20240822

Looking ahead...

Freshman orientation, Link leaders help smooth transition at Roaring Fork High School

JOHN STROUD

Sopris Sun Correspondent

Roaring Fork High School (RFHS) is welcoming its biggest freshman class ever this year — 132 students and counting as high schoolers entered their second week.

With such a large class, it could be easy to get lost in the shuffle between middle school and high school. But a unique ninth grade orientation program that involves a committed group of juniors and seniors who are part of the Link Crew, is designed to ease that transition.

On Aug. 14, the day before the official start of classes, incoming freshmen gathered with staff coordinators and student Link leaders for a half-day orientation, called the Link Crew Program.

The day included group and one-on-one activities to help the students get to know each other better and to start building relationships. Afterward, they spent

time with their smaller Link groups to delve into deeper discussions around some of the harder questions about what to expect as a high school student.

“It gives them a safe place to be able to talk with someone who’s been through it a year or two before them, and to share their experiences,” said Link Crew coordinator Michael Black, a RFHS alum (2009) who now teaches industrial arts at his alma mater and has helped lead the freshman orientation for the past four years.

“We didn’t have this program when I was in high school, but I would have loved to have been part of it when I was,” Black said. “I just see the extreme value in being able to get the freshmen in here before the first day of school to get to know one another and start building those relationships.”

Eric Lamb, who teaches English Language Development and French, is another of the Link Crew coordinators.

“We want our new students to feel safe and to have some friendly faces when they come in for that first week of classes,” Lamb said. “And we want to give our upperclassmen an opportunity to establish a relationship with the younger students and to be a role model.

“As a ninth grader, it’s important for them to feel like, not only do we want you here, but we want you in the circle and we want you to be involved in what’s going on here.”

The Link Crew Program was put together by the Boomerang Project, a peer mentoring and student transition program designed to foster better academic performance and fewer discipline issues in high schools.

RFHS junior Johan Soto is a Link leader, and said he appreciated that support when he was a freshman.

“It just made me feel a bit more at ease and less tense, just having that upperclassman helping to

guide me through some of my choices,” Soto said.

He recognized the value in that, and decided to become a Link leader himself this year.

“I’ve noticed a lot of students, in every grade really, kind of feel trapped in this bubble where they feel like they have to do something that they don’t really want to do,” he said. “I became a Link leader to try to break that and let the incoming freshmen know that they can enjoy high school at their own pace.”

That advice also extends beyond the school to some of the life decisions they’ll be faced with, which can affect them either positively or negatively, Soto said.

Link leaders are asked to check in with their students throughout the year to see how they’re doing and help them through any rough patches.

Senior Morgan Fink is in her second year as a Link leader. Her initial thought was that it would look good on a college application, but she soon realized it was also fun and fulfilling to see that she could have an impact on younger students.

“One of the things I try to show them is how to have a good

school-life balance,” she said. “Between school work, sports, friends … It’s a lot.

“It’s important to get them out of their comfort zone … and to learn how to fail, because you’re going to make some mistakes, and that’s OK.

“Also, just learning to be a good person is as important as doing good in school.”

Cora Carballeira is the Dean of Culture for RFHS, and has been a teacher and administrator in the Carbondale schools for more than 20 years. This was her first year helping out with freshman orientation.

“I believe in a strong start for ninth graders,” she said. “When we support them by welcoming them and teaching them how to use their skills, they are much more successful in high school and beyond.

“I’m also invested in creating student leadership opportunities at Roaring Fork for all students, and this is a nice way for our upperclassmen to be leaders.”

The Link Crew program also provides opportunities for one-onone mentoring and academic peer tutoring throughout the school year.

Link Crew coordinator Michael Black greets incoming freshman with a welcoming message. Photo by Sue Rollyson

Dear Mandy,

Mandy and I chatted after a concert last week. She told me that she usually likes this column, but she wasn’t so sure about the last one. Kind of a downer, she thought. The column was about death becoming an ever more present companion when we are old. It was about losing loved ones and losing personal capabilities. It was, in a sense, about the sadness of being old. Is sadness a downer? I didn’t feel down when I wrote it. It was, after all, about LIVING that last part of life. As per Eriksonian developmental psychology, I suggested that a well-lived life is rewarded at each stage by acquiring a specific virtue. During old age, that virtue is wisdom and that is a big deal because wisdom is just what we need to make that last part worthwhile. But what is “wisdom?”

PLEASE STOP READING NOW and take time to answer this question for yourself. What does “wise” mean to you? How do you recognize a wise person when you meet one?

Tick — tick — tick…

Got your answer? I’d love to know your thoughts about this (really!) and you can email them to me at ron@agefriendlycarbondale.org

OPINION

MATURE CONTENT

By Ron Kokish

In the meantime, let’s start with Socrates. When the Oracle of Delphi proclaimed him the wisest man in Athens, Socrates was puzzled. He was convinced that, despite a lifetime of seeking knowledge, he knew nothing. So, Socrates set out to prove the Oracle wrong. One after another, he approached men who were generally reputed to be wise and asked each one about what was truly worthwhile in life. Each had an answer, and each believed his answer to be true, but the answers varied and none of the men could fully answer Socrates’ questions about what they professed to know. Only Socrates was unsure about everything. This, he realized, was why the Oracle had correctly proclaimed him the wisest man in Athens. For the Oracle, wisdom consisted of being aware of one’s ignorance (aka, humility).

My father-in-law, Irv, was a powerhouse and perhaps the wisest person I’ve known. In addition to raising four excellent children who remain close to one another to this day, Irv was a successful businessman, a self-taught painter proficient enough to hang in local galleries, a self-taught musician good enough to be paid for performing, a decent handyman who built things, keenly aware of politics at all levels, something of a historian and an occasional world traveler. As he aged, Irv was angry about being diminished. “If I can’t play music anymore,” he would say, “I won’t want to live.” But when arthritis prevented him from performing, he learned to take increased joy in studying. When a shattered leg and a heart condition limited his travels, he took even more joy in his studies. In his last days, when he could do little more than sit up, he awoke each day, looking forward to seeing a cardinal that sometimes visited his garden. Irv was good at learning to give things up without giving up. The aspect of wisdom Irv presents us with here is acceptance (aka, knowing when to give up).

When he was dying Irv told us that he had always felt responsible for his children and that he still did, even now when they were middleaged. “All my life,” he said, “I’ve known that you are watching me, so it was important to live my life as well as possible. Now I’m dying and you are still watching me, so it’s important that I die well.” Here’s another aspect of wisdom — taking responsibility for whatever agency we have (aka, doing what we can).

There we have it; wisdom as I currently see it consists of humility, acceptance without surrender and realistic agency. Understanding and living those three values is what I consider wisdom and it makes old age, so filled with loss, worth living. The longer we live, the more of our abilities we lose. Person by person, we lose much of our communities. Wisdom helps us live with the losses and bring joy to endings. Sorry Mandy, but that’s how it is. It’s sad, but that’s different from “downer.” I was sad when my children struck out on their own because their childhoods were over. They would never look at me with those wide, innocent eyes again. But I also was and remain joyful with the memories of what was. Life means loss, loss is experienced as sadness and sadness is very close to joy. Sadness means we love what we lose, and love is joyous. I’m losing a lot these days and the longer I live the more I’ll lose. That makes me very sad and very joyous. We can’t avoid sadness without avoiding love, and avoiding love, dear Mandy, would be the ultimate downer. “Freedom,” the poet wrote, “is just another word for nothing left to lose.” Until we’re free, let’s experience the joy of losing. Sorry if that depresses you, Mandy. You know, old people, we do like to ramble on.

Mature Content is a monthly feature from Age-Friendly Carbondale.

LETTERS

Our

Town One Table

Our Town One Table is a gift that Carbondale gives itself. How lucky can we be, living in a town that sets apart a special time when we can all just be together, enjoying a cool evening and the friendship of our family, friends and neighbors? Thanks to the Town for the tables set up, too!

Linda

Romero Criswell

Carbondale

TRTC win

Every year the Colorado Theatre Guild gives out awards in various categories of live theater production to honor the talent displayed by its members. These awards, called “Henrys” are Colorado’s equivalents to “Tonys,” which are awarded to plays and musicals on Broadway.

Thunder River Theatre Company (TRTC) was nominated for five Henrys and its production of the play “Endgame” won the Henry for Outstanding Play. This is quite an honor, as it was chosen over all the other nominees — including three from the Denver metro area!

If you have never seen a play at TRTC in Carbondale, I urge you to look at their upcoming season, which has just been released. We are so lucky to have award-winning talent in our valley, and they deserve to be supported.

Dori Libson Carbondale

Ethical energy

As the country and the rest of the world experience another year of scorching heat waves, private for-profit utility companies — which we rely upon for our basic necessities like heating, cooling and electricity — are keeping us reliant on climate-wrecking fossil fuels while reporting record profits.

When they work well, utilities exist in the background of our lives. They power our homes, cool us down when it’s hot and give us heat when it’s cold. But too often, they are sources of aggravation. The power goes off when it’s dangerously hot or cold out, our bills skyrocket and these for-profit companies threaten to shut off services when we’re unable to pay.

We know that climate change raises those stakes even higher, and utility companies themselves play a massive role in exacerbating the climate crisis. Eighty percent of electric utilities in the U.S. run on fossil fuels.

Shifting utilities to clean energy is integral to working toward a safer climate, but these private, for-profit companies would rather maintain the status quo and keep the public in the dark. Utility companies are charging us more while they get paid off by the fossil fuel industry to block the transition to renewable energy.

Utility companies have gotten away with profiting at the expense of people and our planet for too long. It’s time we hold them accountable and demand they stop using our money to burn our future while individuals and families struggle. We deserve an energy system that allows everyone to have access to clean and affordable energy.

Ray John Glenwood Springs

Protect the cats

We should be very proud as Coloradans that the CATS [Cats Aren’t Trophies] ballot initiative to ban trophy hunting of wild cats in Colorado has collected the requisite signatures to make it on the ballot in November.

Mountain lions play a crucial role in our ecosystems, and research indicates that they can reduce the incidence of chronic wasting disease, a major threat to our deer and elk herds. Lions target neurologically compromised deer and elk, reducing disease prevalence and protecting these healthy herds for hunters and wildlife watchers alike. In this way, lions are protectors of longterm deer and elk hunting in Colorado.

Mountain lion populations are self-regulating, but hunting disrupts stable territorial hierarchies — which can lead to more conflict with humans. These hunts can include cruel methods, from chasing mountain lions down with dogs and shooting them once cornered, often violating “fair chase standards” that we apply to

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is a proud member of the Carbondale Creative District continued on page 18

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SCUTTLEBUTT

Will Grandbois, previous editor of The Sopris Sun and an all-around Carbondalian, thinks we will wake up to snow on Mt. Sopris as early as Aug. 26. Care to counter his guesstimate? Tell us when you think the first snow will appear on Sopris by emailing news@soprissun.com The winner will get a shout-out in their local newspaper!

Valley Journal archives

Thanks to the Carbondale Library, digitization of the Valley Journal is now complete for years 1975-1982. The library intends to complete the project eventually, but may lean on fundraising to help pay the expenses. In the meantime, those archives are available to peruse online at www.bit.ly/ValleyJournalArchives

Nicky News goes to Chicago

Longtime local journalist Nick Isenberg traveled to the Democratic National Convention via Amtrak as a delegate from Colorado’s Congressional District 3. Isenberg is legally blind and partially deaf. He hosts “The Tactile Traveler” on KDNK, a monthly public affairs show which seeks to “empower blind and low-vision people to explore the world and help our sighted friends see the world in a new way.” Catch an interview with Isenberg on Everything Under The Sun on KDNK next week, Aug. 29 at 4pm.

