Inside Longmont The Magazine - March 2015 by Inside Longmont

insideLONGMONT.com

March 2015

insideLONGMONT.com

March 2015

March Photo Golden Ponds Natural Area by Brian T. Wolf 4

March 2015

insideLONGMONT.com

Sponsored By

insideLONGMONT.com

March 2015

insideLONGMONT THE MAGAZINE

insidelongmontthemagazine@gmail.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Brian T. Wolf WRITING & PHOTOGRAPHY Brian T. Wolf Mari Wolf

MARKETING & ADVERTISING Mari Wolf insidelongmont@gmail.com

Follow us around the web! insidelongmont.com facebook.com/insidelongmontthemagazine facebook.com/insidelongmont twitter.com/insidelongmont COVER PHOTO: Roosevelt Park by Mari Wolf insideLONGMONT The Magazine is published monthly by Inside Longmont, LLC. Copyright 2015 by Inside Longmont, LLC. All rights reserved. The entire contents of insideLONGMONT The Magazine are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the express written consent of the publisher. Inside Longmont, LLC is not responsible for unsolicited materials.

March 2015

insideLONGMONT.com

March 2015

Feature Stories 10 In The Community Robots Rising, Part One

16 In The Community A Winning Performance For BPA

26 Arts & Entertainment “The Good Old Days Now”

March 2015

insideLONGMONT.com

Contents 10

In The Community: Robots Rising, Part One

In The Community: A Winning Performance For BPA

Arts & Entertainment: Bub Comedy Is No Joke!

Arts & Entertainment: “The Good Old Days Now”

Happening In Longmont: March Meltdown

iL Non Profit Community

28 Happening In Longmont March Meltdown

insideLONGMONT.com

March 2015

In The Community

ROBOTS RISING part one

The robots are coming! There is no denying that in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world technology is growing and becoming a more frequent participant in our daily lives at a record speed. What used to be thought of as only happening in the movies is happening right now in the world around us. If you have any doubt about that, an upcoming exhibit at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center will put the world of robotics in perspective and really open your eyes to the possibilities that exist today. On May 9, a brand new special exhibition called Robots Rising is coming to the Longmont Museum to showcase the world of robotics. The entire exhibit, made up of nearly a dozen unique displays, is currently being built entirely from scratch with contributions made by a variety of volunteers from Longmont and Boulder County. We were recently invited by the Curator of Exhibitions, Jared Thompson, to tour the location where the displays are being built and to get a special look at the various robotics being created. Over the past several months, Robert Van Deest and his company Blue Point Engineering have been building three complete robotic displays specifically for the Robots Rising exhibit. Robert has been working in the robotics industry since the 1970s and Blue Point Engineering, based here in Longmont, 10

March 2015

insideLONGMONT.com

for this exhibit they will leave the skin off so that everyone can see all of the moving parts. This will also give it a cool â&#x20AC;&#x153;Terminatorâ&#x20AC;? look. In addition to the manual controls, the robot will also be programmed to operate through a series of movements and actions to create an animatronic playback that will include sound effects and lighting effects to go along with its motions. This will allow the robot to perform a variety of actions like introducing itself to visitors or even singing and dancing! As part of the Robots Rising exhibit, this display will represent pneumatics, the use of compressed air to create mechanical motion. Made of alumihas provided contract services for companies in num and pneumatic cylinders, robots just like this the entertainment industry like Universal Studios, are used in animaJim Henson, and Disney. On the day we visited, tronics every day at we were fortunate enough to have been given a places like haunted preview of their creations by Robert himself, as houses and theme well as demonstrations by Ryan Van Deest, his parks. However, son, who has also been designing and building this display is also their robots. meant to show people that the only The first of the three robot displays we were shown real difference bewas an animatronic character that has been detween a robot you signed to mimic human motion. Visitors to the might find in a facmuseum will be able to operate the robot by mantory and one in an ually controlling the movement of its head, arms, amusement park shoulders, wrists, and body. The only features is simply how it is that wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t move are its legs. The robot will have a used. head with a functioning mouth and will be able to look left, right, up, and down. Typically, a design The second display like this would be covered with a silicone skin, but we were shown is being designed to allow visitors to activate a set of buttons that operate different types of pneumatic cylinders and linear actuators. While the pneumatic cylinders use compressed air, the linear actuators use electrical signals to activate motors to move gears. The display will feature a large, transparent board with a variety of cylinders and actuators of different styles that are used today in both the entertainment and factory industries. Using these same components, a person could build any kind of machine that would be able to lift things or move them either pneumatically or electrically. The goal of this exhibit is to be able to show the mechanical muscles working to produce movement. insideLONGMONT.com

March 2015

The third display they are building is called a pickand-place robot. This is an example of a real robot you would find in many small factories around the country and around the world. Robots like these are used to pick up something and place it in a

any programming knowledge. And it will also give people the chance to think about the logic behind what really happens in industrial applications and the step-by-step processes that go into programming an industrial robot.

different spot. By adding sensors and switches as well as a custom-designed control console, the display will allow visitors to control all of the various movements of the machine. People will be able to reach out and pick something up just like the robot would in a factory setting.

