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Articles written by Leigh Suskin


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  • Story Behind the Name: Canar Field

    Leigh Suskin and Kathy Trauner|Sep 21, 2022

    If you're raising some young baseball players, or just have a love of the game, you probably know Canar Field at the Niwot Youth Sports complex known as Hangge Fields at Monarch Park. It's the largest of the six fields, often used for "senior" players between 13 and 15 years old. Jason Canar of Longmont remembers when Canar Field was christened back in 1986, and the field still holds great meaning for him. "I'm incredibly proud, just to have it have that name," he said. Canar Field wasn't named...

  • Story Behind the Name: Canar Field

    Kathy Trauner and Leigh Suskin|Sep 14, 2022

    If you're raising some young baseball players, or just have a love of the game, you probably know Canar Field at the Niwot Youth Sports complex known as Hangge Fields at Monarch Park. It's the largest of the six fields, often used for "senior" players between 13 and 15 years old. Jason Canar of Longmont remembers when Canar Field was christened back in 1986, and the field still holds great meaning for him. "I'm incredibly proud, just to have it have that name," he said. Canar Field wasn't named...

  • Lobster Fest

    Leigh Suskin|Sep 7, 2022

    On Saturday, September 3, Niwot said farewell to summer in its traditional style–festive and focused, with an eye towards helping others. Lobster Fest was better than ever–the lobster (flown in from Maine) sweeter, the butter richer, the music delightful, and every detail carefully orchestrated from the kids' favors to the sand-filled Mason jar centerpieces. Tim Stiles & The House Blend Band entertained guests and volunteers alike with songs by Steely Dan, John Denver, David Gray and...

  • Niwot abuzz with bees

    Leigh Suskin|Aug 31, 2022

    Niwot was buzzing with energy on Saturday, August 27th. Tents featuring mead tastings, kettlecorn, honey, hives, artwork, confections, live music and a costume contest lined Second Avenue. The Annual Honey Bee Harvest Festival drew crowds of all ages who swarmed the scheduled activities and displays. Many emerged from visiting Colorado Landmark Realtors in the true honey bee spirit, sporting bee antennas and yellow rubber bracelets. "Most of the kids came in groups", said Aubrie Cook, honey bee...

  • The Story Behind the Name: Joey Reuter Adopt-a-Road

    Leigh Suskin and Kathy Trauner|Aug 31, 2022

    If you drive along Niwot Road, you have surely passed at least one of two small purple signs. Both say "Adopt-a-Road;" one is near the intersection of Longview Drive and the other is just east of the Diagonal Highway intersection. They are both worth taking notice of, because they commemorate the life of a very special boy. Joey Reuter lived in Peppertree Estates in the mid-1990's. The location near downtown was fortunate for Joey, because he spent much of his after-school life in the heart of N...

  • Families can find community and support at the Niwot Learning Collective (NLC)

    Leigh Suskin|Aug 24, 2022

    Moments after meeting Elizabeth Amabile and Whitney Johannson, it already feels like you've known them for ages. With such love and empathy, these experienced and dedicated educators share about themselves and their aspirations for this new business and the kids, parents and siblings that can take a sigh of relief now that they have this marvelous resource. They finish each other's sentences–an unintentional demonstration of this collaborative and supportive environment. The two former...

  • Niwot Design Review Committee Community Meeting: Niles Family Dentistry

    Leigh Suskin|Aug 17, 2022

    On Wednesday, August 10, the Niwot Design Review Committee held a virtual public meeting to review the proposed deconstruction of the current structure and new build of a dental office at 364 2nd Avenue.The purpose of this meeting was to provide feedback to the applicant in advance, explained Andrea Vaughn, Planner for Boulder County. "This committee serves as a referral agency for the site plan review." The presenter of the proposed plan for the new Niles Family Dentistry building, Katherine...

  • Abo's Pizza and local businesses still reeling one week after fire

    Leigh Suskin|Aug 17, 2022

    Abo's Pizza and nearby businesses are still recovering from the Aug. 6 fire that started in the early hours at Abo's. Fire investigator Doug Saba explained that fire personnel forced entry into Abo's Pizza to confirm the building did not have any victims. Thankfully, due to Mary Jo Wysocki's quick call to 911 upon arriving to open Winot Coffee on Aug.10th at 5:30 a.m., the damage to area businesses wasn't worse. As of press time, no official cause has been determined, and the fire investigation...

