V
V
MOUNTAINPARENT R O A R I N G
V
V
2020 SPRING
F O R K
VA L L E Y,
C O L O R A D O
V
V
V
V
V
SEASONAL SNIPPETS A N N U A L
WHAT'S HAPPENING
EVERY AGE & STAGE
SUMMER CAMP PLANNER
RECREATION & OUTDOORS E D I T I O N
SUMMER
1
40 NORTHSTAR CIRCLE | ASPEN
100 EVANS ROAD | BASALT
your trusted real estate advisors.
TBD ELK SPRINGS DRIVE | GLENWOOD SPRINGS
2112OVERLOOK RIDGE | CARBONDALE
MOUNTAIN PARENT SPRING 2020 ISSUE 18
Contents FEATURES:
21
Trail Map: Car Camping at Lake Powell Is it possible to bring the family to Lake Powell without a houseboat? Brian Edmiston shares his intel on how to tent-camp at our closest beaches.
25
Reflections on the Most Certain Flight Our parenting years fly from nesting to empty nesting. We asked Waldorf teacher, administrator, grandparent and empty-nester Tim Connolly to help us embrace this fact of nature.
28
Living in the Spirit of Julia Ward Howe Inspired by the Mother’s Day Proclaimation for Peace, written 130 years ago by Julia Ward Howe, we recognize three local women who are taking action on behalf of children and families.
DEPARTMENTS:
Seasonal Snippets Go wild with Genevieve Villamizar’s guide to nature parks 7 DIY Upcycling takes flight when you turn an empty dog food bag into a kite 11 Helping Hands Foster care for dogs and other pets with Lucky Day Animal Rescue 14 Good Sports Learn about LAX with RFLC Founder Joseph Lang 17 What’s Happening April + May and Rec programming 54 Out & About "Society" snapshots from here and there 59 Up Next Mountain Parent upcoming editions to look forward to 62
SPECIAL SEC TION:
PUBLISHER
Director of Business Development + Advertising Lauren Suhrbier EDITOR
Creative Director + Designer Kathryn Camp
37
SUMMER CAMP PLANNER Get to know our community’s
summer program providers. TA L E N T
Writers, Artists, Photographers & Friendly Support: Aspen Chamber Resort Association, Kelley Brenninger, Rich Camp, Tim Connolly, Jordan Curet, Jackie Deam, Brian Edmiston, Jeremy Gilley, Drew Hamblin, Joel Hathaway, Halli Kubes, Kim Knol, Sarah Kuhn, Joseph Lang, Ami Maes, Shanna Orr, Renee Ramge, Jasmin Ramirez, Sandra Shafer, Laura Smith, Beatriz Soto, Jeremy Swanson, Genevieve Villamizar, Carmon Wade, Casey White, and Marney White.
3
MOUNTAIN PARENT
COVER ARTISTS
ELANA & LILY ROYER
founders of Lilybart, an Aspen greeting card and paper-art product line created to raise awareness of Cystic Fibrosis
“NESTING” I’ll never forget a magical springtime evening when my kids were little. Spring cleaning inspired me to open windows to let in the fresh air on one of our first warmish spring days. Then when bedtime came, a cross breeze rustled the curtains as we snuggled down for stories in fresh, line-dried sheets. As I read aloud, a gentle coo sounded from outside. An owl! We paused and listened. The coo came again and again. We counted twelve coos and imagined that Mama Owl was waking her littles for the day, rising as we headed to sleep. As the magic of this moment stirred our hearts, another coo came, perhaps a reply. We counted twelve more coos as the silence settled around us. In their own warm nests, my children fell asleep listening for another call from our nurturing mother owl. I tiptoed upstairs, thinking how blessed we are to live near such aloof and sacred creatures.
… Elana Royer
SAY HELLO:
MOUNTAIN-PARENT.COM
become a contributing writer, advertise & share event listings on our free online calendar
editor@mountain-parent.com kathryn@mountain-parent.com and on Facebook
DISCLAIMER
The opinions and views expressed by contributors to Mountain Parent are not necessarily those of the Publisher. Mountain Parent Magazine is registered with the State of Colorado. Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content without permission is prohibited.
4
Dear Readers,
IT’S DITCH BURNING SEASON. The local ranchers and water districts need to clear out overgrown vegetation from ditches, so the water can flow through clear and strong by mid April. I captured a photo of this newly scorched earth - feeling it matched the mood of the world at the moment. Our normal life, jobs and daily routines have just burned to the ground. This might be long and hard, and we pray for the health of all your loved-ones. I am trying to remind myself that somewhere in that black char, there are already a few shoots of fresh spring growth. Lauren Suhrbier Publisher
IN MY CHILDHOOD HOME on the Alabama Gulfcoast, we kept a “hurricane closet,” a dusty locked room off of the carport where my parents stockpiled an assortment of canned goods, candles, batteries, flashlights, quinine tablets, toilet paper, and other necessary emergency essentials like Bisquick and single-malt Scotch. I’ll never forget the armageddon experience of carrying these items inside one day in 1979 before Hurricane Frederick decimated my hometown. We taped and boarded windows and then waited next to a transistor radio after high winds took down power lines and part of our roof. I wasn’t so afraid, I think because our abundant supplies gave me a strangely satisfying Little House Long Winter sense of preparedness. “Preparedness” is a big consideration right now for me with my seventeen-year-old son. He’s a high school junior, so we get one more school year together, a matter of months really. In addition to getting him ready for college, I’ve gotta get him ready for the wide world. Can he sort laundry? Can he cook? Is he a well-rounded, thoughtful, young adult? Will he be a good citizen of the world? Has his upbringing given him the tools he’ll need to think and work and feel his way through whatever life throws him? Tim Connolly’s empty-nester advice in this edition, “Reflections on the Most Certain Flight” helps me to see what’s beyond the horizon, and in the meantime, I’m looking for ways to impart whatever survival skills I can. So in mid-March when a confirmed case of Coronavirus in Aspen sent the entire Valley to the grocery to prepare for 2-3 weeks of potential quarantine, I imagined a lesson in emergency rations. My son asked to borrow my car, and in trade, I “voluntold” him to pick up a few things from the store. I put together a list that included 24 rolls of TP and bulk dry goods. “Buy what we need,” I said. “But leave plenty for others.” He thought I was insane. Then he called me twenty minutes later to describe rows of empty shelves, with the reality-check rising in his deep, low voice. There’s a lesson here for both of us – to plan ahead, to conserve, to ditch the old swim toys in the shed to make room for our mountain-village hurricane closet. I love it when a teachable moment comes free of the impulse to crowd it with words. “It’s not the end of the world,” I assured him. “We’ll make do with what we have.” I hope this one comment of mine will stay with him. We’re hunkering down now, and my thoughts and prayers are with the most vulnerable, aging parents and youngest children, and everyone whose livelihood is at risk. I hope my kids experience this strange new reality with a heaping dose of what truly matters. I’ve told them about BB and Granddad’s hurricane closet, and how my mother baked me a Bisquick birthday cake in their barbeque grill because after Frederick, we lived for five weeks without electricity and eight weeks without a phone. (Talk about my teenagers’ worst nightmare!) And since I survived that, I know we can get through anything. Kathryn Camp Editor
WE WANT TO REWARD your child’s good grades!
Bring a copy of your child's most recent report card to Alpine Bank. We'll draw winning report cards, which will receive $10 for A's or 4's and $5 for B's or 3's for 5 main subjects. That means a straight-A report card could earn your child $50 cash! Deadline: June 30 1 report card per student per deadline. INDEPENDENCE • COMMUNITIES • COMPASSION • INTEGRITY • LOYALTY
alpinebank.com | Member FDIC
Contributors KELLEY BRENNINGER
One of MP’s canine office mates, Zelda, is among countless LUCKY dogs that have been rescued and fostered by Kelley Brenninger’s local nonprofit dedicated to finding forever homes for animals of all sorts, Lucky Day Animal Rescue of CO. With “adoption season” approaching, we are delighted to introduce Kelley through her “Very Best Luck” Helping Hands article. When Kelley isn’t hiking with her beloved dogs Nala and Darlin, she loves to foster puppies and be in nature with her favorite people, Emily and Max. She and her co-founders launched Lucky Day in 2011 with a mission “to aid lost, abandoned and suffering animals through rehabilitation, re-homing, education, and love.”
TIM CONNOLLY
Tim is one of those quietly thoughtful souls who will bring you into a story with a whisper that compels you to lean in and await his next word. His life path weaves together a B.S. in Business Economics from the University of San Francisco, and Waldorf education, parenting, grandparenting, traveling and dreaming – all with his beloved wife Patti by his side. The prospect of empty nests now feels much less imposing to us at MP, now that Tim has shared his birds-eye view in his feature article, “Reflections on the most Certain Flight.” The word from his students is that we actually should have asked him to share his cookie recipe, which is among the many sweet ways he connects with the students at WSRF where he is the faculty administrator.
BRIAN EDMISTON
While most of us could never, ever, keep up with Brian skiing or biking, it’s refreshing to know that one of his favorite outdoor pursuits actually involves very little speed. For over 25 years he’s been exploring Lake Powell, without a houseboat or a powerboat. His favorite springtime adventure involves splashing around the warm waters of Powell with his 6-year old daughter, maybe passing along some life-lessons on those sunny shores. In town, you can find Brian working with his patients as the practice manager for the Glenwood Medical Associates Physical Therapy team.
SARAH KUHN
When we imagined bringing a special Mother’s Day focus to several women in our community, we knew that Sarah would help us capture not only the spark that inspires these mothers, but also their down-to-earth beauty and their love for their children. Sarah is a fine art and family portrait photographer based in Carbondale. Her two kids are her favorite (and somewhat reluctant) muses.
JOSEPH LANG
Joe and his wife Julie moved to Carbondale from NYC’s East Village in 1996 and soon started their family, including Ruby, Joseph and Colton, dog Loki and three goats Basil, Billy & Ferdinand. When we started planning our Good Sports column with Joe, we knew about his love for lacrosse. We did not know that Joe grew up in a lacrosse household with five brothers (all LAXers) and two sisters (LAX fans) building their first backyard goal from plumbing pipes. He captained his high school and college lacrosse teams, and then played club ball in Carolina and Denver. The Roaring Fork Lacrosse Club was born out of this passion to provide the joys of the sport to a new generation.
GENEVIEVE VILLAMIZAR Genevieve’s master’s research is in re-wilding children through the Nature connection and free play. As life has shown her, regenerative nature is the breathing, pulsing connective tissue in ‘community.’ She is known for taking over Carbondale businesses and converting them into fecund, wildish places for us to gather, unwind and connect. She believes in the unexpected surprises of ‘wildishness,’ where we discover, reground, and renew. She generously shares her intel about our community’s nature parks where we can go explore, renew and “get wild” from Aspen to GWS.
431 BOUNDARY LANE | Luxury 4 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom townhome in River Valley Ranch. Modern
style with master suite on the main level. Easy living for an on-the-go lifestyle. Offered for $1,275,000 MONICA VIALL 970.319.1119 MVIALL@SLIFERRFV.COM
3 6 4 M a r k e t St r e e t | Ba S a lt
6
COREY CROCKER 970.445.7259 CCROCKER@SLIFERRFV.COM
9 70 .9 2 5 . 8 0 8 8
ASPENREALESTATE.COM
SE A SO N A L
S N I PPE T S
WILD at heart
WHERE TO EXPLORE
GENEVIEVE VILLAMIZAR Master’s Candidate Environmental Management Sustainable & Resilient Communities
NOTE FROM MOUNTAIN PARENT: When we first imagined exploring our Valley’s nature parks, Coronavirus had yet to trigger China’s massive quarantine. Weeks later, heading to print, the first confirmed cases in Pitkin and Garfield County have led to school and ski resort closings. Everyone is coming to terms (or not) with the physical and economic impacts of the disease, scrambling to prepare and embracing (or not) the idea of “social distancing.” Reflecting on this sweeping change of perspective, we note that Genevieve Villamizer’s wild spaces tour offers a remedy of sorts. Multi-acred, wide-open, mostly free of playground equipment, these nearby places give us a way to get outside and breathe fresh air, to feel cleansed by sunlight and Springtime breezes, and to find renewal – while remaining within a proscribed safe-distance of others. Of course, if you or your child are feeling unwell, we at MP urge you to follow the CDC’s recommended protocol and stay home. However, until or unless … we can be grateful that we live in a community where we have access to these wild places.
NURTURING MY CHILD’S ENTRANCE into the world changed my own life radically. Drawn to discovery, she was most content among greenery and open skies. In her first spring, she burst into life as the season did. I remember her first sighting of an iris. Pale blue, it had finally unfurled its invitation of yawning, arching, pearlescent petals. Its seduction triumphed over my nine-month-old. Clad in a onesie, she beelined bare-kneed across our exposed aggregate patio, straight to the bloom. Gripping its thick, succulent stalk, she snapped that sucker right off. She brought it to her face in delight, its perfume a light and sweet pleasure. She gently rubbed it on her face, giggling, peering into its universe. Wordlessly, she stuck her fist out, offering me her treasure. Then, a dreamy summer: silky, swaying trees; burbling, splashing waterfall, darting, kissing koi. She gasped over ravens, hummingbirds. Bonded to our pets. She was growing into a free-range wild child, at one with the natural world, a part of it. For we all are Nature. We are of the Earth. Being with Nature in a meaningful way stirs our primal true nature — proven to make us healthier, happier and smarter. The Valley’s abundance of wild-hearted parks are Homo sapien soul food. In the list on the following pages, I have shared a few places my daughter and I have discovered together, and a few spots I rediscovered through her eyes. So let’s slow life down and lose ourselves in some of the wilder, richer opportunities right around the corner.
7
MAP ILLUSTRATION
K ATH RY N C A M P
1. JOHN DENVER SANCTUARY Four acres of opulent wetland gardens and mesmerizing boulder stepping-stone water crossings along the Roaring Fork. Expect to see butterflies, songbirds, and an enchanting array of insects and plants. The best part? Awardwinning bathrooms (no kidding!) Park at the Rio Grande Parking Garage and stroll over.
3. WILTON JAFFEE SR. PARK Forty-four acres of magical riparian forest along a mile of the Roaring Fork River near Woody Creek. Deep aqua pools invite trout spotting first (wear your polarized shades!) and then cannonballs for families & Fido. Turn north from Hwy 82 onto Smithway Hill Road. Cross bridge and take an immediate right before McLain Flats Road.
2. ACES HALLAM LAKE NATURE PRESERVE A half-mile loop invites engagement and discovery for all ages as it wanders in and out of the wetlands and forest. Bear and deer and beaver, oh my! At the end of Puppy Smith Street behind the Aspen Post Office.
4. BASALT RIVER PARK Vast inviting lawn, ancient cottonwoods, trails for exploration; relax and socialize right in the heart of downtown. For a treat, walk around the corner for an ice cream cone from Heirlooms. Park on Two Rivers Road.
(Photo: Aspen Chamber Resort Association.)
8
5. CROWN MOUNTAIN PARK In addition to ball fields, playground and a BMX track, a wild wonderland can be found along the Roaring Fork River. Free-range kiddos and the family dog can wander ancient thickets and hobbit trails, build stone cairns and driftwood forts. Bodypaint with mud. Spot river bugs. From Hwy 82, take Valley Road at El Jebel. Pass the Eagle County Community Center. Park is on your left. 6. ROCK BOTTOM RANCH Small-scale agriculture meets wetlands, live springs, streams, and the Roaring Fork. Look for herons, wild turkeys, owls, and foxes. Stock up on soul food, too: sustainable eggs, pork, lamb, chicken, vegetables, and cut flowers. From Hwy 82, Willits Lane to Hooks Lane to the end of Hooks Spur.
