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Ropin' 'em up!

Photo by Paula Mayer

Musing

By Raleigh Burleigh

Last weekend, The Sopris Sun sent four of its staff to the Colorado Press Association’s 144th annual convention, the first inperson convening since 2019. Under the banner of “Stronger Together,” it was a wholesome bonding experience for each of us first-time attendees.

Among the highlights, including numerous shout-outs durings panels and breakaway sessions, The Sopris Sun received 10 awards. I was caught completely off-guard when they announced my name as the recipient of one of four prestigious member awards. The Innovation Award goes to “a member news organization or individual that has significantly improved its business model in one or multiple areas to reflect changes in audience, revenue streams, content dissemination and other applicable areas of change within the industry.”

As nominator for the award, Sopris Sun Executive Director Todd Chamberlin rattled off a list of last year’s fresh initiatives and achievements, each of which would not have

The Sopris Sun earns statewide recognition for innovation and more

been possible without the trust and support of our community. In 2021, these included the reboot of Everything Under Sun, our weekly radio show on KDNK, el Sol del Valle and a youth journalism program that pays its contributors.

The award is, in fact, a reflection of the community that we serve — creative, compassionate and driven. The Sopris Sun, at its essence, is an innovative organization. As many newsrooms puzzle over switching to a nonprofit model, The Sopris Sun paved the way over 13 years ago when a group of community members refused to let their hometown paper die.

Our spirit is innovation, and it would not be possible without the backing of donors and a dedicated board of directors. Todd’s efforts, timely in his elevated role, have been fundamental.

Over the course of the conference, it was acutely clear that good journalism is crucial to a functioning democracy, a healthy community and a shared social understanding. Ours is somewhat of an esoteric profession — keepers of the story — with real-world consequences, and the stakes are exceedingly high.

“Information is a utility that serves democracy,” Evan Smith, CEO and co-founder of The Texas Tribune, stated at the conference. “Journalism is about community … a place to litigate our differences.”

Good journalism can’t happen without time and attention. As we witness our valley teeter into the realms of unaffordable and unrealistic, it will depend on those with the means

that value our profession to sustain it in this place. And better yet, to reinforce it with resources that do justice to the stories we share and the humans tasked with telling them.

We won’t always get it right and we’re bound to offend people at times. Please know that our commitment is to do our darndest, and to work it out within these pages. The most beautiful thing about The Sopris Sun is that we are a community, telling its own story. There’s no outof-state corporation pulling the strings. You are always welcome to lend your perspective on the ways in which we should — or should not — go about this endeavor.

It feels amazingly good to have solid affirmation that The Sopris Sun is doing more than a few things right, thanks to our talented contributors and an underlying passion for this publication and what it means in our lives.

Look forward to more inspired initiatives in the year to come as we work daily to inform, inspire and build community at the center of all we do. My only innovation is a deepening of this philosophy. We strive to be a newsroom on behalf of the public’s interest, serving our community’s needs, unfettered by the myriad obstacles which would silence our collective, historically-informed voice.

It is my honor to serve this organization and share its victory with our community. Below is a list of the additional awards that our newsroom received in its division (Class 5) for our work in 2021. Don’t hesitate to congratulate each individual for their unwavering

commitment to excellence in The Sopris Sun.

• First Place - Best Environmental Story (Relying on a wild river) - Olivia Emmer

• First Place - Best Photography Portfolio - Paula Mayer

• First Place - Best Cover Design (June 17-23) - Larry Day and Ylice Golden

• First Place - Best Digital Ad (Summer Veggies) - Todd Chamberlin and Ylice Golden

• Second Place - Best Newsletter (Sopris Sun Weekly) - James Steindler

• Second Place - Best Agriculture Story (Local farm aspires to global impact)Will Sardinsky

• Second Place - Best Serious Column Writing (Bad ads, real estate) - Dyana Z. Furmansky

• Second Place - Best Advertising Special Section (Mountain Fair) - Todd Chamberlin and Ylice Golden

• Second Place - Best Print Ad (RJ Paddywacks) - Todd Chamberlin and Ylice Golden

Incidentally, our new graphic designer, Hattie Rensberry, also received a first place award for her work with the Vail Daily (Best Print Ad, Class 2). Megan Tackett, current editor of the Aspen Daily News and once a reporter with The Sun, was deservedly honored with the First Amendment Award for her reporting on The Aspen Times debacle.

I’d also like to take the opportunity to publicly thank Lee Beck for her active work on our board of directors and years of volunteerism as our weekly proofreader.

The Sopris Sun could not shine without donor support. It’s never a bad time to join our loyal patrons in financing the journalism that our community deserves at www.soprissun.com/donate

Editor

Raleigh Burleigh 970-510-3003 • news@soprissun.com

Contributing Editor

James Steindler

Editorial Graphic Designer

Hattie Rensberry

Advertising Graphic Designer

Alyssa Ohnmacht

Delivery

Frederic Kischbaum

Bartlett

Proofreader Lee Beck

Executive Director Todd Chamberlin 970-510-0246 • adsales@soprissun.com

Current Board Members

board@soprissun.com

Klaus Kocher • Kay Clarke Lee Beck • Gayle Wells • Donna Dayton Terri Ritchie • Eric Smith • Roger Berliner

The Sopris Sun Board meets at 6:30 p.m. on second Thursdays at the Third Street Center.

The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation with a mission to inform, inspire and build community by fostering diverse and independent journalism. Donations are fully tax deductible.

Sincerest thanks to our Honorary Publishers for their annual commitment of $1,000+ Lee Beck & John Stickney Kay Brunnier Michelle & Ed Buchman

Toni Cerise Eric Smith

CoVenture Sue Edelstein & Bill Spence Deborah & Shane Evans Greg & Kathy Feinsinger

Peter & Mike Gilbert

Gary & Jill Knaus

Carly & Frosty Merriott

Mama Sandy & Lee Mulcahy James Noyes Ken & Donna Riley

Patti & George Stranahan Anne Sullivan & John Colson Megan Tackett

True Nature Healing Arts Elizabeth Wysong Alpine Bank

Legacy Givers

for including us in their final wishes. Mary Lilly

Donate by mail or online: P.O. Box 399 Carbondale, CO 81623 520 S. Third Street #26-B 970-510-3003

soprissun.com/Donate

The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a proud member of the Carbondale Creative District

Executive Director Todd Chamberlin (right) addresses the Colorado Press Association, presenting the Innovation Award to Editor Raleigh Burleigh (left). Photo by Klaus Kocher

Aspen Daily News Editor-inChief Megan Tackett smiles with glee upon receiving her First Amendment Award. Photo by Klaus Kocher

Farewell, El Jebel

On Friday, Sept. 16, the White River National Forest released a draft decision approving the sale or lease of its 30-acre administrative site near El Jebel. According to Aspen-Sopris District Ranger Kevin Warner, selling or leasing the land will provide the agency with funds to maintain or enhance other administrative sites. Under the draft decision, all or portions of the property could be sold or leased with the first right of refusal given to Eagle and Pitkin counties. The Forest Service will maintain public access to the adjacent 40-acre parcel that borders the river. A public open house to discuss the matter will be hosted at the El Jebel Community Center, 20 Eagle County Road, on Oct. 19 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Middle School outage

Carbondale Middle School students were granted a day off on Monday, Sept. 19, courtesy of a power outage that was first announced on Sunday. With Xcel successfully restoring power shortly after 1 a.m. on Tuesday, school was able to resume that morning.

Mountainfilm on tour

Telluride’s Mountainfilm, a festival dedicated to documentaries about adventure, activism, social justice, culture, environment and indomitable spirit, is returning to Grand Junction on Nov. 13 in partnership with the Western Colorado Alliance. Communities interesting in hosting a showing can find more information at www.mountainfilm.org

Colorado Water Trust

Anne Castle, board president of the Colorado Water Trust, has been appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as the Federal Commissioner of the Upper Colorado River Commission. As the Commission's chair, she will work to “ensure the appropriate allocation of water from the Colorado River to the Upper Division States, promote interstate comity, remove causes of present and future controversies and assure the storage of water and agricultural and industrial development of the Upper Basin,” states a press release.

Colorado Water Plan

An update to the Colorado Water Plan, first released in 2015, is seeking input on a bilingual draft through Sept. 30. The plan is organized around four action areas: vibrant communities, thriving watersheds, robust agriculture and resilient planning. A fact sheet acknowledges that

Dusting or mantle? Around the time last week’s paper was hitting the stands, Sept. 15, Mt. Sopris received her first dusting of snow. It is with joy that we name Erin Quinn our winner of the annual guessing contest with the closest prediction of Sept. 17. Photo by Raleigh Burleigh

80% of the state’s water falls west of the continental divide, whereas 90% of the state’s population lives east of the continental divide. Public comments can be submitted through engagecwcb.org

COVID-19

On Sept. 15, Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order to amend and extend the COVID-19 disaster declaration. The amendments remove no longer needed provisions while maintaining aspects related to accessing state and federal funding and adequately staffing healthcare facilities.

Owned by Earth

Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard has placed the company’s ownership in a trust dedicated to fighting climate change. “Earth is now our only shareholder,” wrote Chouinard. “Instead of extracting value from nature and transforming it into wealth for investors, we’ll use the wealth Patagonia creates to protect the source of all wealth.”

Latino Policy Agenda

The Colorado Latino Policy Agenda, an annual, nonpartisan report, has released its key findings

based on a survey commissioned by Voces Unidas de las Montañas, Voces Unidas Action Fund, Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), and COLOR Action Fund, also in partnership with Protégete of Conservation Colorado. The report highlights that the economy, inflation, and gun safety are top concerns among Latino voters. Find the full report at www.bit.ly/2022CLPA

They say it’s your birthday!

Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Cheryl Cain, Betsy Browning and Nancy Helser (Sept. 22); Cathy Derby, Barbara Dills, Marc Grandbois, Kent Jones, Jerome Osentowski and Luke Wander (Sept. 23); Jon Fox-Rubin and Karen Leavitt (Sept. 24); Taila Howe, Laura Stover and Geneviéve Villamizar (Sept. 25); Carolyn Cipperly, Teka Israel, Klaus Kocher, Kate Phillips, Kenya Pinela, Matt Rader, Mimi Schlumberger and Leonard Zanni (Sept. 26); Susan Cheney, Kate Comer, Peggy DeVilbiss, Linda Fleming, Renee Ramge and Jason White (Sept. 27); Madeleine Dameron Dahl, Andrew McMichael, Dave Reed, Kristin Stewart, Felicia “Flash” Trevor and Pam Kaiser Williams (Sept. 28).

Starbucks

Many say Aspen is ahead of the wave — that elites try stuff here that would result in riots or worse in other states. According to the Guardian’s lead story on Aug. 25, “More than 85 workers at Starbucks who were heavily involved in union organizing efforts … have been fired over the past several months, according to the workers group Starbucks Workers United.”

Any labor lawyer will tell you this is violently against the law (the National Labor Relations Act specifically). According to a SkiCo VP as quoted in a brilliant Aspen Times article by Scott Condon over a decade ago, it’s just “an old law.” Hmmm? Will Starbucks and SkiCo maintain all these firings are just the cost of doing business? Community or corporate feudalism?

Boycott Starbucks.

Lee Mulcahy, Basalt

National Farmers Union

The U.S. Justice Department's Antitrust Division hosted 30 farmers affiliated with the National Farmers Union to discuss the state of competition in agriculture markets and strengthening antitrust enforcement.

Over the last year the Antitrust Division put special focus on competition in agriculture, by including suing to block U.S. Sugar from acquiring its rival, Imperial Sugar Company.