  • Abo's Pizza damaged in fire

    Leigh Suskin|Aug 10, 2022

    Mary Jo Wysocki, Manager of Winot Coffee in Cottonwood Square, just happened to arrive early to work at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, Aug. 6. She was opening the shop and was about to water the patio plants when she looked up to see smoke billowing from the recently mural-adorned external wall at Abo's Pizza. "It was just my intuition that told me to get in early. I knew I was the only one seeing the smoke and it was up to me to call 911 right away," she said. "I'd headed out of Winot late the...

  • The Story Behind the Name: Hangge Fields at Monarch Park

    Leigh Suskin|Jul 13, 2022

    Last week we wrote about Niwot native Royce Johnson and how in 1974 he made land available to the Gunbarrel Lefthand Valley Boys Baseball, Inc., a non-profit organization now known as Niwot Youth Sports, as a site for "temporary" ballfields. The "temporary" Johnson Fields were used continuously for over 20 years until homes were built on Christopher Court in the Johnson Valley Subdivision in 1994. Ultimately, land that Johnson had donated to Boulder County for a park known as Left Hand Valley...

  • The Story Behind the Name: Johnson Farms and Brittany Place

    Leigh Suskin and Kathy Trauner|Jul 6, 2022

    By the middle of the 19th century, Sweden was in the throes of a national population crisis-the small country's population had doubled from 1750 to 1850, and was still growing. Tillable land became more scarce, and famine swept the nation. Emigration regulations were eased, and the 1860s saw a massive movement of Swedes fleeing their homeland; between 1861 and 1881, 150,000 traveled to the United States. The majority of these immigrants quickly made their way to the new states and territories...

  • 4th of July Parade to start on Meadowdale Drive

    Leigh Suskin|Jun 29, 2022

    The Fourth of July Parade in Niwot is always a joyous and lighthearted celebration of the birth of our nation. This year, slight changes to the lineup area (now on Meadowdale Drive) suggest an even better and more organized approach to the parade, which starts at 11 a.m. and will head west on Niwot road, then northwest on 2nd Avenue, ending at Murray Street. Parade Grand Marshal Sheriff Joe Pelle and his wife, Stephanie, will host an exciting lineup this year, starting with the Honor Guard, Boy...

  • Annual 4th of July Pancake Breakfast, Race and Concert

    Leigh Suskin|Jun 29, 2022

    This year, 4th of July festivities kick off in Cottonwood Square at 7:30 a.m. with a Pancake Breakfast at the Niwot Market. In addition to pancakes, sausage and eggs, topped with Bert Steele’s famous green chile, will be part of the fare. The annual event is hosted by Niwot Market and the Niwot Community Association (NCA) and typically feeds at least 500 to 600 hungry Niwotians and area residents eager to celebrate the birth of their nation. Tips will be collected to benefit the Niwot Patriotic Cookie Moms in their efforts to send care...

  • The Story Behind the Name: Fire House Museum

    Leigh Suskin and Kathy Trauner|Jun 29, 2022

    With the Fourth of July fast approaching, it seems a fortuitous time to talk about the history of the Niwot firehouse. In 1910, concern about fire protection prompted Niwot citizens to acquire a firehose handcart and build a simple frame shed to house it. The firehouse was erected close to the street, on an undeveloped lot between the Niwot State Bank (now Porchfront Homes) and the Livingston Hotel (now Wise Buys Antiques) on Second Avenue. It was a simple 8' x 14' wooden frame structure with...

  • The Story Behind the Name: Left Hand Grange

    Leigh Suskin and Kathy Trauner|Jun 22, 2022

    Not unlike other local businesses and attractions, Chief Niwot is the namesake for the Left Hand Grange as the Arapaho word for "left-hand" is Ni-wot. What is interesting about the building known as the Left Hand Grange Hall is its rich history. The local Grange organization, known as Left Hand Grange No. 9, initially operated out of the Batchelder School House southwest of Niwot, and received its charter on January 24, 1874. It is currently the oldest active Grange in Colorado. The Granger...