7. CARBONDALE NATURE PARK Thirty-three acres of wetlands, thickets, streams, mud (yay!) log crossings and expansive meadows. Wander “secret” childsize paths through thickets of elms and willows. Famous for migratory birds and predators on wings. Bring binoculars, snacks, towels, and a picnic. Must love dogs, as it’s the unofficial dog park. From Main St., turn north on 4th St., and hang right when it jogs left; parking below. 8. NUCHE PARK Pronounced ‘noosh’ and short for “Nuche-Mu-GuAvatum-Ada’he,” Ute for ‘the people’s place of the
heart.’ Mosey across the pasture, over a ditch, and down to the river: an explorer’s delight! Find a comfy grassy picnic beach; bring camp chairs. Terrific raptor watching. Adjacent to Crystal River Hatchery, where .25¢ buys a pocketful of fish pellets and priceless fun feeding Rainbow and Brown Trout. Opposite Prince Creek Rd. on Hwy 133. 9. THE REDSTONE BEACH Dreamiest destination of all three river valleys. Jawdropping views. Small sand beach; shade. Colorful river rocks that inspire evolving compositions. Back-float the riffles and runs. Explore massive boulders and deep pools. A revered, peaceful, joyful experience. Back road to Redstone.
10. VELTUS PARK Perfect for younger kids: consistently clean bathrooms, picnic tables, a back eddy to wade, playground equipment, leafy shade and lawn. Lots of parking yet bikeable. Sweet! Off of Midland Avenue, across the river from the Glenwood Springs Elementary School. 11. TWO RIVERS PARK Glenwood Springs’ premier park will reopen in May after a $2,300,000 upgrade. Renewed nature river trail, bank restoration, protected beach, and bathrooms, all of our favorite park features — including the best wading in the Valley. From the GWS roundabout, take West 6th to a left turn onto Devereux Rd, over the bridge and left into the park.
RYA N BECKM A N Sales Manager | NMLS #368681
( 9 70 ) 3 1 9 - 9 1 6 3 ryan.beckman@academymortgage.com www.academymortgage.com/ryanbeckman
KI RK SC H NEI DER
An all-in-one financing solution for lot purchase, construction, and permanent mortgage funding. • One loan and one closing • Single closing saves time and money, Preventing additional closing cost expenses • Fixed-rate term length available • 680 minimum qualifying credit score • Lower interest rate risk
S e n i o r L o a n O ffi c e r | N M L S # 2 8 1 5 5 2
( 9 70 ) 6 1 8 . 8 2 8 4 kirk.schneider@academymortgage.com www.academymortgage.com/kirkschneider
• No credit, document, or appraisal expiration once the loan closes • No re-qualification once Construction is complete • One-unit, site built, manufactured, and modular homes permitted • Minimum down-payment of 5%
CONTACT US TODAY! 108 West 3rd Street, Rifle, CO 81650 723 E Valley Rd. Suite 202, Basalt, CO 81621 Corp NMLS #3113 | Equal Housing Lender | MAC321-1469052
9
The Dillard Real Estate Team Diligent. Honest. Professional.
Why would you choose the Dillard Real Estate Team? BUYING YOUR HOME
SELLING YOUR HOME
4 Shauna and Ben have done
THE TEAM APPROACH
4 You
over 700 buyers transactions, there is nothing they haven’t seen. 4 More off-market opportunities than the competition. 4 Complimentary moving van 4 We know what the renovations you want to do will cost...we can even do them for you. 4 Call Shauna at 970.930.0284 4 Call Ben at 970.773.1313
choose the commission from our three competitive marketing packages. 4 In house stager & furniture 4 In house handy man 4 Largest Zillow and Facebook presence, which is where all the buyers are today. 4 Better Video, see for yourself at bit.ly/DillardVid 4 Call Scott at 970.355.4080
4 Six
specialized professionals for the price of one. 4 Unique team systems which provide a better experience for our customers. 4 Availability: someone will always answer the phone. 4 Do you want your waitress cooking your meal? Then why would you have your negotiator doing your marketing?
We Give Back to Our Heros Homes for Heroes® is Dedicated to Serving and Giving Back to Firefighters, Law Enforcement, Military (Active, Reserves and Veterans), Healthcare Workers, EMS and Teachers, When You Buy or Sell with the Dillard Team. It’s our way to say Thank You. Thank You For Your Service!
Hero Rewards® Savings Examples: (This is the money you’ll get back at closing) Home Purchase Price Hero Rewards® Check
$350,000 $3,150
$500,000 $4,200
$600,000 $4,900
$750,000 $5,950
ELEVATING CUSTOMER SUCCESS Aspen/Snowmass
Basalt/Willits
Carbondale
Glenwood Springs
New Castle
Silt
Rifle
Parachute
970.945.7653 | 1001 Grand Avenue, Suite 201 | Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 | www.integratedmountainproperties.com 10
H O M EL I FE
DIY
Let’s go
FLY A KITE USE AN EMPTY PET FOOD BAG TO MAKE THIS EASY DIY KITE K AT H RY N C A M P
IT’S KITE SEASON IN THE MOUNTAINS. Like they say about the weather here – if you don’t like it, stick around. It’ll change. You’ll enjoy a foot of wet, mashed potato snow one day, and then flip-flops-with-afleece the next. The one thing you can count on this time of year is wind – especially on sunny afternoons. Convection currents rise up from the warming earth and meet with cooler temperatures at higher elevations, creating strong gusts racing down the mountainside. This makes perfect kite conditions, and a good “socially distant” way to get out of the house. Here is a “Sled Kite” design made with a 50# dog food bag. This material will not rip. Like all heavy-guage plastic that is not recycled, it will not decompose in a landfill during the next, say 500 years, so you may as well give it a second life. A FEW SUGGESTIONS 1. OPEN SPACE IS KEY. Practice fields like the one shown here behind Bridges High School offer big, wide open areas free of trees and power lines. You’ll notice that this shot was taken before the construction of RE-1 School Districts’s Third Street Teacher Housing. There’s still plenty of room here and at fields all around the Valley. 2. LAUNCH CODE: Parents might control the spool of kite line at first, to avoid rope burn on small, unaccustomed hands. Start with your child holding the kite frame with their back to the wind. Hold the spool and have your helper back away from you into the wind, letting out about 10’ of line. When you feel a gust, your child can lift the kite up overhead to catch the wind. You might run with the wind as it takes hold of the kite. When the kite lifts up, use one hand to control the tension on the line as your kite climbs. Slowly release more line until your kite gains altitude, finding steady winds at a higher elevation. 3. SHARE THE FUN. Once your kite is sailing, hand over the spool and let your child feel the strength of the wind and the bliss of a kite in flight. You may need to steer again when it’s time to reel in your kite. And you may soon decide it’s time to rescue another empty pet food bag from the landfill and make your own kite.
11
16.5” 10”
3.25”
6”
3.25”
14”
Holes for Bridle Line and Kite Tail
Masking tape centered over willow branch dowels
DIY UPCYCLED KITE 1 PURCHASE 3 STEPS 30 MINUTES
1. GATHER SUPPLIES. Invest in a sturdy kite spool with at least 500 yards of thread. With this in hand, you are ready to go with a few household items. Spring is pruning season, so this is a good time to trim two 14” thin branches. Remove leaves and small stems so you have two nice, straight dowels. Then get out your empty dog food bag, scissors, yardstick, a marker, hole puncher, kitchen string, duct tape, and discarded yarn or wrapping ribbon for the tail. 2. MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE. After emptying the dog food, remove residue with warm soapy water and wipe dry. It’s a good practice to wash hands before and after handling pet food as well. Now, cut the bag so you can lay it out flat. Measure the dimensions shown above, marking corners first, then draw cutlines. Cut out your kite in one piece. Lay the willow branches where indicated and secure in place with duct tape. Punch a hole one inch from each corner. Measure one yard (36”) of kitchen string and tightly knot each end through a corner hole. This is called the Bridle Line. Find the center of the Bridle Line, and attach your kite line to this point. 3. GET ZEN. Getting the length of your kite’s tail right has been called a zen art. The tail creates stability by adding weight and drag to the kite’s lower end. The longer the tail, the less it rolls. But if you make it too long, you will add too much weight, causing it to dip. Different wind conditions call for different tails. Experiment. Talk it through with your child. At any age, the aeronautical “ah-hah!” when a kite soars through the sky with its tail dancing behind it is pure magic.
12
GETTING THEM THE FIELD. back to
Sierra McKinney, Glenwood Springs High School, Soccer Player
At Glenwood Orthopedic Center, we begin with individualized attention and a personalized treatment regimen designed for your young athlete. And, they’ll be supported by cutting edge technology and the very best care, all under one roof.
CALL TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT 970.384.7140
FERDINAND J. LIOTTA, MD | CHRISTOPHER A. GEORGE, MD | MICHAEL B. GRILLOT, MD
VVORTHOCARE.ORG
H EL PI N G
H A N DS
The very best
LUCK
LUCKY DAY ANIMAL RESCUE A foster-based rescue group helps connect pets with their forever families. KELLEY BRENNINGER Lucky Day President and Co-founder
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “FOSTER A DOG”? Well, let me tell you a little story. Have you ever met a dog and you don’t want to say it out loud but in your head, you are thinking, wow, what an unfortunate looking dog? Well, I probably would have thought that about my Nala when I first met her except I didn’t have time to even go there. She arrived at my house in June, very stressed out with her four newborn puppies. They had traveled together all the way from Houston, Texas and they did not smell good.
WANT TO LEND A HELPING HAND ? LUCKY DAY ANIMAL RESCUE was started by a group of people who love animals and have a deep passion to help them. You might try fostering, helping with transport, supporting with a donation or joining the group’s education program. www.luckydayrescue.org
Nala had been beaten with a baseball bat. So she has no top teeth, which makes her top lip to get caught in her bottom teeth creating quite a sight. She had every parasite in the book, including heartworms, fleas, and ticks. Her thin coat was bleached a dry brown from being tied up in the hot Texas sun. She was my first foster litter and admittedly I was a little overwhelmed. My daughter Emily, who was 9 at the time, helped me get each pup bathed one at a time before putting them in a whelping box (which is designed so mom can get in and out freely but pups cannot). Next was Nala’s turn. She was a little more challenging as she was a 90-pound girl who wanted to get to her puppies. She was patient with us as we gave her a bath and picked ticks out of her ears. She then joined her puppies and the magic began… Mama Nala started to relax and trust us. She now had 3 healthy meals a day and her coat started filling in. Surprise! Her coat turned out to be thick, shiny and jet black - absolutely gorgeous. But it was her eyes that made us melt. She looks right into you, hiding nothing, sharing her soul with yours. Everyone who meets her feels that unexplainable heart connection. It took a little patience, some time and lots of love, but we helped Nala raise her pups and found wonderful homes for all of them. Nala needed some continued care but eventually, we got her spayed, healthy and ready for her new family too. Only by now, I was madly in love and didn’t want her to go. When her potential adopters came to meet her, they, of course, fell in love and wanted to adopt her. It was then that I was absolutely sure I could not let her go. She was already home and I was so elated that I had rescued this precious soul. The thing is, now I know it was definitely the other way around. Talk about a best friend. I lost my husband Hansi in a tragic ski accident a few years ago and I am 100% sure I would not be as far along in my healing if it wasn’t for my Nala. She teaches me to be present, to never stop loving no matter what, to keep exercising and enjoying the outdoors. She makes me laugh out loud and she reminds me every day that I am not alone. She also happens to be the best foster mom to all the puppies I bring home. I couldn’t be more grateful for her. I also think she is the most beautiful dog in all the world.
14
Educating human beings for life Nala teaches me to be present, to never stop loving Lucky Day has rescued countless dogs and cats, as well as pigs, turtles, a bunny and some no matter what, birds. We are happy to help any animal that is in need if we have a foster home available. to keep exercising Our foster program is a great way to give back. It provides an opportunity to have a pet and enjoying short term if that is what best fits your current the outdoors. lifestyle. Think hiking buddy in the summer! It is a wonderful teaching tool for children She makes me and it literally saves the lives of animals. It is also a great way to see if a pet is right for you laugh out loud as we generally allow our foster parents the and she reminds first opportunity to adopt their foster pets. Lucky Day is not breed-specific. We rescue me every day any age, any size, any mix or purebred. Our one that I am not caveat is that we do not take dogs with any known aggression since they are going straight into alone. private homes. If this opportunity feels right for your household, fill out a foster application on our website. Then one of our Adoption Coordinators will contact you to go over our program and answer any questions. We do our best to match animals with the right foster family, so everyone is happy. All foster-care expenses are paid by Lucky Day, including veterinary care and pet supplies. All of our animals must be spay/neutered prior to adoption. We make sure they are current on all vaccinations, have been de-wormed and microchipped. Some dogs need dental care before adoption, so all of these procedures can determine the length of time in foster care.
2020 Enrollment Now Open!
If fostering isn’t for you, Lucky Day could always use help transporting animals to their foster homes, doing home visits for potential adopters, or helping with our education program. Donations are always greatly appreciated. We are an all-volunteer group so all funds go directly to helping the animals. Not all foster experiences are as challenging as Nala’s but the rewards are always immense. I have now fostered too many dogs and puppies to count, each one touching our lives in a special way. People always ask me how I can ‘let them go’ but the truth is, I never ‘let them go’. They are always in my heart and I am just so grateful I get to be the bridge to their new forever family, to a new life full of love and adventure. And then I get to search for the next one in need who will also steal my heart… best job ever.
16543 Highway 82 • Carbondale, CO 81623 970.963.1960 • www.waldorfschoolrf.org
15
MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES FOR KIDS & TEENS
ASPEN SNOWMASS
UNLIMITED CAMP SEASON PASS
Unlimited daily camp activities with no blackout dates Purchase by April 30, 2020: $2,265 Purchase after April 30, 2020: $2,780 Limited quantity. Also valid for Mountain Ventures.
CAMP VALIDATION PASS
Saves campers 50% off the daily rate. Purchase by May 31, 2020: $268 + $76/day Purchase after May 31, 2020: $345 + $76/day Also valid for Mountain Ventures.
MONDAY - FRIDAY
|
JUNE 8 - AUGUST 28, 2020
AGES 3 - TEEN 844-289-3470 | ASPENSNOWMASS.COM/CAMP
GO O D
S PO R T S
It’s just
FUN
ROARING FORK LACROSSE CLUB offers an everyone-included approach to embracing this Springtime sport. JOSEPH L ANG RFLC founder
AS THE SNOW MELTS ON THE VALLEY FLOOR, there is an activity that combines the flow and grace of hockey and soccer, the tactical positioning of basketball and the discipline of football. While still known to some parents as “that game where they run around with nets on sticks,” the sport of lacrosse has become a mainstay on the Spring sports calendar here in our Valley. For the uninitiated, LAX = La (the)+ X (cross/stick); LAXers, = enthusiasts, players, parents, fans or coaches.