This past summer, the Antitrust Division filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against a data consulting firm and its president, as well as three poultry processors, to end a long-running conspiracy to exchange information about wages and benefits for poultry processing plant workers. The proposed consent decree with defendant poultry processors Cargill, Sanderson Farms and Wayne Farms would prohibit them from sharing competitively sensitive information about poultry.

Fairness for farmers, fishers and ranchers and competitive, resilient food systems are a top priority for the Antitrust Division and the National Farmers Union.

Best wishes,

Emzy Veazy III

Letter policy: Please limit your letters to 500 words. We are committed to including all perspectives in The Sopris Sun. If your letter does not appear, it may be because of space limitations in the paper or because other letters we printed expressed the same idea or point of view. Letters are due by noon on the Monday before we go to print.

Sweetwater on the rocks

By James Steindler Contributing Editor

Sweetwater Lake has turned into a thorn in the side of the Garfield County Commissioners, caught off guard when Governor Jared Polis declared that the newly purchased federal land may become Colorado’s 43rd state park.

In September 2019, during a public meeting the commissioners discussed the plan of the United States Forest Service (USFS) to purchase the land in hopes of protecting it from future development and preserving it as a recreation area. Commissioners Mike Samson and John Martin opted to sign a letter in support, while commissioner Tom Jankovsky voted in opposition.

“I’m opposed to more land going to the federal government,” Jankovksy stated, “and if you’re going to take 500 acres out then let’s find 500 acres you’re going to give back — you’re going to sell — to private enterprise.”

The commissioners unanimously took issue upon the Governor’s announcement in October 2021 that the federal land would be managed as a state park.

Based on conversations with the commissioners since that announcement, White River National Forest Service supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams estimated that the commissioners’ concerns come with the assumption that a state park would attract more traffic and therefore the community surrounding Sweetwater

Lake could be significantly impacted.

On Aug. 15, the commissioners unanimously agreed to send a letter to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) acting director Heather Dugan, inquiring about the legitimacy of operating a state park on federal land.

“Sweetwater Lake is now federallyowned National Forest System land included in the White River National Forest,” the letter, in part, asserts.

“Accordingly, the lake and [its] surrounding land are not a ‘fee-title area’ and the state of Colorado, at most, can hold an interest in land by virtue of its purported management of the lake as a state park. How can Sweetwater Lake be deemed a state park in such an instance?”

On Sept. 1, Dugan issued a response.

“At this time, neither the [CPW] Division nor the Commission anticipates acquiring a real property interest in Sweetwater Lake and the surrounding area,” she wrote. “Rather, USFS has proposed that CPW would be issued a permit to manage recreation and public access on the property.” She added, “We commonly refer to all of our ‘parks’ properties (as compared to ‘wildlife’ properties) as state parks.”

Dugan pointed out that “CPW commonly manages recreation on private and public property via agreements and/or permits that do not grant CPW a real property interest.”

Fitzwilliams and Dugan have both expressed their regrets for not keeping the Garfield County

Commissioners better informed.

“I regret that Garfield County was not included in the initial discussions surrounding

Sweetwater Lake and had to learn about the state’s proposal to create a new state park

through the Governor’s announcement,” Dugan wrote in her letter.

Fitzwilliams conveyed to The Sopris Sun the importance of his long standing relationship with the commissioners and acknowledged his personal responsibility going forward in restoring trust between their respective agencies.

To that end, Fitzwilliams stated he intends to sign a “Cooperating Agency Agreement” between the county and White River National Forest Service.

Still, Fitzwilliams maintains that “a co-managing system with the state is the best opportunity we have to protect the resources and provide for the public.”

Over the winter months, Fitzwilliams hopes the parties can come to a consensus on a master plan for Sweetwater, before undergoing an environmental analysis in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.

“We’re way behind where we thought we’d be,” said Fitzwilliams, “just because of the controversy … I thought we’d be further along, but I’d rather take more time, get people on board, get the trust built up and have a common vision.”

The funding

The private 488-acre parcel was purchased in part by The Conservation

Fund, a nonprofit headquartered in Virginia, with the intent to later sell it back to the USFS once its application for funding through the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund was approved.

For The Conservation Fund to obtain the funds to make its original investment, it acquired a loan from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), which uses a portion of state lottery funds to invest in the state’s outdoor recreation areas.

In an Aug. 15 letter to GOCO, the commissioners argued that “at the time the loan was issued, GOCO did not have any formal policy authorizing loans,” and that the Colorado Constitution and statutes only specify GOCO’s authority to issue bonds or grants.

GOCO executive director Jackie Miller replied to the commissioners, arguing that “GOCO has authority under Article XXVII [the same article cited by the commissioners] of the Colorado Constitution to make loans for real-property acquisitions that further GOCO’s mission to help preserve, protect, enhance and manage the state’s wildlife, park, river, trail and open-space heritage.”

As reported in the Post Independent on Sept. 12, the commissioners approved spending up to an additional $30,000 toward legal advice going forward. “The county has already spent $30,000 with the Phoenix-based law firm of Fennemore-Craig Attorneys to help it navigate the legalities…” the article further stated

Make a wish, TACAW! It’s your birthday!

By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent

The Arts Campus at Willits (TACAW) is celebrating its first birthday with a big cake, an even bigger party and, even better yet, an invitation for everyone to join in the festivities on Sept. 23-24.

Ryan Honey, TACAW executive director, provided a few milestones for the Year One scrapbook: more than 100 events, with more than a dozen arts education events, serving nearly 1,000 kids, including “some who were seeing a play for the first time.” All in all, more than 13,000 patrons came through TACAW’s doors during its first year.

Those metrics are no surprise to Honey, who cited one of TACAW’s core values — inclusion. “We strive to ensure our programming is accessible, so the free programming [for TACAW birthday events] was important. We want to make sure people can celebrate with us,” he said.

Friday festivities kick off with an intimate solo show by Grammy-award-winning,

multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Jon Cleary, cooking up a musical gumbo of jazz, funk and rhythm and blues. The British-born artist, based in New Orleans, performs regularly with his band, The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, at NOLA’s iconic music venue, the Maple Leaf Bar.

On Saturday, TACAW’s Tabl Cafe will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. serving meals prepared with fresh Colorado-sourced ingredients. A special event menu is listed on TACAW’s website.

Beginning at 1 p.m. “The Greatest Show on Earth” will feature a free and open-to-thepublic outdoor performance for kids and adults alike by award-winning ventriloquist, puppeteer and magician Mark Hellerstein.

The free outdoor family event continues with “Songs on the Lawn,” with musical performances by singersongwriters from 3 to 5 p.m.

The grown-ups will have their birthday bash splash on Saturday night with entertainment from The Motet,

which Honey anticipates will be a sold-out, standing-room-only show with about 400 partygoers.

The Denver-based band has rocked the cobwebs out of Red Rocks Amphitheatre several times and recently finished the summer touring in support of George Clinton and ParliamentFunkadelic. Honey said, “It's fun to know that we're going to see them in such an intimate setting as TACAW.”

Dave Watts, a founding member and drummer, said, “We're just gonna keep the show simple and do our instrumental set with a little bit of talk-box (think Peter Frampton) from keyboard player Joey and bring it into a sort of instrumental dance party.”

Noting the numerous times they have performed at Mountain Fair and the countless gigs at Belly Up Aspen, Watts shared, “We're excited to get in front of all those familiar faces.” He added, “I love playing in that area, for sure.”

Currently, The Motet’s core members include Watts,

Art by Larry Day

keyboardist Joey Porter. bassist Garrett Sayers, keyboardist and saxophonist Drew Sayers and guitarist Ryan Jalbert. With a sizable and loyal Roaring Fork Valley following, the band is known for working a groove

with their infectious blend of funk, rock, jazz and Afrobeat.

Due to the show being underwritten by TACAW Board Chair Michael Lipkin, ticket pricing is $20 in advance and

on page 7

Now Open After Hours Urgent Care

Life keeps going after hours and so do we.

Valley View is proud to announce the opening of After Hours Urgent Care. From nasal congestion to a sprained ankle, our walk-in clinic is here to treat you. Thanks to its convenient location inside Valley View next to the Emergency Department, you get to decide the right level of care for you at the right price.

OPEN EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS FOR SAME-DAY, WALK-IN CARE IN GLENWOOD SPRINGS.

By Raleigh Burleigh Sopris Sun Editor

Jerome Osentowki — an internationally-recognized permaculture pioneer — began farming on Basalt Mountain in the 1970s. Nearly 50 years later, the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute (CRMPI) is one of the oldest established demonstration sites in the United States. Operating at 7,200 feet in elevation, CRMPI has attracted students from around the world to witness Osentowki’s innovations for growing food in harsh environments with minimal reliance on fossil fuels.

What is permaculture? In essence, it is a philosophy for sustaining human life that combines the concept of “culture” with permanence. To achieve truly sustainable living, permaculture promotes working with the Earth’s natural systems rather than against them.

“Oftentimes, industrial agriculture is touted as one of the main contributors to climate change,” educator Careen Erbe told The Sopris Sun. “In permaculture, the problem is the solution. Agriculture can be a solution.” Erbe teaches certification courses alongside Osenkowski. “Social systems design is a big part of it,” she continued. “Paying attention to the people piece is fundamental.” In recent years, CRMPI has been stuck navigating the “people piece” within the larger social ecosystem, attempting retroactively to sanction the institute within Eagle County’s code. Presently, the land is zoned “resource” and is too small to fit within the state’s 35-acre standard for agricultural use-by-right. As such, an arduous process is underway to acquire a special use permit that would allow the site to continue operating as it has for decades, with on-site camping, plus the addition of an accessory dwelling unit.

Due to turnover within Eagle County’s staff, CRMPI has been successively assigned four different planners; according to Maya Ward-Karet, an architect hired by Osentowki to help CRMPI navigate this process, each planner assigned to the applicant has had differing recommendations for which of the county’s many land use categories to apply under. Eventually, CRMPI came before the Roaring Fork Valley

Planning Commission as a “resort recreation facility,” a designation which Ward-Karet and CRMPI openly rejected. Instead, they attempted to qualify the operation as an agricultural education/demonstration farm, a classification that does not exist in the county’s code.

However, “We’re not asking for a new use category,” insisted Ward-Karet. “We’re asking for the proposed use to be considered as most similar to agricultural use under the existing nuclear definition and Colorado Revised Statutes.”

There is precedent of other Colorado counties expanding their definitions for resource zoning to include smallerscale farming as a use-by-right.

“We were just working in good faith with the planners,” Ward-Karet continued. “We structured our entire application around the standards of resort recreation … to give the planners as much of a leg up as possible.”

After two postponements, one occurring on the eve of a hearing on July 7 with a contracted planner’s failing to “adequately present the file,” according to an Eagle County Press release, the Roaring Fork Valley Regional Planning Commission recommended denial of the special use permit on July 21. Commissioner Karen Barch was the lone vote in favor of CRMPI’s out-of-the-box designation.

“The county has gone to some length to find conditions and resolve some issues,” she stated, suggesting “openness to at least working with the applicant, maybe with some tweaks to the way they’re operating.”

Commissioner Temple Glassier, a fourth generation rancher in the Valley, said, “CRMPI is wonderful, don’t doubt it ... But does the application fit and meet the standards? That’s what we have to look at. How wonderful CRMPI is is not on the table, unfortunately for us.” She acknowledged that the Eagle County Commissioners have more authority to make exemptions.

During the public hearing at that meeting, more than a dozen people stepped forward to speak on behalf of the intrinsic value of CRMPI to the Roaring Fork Valley and the world.

