March 3, 2011

the

Sopris Carbondale’s

weekly, non-profit newspaper

Sun

Volume 3, Number 3 | March 3, 2011

Now that’s entertainment

During KDNK’s fundraising “C-Town” membership drive event at Steve’s Guitars on Feb. 25, Kat Rich p-u-r-r-formed a solo act that obviously had a kitty-cat theme.

Decked out in a leopard blouse and lion-like wig, her character’s name was “Cougar Kitty.” KDNK’s membership drive continues through March 8. Photo by Jane Bachrach

Village developer calls for Merriott’s recusal

By Terray Sylvester Sopris Sun Staff Writer

O

ne battle involving the proposed Village at Crystal River development was settled at the Carbondale Town Trustees’ meeting this week, but it was immediately replaced by what may prove to be yet another skirmish over the contentious application.

Responding to allegations that he has a conflict of interest concerning the Village, Trustee John Foulkrod recused himself from future deliberations on the 24-acre mixed-use project on Highway 133. But just after he ex-

ited the hearing room at town hall, which was packed with members of the public, a lawyer for the developer told the trustees his client would like Trustee Frosty Merriott to recuse himself from future hearings as well.

Speaking for the partners in the project, none of whom attended Tuesday’s meeting, Eric Gross of the Carbondale firm Whitsitt and Gross asserted Merriott has not disclosed significant“ex parte”communications on the development, which have allegedly occurred on a weekly radio show that takes place after the trustees’ meetings.

“This is completely unacceptable. It’s completely in violation of the quasi-judicial

process,” Gross said during the hearing. “We believe there has been a serious breach in the due process rights of the applicant.”

An “ex parte” contact is not the same as a conflict of interest, said Town Attorney Mark Hamilton. But it is another difficulty that can arise when trustees function in a quasi-judicial role while they consider a land use application.

Ex parte contact can occur when a trustee discusses a pending application with a member of the public, according to a memo provided by Hamilton. Such a conversation denies due process rights to the applicants and to any opponents of the application because

they cannot be present to hear, and potentially rebut, information given to the trustee.

It’s not uncommon for a town resident to attempt to discuss a pending land-use application with a trustee. When such conversations occur, trustees are instructed to disclose them to the rest of the board. In extreme cases, when the ex parte contact is complex or lengthy, a trustee may be recused to ensure he or she does not reach a decision on an issue based on information that isn’t available to the other trustees, the public or the applicant.

Gross pointed to Merriott’s appearances on the Town Trustees’ Report, which airs at TOWN COUNCIL page 3

Sun seeks input

Rams advance

Fashion show preview

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Page 3

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Carbondale Commentary

Sun seeks input on Village at Crystal River coverage The Village at Crystal River development proposal has generated a tangle of comments, opinions, questions and controversy for more than two years. There may be too many VCR issues for The Sopris Sun to explore, so we’d like the public to help us pinpoint what you’re most interested in reading about.

Below, you’ll find a list of issues and questions the Sun could write about concerning the 24-acre development proposal on Highway 133. Some questions have been suggested by residents. To cast a vote for a story idea, just send the corresponding number or brief description to news@soprissun.com. The Sopris Sun will tally the results and consider them in our ongoing VCR coverage. Here is the list: 1. Why does the Village at Crystal River property have to be developed at all? Why can’t the town keep it as open space?

2. What does the existing zoning allow? Why did the town zone the property commercial more than 20 years ago if it didn’t want anything built there?

3. What is the property’s history?

4. Did Colorado Rocky Mountain School start this whole mess by selling the property to developers in the first place?

5. For much of the year the property is used as a cattle pasture. Isn’t it against town ordinances to keep livestock inside the town limits?

6. Why should the town let the developer assess what amounts to an added sales tax in the VCR stores, and allow him to build approximately 160 residential units the town probably won’t need for years to come?

7. It looks to some like VCR opponents are holding out for the perfect project. What is the perfect project and is it economically viable?

8. The community helped the developer come up with the proposed plan, so why can’t the community live with it?

9. Why can’t the town wait until after the new comprehensive plan and new zoning is in place before it considers VCR? 10. Are VCR opponents trying to stall the developer so he’ll eventually go away?

11. What is “sustainable development” and should the concept be applied to VCR? 12. Didn’t the people already say they don’t want another shopping center on Highway 133?

13. What happens if the developer turns around and sells the property after he gets his approvals? Should that scenario be the town’s concern?

14. What if a libertarian-style billionaire bought the property, kicked out the cows, ripped out the irrigation system and let those 24 acres go to weed?

Letters

The Sopris Sun welcomes your letters, limited to no more than 400 words. Letters exceeding that length may be edited or returned for revisions. Include your name and residence (for publication) and a contact email and phone number. Submit letters via email to letters@soprissun.com or via snail mail to P.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623.

The real monster Dear Editor: Regarding last Thursday’s front page article “Bud lite”inThe Sopris Sun,check out the City Market bus stops and the Ride Glenwood bus after school. It would seem, from conversations overheard, that energy drinks and booze should be more of a concern than pot.

Jack Land Glenwood Springs

No alarmist here Dear Editor: After reading Lynn Burton’s column about the documentary “Gasland” (Aspen Daily News, Feb. 23), I’m reminded of the following quote from the New York Times: “I’m not an activist, an alarmist, a Democrat, environmentalist or anything like that. I’m just a person who isn’t able to manage the health of my family because of all this drilling.”

The quote was from a woman in Bartonville, Texas, who says her children have had severe asthma attacks and headaches since a gas well was set up near her house.

John Seidel Sedona, Arizona

Won it in a minute Dear Editor: We are humbled by Aron Ralston’s amazing gift of his time and celebrity to appear on the game show “Minute to Win It” on behalf of the Wilderness Workshop. We’re grateful not only for his winnings, but also for his articulate promotion of our work in front of a national audience.

Thank you, also, to his entire family for being part of the broadcast and making it such a moving event.

A number of people have asked what we plan to do with the money. The short answer is that we’re going to use it to do even more of what we already do, which is protecting

Corrections

Thea and Louis DeRudder just breezed back into town after a sailing trip in the British Virgin Islands and sent us this vintage-esque photo. “Thank you for keeping us up on the Carbondale news down there!” they wrote. Courtesy photo 2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • MARCH 3, 2011

The Feb. 17 Sopris Sun failed to give photo credit to Nancy Chromy for her snowshoe photograph that appeared on page 11. Our apologies to Nancy. ······· The Feb. 17 Sopris Sun incorrectly stated that Frieda Wallison donated the contents of the Thompson House to the Mt. Sopris Historical Society.The contents were donated by the Thompson family. ······· Due to a typo in our Feb. 24 article about teens and medical marijuana, we incorrectly stated that YouthZone Program Director Lori Mueller thinks the medical marijuana industry is the sole reason why YouthZone has seen more minors getting caught with the drug. In fact, she does not think so. Other factors such as increased law enforcement activity and increased use by teens could be at play as well.

our cherished backcountry.

WW is spread very thin keeping out ahead of the threats to our public lands – energy development, road-building, recreational overuse, overzealous forest health management – and, at the same time, trying to proactively protect the most critical areas through wilderness designation. Aron’s gift will provide much-needed funding for these efforts.