Good Deeds

The West Mountain Regional Housing Coalition (WMRHC) is rolling out its first affordable housing program, Good Deeds — a buy-down model based on an existing program in Eagle County. WMRHC will pay 30% of the purchase price for a home and in exchange the new homeowners must agree to setting a permanent price-capped deed restriction on the property. Anyone working full-time for an employer based in Pitkin, Eagle or Garfield counties may be eligible. The coalition’s goal is to bring 30 homes into the program by 2026, which it estimates will cost upwards of $13.5 million. So far, roughly $1.5 million has been raised with funding from the City of Glenwood Springs, Town of Snowmass Village, Town of Carbondale and Pitkin County. To learn more, visit www. wmrhousing.org/gooddeeds

Cattle Creek fire

A structure fire on County Road 113 (Cattle Creek) caused a scare on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 15. Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District encountered a single-family structure “with smoke and flames coming from all four sides of the building,” described a press release. “There was also a significant amount of ammunition in the residence that was exploding.” The flames spread to nearby trees and, fortunately, 30 personnel were able to extinguish the fire before it climbed further up the slope. No injuries were reported though the structure was deemed a total loss.

Pulse results

The Colorado Health Foundation released findings from its fifth annual Pulse Poll last week. The poll was conducted via telephone and online from May 20 to June 24, 2025 and represents a random sample of 2,404 adults living in Colorado. Among the highlights, 40% of Coloradans identify their political beliefs as a dominant factor that prevents them from feeling as sense of belonging in their community; 70% are worried they may not be able to afford to live in Colorado in the future, with 90% of those with children worried their children won’t be able to afford to live here; 89% of respondents rated the issue of housing affordability as an extreme or very

serious problem; other issues respondents declared extremely or very serious included drug overdoses (65%), crime (59%), mental health (59%), jobs and the economy (57%), immigration (53%, a dramatic rise from last year) and wildfires and other natural disasters (53%). Learn more at www.copulsepoll.org

Giving Network

The Giving Network, a donor-led Aspen Community Foundation initiative, awarded $575,250 to 15 local nonprofits this year. “This is the first year Giving Network members handled the grant cycle and it was incredibly rewarding,” noted Ramona Bruland, chair of the Giving Network. Since 2016, the Giving Network has invested over $3.1 million into the community. Applications for the next grant cycle open in January and close mid-february. Learn more at www.giving-network.org

West Nile

Mosquitos in a Battlement Mesa trap tested positive for the West Nile virus. As of July 31, Colorado has recorded seven human cases of the virus, with no deaths but four hospitalizations. “We have mosquito traps throughout the county and will continue to monitor these locations, but now we know the virus is circulating in our region,” said Jannette Whitcomb, Garfield County environmental health manager. “This is a reminder to take personal precautions because it only takes one bite to contract the virus.” The county recommends draining standing water, limiting time outside at dusk and dawn (or dressing in long sleeves and pants) and applying mosquito repellent. Most people experience minor illness, but older adults and immunocompromised individuals are at a higher risk. More information can be found at www.tinyurl.com/GarCoWestNile

They say it’s your birthday!

Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Raine Beau, Chris Hassig, Ryan Honey, Kathy McCann and Jeannie Perry (Aug. 22); Susan Brady, Brett Haynes, Chrissy Leonard and Sarah Mac (Aug. 23); Dalton Handy, Sarah Meyer and Andrea Porter (Aug. 24); Lauren Gister, John Hoffmann, Alli O’Neal and Danielle Rozga (Aug. 25); Larry Day, Linda Froning, Julie Goldstein and Julia Tallmadge (Aug. 26); Mason Frisbie, Joanne Howard and Tommy

A Roaring Fork High School freshman is greeted by cheerleading teachers upon entering the gym during the Link leaders orientation on Aug. 14. The Sopris Sun wishes all students a joy-filled and inspiring academic year. Photo by Sue Rollyson

Small keys, big impact

Carbondale entrepreneur seeks to make hotel industry more sustainable

LONDON LYLE

Sopris Sun intern

Sustainable living practices have seen a surge in popularity in recent years, especially among those who travel. From the banning of single-use plastic straws and water bottles to 10-cent grocery bags (20 in Carbondale), Americans are becoming increasingly aware of their carbon footprint, raising societal interest and often financial incentives for folks to go green.

Enter Carbondale entrepreneur Heather Bryan, CEO and founder of Jupiter and Company, which specializes in creating small, custom, plastic-free products for golf courses, hotels and stadiums. Clients buy Bryan’s engraving station, which comes with all of the luggage tags, keychains, etc., which they can use to personalize customers’ products upon request.

While production is based in Placerville, California, just outside of Sacramento, their clientele base is all over the world. In fact, Bryan is gearing up for a first-time trip to China to meet with one of her clients soon.

Bryan spent her 20s traveling around as an on-site engraver for

“They want to trade Manhattan for this fancy key card. They say we can go anywhere.”

the PGA Golf Tour; hence where the company got its unique name: from Jupiter, Florida, following Tiger Woods’ move to the area.

All this travel got Bryan thinking about the large amount of waste that those who frequent hotels contribute to the environment from single-use plastic items. One such item every traveler has to have? Key cards. Those cards are easy to lose and often end up in a landfill.

According to some estimates, on average, a 200-room hotel experiences a loss of roughly 12,000 plastic hotel key cards and sleeves

per year. Taking into account all hotels in the United States, that’s over 1,300 tons of plastic (source: Pineapple Hospitality).

Jupiter and Company offers both reusable and personalized hotel key gifts — suddenly changing that hotel room card into something you don’t want to lose.

“They’re really pretty,” Bryan said. “The goal is to promote the reuse of them, but you can also throw an initial on them and keep them as a memento from this cool experience you had.”

While the road to success has been rewarding, Bryan said, it

was by no means an easy journey.

“Being a female entrepreneur in the Roaring Fork Valley has been really tough. But I had a good idea, I was super passionate about it and I’m very persistent,” she said. “I see the end result and my customers do too. But being in Carbondale, it’s family first and work second, so it’s a unique experience.”

As for her advice to other young entrepreneurs, small-town women in particular, Bryan has three non-negotiables: “Do not borrow money! Don’t go into debt,” she said. Bryan owns 100% of her company and said that

doing local pitches — rather than trying for bigger “Shark-Tank-esque” miracles, getting in over your head borrowing from the bank, or selling a huge percentage of your company to partners — was key.

“I never borrowed any money. If I asked and got a ‘no,’ I figured it out. I found my first 50 customers, took that money, and moved on to the next stage. And that’s how I developed my Jupiter engraving station.”

Second on the list: “Finding balance in your lifestyle is key.” (Pun intended?) “For me, part of that balance included my entrepreneurial spirit and getting this grand, global-spanning idea off the ground, here in a small pocket of a valley, even when people didn’t really see my idea here.”

And last, but certainly not least: “Persist! Stay with it and figure it out. If you have a good idea, go sell it,” she said.

As for the future? Bryan plans to continue innovating and leading in sustainability practices in the manufacturing and tech industry. “My goal is to make this company huge. I’m gonna sell huge. I’m gonna sell it, and I’m gonna go on this crazy, little curlyhaired mission.”

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Strange Imports to depart Main

by month’s end

JAMES STEINDLER

Contributing Editor

Carbondale has had a taste of Eastern culture and tradition on Main Street for quite some time. Those who lived here in the ‘90s and early 2000s likely remember perusing incensed Sherpa Imports; and Strange Imports has been nestled near the center of the Dinkel Building on Main Street in Carbondale for more than 10 years, but is now on its way out the door.

Owner Dave Dixon has been working in the importing business since the ‘80s, previously selling wholesale merchandise through a warehouse at Thunder River Market for much of that time, with a few satellite stores along the way. He settled the business on Main Street around 2012 and said he wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without his “amazing” wife, Karen, who he started Strange Imports with.

The time he spent traveling, mainly in Asia, sparked an interest within Dixon. “It’s the people and cultures that really attracted me,” he told The Sopris Sun.

Steven Colby, the manager of Strange Imports, has worked on and off with Dixon for 20 years, first stumbling into the warehouse at

Thunder River Market, fascinated.

“It wasn’t that hard to find … but you walk into this warehouse door and it was like a museum,” Colby recalled. “As soon as I walked in I was like, ‘I can spend all day here.’ And little did I know that I wouldn’t [just] spend all day there.”

Colby was planning to buy the business from Dixon, but it didn’t work out that way. “We had gotten very far along in the process,” stated Dixon. “We had contracts ready and Steven had his financing.” The hiccup, according to Dixon, was that the current landlord, Rick Holmstrom of California-based Menlo Equities, only offered a four-year lease. With the previous landlord, Tony Mazza, Dixon had secured a fiveyear lease with two guaranteed five-year extensions.

Colby and Menlo Equities went back and forth on negotiations, Colby pushing for a longer lease period. According to the business partners, the landlord asked for an immediate 40% rental increase. With the fluctuating market, Dixon wouldn’t advise going in on a lease that would have to be renegotiated four years later.

Since the new landlord bought the building, Dixon has been

operating without a lease. During recent renovations the landlord abated Strange Imports’ rent. But, Dixon noted, a temporary wall was constructed through the middle of the store to separate the construction from the retail, hindering business.

Allegedly, the Menlo Equities rep Dixon and Colby had been in touch with “ghosted” them after settling on the four-year term. Dixon started the liquidation process on June 15.

“There was disappointment, but it’s more or less just statusquo. It’s always been a challenge to scrape by in this valley and hold on,” said Colby. He plans to work more in his pottery studio, teach “and look for opportunities to be more active in the community.”

Regulars and not-so-regulars have been coming into the shop expressing sadness about its loss. Colby encourages them not to be sad, but acknowledges that “it is a loss for Main Street.”

Some other business owners within the Dinkel building have expressed concern for when it comes time to renew their own leases. Others expressed gratitude for the new landlord and what he’s done for the building.

The Sopris Sun received this

statement from Menlo Equities: “We purchased the Dinkel Building in 2021 with the intent of revitalizing a building that had experienced years of neglected maintenance and was in dire need of significant capital investment. The Dinkel Building is an

emblem not only of Carbondale’s past, but also of the cultural and economic vibrancy of the town today. It has been our mission over the course of our tenured ownership to preserve the building and create a sustainable

Dave Dixon (left) and Steven Colby prepare to close up shop by the end of the month amid Strange Imports’ liquidation sale. Photo by James Steindler

CMC trustees approve $94.3 million budget

LYNN “JAKE” BURTON Sopris Sun correspondent

The Colorado Mountain College (CMC) board of trustees approved a $94.3 million budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 at their June 25 meeting in Breckenridge, according to college spokesman Brian Barker.

General Fund personnel costs are the biggest budget item at $67.5 million, followed by services, other, phone and supplies, travel and training, supplies, rental and maintenance and promotions (such as the seasonal printed class catalog).

CMC President and CEO Matt Gianneschi’s base salary is $345,000, according to a Colorado Open Records Act request submitted by The Sopris Sun.

Capital projects for 2024-25 include: college-wide major projects ($8.4 million), employee housing ($7.5 million) and facilities master plan projects ($1 million).

Minor maintenance projects include: boiler replacements, creating a gender-neutral restroom and a radiology lab, modernizing elevators and working on parking lots.

CMC’s primary revenue sources are: property taxes (70%), state revenue (14%) and tuition and fees (13%).