One of the keys throughout this entire exhibit is that everything is visible. “Nothing will be hidden,” Robert told us. “You are going to see the wires, you are going to see the pneumatic tubes. You are going to actually see the working parts.”

These are just three of the robotic displays that will In addition to controlling movement, the control be part of the Robots Rising exhibit when it arrives console will have support electronics that monitor at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center on the voltage and temperature. In the real world, May 9th. Be sure to look for next month’s issue this would be used by operators to learn when of Inside Longmont The Magazine where we will the robot is being loaded up too heavy or if there continue our behind-the-scenes look at some of were a problem with the motor. Generally, robots the other displays that will be part of this amazing like this are built to be connected to a computer new exhibit. system where they are programmed to perform a series of functions independent from an operator. To learn more about the Longmont Museum, visit However, this particular robot is being built with a www.longmontmuseum.com. one-of-a-kind design that will allow anyone to use is simply and effectively without needing to have 12

March 2015

insideLONGMONT.com

March 2015

insideLONGMONT.com

March 2015

In The Community

A Winning Performance For BPA Last month, 7 dancers from Broadway Performing Academy (BPA) traveled to the Colorado Convention Center in Denver to compete in StarQuest’s 2015 regional competition. StarQuest is a regional dance competition that is held in more than a dozen cities across the country. Traditionally known as a place where students prepare for performing on stage, not for competition, Owner/Artistic Director Kimberleigh Spencer decided that this was the right time for BPA to participate in its first competition.

Having come from another studio that participated in competitions, Skylar Daniels was one of the dancers who really pushed for the members of BPA to enter a competition. Kimberleigh was reluctant at first to bring her students into a competition. Like most people, she was aware of the cutthroat nature many competitions are perceived to have and she didn’t want to put her dancers in that kind of negative situation. However, she also realized that competition could be something healthy for them to experience. So, in the end Kimberleigh took a chance with StarQuest, and she couldn’t have been happier with the result. “We met a lot of nice people and a lot of nice studio owners. That changed it for us,” Kimberleigh said. 16

March 2015

insideLONGMONT.com

such a great group of girls,” Skylar told us. This may have been their first dance competition, but it most certainly won’t be their last. As one of the top winners at the StarQuest regional competition, the studio’s dancers are eligible to compete at nationals. “It’s a huge thing for us,” Kimberly announced.

In preparation for the competition, Kimberleigh and her students settled on a few of their favorite numbers. The entire group took the stage to perform “Hard Knock Life” from the show “Annie”. They also prepared a two dancer lyrical piece title, “So Close,” from Disney’s Enchanted. To their surprise and delight, BPA’s performance of “Hard Knock Life” won the award for First Place in the Classic Teen Small Group category. And dancers Kara Querubin and Marci Parker won the award for Fourth Place with their performance of “So Close” in the Classic Senior Duet/Trio category.

Since its inception, BPA has always been more focused on performing than competition, but now they are going to expand into doing more competitions as well. This is because many competitions offer a category for song and dance. While most dance companies just do dance or they do musical theater, where the performers lip sync to a recording, BPA prepares its students to sing and dance on stage. Congratulations to Kimberleigh and Broadway Performing Academy dancers for such a tremendously successful first competition! If you have a son or daughter who is interested in performing, visit www.broadwayperformingacademy.com.

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, BPA was awarded the Apogee “Classic” Award for “Hard Knock Life” coming in first among all of the studios, small and large, in the “Classic” category! “We were like, this is our first competition, we’re just going to go out there and have fun no matter where we place. And then they called our name for first place and we were like, this is amazing!” Because they had never competed before, the girls didn’t expect to place, let alone walk away with top honors in their categories. “This is insideLONGMONT.com

March 2015

Kimberleigh Spencer with dancers Marci Parker, Samantha Stroh, Skylar Daniels, Kara Querubin, Avery Meinke, Amelia Wilcox, Ava Nolledo and their two trophies.

March 2015

insideLONGMONT.com

March 2015

Arts & Entertainment

Bub Comedy Is No Joke!

In recent years, Longmont’s arts and entertainment scene has really flourished.