But Aron has made clear that he expects us not to merely use the money to fund what we already do. Rather than resting on our laurels, we’ll be seeking in the coming months to leverage Aron’s gift to raise further funds that will enable us to add new education and restoration programs.

Aron’s experience in Blue John Canyon challenges us all to consider what we would have done in that situation. Likewise, Aron’s dedication to giving back to wilderness – the wilderness that took his arm, but gave back his life – challenges us all to do the same.

Dave Reed and Sloan Shoemaker Wilderness Workshop Carbondale

Senior parking needed Dear Editor: As our citizens age in this town, I believe that we have to make it easier for them to get into town to get their mail, their prescriptions and get a haircut.Tourists and local youth can LETTERS page 5

To inform, inspire and build community Donations accepted online or by mail. For information call 510-3003 Co-editors: Lynn Burton and Terray Sylvester 510-3003 • news@soprissun.com Advertising: Dina Drinkhouse • 970-456-7261 dina@soprissun.com Photographer/Writer: Jane Bachrach Ad/Page Production: Terri Ritchie Paper Boy: Cameron Wiggin Webmaster: Will Grandbois Sopris Sun, LLC Managing Board of Directors: Peggy DeVilbiss • David Johnson Allyn Harvey • Colin Laird Laura McCormick • Trina Ortega Jean Perry • Elizabeth Phillips Frank Zlogar

Sopris Sun, LLC • P.O. Box 399 520 S. Third Street #35 Carbondale, CO 81623

970-510-3003 www.soprissun.com Visit us on facebook.com Send us your comments: feedback@soprissun.com The Sopris Sun is an LLC organized under the 501c3 non-profit structure of the Roaring Fork Community Development Corporation.

Re-1 budget discussions slated for Carbondale Sopris Sun Staff Report The Roaring Fork Re-1 school board will present a webcast of its 2011-12 budget discussions at Carbondale Middle School and Basalt High School from 6 to 8 p.m. on March 9, March 23 and April 13, according to the school district.

The school board will discuss the proposed budget during its regular meetings at 1405 Grand Ave. in Glenwood Springs for those wishing to attend in person.

Due to state cutbacks, the school district is anticipating $3.5 million in budget cuts for the next school year, according to school

district officials.

Those attending the budget discussions in Carbondale and Basalt will be able to make comments and ask questions via the Internet.

“The work of examining every single district line item began last year and has continued into this year with groups of teachers, administrators, board members, department heads and district office staff all working on the problem,” said Re-1 Superintendent Judy Haptonstall. “Our students and the quality of their education are our first concerns, and that will guide the work that we do. It will be important through this

Town council 9 a.m. every Wednesday on KDNK’s “Merle and Chameleon.” He asserted that Merriott and the show’s hosts have discussed the Village at Crystal River proposal and cited facts that may have been incorrect in a forum his clients may or may not have had access to.

Gross estimated Merriott had discussed the Village on the show about 10 times and said he would bring his notes on the content of some shows to a future meeting.

Hamilton asked for time to research the allegations against Merriott.

“What the substance of those communications were and how they affect these proceedings is something I haven’t assessed,” Hamilton said during the meeting. “I think it’s a valid question.”

In an interview with The Sopris Sun, Merriott said he typically takes the agenda from the previous night’s meeting with him to the show and then attempts to explain what was decided on each item. Merriott said he and

continued om page 1

the show’s hosts, local architect and town building consultant Jeff Dickinson and land use consultant Bob Schultz, try to be fair and avoid pending development issues.

Merriott felt he had been targeted by the developer because he has been one of the board’s most outspoken critics of the development during public hearings so far.

“I think I’m a high profile target here,”he said, “If they had a really big concern about ex parte communication they would have raised this six, eight, 10 months ago. … I think it’s just pretty much like one person said, kind of a quid pro quo.”

The “Trustees’ Report” has featured every sitting member of the town board of trustees other than Elizabeth Murphy, said KDNK News Director Conrad Wilson. Merriott has been the most frequent participant on the show recently, followed by Trustee Pam Zentmyer. Other trustees have participated, though less frequently, Wilson said.

Roaring Fork’s Dalton Handy blocks a shot in the Rams’ win against Grand Valley in district tournament play on Feb. 25.

Roaring Fork defeated Aspen the next day and face Bennett at home in regional tournament play at 7 p.m. on March 4. If Roaring Fork wins, they face the winner of the Weld Central vs.

Clear Creek game in Carbondale at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

The winner of that game earns a trip to the 3A state tournament at Colorado State University in Fort Colins. Photo

by Jordan Hirro (jordanhirro. zenfolio.com).

process to involve community and the board will be structuring opportunities for stakeholders to share their ideas and weigh in on potential recommendations.”

Haptonstall pointed out the state faces a $1 billion budget gap in its next fiscal year and K-12 education comprises approximately 43 percent of the current state budget.

“We knew the cut to K-12 would be substantial,” said Haptonstall.

Gov. Hickenlooper’s budget proposal cuts K-12 funding by $332 million, according to published reports.

Salaries comprise about 85 percent of the

school district’s annual budget. School officials have said it’s likely the cuts will impact teachers and class sizes.

The district's Interest-Based Bargaining committee will also be making recommendations on the budget cuts, Haptonstall said.

The committee normally reviews and makes recommendations on teacher salaries and benefits.

The Re-1 school district operates schools in Basalt, Carbondale and Glenwood Springs.

The Colorado, K-12 schools are funded primarily through local property taxes and state aid.

Mayor Stacey Bernot and Trustee Elizabeth Murphy suggested the town take more time to consider the issue and review tapes of the show. The trustees unanimously voted to continue the discussion to March 22.

Foulkrod’s recusal from future hearings on the Village at Crystal River slipped past almost as a side note to the meeting.

“I would like to recuse myself from this public hearing due to a perceived indirect conflict of interest of a so-called substantial nature,” he said in a brief statement.“I don’t believe that I have a conflict of interest substantial enough to sway my decision one way or another.”

He apologized to his supporters for no longer being a part of the process and then left the room for the remainder of the hearing.

facilities the trustees agreed to impose a $1,000 new license fee, a $1,000 fee to support community education about marijuana, a $500 facility fee and other charges, including re-licensing fees, on marijuana businesses.

They also agreed that medical pot businesses should be prohibited within 500 feet of schools, including the CMC campus and established preschools. Town staff will incorporate those recommendations into an ordinance to be discussed by the trustees at a future meeting.

The trustees continued a discussion on new zoning rules for medical marijuana patients and caregivers until March 15.

Trustees talk pot Also on Tuesday night, the trustees discussed new ordinances for the town’s medical marijuana industry. As part of a rule to define licensing procedures for commercial

Next steps:

The Carbondale Town Trustees will discuss Trustee Frosty Merriott’s alleged ex parte contact on the Village at Crystal River Planned Unit Development during their meeting on March 22 at Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Ave. For more information, call the town at 963-2733.