  • The Story Behind the Name: Murray Street

    Leigh Suskin and Kathy Trauner|Jun 15, 2022

    The plat of Niwot was filed in the Boulder County records on March 30,1875, by Porter T. Hinman and Ambrose S. Murray, laying out streets, alleys and lots on both sides of the railroad tracks, but Niwot was never officially incorporated as a town under state law. When Porter Hinman helped to lay out the town, the surrounding region was being settled by men whose names are still associated with the area. Hinman himself had arrived in 1860, and his name is still affiliated with Hinman Ditch,...

  • The Story Behind the Name: Boulder County Poor Farm

    Kathy Trauner and Leigh Suskin|Jun 8, 2022

    You've likely driven past it many times, glancing at the impressive red brick Queen Anne-style house on 63rd Street, just south of Jay Road, without realizing its historic significance. The property which includes the house at 3902 N. 63rd Street, now consists of 78 acres, but the property once spanned the area between Haystack Mountain and Valmont Butte. This is the story of Chambers Homestead/Fort Chambers, the Boulder County Poor Farm and Hospital. Many Indegenous peoples consider this land...

  • The Story Behind the Name: Niwot Tribune

    Leigh Suskin and Kathy Trauner|Jun 1, 2022

    When The Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop moved into its downtown Niwot home last year, it breathed new life into one of Niwot's most iconic spaces. Owners Carissa Mina and Jerilyn Patterson brought their colorful, curated selection of books, toys and gifts to the northwest corner of 2nd Avenue and Franklin Street, and now laugh together about ways their building's history keeps making itself known. "So many people come in here and are like, 'I used to have a business in this building,' said...

  • The Story Behind the Name: Neva Road

    Kathy Trauner and Leigh Suskin|May 25, 2022

    We regularly celebrate our town's namesake, Chief Niwot (Left-Hand in Arapaho), for his peace-oriented beliefs and actions. In fact, the stories of his leadership and subsequent betrayal by Col. John Chivington and his troops at Sand Creek have been documented in many books, including Boulder author Margaret Coel's "Chief Left Hand." Chief Niwot banded together with other tribal leaders in a commitment to finding peaceful relationships with white settlers. They included Niwot's brother, Neva,...

  • The Story Behind the Name: Coot Lake

    Kathy Trauner and Leigh Suskin|May 18, 2022

    We know Coot Lake as a mecca for nature lovers, fisherman, and some of the happiest dogs on the planet, but have you ever wondered how Coot Lake got its name? Is the moniker, by chance, related to the lake's saucy history? That saucy history happens to be surprisingly short, given that the lake didn't exist until the late 1960's. Boulder's Rick Marlowe was a lifeguard at Boulder reservoir and remembers contractors moving dirt in 1968. He says the construction must have blocked a drainage...

  • Insurance Coverage Advice After Marshall Fire

    Leigh Suskin|May 4, 2022

    Right now, those of us at Leigh Suskin Farmers Insurance Agency in Cottonwood Square spend the majority of our time reviewing policies and making changes to ensure that our policyholders are prepared for and protected. As insurance agents, our job is to educate and provide advice. We are a resource for Niwotians regardless of which company you use. Things have changed, and this is our new reality. The Marshall Fire was first reported at 10:30 a.m. on December 30, 2021, and by 11:00 p.m. it had consumed 1,100 homes. No longer are we safe from...

  • Grand opening for kickboxing studio in Niwot

    Leigh Suskin|Apr 27, 2022

    On Saturday, April 23, Niwot celebrated the post-Covid ribbon-cutting ceremony at Kru Scott Meier's Haystack Muay Thai & Kickboxing studio on the north end of the former Excel Electric building in Niwot. Niwot Business Association Economic Development Director Catherine McHale and NBA President Eric Bergeson were on hand to officially welcome the business to Niwot, in a ceremony conducted long after the business opened, due to previous gathering restrictions. Meier explained that the Haystac...