Lacrosse is a team sport, originated by indigenous people in the Americas centuries ago called “baggataway” or “stickball,” where teams played from sunrise to sunset, across fields stretching between villages (miles!) over several days using large wooden spoons with balls made of wood and later with deerskin stuffed with hair. No player is allowed to touch the ball with their hands and must “scoop” the ball off the ground and pass and catch the ball with their stick. Goals were once designated by large rocks, trees or posts. The history of the game is steeped in ceremony. For Native Americans the game was a gift from our Creator, to be played for His enjoyment and as a medicinal game for healing people. Tribal traditions ranged from featuring the sport in festivals to providing camaraderie amongst tribes, to preparing young men for combat. The modern game started in the late 1800s, shortening the field, creating wooden sticks steamed to bend in a curved “L” shape with netting made from wattup or deer sinew, and goals. The boys’ game features ten players to a side with the girls’ game having twelve per side. The most important element of the sport is the stick. Try Googling “slang for lacrosse sticks” for the many names associated by LAXers. Lacrosse families often put a small stick in the crib of a newborn to pass along the game to the next generation. The art and simplicity of flinging a rubber ball further, faster and with more accuracy than could ever be achieved with your arm is something anyone can do – regardless of size and strength. For this reason, it’s a great equalizer for boys and girls. Unlike many team sports, you don’t have to be the tallest, strongest, or fastest to excel. If you have a “good stick” (the
17
skill of controlling the ball – cradling, throwing and catching with fluidity, control, and accuracy) then you are a welcome addition to any lacrosse contest. In other sports, the biggest and fastest usually have an advantage, but in lacrosse, the team with the best sticks will always prevail. This is one reason LAX is a great parent-child activity at any age. It takes practice, but playing catch with that darn stick becomes something kids love doing, and it doesn’t have to be an organized activity. Throwing with a friend or parent is great, but finding a brick wall (referred to as “wall-ball”) is optimal to “find your stick.” “It’s just fun” is a common answer when asked, “Why do you like lacrosse so much?” Lacrosse is a sport where life-long friends and memories are forged. At every level of play, whether its youth, high school, college or professional, LAXers like to teach the sport to play it forward, and the sooner you learn the basics, the more years you have to enjoy the game. Lacrosse folks have an interestingly strong bond. If you’re driving across the country and a fellow laxer sees a lacrosse sticker on your car, you can bet it will lead to a quick exchange with smiles of reflecting on the sport, no matter where you’ve played. Here in our Valley, we are fortunate to have two youth programs. Aspen Lacrosse Club has been exemplary in teaching the game and providing a forum to fall in love with the sport for over 20 years. The Roaring Fork Lacrosse Club (RFLC), affectionately known as “Swarm” is entering its ninth season. “Youth lacrosse teaches great life lessons of teamwork, practice, and coordination, as well as the opportunity to
promote lasting friendships,” comments RFLC boys coach Ean Steele, who along with wife Jennifer started coaching eight years (3 children) ago. Their youngest is shown here (right), already getting “good stick” at 18 months. Jennifer continues, “We both played growing up back on the East coast and wanted to help build a program, not only for when our kids got older but one which builds self-esteem in our youth throughout the Valley.” RFLC started with 16 boys between grades 5-8 in 2010 with (Saint) Tripp Sutro and Cailen Hollenback wearing multiple hats, with the simple philosophy of “everyone plays and let’s have fun.” It has grown to over 300 boys and girls from Basalt, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, New Castle, and Rifle in 2020, with programs for grades K-8 and over 24 coaches with the same lacrosse philosophy. “RFLC brings together youth from multiple communities throughout the Valley,” said long-time RFLC coach and board member Peter Dolan, “giving them an opportunity to bond as teammates through the sport, not as competitors from different schools.” Another function of RFLC is to serve as a feeder program to RE-1 high school programs at GSHS and RFHS. Boys from schools throughout the district (Basalt, Carbondale, Bridges, GSHS, Yampah, and CRMS) play at GSHS, while girls from RE-1 play at RFHS. The RFHS team made State playoffs in their first year of varsity eligibility in 2019. Since many of these student-athletes have played together throughout their elementary school years with RFLC, it ensures what should be a healthy evolution of our high school programs.
rockandrollroaringfork.com
SUMMER CAMPS JULY 13 - 17: BEGINNER ROCK & ROLL CAMP Grades 4-6 on RosyBelle Art Bus in Carbondale July 20 - 24: INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED ROCK & ROLL CAMP Grades 7-12 at Love Rocks Studio in Willits Bend
A play-based program in a positive and dynamic social atmosphere. Kids form bands, learn songs they love & present a rock concert. No musical experience necessary. Instruments provided.
18
One new program being launched this Spring by RFLC is a partnership with the college recruiting platform NCSA (Next College Student Athlete). This program provides incoming high school students, starting as early as grade 8, the opportunity to create a profile and highlight reel, college search and match analysis, and a way to communicate with school coaches throughout the nation. This program is complimentary for students to explore opportunities to continue playing lacrosse through their college careers. “RFLC provides a unique opportunity to shepherd studentathletes from elementary school through high school and now beyond,” says Terry Claassen, coach, board member and 2019 Colorado Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame Inductee, whose face lights up on the subject of the sport. “Continuing to identify programs to encourage continued participation in the sport is a high priority of our RFLC mission.” As parents, we all want our children to stay active in a healthy, fun environment, and we have the blessing of exceptional youth organizations throughout the Valley. Anything we can do to limit the screen time and get our children outside running around is a victory we can all work together to achieve. Sometimes, it just takes finding that bliss sport, and after one Springtime of Lacrosse, you might become a LAXer too. Time to go work on those sticks! LEARN MORE OR SIGN UP: Roaring Fork Lacrosse Club roaringforklacrosse.org or Aspen Lacrosse Club aspenlacrosse.org
Camp Chief Ouray Where Nature Meets Nurture
CampChiefOuray.org
970-887-2648 19
CROWN MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK OPENING JUNE 2020 / EL JEBEL
BMX + STRIDER RACES / THURSDAY NIGHTS / MAY - SEPT SUMMER BIKING PROGRAMS / JUNE - AUG
MOUNTAINPARENT A P R I L + M AY F E AT U R E S
MO UNTA IN PA RENT T RA IL MA P
CAR-CAMPING GUIDE TO LAKE POWELL You don’t need a houseboat to enjoy a springtime getaway to our closest beaches. BRIAN EDMISTON I MADE MY FIRST TRIP TO LAKE POWELL when I was in high school, and I was quickly hooked by its beauty – its starkness, colors and clear blue water. Even when I was in college at CSU, we’d make the long trip from Fort Collins to fish and boat and do all the (really dumb) things that college kids do. It’s such a special place. When my daughter turned two I was ready to head back out and approach camping at Lake Powell from the family perspective. We’ve never rented a houseboat – car camping is great for a low-budget getaway, and a chance to experience the quieter side of Lake Powell. It takes a bit of adventuring to find “your” perfect spot. That’s part of the fun. Here are a few of my favorite beaches. These have graduated shorelines and shallow waters, perfect for wading with small children.
21
to 95/HANKSVILLE 276
4
HITE RANGER WHITE CANYON STATION
MOUNTAINPARENT
5 6
TRAIL MAP
FARLEY CANYON
95
LAKE POWELL UTAH 7
BLUE NOTCH
to BLANDING
276
VICINITY MAP
I-70
I-70
ARCHES
Green River 24
24
BULLFROG 2 MARINA
STANTON CREEK
Moab
Hanksville 95
CAPITOL REEF
276 95 276
HALL’S CROSSING
95
Blanding Cortez
UTAH 276
22
COLORADO
CANYONLANDS 191
3
1
Grand Junction
ARIZONA
to 95/BLANDING
drop everything and read
LAKE POWELL TRAIL MAP BRIAN EDMISTON
MAP ILLUSTRATION
RICHARD CAMP
1. HALL’S CROSSING A 25-minute ferry ride connecting southern and northern sides of Utah Hwy 276 at Hall’s Crossing Marina and Bullfrog Marina. The ferry accommodates cars, trucks, RVs and trailers and operates Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8:00 AM until 3:00 PM. At the marina, you’ll find a convenience store with a laundry and showers, boat slips and RV camping nearby. NOTE: as of MP’s presstime, the Hall’s Crossing Ferry will be closed until May 16, 2020. 2. BULLFROG MARINA A houseboat, power boat and water toy rental destination with a restaurant, gift shop and grocery store. The two campground areas are a mile from the water, but offer expansive views, tent camping and RV hook ups, charcoal grills and restrooms with showers. 3. STANTON CREEK CAMPGROUND A large and sprawling campground area managed by the National Park Service; cell phone service, easy access, vault toilets, but no running water. You’ll find “primitive camping” with no designated spots or fire pits, but many flat, sandy campsites ideal for setting up tents and tables. Cars can navigate most dirt roads in this area, though some roads require 4WD. Boat trailers can be left in a parking lot at the campsite entrance. Though it is near Lake Powell’s main channel (ie: heavy motor traffic during busy seasons), the area has small coves and inlets perfect for SUPs and kayaks. 4. HITE The BLM Ranger Station here is your outpost for nearby backcountry camping, with emergency services, public restrooms and visitor info about the region’s 4WD trails, backpacking, canyoneering, and mountain biking. To gain perspective on the impact of drought in the West, check out the concrete boat ramps here that no longer lead to water. Note: this station is NOT manned daily. 5. WHITE CANYON 6. FARLEY CANYON 7. BLUE NOTCH These areas are easy to find near Hite off of Utah Hwy 95 – but getting there requires a high clearance vehicle, though not necessarily 4WD. This is backcountry camping without cell service or amenities, so pack accordingly and consider the ramifications of being miles from emergency help. There are no toilets or running water. So you will need to pack out your waste (BYO camp toilet). And bring more drinking water than you think you will need. Roughing it has its advantages – these NFS managed areas offer dispersed tent sites around the lake and peaceful, quiet beaches. Explore the canyons and inlets by SUP or Kayak. Or fish and take in the views of surrounding rock formations.
just some of the books we read PreK to Eighth Grade at Aspen Country Day School
plan a visit today
www.aspencountryday.org/visit 23
WindWalkers
LAKE POWELL: WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Equine Assisted Learning and Therapy Center
HISTORY
Making s t r ide s toge ther at Wind walkers.
Lake Powell is named for John Wesley Powell, a one-armed American Civil War veteran who led an expedition that explored and mapped the Colorado River in 1869. Lake Powell was created by damming the Colorado River and flooding Glen Canyon. It took 17 years from the completion of the Glen Canyon Dam to fill the 186-mile-long river basin. This man-made reservoir provides essential water storage and power for much of the Southwestern U.S., and it attracts millions of visitors each year.
SOMETHING TO DISCOVER IN EVERY SEASON WINTER (Dec - Feb) While the winter is cold, Lake Powell is like Moab or other desert areas. You can find crisp sunny days even in the 40s - 50s. The fishing is great and there is absolutely no one there. EARLY SPRING (March - April) It’s still too cold to swim, but you can find great hikes, quiet camping and nice boating. Spring fishing is fantastic, perhaps the best. LATE SPRING (May - June) By Memorial Day, it is warm enough to swim. SUMMER (July - August) By July, the temps can feel oppressive, better for families with teens rather than younger children. Adults and teenagers can cool off constantly in the water and manage their comfort better than small children. The water will be above 70 degrees and peak in August with water temps in low 80s. AUTUMN (September – November) Warm days, cool nights and fewer boats.
WIND & WEATHER Watch out for springtime winds and be prepared to batten down your tent. If you will use an Easy-Up or other similar sun shelter, anchor each corner with 15- 20 lb. weights strapped to the frame. Closely watch the weather forecasts from NOAA before heading out to Powell, and be prepared to change your plans if extreme weather is in the forecast.
FISHING Striped bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappies, bluegill, sunfish, catfish, carp, walleye... it’s a great place to teach kids to fish.
GEAR PFDs: Life jackets are a must for children any time you are camping near water. Don’t let the tranquility fool you – if you are camping in a remote area, you need to take extra precautions, knowing that you may be hours away from emergency support. CLOSED-TOE WATER SHOES: Be aware of tiny Quagga mussels in the water and on beaches that can slice your feet – as well as cactus or bits of broken glass.
Join our family. Become a volunteer. Sponsor a rider. Sponsor a horse. We are open 6 days a week, year-round, offering equine assisted activities and therapies for children, adults, seniors and veterans.
970-963-2909 www.windwalkerstrc.org 24
SUN PROTECTION: There are no trees, zero – so you have to create (i.e. bring) shade in the form of tarps or shade structures. Sunglasses are essential, along with wide-brimmed hats and SPF clothing. MULTIPLE GOOD QUALITY COOLERS: Bring enough ice to keep perishables cold for your length of stay. A cooler dedicated to ice, only opened when replenishing food coolers, will extend your ability to keep food cold. A dedicated beverage cooler isn’t a bad idea for grown-up and kid-friendly refreshment, as well. WATER TOYS: Bring anything that helps get you out in the water - canoes, inflatable kayaks (a.k.a. duckies), SUPs, water guns, tubes. Anything!
FIELD SUPPORT Hall’s Crossing National Park Service (NPS): (435) 684-7460 Bullfrog Marina NPS Office: (435) 684-7400 Hite NPS Ranger Station: (435) 684-2457
MOUNTAIN PARENT FEATURE
REFLECTIONS on the most CERTAIN FLIGHT
OUR PARENTING YEARS FLY FROM NESTING TO EMPTY NESTING. HERE IS SOME HELP EMBRACING THIS FACT OF NATURE. TIM CONNOLLY
Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork
LIVE LIKE LOVEBIRDS My wife Patti and I planned to travel after finishing school, volunteer abroad, see parts of the world that we could only dream about. We had a map on the wall of our bedroom and many a night we gazed upon it before falling off to sleep. What would it be like to see the Alps? Would we ever see the rain forests of South America? Would we ever see the Serengeti plains of Africa? As John Lennon wrote in “Beautiful Boy” about his own journey toward parenting, “life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” Our daughter Emi was born in March of 1981, two days before my twenty-second birthday, just as we were both earning our undergraduate degrees. I loved being a dad. Each unfolding of a finger, each coo, each babble left me awestruck, smitten. FEATHER YOUR NEST WITH WHAT MATTERS Parenting offered us opportunities to grow and mature. We fell into a natural rhythm that came from our own childhoods, with parents who cooked the same meals every week and lived simple, hard-working lives. Their example gave us the freedom to trust our gut instincts. I worked in risk management for a Fortune 500 company in San Francisco, but in those days before personal computers, work stayed at work. I was able to go home and just BE with our daughter at night while Patti continued her studies and worked toward her Master’s degree in Special Education.
25
2020 SUMMER 9:30AM – 3:30PM | M-F ROCK ON! June 15 – 19 TO THE BEACH June 22 – 26 RIVERS OF CREATIVITY June 29 – July 2 RED, WHITE & BLUE June 29 – July 2 POWERFUL POLLINATORS June 29 – July 2 FANTASTIC FASHION July 6 – 10 THE STORY OF THE FOREST July 6 – 10 MAGIC, TROLLS, & FAIRY TALES July 13 – 17 FOOD AND FARMERS: A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY July 13 – 17 PIÑATA PARTY July 20 – 24 ART IN THE GARDEN July 27 – 31 ANIMAL ART August 3 – 7 ANIMATION, LEGOS, DESIGN August 3 – 7 BEADING & BRACELETS August 10 – 12
970.927.4123 www.theartbase.org
26
For Tim and Patti Connolly, their nest has only grown larger, while their migratory patterns now include trips to and from Africa, where they visit their daughter and her family in Malawi.
Finances were tight and yet this did not prevent us from welcoming our son Zach three years later. For us, having two children only doubled the fun. We moved to the rural community of Placerville, CA between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. We spent our free time in the woods, taking our children hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail, playing in the John Muir Wilderness Area. How we did play! Our collective imaginations flourished.
