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REDSTONE • REVIEW
NOVEMBER 17 / DECEMBER 15, 2021
INTEREST Lyons Glass Gallery By Ken Singer Redstone Review LYONS – Lyons has a new glass pipe and paraphernalia shop. The Lyons Glass Gallery opened at the beginning of October at the site of the Red Canyon Arts, which moved a few doors down on Main Singer Street. Mitzi Purcell and her husband Jason have been wanting to relocate to Lyons after living and working in Denver. Mitzi said after venturing into Lyons about seven years ago, the couple found that the town was “like a dream” with the nature and ambiance in contrast to living and working in Denver. The shop has mostly marijuana-themed items such as bongs, glass pipes and about ten different brands of rolling papers. They also have some clothing, but 60 percent of the inventory is glass. The marijuana shop, Den Rec (near UPump It on Ute Highway) was also in Denver close to the Purcell’s shop. They have a long relationship with Den Rec. Mitzi said they were trying to add to the marijuanathemed items with backpacks, pouches, beer mugs and other alcohol-related products so that buyers could get gifts “for your mother who doesn’t smoke pot.” Some of her previous suppliers had been hampered by Covid and
Mitzi Purcell and her husband Jason have opened the Lyons Glass Gallery, a glass pipe and peraphenalia shop. were getting back to production, such as Grassroots Clothing which is California based and now is in Colorado. Mitzi said she would like to feature products made in Colorado, but that is not always possible. Many of the glass pipes and bongs are made in Colorado and some are fairly intricate works of art, along with the more simple pipes that would fit in your pocket. Jason Purcell has been in the industry for about 20 years and Mitzi
is an artist with some of her art gracing the walls of the shop. While the pieces are not necessarily for sale, she would part with them for the right price. Mitzi explained that someone who bought a painting of hers could also control the “Non-Fungible Token” (NFT) rights to the work with a digital version. According to Google, “An NFT is a digital asset that exists completely in the digital universe: you can't touch it, but you can own it. An NFT can be any type of digital file: an artwork, an article, music or even a meme such as “Disaster Girl,” the original photo of which sold for $500k earlier this year.” The shop does take cryptocurrency and while the couple are avid cryptocurrency advocates, most of the transactions are in dollars. NFTs are a feature of the shop. The do also take major credit cards, unlike the other marijuana shops in the United States which do not allow credit cards to be used for purchases for marijuana. Even in states that have legalized the sale of marijuana for medical or recreational use, debit cards may only be used for transactions. But as of November 1, the House of Representatives passed legislation for federally regulated banks to provide credit cards, checking accounts and other financial services to legal marijuana businesses. It has not been voted on in the Senate, however. Ken Singer and his wife, Sandy Spellman, moved to Lyons ten weeks before the flood. They are both retired clinical social workers and live near Lyons. Singer loves to write about people and events around Lyons.
Small Business Saturday kicks off Lyons’ holidays on November 27 By Brianna Hoyt Redstone Review LYONS – Small Business Saturday, the day after Black Friday on Saturday, November 27, is the perfect day to start your holiday shopping and to support Lyons’ unique and locally owned small businesses. Hoyt This national holiday, which was first celebrated in 2010, calls to attention the importance of shopping at the small businesses that serve as the backbone of the American economy and our local communities. In the last year, Lyons has seen some amazing growth downtown with several new businesses opening on Main Street. New stores such as Solace, Nomad Route Jewelry, Lyons Glass Gallery, and Sage and Grace Botanicals are great spots to shop for holiday gifts. HJB Designs has moved to share a space with Sage and Grace Botanicals. Prickly Pear Tavern recently opened at 160 E. Main St. next to Western Stars Gallery and Studio, which is matching the tavern’s hours. Red Canyon Art also moved into its new location last summer along Main Street. There are more new businesses planning on opening in the next few months, so keep visiting downtown to see what is new in Lyons. The town’s tourism website, www.lyonscolorado.com provides a directory of the local businesses and links to their websites. The fall and winter seasons often signal a drop in retail and restaurant visitation in Lyons, so