An elected board of trustees helps to set college policy, approves the annual budget and performs

other duties, according to the college website. The trustees are:

• Marianne Virgili (east Garfield County)

• Peg Portscheller (west Garfield County)

• Markey Butler (Pitkin County)

• Chris Romer (Eagle County)

• Kerry Buhler (Summit County)

• Bob Kuusinen (Routt County)

• Gloria Perez (Lake County)

• Dave Armstrong (liaison for Salida and Poncha Springs)

The board of trustees meets at various locations, usually every other month. They have met 12 times so far this year, six of them special meetings. Meeting dates through the remainder of the fiscal year are: Aug. 26-27 (annual planning retreat), Oct. 21-22, Dec. 16-17, Jan. 14, May 19-20 and June 24. Meeting agendas are posted on the CMC website. Board packets are available upon request.

Recent history

Colorado Mountain College was the state’s first officially designated dual mission institution. As a dual mission college, it offers a blend of certificate programs, associate degrees and bachelor’s degrees. The college is also a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)

with a more than 25% Latino student body. “The HSI designation creates opportunities for grant funding benefitting all students,” states the CMC website. In 2013, the college’s Latino population was approximately 13% of overall enrollment, which was not representative of the general population. Knowing that, the college promptly adopted performance objectives for each of its 11 campuses and the college as a whole. In every category — enrollment, retention, credit accumulation and course completion — the college focused on disparities between Latino and

non-Latino students.

The federal government designated the college an HSI in 2021 after years of efforts to grow CMC’s Latino population. It is the first HSI in the state’s rural-resort region. About one-third of Colorado’s colleges and universities have been granted HSI status. Across the U.S. there are about 500 HSI.

Hall of Fame

Most folks are not aware of CMC’s Alumni Hall of Fame. Yesenia Silva Estrada was inducted in 2015. Today she is executive director of the college’s Strategic Initiatives. Estrada started her college career

REGION’S LARGEST NETWORK

at CMC, then earned a bachelor’s in accounting from Regis University in Denver and a master’s of social work at the University of Denver, according to the Alumni Hall of Fame website. Her awards and honors include: CMC Alpine Bank Scholar (2005-2007) and the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants Gold Key award at Regis (2009). She was also an Aspen Ideas Festival Fellow (2009). Estrada was born in Chihuahua, Mexico. At the age of 6, her parents moved to Western Colorado. She is the first in her family to attend and graduate from college.

David Delaplane is an honorary hall of fame member. In 1962, while serving as manager of the Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce, he reactivated a committee whose mission was to bring a community college to the region. He “pounded the pavement” to convince voters in five counties — Garfield, Pitkin, Eagle, Summit and Lake — to establish a taxing district to fund a community college. Voters approved the ballot question 2-1. Today, the college covers 7,500 square miles and operates 11 campuses: Aspen, Breckenridge, Carbondale, Dillion, Glenwood Springs, Leadville, Rifle, Salida, Steamboat Springs and Edwards. At the direction of the state legislature, CMC also serves Chaffee, Grand and Jackson counties.

One of the newer buildings at the Spring Valley Campus is the Outdoor Leadership Center and Field House. Photo by Lynn “Jake” Burton

Axtell Park kerfuffle resolved, ambulance licensing, 2023 air quality update GARFIELD COUNTY REPORT

AMY HADDEN MARSH

Sopris Sun Correspondent

The Garfield County commissioners (BOCC) jumped right into the final regular meeting of the month on Monday. The BOCC approved the county’s Board of Equalization adjustments for tax year 2024 and the consent agenda. They also heard updates from nonprofits Literacy Outreach and Valley Settlement.

Lori Goodwin, deputy director of Human Services, presented the monthly electronic benefits transfer (EBT) numbers. The total disbursement for July was for $1,890,402.80 — the highest it’s been all year. The lowest EBT disbursement was in April for $902,791.75. Goodwin said that the increase is due to the summer EBT disbursements for children, a program started during the pandemic. “It’s $40 per child for every month that school is closed,” she explained.

Ambulance licensing

Public Health Director Josh Williams presented that the state of Colorado took over ambulance licensing statewide in July, but local governments can also opt to maintain local licensing. “The state is just cutting out the authority of the county and taking over and just brushing us aside,” opined Commission Chair John Martin. “So I think we need to continue to do what we have.”

County attorney Heather Beattie commented that perhaps the state wants to make ambulance licensing uniform statewide. “Although, of course, everybody can have a different opinion about why the state

“They don’t seem to miss the old playground equipment.”

does what it does,” she said.

Commissioner Tom Jankovsky said,“The state is overbearing by taking regulatory authority from the county.” He mentioned severance taxes and how the county is involved in a lawsuit against that. “I hate to put additional burden on ambulances to get two licenses.”

Commissioner Mike Samson stated that the county needs to make a stand. “We have preached that local control is important,” he said. “I’m tired of state government trying to take revenue and authority away.”

Both Martin and Samson voted in favor of maintaining local control over ambulance licensing. Jankovsky voted “nay.”

Environmental health updates

The BOCC heard about county wastewater, air quality, radon gas, mosquito and food safety programs from Environmental Health Manager Jannette Whitcomb. For 2023, air quality test results showed 266 “good” days

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• Vitamin D – $54

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for ozone levels, 98 “moderate” days and one “unhealthy” day. For PM2.5 levels, the county experienced 364 “good” days, one “moderate” day and no “unhealthy” days. Whitcomb said that wildfire smoke from outside the county increases ozone levels. The air quality report is available at www. tinyurl.com/GarCOAir

In 2023, the county’s Environmental Health Department distributed 224 radon gas test kits, 80% of which were completed and returned. Fifty-five of the returned tests showed a need for mitigation. Whitcombe added that West Nile virus has been identified in mosquitos found in Battlement Mesa and warns the public to take precautions when outdoors.

Jankovsky requested an update on the potable water situation at Apple Tree Park in New Castle. Whitcomb said that communications between park operators and residents have improved, and that the state has installed a drinking water station for residents. Starting in July, the state’s Mobile Home Water Quality

Act requires testing in all mobile home parks to help the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment create water quality improvement plans.

Axtell Park

The BOCC also discussed the Axtell Park situation and took public comments. The 100-year old park, at 1102 Grand Avenue in Glenwood Springs, was recently dismantled and neighborhood residents are up in arms.

Bentley Henderson, deputy county manager, explained that the problem began when the county’s Human Services Department needed more staff in the building, also at 1102 Grand Avenue. More staff means more parking so the playground equipment was removed to put in a parking lot. Picnic tables, trash receptacles and restroom facilities have also been removed, shutting residents out of the long-established park.

The upshot is that the BOCC plans to restore the park to its original glory and pay for park maintenance. Glenwood Springs City Manager Steve Boyd apologized to the residents for the lack of communication.

“It appears that discretion was not taken into consideration,” said Samson. “The commissioners are committed to getting this straight and will make [the park] better than it was.”

Residents in the audience applauded the BOCC after being promised that a future planning meeting would include input from residents.

You can find the entire meeting at www.tinyurl.com/GarCoAug19

Fire protection agencies focus on mitigation to confront increasing threats

ANNALISE GRUETER

Sopris Sun Correspondent

With wildfires breaking records for acreage and destruction and insurance prices steadily climbing in recent years, firefighters are shifting their approach to fire management.

These days, it’s normal to see regular headlines about small lightning-sparked or other accidental wildfires being allowed to burn. Firefighters are present and active when this happens. Still, instead of smothering the flames as quickly as possible, they often focus on creating strategic blockades known as fire breaks. This entails removing enough foliage to prevent fire from spreading in certain directions, but allowing it to burn itself out in others.

Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection

District Chief Rob Goodwin and Public Information Officer Jenny Cutright shared details about this shift away from blanket fire suppression.

Goodwin, who has been with the fire district since 1987, has noticed significant changes in the character and destructiveness of fires in the Roaring Fork Valley — particularly in the past 10 years. While his career includes the tragic 1994 Storm King Fire, officially recorded as the South Canyon Fire, he emphasizes that the average scale of wildfires has increased, and not just because of climate change. While

warming temperatures and beetle kill stands of forest are partially to blame for higher risk, Goodwin says, “the 150-plus years of full fire suppression set the stage for catastrophic fires.”

Fire departments and districts have been joining together to adapt techniques.

New groups include the nonprofit Roaring Fork Valley Wildfire Collaborative, which brings together regional firefighters, city and county administrations, state agencies, the United States Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and think tanks to accelerate tactical shifts and community engagement. This style of harmonic management is needed given the scale of threat.

I had done on my property saved it and multiple others.”

What does mitigation mean, exactly? It is a toolbox of strategies that go far beyond suppression’s aim of putting out all fires as soon as possible. In Colorado, many agencies are wildland-urban interface fire departments. Their remit is to protect both human infrastructure and wilderness from excessive fire damage. In the case of neighborhoods and commercial areas, that means establishing fire perimeters around buildings and fire breaks between forest and towns or subdivisions. These gaps stall wildfires long enough for firefighters to combat flames and ideally prevent property loss.

It took decades to create the problem and it will take decades to get out,

-Fire Chief Rob Goodwin

“Fire management has been a problem,” Goodwin explained. “It took decades to create the problem and it will take decades to get out,” adding that fire departments are already multiple decades into the remedial strategy: adaptive mitigation.

“Mitigation works,” he said. “It’s as important or more important than suppression.” Cutright chimed in, “For example, last year’s Mountain Shadows fire [in Glenwood Springs]. The mitigation

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An even higher priority mitigation step is identifying — and when necessary, creating — evacuation routes or corridors. Many residential areas are reached by roads surrounded by dry brush species like gamble oak and sage. Such neighborhoods face a potential trap if a wildfire spreads in the area when mitigation corridors aren’t maintained around access roads. Individuals can engage support from their local fire agency to address threats like this. Private families to full HOAs or apartment complexes can contact Carbondale Fire or their town’s equivalent to request a free mitigation consultation. Goodwin explained, “We’ll come and walk your property with you, and then provide you recommendations of steps to take for protection.”

Crystal Valley Environmental Protection

Goodwin and Cutright both elaborated that they hope to see more accountability and engagement from the general public.

“We have a great group of firefighters and first responders,” Goodwin asserts, “but every one of us has a responsibility.” Cutright added that individuals should go beyond just thinning brush close to their homes: “Sign up for Reachwell and county alerts, including adjacent counties.” While firefighters aim to “keep small fires small” close to towns, that is much easier with grassroots engagement and proactive mitigation.

For proof of this, we can look at two of the Roaring Fork Valley’s largest and most recent fires, the 2018 Lake Christine Fire and the 2020 Grizzly Creek Fire. During the latter, said Goodwin, “the areas that had done mitigation in Spring Valley saw virtually no property loss. It’s an example of what should be done and a great success story.” He and Cutright agreed that the same was true along the eastern edge of Missouri Heights during the Lake Christine blaze.

On a larger scale, controlled burns and prescribed burns are forms of mitigation conducted in spring, when ecosystem moisture helps to limit risk during firebased removal of excess brush and timber on ranches or at-risk sections of forest and public land, respectively. Prescribed burns have become more frequent as a means of preventing larger summertime wildfires.

Current fire management recommendations and area fire restrictions are available at www. rfvwildfire.org and www.carbondalefire.org in addition to other city and county-level agency sites. Contact your local fire department to request mitigation consultation.

Association

52nd Annual Meeting

Sunday, August 25th at 3:30pm

Enjoy Drinks at 4pm, Speakers at 4:30pm on the dinner shortly after 5pm on the Patio at Raspberry Ridge Cafe and Inn, Marble, CO

Gunnison County commissioner Jonathan Houck will be our speaker and Zane Kessler of Colorado River District will also provide updates.