If your own baby birds are graduating from kindergarten or high school this spring, you may find yourself wistful for days with tiny hatchlings under your wings. When we celebrate graduations and other such milestones, we gracefully let go of one stage of life while embracing the next. We can focus on a joyous sense of growth, just right in Springtime, when all of nature is bursting forth with new life. Imagine what lies ahead for your brood.
Our decade of being “thirtysomethings” was magical. Patti and I began our teaching careers and side by side at the same school our children attended. We enjoyed being connected to our school community, growing in our understanding of childhood development. Our days ended with sharing stories of the day, whether about something that happened at school or biography lessons we had heard or tales from a distant land. For example, I had never read mythology before and was mesmerized by the Greek myths of Jason and the Argonauts and Iduna and the theft of her golden apples. We all grew from these stories and our relationships deepened as our children became young adults.
PHOTO:
WHILE CHILDREN LEARN TO FLY – YOU CAN FLY NEARBY, BUT DON’T HOVER High school beckoned for both of our children and their interests in life began to vary. Adjusting to new friendships, high school and driving brought us all closer as our interactions shifted as they need to at this time of life. From an early age, we held family meetings weekly to check in on school schedules and events in their lives. The investment that we made when they were young, to communicate with them, had established open lines of communication and trust.
IF YOU KEEP EXPLORING, YOU’LL COME HOME TO A NOT-SO-EMPTY NEST Both of our young adults were out of the house before we turned forty-five. They had given us much to live for and now it was time for us to see what we could imagine without them. Late night conversations ensued about all of our old unrequited dreams. What about that first dream to volunteer abroad? Which other communities might we discover? While we explored these ideas, an opportunity arose to leave California and move to the Roaring Fork Valley. It was a smaller step than we imagined, yet we accepted it and like we accepted parenting, stepping out into the unknown void. There were fears involved, new friendships, new colleagues and for the first time in our lives, four seasons. We chose to embrace it all. During these years, we traveled internationally for the first time and planned two weeks in Europe. This passion to see the world was deeper and stronger than we ever imagined. We walked in the footsteps of Michelangelo. Tears came to my eyes as I stood on the exact spot where Charlemagne was crowned king. Stonehenge was no longer just a photograph. We now understood why Ireland was described as the “emerald isle.” Community songs in the pubs of Scotland and England were no longer the stuff of myths. Emi and Zach began to formulate their wishes for their futures. While they envisioned, Patti and I stoked the flames of our hopes from those earlier days. We challenged each other to avoid settling into our lifestyle. We both loved our work as teachers, yet knew that our teaching could be enriched by exposing ourselves to alternative ideas and cultures. THEY MUST LEAVE THE NEST TO FIND THEMSELVES Emi was the first out of the “nest” and she traveled 3,000 miles to attend university on the East Coast. It was a shock at first. We missed her greatly. She began to travel internationally, and we watched her with awe as she did so. She eventually graduated from medical school and completed her pediatric residency including rotations in Kenya and Tanzania, earning a master’s from Berkeley in Public Health along the way. Now she is a medical director for an NGO in Malawi, in East Africa. When Emi left for college, Zach enjoyed his first time having us all to himself. These years helped us form new pathways in our relationship with our second child, and yet as his high school activities grew for him, our time with Zach lessened. We began to really envision our future while he shaped his adult life – working in the world of finance after undergrad, then volunteering with the Peace Corps for two-and-a-half years in Cameroon, in Central Africa. He later brought all of these experiences together with a Master’s in Urban Housing from the New School in New York City.
DISCOVER YOUR OWN MIGRATORY PATTERNS With our hearts renewed for travel and volunteering, we stepped into the unknown abyss. Our first stop was teaching in Bulgaria where our passions crossed with reality, and a “system” failure arose. We grew like children from that experience and licked our wounds. Our next plunge forth was to teach in Northern Nigeria for a year. The experiences of that time were ones that we could not have made up. After a few years back in the states, we found ourselves teaching in Zanzibar, an island off the coast of Tanzania. Now, we have returned to our community in the Roaring Fork Valley, where we continue to work in Waldorf education. We utilize our passports whenever we can to enrich our minds and discover other cultures of the world.
“THEY HAD GIVEN US MUCH TO LIVE FOR AND NOW IT WAS TIME FOR US TO SEE WHAT WE COULD IMAGINE WITHOUT THEM.” T I M C O N N O L LY
BUILD NEW NESTS When Emi became a mother six years ago, our grandchildren raised our love for children to a new level. Our twin grandsons are growing up in Malawi, so we grandparent from afar. We visit them at least once a year, so we’ve made friendships in their community and we can deeply relate to their world. They also visit us here. We’re dedicated to our Sunday morning What’s App dates, where we not only hear their voices, we also get to look into their eyes. No matter how old one is, there are new pathways to travel, new ideas to understand and more people in the world to love. Yes, we look back with fondness on our years when our children were growing up – but we don’t look back with regret. We lived each moment and each stage to its fullest, and as our children grew strong wings, so did we. Now, we all have wings, and this only means that our world is that much bigger.
27
MOUNTAIN PARENT
I I MOTHER’S DAY PROCLAMATION FOR HERE & NOW
28
I
I
LIVING
IN THE SPIRIT OF
JULIA WARD HOWE
JACKIE DEAM
INTRODUCING
O
BEATRIZ SOTO O JASMIN RAMIREZ
IN 1870, ABOLITIONIST, SONGWRITER, SUFFRAGIST, AUTHOR & MOTHER JULIA WARD HOWE CALLED FOR A DAY OF WORLD PEACE. THE LEADERS OF HER TIME RESPONDED WITH A HOLIDAY. WE HAVE BEEN CELEBRATING MOTHER’S DAY EVER SINCE. IN THIS SPIRIT, WE HONOR THREE WOMEN OF OUR COMMUNITY WHOSE STORIES EXEMPLIFY HER WORDS.
SSouth Texas in October feels freezing to this mother from Guatemala, a perennially warm place. She climbs off of a bus at the Dilley Family Residential Center (DFRC) and the Autumn chill reaches down to her bones because her clothing is damp – the t-shirt and skirt she was wearing when she crossed the Rio Grande River at Laredo remain wet after three days in an ICE holding facility at the border. It’s the only clothing she brought. She traveled on foot for six weeks carrying her two-year-old son. Then she presented herself to U.S. Customs and Borders Protection, temporarily relinquished custody of her child, and spent three days in a facility off-handedly called an “ICE Box” by the agents who run it. Imagine a large, metal-clad warehouse with rows of chain-link cages on concrete floors. The cold, stale spaces, along with wet clothing and crowding might be why she has a sore throat, and why her son has a runny nose and a fever when she is reunited with him in Dilley, Texas. Mothers and children live at the Dilley FRC until their status is determined, meaning that they will either be granted legal entrance into the United States, or they will be returned to their home country. Upon arriving, they first meet with a lawyer. A guard ushers them into a small room with a table, two folding chairs, and Jackie Deam, a family mediation attorney from Basalt. Jackie smiles, says something in English, warmly gesturing to sit down. The Dilley facility does not provide translators. So Deam recruited several from the Roaring Fork Valley to volunteer remotely. She dials and a voice answers and explains in Spanish who Jackie is and how she will help. The woman and her child have been given fresh, dry jeans and sweatshirts, but they are still shivering. Her baby won’t stop crying. Jackie’s first impulse – to take off her cardigan and wrap it around the little boy, to offer the mother a scarf, anything warm – must remain an impulse, held back. The rules at the center are clear. Guards stationed outside the meeting room peer through a small glass window in the door, watching to make sure nothing is exchanged – no clothing, no paper, no tissue.
Jackie Deam, along with Shannon Wildrick, an attorney from Aspen, volunteered last fall with the Dilley Project, an organization that provides pro bono legal representation for asylum seekers who apply for legal status at the U.S. Mexico border. Lawyers donate their time, pay all travel expenses and work in one-week stints filing asylum claims. They prepare their clients for Credible Fear Interviews (CFIs), documenting each woman’s history. The two attorneys spent 14-16 hours a day with mothers like this one. Their clients lived through things Deam never fathomed during her upbringing in Florida, her years in college and teaching elementary school before becoming an attorney, and then a mother. “Imagine what horror it would take for you to gather your children, leave your home on foot and walk for days and weeks to a hostile country in hope of safety. What would it take for you to leave everything behind, and even risk having your children taken away from you?” Jackie asks. She documented stories of unborn children killed during spousal beatings, gang violence, molestation and – for those who report abuse to local authorities or who try to escape and are forced to return – public atrocities inflicted to make an example. Meanwhile, there is a small child coughing, crying, expected to sit still for hours in a windowless room. Crayons? Coloring paper? The guards dole these out two at a time in such a manner that even Deam feels intimidated. She understands that if she feels intimidated, a white, well-educated, English speaking U.S. born attorney, then this mother certainly feels frightened. She cannot reach across the table. Touching her clients is forbidden. So Jackie starts with what they have in common – motherhood. She talks about weaning her 18-month-old son before leaving for Dilley, missing her two boys, loving them so much she’d do anything for them. Perhaps now the mother feels safe to open her blouse and nurse her child. Trust builds. She starts her story at the beginning. Jackie takes notes from translation, her pen shaking. She’s hungry because she hasn’t eaten in hours, but neither has this mother nor her child, so they stay in the tiny room until the whole story is told.
photography by S A R A H K U H N at T H E H O T E L C O L O R A D O
K AT H RY N C A M P
“IN THE NAME OF WOMANHOOD JULIA WARD HOWE
FROM HER PROCLAMATION OF PEACE
V
S
29
Just prior to Deam’s arrival in South Texas, the Justice Department announced a new criterion for asylum seekers, the “Third Country Bar,” which automatically denies entry to refugees from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras unless they first seek asylum in the country immediately adjacent to their own. This new hurdle requires a higher burden of proof and lowered the success rate of Deam and Wildrick’s work. More women were immediately deported and instead of winning asylum for their clients, the best outcome they could achieve was a “Withholding of Removal.” Deam understands the legal hurdles, the timing, the slim likelihood that the woman across the table from her will start a new life in the States. Yet all she can do is what she can do. She creates the necessary documentation. She looks the woman in the eyes and wishes her well. Between consultations, she takes a short break to make a cup of coffee, eat a protein bar, and breathe for a moment before making herself strong to greet another mother, another child. This is what Jackie Deam carries with her now, the futility of feeling she couldn’t do enough woven into a deeply felt trauma that brings a shake to her otherwise confident voice. And yet she plans to return next fall. “Did we make a difference?” she wrote in a Facebook post after returning home. “I’m not sure. We showed compassion in any way we could… The real heroes are these mamas who have fled to protect their babies and the permanent staff attorneys and paralegals at the Dilley Project. In every mom and every baby I see now, I see them.”
B
eatriz Soto – a green architect, environmental nonprofit program director, energy consultant, community organizer, political activist and mother – arrived in the United States at age two. Her experience was illustratively different than the children living right now at the DFRC and in other such facilities along the border. Soto’s parents moved from Mexico to Florida through an Amnesty program in the early 1980s. They lived in an affluent, mostly Anglo neighborhood. She remembers watching Punky Brewster and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and understanding at an early age, perhaps too young to put it into words, that she belonged to more than one culture. For example, Soto’s parents spoke Spanish at home and so did she, yet the first language she learned how to read and write was English. She rode a bus from her part of town to a public school with mostly African American students, where she found that the kids played a lot like she and her sisters and cousins played – enjoying skipping and clapping games, as opposed to having lots of toys. She developed ease in moving between cultures. Then, when her family returned to Mexico when she was in fifth grade, she briefly lost her sense of confidence. She didn’t know how to read or write in Spanish. She soon realized that if she did not learn how to navigate in that world, then she would be left out on the playground, maybe bullied, unable to speak up in the classroom and make her opinions heard. “If I didn’t adapt, my experiences would not be valued,” she says. Beatriz navigated these richly different worlds the way many children do – without naming the feeling she had, of belonging and yet not belonging. She learned how to move with grace and joy while straddling different cultures, allowing herself to be herself, and along the way, mastering a social art we now call “code-switching.” A few years later, her mother brought Beatriz and her sisters back to the States, to Basalt, where Soto graduated from BHS before choosing to earn an equivalent of a Master’s in Arquitecta from the Instituto Tecnologico de Chihuahua in Mexico. She says that she was fortunate to grow up in a time “with fewer barriers separating communities, when it was easier to go back and forth between countries. I see myself as part of both worlds, with strong family ties to the shared geography of these places – one territory with many different people.”
30
V
“
IN THE NAME OF WOMANHOOD AND OF HUMANITY, I EARNESTLY ASK THAT A GENERAL CONGRESS OF WOMEN, WITHOUT LIMIT OF NATIONALITY, MAY BE APPOINTED ... TO PROMOTE THE ALLIANCE OF THE DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES, THE AMICABLE SETTLEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL QUESTIONS, THE GREAT & GENERAL INTERESTS OF PEACE. . . . JULIA WARD HOWE
Got kids? WE ARE FREE! The day your child is done with 3rd grade, regardless of where they live, they are welcome to AYC & they can continue coming through 12th grade! Join us for
FREE a!er-school
& all day summer programs! Since 1991, Aspen Youth Center has provided a safe and supportive place where all youth in grades 4-12 connect, learn, and grow, for free. Programs include: Top Chef Art Spot STEAM & Tech Meditation, Yoga, and dance Make a Difference Mondays Community Crusaders Free play and sports Outdoor Explore: Ra!ing Horseback Riding Rock Climbing Hikes & Trail Work Hut Trips and more! Aspen Youth Center is open Monday through Friday, 9am - 6pm during summer 10am - 6pm duirng the school year. Fill out your FREE membership form online! www.aspenyouthcenter.org 970.544.4130
V
31
V
“
MY GRANDMOTHER DREAMED OF FREEDOM, SAFETY & OPPORTUNITY FOR HER KIDS. HOW LUCKY AM I TO BE THE AMERICAN DREAM FOR MY GRANDMOTHER? I GET TO CARRY HER DREAMS & HER STRENGTHS IN MY VEINS. ... JASMIN RAMIREZ
“
OUR SONS SHALL NOT BE TAKEN FROM US TO UNLEARN ALL THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TEACH THEM OF CHARITY, MERCY & PATIENCE. WE WOMEN OF ONE COUNTRY WILL BE TOO TENDER OF THOSE OF ANOTHER COUNTRY TO ALLOW OUR SONS TO BE TRAINED TO INJURE THEIRS. . . . JULIA WARD HOWE
GOT SLEEP?
Has your little one not yet mastered the art of sleeping through the night?
Sarah Bay Owner, 8 Straight Sleep Consulting 8straightsleep.com 32
Don't worry, help is just around the corner!
This ability to find grace in both worlds aids Soto in her architectural practice. Step into a client meeting with a couple whose dream home she is designing. Soto is an expert on energy efficiency, consulting with the Community Office of Resource Efficiency (CORE), so her creative eye is honed on ways to minimize a home’s footprint. She helps her clients imagine what their strawbale, net-zero home might look like. In sixteen years practicing architecture in the Valley, she’s designed homes with mechanical rooms bigger than her family’s apartment. And she has also designed modest homes for families like her own, homes built with all of the money these families have saved for years, paid for in cash because they don’t have access to loans, then built with their own hands. It is this ability to stand with feet grounded in both communities that makes Beatriz so effective in her position with Wilderness Workshop, where she runs the Defiende Nuestra Tierra program, an initiative that seeks to bring Latino voices into public lands issues in the White River National Forest and surrounding BLM lands. Her vision is to empower Latinos on environmental justice issues, meeting climate challenges through an equity lens. With this need for inclusion in mind, Soto helped launch Vision Latina and the Roaring Fork Latino Network to empower the local Latino community to make their voices heard on a number of environmental and social justice issues. One dream? To see a summer program in the Valley where Latino and Anglo kids can play together and form friendships while learning to read and write in Spanish. No testing, no homework, just fun.