“Jerome is not just a farmer and educator, he is a visionary,” said Pitkin County Commissioner Francie Jacober, speaking as an individual and not as an elected

official. “His farming is not flowing fields on the valley floor, but highly creative use of a challenging property. This is exactly what the world needs… we have to learn from people like Jerome.”

Four neighbors, two of which were directly represented by lawyer Kelcey Nichols at the public hearing, have taken issue with CRMPI circumventing approvals from the get-go and assert that retroactive forgiveness is not appropriate. “It is the applicant’s burden to show uses conform to the code, not commissioners’ to bend and adjust it to conform to uses that began in 1987,” said Nichols.

“Being legal is important,” contended neighbor Eric Berry. “It’s what, as another business owner, I’ve had to do all along: be in compliance with rules and regulations set in front of me.”

Berry shared concerns with The Sopris Sun that sanctioning CRMPI’s on-site camping could set a precedent on Basalt Mountain that would allow a similar, existing permaculture operation to add lodging. With only 22 parcels on the mountain, Berry explained, every additional car on the narrow and winding road has a considerable impact.

Nonetheless, Berry admitted, “CRMPI should be held as a jewel for what can be produced,” saying, “Jerome’s ideas are great, they just have to be done legally.”

“We discussed dropping the application entirely and applying for a change in code instead,” said Ward-Karet. After what’s already been a lengthy and expensive process, however, Osentowki is reluctant to start over. “If Jerome was a millionaire and 30 years younger, this would be different,” she continued.

Jerome Osentowki, a self-described "81-year-old goat," likely knows

Basalt Mountain better than anyone. Photo by Raleigh Burleigh

“At this point, we can’t draw back and resubmit,” said Osentowski. Already, in addition to approximately $75,000 spent navigating this process, CRMPI has been unable to host on-site lodging for students, which has eaten into the income that its programming generates. Osenwoski asserts that Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield counties should consider the lodging needs of local farms for workers and education. “We need to have farm schools,” he said. “This information is locked up in a few people. All the farms are doing good work with different strategies.”

A week after Osentowki’s 81st birthday, on Sept. 30 at 4 p.m., CRMPI will ask the Eagle County Commissioners for approval of the special use permit and accessory dwelling unit.

“If I don’t get this approved, I stand to

lose a quarter million [dollars] per year,” said Osentowski, who seeks to hire the right staff and retire on his farm in the near future. He based this estimation on the institute’s income in 2021. “After bills, there’s not much left,” he continued.

“It's been painful to watch, as a process, because if I wasn't personally connected, I would be giving Jerome support to help do this,” said Berry, who previously maintained his own permaculture project on the adjacent property. “I would be right there standing next to him … because I think it is needed at this time where we are getting further and further away from the land and its ability to sustain us. … I believe in what he does and yet we have these issues that need to be resolved before things can get better.” Osentwoski hopes that with proposed measures, including rerouting CRMPI’s traffic to an upper road and a fire mitigation plan that could save nearby properties, his neighbors will embrace the institute.

“As much as planners and land use professionals like to think everyone should plan ahead of time and answer questions before … the reality is a lot of things morph and change overtime,” said Ward-Karet. “Jerome didn’t buy property to start an institute. He bought property to be a smallscale farmer, to do direct-market and traditional agriculture. He learned about new methods along the way, trying them and inviting people to come and help out.”

She concluded, “Things evolve and change.”

$30 on the day of the show — “and with Michael’s underwriting, it brings that ticket price way, way down,”

Honey explained.

Also on Saturday night, drink specials and, of course, birthday cake will abound.

The Friday night performance by Cleary is a seated show beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday’s Motet performance will be limited seating with a two-ticket per customer limit and starts at 8 p.m.

When The Sopris Sun asked Honey what’s in store for TACAW’s second year, Honey said we would see the return of some of TACAW’s most successful events “in an attempt to build traditions” in the programming.

For example, in mid-October, “Pumpkin Jazz” will return with an evening of free jazz music, and English in Action’s “Immigrant Voices” impactful storytelling event will be back.

Honey reflected on TACAW’s first year, saying, “We’re pretty proud of the impacts we’ve made, and people will see more of that. But I want to express — on behalf of the staff and the board — our gratitude to the community for continuing to support TACAW, understanding that we, as a nonprofit, need their support, both in ticket sales and donations. We express our profound gratitude that our community is learning to support the great asset that is TACAW.”

Tickets from Friday and Saturday night performances are available at www.tacaw.org/calendar

I'm waitingjustuntil you say the magic word… Treats!

Musician makes the world a smaller place, one song at a time

By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent

Eli Lev’s love of travel and sincere interest in world cultures have outfitted the singer-songwriter with a unique toolkit for musical storytelling.

Lev will, as he says, “make the world a smaller place” by bringing his indie folk and Americana music leanings, with an “originals and covers set,” to the Bull and Buck in Basalt on Sept. 23 at 6:30 p.m. The show is free.

For a couple of years, Lev lived in Andorra, a country located in the Pyrenees mountains, nestled between France and Spain. He is excited to be back in Colorado and keenly understands the landscape as a place “totally surrounded by mountains” with “a certain way of life where time travels a little bit differently.”

Lev grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C., where his parents worked in government: his mother for civil rights and his father for the Department of Health and Human Services.

Growing up in the ethnically-diverse community of Silver Spring sculpted Lev’s worldview and, more pointedly, his music. He said, “My friends were Cuban, Indian, Persian and Asian immigrants. Muslims, Christians and Jews — everybody from everywhere — shaped my view of the world.”

Those experiences would prove to be the impetus for Lev’s adventures around the world. For him, travel is “going out and meeting people, where they are and who they are and what they believe.” All of that has influenced his music.

A touring musician offered Lev a gig at a Georgetown coffee shop. He recounted, “Five people said, ‘Hey, when's your next show?’” That became the impetus for a series of events, allowing Lev to become a full-time musician.

Lev’s laid back vocal stylings bring to mind singers like Jack Johnson and Ben Harper. When paired with his vibrant and upbeat acoustic guitar playing, it makes for a satisfying listening experience.

On his Facebook page, Lev declares himself a “self-proclaimed folk hero,” which comes from his deep respect for the roots of folk music. “Folk music has stories that celebrate the common human experience, and those stories are passed through time and reinterpreted into different versions along the way. That's why I champion folk music; I like how the stories connect our generations.”

After earning a master's degree in education, he taught eighth-grade English to Navajo students in northern Arizona. Lev’s hosts taught him about honoring the four cardinal directions — north, east, south and west. Lev shared,

“It is a concept that rang true for me because that's essentially how Navajo perceive the world's place: surrounded by the four directions and four sacred mountains.”

That perspective helped to inform his first steps on the path to becoming a musician. “As a beginning musician, I needed something as an anchor and something to guide me on that journey. I thought, ‘The four directions, I'm familiar with that. I will start in the east where the sun comes up.’”

His Four Directions Project consists of a four-part recording catalog, with each installment a five-song EP. These include “All Roads East” (2017), “Way Out West” (2018), “Deep South” (2019) and “True North” (2021).

That initiative has led to Lev’s Three Worlds Project, which will consist of three albums. The first will examine the three worlds of past lives, present journeys and future myths in a timeline that explores Lev’s ancestry, his current journey and what's to come for our country, humanity and the world.

The second is “Two Friends,” a collaborative album between two musicians, and the final installment, “One Road,” is, as Lev said, “just kind of bringing it all home.”

In Basalt, Lev will be joined by his partner in music and life, singersongwriter Megan Leigh. The two, collaborating as the duo Wild Whispers,

Maryland-based singer-songwriter Eli Lev brings his eclectic repertoire of music to the Bull and Buck on Sept. 23. His work draws upon his experiences as a world traveler. Courtesy photo

weave together engaging rhythms and dulcet vocal harmonies and released their self-titled debut album in July with funding from an online crowdfunding campaign.

The performance venue — Bull and Buck — opened last December in Basalt’s Gold Rivers Court and has a modern lodge aesthetic. They serve pubstyle fare with dishes like bangers and mash and entrée offerings including elk medallions and Colorado rainbow trout, along with a dessert and full drink menu.

For more about Lev and his music, go to eli-lev.com/music

By Kate Phillips Sopris Sun Correspondent

Prepare to be inspired and entertained as student filmmakers from the Roaring Fork Valley and across the country take center stage at the third annual YouthZone Ascent Youth Film Festival. The film festival doubles as a fundraiser, and will celebrate the students’ hard work and creativity at The Orchard in Carbondale on Sept. 30.

“This is a project for the youth and the families in our communities, but it’s also by the youth of our communities,” said YouthZone Development Director Carol Wolff. “It is a fundraiser for YouthZone, which is here to support our families and that in turn creates stronger communities.”

Ascent stays true to YouthZone’s core mission — to be a family-first nonprofit that fosters positive youth development from Aspen to Parachute — by offering an artistic outlet for students to shine. Ranging in age from 12 to 18, each student creates a film that puts their interests at the forefront. The films can be a linear story or abstract piece, and special talents such as music, writing, poetry, photography, video or animation bring the films to life.

Noting the specific age range, Wolff said that teenagers often need multiple ways to express themselves, and that this film festival is a fun and impactful opportunity for them to share their passion with their parents and peers.

“It’s exciting and it’s fun for them to show off their work because a lot of times their parents don’t really

know what they put together until they watch it,” Wolff laughed. “They have their peers there and other people that they don’t even know. It’s a lot of fun.”

She continued, “The kids are just excited to put together a film, and that’s their way of expressing themselves [...] Art is a huge way for kids to express themselves.”

The students begin the process at the start of the summer, and must submit one draft by mid-July before submitting their final cut on Aug. 26. Students who complete their film receive a cash prize and participate in an awards ceremony at the end of the festival. Throughout the process, two noteworthy film industry professionals mentor the students.

This year, YouthZone collaborated with Emmynominee Katherine Roberts, founder and CEO of Carington Creative, and the award-winning president of the Colorado Film and Video Association, Rob Shearer. Together, the mentors discussed project ideas with the students, offered technical film support and helped with editing.

Student filmmaker Luca Passerini Burks said it took him some time to finalize his film’s story, but he worked with Shearer who helped shape his ideas into a movie that would be suitable for the targeted audience while also staying true to Passerini Burks' vision.

His film, “The Clone”, will keep audiences on the edge of their seats as a riveting battle unfolds between the film’s main character and an unexpected clone of himself. According to Passerini Burks, creating such a film was difficult, but he was able to work hard and learn something new in the process. For him, filmmaking has been a long time passion, and Ascent is a great chance to continue pursuing his dreams.

“I’ve always wanted people to see my films, and not just make them so my family can see them,” he said. “It was really cool to see my brother’s film up there in front of 100 people [last year], and I can’t imagine my film being up there. That would just be so awesome.”

Noting the challenges that come with filmmaking, Passerini Burks enthusiastically offered encouragement

Levi Friday (left) and Nico Passerini Burks were all smiles at last year’s Ascent Youth Film Festival award ceremony. Expect to see those smiles again when they present their newest films at this year’s festival. Courtesy photo

and advice for future student filmmakers. “Don’t give up easily, don’t cut corners, make a good effort and make a good film,” he said. “And if your film isn’t that good, keep trying and maybe someday you’ll get the big shot!”

This year, Ascent offers a hybrid viewing experience where community members can participate either inperson or virtually after the live showing. The in-person watch party will also have a silent auction that includes donations from local businesses and individuals. Wolff said that Ascent’s sponsors and silent auction donors are very generous and YouthZone is deeply grateful for their support.

