CONTRAST

Best Christmas gift ever

By Greg Lowell Redstone Review

LYONS – My parents never let me down on Christmas. Much of what I asked for was given and sometimes gifts unasked for were also given, like the one I regard as my best Christmas gift ever. Our little cape-style house sat on the outskirts of town and provided easy access to fields and woods and, in particular, a river and large remote reservoir that was a draw for me in the early days of my budding passion for fishing.

I was 12 years old that Christmas, in between the toys of my childhood and grownup holiday gifts. On Christmas morning, I expected no lavish display of Santa’s gifts – and I was right. All my gifts were properly wrapped and under the tree: a sweater, a book or two and some ice fishing tackle.

Near the end of the unwrappings, Dad said (not unlike Darren McGavin in A Christmas Story) that there might be one more gift for me. Where, I asked as I looked around anxiously. With a wave of his hand, Dad beckoned me to follow him. He led me through the kitchen and opened the door to our covered back porch.

There it was – standing on end with a giant red bow tied around it. The enclosed porch smelled like fresh-cut lumber and the gift barely fit between the floor and ceiling.

It was a boat, a pram to be exact. Nine feet long, screwand-glue plywood construction, the wood unfinished. I could not have been more surprised. I hadn’t asked for a boat, but my parents knew me better than I knew myself.

My mother was a Mainer through and through. She grew up on the water and in the woods, skiing and skating, swimming and canoeing. My dad built iceboats, skied and accommodated my own blossoming interest in all things outdoors. And so, they reasoned, what better gift for a fishing-obsessed boy than a boat?

I ran my hand over the curve of the gunwale and imagined the adventures I’d have with it. I wanted to launch it right away. Certainly, there must be open water somewhere, I reasoned.

But Dad tempered my enthusiasm and said there was a lot of work to do before it was ready for its first voyage: caulking seams, priming, painting, buying oars and installing hardware.

Later that day we wrestled the boat through the bulkhead to the cellar where I spent many hours of that long, cold New Hampshire winter sanding, priming and painting, getting it ready for the adventures it would surely provide. I painted

the outside gray and the inside white in a classic style. The ice was barely off the local water when I asked Dad to take my friend and me and the boat to the local reservoir where the previous summer we had looked longingly at the islands and faraway coves we knew held big fish yet were unreachable on foot. The tiny boat was just big enough for the two of us and our gear. I sat in the rear and paddled forward and my friend sat up front. Over the next two years we traveled up the far reaches of streams and winding marsh channels, surprising Lowell ducks and herons, while casting spoons to pickerel and bass that seemed to have never seen a lure. A few times we crammed the boat with camping gear and found uninhabited shorelines to spend restless nights around campfires. That little boat opened a world of wonder and adventure for me and contributed to my passion for water, fishing and days outdoors that has spanned six decades. My point in regaling you with this odd Christmas tale is that what that long-ago, surprise gift did for a young boy is what parents (or grandparents) can do for their own children today. When you sense a spark of interest in your child for nature and the outdoors, nurture it through a gift. It might be a fly rod, a field guide and binoculars, snowshoes, a backpack, a kayak – any gift that promotes your child’s budding interest and you’ll be giving them not just a holiday present but a lifelong gift. That little boat is long gone. It was sold and became a tender for someone’s sailboat when I replaced it with a canoe, which provided yet another gateway for my outdoor adventures. But I think of the pram often when I’m on the water and remember the prescience of my parents who gave their son a gift far beyond its material value that long-ago Christmas.

LEAF wants you to know “We are Here”

By Lory Barton Redstone Review

LYONS – Happy Holidays from LEAF, (Lyons Emergency & Assistance Fun). It can be easy to get distracted by the hustle and bustle of this season. Here at LEAF, we are doing our best to remain focused on our mission and to serve well as we approach 2022’s end.

LEAF’s mission is to provide a human services safety net in the Greater Lyons area. We accomplish this through Lyons Community Food Pantry, Lyons Meals on Wheel, Mental Wellness & Addiction Recovery, Basic Needs & Resource Matching, and Lyons Volunteers. We are the only human services agency located in Lyons. With just a few staff members – most of them very part-time – and one hundred volunteers, LEAF is a little organization that is doing big work right here in Lyons. Our theme in this next season is, “We Are Here.” That’s right, LEAF is here, in Lyons. We are local and accessible for people who need human services support. We are here, for good. We do our best to do good work for our community. I invite you to visit our website (leaflyons.org) to learn more about what we do.

Here are some important year-end updates:

The Holiday Parade of Lights was fantastic Thanks to Barney Dreistadt for designing our float and leading the project.

LEAF’s Holiday Giving Tree is winding down. The Giving Tree is our community’s way to ensure that everyone has a gift to open at Christmas. Folks submitted gift requests, which were turned into tree ornaments, and placed on trees at Lyons Public Library, Uniquely Lyons, Moxie, Diner Bar, and Bellwether. Caring people picked ornaments, then purchased and wrapped the gifts before dropping them off at the gift drop-off station at Oskar Blues.

This weekend, our team of elves will deliver all of the wrapped gifts We owe so many thanks to Jesse Garland and Pam Browning for leading this project. As you

can imagine, it is no small feat to organize this endeavor. The Super Duper Holiday Food Pantry is set for Wednesday, December 21 from 2pm to 6pm. This is our biggest Pantry of the year, where we distribute plenty of food and holiday treats. Santa will be there, as well carolers from Lyons Senior High School. We’ll have hot chocolate and other goodies, too. Barton Please note that LEAF will be closed for the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Our teams have delivered on a grand scale all year long, and they have definitely earned a week to rest. Finally, it’s not too late to support Lyons with a year-end gift to LEAF. 2022 has been a difficult year and we have served more people than ever before. It’s easy to give, right on our website at leaflyons.org. If you can help us start 2023 strong, we would be so grateful.

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Additionally, this change is coinciding with the implementation of a new online appointment system. The new modernized system allows appointments to be booked not just by time and day, but by the service needed. It also features Spanish-language options, text reminders, and a mobile check-in process.

To learn more about this change or to make an appointment for services, visit www.BoulderCounty.gov/MV. Those without internet access can call to make an appointment: 303413-7710.

Boulder Opera Company presents Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck

BOULDER – An abridged version of Hansel and Gretel will be performed by the Boulder Opera Company at the Grace Gamm Theater on December 17 and 18 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 to $30.

Based on the Brothers Grimm classic fairytale, Engelbert Humperdinck’s adaptation follows Hansel and Gretel on a journey of self-discovery during which they meet the Sandman, the Dew Fairy, and of course, the malevolent Witch.

Children will cheer when Hansel and Gretel use their cunning, wits, and most importantly, their brave hearts to defeat evil and live happily ever after. A great introduction to opera through the well known beloved story, the opera is sung in English and lasts one hour with a Q&A at the end. Featuring Aric Vihmeister at the piano and cellist Mathieu D’Ordine. Directed by Brandon Tyler Padgett. Recommended for kids ages 3 and up. The Grace Gamm Theater is located at 2590 Walnut St. in Boulder. For tickets and information call 303-440-7826.