Our community is fortunate to have a variety of venues and businesses that feature or promote live theater, local art, and local music all across this town. And thanks to the work of Emily Andrews and JoAnn McIver, we can now add comedy to that growing list. Recently, these two Colorado natives created Bub Comedy, a comedy troupe that believes “comedy should be accessible, should be universal, and should be funny.” Formed here in Longmont, their mission is to bring theater-style performances back to popularity by focusing on comedy. But make no mistake, these two women take their comedy seriously. Both have degrees in Theatre/Film/Television Production from the University of Colorado Denver. Emily has studied physical theater in Italy, specifically a type of theater called commedia dell’arte. JoAnn has studied improv in Chicago with Second City. And they are determined to make comedy a major part of Longmont’s arts and entertainment scene. “We want to really open up the comedic world to people up here, not only for audiences but for people who want to perform,” JoAnn said. 20

March 2015

insideLONGMONT.com

Bub Comedy has already begun by partnering with 300 Suns Brewing to present Barley-Har-Har Comedy Open Mic Night. Once a month, 10 brave people take the stage to perform a 3-minute open mic comedy routine. They have already had four very successful comedy nights with a nice mixture of comedians, community locals, and even one of the owners of 300 Suns Brewing, Dan Ditslear, entertaining the crowds! The audiences are always attentive and the hearty laughter is always loud!

JoAnn McIver (left) and Emily Andrews (right) clowning around with a few props.

The success of these open mic nights are helping Emily and JoAnn build a new Longmont brand for comedy. While they do have comedians coming from Denver and Boulder to step behind the microphone, they are also actively looking for Longmont performers, too. No experience necessary! “I love encouraging people to get up there and do it,” Emily said. “I love creating this atmosphere. It is a community space, not a professional space. It’s our comedy club. It’s a place where you can be completely comfortable.”

ly either stand-up or improv, Emily’s and JoAnn’s Also in the works for Bub Comedy is an original vision is to present everything in the world of musical comedy show that will be held at Grossen comedy. In addition to stand-up and improv, they Bart Brewery. This show will feature live musical would bring comedic plays, sketch comedy, and performances that are all comedy based. There musical comedy to their stage for a total range of will be original songs and song parodies as well as experiences for their audience. Their goal is to comedic performances of classic songs. Some per- create the type of space where people will want to formances may include sketches, too. Along with come every week. “We want to be the spot where JoAnn and Emily, Dave Hartman and Sara Nitke people hang out,” Emily said. “We want to make will help bring this unique show to life. Look for that community.” They plan on doing this by focusing on reasonable ticket prices, comfortable attheir first show on March 31st! mosphere, and above all quality shows. “There is Ultimately, their goal is to be able to offer a variety smart comedy. There is quality comedy.” of shows at different locations around town every week. Along the way, they also want to create a We are excited to watch as Bub Comedy brings a following for comedy in Longmont. “This year is whole new world of entertainment to Longmont and we can’t wait to see what else they have in the all about building an audience,” Emily said. works. Once they have that audience, their vision is to build a comedy club right here in Longmont. While You can find more about Bub Comedy online at most comedy clubs offer a specific theme, typical- www.bubcomedy.com. insideLONGMONT.com

March 2015

insideLONGMONT.com

Your opportunity to be part of Barley-Har-Har Comedy Open Mic Night at 300 Suns Brewing is only a month away! The next event is already scheduled for April 16. Whether you want to try your hand at stand-up comedy, sketch comedy, or even something musical, there will be a crowd ready for you to make them laugh. Sign up for one of the ten 3-minute slots by going to the 300 Suns Brewing website at www.300sunsbrewing.com/comedy. Or if you love to laugh and just want to come out for an evening of comedy and delicious craft beers, they need you too. After all, a comedian is nothing without a crowd to entertain. Have some fun and support these brave souls!

insideLONGMONT.com

March 2015

Arts & Entertainment

Their intention seems to be of celebrating the life they’ve discovered in Longmont, CO. Love songs of several varieties grace the project and a healthy dose of whim in their lyrics gets you to giggling along. - Denny Driscoll Jess and Andy have crafted a local masterpiece, that I believe will become a standard in local recording quality. They are the hardest working independent artists in the business, and it shows with this record. They have been a vital part of building a community, and their philosophy shines within the stories on this record. - Nick O’Connor

Earlier this month, Longmont’s own The Prairie Scholars, husband and wife duo Andy and Jessica

Eppler, released their brand new 20-track double album, The Good Old Days Now, much to the delight of their growing number of fans. This is their first studio album since 2012’s Wasteland Ramble and has been many months in the making. Both the album itself and the title track are meant to celebrate the community that the Epplers have become an important part of and that has been so supportive of them. “We named the album even before all the songs were written for it, even before the title track was actually written,” Jessica said. In fact, the title track grew out of the process of recording the album and was written to tie the entire project together. “We ended up capturing what Longmont feels like right now,” Jess said. 24