Black & Green Team preps for CCAH fashion extravaganza

By Jane Bachrach Sopris Sun Staff Writer There aren’t many folks who can do 64 lines in one day, but the “Black & Green Team” will attempt it over the weekend during the first full rehearsal for the Green is the New Black Fashion Extravaganza.

Step aside Chanel, Dior and Givenchy, because Foxy Moron, Sweet Skins, Box 11, Akomplice and other lines will show off their “wears” using local models who will shimmy, dance, slink and saunter down the runway clothed in fashions from around the world, created from recycled and sustainable materials.

Green is the New Black is a fashion “show”in the truest sense.Team captain Amy Kimberly had a vision for the event three years ago, and last year’s fundraiser was so successful the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities is putting on two shows this year.

With a couple of years under her recycled belt, Kimberly knows what it takes to pull it off. However, when the curtains open at the Carbondale Recreation Center on March 1112, and the models take off down the runway to “oohs” and “aahs” from the audience, few will realize what it takes to produce the show.

Putting on the show is a logistical challenge, and for that reason, Kimberly recruited team members Ellie Davis and Katrina Byars to help with all aspects.

For example, the team must figure out which of the 80 models will wear which of the 64 fashion lines. After that decision is made, rehearsal schedules must be figured out.

And how does one choose the music?

What mood should be created for each fashion line? The Black & Green Team has been working on those questions and others for months, but for the past few weeks they’ve been getting down to the nitty gritty, working in the CCAH offices at the Third Street Center.

To get a taste of a single aspect of the show’s staging, here’s part of what this fly-onthe-wall reporter saw and heard during a recent meeting between Kimberly, Byars and Davis. They were assigning models to the individual fashion lines: “Let’s put that rehearsal on Saturday at 2 (p.m.),” said Kimberly.

“I’m gonna have to drink a Red Bull that day,” Byars replied.

“When are we rehearsing Sara (a model/designer)?”Kimberly asked.“She can’t be on March 2, she’s in Hawaii … . Let’s move Sara to March 3.”

Byars: “I would love to work with Sara on that.”

Kimberly: “I know what we can do. Let’s put in the England line at 7:30 (p.m.) on March 2. Let’s do Sara’s on that Saturday.”

FASHION SHOW page 5 THE SOPRIS SUN • MARCH 3, 2011 • 3

News Briefs

Cop Shop

The Weekly News Brief The Sopris Sun and the KDNK news departments team up to discuss recent news from the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond. Catch the Brief on KDNK between 7:30 and 8 a.m. and between 5:30 and 6 p.m. on Thursdays.

Census: Housing vacancies double The proportion of vacant housing in Carbondale has doubled over the last decade according to data from last year’s census. In 2000 about 4 percent of the town’s housing units stood empty, compared to nearly 9 percent in 2010. Vacancy rates countywide have shown a similar increase, rising from 6 to almost 13 percent.

In other census data, the number of Latino residents in Carbondale has grown by about 50 percent over the last decade. In 2000, 1,669 Latinos called Carbondale home. Last year that number was 2,529. In 2000, about 32 percent of Carbondale residents were Latino, now about 40 percent of the town identifies as such.

Over the last 10 years, Carbondale’s total population has grown from about 5,200 to roughly 6,430. Less than 1 percent of the town’s residents identify themselves as Asian or Native American and just over 1 percent of Carbondalians call themselves black.

In Garfield County as a whole, the proportion of Latino residents has grown considerably as well. In 2000, 17 percent of the county’s inhabitants were Latino. Now that number is about 28 percent.

Economic gardening class offered As part of the “economic gardening” initiative supported by the towns of Car-

bondale and Glenwood Springs, the Roaring Fork Business Resource Center, Colorado SBDC and Colorado Creative Industries will present a Business Planning Course for Entrepreneurs, a 10-week class that will help participants start or grow their businesses.

This intensive training course will focus on “creative” businesses and will provide business owners and entrepreneurs expert guidance in cash flow management, marketing, finance, personnel, legal issues, technology and more.

Creative businesses may include graphic and other design firms, as well as film and media, heritage endeavors, businesses in the literary and publishing fields, architecture firms, performing arts, visual arts and crafts organizations. Each participant will receive hands-on assistance in preparing a complete business plan.

The Carbondale Town Trustees invested $20,000 in the economic gardening project in January. The initiative, which will be coordinated by the Business Resource Center, seeks to exploit homegrown opportunities for economic development by stimulating new business to start in the Roaring Fork Valley region, and by nurturing existing businesses.

The classes take place from 5:45 to 9:15 p.m. on Tuesdays from March 22 through May 24 at Roaring Fork High School. The

cost is $275, which includes a textbook.

Scholarships are available, but space is limited. To register go to rfbrc.org. For more information send an email to info@rfbrc.org or call 945-5158.

Comments sought on gas leases The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on two areas proposed for oil and gas leasing. The agency is releasing an environmental assessment for each area. The lease sale is scheduled for Aug. 11.

One area is located in Rio Blanco County. It encompasses about 8,670 acres.

The environmental assessment for this area may be viewed at blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ wrfo.html or at the White River Field Office in Meeker. Comments are due March 21.

The other area proposed for leasing straddles Grand and Jackson counties, encompassing about 2,943 acres. The environmental assessment for this area is at blm.gov/co/kfo or at the Kremmling Field Office. Comments are due March 24.

Under new policy for oil and gas leasing, individual BLM field offices are conducting environmental analyses on lands proposed within their jurisdiction for specific oil and gas lease sales. This allows the public an additional chance to review specific leasing decisions before the lease sale occurs.

Spring Creek Land & Waterscapes With Spring just around the corner it’s time to start thinking about getting those spring start-ups scheduled, be sure to get your Sprinkler Systems & Waterfeatures up and running for that first spring BBQ!

Zach Hunt lays down a bass line at JAS Aspen’s District 8 Honors Jazz Band concert at Roaring Fork High School on Feb. 26. The concert concluded two days of classes with professional musicians and students from around the Western Slope.

Local musicians taking part were Emily Bruell and A.J. Gray (both Carbondale Middle School students) and Hunt, Kevin Drudge, Mitch Brown, Zack Ritchie and Travis Provost. Photo by Lynn Burton 4 • THE SOPRIS SUN • MARCH 3, 2011

Call Mitch at 379-6488 for ALL your landscaping needs, We do it all, so you don’t have to!

0022 Mesa Ave. ¥ Carbondale, CO 81623

(970) 379-6488

The following events are drawn from incident reports of the Carbondale Police Department.

SUNDAY Feb. 20 At 9:28 a.m. an officer noticed a window in a van owned by the town had been smashed.

MONDAY Feb. 21 At 11:43 a.m. a woman reported two windows had been smashed at the Roaring Fork Family Resource Center office on Third Street.

TUESDAY Feb. 22 At 12:39 p.m. the driver of a Waste Management truck reported he was harassed by a man in a blue Mercedes on Highway 133. The Mercedes driver allegedly tailgated, honked, yelled and made obscene gestures.

WEDNESDAY Feb. 23 At 8:49 p.m. a woman reported her neighbor had seen a mountain lion at the intersection of Crystal Bridge Drive and Perry Ridge.