All donations from the event will go directly toward YouthZone programming such as youth advocacy, restorative justice, substance intervention and education, LGBTQ+ support and one-on-one coaching for parents and youth alike.

For tickets and more information, visit www.bit.ly/ AscentFilm2022

“Staying Woke; Keep Their Eyes Open”

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

DEMENTIA CONVERSATIONS

Lisa Paige, a volunteer community educator with the Alzheimer’s Association, presents “Dementia Conversations” at Sopris Lodge from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Space is limited. Register at www.soprislodge.com/events

DROUGHT RESISTANCE

Master Gardener Debbie Martin teaches about making lawns and yards more droughtresistant without breaking the bank (or your back). The presentation will be live at the Carbondale Library at 5 p.m. and online (registration at www.bit.ly/droughttalk).

ART OF CONVERSING

Sweet Cream Dreams in Carbondale hosts a free, community-building event designed to push you out of your comfort zone by engaging in meaningful conversation with strangers. No registration is necessary, the event runs from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

COAL BASIN HIKE

The Community Office for Resource Efficiency leads a hike up to the Coal Basin Mine Complex, where you will learn about one of the gassiest mines in Colorado and what’s being done about it, at 9 a.m. The hike is approximately nine miles roundtrip; to RSVP, send an email to monalouisenewton@gmail.com

PRIDE SOCIAL

Converse with LGBTQIA+ community members and allies every fourth Friday at 4 p.m. at the Glenwood Springs Library.

‘80S TEEN MOVIE NIGHT

The Basalt Library invites high schoolers to watch “The Breakfast Club” at 5 p.m. Attendees can dress up in ‘80s attire and bring a pillow and blanket. The film is rated R for language.

SQUARE DANCE

Sustainable Settings hosts a square dance from 6 to 9 p.m. To reserve your spot, call 970-9636107 or email rose@sustainablesettings.org

HARVEST FESTIVAL

Paonia’s Mountain Harvest Festival features free music in the park all weekend, beginning with Albert Cummings and A.J. Fullerton at 6 p.m. Check out the lineup at www.mountainharvestfestival.org

CRYSTAL THEATRE

“See How They Run” shows at the Crystal Theatre at 7:30 p.m. today, tomorrow and the following Wednesday and Thursday. A Sunday showing on Sept. 25 at 5 p.m. is captioned.

NEW HORIZONS

DanceAspen presents contemporary works

by Danielle Rowe, Matthew Gilmore and Kaya Wolsey at the Wheeler Opera House at 7:30 p.m. tonight and tomorrow. Tickets at www.bit.ly/DanceHorizons

JON CLEARY

The Arts Campus at Willits presents Jon Cleary performing solo at 8 p.m. Tickets at www.tacaw.org

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

SPRING GULCH VOLUNTEERING

The Mount Sopris Nordic Council summons volunteers to help with three projects from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For details, email info@springgulch.org

COFFMAN VOLUNTEERING

Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers hosts a work day at Coffman Ranch, near Carbondale, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Senior Matters, together with Roaring Fork Audubon, will be installing birdhouses. Register online at www.rfov.orgor by contacting Sue Zislis (480-532-4375)

NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY

Wilderness Workshop celebrates National Public Lands Day with a hike at Dinkle Lake from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Register online at www.bit.ly/WWpubliclands

CRYSTAL JUBILEE

True Nature hosts a 15th anniversary celebration from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a silent auction, tours, activities and live music. Learn details at www.truenaturehealingarts.com

SUICIDE AWARENESS

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention hosts a walk to raise awareness departing from the Glenwood Springs Community Center at 10 a.m.

MENTAL HEALTH FAIR

Aspen Strong hosts a community mental fitness fair in Paepcke Park, Aspen from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers are needed! Email lindsey@aspenstrong.org for more info.

PRINTING WITH LIGHT

The Art Base hosts a two-day class about cyanotypes with Deborah Shannan from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Details and registration at www.theartbase.org

CELEBRATING TACAW

The Arts Campus at Willits celebrates its anniversary with “The Greatest Show on Earth”, an outdoor children’s show with puppets, magic and more, at 1 p.m. followed by “songs on the lawn” from 3 to 5 p.m. and The Motet performing at 8 p.m. Tickets at www.tacaw.org

BRINGING STORIES TO LIFE

Illustrator Erick Ingraham leads an interactive discussion about what goes into creating a children’s story book at 2 p.m. at the Carbondale Library.

Garfield County Libraries hosted its Freedom to Read picnic, celebrating Banned Books Week, in Carbondale on Sept. 18. Readers will have another opportunity to celebrate banned and challenged books at the Rifle Library on Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. Photo by Raleigh Burleigh

CRMPI FUNDRAISER

Craft Coffee House hosts an evening of locally-sourced food, drinks and music with an artists’ silent auction and proceeds benefiting the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute. The fun begins at 5 p.m. and local ag workers are eligible for a discount. Tickets at www.bit.ly/CRMPIfunds

MOVING MOUNTAINS

As part of the Moving Mountains Summit, the Basalt Library presents a night of environmental films beginning at 6 p.m. Visit www.basaltlibrary.org for more info. For additional info regarding the summit, visit www.mountainsentinels.org/summit

THE MOTET

The Arts Campus at Willits celebrates its first anniversary with The Motet performing at 8 p.m. Tickets at www.tacaw.org

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

BREAK DANCING

Instructor Johier Begay leads beginners in a break dancing class at the Basalt Library at noon. Visit www. basaltlibrary.org for more info.

ART OF FARMING

Seed Peace and the Aspen Art Museum present “The Art of Mountain Farming” on the museum rooftop at 6 p.m. with local chefs from Bosq and The Farmer and Chef. All proceeds support Seed Peace — tickets at www.bit.ly/AAMSeedPeace

LIVE STORYTELLING

Writ Large presents “Field of Dreams”, a live storytelling event with Ali Margo, Dr.Barbara Freeman, Cari Eisenson, Kat McAfee and Raleigh Burleigh at The Collective in Snowmass from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets are free, RSVP to info@thecollectivesnowmass.com

SOUND BATH

Dr. Zachary Cashin leads a vibrational sound healing journey at the Third Street Center at 7 p.m.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

STATE LIBRARY

The Glenwood Springs Library will host the Colorado State Library for a one-day workshop highlighting programs andresources. The first session about tools for community research will be from 10 a.m. to noon. Then, a session about improving historic collections will take place from 1 to 3:30 p.m.

VEGAN POTLUCK

The Center for Human Flourishing hosts a plant-based potluck at the Third Street Center from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Questions? Email info@TCfHF.org

DEATH CAFE

Discuss anything related to death and hear from varying perspectives at the Basalt Library at 4 p.m. Visit www. basaltlibrary.org for more info.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

TALES OF THE UTES

Nina Gabianelli from the Aspen Historical Society and Skyler Lomahaftewa, a Northern Ute tribal member, present “Seasons of the Nuche: Tales of the Ute People” at the Basalt Library at 5:30 p.m. The Ute Traveling Exhibit will be on display at the library through September. Visit www.basaltlibrary.org for more info.

LINOLEUM + LIBATIONS

AspenOUT and The Art Base host Jim Harris teaching linoleum cut printmaking from 6 to 8 p.m. Registration at www.theartbase.org

ASPEN FILMFEST

The 43rd annual Aspen Filmfest kicks off with “Good Night Oppy” at the Wheeler Opera House at 7 p.m. The Festival continues through Oct. 1. More info at www.aspenfilm.org

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

PERFUME PRODUCTION

Learn to make your own fragrance at the Basalt Library from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. This free class is for high school students and no RSVP is necessary.

SOUND BATH JOURNEY

Danielle Klein leads a “Sound Bath Journey” at Kula on Main from 6 to 7:15 p.m. Registration at www.kulayogaonmain.com/special-events

OFF TRAIL

Author Jane Parnell discusses her book “Off Trail” and how mountaineering has helped her heal from trauma at the Carbondale Library at 6 p.m.

A DYING WISH

The Center for Human Flourishing presents “A Dying Wish”, a documentary about an 80-year-old retired surgeon who decides to stop eating and drinking and “die with grace.” The film will screen at the Third Street Center at 6:30 p.m.

FURTHER OUT THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

STORYTIME

The Carbondale Library hosts in-person storytime for young children and their adults every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

INDIGENOUS JAZZ

Delbert Anderson fuses together music from his Navajo roots with jazz. Along with his trio, Anderson will lead a workshop at the Basalt Library from 4 to 5 p.m., followed by a concert at 5:30 p.m. Visit www.basaltlibrary.org for more info.

HEARING HEALTH

Senior Matters presents “Hearing Health is more than Hearing” with audiologistDaria Stakiw live at the Carbondale Library and online at 6 p.m. Registration at www.bit.ly/HearingCdale

AIKIDO SEMINAR

Aikido master Matthew Addison teaches a mini-seminar at 13 Moons Ranch, south of Carbondale, from 6 to 7:45 p.m.

SPORTS

Roaring Fork High School’s volleyball team plays Basalt at home at 6:30 p.m.

WILD & SCENIC FILM

The Middle Colorado Watershed Council hosts its annual fundraiser, the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, at the Glenwood Vaudeville Revue at 6 p.m. The show will be repeated at the Ute Theater in Rifle on Oct. 1 at 6:30 p.m. For tickets and more info, visit www.midcowatershed.org/filmfest

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

PLANET EATER

Brian Colley and Andrew RobertsGray co-present an exhibit inspired by Godzilla at The Art Base through Oct. 29. The opening reception is from 5 to 7 p.m. with an artist talk at 5:30 p.m.

SPORTS

Roaring Fork High School’s soccer team plays Crested Butte at home at 6 p.m.

YOUTH FILM FEST

YouthZone hosts a watch party for this year’sAscent Youth Film Festival at The Orchard at 6 p.m. Tickets at www.bit.ly/AscentFilm2022

ASPEN FILM IN CARBONDALE

The 43rd annual Aspen Filmfest screens “Good Night Oppy” at the Crystal Theatre at 7 p.m. On Oct. 1, “Farewell, Mr Haffmann” shows at 5 p.m. and “Broker” shows at 7:30 p.m. “Wildcat” will conclude the Carbondale screenings at 5 p.m. on Oct. 2. More info at www.aspenfilm.org

CONTRA DANCE

Potato Day kicks off with a Friday night contra dance at the Third Street Center at 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1

POTATO DAY

Carbondale 113th Potato Day celebration returns to Sopris Park with a market and record sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. along withcontests, live music and the traditional barbeque lunch. The Rotary Club willserve breakfast at 4th and Main from 8 to 10 a.m. where Tater Trot registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The parade will departfrom 2nd Street at 10:30 a.m. and a Youth Gymkhana will be hosted at the Gus Darien Arena from 3:20 to 5:30 p.m.

MINDFUL HIKING

Be truly present when hiking, and experience the power of intention and rhythm to align your brain, body and beliefs.

Saturday, 9am-12pm, 9/24

BEGINNING SCULPTURE

Learn how to think and design in 3-D to create a sculpture. Mondays, 10am-1pm, 10/31-12/5

QUICKBOOKS

A series of classes starting with the basics and ending with an interactive workshop on 11/2.

Wednesdays, 9am-4pm Quickbooks I: 9/28 NEW DATE Quickbooks II & III: 10/12 & 10/19

SEED SAVING AND VEGETABLE GARDENING 101

Learn the basics to grow your own food, and how to save your heirloom flower and veggie seeds.

