts the oldest automobile at this year’s Colorado Grand Auto Tour.

BY ERIC GOOLD

Staff Writer

t was like a family reunion at the Delta County Fairgrounds last Friday when the Colorado Grand Auto Tour rolled through Hotchkiss for the 27th time. “Hey, the tour’s great,” community liason Eddie O’Brien said shortly after arriving on the scene in a cherry red 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra. O’Brien is one of the tour’s Trailblazers and as a board member is allowed to drive a post-1960 vehicle. All other entrants drive pre-1960 automobiles. “We’ve been in Hotchkiss for 27 years. We love it here,” O’Brien said. “This was one of our very first starts.” The 2015 tour featured 133 classic automobiles from around the world that were accompanied by an equally diverse, colorful group of adventurous drivers. The cars made multiple stops over three days all around the Western Slope. This year’s route had stops in Meeker, Vail and Lake City and covered more than 1,100 miles. Friday, Sept. 18, was the last day of this year’s tour and it couldn’t have gone better under picture-perfect conditions in the North Fork Valley. The event contributes generously to many charities at each of its stops. “This event does an incredible job of blending several things,” said driver Mark Hyman, in his seventh tour. “The charity, of course, makes it really good for a lot of people.” Among the many charities receiving money from the Colorado Grand this year were the Needlerock Family Health Clinic in Crawford, Friends of the Paradise Theatre and Delta County Citizens for Animal Welfare. The tour also gives money to yearly college scholarships for students from host towns. “Of course the cars are great,” Hyman added. “But it’s not only about the cars, it’s about the people. The people form an incredible group, it becomes very cohesive. You make a lot of great friends, you have a lot of fun, and you

Head-on view of a 1952 Allard J2X. Below, Tom Horan drives the Allard out of the fairgrounds on the ﬁnal day of the Colorado Grand Auto Tour.

Volunteers came out in droves last Friday to help serve up barbecue from Zack’s to around 200 participants of the 2015 Colorado Grand. also in turn are able to give back to the communities that appreciate the fact that we do this.” Hyman was on his way to Paonia, where he drove a vintage 1931 8L Bentley in the Homecoming parade. An antique car dealer from St. Louis and self-proclaimed car “enthusiast, fanatic and nut,” Hyman had time to praise the hosts in Hotchkiss. “The hospitality is phenomenal. The food is phenomenal. And the scenery is incredible,” Hyman said. “The hospitality I like the best.” The vehicles rolled into the Delta County Fairgrounds and parked in lines for the many onlookers and picture takers that were eagerly awaiting their arrival. Drivers were interviewed and talked with many curious picture takers. They compared stories from the road and sought out the most unique cars in the mass assemblage of fine automobiles. It was even fun to work there. Zack’s Bar-B-Q provided lunch for all of the drivers. Owner David Price donned an apron and dished out the vittles, along with many volunteers who came to feed the drivers and admire their

The engine of a 1959 Aston Martin Mvk II on full display during the tour’s stop in Hotchkiss.

cars. “We’ve been affiliated with the tour for several years,” Price said. “It’s one of our favorites.” Drivers were given a free barbeque lunch and treated to music and beverages from Big B’s. Local car fans and media members were assessed a reasonable fee of $8 for lunch. The drivers milled around the fairgounds and enjoyed the exceptional early fall weather. Golden sunshine and cool breezes created a lively atmosphere of good will. “It’s a win-win for everybody,” Price said. “We enjoy mingling with the crowds and looking at the cars. We just enjoy doing it.” Out in the parking lot it was a car lover’s dream. Right in front was a robin’s egg blue 1955 Lancia Aurelia Spider. Alfa Romeo and Porsche were well represented and there were several Aston Martins, Jaguars and Mercedez-Benz racers. Generating a lot of discussion and admiration were the Bentleys. “It’s a car with quite a heritage,” co-driver Richard Crump said of the 1929 8L Bentley, owned and driven by Hayden Groendyke. “This is the car that won at Le Mans four years in a row.” The elegant and long forest green Bentley had a classic design and harnessed quite a bit of power under the hood. “With that 8-liter engine, it’s amazingly powerful,” Crump said. “It could get up to 140 miles per hour. I’ve only had it at 85, and that was at 2,500 rpm. Cruising speed.” Crump, who hails from Enid, Okla., echoed all of the drivers when he talked about his hosts. “Hotchkiss is just a fun town to visit,” Crump said. “I love seeing all the agriculture and everything is so fresh and nice. And there’s some really good wine out here.” Driver David George might well have had the oldest ride in the bunch when

he pulled into the fairgounds behind the wheel of a 1923 Alfa Romeo model RLTF. “That’s one of two existing models of that car,” George said. “Only four of them were made.” George immediately went to work on the vehicle after he parked it in between two other Alfa Romeos. He took a wrench to the engine and tested the fuel level while busily describing the car to a large group of onlookers.

Co-driver Tanya Emslie handed George tools and talked about the car. The driver, who said he was in his 13th or 14th tour, finished his adjustments quickly and then shooed everyone away. “I love Hotchkiss,” George said. “Want to go listen to some of the music. Want to go eat some of the food!” Like everyone else from the Colorado Grand, he couldn’t wait to get some of that Hotchkiss hospitality.

Fritz Bullmann (behind the wheel) prepares to drive his 1939 Jaguar SS-100 to Paonia, the next quick stop along the Colorado Grand Tour. The SS-100 was named the Swift Swallow Jag because it was capable of 100 miles per hour.

Drivers Jim and Steve Weddle examine their 1960 AC Ace and show off its innards to Paonia spectators when the Colorado Grand brieﬂy stopped in Paonia. Several of the tour cars drove in the Paonia Eagles Homecoming parade.