THURSDAY Feb. 24 At 4:29 p.m. a man found raw hamburger mixed with what appeared to be rodent poison at the intersection of Seventh and Main streets. The police are investigating.

FRIDAY Feb. 25 At 1:09 a.m. an officer contacted a couple allegedly strolling in Triangle Park. The officer ran a background check and then warned the couple the park was closed.

Letters continued om page 2 walk a block or take the bus but it is often too dangerous for our seniors to walk long distances to do their errands (especially when the sidewalks and roads are slippery) and getting from their homes to the bus stop can be a dangerous adventure. I see many handicap spaces but few places for seniors to park.The El Jebel City Market has several handicap parking spaces (which I have rarely seen used) and two senior citizen parking spaces that are used all the time. I’m not sure if there is a designation on the vehicle that is provided by the DMV that shows proof that the driver is in fact a senior citizen in need of a parking space closer to the door, but I think that there should be. My father is in his 80s and has always been one to park as far away from the front door as possible because he always felt that a little exercise never hurt anyone and that there were probably people who would have more trouble than he did getting to the store. But now that he is older he is that person who could use a spot a little closer. I showed him how to use the parking meters in Aspen but he will spend a fortune on his credit card placing minimum parking receipts (when he can find a spot) and he doesn’t have a cell phone in order to call the 800 number. I don’t see a lot of wheelchairs around town, but perhaps we should provide them to our seniors in need, at least that way they won’t fall down trying to make their way into town to get their hair cut, and they would be able to park at a reasonable distance from where they are going.

Cindy Madsen Buck Basalt

Junior docent program kicks off Dear Editor: A lucky group of Carbondale high school students are participating in the first ever“junior docent” program with the Mt. Sopris Historical Society. They’re exploring Carbondale's history with hands-on investigations of the museum and other historic buildings, and mini-field trips focusing on Carbondale’s past. They’ll take photos and videos, talk to old-timers, create museum displays and hear from a variety of experts. “The Carbondale Puzzle” is the theme of this semester’s program.

Linda Romero Criswell Executive Director Mt. Sopris Historical Society

Puppet thanks Dear Editor: We are so grateful for the support we received for our puppet and mask performance, “A Song for Each Cup.” To the 44 community members who were a part of the cast and/or production crew, to the Aspen Thrift Shop for funding and emotional support for the performance, to CCAH’s staff and board members who opened their hearts and minds and gave their space and time to this dream, and finally to all of the community members who joined us as an audience, we say thank you, and let’s do more!

Pupen Spiel!

Ro Mead, Director, CCAH Soozie Lindbloom, Artistic Director, OM Theatre

Dozens of Green is the New Black models have been learning how to shimmy, shake and generally strut their stuff of late. Shown here are (front to back): Priscilla Dickinson, Collette Newell, Kendra Wexler, Kerry Kleisner, Deva Shantay and Adam Nickamin.

Photo by Jane Bachrach

Fashion show continued om page 3

“First at Third” Presents

520 Third Street Center Carbondale, Colorado

Open Mic Performance Showcase

Music

Poetry

Comedy

Drama

First Friday at Third Street Cafe 7-9:30 p.m.

Sign-up day before at Third Street Cafe or Day of: 6-7 p.m.

March 4, 2011

Special Guest Performers Paul Franzich - Feed Them With Music Kim Nuzzo - Aspen Poets Society 8:30pm

After a brief pause, Kimberly continued, “Now I see we have this little issue. So I’ll put Lulubelle, because she’s gonna have a quick change … . I just wonder if Debra can make that quick of a change, it’s gonna be quick.”

Byars: “Oh, Nomi said she would have her clothes here on the Fourth. How about Wick? Does Nomi have men’s clothes?”

Kimberly: “Now … when is the rehearsal for Back Door and Misers?”

Byars: “We have to take Steve outta there

and move Collette.”

Kimberly: “We need another woman or two in Misers (fashions). Maybe we use Wendy … . Oh no, I’ve got her in Lulubelle.”

Davis: “What about Russ?”

Amy: “No, we need more women. We gotta get Brieanna (the model) in some more.

We need more Brieanna.”

And so it went as the fly-on-the-wall scribbled down notes and then took off to report in at The Sopris Sun. Meanwhile, the Black & Green Team planned on.

Next steps:

For ticket information for the Green is the New Black Fashion Extravaganza, go to carbondalearts.com.

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Scuttlebutt

Send your scuttlebutt to Scuttlebutt@SoprisSun.com. ckhausen makes a living on his skis in the winter as a coach for the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club, and is pursuing a career in green building in the summer.

Volckhausen, 28, lives in Woody Creek.

He’s the son of former Carbondale residents Phil and Lulu Volckhausen.

Local ranches make Fielder book Three local ranches – Cold Mountain, Lost Marbles and Harvey – are among 50 Colorado spreads featured in photographer John Fielder’s new coffee-table-sized book “Ranches of Colorado” (now available at the Gordon Cooper Library).

The book says that Cold Mountain Ranch, located just south of Carbondale, is owned by Bill and Marj Perry, and was first ranched in 1881. The Cold Mountain Ranch chapter includes five color photos plus lengthy text that describes on-the-spot cattle action, how Bill and Marj came to own the ranch and more.

Both the Lost Marbles and Harvey ranches are located upvalley. The Lost Marbles is owned by John, Laurie, Johno, Peter and Kate McBride and was first ranched in 1880. The Harvey Ranch is owned by the Connie Harvey family and was first ranched in the 1890s. A conservation easement on Cold Mountain Ranch is held by the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust and Pitkin County; a conservation easement on the Harvey Ranch is held

by Pitkin County and the Aspen Valley Land Trust.

Good racin’ A few Roaring Fork Valley residents made the trek over to Leadville for the eighth annual Leadville Loppet Nordic ski race on Feb. 27. Helen Carlsen of Basalt won the women’s 22-kilometer classic race (and was the second overall finisher) with

Good goin’, Megan Megan Webber, a Carbondale Community School student, took part in the school’s Ski-A-Thon fundraiser at Buttermilk on Feb. 18 and completed about 20 laps from top to bottom. Way to go, Megan.

A new trend?

These four chow hounds stepped downstairs from Equus Private Wealth Management to chow down on Fatbelly burgers and enjoy an early spring day on Main Street. They are (left to right): Mark Spidell, Matt Owings, Ron Speaker and Maddie Speaker (back to camera). Photo by Jane Bachrach a time of 1:45:57. Her husband, Roger Carlsen, took 15th in the men’s 22-kilometer freestyle event: Susy Ellison of Carbondale took 14th in the women’s freestyle race.

Terray Sylvester of Carbondale finished first in the 44-kilometer freestyle event with a time of 2:26:30. Carbondalians Jenny and Scott Nelson also competed in the marathon with Jenny taking ninth in the

women’s division, and Scott finishing 31st in the men’s race.

Where’s Volckhausen these days?