To learn more about the Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association, the environmental watchdog of the Crystal River Valley since 1972, visit cvepa.org

Exploring alternative healthcare options

JESS PETERSON

Sopris Sun Correspondent

The reason Ali Margo stumbled upon Zion Healthshare was because her husband’s company took away the option to add spouses to insurance coverage. The company’s decision was prompted by high premiums and set Margo, a self-employed writer, on a search for individual plans. But the most affordable plan that met her needs included a $700 monthly premium.

Through Zion Healthshare, she seeks out treatment, lets the provider know she does not have health insurance and submits the bill to Zion to be reimbursed.

“I pay around $250 a month and am covered after the first $1,000,” Margo told The Sopris Sun. “So far, this has worked well for routine screenings. The first time I used it was for a mammogram [and] I was reimbursed relatively quickly.”

Margo was enthusiastic to share her experience with Zion and said the company provided a solution.

“The fact remains that health insurance is insanely expensive and ultimately doesn’t provide much coverage,” said Margo. “I’d rather take on the risk of going with this alternative than pay through the nose for nothing — a high deductible means that I’m paying out of pocket anyway.”

On the other hand, Doctor George Bohmfalk, a retired neurosurgeon and active member of Charlotte, North Carolina’s chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program, said that while Zion’s offerings may

seem appealing, there are risks associated with the nonprofit’s “community-based alternative” compared to standard insurance.

“I’m completely opposed to them because … people don’t realize what they’re getting into,” said Bohmfalk. “It’s all fine if all you do is break a leg or something like that. But if you had obstructive lung disease and they found out you smoked … they might just not hand over any kind of reimbursement.”

Bohmfalk said he believes in universal healthcare but, practically speaking, getting there is not so simple.

“On the one hand, solving our healthcare problem is a simple thing. If we had Medicare, improved it … and then spread it to everybody we’d save money [and] everybody would be happy,” said Bohmfalk. “But then, when you start looking at the details of it, it’s horrendously complicated.”

“If the Democrats swept congress and enough pressure was made … we could get it,” he added. “On the other hand, we might slog along for another 30 years with everybody suffering unnecessarily and wasting so much money on the healthcare system.”

Concierge and DPC

Concierge medicine and direct primary care (DPC) are two forms of healthcare coverage that Bohmfalk considers to be “elite entities.” Both are subscription-based coverage options in which a patient pays an annual fee to a clinic. However, concierge patients are required to pay for individual office visits on top of their fee, whereas

“I’m starting up a concierge medicine practice. You in?”

those visits are generally included under a DPC membership.

Doctor Tim Kruse of Premier Medical Center in Basalt operates his clinic with the DPC model and claims it’s a better setup for providers and patients alike. He added that he first heard about DPC at a medical conference.

“I decided then that I wanted to try that type of practice where I had more time to spend with patients and to focus on them,” said Kruse. “That was something that was really important to me.”

On Premier Medical Center’s website, the cost for monthly fees ranges from $49 a month for children (under 25) and up to $230 a month for adult members over the age of 50. Patients can pay the clinic monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually depending on their preference. Kruse added that the reason new patients tend to

be hesitant of the DPC setup is because of a lack of understanding.

“It took a while to explain it to folks and for them to really see the value. Because, for a long time, it’s just been, ‘How much is my healthcare going to cost, and how can I minimize that cost?’” said Kruse. The efficient nature of DPC makes for happier patients who end up being seen sooner than they would at a standard doctor’s office, he added.

“Several businesses in the Valley have been able to offer this to their employees as part of their benefits package,” added Kruse. “It saves the business a little bit of money and improves employee satisfaction.”

Being able to afford healthcare is an obstacle that continues to grow for many Americans. The consideration for alternatives to standard health insurance payments will only increase as premiums keep going up.

Community Classes Starting Soon

MEMOIR WRITING WORKSHOP

Last day to register - TODAY

Mondays, 6-8pm, 8/26-10/7

CROCHET A STUFFED ANIMAL

Thurs, 6-8pm, 8/29-9/19

ZUMBA

Thurs, 6:30-7:30pm, 8/29-11/21

SPANISH FLUENCY THROUGH STORYTELLING

Thurs, 6-8pm, 9/5-10/10

SOMATIC YOGA

Mondays, 9-10am, 9/9-9/23

WINTERIZE YOUR GARDEN

Wed, 5:30-7:30pm, 9/11 Basalt Thurs, 5:30-7:30pm, 9/12 CB

DYI FIRE CIDER

Saturday, 1-4pm, 9/14

APOCALYPSE 101: SURVIVING A LONG EMERGENCY Saturday, 1-3pm, 9/14

INTRO TO REFORMER Tues/Thurs, 8-8:50am, 9/17-10/10

INTRO TO REFORMER Tues/Thurs, 8-8:50am, 9/17-10/10

BEG INDESIGN Wed, 6-8:30pm, 9/25-10/16

INTRO TO BEEKEEPING Sat, 1-4pm, 9/21

Community Class Registration . . .

Credit Classes Open to Community

INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS W, 6-8:30pm, 8/26-12/2, CB

BUS COMM & REPORT WRITING

T, 6-7:50pm, 8/27-12/3, CB

BEG & INTEMEDIATE ESL - CB (English as 2nd Language) M/W, 5:30-7:50pm, 9/4-11/20

GED PREP M, 6-8:20pm, 8/26-11/18, CB W, 10am-12:20, 8/28-11/20, Basalt

ADULT HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA W, 6-8:20pm 8/28-11/13, CB Th, 10am-12:20pm, 8/29-11/14, AS

GEOLOGY FIELD TRIP TO UTAH CANYONLANDS 9/4, 9/7, 9/10-9/15, 9/19

Senior Grant Tuition Rate: 50% off tuition charge for in-district residents who are 62 years old or older. More info or to register for Credit Classes 970-963-2172

THURSDAY, AUGUST 22

THEATRE ASPEN

Theatre Aspen invites you to the closing weekend of “Come From Away” at the Hurst Theatre at 4 and 8pm today, tomorrow at 7:30pm and Saturday at 4 and 8pm. Visit www.theatreaspen.org for tickets.

CMC OFFICE HOURS

Basalt Library hosts open office hours with Colorado Mountain College from 4:30 to 5:30pm. Academic advisors will share GED, ESL and digital literacy resources and more.

POWER OF PERSPECTIVE

Basalt Library hosts a writing and discussion workshop exploring how simple word shifts can alter our perception. The workshop will be led by a certified peer support specialist from 5 to 6:45pm.

RVR MUSIC

The Handlebar at The Homestead RVR hosts Rodrigo Arreguin for live music from 5 to 7pm.

RIVERSIDE YOGA

Shianne Wright guides a yoga session at the Basalt River Park from 7 to 8pm. This is a donation-based event with 15% of proceeds benefiting Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers.

FINAL RODEO

The Carbondale Wild West Rodeo concludes its summer season today. A free shuttle to the Gus Darien Riding Arena passes by The Orchard and 4th and Colorado (across from Town Hall) regularly between 6 and 10pm. Gates open at 5pm, slack is at 5:45pm and grand entry at 7:30pm.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

SoL Theatre’s production of “Jesus Chris Superstar” concludes this weekend. The “pay what you can” admission show is tonight, Friday a nd Saturday at 7:30pm. Tickets at www.soltheatrecompany.org

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23

STORYTIME

The Carbondale Library offers “Storytime” for young children and their accompanying adults from 10:30 to 11am. Basalt Library offers storytime with movement at the same time, intended for ages 3 and under.

MUSIC AT WILLITS

Sweet Jessup and the Dirty Buckets perform at Triangle Park in Willits at 5:30pm.

BACH TO BLUEGRASS

Roaring For Youth Orchestra’s annual fundraiser, “Bach to Bluegrass,” will be performed at the Old Thompson Barn (333 River Valley Ranch Road) from 6 to 8:30pm. For tickets, visit www.rfyo.org

CRYSTAL THEATRE

“Thelma” returns to the Crystal Theatre for showings at 7:30 tonight, tomorrow and Thursday, Aug. 29. The Sunday show is at 5pm.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 24

BOTANY HOUSEPLANT

The Botany Houseplant Shop in Carbondale celebrates its second anniversary with giveaways, storewide sales and cupcakes from 10am to 5pm. New shop additions include textiles, puzzles, candles and bags.

CLIMATE FILM

Catch the first in a series of six climatethemed documentaries presented by 350 Roaring Fork at the Carbondale Library from 4:30 to 6:30pm.

HANNAH ROTHSTEIN

An art opening for renowned millennial artist Hannah Rothstein’s exhibit at the Aspen Collective starts at 6pm. More info at www.aspencollective.com

MUSIC ON THE MOUNTAIN

The Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park welcomes Mitt Spicy and the Blues Bandits for a concert from 6 to 9pm with proceeds benefiting Garfield County Search and Rescue.

SALSA AT TACAW

Mezcla Socials hosts Salsa Night at TACAW featuring Conjunto Colores. A salsa tutorial starts at 8pm followed by the social at 9pm. Tickets and more info at www.tacaw.org

SUNDAY, AUGUST 25

BUDDHIST BLESSING

Tibetan Buddhist Monks of the Gaden Shartse Monastery offer a community blessing at True Nature from 10:30am to noon. The event is free, but a $25 donation is suggested. Registration and more info at www.truenaturehealingarts.com

CVEPA

The Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association’s 52nd annual meeting will be hosted on the patio of the Raspberry Ridge Cafe in Marble beginning at 4pm

SUNDAY SESSIONS

KDNK DJ Modern Marty spins psychfolk and blues-roots-rock tunes at El Dorado from 4 to 7pm. A portion of drink sales will benefit KDNK.

QUINLAN VALDEZ

Quinlan Valdez performs at Steve’s Guitars at 8pm. Tickets at www.stevesguitars.net

MONDAY, AUGUST 26

IN STITCHES

The In Stitches Knitting Club meets at the Carbondale Library at 1:30pm.

SWOON SOCIETY

High school students who love to read love stories are invited to join Basalt Library’s new Swoon Society book club. To start off, the group discusses “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” by Jenny Han, today at 4pm. Visit www.basaltlibrary.org for more info.

AIKIDO

Crystal River Aikikai hosts aikido classes at 13 Moons Ranch on Mondays from 5:30 to 6:30pm and Wednesdays from 9:30 to 10:30am. Children’s classes are offered on Mondays and Wednesdays at 4pm. Learn more at www.crystalriveraikikai.com

MEDITATION

Roaring Fork Insight hosts a meditation group followed by a dharma talk at 13 Moons Ranch beginning at 7pm. Visit www.roaringforkinsight.org/events for more info.

TUESDAY,

AUGUST 27

GIRLS WHO CODE

Students of all genders learn the basics of coding at the Basalt Library from 3:45 to 4:45pm. Visit www.basaltlibrary.org for more info.

DRAWING CLUB

The Roaring Fork Drawing Club meets at Skyline Ranch in Carbondale at 6:30pm. All are welcome to hang around and casually draw, paint, sketch, doodle, etc.

DAVID SINGLEY

David Singley performs at Steve’s Guitars at 8pm. Tickets at www.stevesguitars.net

CALENDAR

Sept. 2 - Labor Day, no school

Oct. 11-14 - Fall break, no school

Oct. 25 - Parent-teacher conferences, no school

Nov. 25-29 - Thanksgiving holiday, no school

Dec. 23-Jan. 3 - Winter break, no school

Jan. 20 - Martin Luther King Day, no school

Feb. 17 - Presidents Day, no school

March 14 - Parent-teacher conferences, no school

March 24-28 - Spring break, no school

April 18 - April break, no school

May 26 - Memorial Day, no school

May 30 - School’s out for summer!

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28

KIDS ZONE

Five to 11 year olds are invited to the Basalt Library children’s section for a variety of after school activities from 2:30 to 3:30pm.