local support is essential for all of our businesses. With all of this local energy and development happening, be sure to visit www.lyonsthrive.com to fill out the survey for the Town of Lyons Comprehensive Plan. This plan will help guide the town for the next ten years and the survey covers topics such as development, sustainability, and tourism. The town wants to hear from residents and visitors and get your input. Last year we were not able to celebrate the holidays with our normal town-wide events because of Covid and the October wildfires. This year we are looking forward to celebrating with the community and our neighbors. The Artisan Market, formerly known as the Holiday Bazaar, will be held December 4 and 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. this year in the Lyons Elementary School gym. The event will follow county and school district Covid-19 safety regulations and masks will be required indoors. There will be a wide variety of quality crafts, jewelry, photography, pottery, glass art, and textile art. Stop by and discover some unique holiday gifts. The Lyons Parade of Lights is scheduled for December 4 starting at 6:30 p.m. along Main Street. The theme this
year is Winter Around the World. It takes an orchestra of resources to put on the Parade of Lights and the fireworks show. We would love your support. Local and business sponsorship forms will be included in the local utility billing and staff will be reaching out. If you can help to sponsor the Holiday Parade or events this year, please contact Kim Mitchell at Town Hall. The town also encourages businesses and organizations to create a float for the parade. Reach out to Lyons Town Hall for more information. A fireworks display is currently planned to follow the parade. Stay up to date on town holiday events and more local happenings by signing up for the town-wide email eblast: https: //www.townoflyons.com/list.aspx. Information about town events is also available at https: // lyonscolorado. com / experience / festivals-and-events. Brianna Hoyt earned degrees in anthropology and history from the University of Denver and worked as a freelance writer for five years. She primarily worked with marketing firms to generate content for business websites and social media accounts. She started working for the Town of Lyons in February 2020 as the Lyons Main Street Manager.
We are working to give wildland firefighters a pay raise By U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse Redstone Review LYONS – We are pushing our federal firefighting workforce to a breaking point. This has to change. As wildfires across the Neguse West grow more intense and more dangerous, wildland firefighters leave behind their lives and families for months at a time, working an average of 16-hour daily shifts, sleeping in the dirt, with incredibly limited time off to reset and reconnect with loved ones. These federal firefighters are highly skilled, and their vital services support every major wildfire response in the U.S. Exactly a year ago, as three fires raged simultaneously in our district, our local crews relied on federal support and specialty crews to control and manage these
record-setting wildfires. Two of these fires, the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires, became the first and second largest in Colorado state history, together burning nearly 400,000 acres over the course of several months. The Calwood Fire in Boulder County also left significant dam-
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age for our communities. The low pay and patchwork of benefits our federal wildland firefighters receive for this work is outrageous. Currently, our wildland firefighting workforce are primarily classified as “forestry technicians,” paid an hourly wage of $13.45 at the GS3 level and are often not provided adequate health care benefits or housing while on the job. Often health and mental health benefits provided are seasonal and can’t be accessed in the off season. According to recent studies, firefighters nationwide commit suicide 30 times as often as the general public and have a 30 percent increased risk for cardiovascular diseases, and 43 percent increase
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for lung cancer. The intense and dangerous nature of this work is taking a toll on mental health, marriages and families. It’s long past time for Congress and the federal government to fully recognize the ongoing service and sacrifice of federal wildland firefighters by raising compensation, providing essential benefits and classifying them appropriately. As wildfire seasons turn to wildfire years, the demands we are placing on federal firefighters will only grow. To help modernize our federal wildland firefighting workforce I have introduced H.R. 5631, the Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act. Named in honor of Tim Hart, a smokejumper who lost his life on a fire incident this year, Tim’s Act is a comprehensive and widely supported effort to improve pay, ensure fundamental benefits, and recognize the unique conditions, skills, and qualification inherent to wildland firefighting. Our bill would create a new wildland Continue Neguse on Page 13
Lyons Area & Flood Books For Sale! from the Lyons Redstone Museum
Learn about Lyons Area History: Quarries/Quarry Town, Lyons Pioneers, Lyons 1900s, Isabella Bird, Welch Resort, E. S. Lyon, Billings Family, Blue Mountain, Old Stone Church, Meadow Park, Chopin Through the Window by Franciska Stein Flood Books and DVDs are also available. To Order or For More Information: (303) 823-5925 or (303) 823-5271