If you’ve ever wondered what Willie Volckhausen is doing these days, get on the Internet machine and plug in the Aspen Daily News. The Feb. 19 Daily News profiled the Carbondale native as part of its ongoing series on ski bums. The article says that Vol-

The Sopris Sun’s Man About Town reports spotting three men wearing jeans with their pant legs rolled up last week. What’s noteworthy about men rolling up their jeans? MAT said he can’t remember seeing that many jeans rolled up since grade school in the 1950s. “In the 1960s, guys started rolling their jeans up on the inside for a while,” he reports. “After that, they just started buying jeans that fit.” MAT declined to speculate on whether men are starting to buy longer jeans, or if maybe their bellies are just forcing them down so low they have to roll them up.

Happy birthday Birthday shout outs go to Heather Smith (March 4), Tim Bauer (March 5) and Gwen Garcelon (March 6).

Supporting our communities for over 36 years.

Member FDIC 6 • THE SOPRIS SUN • MARCH 3, 2011

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TRTC stages lively, vivid â&#x20AC;&#x153;Streetcarâ&#x20AC;?

By Terray Sylvester Sopris Sun Staff Writer

It was intermission at a performance last weekend when one Thunder River Theatre patron leaned toward his neighbor and admitted, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m having a hard time with him not being Marlon Brando.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know,â&#x20AC;? agreed his seatmate some what ruefully. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gotta be.â&#x20AC;?

The two were laughing at themselves a little. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d just discussed how much they were enjoying Lee Sullivanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance as Stanley Kowalski â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sullivanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s physicality, his energy, his big bravado mixed with flickers of vulnerability â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but still, it was tough. For them,â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Streetcar Named Desireâ&#x20AC;? led in one obvious direction: toward Brando in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;51 in the first film production of the play, with his volatility and his physique and that iconic sweat-soaked undershirt.

Which is what TRTCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Artistic Director, Lon Winston, had anticipated. To help his audience see past the playâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most famous actors he took a few precautions. His note in the playbill was subtly titled,â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A Streetcar Named Desireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is not a play about Marlon Brando,â&#x20AC;? and he lowered the stage lights until they hung in easy view of the audience. As Winston described it, the low lights were a nod at the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hollywood-izationâ&#x20AC;? of Tennessee Williamsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, a chance for the audience to acknowledge their expectations

and then peer past them for a fresh look at everything else the play might mean. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Streetcarâ&#x20AC;? is a tale about an â&#x20AC;&#x153;emerging America,â&#x20AC;? Winston says, and not just the America that was shuddering into existence in the wake of World War II when the play was written. It also depicts the America struggling to re-imagine itself right now, as it reels out of two long wars and a drunken economy into a world wracked with upheaval. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan and the world is exploding,â&#x20AC;?

Winston said.â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tennessee Williams was really exploring the rebuilding of America.â&#x20AC;?

To celebrate the centennial of Tennessee Williamsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; birth, a year in which theatre troupes around the globe are performing his plays,TRTC is staging what may be the playwrightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best-known piece. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Streetcar Named Desireâ&#x20AC;? continues from March 4 through 6 and from March 10 through 12.

Performances take place at 7:30 p.m., except the March 6 Sunday matinee, which starts at 2 p.m. The theatre company will round out its 16th season in June with â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Trip to Bountifulâ&#x20AC;? by Horton Foote.

It may not feature Brando and Vivien Leigh, but TRTCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Streetcarâ&#x20AC;? still feels packed with star power. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in spite of the fact that the 10-person cast contains only two of the theatre companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s members: Valerie Haugen as Blanche Dubois and Carlos Her-

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From left, Jennifer Michaud, Valerie Haugen and Lee Sullivan star in the Thunder River Theatre Company's thrilling production of â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Streetcar Named Desire.â&#x20AC;? Courtesy photo rera as Stanleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poker buddy Pablo. In Haugenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hands, Blanche flashes from flirty to vindictive, even while managing to maintain a constant, brittle tension. Her performance complements Sullivanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commanding stage presence which, under Winstonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s direction, eclipses the rest of the male characters. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s louder, not just verbally, but in his vibrant motion as well.

In her debut role with TRTC, Jennifer Michaud plays Stella Dubois, and her moving performance will likely leave TRTC fans hoping for more of her in the future.

But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just the cast that makes the production zing, the set design and costumes contribute as well. Battered window shutters festoon the theatre, not just over the stage but above the seating, pulling the audience into

1940s New Orleans, and pulling the plight of the characters into the life of the Roaring Fork Valley. Meanwhile, in the second half of the play Haugenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hair is almost constantly wet, no matter whether sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dressed for a date or in a dressing gown. That bit of dishevelment is the result of Blancheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s compulsive bathing, but it serves as a clever reminder that even when she appears calm on the surface, sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s struggling like hell underneath.

The play is appealing for its rhythms as well. In one scene a door slams in Haugenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face, and just as she reels backward a wave of laughter buffets her from behind. Blanche is trapped, and the audience feels it viscerally.

The production is filled with such touches. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lively, vivid rendering of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Streetcar,â&#x20AC;? and an opportunity theatre fans shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss.

Non-profit highlight

ROTARY CORNER

CARBONDALE ROTARY ANNUAL GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS 2011 Annual Grants The Rotary Club of Carbondale is pleased to announce we are accepting requests for funding. The Rotary Club is a service organization whose work is centered on four basic principles: truth, fairness, good will, and benefit to all concerned.

Grant applications will be reviewed and approved by a panel of club members.

The Rotary Club does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, or disability.

In order to apply for funding, please complete the application available on the Rotary website: www.rotarycarbondale.org. Applications are due March 31, 2011.

Annual Scholarships

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Applications are now available for the annual Carbondale Rotary Scholarship for graduating seniors looking to continue their education past high school. Areas of emphasis for the Carbondale Rotary Scholarship are financial need, school and community service, and a well-rounded approach to life. Applications will be submitted with an essay addressing Rotaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 4-Way Test and its motto, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Service Above Selfâ&#x20AC;?, and how it applies to the applicant. The 4-way test was in the February Rotary Corner of The Sopris Sun. Graduating seniors from Basalt, Roaring Fork, Bridges, and Colorado Rocky Mountain School are eligible.

Students should visit their school counselor for applications and details.

Applications are due April 9, 2011.

Rotary meets Wed at 6:45 a.m. at the Carbondale Fire Station. For more information call Lynn, 379-4766.

For more information on Rotary see our website www.rotarycarbondale.org

â&#x20AC;&#x153;SERVICE ABOVE SELFâ&#x20AC;?

THE SOPRIS SUN â&#x20AC;˘ MARCH 3, 2011 â&#x20AC;˘ 7

Community Calendar THURSDAY March 3 SCRABBLE • The first Thursday of the month is Scrabble Night at Dog Gringos in La Fontana Plaza on Highway 133. It’s from 6 to 8 p.m. Bring a board, a friend and play a game or two.

HPC MEETS • Carbondale’s Historic Preservation Commission meets the first Thursday of each month at town hall starting at 6:30 p.m.

FRI.-SAT. March 4-5 THEATRE • Glenwood Springs High School presents a rock musical based on tunes from the 1980s. Curtain time is 7 p.m. and tickets are $12/adults and $8/students.