BOOK TALK

This month, Basalt Library’s Book Talk group discusses James McBride’s “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” at 5:30pm. Pick up a free copy at the library while supplies last.

BASALT MUSIC

Elk Range opens for Dragondeer at 5:30pm, closing out the summer music series at Basalt River Park.

NARCAN TRAINING

High Rockies Harm Reduction teaches how to recognize and respond to an overdose using Narcan at the Carbondale Library from 6 to 7pm.

FOOD TALK

TACAW presents “The Election and the Future of Food on Your Table” in partnership with the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies at 6pm.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 29

SUPREME COURT 101

Liz Siegel teaches the basics of state and federal court structures and discusses a slew of relevant Supreme Court cases at the Basalt Library at 5:30pm. Visit www. basaltlibrary.org for more info.

SOMATIC EXPLORATION

True Nature hosts “Somatic Exploration: The Wisdom of Your Body” with Kat Taylor from 6 to 8pm. Register online at www.truenaturehealingarts.com

DIABLOS TEJANOS

Steve’s Guitars presents Anthony Garcia & Los Diablos Tejanos at 8pm. Tickets at www.stevesguitars.net

VICTORIA PENNOCK

Local musician Victoria Pennock performs originals and covers at the Hoffmann Hotel (30 Kodiak Drive) in Basalt from 5 to 8pm.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 30

PEACE GARDEN TOUR

Laura Kirk and Megan Miller lead a botanical tour of the Peace Garden at True Nature at 8am. Register online at www.truenaturehealingarts.com

REDSTONE ART SHOW

The 28th annual Redstone Art Show returns this Labor Day weekend with over 35 artists selling their work, live demonstrations, workshops and more. The opening reception is tonight at 6pm and the show is open tomorrow and Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Dogs are not permitted inside the tents.

ELI MOSLEY

Eli Mosley plays at Steve’s Guitars at 8pm. Tickets at www.stevesguitars.net

SATURDAY, AUGUST 31

ALZHEIMER’S EVENT

The Aspen Chapel (77 Meadowood Drive) welcomes Rebecca Chopp, Chancellor Emerita of the University of Denver, to share about her Alzheimer’s diagnosis and new book, “Still Me,” from 10am to noon. The event will also be live streamed. Tickets are at www.aspenchapel.org

COTTAGE TOUR

The Redstone Historical Society offers a peek into an original and virtually unaltered Osgood-era cottage at the corner of Firehouse Road and Redstone Boulevard from 11am to 2pm. The historic walking tours continue every Saturday through Sept. 28 departing from the Redstone Inn at 10am.

CURRYS ON THE MOUNTAIN

Husband and wife bluegrass duo

Lorraine and Craig Curry, also known as the “Colorado Currys,” perform at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park from 5 to 8pm. They will be back on the mountain on Sept. 1 at the same time.

LABOR DAY PARTY

Bay-area folk-pop duo Lonely Parrots perform at El Dorado’s Labor Day weekend party from 7 to 10pm.

BLACK FEATHERS

Steve’s Guitars presents The Black Feathers at 8pm. Tickets at www.stevesguitars.net

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

SUNDAY MEDITATION

The Carbondale Meditation Circle of Self Realization Fellowship, based on the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, meets the first Sunday of every month from 9 to 10:30am at True Nature. Email rachelfdayton@gmail. com for more info.

Mosey on down and enjoy dining, live music, shopping & more on Rodeo Thursdays in Carbondale.

Drink Specials

Food Promos

Entertainment

Park in town and ride the free shuttle to and from the rodeo:

#1. The Orchard #2. Fourth and Colorado

give yourself a weekend of

roaringforkinsight.org /events

This weekend retreat is appropriate for beginners and seasoned practitioners, and will be led by Zenki Christian Dillo Roshi, Boulder Zen Center’s Guiding Teacher.

Non-residential retreat with lunch and dinner in Carbondale: Fee: $300

Friday, Aug 30 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Saturday, Aug 31 8:00 am - 9:00 pm Sunday, Sep 1 8:00 am - 2:00 pm

Combined Basalt High golf team tees up good start to season

JOHN STROUD

Sopris Sun Correspondent

Among the first local high school fall sports teams to see action this season is the combined Basalt High School (BHS) boys golf team, which is already four competitions in and establishing itself as one of the top Class 3A teams on the Western Slope.

The Longhorns’ top three players, senior Jackson Stewart and sophomores Griffin Didier and Hudson Arnold, are all from Carbondale. The combined district team is hosted by BHS but draws students from the Roaring Fork, Basalt and Glenwood Springs high school attendance areas.

The team is coached by Travis Stewart, Jackson’s father.

The Longhorn Invitational brought 10 teams to the River Valley Ranch Golf Course in Carbondale on Aug. 13, where Jackson Stewart out-shot Aspen junior Leo Roennau for the win with an 18-hole round of 69. Roennau shot 70 to place second, and Didier was 4 strokes back at 74, tying him for third place. Arnold finished eighth with a 76.

Basalt won the team competition with a combined low score (three scoring players) of 219. Aspen was second with 228 and Fruita Monument third with 229.

Playing at the Tiger Invitational at the Bookcliff Country Club in Grand Junction on Monday, Aug. 19, Didier was the

team’s low scorer, placing fourth overall with a 71, while Stewart was fifth with a 73 and Arnold was 14th with a 79.

Grand Junction High won the team competition with a combined score of 206, Basalt was second with 223 and Aspen third with 230.

The team was back in action on Wednesday at the Battle of the Glen, held at the Aspen Golf Club.

Also getting things rolling this past

week was the combined BHS girls softball team, which dropped a home non-conference game 21-1 to Durango on Saturday. The Longhorns were back in action on Tuesday at home against Grand Junction, and were at Aspen on Thursday.

The combined Basalt cross country team hosts its first meet of the season, the Longhorn Invitational, the morning of Saturday, Aug. 24, at Crown Mountain Park in El Jebel.

RFHS fall sports HOME game varsity schedules:

FOOTBALL (Rams Field @ CMS)

Friday, Sept. 6 vs. Yuma, 6pm

Saturday, Sept. 14 vs. Del Norte, 12pm

Friday, Oct. 4 vs. Grand Valley, 7pm (Homecoming)

Friday, Oct. 11 vs. Meeker, 7pm

Friday, Nov. 1 vs. North Fork, 7pm

BOYS SOCCER (RAMS FIELD @ CMS)

Friday, Aug. 23 vs. Crested Butte, 6pm

Thursday, Sept. 19 vs. Steamboat Springs, 4pm

Saturday, Sept. 28 vs. Summit, 11am

Tuesday, Oct. 1 vs. Basalt, 4pm (Homecoming)

Tuesday, Oct. 8 vs. Aspen, 3pm

Thursday, Oct. 24 vs. Vail Mountain, 3pm

Friday, Oct. 25 vs. CRMS, 3pm

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL (Rams Gymnasium @ RFHS)

Friday, Aug. 30 vs. Steamboat Springs, 6pm

Thursday, Sept. 5 vs. Basalt, 6:30pm

Thursday, Sept. 12 vs. Grand Junction, 6:30pm

Thursday, Sept. 19 vs. Coal Ridge, 6:30pm

Tuesday, Sept. 24 vs. Olathe, 6:30pm

Thursday, Oct. 3 vs. Grand Valley, 6:30pm (Homecoming)

Thursday, Oct. 10 vs. Moffat County, 6pm

Tuesday, Oct. 22 vs. Aspen, 6:30pm

Thursday, Oct. 31 vs. North Fork, 6:30pm

GIRLS SOFTBALL (combined, games played at the BHS field)

Saturday, Aug. 24 vs. Cedaredge, 11am

Friday, Aug. 30 vs. Valley, 2pm; and vs Platte Valley, 4pm

Saturday, Aug. 31 vs Bennett, 11am and 1pm

Tuesday, Sept. 10 vs. Aspen, 4pm

Tuesday, Sept. 17 vs. Battle Mountain, 3pm

Saturday, Oct. 12 vs. Gunnison, noon and 1pm

SOPRIS SUN'S YOUTH JOURNALISM PROGRAM

Basalt High School No. 1 golfer Jackson Stewart guides a putt into the hole on the 18th green at River Valley Ranch during the Longhorn Invitational high school golf meet on Aug. 13. Photo by John Stroud

SoL Theatre wows audiences with ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’

MYKI ANNSTELLA JONES

Arts Correspondent

On Aug. 15, youth theater company SoL Theatre premiered “Jesus Christ Superstar” at Thunder River Theatre (TRTC) — the second show in their summer stock season. The theater was practically full and the cast was met with a standing ovation at the end of the final number. Despite a COVID scare which resulted in the cancellation of the other planned performances over opening weekend, the show will go on with performances currently scheduled from Aug. 21 to 24.

First hitting the stage on Oct. 12, 1971, this rock opera is a retelling of the story of Jesus of Nazareth and his apostles. It explores themes of fame and humility as well as philosophical wonderings of what it means to be human, separating the man Jesus was from his destiny.

The young SoL cast brings enthusiasm and charm with this fresh performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s original script.

SoL director Jennifer Austin Hughes made creative decisions with inclusiveness in mind. Some roles in the show which male or male-presenting actors would typically play were portrayed by women or gender-nonconforming actors. Blake Novy, a SoL Theatre regular and gender-nonconforming actor, stepped into the leading role of Jesus Christ and delivered a powerhouse of a performance. They portrayed the role in a way that stripped away Jesus’ mysticism, amplifying themes of love and humanity.

Allison Fifield plays Judas, Jesus’ right-hand man who eventually betrays him, and brings depth to the character colloquially known as traitor. Through her stage presence and powerful voice, she just about brought the house down with the opening number, “Heaven on their Minds.”

Striking a chord with local youth

Rock and Roll Academy

Aspen builds more than musical skills

JEANNE SOULDERN

Sopris Sun Correspondent

Rock and Roll Academy Aspen (RRAA) began as an inspired idea in Telluride and found its home in Aspen in 2010. The program, founded by Russell Cattaneo after seeing Mark Galbo’s original concept in Telluride, has become a staple in the Roaring Fork Valley’s musical education scene. Kriss Harrison, RRAA’s executive director who took over in 2017, continues to grow the program as a space for young musicians to explore creativity, learn and perform.

Harrison’s path to leading RRAA began as a local music educator involved with Jazz Aspen Snowmass and public school band programs. When Cattaneo reached out to sell the business, Harrison realized RRAA’s format aligned with his desire to teach music to small groups of four to eight students. “I had pretty much maxed out my schedule and realized I needed to teach kids in small groups, and this format lent itself to that,” he recalled.

Initially, RRAA operated out of the Aspen Airport Business Center until 2017. Harrison then spent the next three years transporting equipment in his car from site to site, holding classes across Aspen, Basalt and Carbondale. It wasn’t until 2020 that RRAA found a permanent home at Love Rocks Studio in Willits, co-founded by

Harrison’s partner, Steve Cook.

A key part of RRAA’s mission is fostering authentic creativity and expression through music. “One of the reasons that Rock and Roll Academy is doing so well is because we’ve found a space. A primary mission of the organization is to provide and protect a space for kids to experience authentic creativity and expression through music,” Harrison explained. Though still relatively under the radar, RRAA is working to spread the word and grow the program Valleywide, focusing on inclusivity and diversity.

For families concerned about affordability, RRAA, a nonprofit organization since 2014, has always prioritized making the program accessible through scholarships.

Leslee Francis heads up outreach. Her son, Bodi, has participated in the program on scholarship. She shared her gratitude, saying, “The program profoundly impacted my son,” who spent 10 years in the program and plays drums with his band, SALT.