The challenges of living in both cultures came up for her in a poignant way on January 22, 2020 when she was naturalized as a United States citizen. “It was a bittersweet feeling. In my mind, I am American. This is my identity, and always has been, whether I have had a social security number or not. So earning it after so long felt painful, a reminder that while I am American, I am not. How do I celebrate this big achievement when I have people in my life who are waiting in line, and others who may never be allowed even to stand in the line?”
PHOTOS: (L-R) JASMIN RAMIREZ, BEATRIZ SOTO & JACKIE DEAM WITH THEIR CHILDREN.
V
Beatriz Soto’s ability to understand all sides, to code-switch both socially and emotionally, is a gift she is trying to instill in her nineyear-old son. “We live in a place where there is a huge richness of culture. I am raising my son to know that we belong to many places. We come from diverse people, not just one.”
Every disability. Every age. Every season. Challenge Aspen Recreational, Educational, and Cultural (REC) programming creates possibilities for individuals of any age, living with any disability, by offering year-round adaptive experiences.
Join us today. #challengeaspen365 970.923.0578 PO Box 6639 Snowmass Village, CO 81615
challengeaspen.org 33
V
“
DID WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE? I’M NOT SURE. WE SHOWED COMPASSION IN ANY WAY WE COULD. IN EVERY MOM & EVERY BABY I SEE NOW, I SEE THEM. ... JACKIE DEAM
“
WE STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS & MUST CONTINUE TO OPEN A PATH FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. . . . B E AT R I Z S O T O
34
V
M
MMama Bear shows up sometimes in unexpected places. For Jasmin Ramirez, this universally shared maternal impulse rose up in the Sopris Elementary School cafeteria where she was delivering lunch for the faculty as part of the PTA’s Teacher Appreciation Day. Her then eight-year-old son, who is on the autism spectrum and who has severe food allergies that exacerbate his autistic behavior, was eating the school lunch. To some, this may not seem noteworthy, but for Ramirez, alarm bells went off. She packs her son’s lunch to avoid gluten, dairy, and other foods found in the cafeteria lunch program. For several weeks, however, Jasmin and her husband had noticed changes in their son’s mood, his ability to focus attention, his bowels, and his energy level – but they trusted the school’s well-managed special education program that clearly understood their son’s dietary restrictions. So the parents did not know what had caused the extreme downturn in their child’s health until Jasmin saw the plate of food. The cafeteria staff had served him, assuming that the child was responsible for knowing what ingredients were in the lunches. For most children, this is an unrealistic expectation. For children on the autism spectrum, especially so.
Aspen’s Premier Summer Riding Camp
“My emotions overcame me and I was unable to speak at that moment,” Ramirez explains. Because of her involvement in the school’s PTA, she was aware of a RE-1 School Board meeting that evening. She brought her concerns to the Board, but left the meeting feeling as if she had not been truly seen or heard. She later scheduled a meeting with SES principal Dave Lindenberg and the school’s lunch program supervisor Michelle Hammond, who both responded compassionately and effectively to strengthen the school’s protocol around how Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are implemented and communicated throughout the school. Although she felt validated by SES administration, Ramirez’s experience at the School Board level left her asking how to bring more inclusivity and responsiveness to the elected body overseeing the District.
10% D I S CO U N T !
“What if I didn’t speak English? What if I wasn’t a citizen? What if I didn’t have the privilege of being able to be involved at my child’s school? What if I didn’t know that I have rights? And my child has rights?” she asked, recognizing challenges some parents in the community face when wishing to advocate for their child.
Book in the month of June and receive the discount if paid for by May 15th.
Ramirez decided to change this. She ran for the RE-1 School Board, noting that the district serves a population of roughly 58% Latino students and there had never been a Hispanic voice at the Board level. “I never dreamed or imagined I would win,” Ramirez says, but she unseated an incumbent Board member last November, winning by a margin of fewer than 100 votes, and becoming the first Latina to win election to a public office in Garfield County. “I want to move the needle for Latino children in our community,” she says. “They need to grow up seeing nonprofit directors, teachers, doctors, nurses, and other leaders who look like them.” Ramirez shares that her grandmother “dreamed of freedom, safety and opportunity for her kids. How lucky am I to be the American dream for my grandmother? I get to carry her dreams & her strengths in my veins.” A through-line connects these women’s stories, a line on a map, and an invisible line that dared them to step beyond their personal comfort zone. It is a connective thread going back to Julia Ward Howe’s call for peace “in the name of womanhood.” It is also a continual line, reaching back through the ages of motherhood and reaching forward to what can be created by our children and their children. It is as Beatriz Soto said when asked for advice for other mothers: “We stand on the shoulders of giants and we must continue to open a path for future generations.” This is what Mother’s Day is all about, dear sisters, honoring our own mothers, of course, and also honoring a mothering impulse calling us to speak up and take action on behalf of the world’s children.
CAMPCOZYPOINT.COM
970.922.0025 Highway 82 • 6 miles from Aspen 220 Juniper Hill Road
Camp Cozy Point is an equestrian day camp for beginners to experienced competitors. Riders learn conf idence, safety and responsibility in a fun environment while participating in ever y aspect of the horse’s life.
June 8 - August 14 Wee Riders ages 4 - 6 Big Kids Camp ages 7 - 18
35
SUCCESS STARTS AT HOME WITH A PARENT, A CHILD, AND A BOOK
Reading to children early and often stimulates brain development and lays the foundation for all future learning. Raising A Reader provides more than 1,200 local families with the books and resources they need to give their children a bright future. We offer the Red Book Bag Program for preschoolers and free weekly storytime and parent education sessions in our community libraries.
HELP US MEET OUR GOAL OF RAISING $40,000 BY JUNE 30, 2020. DONATE AT WWW.RAR4KIDS.ORG. nonprofit spotlight underwritten by RICHARD FULLER Mortgage Loan Originator | NMLS 458827 Office: 970.704.6440 | Cell: 970.618.4294 rfuller@houseloan.com www.RichardFullerCornerstone.com BRISA GARCIA Hablamos Español Loan Officer Assistant | NMLS 1700997 Office: 970.704.6440 | Fax: 866.311.6890 brisagarcia@houseloan.com 502 Main Street, Unit 11 | Carbondale, Colorado 81623
Not 34 1 a commitment to lend. Borrower must meet qualification criteria. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Let us help you achieve your home ownership dreams.
MOUNTAIN PARENT
MP
SUMMER
CAMP P L A N N E R 2020
1
A R T S
ANDERSON RANCH CENTER
ANDERSON RANCH ARTS CENTER Snowmass Village (970) 923-3181 Ages: 4-17 Day Camp andersonranch.org June - August
Art Camps
Workshops range from material-based and traditional artistic disciplines to interdisciplinary technology, animation, robotics and video. A small student-to-staff ratio supports each child to explore, imagine and develop new ways of thinking and developing creative perspectives.
Summer Skill: Hidden Talents
Question, experiment and problem solve; students interact with art and discover hidden talents in a truly engaging, positive environment. Students express themselves creatively while learning, skill building and creating in Anderson Ranch’s professionallyequipped studios.
38
ART BASE B
ASCENDIGO AUT
ISM SERVICES
A S A LT
ART BASE Basalt (970) 927-4123 Ages: 4-14 Day Camp + Extended hours theartbase.org June - August
Art Camps
Each week the camps provide themedbased, creative art-making experiences for all abilities. Extended hours may be available with advanced registration. *Bonus: Internships for 7th grade through college.
Summer Skill: Creative Confidence
Summer art camps promote healthy risktaking and creative confidence through weekly themes — inviting individuality and exploration through project-based art. Art instructors use skill demonstrations, examples, and choice to encourage the creation of unique works that showcase self-direction. Camps incorporate the idea that art is a common language. Kids practice collaboration and learn self-motivation.
ASCENDIGO AUTISM SERVICES Snowmass Village (970) 927-3143 Ages: 7+ Day Camp ascendigo.org June - August
Special-Needs Adventure Camps
Ascendigo offers rewarding summer camps with positive, autism-friendly supports so your child can succeed and have fun.
Summer Skill: Independence for life
Leading-edge teaching methods are centered around athletic growth and fostering independence. Campers get the opportunity to try activities such as rock climbing, wakeboarding and wake-surfing, whitewater rafting and horseback riding. Highly trained staff make individualized lesson plans for young athletes, designed to create a unique experience and help each participant achieve their goals. With proper support techniques, students on every range of the autism spectrum can feel the thrill of independent, soaring success at their own level.
MP
SUMMER
CAMP P L A N N E R 2020 FIND UPDATE S & PHOTOS AT MO U NTA IN PA R E NT.COM
ASPEN ALPINE GUIDES
Aspen
C E N T E R
F O R
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
TH
HOOL E SC OF
ASPENFe Santa B A L L E T
ASPEN ALPINE GUIDES (970) 925-6618 Ages: 8-13 Half-Day Camps aspenalpine.com Every Tuesday June 16 – Aug 25
ASPEN CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (ACES) Aspen and Basalt (970) 925-5756 Grades: K-8 Day Camp aspennature.org June - August
Rock Climbing Camps
Nature + Learning Camps
advanced reservations required and punch passes available.
Summer Skill: Science in Action
Experienced rock guides with medical certifications lead small groups for half-day excursions up Independence Pass. Climbing shoes, helmet, harness and all gear are provided. Serving all skill levels. 24-hour
Summer Skill: Extreme Focus
Rock climbing is a sport that brings you into complete mental and physical focus. While you are climbing, your full attention is devoted to this task. This ability, to block out all other distractions, can carry over into adademic focus, as well as the ability to quiet one’s mind in many other situations.
ACES camps transform the local environment into a community classroom inspiring a greater sense of place, passion for learning, peer-to-peer relationship building and environmental stewardship.
ACES programs include a range of topics that combine environmental science education with outdoor exploration. Participants form lasting friendships as they share an immersive experience in nature. For example, students conduct investigations every day outside, working together as they ask questions. Programs instill curiosity in campers and educate for environmental responsibility.
THE SCHOOL OF ASPEN SANTA FE BALLET (ASFB)
Aspen, Basalt, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs
(970) 925-7175 Ages: 3+ Partial-Day Camp / Classes aspensantafeballet.com June - July
Dance Camps and Classes
New this year: we are excited to announce summer dance camps for students ages 4-6. Immerse your young dancer with weekly camps that include ballet, jazz, lyrical and tap. Each weekly camp is a different theme and will culminate in a showcase for family and friends at the end of each week.
Summer Skill: Dynamic Coordination Understanding visual and verbal cues from instructors and making the corresponding fine and gross-motor movements is an engaging way for students to develop more strength and coordination. We add some music, new friends and then see students excel in developing more balance and selfawareness, useful for other sports and life.
39
ASPEN
youth CENTER
Adventure Camps
AYC offers free drop-in, all-day summer programming from 9:00 AM-6:00 PM, regardless of where they live. Art, cooking, science, outdoor exploration, athletic activities, games, field trips and more. AYC is located inside the Aspen Recreation Center.
Basalt Recreation offers weekly camps throughout the summer for youth ages 6-11 years old. These camp vary from week to week with each weeks theme being slightly different from the last.
Summer Skill: Expanded Comfort Zone Camp Aspen Snowmass and Mountain Ventures offers kids and teens the opportunity to experience the outdoors through the personal pursuit of outdoor recreation. Campers choose their activity daily, experiencing a multitude of sports throughout the summer. Campers can challenge themselves or stay within their comfort zones, all while participating with a support group of peers.
One example: “Creative Cooking.” Many youth have never cooked at home but need to learn this essential life skill. Kids learn how to work together, be independent, have patience, and take risks when they cook with our staff and their peers. AYC develops this essential life skill, and many others, through hands-on daily workshops.
S
C
NEW!
ANCER TINY D ER SUMM CAMPS
Week-long camps for students ages 4-6 in ballet, jazz, lyrical, and tap. Showcase performance for family and friends each week!
aspensantafeballet.com 40
Outdoor Camps
Offered Monday - Friday with single day and multi-day programs, the choices are flexible for parents.
Summer Skill: Real-Life Applications
E
BASALT RECREATION DEPT Basalt (970) 279-8111 Ages: 6-11 Day Camp + Classes basalt.net/recreation June - August
CAMP ASPEN SNOWM ASS Snowmass Village (970) 923-1227 Ages: 1-14 Day Camp + Extended Hours aspensnowmass.com/camp June - August
Drop-In Day Camps
H
D E P T
SKI CO SUM M ER
ASPEN YOUTH CENTER (AYC) Aspen @ The ARC (970) 544-4130 Grades: 4-12 Day Camp + Extended hours aspenyouthcenter.org June - August
T
BASALT recreation
CAMP
ASPEN SNOWM ASS
H
O
Summer Skill: Problem Solving
Each theme camp gets kids to try some things that are new and challenging. For example, in the “Games, Games, Games” program kids run pogo stick relays, blow-dart contests, popsicle stick “bombs” (don’t worry, they’re harmless!) along with traditional sporting games, card games, relay events, and slowerpaced strategy games.
O
L
O
F
CAMP
COZY POINT CA MP COZ Y POINT Aspen (970) 923-3181 Ages: 4+ Day Camp campcozypoint.com June - August
Horseback Riding Camps
This horseback riding camp specializes in English Riding, set at the beautiful Cozy Point Ranch near Aspen and Snowmass Village. Camps are offering from 9:00 AM-3:30 PM.
Summer Skill: Caring & Confidence
Camp Cozy Point focuses on cultivating confident and responsible riders with a foundation in basic horsemanship. Our campers gain a well-rounded education on and off the horse in skill-specific group riding lessons and in the barn — learning basic veterinary care and general care for the horses and equipment.
C A M P
SMASH BOX SNOWMASS
CAMP SM ASHBOX Snowmass Village (480) 395-2980 Ages: K-6th grade Day Camp + Extended Hours campsmashbox.com June - August
Outdoor Camps
Carbondale S CL AY C L A S S E S
C E N T E R
CARBONDALE CL AY CENTER Carbondale (970) 963-2529 Ages: 5+ Partial-Day Camps carbondaleclay.org/kids-camps June - August
Clay Camps
Old-school, outdoor play. Think treasure hunting in the creek, building forts, and capturing the flag. We play games kids love, which are often wild, wacky, and a little bit weird. Kids are outside 99% of the day.
We offer 18 clay camps throughout the summer. Each week there is a morning session 9:30 AM–12:00 PM and afternoon sessions from 1:00 - 3:30 PM for 5 days. Wheel throwing: ages 9+. Handbuilding: ages 5+
Summer Skill: Sportsmanship
Summer Skill: Artistic Confidence
Campers enjoy time and space to be creative, work with peers, and enhance social-emotional skills. The campers engage in team challenges together, and also build physical skills as children are running, climbing, building and playing outside all day. S.T.E.A.M. skills are also a natural by-product of a daily itinerary of purposeful play.
Working with clay teaches kids how to turn their creative ideas into a three dimensional, tangible work of art. This process teaches the importance of patience and learning about multi-step projects. Wheel throwing classes add another element of hand-eye-coordination. Repetition, practice, patience, and muscle memory are developed. Students will gain confidence in bringing their ideas into reality.