FRI.-SUN. March 4-6 THEATRE • The Thunder River Theatre Company continues its production of Tennessee Williams’s “A Streetcar Named Desire” on March 4-6 and March 10-12 (all performances begin at 7:30 p.m., except the Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. on March 6).

Ticket info: 963-8200 or thunderrivertheatre.com. The theatre is located between Main Street and Colorado Avenue in downtown Carbondale.

FRIDAY March 4 MOVIES • The Crystal Theatre presents “The King’s Speech” (R) at 4:45 and 7:30 p.m. March 6, and 7:30 p.m. March 4-10.

RAM BASKETBALL • Roaring Fork stays at home to face Bennett in the Western

To list your event, email information to news@soprissun.com. Deadline is 5 p.m. Saturday. Events take place in Carbondale unless noted. For up-to-the-minute valley-wide event listings, check out the Community Calendar online at soprissun.com.

Slope basketball playoffs at 7 p.m. If Roaring Fork wins, they play at home on Saturday at 1 p.m.

FIRST FRIDAY • Numerous galleries and related venues are open late for First Friday festivities the first Friday of every month. For details, call your local favorite gallery.

LIVE MUSIC • Steve’s Guitars, located in the old part of the Dinkel Building, presents live music every Friday night. This week it’s Colorado native Wendy Woo at 8:30 p.m.

Info: 963-3304.

in the Valley Jazz Orchestra playing top tunes from the Big Band era, with vocalists Jeannie Walla, Lorraine Curry, Krista Espelien, Steve Cole and Kelly Thompson, and solo instrumentalists John Bokram, Steve Cole, Kelly Thompson and Ross Kribbs.

LIVE MUSIC • Carnahan’s in the Dinkel Building presents Christoph Brownell at 10 p.m.

The evening also includes dinner and a silent auction. Tickets are available only in advance at symphonyinthevalley.org. Symphony Swing will also be presented at the Grand River Hospital ballroom in Rifle at 7 p.m. on March 4.

LIVE MUSIC • Steve’s Guitars, located in the old part of the Dinkel Building, presents Marshall Crenshaw at 8:30 p.m. Info: 963-3340.

LIVE MUSIC • Carnahan’s in the Dinkel Building presents Groove Session (a funky jazz/blues band) at 10 p.m.

SUNDAY March 6 ACT COURSE • Carolyn Williams of Colorado Educational Consulting presents an ACT prep course through April 7.

Info: 274-6298.

CONTRA DANCING • The Last Minute String Band plays for the community contra dance at Glenwood Springs Elementary School from 8 to 10:30 p.m. This month’s caller is Andrea Earley, who will also teach a beginners contra dance class at 7:30 p.m.

Admission is $8 and partners are not required. Info: lastminutestringband.com.

WEDNESDAY March 9 DIET WORKSHOP • Carbondale Acupuncture Center’s Wellness Wednesday series kicks off with a sensible diet workshop based on the works of Michael Pollan. The workshop starts at 7 p.m. and is led by David Teitler, a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist who has been practicing in the Roaring Fork Valley since 1997. Carbondale Acupuncture Center is located at 54 Weant Blvd.

Info or to RSVP: 704-1310.

LOOK GOOD • Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs presents “Look Good, Feel Better” for cancer patients from 9 to 11:30 a.m. the first Friday of the month.

Info: 618-9224.

SATURDAY March 5 GALA DANCE • Symphony Swing, the Symphony in the Valley’s gala dance and social event to benefit the community orchestra, takes place at the Aspen Glen Club at 6 p.m. The event features the Symphony

LIVE MUSIC • White House Pizza on Carbondale’s Main Street presents Barry Chapman (world beat) from 7-10 p.m.

FURTHER OUT page 9

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Further Out

First Friday features Noone demonstration

March 10

BOOK DISCUSSION • A discussion of the book “The Death and Life of the Great American School System” by Diane Ravitch takes place at Gordon Cooper Library at 6 p.m. Books are available through the library.

Info: Bonnie Cretti a bcretti@aol.com.

CRYSTAL CAUCUS MEETS • Pitkin County’s Crystal River Caucus meets at the Church at Redstone at 7 p.m. on March 10.

Agenda items include a discussion on Wild and Scenic designation for the Crystal River and a presentation by Skye Sieber of the Forest Service on the White Banks Mine application. A casual information session starts at 6 p.m.

March 11-12

dusters at the Church at Carbondale (110 Snowmass Dr.) at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are $20 for CCAH members and $18 for nonmembers, and $25 at the door. The opening act is The Tippets. Tickets are available at Dos Gringos, Glenwood Music and CCAH. Info: carbondalearts.com.

FULL MOON FEAST • The Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork hosts its Full Moon Feast at the Third Street Center from 4:30 to 9 p.m. The event will feature organic and biodynamic Colorado-grown food and sprits. Tickets are $25 for the auction/wine tasting/appetizers only, and $75 for the entire evening. Dinner will be prepared by Mark Fischer (of Six89, Phat Thai and the Pullman). Music will be provided by Acoustic Mayhem. Info: 963-1960.

GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK • The Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities presents its third annual Green is the New Black fashion extravaganza at the Carbondale Recreation Center. Ticket prices are as follows: March 11, VIP $100; general admission, $40 for CCAH members/$45 for non-members; March 12, general admission $25 non-members/$30 members, $15 students (limited). A dance party follows Friday night’s show. This year’s theme is “A World of Fashion” featuring fashions created with recycled and sustainable materials showcasing India, Africa, France, Mexico and more. Info: carbondalearts.com.

March 19 THE INFAMOUS STRING DUSTERS • The Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities presents The Infamous String-

Sopris Sun Staff Report

This month’s First Friday gallery tour includes a demonstration by Glenwood Springs painter Mary Noone from 5 to 8 p.m. at Main Street Gallery.

Noone calls herself a colorist. “I started painting because I just loved color,” Noone said.

Noone uses acrylics in her current show at the Colorado Mountain Collage Gallery on Grand Avenue. She describes her current style as more layered, compared to previous works.

First Friday (March 4) includes at least one actual first. The Third Street Café in the Third Street Center features music from Paul Frantzich and poetry from Kim Nuzzo starting at 8:30 p.m. Other musicians or poets wishing to perform can sign up from 6 to 7 p.m. on March 4 or during café hours on March 3.

Other First Friday events include:

The opening of the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities show “Untamed and Reclaimed” at the Third Street Center. The show features the work of seven women who have been working together for years and producing art: Wewer Keohane, Gena Hawkins, Susan Obermeyer-Strauss, Terry Muldoon, Janet Nelson, Linda Drake and Kathy Honea.

All of the art in the show has been created from reclaimed “parts” and the theme goes hand-in-hand with CCAH’s “Green is the New Black” fashion show on March 11-12.

The show continues until March 28. For details, visit carbondalearts.com.

Laurel Karlik Sheehan invites folks to observe her beginner piano class from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Carol Rothrock classroom in the Third Street Center. “We’ll play music games, write notes, conduct and generally have a great time,” Sheehan said. For details, call 963-7411.

Rainy Day Designs on Fourth Street hosts a “SNEEK Peak” at the work of Roaring Fork High School senior artists from 5 to 8 p.m. Items sold will benefit the school’s art program.