March 2015

insideLONGMONT.com

“That’s really the message of the album, the good old days are now,” Andy told us. “It’s easy to be in a negative place, but the truth is that the world is what you make of it. We can all make a better one together.” The 20 song set was arranged to feature the country side of The Prairie Scholars on the first disc and their rock’n’roll side on the second disc. For those who have had the pleasure of seeing a live performance by The Scholars, this will have a familiar feeling as their shows typically start with an acoustic set and finish with an electric set. Arranging the songs this way has, of course, led many of the fans of The Scholars to settle on one of the two discs as their personal favorite. “It’s fun to see who goes for which style of our music,” Jess said. As with their previous albums, Andy and Jessica once again took on all of the music and production for all 20 songs. In addition to Jessica on piano and Andy on guitar, both electric and acoustic, as well as the two providing all vocals, you will also hear the Epplers playing accordion, organ, bass, drums, mandolin and more. “It’s not a matter of what instruments I play,” Andy pointed out, “it’s what does the song need and can I physically make that happen on the instrument that it should be on.” The hardworking duo also split duties on the songwriting for the album. Most of the songs were written by either Andy or Jess individually before bringing it to the other. “I think the lyrics tend to stay the same, but the music morphs once the oth-

er person gets involved,” Andy said. There were a few exceptions, though, that were co-written by the couple. Andy wrote the chorus to “Lost in You” before passing it to Jess who filled out the verses. On the song “Oh My You,” Andy wrote the first two verses and Jess wrote the third. Even though they have only just completed this exhaustive project, don’t expect the Epplers to slow down anytime soon. After taking a break from songwriting, they are already working on new songs for future projects. Also, Jessica will have a solo album of her own coming out a little later in the year and Andy, who drew all of the artwork for The Good Old Days Now, will be continuing to spend more time on his painting and writing. And this is on top of their busy schedule of live performances here in Longmont and across the Front Range. It’s no wonder they are often considered the hardest working musicians in Longmont! If you haven’t gotten your copy of “The Good Old Days Now,” you can purchase your own from Andy and Jessica at any one of their live shows in the area. Or you can buy online at their website, www. prairiescholars.com. Get it today and let the good times roll!

insideLONGMONT.com

March 2015

insideLONGMONT.com

Your Ad Here Contact Mari Wolf at insidelongmont@gmail.com for current advertising rates.

insideLONGMONT.com

March 2015

Happening In Longmont

March Meltdown

With Spring just around the corner and warmer temperatures on the way, the time has come to say farewell to the Longmont Ice Pavilion at Roosevelt Park, at least until next winter. On March 8, the Ice Pavilion hosted its annual March Meltdown celebration to mark the end of the season. The weather couldn’t have been better as everyone turned out to get in one last day of skating and it was such a joy to see so many families together out on the ice to take part in this Longmont tradition. When they weren’t skating, visitors enjoyed relaxing in the sunshine and eating delicious ice cream that were given out for free. In addition, cups of paint and brushes were available for the annual painting of the ice mural. Starting at one end of the Pavilion, a section of the ice was marked with cones so that kids and adults could leave their mark on the ice. Some painted pictures, others left messages, a few just wrote their names. And throughout the afternoon the mural grew as more and more people joined in the fun. Public skating at the Longmont Ice Pavilion ended on March 12, so it’s time to hang up those skates until winter comes back around. 28

March 2015

insideLONGMONT.com

March 2015

Visit www.insidelongmont.com

And Learn More About The Caring Non Profits In Our Online

Non Profit Community

The Family Garden is a resource hub offering education, inspiration and networking for families throughout pregnancy, birth and early childhood. Many different philosophies and approaches to child birth and parenting are presented without judgment or advocacy for a particular view.

The Inn Between strives to help families and individuals who are facing homelessness in our community to be self-sufficient and sustainable to no longer be homeless. By providing housing and critical services, we work with our residents to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence needed for self-sufficient living.

March 2015

insideLONGMONT.com

Longmont Dance Theatre strives to enliven and to elevate the human spirit by means of dance, specifically ballet. A technique of movement born in the courts of kings and queens, ballet has survived to this day to become one of the most elegant, most adaptable, and most powerful means of human communication.

Mountain States Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Home extends Christian services to wounded children in an effort to meet their physical needs, heal their emotional hurts, challenge their minds, and teach them moral principles in order to reach the goals of reuniting them with their families or preparing them for independence.

The OUR Center helps people move toward self-sufficiency by unifying community resources. The organization provides emergency services to help people through short-term financial crises and also works in partnership with our clients to develop case plans for those needing longer-term assistance.

insideLONGMONT.com

March 2015

insideLONGMONT.com