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:30-8pm

Seed Saving: 10/4 and 11/17

Veg. Gardening: 10/6 and 11/15

FASHION

An overview of the history, purpose design and construction of garments, and accessories. Online Wed. 6-8pm, 10/12-11/16

TENSION & TRAUMA RELEASING

A series of exercises that release muscular tension, calm the nervous system, and encourage balance. Sunday, 10:30-11:30am, 10/16-11/6

PHOTOGRAPHY FUNDAMENTALS

Learn to use your DSLR or film camera to “make” a photo - not just “take” a photo - and get off the automatic setting.

Mon. evenings, 10/10-24 and 11/5, plus Sat mornings, 10/22-10/29

FABULOUS FELTED SLIPPERS

Make your own custome slippers with local textile artist, Jill Scher. Saturdays, 11/12-19

NOURISHING OURSELVES FOR WINTER

Learn how to make delicious, nourishing, medicinal foods to feed your soul through the winter. Thursday, 6-8pm, 11/17

INTERMEDIATE PAINTING

Guided paintings in several different styles, plus fun techniques to add flair to your paintings. Also “free time” to work on your own projects. Tuesdays, 11/2-12/14

All Mediums: 9am-12pm Watercolor: 1-4pm

Aspen Filmfest showcases our world's past and present

By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent

Aspen Film presents the 43rd annual Aspen Filmfest from Sept. 27 through Oct. 3 at Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House and Isis Theatre, and the Crystal Theatre in Carbondale.

The festival opens on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. with “Good Night Oppy” screening at the Wheeler Opera House. The film tells the true story of the space rover, Opportunity, that was sent for a 90-day mission to Mars and ended up surviving for 15 years.

During festival week, students at Aspen Middle School will be treated to a screening of the film. “Oppy” is also one of four Filmfest offerings at Carbondale’s Crystal Theater, screening on Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.

Susan Wrubel, Aspen Film’s executive and artistic director, called it “a feel-good movie for all ages.”

Wrubel, in her sixth year of leading Filmfest, explained that what makes Aspen Filmfest unique is that it is a noncompetitive, invitation-only film festival. “It gives us the luxury of cherry picking the films that we want to showcase and highlight within our community,” she said.

Among the 16 offerings are awardwinning films from South by Southwest, Telluride, Toronto, the Cannes and Venice film festivals.

One addition to the lineup is a surprise screening on Oct. 2 of a film making its world premiere the night before at the New York Film Festival. Without spilling the beans, Wrubel said, “I highly encourage people to seek [it] out because it deals with social justice, family and inequality.”

“Empire of Light” (Wheeler, Oct. 1, 2 p.m.) was written and directed by Sam Mendes and stars Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, Toby Jones and “a young, phenomenal actor who should be on everyone's radar — Micheal Ward — who's unbelievable,” Wrubel said.

Set in a broken-down cinema in the United Kingdom in the ‘80s, the film follows the struggles of two characters — one dealing with racism and the other with mental illness. Wrubel shared, “They form this highly unlikely friendship as a result of the fact that they are both dealing with these two heavy issues.”

As a tribute to film director, writer and producer Bob Rafelson, who died at the age of 89 at his home in Aspen on July 23, there will be a free community screening of “The Postman Always Rings Twice” (Wheeler, Sept. 29, 8 p.m.). This 1981 neo-noir thriller, starring Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange, is one of Rafelson’s most notable films and playwright David Mamet’s first foray into screenwriting.

In 1999, Rafelson was the first person to receive Aspen Film’s Independent by Nature Award and, in 2019 on Aspen Film’s 40th anniversary, received Aspen Film’s first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award.

A presentation, including film

clips of Rafelson’s life and work will also be shown, and family members in attendance will share their remembrances. Free tickets for the “Postman” screening are available on the Filmfest website.

A word to the wise filmgoer: Don't miss the matinees. There are some outstanding gems for daytime moviegoers that “are definitely not to be overlooked,” Wrubel said.

One matinee is “Wildcat” (Crystal, Oct. 2, 5 p.m.; Wheeler, Sept. 29, 5 p.m.), a documentary from the United Kingdom about a young British soldier who returns from Afghanistan with PTSD. He finds solace in the Amazon jungle by joining a wild cat rescue and fostering an orphaned baby ocelot to eventually return it to its natural habitat.

Another film of note is Julia Mintz’s “Four Winters” (Isis, Oct. 1, 12 p.m.). Mintz will be in town for the screening of her first feature documentary film as director, writer and producer.

Working as a documentarian and art activist for two decades, Mintz said the inspiration for “Four Winters” came from a story of the Nazi invasion of Eastern Europe, when a young girl dug a ditch where she hid and then threw a hand grenade at the German front lines.

Mintz thought, ‘I want to make a movie about her,’ but then learned it wasn't just one girl in a solitary act of resistance, but over 25,000 people of all ages, known as partisans, who actively fought in an armed resistance from the primeval forests of Eastern Europe and beyond.

Ten years in the making, the film focuses on partisan camps in the regions of Belarus, Lithuania and Ukraine, whose borders changed throughout the war. Mintz observed some relevant parallels, saying, “This is on the same dirt and soil that adults are fighting a war [in Ukraine] today.”

Festival passes, and individual screening tickets can be purchased at www.aspenfilm.org, where you will find a complete listing of films.

Tickets for Crystal Theatre screenings may also be purchased for cash at Beer Works (647 Main St in Carbondale).

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

"Four Winters" filmmaker Julia Mintz took a flatbed scanner with her to interviews where partisans provided her images they had collected over their lifetimes, including the photo shown here. Those scanned images became a part of the film, “so the partisans participated in the collective archive that you see,” said Mintz. Courtesy photo

GOOD NIGHT OPPY

LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S BLACK & BLUES

Sol del Valle

en

La

¡Colorido y alegre! Así es nuestro México y gran parte de Latinoamérica. Tuve el honor de visitar México durante la fiesta de independencia. Pero esta vez, en lugar de viajar a una zona turista, me fui a mi pueblito. Un lugar desconocido y fuera del ambiente comercial. Mis raíces vienen de ahí y es lo que quise disfrutar y recordar. Mi abuelo era ranchero y ganadero en un pueblito llamado Querutzeo, localizado en el municipio de San Lucas en el estado de Michoacán en México. El lugar principal de comercio local es Ciudad Altamirano en el estado de Guerrero. Son como 30 minutos en carro de Querétaro a Ciudad Altamirano. La intención de mi viaje no fue por la fiesta de independencia, solo coincidió. Mi plan era pasar tiempo con mis padrinos que viven en Ciudad Altamirano y visitar al último tío que vive en Querétaro. Así mismo fue. Empecé el viaje por avión desde Grand Junction hasta la ciudad de México, donde me recogieron mis padrinos. Lo primero que hice al llegar a México fue,

obviamente, ir a saborear la comida. Mi padrino me llevó a una pequeña fonda como a 15 minutos del aeropuerto. Eran como las 2 de la tarde y parecía que ya había pasado la hora ocupada. Nos sentamos en unas sillas viejas que estaban sobre la banqueta. El clima era templado y comenzaba a lloviznar.

La fonda estaba rodeada de diferentes negocios de todo tipo y dos hombres echaban talacha a sus carros justo al lado.

La angosta calle te obligaba a ganarle el turno a los carros para cruzar. “Con cuidado hijo” me dice mi padrino al ver un carro acercarse mientras cruzábamos. Antes de ordenar preguntamos qué es lo que quedaba del día, ya que la comida era hasta agotar existencias. Al final probé un huarache de carne y unas quesadillas de huitlacoche y de chorizo; sin duda deliciosas. Así empezó la travesía. Agarramos camino rumbo a Ciudad Altamirano. Queríamos avanzar temprano porqué no es recomendado viajar de noche por cuestiones de seguridad. En el camino encontramos carreteras repletas de baches y de vendedores ambulantes en cada parada. Cuando todavía nos faltaban como 3 horas para llegar, los baches hicieron muy

bien su trabajo y nos poncharon dos llantas. Tuvimos que parar al lado de la carretera por muchas horas esperando ayuda.

Aquel lugar era hermoso; lleno de pinos y vegetación variada. El aire se sentía puro y el bosque lleno de vida. Recuerdo que me puse a grabar un audio para recordar los sonidos después. Terminamos pidiéndole una llanta de refacción prestada a un taxista y un amigo de mi padrino trajo otro carro para transportarnos. Al final se nos hizo noche y llegamos a Ciudad Altamirano como a la 1:30 de la mañana. A pesar de las advertencias de no viajar de noche, nos fue bien y no tuvimos otros contratiempos.

Al llegar, aunque ya era tarde, fuimos por unos tacos para cerrar bien la noche. Estábamos cansadísimos.

Al siguiente día empecé a saludar a nuestros amigos de tantos años. Más que amigos y padrinos, son extensión de mi familia. Como siempre, fue una recibida de lo más caluroso. Es una alegría llegar y sentir que la distancia y los años parece que hicieron pausa desde la última vez. Fueron abrazos, canciones, tragos, comida y amor lo que se sirvió toda la semana.

La región es pobre. Oprimida por la delincuencia y olvidada

por un gobierno que solo ve por sus intereses personales. Pero la gente es noble y de un corazón de oro. Lo más palpable es el amor familiar. El apoyo con el que se sostienen. Todo el mundo trabaja largas jornadas para poder salir adelante, pero con entusiasmo. Lo otro que noté es que no hablaban de lo que carecen, sino de las bendiciones que tenían.

El área donde estuve es todo un paraíso, lleno de frutos y vida salvaje por doquier. México es un país tan rico y abundante en naturaleza y talento humano.

Nuestra gente, a pesar de todas las adversidades, salen adelante. Lo que me quedó como aprendizaje fue ver el gran potencial que existe en su gente. No se dan por vencidos y disfrutan su lucha diaria. Ese esfuerzo es evidente y palpable cuando esa misma gente llega a un país como América. Cuando llegan con ese coraje y hambre de salir adelante, lo hacen.

Llegan con solo una camisa en sus hombros y forjan nuevos caminos que llegan hasta lo más alto.

A pesar que mi pueblito es muy humilde, me enorgullezco venir de él. Mis raíces son de guerreros valientes que no se rinden ante las más grandes adversidades.

Donaciones por correo o en línea P.O. Box 399 Carbondale, CO 81623 970-510-3003 www.soprissun.com

Editor Raleigh Burleigh • 970-510-3003 news@soprissun.com

Editora Contribuyente

Vanessa Porras

Directore Artístico Hattie Rensberry

Diseñadora de anuncios Alyssa Ohnmacht

Traductoras

Jacquelinne Castro y Dolores Duarte

Distribucion

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Tu creatividad está sufriendo y tu teléfono es el culpableOPINIÓN

regreso inconscientemente a ver videos de animalitos. Este acumulamiento es semejante a un hábito compulsivo de acaparamiento. Cada idea creativa que he ido guardando durante los años ha sido destinada a vivir en la oscuridad de una carpeta digital sin realmente cobrar vida.

a Max Fisher, un reportero de investigación del New York Times y autor de “The Chaos Machine”. Fisher habla sobre el efecto que las redes sociales están teniendo en la reconfiguración de nuestro cerebro, lo cual influye en nuestro comportamiento.

Al no artista

Por Vanessa Porras

Seré la primera en admitir que mi creatividad sufre a causa de mi teléfono. Me engaño a mi misma y me digo que tengo que buscar inspiración en Instagram para ser relevante a lo que ocurre en el mundo del arte.

Despues de 30 minutos, me doy cuenta que he caido en el hoyo negro que son las redes sociales. En vez de buscar inspiración, he pasado el tiempo viendo vídeos de perritos envueltos en cobijas que parecen tortillas. Así que me sacudo y decido que Pinterest es un mejor recurso para ideas.