Paintings of Michael Kessler are shown at Ann Korologos Gallery in Basalt March 4April 4.

Carbondale Community Housing Lottery 611 Bridgewater, $200,411

Open House: Saturday, March 5, 2011 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Application Deadline: March 8, 2011 5:00 p.m.

Lottery: March 11, 2011, 12 noon Mountain Regional Housing, 520 South Third Street, #23

Income Category 4

Maximum Gross Household Income: $108,300*

*May add $7,500 per dependent up to three dependents

611 Bridgewater - $200,411 • • • • • •

Single Family Home 3 bedroom 2 baths 1,120 SF of living space (per assessor) 2 Pets OK HOA - $140 per month 2010 Taxes - $894

Requirements: Full-time Employee: minimum local employment of at least one household member of 30 hours per week, 9 months per year. Priority is given to applicants who live and/or work in Carbondale town boundaries.

Not Own Other Property: members of the household may not own other improved real estate in the RF Valley, including mobile homes, with the exception of owner-occupied commercial real estate (not less than 50% occupied by the owner).

Occupancy: Owner(s) must live in the unit

Applications are available and may be picked up and turned in at Mountain Regional Housing 520 South Third Street, #23, Carbondale, CO www.carbondalegov.org or www.colorado.gov/housingcommunity.org Information: 970-704-9801 or janet@housingcommunity.org

Transformation Yoga Fitness hosts a First Friday power yoga class led by Frank McSwain from 6 to 7:15 p.m. Barry Chapman will also be on hand with instrumentals and vocals. Wine and chocolates will be served. TYF is located at 1599 Highway 133.

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Where Carbondale meets Wisconsin: A worker’s history of the RFV Memoirs of a River…

Up the Crystal

By Charlotte Graham Sponsored by the Mt. Sopris Historical Society

Brother, can you spare a job?

Who’s not watched Wisconsin? No matter whose side we’re on, “No Compromise” headlines ought to get our attention in these tough times.

Last month I wrote about our local joblessness, pointing how mid-valley workers are on the mat and counting. No sooner were the words in print then I found out the Thompson House project was again continued, this time until April. Although this project is a matter of preserving history for me, I understand how it’s a matter of survival for the construction worker community.

Everyone knows that even in a best-case scenario, the process from stamp of approval to guys with shovels hitting the ground would take at least a year or two.

Six years so far to get to this point, with still no real goalposts in sight. Same goes for the Village at Crystal River, another longtime project in the pipeline.

There is no doubt around here that development is a dirty word, but by the same token, when we chant no growth, what are we really saying and to whom?

One must realize by now that “construction” will not be a viable Carbondale job source for a while. A long while, apparently.

So, what is the next reincarnation for dirtywork workers?

Good ol’ days Fact or myth: Were there really “good” old days? Back I go to the Mt. Sopris Historical Society Museum archives with a head full of questions.

Historically, Carbondale was nothing but working class folk. They not only fit, they were this town. When did that change? How else do we maintain this unpretentious smalltown vibe loved by all with a vibrant living economy? If not from workers working, where does that economy come from?

And if not by blue collar work such as construction or mining, like the glory days of Marble’s quarry worker population and Redstone’s coal mining eras, or even midvalley ranching and farming jobs, what can good ol’ conscientious worker-bee types do in order to live here today?

What not to do Zoom backwards to this Valley’s Economic Turndown circa 1911 to 1914.

Coal tycoon John C. Osgood, famous benevolent Father of Redstone, was considered more widely to be a “lesser cousin of prominent robber barons,” according to one local historian, Darrell Munsell of Carbondale.

He should know. This university professor thoroughly researched Osgood’s indus-

10 • THE SOPRIS SUN • MARCH 3, 2011

trial paternalism in a 400-page book he authored, “From Redstone to Ludlow: John Cleveland Osgood’s Struggle Against the United Mine Workers of America.”

“It was not a company town when Osgood built Redstone,” Munsell said. “It was his privately-owned village, even after he lost control of Colorado Fuel and Iron (CFI) to John Rockefeller in 1903.”

Munsell goes on to tell just how closely the job giants of the day held their cards as they played high-stakes games with profit, loss and the lives of their workers.“The story goes that notice of the Coal Basin mine closing was so sudden that miners left the mine, and their families ran out of their homes, to catch the last train out, leaving all their possessions behind.”

Wallace Parker of the old Swiss Village Resort confirmed that story in my “Memoirs of a River, Vol.1,” when he told how, 40some years later, he’d give Jeep tours back up to Coal Basin. There were plates on the table, pots on the stove, clothes on hooks, and books on classroom desks. Wallace said, “You could tell they left in a hurry.”

Colorado coal production had peaked in 1910, then declined sharply. By 1911, Redstone was mothballed, “… literally, as was Cleveholm Manor,” Munsell continues, “to keep out the rodents.”

Meanwhile: “Osgood moved on to Hastings, north of Trinidad and formed another coal company called Victor-American, two miles from the site of the 1914 Ludlow Massacre where 19 protesters were killed by National Guard machinegun and rifle fire.”

See what I meant about paying attention to “No Compromise” declarations?

“Osgood and Rockefeller refused to work with the unions. However, the climate of public opinion was changing, no more ‘robber baron’ business-as-usual. Clearly, Osgood’s resistance is what led to the violence of Ludlow,” wrote Munsell.

there. In fact, even unto this day, his family’s 125-year home is the centerpiece of the development mentioned above.

Now you need ‘em

Now you don’t. We’ve run through the gamut of worker-bee jobs through the years: ranching/ farming, mining, construction, ski/ tourism. It’s obvious that further expansion of some of these industries would be discordant with maintaining what’s left of the natural beauty we all want to preserve. Not to mention our dicey water situation.

Today will be history tomorrow.

They’ve been the bedrock of the community for over 100 years, but what kind of work will be available Lewis Thompson was one of a now-dying breed: to worker-folk in the future? And for the ranchers, miners and, most recently, construchow many of them? Garfield tion workers who are finding it harder and harder County’s unemployed jumped from to make a home in the Roaring Fork Valley. The 5 percent of the 19,000-person labor historic Thompson House bears his family name. force in 2004, to 9.8 percent of Courtesy photo 30,000 laborers in 2010.

See what I mean about our history being Carbondale’s leaders pulled the short straw this time in history. They have to make better than a novel? Is there a “C-Dale Surhard decisions. Growth. No growth. If not vivor” cable series here? Read more on this now, when do we address it? What do we story at: marbledweller.com. lose to gain? At the top of the list should be: ~ Charr What is irreplaceable?

Is Our History Showing?

Next stop: 1975 It’s hard to imagine those conditions or that kind of violence happening today. So, what were the Valley’s economic plans and realities even just 30 to 40 years ago, when we were all enlightened?

Skiing and tourist dollars fueled jobs from Aspen on down through the valley to Glenwood Springs. Developers were everywhere.

Goods and services were in demand. Tax money came rolling in. Sounds like a good plan, eh?