ASPEN VALLEY HOSPITAL IS. . . ASPEN BIRTH CENTER: WHERE FAMILIES ARE BORN Aspen Valley Hospital is one of 16 hospitals in Colorado designated as “Baby Friendly.” Our team of doctors, midwives, registered nurses and lactation consultants is here for you every step of the way, ensuring you receive extraordinary, personalized care for this experience of a lifetime.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT • Childbirth preparation classes for new and returning mothers, partners and siblings • Pain management techniques to support your birth plan • Post-discharge availability to address your unexpected questions and concerns • Lactation follow-up consultation • Weekly “Bosom Buddies” support group aspenhospital.org |
Schedule a pre-admission navigation, tour or class today. 970.544.1130 0401 Castle Creek Road, Aspen AspenValleyHospital
41
G R O G R A M M I N
CARBONDALE PARKS & REC Carbondale (970) 510-1290 Ages: 7+ Partial-Day Camps carbondalerec.com June - August
Sports & Art Camps
The Carbondale Rec Department will offer a Pickleball Camp in June where players will learn rules and scoring while practicing basic stroke fundamentals, serving, ground strokes, and volley. In July, sign up for an art camp in partnership with the Rosybelle Bus.
Summer Skill: Visual-Motor Integration Both pickleball, ball sports and even art build hand-eye coordination and can help your child in so many different areas of life. Hand-eye coordination sports lead to visualmotor integration, which is a vital base for handwriting and other non-sport activities.
C
PP A R K S & R E C
CHALLENGE A S P E N
Summer camps for the music, art and dance enthusiast and the outdoor adventurer in your family. Our week-long camps provide a knowledgeable staff and a safe and inspiring outdoor environment.
Summer Skill: New Capabilities
For example, in the “iCanBike” camp, participants use specially designed bicycle equipment that progressively changes until they are riding independently. With an 80%+ success rate, these cutting-edge methods help riders who have mental or physical challenges feel the unique freedom of riding a bike. Challenge Aspen also offers other specialized programs to build new capabilities at any level.
facebook.com/childrensrockymountainschool
June - August
Preschool Camps
An 8-week summer session, with options from 2-5 days per week. June 8 - August 7. 8:00 AM-5:00 PM. Offering Tiny Tykes soccer, swim lessons, garden field trips, and activities right out the CRMS PreK front door in downtown Carbondale.
Summer Skill: Positive Attitude
CRMS Preschool offers a variety of activities throughout the summer that encourage group play. The focus is on a daily rituals of caring for classmates and developing leadership skills. The program prioritizes getting outdoors and nurturing the particular developmental needs of preschoolers.
summer camps • middle school outdoor adventures • eagles, hawks & owls • farm tours • sunset beaver walks
42
PRESCHOOL
OO
CRMS PRESCHOOL SUMMER PROGRA M Carbondale (970) 963-2524 Ages: 3+ Day Camp + Extended Hours
explore with ACES! aspennature.org
EN ’S RO CK Y MTN S CH
C.R.M.S.
CHALLENGE ASPEN Roaring Fork Valley (970) 923-0578 Day Camp + Custom Camps challengeaspen.org June - August
Special-Needs Adventure Camps
LDR
L
Carbondale
HI
Aspen
Sailing Camps
Summer Skill: Productive Play
Summer Skill: Wind Wisdom
This program is designed for kids between the ages of 10-16 who want to learn more about sailing. Children should sign up for this class only if they have an earnest desire to learn to sail. Previous sailing is helpful but not necessary. Transportation to Ruedi Reservoir is provided.
Sailing challenges youth both mentally and physically. Tying knots, reading wind direction, understanding safety protocol and parts of the boat are all part of the work. Kids learn to work as a team to tack, carry equipment and captain, all with the oversight of experienced and enthusiastic sailors.
Mermaid Camps
This camp is perfect for children who love a fun but calm environment, and who are comfortable in the water. Camps small, creative retreats for kids with mermaid art projects in the morning followed by pool play and synchronized swimming lessons.
Summer Skill: Confidence In & Out of Water Every afternoon at Mermaid Camp we go to the RVR pool and learn basic synchronized swimming moves. Children learn new skills that are fun and that develop strength, coordination and confidence in the water.
FUNctional Clay Play 9:30 - Noon, Ages 9+
Native Clay 1:00 - 3:30, Ages 5+
WEEK 2
You Spin Me Right Round 9:30 - Noon, Ages 9+
Plants & Critters 1:00 - 3:30, Ages 5+
WEEK 3
Jungle Fever 9:30 - Noon, Ages 5+
Mesured Clay Measured Clay 3:30, Ages Ages 9+ 9+ 1:00 -– 3:30,
WEEK 4
Under the Sea 9:30 - Noon, Ages 5+
Tune in to Clay 1:00 - 3:30, Ages 9+
WEEK 5
Center Yourself 9:30 - Noon, Ages 9+
Our Natural World 1:00 - 3:30, Ages 5+
WEEK 6
Around the Wheel in 5 Days 9:30 - Noon, Ages 9+
Black & White Pottery 1:00 - 3:30, Ages 5+
WEEK 7
The Underwater Explorer 9:30 - Noon, Ages 9+
Eating off the Wheel 1:00 - 3:30, Ages 5+
3 DAY
How to Make Your Dragon 9:30 - Noon, Ages 9+
The Circus is in Town 1:00 - 3:30, Ages 5+
Wacky Wild Animals 9:30 - Noon, Ages 9+
Spin-Trim-Fire 1:00 - 3:30, Ages 5+
JUN 15-19
JUN 22 - 26 JUL 6 - 10
JUL 13 - 17
JUL 20 - 24 JUL 27 - 31 AUG 3 - 5
CARBONDALE CLAY CENTER
A ID C
WEEK 1 JUN 8-12
www.carbondaleclay.org || 970.963.2529
MA
CREATIVE FLOW STUDIO Carbondale (970) 963-5546 Ages: 6-11 Day Camp thecreativeflowstudio.com June - July
CIT Y OF ASPEN WEEKLY SAILING CA MP Basalt - Ruedi Reservoir (970) 920-5140 Ages: 10-16 Day Camp aspenrecreation.com June - August
Variety Camps
R
E
AY C A M P
CIT Y OF ASPEN DAY CA MP Aspen (970) 923-1227 Ages: 5+ Day Camp + Extended Hours aspenrecreation.com June - August
Our camp provides an opportunity for children to be challenged in a healthy way each day. For example, a child who is developing hand-eye coordination and upper-body strength can be encouraged in a fun way with climbing to stretch for the next hold and even fall - in a supported way.
M
RECREATION D
DAY C A M P
Come play with the Aspen Recreation Department during summer break. All camps are state-licensed programs designed for youth 5-10 years old. Kids who are 5 years old must be in Kindergarten. Days will be packed full of fun activities such as swimming, skating, climbing, hiking and rafting.
CREATIVE FLOW STUDIO P
RECREATION
M
Aspen
WEEK 9
AUG 10 - 14
43
Crown MTN BMX
CROWN MOUNTAIN PARK Basalt (970) 963-6030 Ages: 7+ Day Camp crownmtn.org June - August
Biking Camps
AVSC mountain bike programming will be based out of Crown Mountain Park in El Jebel. Crown Mountain Park has spent years developing cycling related infrastructure: dirt jumps, pumptrack, airbag, BMX track, crosscountry skills trails. Look for even more new amenities coming to before this summer.
Summer Skill: High-Speed Balance
Trail stewardship, trail building, bike maintenance and trail etiquette are all integral to the program. Self-awareness and self-responsibility for all ages are promoted through learning to maintain our bikes and to love riding even after a crash. Coaches offer riding techniques just for kids.
44
Eureka SCIENCE C A M P
EUREKA! McCONNELL SCIENCE MUSEUM Grand Junction + Highcountry (970) 248-2129 Ages: 9-16 Field Expeditions / Overnight Camp eurekasciencemuseum.org June - August
Expeditionary Camps
Put on your adventure hat and spend 3 or 5 days living and working as an ecologist on important research projects across Colorado. Live like a scientist, explore beautiful places, and be part of a team dedicated to discovery.
Summer Skill: Discovery in Nature
Campers spend a week diving deep into the science behind the landscapes we love, getting hands-on with real-world research projects while living in the cooperative learning environment of a science research team. Climb up to the alpine to count pika, run rivers and hunt down tamarisk beetles, capture moths for DNA analysis, or lay out at night to learn constellations.
Handmakery CH
ILDR
E N ’S A R T S T U D
IO
C A R B O N D A L E
HANDMAKERY: A Children’s Art Studio Carbondale (970) 309-7686 Ages: 3.5+ Day Camp handmakery.com June - July
Art Camps
SUMMER {hands on + mixed-media} ART CAMPS include TINY HOMES ON TREND, STITCH + SEW + SOCIAL, TINY TRAVELS and TREE HOUSE DESIGN 101. Plus custom and creative celebrations in a beautiful art studio on Main Street Carbondale.
Summer Skill: Real-World Math Meets Out-of-this-World Art
Hands-on exploration includes painting, drawing, collage, assemblage, massive amounts of mixed-media, printmaking, 3D sculpture, up-cycled art, sewing, paper mache, construction, pottery & more one-of-a-kind crafting. The goal is to inspire children, develop creative confidence, and create community connection.
IT
RVR
KIN C
O
P
LIBRARY SU
MM
ER R E
N ADI
RIVER VALLEY
RANCH
G
G O L F
PITKIN COUNT Y LIBRARY Aspen (970) 429-1900 Ages: All ages Classes pitkincountylibrary.com June - August
Summer Skill: Reading as a Life-Long Love
S
ROCK AND ROLL ACADEMY Carbondale - Basalt (970) 379-9685 Ages: 10-18 Day Camp rockandrollroaringfork.com July
Music Camps
Summer Skill: Fun Playing by the Rules
Summer Skill: Group Wisdom
The First Tee has as its mission: To impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character-development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf. The goal is to provide young people from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to experience a game that teaches values for life and which can be played for a lifetime.
The Makerspace LAB can get kids (of a certain age) interested in new subjects. The ongoing weekly, drop-in classes are free and geared towards meeting kids where they are developmentally. Each program has different restrictions about parental supervision, but the library is here to support both parents and kids in summer learning.
MER SESSION
Golf Camp
This program will focus on the 9 core values of the First Tee: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgement. Two 5-weeks sessions.
The Library offers ways for students to engage in a beyond-traditional academic approach to reading over the summer. Kids are encouraged to pursue their own interests and supported in the creative activities to engage young readers.
A C A D E M Y
SUM
C L I N I C S
RIVER VALLEY RANCH FIRST TEE PROGRA M Carbondale (970) 963-3625 Ages: 6-17 Multi-Week Classes rvrgolf.com June - July
Summer Reading Classes +
ROCK & ROLL
Students experience playing in a real rock band with friends, learning songs they love on instruments of their choice. No experience necessary. All instruction and instruments are provided.
Students will be learning their “part” on their instrument of choice and then playing that part with other members of the band, providing a chance to develop independence while also coordinating with the group as a whole. At the end of the camp, the songs the students have chosen will be performed in front of an audience providing kids the chance to stretch outside their comfort zone.
Prepare for the
outdoors. The Roaring Fork Valley Co-op isn’t just a great gas station with a little bit of everything, it’s also a great place to get prepared for your outdoor adventures!
From fishing and camping supplies, to drinks and snacks for the trail, to clothing for the whole family, the Co-op has what you need to get out there & enjoy all the great outdoors that Colorado has to offer. 0760 HWY 133 Carbondale, CO
We can refill your propane tanks or supply feed for your horses, and even carry repair kits for tents and other camping gear. If your travels take you away from the state, we have Coloradobranded outdoor merchandise so you can show everyone where you come from. When your family heads outdoors this summer, look to the Roaring Fork Valley Co-op for all your outdoor needs!
970-963-2220
www.roaringforkcoop.com
45
S Kids Club R O C K Y
MTN
ROCK Y MOUNTAIN KID C .L .U.B.S. Carbondale (970) 404-1587 Ages: 5-12 Day Camp rockymtnkidclubs.org June - August
Variety Camps
Indoor and outdoor activities fostering team building, connectedness and movement. We run 2-week programs. Facilitating hands-on activities, engaging discussions and tons of fun with new friends.
Summer Skill: Self-Esteem
We are dedicated to supporting kids to be the best they can be. All programs help youth develop the necessary skills to cope with stress, navigate friendships, improve self-esteem and solve problems. Summer programs include daily check-ins; opportunities to explore the outdoors; cook delicious treats; make amazing crafts - all while making life-long memories.
D A Y
C A M P S
SNOWMASS REC N REATIO
SNOWM ASS RECREATION Snowmass Village (970) 922-2240 Ages: 5-12 Day Camp + Extended Hours snowmassrecreation.com June - August
Day Camps
Activities include crafts, swimming, climbing, bounce house, indoor & outdoor games. The beautiful Snowmass Village Recreation Center provides the perfect venue.
Summer Skill: Collaboration
The Rec Center “campus” provides endless opportunities for cultivating new skills, building confidence and working on teamwork. Problem solve a route to the top of the climbing wall. Get creative with daily arts and crafts projects. Collaborate with peers during team games. Our counselors are thrilled to help kids progress over the summer in whatever their challenges might be.
Theatre ASPEN
SUM M ER DAY C A M P S & CONSERVATORY
THEATRE ASPEN Aspen (970) 300-4299 Ages: Grades K-12 Day Camp theatreaspen.org June - August
Theatre Camps
Sessions range from week-long camps to longer audition-based rehearsal periods and performance opportunities. A range of productions offered - from Disney’s Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, show choir, to Shakespeare in the park. Learn techniques of on-camera, singing, dancing, set design, puppetry, while training with Broadway pro’s.
Summer Skill: Confidence on Stage
Summer education programs build collaborative skills and build confidence. The conservatory level programs builds the stage skills of serious young adult actors. All students face their fears on stage, helping with the classroom, social life and beyond.
Where Children Love to Learn.
Why Ambleside at Skylark? Our purpose is to cultivate a child’s innate curiosity. We encourage this love of learning, guide it by the formation of excellent habits, and build a powerful relationship network around them consisting of you, their parents, their teachers, their peers and most of all, their Heavenly Father.
Come see how we do it. Contact Sage O’Neil, Admissions Coordinator to schedule your visit today 970.930.1804 or soneil@theskylarkschool.org
46
WSRF
SU
MM
P
WALDORF SCHOOL ROARING FORK ER DAY C
AM
WALDORF SCHOOL ON THE ROARING FORK Carbondale (970) 963-1960 Day Camp waldorfschoolrf.com Dates TBD
Nature Camps
The Waldorf School is nestled on 13-acres with access to the Roaring Fork River - a perfect place for summer adventures. Everything is hands-on, outdoor-oriented and designed to engage campers, head to toe.
Summer Skill: Connection
Like the WSRF curriculum, the summer camp empowers students with the courage to think freely, the will to succeed and the capacity to learn. Parents can look forward to a summer program that will challenge students to explore, ask questions and connect with the world around them.
S HORSE Wind Walkers
YMCA
C A M P
S L E E PAWAY CAMP
WINDWALKERS Carbondale (970) 963-2909 Ages: 5+ Partial-Day Camp WindWalkerstrc.org June - July
YMCA CAMP CHIEF OURAY Grandby (970) 887-26481 Ages: 7-17 Overnight Camp campchiefouray.org June - August
Horse Camps for All Abilities
Four full days of horse back riding, crafts, horsemanship and even bareback games.