Después de una hora organizando mis ideas en carpetas dentro de otras carpetas decido que ya son suficientes ideas almacenadas y

Peor aún, el sentimiento de culpa que normalmente prosigue este tipo de hábito es lo que nos mantiene en este ciclo vicioso. Estos pequeños dispositivos en nuestras manos dictan mucho más de lo que nos damos cuenta. El diseño, no solamente de nuestros teléfonos si no también de sus aplicaciones, ha sido creado para mantenernos ocupados.

No se trata solo de ver el mal, sino de entender la relación que tenemos con nuestros teléfonos ya que se han convertido en una extensión de nuestros brazos. Es importante crear conciencia de cómo afectan nuestra creatividad y nuestro comportamiento. Al entender esta relación podemos combatir hábitos que se han vuelto inconscientes.

Recientemente escuché un episodio de Rich Roll podcast donde Roll entrevista

Durante sus investigaciones, Fisher descubrió que las plataformas de las redes sociales cambian la biología cerebral, más allá de ser un entretenimiento se han convertido en métodos de condicionamiento. Es decir, el algoritmo de estas plataformas está diseñado para crear una reacción emocional. Estas reacciones emocionales ya sean buenas o malas se vuelven adictivas lo cual nos mantiene cautivados.

Después de un tiempo, los participantes de estos estudios demostraron un cambio fundamental en su naturaleza a pesar de no ser recompensados con una reacción emocional. Podemos usar el estudio antiguo del psicólogo Ivan Pavlov y sus perros. Cada vez que Pavlov sonaba una campana, les daba una galleta a sus perros. Después de un tiempo, Pavlov sonaba la campana y a pesar de no recibir una galleta los

perros babeaban.

Este es un efecto de entrenamiento que se ve en nuestro comportamiento y nuestra relación con nuestro teléfono. Cada vez que oímos un timbre o una vibración, tenemos una reacción porque nuestro balance emocional ha cambiado.

Así que, ¿qué tiene que ver nuestra biología cerebral con la creatividad? Pablo Picasso dijo, “sin una gran soledad, no es posible un trabajo serio”. A pesar de que los algoritmos cambian nuestra naturaleza, también dictan nuestros intereses lo cual hace casi imposible la soledad de la que habla Picasso.

Hemos desarrollado un tic hacia nuestro teléfono y una compulsión de estar en distracción constante. Revisamos nuestras pantallas unas 300 veces al día. Rara vez nos permitimos el tipo de soledad necesaria para sentirnos aburridos, soñar despiertos y seguir nuestra curiosidad. A diferencia de Alicia en el país de la maravillas, nos podría pasar el conejo blanco por encima y probablemente no lo veríamos mucho menos lo perseguiremos para descubrir a dónde va con tanta prisa.

En una sociedad donde cada día se diagnostican más niños y adultos por igual con Trastorno por Déficit de Atención e Hiperactividad, ansiedad y depresión, tenemos que buscar la manera de convivir con la tecnología que se ha vuelto parte de nuestras vidas.

El escritor Clive Thompson le llama, “recobrar tu atención”. Thompson sugiere encontrar las cosas raras y curiosas que te interesan a ti y a un pequeño grupo de raros como tu. En pocas palabras, no busques lo que se hará viral.

No es que los algoritmos nos hagan malas sugerencias basadas en lo que ha determinado que es nuestra identidad y nuestros gustos, pero como comenta Thompson, “están lamentablemente incompletas”. Tenemos que agregar a la lista e ir fomentando el crecimiento de nuestro bosque intelectual y crear conciencia hacia nuestra participación del uso de nuestro teléfono y lo que conlleva.

Al no artista, te invito a que te sientes en soledad a contemplar tus curiosidades. Siéntate debajo de un árbol, busca un libro y si ves el conejo blanco, síguelo.

Combinando el cuidado de los hijos y el equilibrio entre el trabajo y la vida personal

Opinión de Elizabeth Key Traducción por Dolores Duarte

Después de dar a luz a mi primer hijo, mi esposo y yo pensamos que podíamos amañar nuestros horarios para no tener que pagar la guardería. Él trabajaba de 6:30 a.m. a 2:30 p.m. y yo trabajaba como recepcionista en el Ritz-Carlton de 3:00 p.m. a 11:30 p.m. El horario era brutal, ya que yo era la responsable de levantarme por la noche para alimentar a mi bebé.

Después de unos tres meses, la privación del sueño se apoderó de mis días. Mi sonrisa forzada y mi desempeño "en el escenario" empezaron a decaer. Viviendo una narrativa cada vez más falsa de "es un placer", empecé a buscar desesperadamente por una guardería.

Llamé a todas las guarderías desde Aspen hasta Carbondale, y el resultado fue el mismo: lista de espera, lista de espera, lista de espera. Volví a llamar semanalmente hasta ese glorioso día en que la recepcionista dijo: "Sólo tenemos un día-".

"¡Lo tomo!" dije como un niño que arrebata un juguete. Con cada día adicional de guardería, mi lucidez vino de vuelta.

Planifiqué tener a mi segundo hijo considerando la inclusión en el preescolar Blue Lake. De hecho, llamé a la escuela para decirles que estaba embarazada incluso antes de decírselo a mi familia. El preescolar se había convertido en mi comunidad, y no iba a arriesgarme a perderlo.

Mi hijo empezó el kindergarten este año, y nuestra temporada de preescolar

CHISME DEL PUEBLO

Traducción por Jacquelinne Castro

Adiós, El Jebel

El viernes 16 de septiembre, el bosque nacional White River publicó un proyecto de decisión aprobando la venta o renta de su sitio administrativo de 30 acres cerca de El Jebel. De acuerdo con el guardabosques del distrito de AspenSopris, Kevin Warner, la venta o renta de la tierra proveerá a la agencia con fondos para mantener o mejorar otros sitios administrativos. Bajo el nuevo proyecto de decisión, toda o parte de la propiedad podría ser vendida o arrendada con el primer derecho de renuncia dada a los condados de Eagle y Pitkin. El Servicio Forestal mantendrá el acceso público a la parcela adyacente de 40 acres que bordea el río. Una reunión pública para discutir acerca del asunto tomará lugar en el centro comunitario de El Jebel, 20 Eagle County Road, el 19 de octubre de las 5 p.m. a las 6:30 p.m.

Fideicomiso de agua

Anne Castle, la presidenta de la junta de Fideicomiso de agua de Colorado (Colorado Water Trust), ha sido designada por el presidente Joe Biden para servir como la comisionada federal de Upper Colorado River Commission. Como la presidenta de la comisión, ella trabajará en “asegurar la asignación apropiada de agua del río Colorado

finalizó. La ceremonia de graduación fue muy dulce, con nuestro hijo de pie junto a sus compañeros de clase como un "genuino gángster" que había asistido a la escuela desde los tres meses hasta los cinco años de edad.

Durante los ocho años que confié en el preescolar Blue Lake para resguardar a mis hijos, ellos se convirtieron en parte de mi familia. Si no hubiera encontrado una guardería, podría haber tenido que abandonar el trabajo, una tendencia que experimentaron muchas madres durante la tenaz pandemia. Hoy, hay más de 500 personas en lista de espera para Blue Lake, con un promedio de espera de dos años.

Durante los últimos 20 años, Michelle Oger ha sido la directora ejecutiva del preescolar Blue Lake. Subraya que es imperativo que los padres que esperan un hijo se inscriban en las listas de espera de las guarderías tan pronto como sepan que están embarazadas, sobre todo si son padres que trabajan y no tienen un sistema de apoyo cercano.

"Hay muchas familias que no saben que hay escasez de guarderías", dijo, "tanto si están en el valle y es su primer hijo como si son personas que se trasladan desde fuera de la ciudad, especialmente desde la cordillera frontal o una ciudad más grande donde hay abundancia de guarderías".

El preescolar Blue Lake está abierto durante las vacaciones escolares, los días festivos y el verano para ayudar a padres que trabajan. Es una de las pocas guarderías que ofrece un servicio de cuidado de niños de día completo,

de 7:30 a.m. a 5:30 p.m., y que acepta bebés de hasta seis semanas. Su tarifa promedio por día completo es de $76 dólares por niño.

Oger dijo que es difícil pero esencial pagar un salario digno a los profesores, muchos de los cuales se desplazan desde Silt o Rifle. También ofrecen cuidado antes y después de escuela para niños en edad escolar, proporcionando servicios de entrega y recogida para cinco escuelas primarias de la zona.

La escuela compensa su déficit anual presupuestario de $200,000 dólares con recaudaciones y subsidios. Blue Lake ofrece un fondo de becas basado en los ingresos que mantiene los costos de la guardería por debajo de un determinado porcentaje de los ingresos de los padres. La beca, sin embargo, depende del financiamiento de subsidios.

Oger dijo que el cuidado de los niños "es un acto de equilibrio para tratar de mantener el cuidado de los niños accesible, especialmente para las personas con dos o incluso tres niños en preescolar. Es extremadamente costoso y a menudo aún más que su hipoteca".

Blue Lake es un preescolar privado que ofrece atención a 147 niños en El Jebel y a otros 39 en su nueva sede de Carbondale. Están planeando una expansión de su ubicación en Carbondale, que hará espacio para 45 niños más y servicios extraescolares para el otoño de 2023. Blue Lake también tiene un nuevo centro preescolar en obras, situado frente a The Arts Campus at Willits. Tendrá capacidad para hasta 150 niños, pero la obra tiene un plazo más largo para completarse.

Foto de cortesía

La crisis del cuidado de niños agrega presión a la mano de obra y crea un estrés emocional y financiero a los padres. Las empresas, los gobiernos y los individuos deben unirse para garantizar la salud psicológica y económica de nuestra comunidad, empezando por la generación más joven.

La flexibilidad en los horarios de trabajo ayudaría a aliviar los problemas logísticos de muchos padres. Aunque no es realista que los horarios de trabajo coincidan con los de la escuela, creo que las empresas deben dar prioridad a la conciliación de la vida laboral y familiar para que los padres puedan estar más presentes en la vida de sus hijos. Es fundamental para una sociedad saludable. Mientras tanto, los padres seguirán esforzándose por organizar el cuidado de niños y averiguar cómo pagarlo".

Oger dijo: "Las empresas y los miembros de la comunidad deberían apoyar la educación infantil porque afecta a las experiencias de compra, a las experiencias gastronómicas y a la recreación. ... Si no hay gente para trabajar en esos lugares, no estarán abiertos".

para los estados de división superior, promover cortesía interestatal, eliminar causas de controversia presentes y futuras y asegurar el almacenamiento de agua y el desarrollo agrícola e industrial de la cuenca superior,” dijo el comunicado de prensa.

Plan de agua de Colorado

Una actualización de Plan de agua de Colorado (Colorado Water Plan), publicada en el 2015, está buscando comentarios acerca de un proyecto bilingüe hasta el 30 de septiembre. El plan está organizado alrededor de cuatro áreas de acción: comunidades vibrantes, cuencas prósperas, agricultura robusta y planificación resistente. Una hoja de hechos reconoce que el 80% del agua del estado cae al oeste de la divisoria continental, mientras que el 90% de la población del estado vive en el lado este de la divisoria continental. Los comentarios públicos pueden ser entregados a traves de engagecwcb.org

Apagón en la escuela

Los estudiantes de Carbondale Middle School fueron otorgados el día libre el lunes 19 de septiembre, cortesía de un apagón que fue anunciado el domingo. Con Xcel restaurando la electricidad exitosamente después de la 1 a.m. El martes, las clases se reanudaron esa misma mañana.