Securing funding is an ongoing challenge. Harrison, with Francis’ help, has been applying for grants. This year, the Town of Basalt awarded RRAA 99% of its budget request, “which was absolutely amazing,” he said.

Harrison also noted the importance of private donations and community support in helping RRAA grow. Francis said fundraising efforts will support program expansion and scholarships for students unable to afford the $895 tuition.

Students in grades 4 to 12 don’t just learn to play music; they learn to perform. Each summer camp ends with a public concert, and semester-long programs culminate in

Karli Ulto plays Mary Magdalene, a prostitute and follower of Jesus who finds herself falling in love with him. Brittany Crooke plays the apostle Peter. Clare Williams and Jillian Cole both play Simon. Charlie Cox plays Pontius Pilate and Nathan Cox plays King Herod.

The other apostles are portrayed by Malia Machado, Kassidy Birdsong, Isabella Poschman and Sara Kokish. The priests are portrayed by Zack Hanrahan, Ricky Perez, Oren Barnes, Ozley Choquette, Bow Williams and Willow Poschman. Adult actors Gerald DeLisser (Caiaphas) and Hattie Rensberry (Annas) portray the two priests who conspired to kill Jesus.

SoL’s performance of “Jesus Christ Superstar” is filled with fun choreography. The chemistry among the cast is palpable and fourth-wall breaks connect the audience to the story. Audiences are in for moments of humor and ponderings of existentialism in ways they may not anticipate. After the opening, some audience members expressed getting chills at times and being moved to tears at others.

If there is one word to describe this production, it might be “fun,” or, if granted two, “exceptionally fun!” The show’s rating teeters on PG-13 for elements of violence, suicide and religious interpretation.

IN A NUTSHELL:

What: ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’

Where: Thunder River Theatre

When: Aug. 21, 22, 23 and 24 at 7:30pm

Tickets: www.soltheatrecompany.org

performances at The Art Campus at Willits (TACAW). Harrison has witnessed firsthand the impact of these performances, not only on the students but also on their parents. “I’ve seen the beauty of how important it is to them and the parents just go, ‘Wow, my kid just did that,’” he said.

Braden Scott, a former student and now a teaching assistant, embodies the success of RRAA’s mission. Scott began at RRAA at the age of eight and now is a guitarist for SALT. He also teaches at the academy, passing his passion for music to the next generation. “Coming in here is like going to paradise; everything outside goes away,”

Scott shared. “It’s like an escape for me and a safe space for us.”

Dylan Duba, a sixth grader at Aspen Community School, is passionate about music and has participated in summer camps for two years. “I really love this program,” he said. “It helps my skills, and I get to learn new songs on guitar that I probably wouldn’t have thought of at home.” Now signed up for the fall semester, Dylan’s mother, Jacqueline Duba, added, “He’s been begging me all summer to take classes again. I’m happy to support him in something he’s so passionate about.”

continued on page 18

Blake Novy (pictured center) sings to their apostles while Allison Fifield’s Judas (right, far back) watches anxiously. Courtesy photo

After his first day at Basalt Middle School, Jackson McCracken stopped by Love Rocks to jam with Kriss Harrison. Photo by Jeanne Souldern

Streaking into the future

From the archives of the Roaring Fork Review, Valley Journal and The Sopris Sun; in collaboration with the Carbondale Historical Society and Carbondale Branch Library

Aug. 8, 1974

Gubernatorial candidate Dick Lamm held a fundraising luncheon at 10th Mountain Veteran John Tripp’s home and sat down for an interview while he was in town. He took aim at then-governor John Vanderhoof for neglecting the needs of smaller communities.

“There’s no question that the Western Slope is the stepsister of Colorado,” he observed. “You have only to look at the power of the Denver Water Board.”

PAGES of the PAST

He presciently warned of looming water shortages, though his cited projections for the “tri-county region” to grow to 300,000 residents was, thankfully, overblown. He ended the session by asserting the state was “streaking into the future naked of any protection it needs.” The Review thought he might be the one to put some clothes on us, and he did indeed end up serving three terms in the post.

In other news … “Mr. and Mrs. Bob Sewell” celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Bob had been born on their ranch at the mouth of Thompson Creek. Nellie, née Snyder, was referred to exclusively by her husband’s name in the announcement.

Aug. 16, 1984

Garfield County commissioners denied an application for three driveway permits to the Te Ke Ki subdivision southwest of Carbondale. The subdivision itself had been approved in the late 1960s but had remained undeveloped due to lack of access. A road off of CR 100 had begun construction, only to be stymied by permitting issues to cross the Denver and Rio Grande Western tracks (now the Rio Grande Trail).

Next, developers tried suing the Nieslanik family for access across their ranches and petitioned for access off on County Roads 101, 111 or 153, despite stiff opposition from the Town of Carbondale and general public. The commissioners’ decision put a dent in those plans, though landowners hoped the court might come to their rescue. (The subdivision never came to fruition.)

In other news … Twenty-three-year-old Aspen High School grad Alexi Grewal was back in the Valley after his gold-medal performance in the 190-km bicycle race at the XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles.

Aug. 11, 1994

The Aspen Educational Research Foundation (AERF) was working on the possibility of a new Carbondale Community School. They hoped to avoid some of the pitfalls of a charter — implicit criticism of the existing schools leading to competition and bad feelings — by partnering with the school districts themselves. Aspen School District, meanwhile, was fully prepared to annex the existing Aspen Community School, according to superintendent Tom Farrell. “I think it’s wonderful,” he said. “Parents are asking for choices for their kids — that is pretty clear — and this offers a choice.”

In other news … National Public Radio planned to broadcast an upcoming Glenwood Springs Summer of Jazz concert with South African trumpet player Masekela.

Aug. 12, 2004

A Valley Journal editorial described an incident in which Steve “Social” Horn was tased repeatedly while trying to set up for KDNK’s Blews Brews and Barbecue event as “an overreaction and excessive use of force.” It all started with a traffic stop but escalated when both Horn and Officer José Muñoz exited their cars. Witnesses contested the police assessment that Horn was being aggressive, but Mayor Michael Hassig said he would accept the official report barring new information.

The Journal, however, saw it as part of a bigger problem, citing other tense incidents over Mountain Fair weekend. “Carbondale is by no means a police state in the making, but we should not be made to feel unnecessarily uncomfortable in our own home town,” it read.

In other news … Former Basalt Town Manager Tom Baker was selected to take on the role in Carbondale after an extensive public process.

Aug. 21, 2014

More than 1,000 spectators lined Main Street as the USA Pro Challenge bike race sprinted through town on its way from Aspen to Crested Butte. Due to an uncertain arrival time, the Town had to work hard to support a road closure that cut off a section of Carbondale for several hours. The Chamber stepped up with chalk art and booths while folks waited. In the end, it took 128-world class bikers less than a minute to sprint through downtown.

In other news … Then-U.S. Representative Jared Polis introduced a bill to safeguard 60,000 acres of Summit and Eagle counties just in time for the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act.

Woodstock 55 years later: A legacy of connection

ANNALISE GRUETER

Sopris Sun Correspondent

Over half a century after a little music festival exceeded its ambitions, Roaring Fork Valley residents who attended are contemplating its legacy. The organizers of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair hoped for perhaps 60,000 total attendees over the course of the weekend. Momentum and energy resulted in something entirely different: nearly half a million participants in an experience that went beyond a simple concert and shifted the perception of music and gatherings in North America.

Terry Glasenapp grew up in Rochester, Minnesota. As a teenager, he was an avid fan of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and other popular 1960s bands. His passion for music included flipping through magazines promoting concerts and profiling artists. This was how, early in the summer of ’69, he and friends came across an advertisement in Ramparts Magazine for a music and art fair slated for the weekend of Aug. 15-18 in upstate New York.

bodies, “a merging of walking people, which felt like a pilgrimage.”

Much of what Glasenapp shares echoes the images and notions now permanently attached to the name Woodstock. “We saw Arlo Guthrie and other legends of the day, and got to watch Richie Havens play ‘Freedom’ while he was improvising his 45-minute set into a 2.5-hour one to cover for bands who had gotten stuck in the traffic.” He remembers the energy around Santana’s performance, and the vibrational high of Jimi Hendrix closing.

When I was in my teen years, music was one of the most important things,

-Terri Glasenapp

Glasenapp’s journey to the concert may sound familiar to today’s music festival attendees. After buying weekend tickets through the mail for $18 apiece, he and a friend began their roadtrip eastward. After traveling for three days, he recounts, “we drove through New York City and stayed with a girlfriend in New Jersey who had convinced her begrudging parents to put us up for a night. They ended up refusing to let her go to a concert many hours north with two adolescent boys and countless hippies.”

The two young music fans continued north into the unknown. The farther upstate they drove, the more traffic increased. Around Bethel, New York, traffic slowed to a crawl. People parked along the road shoulder and walked miles to the dairy farm. Glasenapp laughed recalling how they decided to park when pedestrians were easily passing the vehicles in the queue. “I’d never seen anything like it, so many thousands of people. It gave me a growing feeling of something epic, momentous, almost spiritual.” He and his companion parked their vehicle and joined the flow of

Yet what Glasenapp and other attendees remember more vividly is the feeling among the crowds that weekend. When the festival organizers realized they might get more than 60,000 attendees, Glasenapp explained, they looked for an opener to share a poignant message. They selected Sri Swami Satchidananda to set the tone. “He put out a vibration through his voice; I believe it put an energy through the festival.” He still remembers the emphasis on unity, mindfulness practice like yoga and meditation and ways to calm ourselves. “Woodstock may have been a little push or a big one in the direction of Western culture embracing yoga and meditation,” Glasenapp asserts. Satchidananda’s message, the music and the energy of the gathered masses had “almost a cellular effect of connection and trust and hope.”

Glasenapp didn’t see any violence over the weekend. Ann Halpin, who now lives in Grand Junction, was at the concert separately. She remembers one conflict, but she remembers that she and others in the vicinity talked the men arguing down. “I saw two guys in an argument, in fight positions, ready to punch each other. Many of us around them booed them down and said, ‘Peace! We’re not having that here!’ The fight was averted.”

Roaring Fork Valley local Chuck Ristine remembers how the resident farmers changed their tune about the flood of young people in the area. “The locals did a big turnaround, from being afraid of us, to sending food in, giving us water.” Many of the young attendees

continued on page 18

Photos from Terry Glasenapp’s Woodstock archives show an appreciation for music, community and 1960s counterculture.

Local musicians travel to Japan with Unity Earth

BURLEIGH

Sopris Sun Editor

Since December 2012, when Unity Earth hosted its first festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the interfaith peace movement has grown across the globe, bringing together artists, musicians, visionaries and travelers. From Crestone, Colorado to Ethiopia, Australia and Jerusalem, this global network of peace seekers sees beyond cultural differences toward a common care for people and the planet.

In September of 2020, a time of deep uncertainty, The Center for Human Flourishing brought Unity Earth’s Caravan of Unity to Carbondale, recording conversations and artistic performances at the Third Street Center for international broadcast.

This September, the movement will gather in Japan — Land of the Rising Sun — visiting Tokyo, Mount Fuji and concluding in Hiroshima, “a poignant testament to resilience, reconciliation and the enduring pursuit of peace,” the website states.

Among the pilgrims converging to pray for planetary peace, local musicians Mateo Sandate and Shayla Paradeis were invited to attend as performing artists. The event will coincide with Peace

Week, Sept. 14-22, established by the United Nations in 1981. Sandate and Paradeis will play at various events and ceremonies throughout the week.