The demand for new construction caused a rapid increase in wage-earner jobs, and the mid-valley population grew, seemingly overnight. With nary a second thought, the need for housing subdivisions overtook the open spaces that had been occupied by generations of family ranches and farms.

One such rancher was pioneer clan descendant, Lewis Thompson. Name ring a bell? Of their five spreads up and down the Crystal River for over 100 years, Lewis was quoted in 1975 saying,“Seemed like we had the whole world to ourselves … it was pretty good country then.”

Since, in the name of Progress, some Thompson land sold here, some donated

Crystal River & San Juan’s Engine No. 1, Carbondale, 1941.

Photo by Morrison A. Smith from “The Crystal River Pictorial.”

Mt. Sopris Historical Society 499 Weant - PO Box 2 Carbondale, CO 81623 970-963-7041

Thank you to our new and renewing 2011 members!

JOIN ONLINE! mtsoprishistoricalsociety.org

Community Briefs Parenting class offered Parenting Through Divorce Class will be offered on March 5, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in Carbondale. The class is designed to equip parents with the co-parenting skills to raise healthy, well-adjusted children despite the challenges of divorce. The class is required to finalize divorces with children in Colorado.

To register call Tammy Perry at 379-5124.

Conservancy offers hatchery tour The Roaring Fork Conservancy offers a tour of the Colorado Division of Wildlifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Crsytal River Hatchery on Highway 133 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 16.

Space is limited. To reserve a spot, visit roaringfork.org/events. For details, call 927-1290.

Glenwood solicits sculptures The Two Rivers Art Project in Glenwood Springs is looking for high quality sculptures for the 2011/2012 year-long public art display. Each artist may enter up to two works.

There are no limitations on the dimensions.

The entry deadline is March 11. For details, call the Glenwood Springs Center for the Arts at 945-2414.

Library foundation launches Books for Babies The Garfield County Library Foundation has launched Books for Babies, a program aimed at families of newborn children. Books for Babies provides a book bag with a library card application and an age-appropriate board book with bilingual text (English and

Spanish), as well as information on the importance of reading and library services for new parents. The bags are being distributed through pediatriciansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; offices and family medical clinics throughout the county at the first well-child visit. For more information call 625-4270.

Strawberry Days vendor deadline extended The deadline for vendors at Strawberry Days in Glenwod Springs has been extended to March 31. The annual celebration is slated for June 17-19. For details, call the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association at 945-6589.

Mountain Valley race deadlines approach There are several entry deadlines for the first annual Mountain to Valley races organized by Mountain Valley Developmental Services in Glenwood Springs and scheduled for June 4.

The entry fee for the 10-miler is $30 until April 15, $35 until June 2 and $40 on race day. The fee for the four-miler is $15 until April 15, $20 until June 2 and $25 for race day registration.

The inspiration behind this race is a local boy who was diagnosed with a rare neurogenetic disorder called Angelman syndrome, according to a press release.

The race is co-sponsored by the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics.

For details, visit mountaintovalleyrace.com.

Raw foods: not at all a raw deal A few years ago, as I was rinsing and they come to us very hard, like rice, dried snapping the ends off asparagus, prepping it beans, and pasta. While there are legitimate for cooking, I wondered how fibrous the public health reasons for cooking some discarded stumps might be, right where they meats, more often we cook meat for reasons broke off. I took a bite and found the first of flavor and custom. half-inch or so to be very tender â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and very We may be surprised when we hear tasty as well. about some foods that are It had never occurred to eaten uncooked. I wondered me to eat raw asparagus. I how long to cook corn until I assumed there must be an saw a TV chef munch a bite important reason not to or from a raw cob. I tried that more people would. But it and found that raw corn is dereally tasted good and didlicious, as evidenced by the nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to hurt me. growing popularity of raw Twenty years ago, most corn salsas and salads. Corn of us wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have considreally doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t require cooking, ered eating raw broccoli, just enough heating to melt the zucchini or cauliflower. butter and satisfy a desire for Nowadays they are reguhot food. lars on party buffets, along Raw garlic probably doeswith more familiar carrot nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t appeal to most of us, but sticks and a sour cream dip. itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s indispensable in hummus, So what is OK to eat By Chef George Bohmfalk my favorite dip, and aioli, my raw, and what isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t? The favorite mayonnaise. A little more I looked into this, my notions of raw bit also really perks up guacamole, which and cooked became less clear. And trying to may be everyone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite dip. determine what is alright raw seems similar While we wince as Rocky Balboa gulps to politics and religion, where the choices raw eggs throughout a string of movies, are highly individual. we occasionally eat uncooked eggs unWe eat many foods primarily in one knowingly. Mayonnaise, Caesar, and some form or the other. Avocados and lettuce are other salad dressings are usually made rarely cooked, potatoes almost always are. with uncooked yolks that have been Many foods we enjoy both ways, like sweet frozen or otherwise treated to eliminate fruits, tomatoes (which are also fruits), cab- the salmonella risk. That mile-high bage and oysters. meringue on chocolate pie is primarily Some foods require cooking because RAW FOODS page 12

The Fork

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Raw foods continued î&#x2C6;&#x2021;om page 12 is no weirder than eating raw asparagus. Both are delicious and very healthy. Only the freshest and highestquality seafood is used for sushi. Try to think about flavor and freshness rather than baseless cultural limitations.

Once youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve conquered the sushi bar routine, consider a taste of raw beef. Carpaccio consists of paper-thin slices of raw beef tenderloin. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s named for a Renaissance Venetian artist whose canvasesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bright, fresh red colors came to the mind of the dishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inventor. These days you can also find carpaccios of tuna and other meats.

Steak tartare sounds even more exotic, its name coming from the medieval tribes that marauded Europe.

Folklore says that the low-quality, tough beef of that era required extensive hashing to be edible. Rushing from raid to raid, the Tartars had little

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time to build fires and cook, so they mixed in various spices and seasonings to make the chopped meat palatable.

We recreate their recipe with better beef, and, from reliable sources, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safe and delectable.

Salmon tartare carries this concept to seafood. The Middle Eastern equivalent, using ground lamb, is kibbe. No doubt many other cultures have their own raw meat specialties.

An enthusiastic group of purists maintains that we should eat nothing but raw food. They believe that cooking destroys important vitamins and enzymes, decreases foodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nutrient value, and renders it toxic. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sure thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accurate, but there are clearly fun and tasty new things for you to discover in their uncooked state. First, grab a spear of asparagus, then some fresh ground sirloin â&#x20AC;Ś

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raw whipped egg white, browned merely on the surface. Chocolate mousse is made airy by folding in uncooked whipped egg whites.

Some foods that we think are raw actually arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. Many people squirm at the idea of ceviche, the citrusy Latin American seafood dish that looks raw.

In fact, marinating seafood in citric acid changes the meat protein in ways similar to those that occur after thermal cooking. The fish is chemically cooked; you need squirm no more.

Similarly, delicacies like salmon often are smoke-cooked at low temperature. Next time youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re enjoying Norwegian smoked salmon, (aka lox), ask yourself whether it really looks or feels much different from raw salmon.

Which brings us to sashimi, the raw seafood found in sushi bars. For all the jokes about eating bait, eating raw fish