COVID-19

El 15 de septiembre, el gobernador Jared Polis firmó una orden ejecutiva para enmendar y extender la declaración de desastre de COVID-19. La enmienda elimina las provisiones innecesarias mientras que mantiene los aspectos relacionados con el acceso al estado y fondos federales y con el personal suficiente en instalaciones de salud.

Propiedad de la Pachamama

El fundador de Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, ha colocado la propiedad de la compañía en un fondo dedicado a combatir el cambio climático. “La tierra es nuestro único accionista.” escribió Chouinard. “En lugar de extraer el valor de la naturaleza y convertirlo en riqueza para los inversores, usaremos la riqueza que Patagonia crea para proteger la fuente de toda la riqueza.”

Agenda politica Latina

El Colorado Latino Policy Agenda, un informe anual no partidista, publicó sus resultados clave basado en una encuesta comisionada por Voces Unidas de las Montañas, Voces Unidas Action Fund, la Organización de Colorado para las Oportunidades de las Latinas y los Derechos Reproductivos (COLOR por sus siglas en inglés) y el Fondo de Acción de

El distrito de bibliotecas públicas del condado de Garfield, Garfield County Public Library District, organizó una fiesta inaugural para celebrar el comienzo del Mes de la Herencia Hispana el domingo pasado,18 de septiembre. La biblioteca de Rifle, Rifle Branch Library, festejó con comida, música y presentaciones de baile. Fotos de cortesía

COLOR, también en asociación con Protégete de Conversation Colorado. El reporte destaca que la comunidad, la inflación y seguridad de armas son las preocupaciones principales entre los votantes Latinos. Encuentre el reporte completo en www.bit.ly/2022CLPA

Child care and the work-life balance

Opinion by Elizabeth Key Special to The Sopris Sun

After birthing my first child, my husband and I thought we would finagle our schedules to avoid paying for child care. He worked from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and I worked as a concierge at the Ritz-Carlton from 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. The schedule was brutal as I was responsible for getting up at night to feed my baby.

After about three months, Sleep deprivation glazed over my days. My forced smile and performance “on stage” were starting to sag. Living an increasingly false narrative of “It’s my pleasure,” I desperately started hunting for child care.

I called every child care center from Aspen to Carbondale, and the result was the same: waitlist, waitlist, waitlist. I called back weekly until that glorious day when the receptionist said, “We only have one day—”

“I’ll take it!” I said like a child snatching a toy. With each additional day of child care, my sanity started to return.

I planned the conception of my second child around

getting grandfathered into Blue Lake Preschool. I actually called the school to tell them I was pregnant even before I told my family. The preschool had become my village, and I was not going to risk losing it.

My son started kindergarten this year, and our early childhood season was complete. The graduation ceremony was sweet, with our son standing along with his classmates as an “Original Gangster” who had attended the school from three months to five years of age.

Over the eight years I trusted Blue Lake Preschool to safeguard my children, they became part of my family. If I had not found child care, I might have had to drop out of the workforce, a trend many mothers experienced during the persisting pandemic. Today, there are over 500 people on the Blue Lake waitlist, with an average wait of two years.

For the past 20 years, Michelle Oger has been the executive director of Blue Lake Preschool. She stressed that it is imperative that expecting parents sign up for multiple child care waitlists as soon as they know they are pregnant, particularly if they

are working parents without a support system nearby.

“There are so many families who don’t know that there is a shortage of child care,” she said, “whether they are in the Valley and this is their first child or people who move from out of town, especially from the Front Range or a larger city where there is an abundance of child care.”

Blue Lake Preschool is open during school breaks, holidays and the summer to aid working parents. It is one of the few child care centers offering full day care from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and accepting infants as young as six weeks. Their average fullday rate is $76 per child.

Oger said it is difficult but essential to pay a living wage to teachers, many of whom commute from Silt or Rifle. They also offer before and after school care for schoolage children, providing dropoff and pick-up services for five area elementary schools.

The school makes up for its annual $200k budget shortfall with fundraisers and grants. Blue Lake offers an incomebased scholarship fund that keeps child care costs under a certain percentage of parents' income. The scholarship,

however, is dependent upon grant funding.

Oger said child care “is a balancing act of trying to keep child care affordable, especially for people with two or even three kids in child care. It is extremely expensive and often more than their mortgage.”

Blue Lake is a private preschool providing child care for 147 children in El Jebel and another 39 kids at its newer location in Carbondale. They are planning an expansion of their Carbondale location, which will make space for 45 more kids and afterschool services by the fall of 2023. Blue Lake also has a new child care center in the works, located across the street from The Arts Campus at Willits. It will accommodate up to 150 kids but has a longer timeline for completion.

The child care crisis strains the workforce and creates emotional and financial stress for parents. Businesses, governments and individuals must come together to ensure our community’s psychological and economic health starting with the youngest generation.

Flexibility in work schedules would help alleviate many parents' logistical issues. While it is unrealistic

to have work hours match school hours, I think that businesses need to prioritize work-life balance to allow parents to be more present in their children’s lives. It is paramount for a healthy society. In the meantime, parents will keep scrambling to piece together child care and figure out how to pay for it.

Oger said, ”Business and community members should get behind supporting early childhood [education] because it affects your shopping experiences, dining experiences and recreation. … If there are no people to work at those places, they are not going to be open.”

El Dia de Llevar a un Niño en Bicicleta de Montaña

Domingo, October 2, 2022, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Coal Basin Ranch, 4180 Coal Creek Rd, Redstone, CO

Paseos, aprende habilidades

Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day

Sunday, October 2, 2022, 10am-1pm

Coal Basin Ranch 4180 Coal Creek Road, Redstone, CO

Almuerzo gratis

No competitivo

niveles

ejercicios

Caminos para todos

Premios

Consejos de entrenamiento gratuitos por un entrenador de Roaring Fork Cycling de 10 am a 12 pm. Después, se ofrecerá un almuerzo gratuito de 12 a 1pm. Si su hijo o hija no tiene una bicicleta, cuando confirme su asistencia, háganos saber y le reservaremos una sin costo alguno. Reserve su espacio en www.rfmba.org. Reserve su espacio en www.rfmba.org

Rides, Skills & Drills, BBQ Lunch, Trails for All Levels, Non-competitive, Give-aways — FREE!

Coaching tips from Roaring Fork Cycling from 10 am-12 pm,

lunch

Photo courtesy Ri e Middle School

Photo courtesy Ri e Middle School

Weston Purvis learns through play at Little Blue Preschool in Carbondale. Courtesy photo

‘Harlem Shuffle’

By Izzy Stringham White River Books

Coming on the heels of two Pulitzer Prize winning novels, ‘Harlem Shuffle’ by Colson Whitehead is a caper of a crime novel set in early 1960s Harlem. The story centers around Ray Carney, a used furniture salesman with a few small side hustles and a conscience keeping him from getting too deep into the criminal world that surrounds him.

Ray grew up fast, with a criminal for a father and a mother who died when he was a child. His early life on the edges of his hoodlum father’s life made him go straight. He finished school, bought a business and got married and had children. He ran his furniture store as a legitimate business, working to climb the social ladder in Harlem, but maybe just once in a while moving stolen items and keeping a finger on the pulse of the crime in the neighborhood.

When Ray’s cousin Freddie comes to him with a plan to rob the famous Hotel Teresa, he gets roped into a series of events that are much bigger than he is. Ray’s past ties to the criminal underbelly of Harlem become more intertwined and harder to get out of. He finds himself wrapped up with all sorts of dubious characters, and the lines he drew between his father the crook and himself as a self-made business owner start to get blurry.

The book’s plot begins with the heist at the Hotel Teresa and only gets more complex as Ray is faced with the choice to move and hide stolen goods, protect men with no moral character and hatch a scheme for revenge against a powerful Black man in the community who slighted him.

The ease of falling into crime and desperation to succeed are themes which follow Ray through the entire book. At what point is being crooked inevitable?

Can anyone actually pull themselves up into middle class comfort with all the challenges that being Black and poor in Harlem in 1960 present? Or is it justified that “Ray Carney was only slightly bent when it came to being crooked, in practice and ambition.”

The idea of crime and redemption is a central part of the story. Each character has their flaws and their struggles, from greasing eachother’s palms to moving stolen goods and getting involved in much more perilous situations. ‘Harlem Shuffle’ takes a good hard look at the economics and morals of a criminal life.

Whitehead’s superb prose and cast of memorable characters make ‘Harlem Shuffle’ a book to get lost in. His deep understanding of Harlem, New York City as a whole, and the hum and buzz of a city of strivers and climbers give real heft to a story that goes deeper than just a tale of criminal mischief. The lives he describes are authentic, as are the choices and conundrums Ray faces. With honesty, humor and more than one reference to mid-century furniture companies, Colson Whitehead has produced a book as complex and colorful as streets where the story took place.

‘Harlem Shuffle’ is now out in paperback. Copies are available at White River Books in Carbondale.

The Rams faced fierce competition in a non-league game against the Liberty Common Eagles, losing 6-1 on Sept. 17. The Eagles are currently ranked first in their division. Photo by Sue Rollyson

By Raleigh Burleigh Sopris Sun Editor

Fall sports are in full swing with each of Roaring Fork High School’s teams showing promise. Here’s a quick mid-season recap.

The Lady Rams secured another victory against Basalt on Monday, Sept. 19, winning 3-1. This followed a 3-1 loss in a non-league match with Aspen the week prior. Overall, the volleyball team is ranked second for the 3A Western Slope division with eight wins to four losses. Fans will have a string of opportunities to cheer them on at home: Sept. 29 v. Delta at 6:30 p.m.; Oct. 4 v. Moffat County at 6 p.m.; Oct. 11 v. Rifle at 6:30 p.m.; Oct. 18 v. Aspen at 6:30 p.m.; Oct. 20 v. Steamboat Springs at 6:30 p.m.

The soccer team, for their part, is now ranked third in the 3A/2A Western Slope division after defeating Vail Mountain in a league match on Tuesday, Sept. 20. Similar to the volleyball team, the soccer boys will play a series of home matches: Sept. 30 v. Crested Butte at 6 p.m.; Oct. 6 v. Delta at 6 p.m.; Oct. 8 v. Rifle at 11 a.m.; Oct. 11 v. Summit at 6 p.m.; Oct. 13 v. Aspen at 6 p.m.; Oct. 15 v. CRMS at 11 a.m.; Oct. 18 v. Basalt at 6 p.m.

The football team is ranked seventh in 1A League 1 with one loss to two wins. With one game per week, the next opportunity to catch this team at home is on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.

Local youth direct trustees

Prior to a regular work session, Carbondale’s Board of Town Trustees took the time to hear from youth representing 10 local classrooms, clubs and teams. To help allocate nicotine tax funds, the youngsters shared lived experience with their town government, displaying annotated maps identifying places where they feel safe, welcome, active and otherwise.

Among their recommendations: safe Highway 133 crossings, better lighting at night, places to hang out and expanded circulator services. Each group then received a $300 stipend to direct toward a cause of their choice, using tobacco tax money.

“City Market and Peppino’s [Pizza] should be proud,” stated Trustee Erica Sparhawk. “They were recognized as two of the most welcoming and safe places in town.”

As reported in August, the trustees approved a budget from the council directing $120,00 from tobacco tax funds toward mental health programs in schools. An additional $95,000 was made available in the form of grants to nonprofit organizations that support health, wellness and drug-use prevention and cessation.

Of the four applicants, funding was recommended as follows: Stepping Stones, $40,000; Valley Settlement, $25,000; Family Resource Center of the Roaring Fork Schools, $20,000; YouthZone, $10,000.