The couple is already familiar with Japan, having traveled there last summer. Moreover, Sandate’s grandmother is from Fukuoka, a city on Kyushu island. Fukuoka is a burgeoning city that was once the capital of Japan. According to Sandate, it was nearly bombed instead of Hiroshima, but “it was a very cloudy day,” he was told. “It was because of the clouds and the overcast that Fukuoka, which was the destination before for the atomic bomb, was passed by.”

Visiting the island, he noted abundant spiritual devotion and wondered if all the monks’ prayers and shrines weren’t in part what brought the clouds that day as protective cover. “You can’t not walk down the streets during spiritual practice and not be changed,” he said.

Top of mind during the summit will be the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a moment that forever changed history. The 79th anniversary was earlier in August. Upon visiting Hiroshima last year, Paradeis perceived a feeling like “reverse rain” or “extreme

evaporation” she attributed to so many souls departing in the same instance. From the tragedy, she attests, there is opportunity for the birth of greater beauty. It’s a “fight no more forever place,” she said, referencing a lyric from her new song, “Sacred Earth.”

On Aug. 6, 1945, “Little Boy” fell on Hiroshima, killing between 90,000 and 166,000 people. Another 60,000 to 80,000 people perished from “Fat Man” falling on Nagasaki three days later. Many died immediately. The death toll continued to climb in the following months and years from radiation exposure.

“Knowing that the Earth needs to be sung to and needs to see us come together as one, I’ve felt a common theme coming up often in my recent days, with a focus on healing,” Paradeis reflected. “As individuals, through our ancestry, the waterways, air and forests … there is a sort of bubbling up of things that don’t want to be looked at. Yet it’s in looking at them that we are able to really start the process.”

Mateo anticipates it will be like a “sultry jazz chord” to find harmony among so many diverse cultures. “There’s room for all of it and we can’t really tell the story without all of it,” Paradeis added. She leans into the importance of

the storyteller and song sharer in changing collective consciousness. “When we sing together, it changes the universe,” she said.

In order to travel, the couple is raising $8,000 with a GoFundMe page. “It’s an honor to represent this community, Colorado and our country,” Mateo said. “It means more and more each day and we’re just asking for support to help us get there.” Already, the Rebekah’s Lodge stepped in with $5,000 to cover the cost of plane tickets. Additional donations will go toward event registration, meals, gifts for

Japanese communities and a guitar flight case. Find the GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/f/ Singing-Our-Way-to-Unity

You can also enjoy Sandate and Paradeis’ music live at a fundraiser concert at the Third Street Center on Aug. 29 at 7pm. They will share original songs as well as timeless folk classics “all in support of where humanity is going,” said Paradeis. Find all Unity Earth offerings, including a video message from the Kogi of the Sierra Nevada mountains of Colombia to the “civilized” world, at: unity.earth

Joan Dizon steps up as Dance Initiative’s executive director

MYKI JONES Arts Correspondent

Earlier this summer, Dance Initiative announced the hiring of its new executive director, Joan Dizon. A second-generation Filipino immigrant, mother of three, professional dancer and real estate investor, Dizon is excited, honored and humbled to assume the position.

She and her family lived in the Philippines before moving to the Valley a little over three years ago. After seeing a flyer stating that Dance Initiative was looking for instructors, she decided to take a chance and joined the organization in October of 2023, beginning with teaching hip-hop dance in the schools. Once she got in touch with the dancers in the community, she said it was a welcoming experience.

“Once I got connected, everybody was very welcoming and extremely nice, and the community was warm and open. They welcomed me and my family with open arms as I entered the scene,” Dizon explained.

She was drawn to the Dance Initiative’s accessibility when she first got involved, especially for children in the Valley. Dizon, despite having an expansive background as a professional dancer, had limited resources for learning as a child.

“Being a child of immigrant parents growing up here in America, I would have friends going to dance studios for dancing and jazz and tap and heavy dance programs. My parents didn’t have a lot of resources when they came to America. They worked all the time, and even then, we didn’t have any extra income for recital fees, studio fees or classes,” Dizon shared.

She practiced in her room and then started taking professional classes, mainly hip-hop, at the age of 18 after graduating high school. While studying at the University of Texas at Dallas and working, she could afford to pay for classes.

She joined the college’s dance team and broke further into the dance world through teaching at fitness studios and performing professionally.

“Eventually, I danced for both the NBA and NFL for halftime shows, and then I also danced for some fitness programs with Nike,” Dizon revealed. “From there, I continued teaching because that’s what I loved.”

The opening for the executive director position became available while Dizon was already working as an instructor. The initial warmth she felt from the dance community was a driving force behind her applying for the job, as well

as aligned values of community outreach and accessibility.

“Everything I value in dance aligns with Dance Initiative’s missions and visions of dance. It was an aligned position for me to

come into,” she stated.

Dizon is dedicated to building upon the strong foundation laid for her by the original and current board of directors and staff. “I’m just so grateful for our founding members of our board and the people that set our foundation with their mission,” she stated. “As executive director, I want to build even more of a community of dancers.”

Dizon looks forward to the upcoming teaching season and other events this year, including an annual fundraiser Oct. 27 which will be themed around Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and in-school hip-hop classes with Quincy Gray. In addition to planning new events in her role, Dizon said she and the organization are open and welcoming to feedback from the community, as well as new dancers.

“I would love to invite anyone out there to give us feedback or ask any questions you may have. For our kids, we’d love to see more dance out there. I’m excited to see how our programs expand and to get more dance out into the community,” she concluded.

For more information about Dance Initiative, including classes and events, visit www. danceinitiative.org

RALEIGH

Mateo Sandate has played a leading roll in several local bands including Let Them Roar, Sweet Root and Beyond Beyond, he also teaches guitar with the Aspen Music Festival and School. Shayla Paradeis authored “Footprint of a Heart,” a memoir documenting her thru-hike adventures. Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

Joan Dizon performed dance at this year’s Green is the New Black Fashion Extravaganza. Courtesy photo

ASPEN

Aspen Daily News

Mi Chola

Aspen Valley Hospital

Snowmass Market

The Aspen Store

Box on Hyman Avenue

Pitkin County Library

BASALT

Basalt Quick Lube

Basalt Regional Library

The Basalt Store

Alpine Bank Basalt

Timbos

7/11

Jalisco Grill

Big O Tires

CC Cafe

WILLITS/EL JEBEL

El Jebel Mobile Offices

Midvalley Surgery Center

El Jebel Laundromat

Eagle County Courts

City Market

Scottie’s

El Korita

Box on San Miguel

Casa Tequilas

TAC Fitness

ANB Bank

CARBONDALE

Catherine Store

Garcia’s

City Market

Alpine Bank

Box at La Perla

Box at “Main St.”

Recreation Center

Carbondale Library

CMC in Carbondale

3rd St. Center

Valley Meats

La Roca LiftUp

7/11

Jalisco Grill

Mi Lindo Nayarit

La Fogata

Gloria’s Boutique

GLENWOOD SPRINGS

7/11 West Glenwood

Post Office

Hospital Valley View

Recreation Center

Mountain Family Health

Welcome Center

GWS Library

Sal Mex

La Michoacana

Coin Laundromat

Tony’s Market/Bakery

Tequila’s

Frida’s

El Yaqui

Kum & Go

Comfort Dental

Impuestos Seguros

NEW CASTLE

Tapatio’s

Post Office

Taquerina Elias

New Castle Library

City Market

SILT

Silt Library

Silt Laundromat

Kum & Go (Main St.)

Silt Roundabout

La Placita 2

RIFLE

Tapatio’s Kum & Go

Taugenbaugh

Jalisco Grill

Box at City Hall

Rifle Library

Box at E 12 St.

El Patron

El Rincon

Spyderwash

Moma’s

Remington Square

Mercado San Jose

Carniceria San Jose

Nachos Mexican Dining

Paleteria la Korita

ProMex Bakery

Tutty Frutti

Full edition is available every Friday afternoon on newstands and at businesses from Rifle to Aspen Look for this story and more in this week’s Sol del

Nuevo programa de inmigración de Biden ofrece ayuda para familias de estatus legales diferentes y a beneficiarios de DACA

JACKIE RAMIREZ

Sol del Valle

Empezando el 19 de agosto, del 2024 el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional implementará el programa del Presidente Biden llamado Keeping Families Together (manteniendo a las familias juntas) que fue anunciado el 18 de junio y es nueva política de inmigración para ciertos cónyuges no ciudadanos e hijastros de ciudadanos estadounidenses.

Según el sitio web de la Casa Blanca, este plan ayudará a los que son elegibles a solicitar residencia permanente legal sin tener que salir del país, lo cual el Departamento de Seguridad llama un “parole in place”, (PIP por sus sigles en inglés y permiso de permanencia temporal en el país en espanol).

“Estas acciones promueven la unidad de familia y enfurecen nuestra economía, proporcionando un beneficio significativo al país y ayudando a ciudadanos estadounidenses y sus miembros de familia no ciudadanos a permanecer juntos”, según el sitio web de la Casa Blanca.

Para calificar para el permiso de permanencia temporal en el pais, el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional afirma que se debe estar presente en los EE.UU. pero no haber sido admitido oficialmente. El departamento de Seguridad Nacional estima que 500,000 cónyuges no ciudadanos de ciudadanos estadounidenses podrían ser elegibles para el programa. También estiman que 50,000 hijastros no ciudadanos, de ciudadanos estadounidenses podrían ser elegibles para solicitar el perdón bajo el programa Keeping Families Together.

“Cambiar los requisitos aliviará a muchas familias de la carga económica y emocional de tener que estar separadas durante meses, poniendo vidas en peligro y arriesgando la posibilidad de reunirse con sus familias estadounidenses”, escribió la representante estatal de Colorado para el 57o distrito, Elizabeth Velasco, en un

comunicado de prensa que fue enviado al público el 18 de junio. “Como representante del Distrito 57, una comunidad que es un 30% latina, y siendo un nuevo estadounidense, me siento orgullosa de apoyar al Presidente Biden en esta valiente acción. Mi distrito y el estado de Colorado prosperan gracias a los inmigrantes y a las familias trabajadores”.

La orden ejecutiva de Biden no solamente da alivio legal a las familias de estatus mixtos sino que también acelerará las visas de trabajo para los Dreamers y participantes de DACA que se hayan graduado de la universidad y tengan una oferta de empleo. Hace 12 años que la administración del ex Presidente Obama y el entonces Vicepresidente Biden establecieron la política de DACA para permitir que los jóvenes que fueron traídos a EE.UU. cuando eran niños pudieran trabajar y vivir en el país sin temor a la deportación. Con el tiempo, algunos participantes de DACA ahora están empezando sus carreras.

Alan Muñoz nació en el pueblo de Calvillo en el estado de Aguascalientes en México y a los tres años emigró a Estados Unidos con su familia y llegó a Rifle. El muchacho de 25 años, siempre supo que era indocumentado pero eso no lo detuvo de trabajar duro para las metas que queria lograr.

“Desde que era chiquito sabía que quería ir a la universidad”, contó Muñoz. Como estudiante de primera generación, él tuvo que aprender cómo navegar el sistema escolar de los EE.UU. para enseñarles a

sus padres y a sus hermanos. “Yo creo que cuando empezo a afectar más mi estatus indocumentado fue en mi último año de high school porque ya todos en mi clase estaban pensando en ir a la universidad, la proxima etapa de sus vidas”.

