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Looking forward to summer in Lyons

By Kim Mitchell Redstone Review

LYONS – As winter winds down and the weather pattern shifts to springtime, the river rises, birds sing and thoughts of summer in Lyons begin in anticipation. Many of us look forward to shedding layers together with enjoying the warming temperatures, and seeing our neighbors and friends out and about. We’re eager for the arrival of spring and summer, and we are all reminded that this is the perfect time in Lyons to reconnect with our community and attend local events that had to be postponed, canceled, or modified over the past two years.

Heading into the summer, we are planning a few, fun, Lyons-style events that we’re happy to share with you. We’re also bringing back your favorite events and adding a twist to others to spice up the summer and share all that makes Lyons such a great community. As we look back on the past two years, many of us will agree, “Phew, that sure was challenging.”

While there have been many challenges, our local businesses and residents have endured and also grown stronger. For this summer we look forward to the return of festivals, summer concerts, new and familiar restaurants that are psyched to be operating in Lyons, along with boutique shops that have made their commitment to set up in Lyons.

For so many of us we are grateful for our families, the beauty of spring, seeing our friends and neighbors and exploring all that mother nature provides. As we begin to gather again with family and friends, let’s celebrate and welcome those who visit this wonderful place we call home.

Of note, the Sandstone Summer Concert Series will be moving to Wednesday evenings, same time, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. We received input from the local business community and surveyed our small, independently owned businesses and the feedback was that Wednesdays would be more welcomed by our local businesses, who continue to establish and grow their roots in Lyons. The 2022 series kicks off on Wednesday, June 8 and goes through Wednesday, August 10. We look forward to our partnership with the Lyons Community Foundation, whose grant funding greatly supports this annual 10-week concert series. Be sure to mark your calendars and make plans for Wednesday evenings. The full line up and schedule will be finalized in the next month.

Last summer, the town hosted the first annual Lyons Local Artisan Market at Bohn Park. This new event was well received by both the artisans and our residents. Returning in 2022, we’ve added a twist, with a barbeque cook-off in Bohn Park, hosted by the Lyons Community Foundation, to be held in tandem with the local artisan market. Be sure to put Saturday, June 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on your plans, and support both terrific local events.

Looking towards July, Art at River Bend is also back for 2022. After a two-year hiatus, the Boulder County Arts Alliance and the Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission are thrilled to bring back this exciting outdoor arts event along the banks of the beautiful North St. Vrain Creek, hosted by River Bend in Lyons. All of the creative and artistic fun will take place on Sunday, July 17, 2022 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Hundreds of patrons can enjoy the works of talented artistic vendors, along with food trucks, drinks, craft activities and more.

With so much to love about living in Lyons, please and support the many events and local businesses that continually work to create a strong future for Lyons.

The Sandstone Summer Concert Series will return this year, moved to Wednesday evenings, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS

Kim Mitchell is Director of Communications and Community Relations for the Town of Lyons. She has called Lyons home since 2009. Proclamation by the Lyons Board of Trustees to stand in solidarity with the sovereign nation of Ukraine and support the rights of all its citizens

WHEREAS, Lyons, Colorado stands in unwavering solidarity with the people of the sovereign nation of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia’s unprovoked invasion and war against their democracy and sovereign right to exist as an independent nation; and WHEREAS, Russia continues to wage a brutal, unprovoked war against Ukraine, leading to the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II; and

WHEREAS, the Town of Lyons desires to demonstrate its support of our allies, and WHEREAS, in these moments of crisis, the leadership demonstrated by President Zelensky, members of the Ukrainian armed forces and the citizens of Ukraine are a beacon of resolve and commitment to democratic principles and values; and

WHEREAS, the Town of Lyons stands with other countries, private corporations, religious leaders, states and cities from around the world in condemning this horrific act of aggression by Russia, and demands the immediate cessation of all hostilities; and

WHEREAS, the public servants at the local level in Ukraine should be recognized as they continue to practice servant leadership under the most dangerous of conditions to provide essential municipal services; NOW, THEREFORE, the Board of Trustees of the Town of Lyons hereby proclaims: Section 1. The Town of Lyons condemns the acts of Russian aggression; Section 2. The Town of Lyons supports the government and people of the sovereign nation of Ukraine; Section 3. The Town of Lyons urges the Lyons community to contribute resources to aid the people of Ukraine.