The meeting continued with a review of town budget priorities for 2023, as well as updates from the Chamber of Commerce and Creative District.

Lily Leyva (center), a student in the Sustainability Studies program at Colorado Mountain College's Spring Valley campus, cuts a ceremonial ribbon at an open house on Sept. 14 for the nearly completed solar-power installation there. The facility, built on 22 acres of campus land and more than two years in the making, will provide 4.5 megawatts of electricity (the equivalent of the power needed for CMC's Spring Valley, Aspen and Edwards campuses) and will include 15 megawatt-hours of battery storage. It is scheduled to come online in late 2022. Photo by Ken Pletcher

Photo and text by Raleigh Burleigh Sopris Sun Editor

Anna Cole, Roaring Fork School District employee and member of the town’s Youth & Family Advisory Council, then met with trustees to review grant applications for alreadybudgeted 2022 dollars.

Mature Content

By Ron Kokish

“A time to love and a time to die” ... Ecclesiastes 3:2

At 85, my father was failing badly enough for his doctor to insist he stop driving. A few months later I called and casually asked how he was feeling. “Fine, physically,” he replied, “but life is hell when you don’t have a goal.”

Dad deteriorated gradually and steadily. He became confused, incontinent and often unaware whether or not others were present. When he fell after his 89th birthday and my mother couldn’t help him to his feet, she called 911. He was hospitalized, and I flew to New York to help her plan.

We decided that long-term nursing care was the only viable option. Mom couldn’t

Whose life is it, anyway? — Third and final part

bring herself to tell him, so I did. He replied with a single word I’ll never forget. “Finished!”

Later, when I told Dad I had to return to California, he began sobbing. When a nurse asked why he was crying, he said, “because my son is leaving.” Arriving home, I asked mom what happened after I left. She told me that less than five minutes later, Dad hadn’t remembered I was there.

Mom visited daily at his nursing home until he died, less than three months later. He was never diagnosed with an illness. He just got old. His spirit died the day he stopped driving. His body waited another four years.

Six months after dad’s body died, my mother was hospitalized for an obstructed bowel. Except for medical appointments and essential neighborhood shopping, she hadn’t left her apartment since my father’s funeral. She refused counseling. Surgeons cleared her bowel and she rejected assisted living. When I asked, “Do you want to continue living?” she said, “yes!”

“Why?” I asked. “What are you living for?” She thought for

a few moments and said, “To have lunch? Watch television?” Apparently, her spirit, which had never been adventurous or ambitious, wasn’t dead. We arranged in-home care. Mom ate lunch and watched television for six more years.

For over four decades, Adrienne Germain advocated passionately for economic, sexual and reproductive rights for women across the globe. She lived publicly in many high-profile roles and often spoke about her determination to not outlive the pleasures of life. On May 19, at age 75, she actualized her determination.

There is no public information about the means she employed, but she left a one-page letter elucidating her decision. “My life has been rich, satisfying and, I’ve concluded, complete.” After quoting Eleanor Roosevelt, she wrote, “I decided that my last brave statement and bold act would be to end my life at a high point of satisfaction and joy.”

Adrienne was not inclined to wait for the hell of life without goals, nor would eating lunch and watching television lend sufficient meaning. But Adrienne told almost no one about her

specific plan and, caught off guard, many of her friends could not understand or respect her choice. Her obituary in the New York Times called it “tragic.” Was it? Maybe!

Adrienne’s death was certainly tragic for those who lost her companionship, her leadership, the benefit of her wisdom and, perhaps worst of all, the opportunity to tell her, one final time, what she meant to them.

For Adrienne though, there was no tragedy involved. It was her life. By all accounts, she lived it her way and she ended it in that spirit. She wanted to go out on a high note, and, from her point of view, she did. But for her many friends her final note was exceedingly sour.

The Right-to-Die community calls what Adrienne did “life completion.” Others have done it, some quite publicly and, usually, with support from loved ones. But no one I know of was as vital, as capable, as healthy as Adrienne was. Maybe she too would have preferred surrounding herself with friends as she died. Maybe she really wanted to share an intimate farewell with each friend individually. But could she?

Even in the Right-to-Die community, some would have been horrified, many would likely have tried dissuading her and a few might even have intervened with legal action. Having made her private decision, Adrienne was apparently reluctant to justify it to others. Should we blame her? Maybe.

At 81, I’m as fulfilled as Adrienne was and life completion does often seem attractive. But, apparently unlike Adrienne, I don’t feel my life belongs only to me. I do believe I have the right to end it at will, but having a right is one thing; using it wisely and generously is another.

When I no longer have a goal, when what’s left to me is lunch and television, perhaps my loved ones will support me if I decide it’s time to leave them. But I don’t think they’d understand me singing my private high note just yet and, because I love them, I don’t intend on singing it in my present circumstances. Anyway, not right now.

Mature Content is a monthly feature from the Carbondale AARP Age-Friendly Community Initiative (CAFCI)

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Carbondale drinking water violation explained

Mary, soulmate of Bob and mother/head wrangler of Charlie, Vallee and Claire, passed away at home on Aug. 5 in Glenwood Springs. There will be a celebration of her life on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Two Rivers Park bandshell in Glenwood Springs, rain or shine. For her full obituary, please go to the following link: www.thenaturalfuneral. com/mary-vallee-huger-noone

By Raleigh Burleigh Sopris Sun Editor

Carbondale water customers were mailed a bilingual notice on Sept. 14 explaining that drinking water did not meet the state’s treatment standards. “The violation is a treatment technique violation,” Utilities Director Mark O’Meara told The Sopris Sun.

During the months of July and August, with increased flows at Nettle Creek, the amount of chlorine introduced at the treatment plant was not sufficient to meet disinfection standards at the point of discharge. As explained in the notice, measurements do not take into account the 6.5 miles that the chlorine residual travels in contact with the water between the treatment plant and town, allowing it more time to kill viruses and parasites.

O’Meara also stated that the town used to test for giardia and “never really detected” it.

The situation is not an emergency and the town has since introduced more chlorine to meet the state’s standards. To learn about lessening the risk of infection by bacteria and other disease-causing organisms, contact the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Photo by Olivia Emmer

Messages From a Simple Garden

By Linda Helmich

How can a simple garden have so much to say?

In early spring, before the snow has melted, the seed catalogs begin to arrive. I hear the garden whispering messages of hope and feel the joy of anticipation, suggesting so many elaborate plans. I imagine how marvelous it is going to be, maybe. This year could be better than ever before, maybe.

All of that dreaming eventually leads to the work of chopping and churning and chiding the resistant clods into pliable, friable, welcoming earthiness. I work it with a spade, and with my hands.

After a long day of it, I smell sweaty and feel sticky. When I lick my dried out lips, they taste salty. My hands are rough as sandpaper, and my nails are ruined. My back aches, but my heart is full.

It all looks so good!

When I plant the seeds, I hear new messages. “All through life you are planting seeds with your words and with your actions. What kind of harvest will be the result of how you have lived? Have faith,” it says. “The faith to plant good seeds.”

Though I see nothing happening, I water. Over and over, I keep watering. Finally, the tiny sprouts

Come to rest

By JM Jesse

A single leaf falls

Languidly zigzagging down Soundlessly landing

emerge, and it is time to thin. Oh, that tedious thinning!

The garden says, “Patience! Persevere! You must persevere. Nothing good comes without perseverance.”

Those are always hard words to hear, but not the hardest. The next message is even more difficult, for just as the beets and carrots and cabbages come up, so do the weeds.

The garden says to me, “Your life, too, has weeds, attitudes and behaviors that are keeping you from being the best you that you can be. What will you do about them?”

These are good things to ponder as my hands are busy. There is richness in the “examined life.”

One fine day, I get to reap what I have sown, and the message is clear.

“All good work produces a harvest.”

It is a time to be glad, a time to rejoice, a time to be amazed with how delicious fresh veggies taste, with the beauty of the colors, textures and fragrances of the flowers and with the satisfaction of a job well done.

Finally, the garden is put to rest, stripped bare, relieved off its burdens above and belowground. For this year, its work is done. It is back to being just plain dirt. Soon enough, it’s covered with snow, but from underneath, I hear a still, soft voice…

“Like me, let yourself be at peace. Rest. You need that, too.”

At age seven

27 Boxes

By Jeanne Souldern

I sold 27 boxes of Camp Fire Girls candy

In our neighborhood

I went out alone

How many blocks walked

How many doors were knocked and

How many strangers had Listened to a little girl

Chocolate-covered caramels

And mint patties

And the assorted chocolate box

Where are your parents, little girl?

Mom and Dad are busy

I don't mind being a little girl alone

I want to sell for my troop At my school

Sometimes the walk is lonely But that last nice lady bought two boxes

And she thanked me for being so brave To venture out alone

Brave, I thought Maybe that is what I am But I wanted to be a part of Doing good for my troop

If that means I'm brave Then I guess I am A brave little girl

I sold the most boxes of candy My troop leader gives me A paper award

With my name written on it And 27 boxes sold

High country wild flowers. Photo by Just Jim

the changes at Fourth and Main. As stipulated by the donor of the Fourth Street Plaza/Park, a 80-by-20foot reserved parking easement was cleared, which included removal of the town’s events shed. Weeks prior, four parking spaces had been reserved for real estate company Engel & Völkers. How the remaining four to six spaces will be allocated remains to be seen.

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Carbondale Planning and Zoning Commission for the purpose of considering an update to the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.

The applicant is the Town of Carbondale.

Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 7:00 p.m. on October 13, 2022. You may also participate via Zoom. The Zoom link will be available on the October 13, 2022 Planning and Zoning Commission agenda. Copies of the draft Comprehensive Plan are on file in the Planning Department office, Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO and may be examined by interested persons during regular working hours, 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The draft Comprehensive Plan may also be reviewed on the Town’s web site at www.carbondalegov.org

Jared Barnes, Planning Director

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Town of Carbondale Board of Trustees for the purpose of considering an Appeal of the Town of Carbondale Planning and Zon ing Commission’s August 11, 2022, Denial of a combined application for Minor Site Plan Review, a Conditional Use Permit and Alternative compliance (for modification to UDC provisions regarding location of landscaping) in connection with the proposed establishment of a retail marijuana business on the below-described property.

The property is described as: Parcel B, of the Subdivision Exemption Plat, Re-subdivision of Klenck Property, Recorded October 26, 1985 as Reception No. 366044, County of Garfield, State of Colorado with a street address of 1337 County Road 106

The owner is: Crystal River Marketplace, LLC

The applicant is: PI Carbondale LLC/LOVA, c/o Matthew Shifrin

Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 6:00 p.m. on October 11, 2022. Copies of the application are on file in the Planning Department office, Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO and may be examined by interested persons during regular working hours, 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The application may also be reviewed on the Town’s website at www.carbondalegov. org

Correction:

In last week’s Basalt Report, Mary Weiner of Holy Cross Energy was quoted saying that Black Hills Energy natural gas rates “tripled in January.” According to a Black Hills Energy representative, the average monthly bill for customers in Eagle, Garfield and Pitkin counties went from $114.46 to $117.34 on Jan. 1, 2022, “an average monthly change of $2.88 or 3.3% per month for an average monthly household usage of 86 therms (about $1.36 per therm).” Weiner was also quoted saying Holy Cross Energy buys little coal, while their website clarifies they get nearly 31% of their power from coal (www.holycross.com/ system-specifications/). The Sopris Sun will follow up on the intricacies of this story. If you’d like to provide information, email news@soprissun.com

by Raleigh Burleigh

Art by Sofie Koski