En el 2017, cuando Muñoz se graduó de la preparatoria, él cuenta que buscaba maneras para poder pagar un estudio en una universidad. Buscaba becas, y cumplía con todos los requisitos de tener buenas calificaciones, pero no era ciudadano estadounidense, el requisito que la mayoría de las becas tienen. Muñoz no se detuvo y siguió adelante y asistió a Colorado Mountain College, CMC por sus siglas en inglés, y de ahí se fue a Colorado State University, CSU por sus sigles en inglés, donde se graduó de sociología en el 2021. Muñoz también fue vicepresidente de un grupo de estudiantes que se llamaba UndocUnited ahí en la universidad.

“Yo creo que todas nuestras vidas hemos vivido en un nivel de inseguridad que influye e impacta muchos aspectos de ellas”, dijo Muñoz. “Creo que es algo que muchas personas, si no tienen DACA o si no tienen miembros de su familia que sean indocumentados, no entienden. El no entender a veces puede causar diferentes pensamientos como: ¿Por qué haces esto? ¿Por qué no haces esto”?

Muñoz tuvo la oportunidad de contar su historia en español por primera vez en el evento de conversación de CMC llamado el Tesoro de Educación que fue este verano.

“Fue muy impactante para mí”, dijo. “Fue una oportunidad

donde mis padres y otros miembros de la comunidad pudieron escuchar mi historia. También las historias de Iliana [Rentería] y Brisa [Morales] fueron muy impactantes para todos los que estaban presentes en la audiencia” Muñoz compartió su opinión hacia la nueva orden ejecutiva de Biden con Sol del Valle, dijo que le alegra que se esté moviendo el presidente para poder hacer más caminos hacia la ciudadanía y estatus permanente para todos los que tienen DACA. Pero también un año electoral puede ser difícil para algunos beneficiarios de DACA e inmigrantes indocumentados.

“Lo difícil es, que yo siento, y a lo mejor otros beneficiarios de DACA también, es que nuestras vidas a veces son más publicadas y más usadas durante el tiempo de elecciones”, dijo. Los demás años no nos toman en cuenta hasta que viene el tiempo de elecciones grandes donde inmigración, Dreamers, y DACA son como una pelota de fútbol política que están tirando de un lado a otro. Es difícil tratar de figurar qué es lo que nosotros vamos hacer con nuestras vidas cuando no hay una solución permanente para nosotros”.

Similar a otros beneficiarios de DACA, solamente piden una solución permanente. En las palabras de Muñoz, algo que los haga llegar hasta el final.

“Yo quiero mucho a mi pueblo donde yo nací, me gustaría poder regresar pero mi hogar es Rifle, Colorado”, dijo Muñoz. “Aquí es donde he vivido un 95% de mi vida y es donde quiero continuar mi vida”.

Follow Leonardo Occhipinti’s “Nuevo Mundo” in Sol del Valle every week in Spanish.

Comparte tus proyectos creativos aún en proceso con nuestros lectores. Puedes enviarnos un correo electrónico con tus ilustraciones, creaciones literarias y poesía a fiction@soprissun.com

The Music in Our Lives

BY TOM MERCER

great fun. I am still in contact with those band members, and we share many wonderful memories.

Through music performance I learned how to follow my music teacher’s instructions, how to read music and how to work as a member of a cohesive group to achieve a common goal. I enjoyed providing musical entertainment to friends, town residents and even the judges at performance competitions. I value all of my musical experiences. They were all worthwhile.

So much can be gained through a student’s involvement in music. Participants learn how to work together as a group. They can entertain both their fellow students and the members of their community. They can participate in competitive venues, and they can develop a true love of an art form that exists in every country on our planet.

In addition, students of music learn to take direction from their teachers and work as a cohesive group. They develop lifelong skills which they can be proud of and they provide performances that enrich their communities.

Limiting music education and performance at any school will impact its community at large. Music is a valuable art form and an excellent means of students learning to work together in order to achieve a common goal.

Students that perform music in the community learn life skills. They learn how to work as a group to enrich people’s lives. Music instruction is much more than just another class at school.

We should endeavor to promote music in all its forms, so performers, students and community members can continue to benefit from all that music can provide.

other types of hunting. Mountain lion kittens are dependent on their mothers for up to two years. Nearly half of the lions shot by trophy hunters are female, and when mothers are killed the kittens are doomed to also die of starvation, dehydra-

Mountain lion attacks are incredibly rare (you have a better chance of being struck by lightning on your birthday than being attacked by a mountain lion) and hunting wild cats doesn’t reduce conflict with humans. California hasn’t allowed hunting of mountain lions since 1972, but doesn’t experience an elevated rate of attacks. In fact, a study compared 10 western states with cougars and California had the third lowest rate of per-capita attacks

It is essential for all citizens to exercise our democratic rights to ensure that our wildlife policies reflect our values.

Western Watersheds Project

The destruction of Palestinian people is to Biden what Vietnam was to LBJ. They were one term presidents who accomplished a lot but had to leave. Fiftyeight-thousand Americans eventually died in Vietnam. At least that many more have died since, of wounds and suicide. The death toll in Gaza is now 40,000 but will be far higher come January. Vietnam generated a very large protest movement. Many

Democratic primary voters were “uncommitted” in opposition to the continued supply of weapons to Israel. The students are coming back to the colleges. More protests are likely.

LBJ’s legacy was tarnished, and Biden’s will also be. It remains to be seen what Harris will do. Thanks in part to more assassinations by Israel and their refusal to stop killing Palestinians, we could see a war break out. A few other countries have said they have had enough. Failure of other countries to step in to stop the genocide is undercutting the rule of international law.

Patrick Hunter

Carbondale

So long, Seldin

A tiny newspaper article indicated that Pitkin County-based Judge Chris Seldin is resigning from the bench after only nine years, and leaving Aspen and the Valley for Boulder …? After he approved the government lawfare to controversially evict an 87-year-old widow from the house her family built, Seldin set restrictions relevant to America’s unalienable right to free speech and freedom of assembly on public lands (leased by billionaire Lester Crown’s Aspen SkiCo) as punishment for her son’s distribution of a union flier advocating a living wage on public lands. Now there’s a story for a brave journalist not afraid of repercussions from power.

Lee Mulcahy Basalt

STRANGE IMPORTS

from page 5

… and economic environment for the businesses there. We have endeavored to propose fair, often below-market, lease terms in an effort to maintain and create a diverse tenant mix that reflects the community and honors the history of the building. We take our stewardship of the Dinkel Building very seriously and are committed to providing a fair,

business-friendly environment.”

“This has been a wonderful experience,” concluded Dixon. “This is truly a great community. It’s not like anyplace else.”

Dixon will continue selling pieces through his website, www.strangeimports. com, and keeps busy appraising people’s treasures. The liquidation sale lasts through the end of the month.

ROCK ’N’ ROLL ACADEMY

RRAA’s influence extends beyond musical education by fostering a community where students form strong bonds with their peers and mentors. Harrison carefully groups students based on age and experience level, encouraging them to collaborate on song selection and performance. The program’s goal isn’t necessarily to produce professional musicians, though it has done so, but to cultivate a lifelong love of music. Harrison explained, “I want to see more regular day people playing music as part of their regular day.”

WOODSTOCK

from page 14

hadn’t brought tents to the concert, or even food. Yet the upstate New Yorkers and more prepared concertgoers took care of those around them. Said Glasenapp, “The people who did manage to get food, total strangers, just started passing it down the line and sharing, sandwiches, wine.”

Glasenapp sees the legacy of Woodstock in locally-organized music and art festivals today. “The core thing is connecting,” he said, articulating that he thinks the inclusivity and openness and joy among

from page 13

RRAA provides a structured environment for creative growth and offers a place for everyone, no matter their musical background. As RRAA continues to grow, Harrison and his team remain dedicated to making music education accessible to all, ensuring that youth across the Valley can explore their creativity and perform with confidence.

For more information about fall classes, which begin Sept. 16, donations or volunteering at Rock and Roll Academy Aspen, go to www.rockandrollacademyaspen.org

strangers can palpably change people. “I think Carbondale Mountain Fair is an example of that. It has the same spirit but it’s better organized because it can be.” Other examples he gave include Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, Paonia Harvest Festival and the Glenwood Summer of Music series. That is what Glasenapp thinks about when he reflects upon Woodstock five and a half decades later. To him and to many of the remaining nearly half a million attendees, it is an example of the best of humanity and of what is possible when intention is channeled toward good vibrations.

PARTING SHOTS

CORRECTION: Last week’s GarCo Report incorrectly stated the county “brought in” $700 million in oil and gas revenue in 2023. The $700 million figure was in reference to the difference in assessed value for oil and gas from 2022 to 2023.

LEGAL NOTICES

ORDINANCE NO. 8

SERIES OF 2024

AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TOWN OF CARBONDALE, COLORADO APPROVING AN APPLICATION OF ALMDIN HOLDINGS LLC FOR MAJOR SITE PLAN REVIEW APPROVAL TO DEVELOP SEVEN TOWNHOME UNITS ON PROPERTY LOCATED AT 156 AND 160 NORTH 12TH STREET

NOTICE: This Ordinance was introduced, read, and adopted at a regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Town of Carbondale, Colorado, on August 13, 2024.

This Ordinance shall take effect thirty (30) days after publication of this notice. The full text of said Ordinance is available to the public at www.carbondalegov.org or at the office of the Town Clerk, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, Colorado, during normal business hours.

Published in The Sopris Sun Aug. 22, 2024

ORDINANCE NO. 9

SERIES OF 2024

AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TOWN OF CARBONDALE, COLORADO APPROVING A COMBINED LAND USE APPLICATION BY CONNECT ONE DESIGN ON BEHALF OF THE TOWN OF CARBONDALE FOR 684 MAIN STREET IN ORDER TO: (1) REZONE THE PROPERTY TO PUBLIC FACILITIES (PF), (2) APPROVE A SITE PLAN FOR DEVELOPMENT OF AN AQUATICS FACILITY ON THE PROPERTY, AND (3) APPROVE ALTERNAITVE COMPLIANCE REGARDING MAXIMUM FRONT YARD FENCE HEIGHT AND STREETSCAPE LANDSCAPING.

NOTICE: This Ordinance was introduced, read, and adopted at a regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Town of Carbondale, Colorado, on August 13, 2024.

This Ordinance shall take effect thirty (30) days after publication of this notice. The

full text of said Ordinance is available to the public at www.carbondalegov.org or at the office of the Town Clerk, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, Colorado, during normal business hours.

Published in The Sopris Sun Aug. 22, 2024

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Carbondale Board of Trustees for the purpose of considering Community Housing Inclusionary Requirements text amendments to the Unified Development Code (“UDC” and Title 17 of the Carbondale Municipal Code). The proposed text amendments would consider amendments to modify and increase mitigation requirements as outlined in UDC Section 5.11, Community Housing Inclusionary Requirements.

Applicant: Town of Carbondale

Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado

Avenue, Carbondale, CO beginning at 6:00 p.m. on September 10, 2024.

Copies of the proposed application are on file in the Planning Department office, Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO and may be examined during regular business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The application may also be viewed on the Town’s website at:

https://carbondalegov.org/departments/ planning/current_land_use_applications.php

If you would like to submit comments regarding this application, please send them via email to jbarnes@carbondaleco. net by 3 pm on September 10, 2024. After 3 pm on September 10, members of the public are welcome to bring written comments to the hearing or speak during the public comment period.

If you have questions regarding the application, please contact Jared Barnes, Planning Director, at 970-510-1208.

Published in The Sopris Sun Aug. 22, 2024

Smiles abounded at Carbondale’s Our Town One Table event on Sunday, Aug. 18. Per tradition, 4th Street was closed for a town-wide potluck with roving entertainment from the Cowboy Corral. The theme — This Must Be Outer Space — played off of this year’s Mountain Fair and inspired cosmic costumes and stellar decorations. A light rain passed without spoiling the party.

Photos by Raleigh Burleigh