Summer Skill: Equine Exploration
Become an explorer from the back of a horse and express yourself through arts. Our “All Inclusive/ All Abilities” camps run throughout the summer. Plus, camps for kids ages 4 - 6 July 13 - 17, dubbed “Pony Pals.” Kids will learn how to ride, groom, tack, how to care for their companion — the horse, social skills and team building. Fun ranch activities and scavenger hunts to meet the other farm animals.
Overnight Camps
Camp Chief Ouray is located on the 5,150 acre Snow Mountain Ranch (elevation 8,750 feet above sea level) approximately 80 miles or 1 .5 hours northwest of Denver, Colorado.
Summer Skill: Life-Long Values
YMCA develops five core values with children: Caring, Honesty, Respect, Responsibility and Faith for daily living. Kids explore and grow through a strong tradition of quality programming and fun — and make life-long friends in the process. The program instills confidence through independence and interpersonal skills and challenge campers to discover their true selves.
47
S S U M M E R
Aspen Words READERS R E T R E A T
MP
SUMMER
CAMP FO R PA R E NT S 2020
ASPEN WORDS READERS RETREAT (970) 925 3122 aspenwords.org The Gant, Aspen June 21-24
Literary Adventure
Think of this as a book club getaway staycation where you can meet others who share your love of well-crafted prose and page-turning narratives. This retreat includes an opening evening reception followed by three mornings of moderated discussion led by New York Times best-selling author, Kevin Fedarko, whose first book The Emerald Mile won the National Book Award. Each day after a catered lunch, attend afternoon and evening readings and discussions by renowned authors and poets.
Summer Skill: Book Smarts
Expand your reading list, refill your well of literary inspiration, and make some new bookish friends.
48
DOWNRIVER
Divas
WO
M E N ’S R E T R E A T S
DOWNRIVER DIVAS WHITEWATER RETREATS Carbondale / Western Rivers downriverdivas.com June - August
River Adventures for Women
Multi-day whitewater river trips integrate opportunities for personal transformation and growth facilitated by the Downriver Divas team including: nationally recognized executive coaches, breath work specialists, yoga teachers, a retreat photographer and all-female professional raft guides.
Summer Skill: Seriously Wild
When women disconnect from everything they shoulder, they reawaken to adventurous, joyful and vibrant possibilities. A deep immersion in nature, a digital cleanse, comfortable camping with gourmet food and wine and guided discussions promote empowerment. Shake it all off with a riverstyle disco party and loads of laughter.
S PA
GATEWAY CANYONS RESORT
WIN
E TOUR
ROLL MASSIF
RUN
WILD RETREATS
GATEWAY CANYONS RESORT & SPA Gateway. Colorado (970) 931-2458 gatewaycanyons.com All Year
Luxury Getaway
Whether it’s a weekend for two or a ladies escape, here’s a nearby resort in red rock country where you can combine outdoor adventure with ooo-la-la pampering. Scale peaks, go horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking. Even visit nearby dinosaur digs. Then treat yourself to award-winning dinning, massage and spa services.
Summer Skill: Letting it Go
It’s time to relax, unwind and get back to your inner self without distractions. This resort would make for a great date-weekend venue (not too far, but just far enough) or ladies retreat.
ROLL M ASSIF TOUR DE VINEYARDS Palisades rollmassif.com/tourdevineyards September 19, 2020
Scenic Wine Country Bike Tour
RUN WILD RETREATS Carbondale + International / Domestic Itineraries runwildretreats.com April - October
Running and Travel Retreats
Choose between a 23-mile route that follows the Palisade Fruit & Wine Byway and the more challenging 58-mile route that adds on a loop up and over the Reeder Mesa Climb. Both routes showcase the splendor of the Grand Valley in Autumn, and roll through wineries, vineyards, orchards and mesas. After a good ride, enjoy a hearty meal right at the finish line in downtown Palisade and then head over to the Colorado Mountain Winefest.
Retreat to some of the world’s best trail running destinations (Moab, Greece and Switzerland to name just a few). With the help of professional running guides, these small-group running experiences support female runners in a renewal of energy and motivation. Focus on reconnecting with the joy of running, rather than on going longer or further, through the “mindful running” methodology.
Summer Skill: Quaffing Cred
Summer Skill: Mindful Fitness
Here’s to ending the summer season with a toast-worthy epic ride.
Natural Running Form clinics are just part of the retreats, designed to make running easier on your body and mind. Let it go while you practice smart running techniques on breathtakingly scenic trails.
www.sarahkuhnphotography.com
2020
49
4
1
2
5
3
1. CRMS PRESCHOOL offers a fun line-up of activities for ages 3-5 throughout the summer. Located in downtown Carbondale. 2. YMCA CAMP CHIEF OURAY is a traditional sleepaway camp with three-day, weekly or multi-week options for ages 7-18. The high ropes course, shown here, is part of the camp's Leadership Training and Challenger programs. 3. CAMP COZY POINT For horse-lovers of all experience levels, from first-time riders to horse show competitors. 4. CARBONDALE CLAY CENTER A different theme each week with classes in wheel-throwing and hand-building. 5. ASCENDIGO Life-changing adventures for those on the autism spectrum, including rock climbing, white-water rafting, and horseback riding. 6. THEATRE ASPEN Expanded programming for kids as young as kindergarten, up through a teen Summer Conservatory which will present two shows this summer, A Midsummer Night's Dream
Children 4 to 12
Young Artists 13- 17
SUMMER 2020 Printmaking Photography Woodworking
Digital Fabrication Sculpture Techshops
Ceramics And so much more!
andersonranch.org | 970/924-5089
50
8
10
6
7
9
11
and Beauty and the Beast. 7. SNOWMASS RECREATION DEPARTMENT Always something exciting to do for ages 5-12 during parents' work hours every weekday from early June through late August. 8. CREATIVE FLOW STUDIO MERMAID CAMP Located in Carbondale's River Valley Ranch, this program combines hands-on studio art projects with daily fun at the RVR pool, where participants learn the art of synchronized-swimming. 9. WALDORF
SCHOOL ON THE ROARING FORK a beautiful 33-acre campus with wetlands along the Roaring Fork River, with storytelling, crafts and timeless fun. 10 . CARBONDALE PARKS & REC Weekly, daily and ongoing programming for all ages, with every sport out there, including pickleball at the Town's new courts. 11. ANDERSON RANCH The world-renowned arts campus offers children's programming too, with themed weeks taught by celebrated local artists.
MONTHLY THEMES: MAY Family Block Party JUNE Creative District Focus & Art aRound Town JULY Community Celebration
WWW.CARBONDALE.COM
Join us every month in the heart of Carbondale’s Creative District, and enjoy a wide range of family-friendly entertainment, live music, gallery openings, shopping, award-winning restaurants & spirits.
AUGUST Rally-Palooza Car Show
PC: Renee Ramge Photography
51
2
1
3
4
1. ASPEN YOUTH CENTER is home base for the Valley's tweens and teens, and also offers special off-site adventures such as rock climbing. Parent hint – sign up early for field trips, as these fill up fast. 2. ASPEN CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (ACES) Hallam Lake is basecamp for daily naturalist excursions, including hikes in the surrounding wilderness areas. 3. RIVER VALLEY RANCH The First Tee Program welcomes all kids ages 6-17 who want to learn to play golf. This program is designed to introduce the skills of the sport while developing character and life-enhancing values. 4. CAMP SMASH BOX Every child is welcome at the Snowmass Chapel's outdoor adventure camp with heavy doses of nature and wet or messy play. 5. THE SCHOOL OF ASPEN SANTA FE BALLET Ballet, tap, jazz and lyrical dance, with studios located in Aspen, Basalt, Carbondale and GWS.
Mermaid Camps Art & Swim Camps in Carbondale
for ages 6-11
Summer 2020 Small, creative camps with Pam Porter in River Valley Ranch! Non-RVR residents are welcome too!
Enrolling now at:
THECREATIVEFLOWSTUDIO.COM 52
8 5
6
7
9
6. WINDWALKERS Horse Camp for all abilities. Weekly programs combine riding with ranch chores, crafts and confidence-building games. New this year –"Pony Pals" half-day camps for ages 3½–5. 7. ROCK AND ROLL ACADEMY Kids form bands, learn songs they love and gig at a real rock concert at the end of each week-long camp. No musical experience necessary. Shown here, "Good Question," a group that's starting to turn heads wherever they perform. 8. EUREKA SCIENCE CENTER Expeditionary camps offer kids ages 9-16 a sleepaway opportunity to join a working ecological team for fun and discovery. 9. ASPEN PARKS AND REC Kids ages 5-10 meet at Aspen Elementary School for full days of educational activities and fun swimming, skating, climbing, hiking, and rafting.
CURRENTLY ENROLLING 2020 - 2021 School Year +
SUMMER CAMP
Ages 3 - 5+ 8:00am - 5:00pm Monday - Friday Contact: Mrs.Charmaine at crmspreschool@gmail.com 126 Main St. Carbondale, CO 81623 970-963-2524
53
W H AT ’ S
H A PPE N I N G
April +May &Today? WITHIN 36 HOURS OF PRESS TIME, we watched as our usual 60+ calendar items dissolved due to Coronavirus. Event after event postponed or canceled. What happens to pages dedicated to making sure parents know what’s happening? When absolutely nothing is happening? No fundraisers, no meetings, no races, no recitals, no galas ... no concerts, bake sales, parent nights, practices, carpools. Ahhhh… Was that an audible sigh coming from households all around the Valley? Parenting in this place is one great big fun adventure, and it keeps us on the go. If you've read MP over the past few years, you've found something to do nearly every day. A bit of downtime might be long overdue. Except there is always a trade-off. Many in our community are taking one for the team right now – trading their financial well-being to protect our children, our elderly and the weakest among us. These are our heroes – our teachers, our ski instructors, guides, retailers, coaches, providers of everything from acting lessons to kid-made pottery; along with the coffee shops, date-night venues, massage therapists, and yoga classes that keep us parents breathing. Gandhi gave a speech in 1931 where he said: “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members” and our local heroes exemplify this for us. Let's keep these folks in mind while we keep everyone healthy and strong. And soon, when it's time to open doors again and roll out the sidewalks, let's all show up. One thing we at Mountain Parent love about our community is how we come together. We're delighted to hear of ways our friends and neighbors are creating connections even while we’re apart, using a whole host of online innovations. It's uncanny. Before C19, MP was hunkered down for a different reason – working hard and with great joy to launch a brand new website, structured to help build bridges within our community. And now we need bridges more than ever. Please let's hang out online. This is some of what you'll find: • Pointers from a local teacher for setting up an at-home classroom. • Intel about program providers offering online classes – (Yoga in the living room? Sign me up!) • Dog food delivered from RJ Paddywacks, yes, please. • Old wives remedies. Bring 'em on. CLICK HERE • Elana Royer's Save Your Life Soup recipe – yum. • Breaking news about where to find a restocked aisle of TP? No promises.
MOUNTAINPARENT.COM
MP
54
Here are some of the features you'll find at our NEW WEBSITE launching in mid-April 2020.
EVENT FINDER TOOL: MAXIMUM SEARCHABILITY
Location + Date + Kid's Age Range Ongoing Programming or Drop-In Classes or Special Events Find a class. Find a camp. Find a community. Program providers and event organizers – this is the fastest way to connect with families. Parents don't have much time, so MP's Directory is both dynamic and easy to navigate.
Trying to make life easier.
DELIVERY SERVICE Free with $75 purchase.
SERVICE FINDER TOOL: TRULY GET TO KNOW ORGANIZATIONS Read expert advice from local businesses. Find out about their events. Snag special discounts offered to MP readers.
Search by service category such as home repairs, nonprofits, camps, kids classes, or professional services. Find the support you need locally to make it all happen in your home or work life.
EVEN MORE ARTICLES ONLINE: LOCALS SPEAK UP Trail Maps: tailored for families. Helping Hands: meet local non-profits. Learning and education topics. All ages and stages.
All your pets’ needs. M-F 9am - 6:30pm • Weekends 10am-5pm 970-963-1700 •Next to City Market in El Jebel
KIDS 5 AND UNDER RIDE FOR FREE! Fun, fast and frequent public transit from Aspen to Rifle.
In addition to articles published in print, find interim intel from our local authors, parents, teachers, coaches and other experts.
JOIN OUR CONVERSATION: WEBSITE + SOCIAL UP-TO-DATE FEEDS Facebook.com/mountainparentmagazine instagram.com/mountainparentmagazine Find integrated feeds from your favorite organizations.
Now, more than ever, our online ecosystem is helping us stay connected.
Drive less, see more.
www.rfta.com 970.925.8484 54 55
Aspen
RECREATION DEPARTMENT 0861 Maroon Creek Rd, Aspen (970) 544-4100 aspenrecreation.com
• FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION AND CURRENT FEES GO TO ASPENRECREATION.COM •
CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY
Have your party in the green room at the Aspen Recreation Center. The party rental includes access to swimming, climbing and skating if available that day. At the Red Brick Recreation Center, in addition to renting the room you can rent a bounce house, pay for access to the trampoline, aerials and more. For an additional fee let us help you with the party planning. Choose from 7 different themes or color schemes plus, we will set it up and take it down. Learn about maximum number of participants, costs, rules and more on the website.
CITY OF ASPEN DAY CAMP
Ages: Kindergarten–10 yrs Dates: June 1-August 25 Times: Drop off: 7:30–9:30 AM Pick up: 3:30–5:30 PM Where: Aspen Elementary School Fee: $44 online (resident) $66 online (non-resident) Days will be packed full of fun & educational activities such as swimming, skating, climbing, hiking and rafting. Children will be placed in groups based on the grade they will be going into for the 2020/2021 school year. This is a state-licensed program.
AFTERSCHOOL CLUB
Ages: Kindergarten–10 yrs Dates: Aspen School District Calendar Times: Daily 3:15–5:30 PM except Wednesdays 1:55–5:30 PM Where: Aspen Elementary School Fee: $15 per day, Wednesday $20 The Afterschool Club is a state licensed program that includes homework help and lots of fun recreational activities like crafts, games and field trips on Wednesday.
WEEKLY SAILING CAMP
Ages: 10-16 Dates: Weekly June-August Times: 10:30 AM-4:00 PM Fee: $250 per week Where: Ruedi Reservoir This program is designed for kids between the ages of 10 - 16 who want to learn more about sailing. Children should sign up for this class only if they have an earnest desire to learn to sail. Previous sailing is helpful but not necessary. Transportation to Ruedi Reservoir is provided.
SWIM LESSONS
ADULT ACTIVITIES
Private lessons are available for kids and adults starting at $35/half hour for up to two people, book online.
Plus, there are over 40 fitness classes a week at the two locations to choose from. Punch passes, monthly and annual recreation passes are available, see the website for details.
Ages: Six months and up Dates: Monthly Times: Based on specific class Where: Aspen Recreation Center Fee: $40 per month online Beginners learn to be safe in the water and develop basic swim skills in a fun environment with their instructor. Various levels of classes to choose from.
CHESS WIZARDS CAMP
Ages: Grades K-8 Dates: July 13–17, August 10–14 Times: 9:00 AM-3:00 PM Where: Aspen Recreation Center Fee: $275 per week Chess Wizards has been teaching the game of chess since 2002. The interactive curriculum makes learning fun for new and seasoned players alike. The camps are led by seasoned instructors, and provide our students with a memorable camp experience.