Given under my hand and seal of the Town of Lyons this 21st day of March 2022. Nicholas Angelo, Mayor

Springtime Pasque flowers bloom around Lyons

By Jessie Berta-Thompson Redstone Review

LYONS – Growing low on a dull ground of last year’s grasses, appearing as a flash of purple and yellow wreathed in fuzzy foliage, the Pasque flower (Anemone patens or Pulsatilla patens) announces spring to anyone looking down this time of year. Blooming under the season’s warm breezes and last snows, this is one of the first and most striking wildflowers in our area.

The outside of each flower and the lacy leaves below are covered in fine hairs that light up white when the sun catches them. The flowers’ colors range from pale bluelavender to purple, with a lighter shade on the inside of each blossom. The bright yellow centers are made up of a crowd of tiny stamens packed into a circle, inviting observers and pollinators down for a closer look. Each plant has just a few flowers, which outpace the growth of the foliage around them. Later in the season, the seed heads form fun fluffy balls.

Pasque flowers of various species are found around the Northern Hemisphere, including in arctic and alpine habitats. The local Pasque flower (Pulsatilla/Anemone patens var. multifida) grows wild across the Great Plains and mountain west, from Texas to Alaska. It can be found in a variety of grassy habitats at a wide range of elevations, from the prairie all the way up to 13,000 ft. It is one of the species that thrives after fire.

The name comes from an old French word for Easter, referring to the flower’s spring bloom time. In Colorado, Pasque flowers start blooming in April, but can still be found flowering in July, at higher and higher elevations as the summer unfolds. Its distinctive early flowering also makes it susceptible to, and an indicator for, climate change-related shifts in spring temperatures. One study tracking flowering times in Alberta found that Pasque flowers bloomed an average of two weeks earlier in the 2000s compared to the 1930s.

Pasque flowers belong to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). This family includes many mountain favorites, like delphinium, anemone, monkshood, columbine, clematis, marsh marigold, and globeflower. Although Pasque flowers are sometimes called the prairie crocus and share growth form, timing, and color with crocuses, they are not particularly related (Crocus species are in the iris family, Iridaceae). Pasque flowers are very closely related to anemones, placed in the same genus by some experts (Anemone), or in their own genus by others (Pulsatilla). Either way the two groups share evolutionary origins, and the taxonomy has no effect on the plant’s beauty. Anemones are a diverse and beloved group of flowers that

includes tiny delicate woodland spring ephemerals, the cheery garden-favorites Grecian windflowers, and bold florists’ cut flowers with black centers. The Pasque flower plant contains toxic oils that make it both dangerous to ingest and a possible topical irritant, especially fresh. Preparations have been used medicinally by indigenous peoples of the United States and Canada, including a lice-killing decoction and a nosebleed remedy (see the Native American Ethnobotany Database for more: naeb.brit.org/). Berta-Thompson At the Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens in Lyons, the Pasque flowers can be found on the north side of the garden in the Foothills section, and they started to bloom in early April. To complement the Pasque flower’s early timing, it’s interplanted with hairy golden aster (Heterotheca villosa), which blooms later in the summer, keeping the bed interesting for longer. Pasque flowers, including the native variety, are available at many Colorado nurseries. Locally in the wild, Pasque flowers grow along the Sleepy Lion Trail at Button Rock Preserve, among many other places. Wherever it’s spotted, the Pasque flower is a fascinating plant and a delight of the season. In other garden news, the RMBG annual plant sale fundraiser will be held Saturday, May 21. We’ll be sure to stock more than last year, when we sold out hours before the sale was supposed to end, thanks to the wonderful support and generosity of our plant-loving community. We will have lots of beautiful native plants suited to local gardens and hanging baskets of colorful annuals for Lyons’ doorways and decks.

Jessie Berta-Thompson studied algae in school, and loves gardening and learning about plants. She currently serves as Treasurer on the Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens board and as an Adjunct Researcher at the Denver Botanic Gardens, where she works on the diversity and evolution of Colorado mushrooms.

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