The Aspen Recreation Department has a variety of activities for adults too. Choose from: - Pickleball - Softball: COMP, REC and COED - Tennis clinics - Swimming lessons - Kickball - Golf
SUMMER PROGRAMMING
This summer choose from a variety of summer activities and camps to keep you kids active, entertained and engaged! See our website for details. - Youth Baseball K–12 yrs - Tennis Programs - Tennis & Golf Camp - Outdoor Climbing - Mountain Biking - Soccer Camp - Hockey Camp
YOUTH ART CLASSES AT THE RED BRICK CENTER FOR THE ARTS | REDBRICKASPEN.COM PRE-K ART STUDIO
Ages: Pre-Kindergarten Dates: Wednesdays during the school year Times: 10:00 AM-12:00 PM Fee: Free, suggested donation to cover supply costs Pre-K Studio explores many mediums and elements of art through new projects each week. Open to all preschool students with guardian or parent.
56
SUMMER WEEKLY FULL DAY ART CAMPS
Ages: Rising 1st Grade–10 yrs Dates: Weekly July-August Times: 9:30 AM-3:30 PM Fee: $280 per week Week-long day camps where children explore a variety of mediums such as papier-mâché, ceramics, painting and collage. In addition to art making, campers will venture outside for a picnic and play in the park and enjoy weekly field trips to experience art in Aspen.
ART PLAY HALF-DAY SUMMER CAMP
Dates: July 6-10 | July 27-31 Ages: 4-5 Fee: $185 per week This summer we are happy to offer half-day camps for 4 and 5 year olds. Play and creativity are combined to explore different art materials and art making. Projects include actvities such as bubble-blowing, watercoloring and shaving cream painting. Campers will head outside to find inspiration in nature to create bug themed artworks.
• LEARN MORE AT ASPENRECREATION.COM •
Snowmass VILLAGE PARKS, RECREATION & TRAILS
2835 Brush Creek Road, Snowmass Village (970) 922-2240 snowmassrecreation.com
RECREATION CENTER PASSES
Whether you want to work out for the day or have ambitious fitness goals that may take a little longer, there are a variety of memberships for every budget. You don’t have to live in Snowmass Village to enjoy this great facility. Options include youth and adult one-time daily visits, monthly, yearly and a 20-visit punch cards.
SWIM LESSONS
TOSV not only offers a wide range of youth group lessons but adult swim lessons, too. Group lessons will run all summer long starting in May. Private lessons run yearround.
Basalt
RECREATION DEPARTMENT 101 Midland Avenue, Basalt (970) 927-8214 x 400 Basalt.net/recreation
SUMMER CAMPS
Ages: 6+ Dates: June 15-19: “Dangerous Book” June 22-26: “Games, Games...” July 6-10: Youth Sports Camp July 13-17: “Games, Games...” August 3-7: “Dangerous Book” Where: Arbaney Park, Basalt Team games, group initiatives, individual problem solving, exploration, observation, experimentation, and good-ol’ fashioned summer fun. Afternoon activities of all camps include nature exploration in the shade and near cool, safe-flowing water. Register early.
YOUTH BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL
Ages: 7-12 Summer youth baseball and fastpitch softball leagues are forming and the season will kick off in early June. Youth ages 8-12 will play teams valley wide with two practices weekly. Coach pitch baseball and softball for ages 7-8 years starts the first week of June for 6 weeks and ends with an all-valley tournament.
YOUTH MOUNTAIN BIKING CAMPS
SUMMER DAY CAMPS
FENCING CAMPS
CHALLENGER SOCCER CAMPS
Ages: Grades 1-6 Dates: June 8-August 21 In partnership with Roaring Fork Cycling, this camp offers youth mountain bike programming all summer long. The goal of these camps is to empower youth through the sport of cycling while focusing on safety, fun, and skill acquisition.
Dates: Beginners: June 8-12 + Aug 10-14 Intermediates: June 15-19 + Aug 17-21 Beginner camps are offered for those with no fencing experience. All equipment is provided. The focus is on fostering a love for the sport and an introduction to the fundamentals of foil fencing. Intermediate camps are for those with prior fencing experience, developing skills for the next competitive season.
TENNIS CAMPS
Ages: 9 - 12 / Beginners Dates: June 8-12 Times: M-F | 9:00-11:00 AM Ages: 12-15 / Beginners Dates: June 15-19 Times: M-F | 9:00-11:30 AM Level: Intermediates Dates: June 29 - July 3 Times: M-F | 9:00-11:30 AM Level: Advanced Dates: July 20-24 Times: M-F | 4:30-7:00 PM
Ages: 5-12 Time: 8:00 AM-5:00 PM Dates: June 1-August 25 Fee: $45 per day (multiple-day bookings) | $65 for single-day purchase Seriously fun-filled days of recreation and adventure, utilizing these great facilities so close to home. Activities such ss as indoor rock climbing, swimming, field trips, arts and crafts, outdoor activities, the playground and volleyball.
Ages: 3-14 Dates: June 23-26 | July 27-31 Challenger Soccer provides young players with a wide variety of coaching styles, practices, and influences that will help them develop a well-rounded skill set. Most camps will included a free soccer ball, t-shirt, poster and certificate, as well as a free early registration replica jersey. For more information and to register, visit challengersports.com.
ARBANEY PARK POOL
Date: Memorial Day-Labor Day Where: 600 Elk Run, Basalt Basalt’s Arbaney Park Pool is a seasonal outdoor pool located at in downtown Basalt. The pool offers weekday swim lessons, daily lap swim times, changing rooms and showers, a diving board, and all your favorite summer treats at the Snack Shack. Please visit the web site for pool hours and pricing.
Tournament Training (14-18 yrs old) Dates: August 10 - 14 Times: M - F | 4:30 - 7:00 PM
JUNIOR GOLF AT THE ROARING FORK CLUB
Ages: 8-13 The Town is pleased to be able to offer junior golf. This will be a fully engaging course teaching the latest techniques. Bring your own golf clubs and get ready to up your golf game.
NEW REGISTRATION WEBSITE AND INFORMATION
Recreation registration is moving to CivicRec. CivicRec is recreation programming specific software that is sure to make your registration a breeze. The best way to check for the new page is the Town of Basalt web site: Basalt.net/Recreation.
57
Carbondale RECREATION & COMMUNITY CENTER
567 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale (970) 510-1278 carbondalerec.com
YOUTH BASEBALL / SOFTBALL
Ages: grouped Baseball Program: 7-12 Softball Program: 8-15 Dates: end of May-end of July Fee: $90 Join Carbondale Recreation for some baseball and softball fun this summer. Learn new skills, make new friends, play other town’s teams, and most of all—have fun. Please see the age categories below. All ages are determined as of August 1, 2020. Must have own mitt. Uniforms included in fee. Practices and regular season games will occur during the week, but tournament games may be played on Saturdays.
NORTH FACE BONEDALE BIKE JAM (6TH ANNUAL) Time: Reg.online/ 9:30 AM on site Comp starts at 10:30 AM Day: May 16 Cost: $10 Location: North Face Bike Park Meadowood Drive, Carbondale A free ride contest at the North Face Bike Park. From striders to Pros, and pump track time trials to best trick jam sessions, there’s fun for all.
PRESCHOOL ART WITH THE ROSYBELLE BUS
Ages: 3-5 Days: Saturdays Times: 9:30-11:00 AM Date: May 2 Fee: $10 / class All aboard the Rosybelle Mobile Maker Bus! Join Drea Marsh for some creative art time. Parents are welcome to stay, but self-sufficient kiddos may be dropped off for the class. Please register in advance to guarantee a spot.
Ages: 4+ Time: 4:00-6:30 PM Date: May 18 Bring your bike & helmet and give the bike obstacle course a try! Parents are required to sign a participation waiver. This event teaches kids basic bike safety “rules of the road” while navigating a fun obstacle course. Prizes will be awarded and bike mechanics from Aloha Mountain Cyclery will be on hand to show you how to keep your ride in tip-top shape.
BABY TUESDAYS / 10:30 AM
Ages: 0 - 24 months Lapsit storytime. Learn songs, bounces and rhymes to share with your child with a few stories thrown in. Storytime lasts about 20 minutes with stay-and-play following.
PRESCHOOL WEDNESDAYS / 10:15 - 10:45 AM Ages: 3 - 5 years
TODDLER WEDNESDAYS / 11:00 - 11:30 AM Ages: 2 - 3 years
AFTER SCHOOL WEDNESDAYS
WEDNESDAYS/ 2:30 - 4:00 PM
A new activity every week for school-aged children. Featuring science experiments, crafts and games. Always creative and always fun.
ASK A LAWYER
MAY 7 5:00 - 7:00 PM SECOND THURSDAY OF THE MONTH
Free 15-minute consultations with a licensed attorney at the Pitkin County Library. No appointment necessary. First come, first served. Provided by Alpine Legal Services.
58
Time: 4:00-8:00 PM Date: May 2 Location: 4th Street Plaza, Carbondale Enjoy KidZone activities and a bounce house courtesy of Carbondale Parks and Recreation, Arts & Crafts by HANDMAKERY and the Carbondale Creative District, and meet some of Colorado Animal Rescue’s sweetest adoptables.
BONEDALE BIKE WEEK KIDS’ BIKE RODEO
STORYTIMES
pit colib.org
FAMILY BLOCK PARTY
HUMAN SERVICES AT THE LIBRARY APRIL 14 & MAY 12 4:30 - 5:30 PM
Need a helping hand with medicaid, food assistance, or child care? Staff from Human Services will be at the Library every 2nd Tuesday of the month from 4:30-5:30 PM to answer questions. No appointment needed.
BOOK BUNCH: GRADES 2-5 MARCH 25 & APRIL 29 3:00 PM
Book Bunch is a book club especially for kids 2nd through 5th grades. Children will meet with children’s librarian to talk about their favorite books and what they are currently reading. Activities include finding surprising read-alikes and writing reviews to display in the library and on the website. Book Bunch meets on the last Wednesday of every month.
THE LAB
THE LAB is a makerspace located at the Pitkin County Library in Aspen, CO. What is a makerspace, you ask? It’s simple! A makerspace is an intellectual space that fosters the ideals of creativity and collaboration. Patrons will be given the opportunity to create, invent and learn all manner of things through various hands-on activities.
O U T&
A BO U T
Something
TO HOOT ABOUT MP’S FEBRUARY LAUNCH PARTY AT HANDMAKERY BROUGHT THE NIGHT OWLS OUT TO CARBONDALE’S FIRST FRIDAY
HANDMAKERY CHILDREN’S ART STUDIO set the scene with sparkles, showcasing artwork by MOUNTAIN PARENT cover artists, Elana and Lily Royer of LILYBART. Inspired by the DIY “Handmade Upcycled Snowy Snuggly Owl” created by Handmakery’s Ami Maes for MP’s February + March edition, Elana Royer presented a Mama Owl craft. • Kids of all ages (parents, too) created owls of every color using pages from MP layered over sturdy art paper in pastel and bright hues. • We loved this Mama Owl so much that Elana created the nesting family on this edition’s cover. • A prize drawing for parents included gifts from SUSAN’S FLOWERS on Main Street in Carbondale, MS. HOLLY’S MUSICAL STORYTIME AT WSRF and cards, gift wrap and journals by LILYBART. • Turns out, this bright and cozy nesting spot for the February FIRST FRIDAY was a big hoot!
59
1
2
3
1. GLENWOOD SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL 8TH GRADE students formed research teams to create a utopian society. This team named their utopia “Frosthaven,” and constructed a lifesize igloo from empty water jugs. Costumes? Of course! 2. & 3. CARBONDALE COMMUNITY SCHOOL’S BIG EVENT The theme this year was “Games,” with the kindergarten playing Candyland (shown here) from the Lollipop Woods and the Peppermint Stick Forest. The community-wide performance was canceled due to Coronavirus. Students gave only one show, a dress rehearsal for faculty, one videographer and two photographers. (credit: Sarah Kuhn) 4. ASPEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL’S 200 member choir, High Mountain Harmony, gave their Spring concert on March 4, conducted by Marnie White and Stacey Weiss. 5. & 6. YAMPAH MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL Students in the Teen Parent Program made the “DIY Upcycled Snowy
60
4
5
8
6
9
7
10
Snuggly Owl” designed by Ami Maes of Handmakery in Mountain Parent’s February edition. They turned discarded wool sweaters into gifts for their children. 7. ROARING FORK YOUTH ORCHESTRA conductor Bill Capps “became one with the force” during the group’s March 1 concert, where the Camerata section performed the Star Wars theme song. 8. ASPEN SNOWMASS SKI CO celebrated of International Woman’s Day with a ski parade from the top of Ajax to the Little Nell, followed by a community discussion of gender disparity in the ski industry. (credit: Jeremy Swanson).
9. & 10. ASPEN COMMUNITY SCHOOL and CARBONDALE COMMUNITY SCHOOL joined forces for their annual “Hoedown” at Cozy Point Ranch, complete with bull riding and inflatable human bumper balls. The event raised funds to support Compass, which operates both public charter schools.
61
U P
NEXT
LOOKING FORWARD INTRODUCE YOURSELF. PARENTS are the LARGEST &
FASTEST GROWING segment of our community at every age and stage. • professional millennials • stay-at-home parents • dual-income households • grandparents second-home owners • visitors to the Valley •
ADVERTISING
Lauren Suhrbier, Publisher editor@mountain-parent.com
MOUNTAINPARENT.COM 62
A N N U A L S TAYC AT I O N E D I T I O N June + July
Ways to VACATION LIKE YOU LIVE HERE. & PLAY LIKE A TOURIST in your OWN BACK YARD. Restaurants, shopping, music, adventures, performances, arts, kid’s programming, fun for the whole family.
Jordan Curet
MP’S WE LOVE OUR SCHOOLS S T U D E N T E S S AY C O N T E S T
Calling ALL STUDENTS from Aspen-Glenwood & Marble – grades 1-8.
WE LOVE OUR SCHOOLS and we MISS
our schools. Students, please tell us during the Coronavirus school closures what you miss the most about your school. Winners will be published in our August + Sept Back to School edition. Looking for an at-home creative writing project? Email for a printable worksheet with essay details: Kathryn@Mountain-Parent.com Submission Deadline: May 22, 2020
S PA N I S H L A N G UAG E E D I T I O N The Best of Year 2020
LO MEJOR DEL AÑO 2020 schools ESCUELAS • kid’s programming PROGRAMACIÓN PARA NIÑOS homelife • VIDA HOGAREÑA helping hands • MANOS AMIGAS wellness • BIENESTAR Let’s be friends. SEAMOS AMIGOS. M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N : Lauren Suhrbier, Publisher editor@mountain-parent.com
63
Decluttering or working on home improvements? We can help! SHOP While our brick and mortar store is temporarily closed for in-person shopping*, we’re still here to help you find what you need for all your Spring projects—just give us a call at (970) 945-9138. We’ll also be updating inventory daily on Facebook/ReStoreRoaringFork and Instagram/ReStoreRoaringFork. You can pay for your purchase over the phone and either pick it up curbside or arrange for delivery.
DONATE If you’re on a mission to donate gently-used furniture, appliances, building materials, or other treasures (think rugs, artwork and lamps), we’re accepting donations as usual at our north loading dock or you can arrange to have our “white glove” truck team pick up from your home—free of charge.
WIN Whether you shop at, or donate to, our ReStore, you’ll give unwanted items a second chance and help us build affordable homes with teachers and other local workforce families. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.
Schedule your FREE White Glove donation pick-up by calling (970) 945-9138 or online at HabitatRFV.org/restore/schedule-pick-up
53 Calaway Court Glenwood Springs
*To ensure the health and safety of our donors and staff, we are following all federal, state and local governmental guidelines related to COVID-19 safety measures for as long as required. At the moment, we plan to be closed through April 16th. (We will provide an update on April 1st.)