All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Sorted by date Results 151 - 200 of 501
The Niwot Tavern is hosting a music festival at Cottonwood Square on Aug. 26 from 2-9 p.m., in honor of Bert Steele, co-owner of Niwot Market, who died Aug. 7 after a short illness. The free event, "Bluegrass for Bert," is funded by the owners of Niwot Tavern, with financial assistance from the Niwot Local Improvement District and the Niwot Business Association. "The whole event is for Bert, because he's the heart of Niwot," said Stacy Szydlek, co-owner of the Niwot Tavern. Szydlek and Tara...
At the start of Niwot's Flower Fest last Saturday, Aug. 5, a huge line trailed outside Fly Away Home Decor, going all the way to the gas station in Cottonwood Square at the end of the block. Some people arrived an hour before 10 a.m., the official start of the Flower Fest, in order to receive one of the free 75 baskets for the Flower Walk. "There were around two hundred people. We had to turn people away." said Sarah Cioni, owner of Belle Terre Floral, a florist shop specializing in bridal...
Bert Steele (72), owner of Niwot Market, died Aug. 7 after a brief illness. Steele opened Niwot Market in Cottonwood Square over 20 years ago, and was involved in many community activities, including hosting the 4th of July pancake breakfast, providing breakfast for Pat Murphy’s annual Easter Egg Hunt, and sponsoring a Classic Car Show on Friday nights in the summer. A Celebration of Life will be held later.... Full story
Dancing Under the Stars, an event that has been thriving in Niwot for four years, is still going strong. Every Friday night in the summer, a stage is set up in the parking lot of Cottonwood Square located at Niwot Road and 79th Street. Free dance lessons begin at 7:00 p.m. until 7:45 p.m., and then the dance floor overflows until 9:30 p.m., well after the stars have started to shine. The DJ plays the genre of the week including salsa, swing, and Cuban salsa and the lessons get everyone ready...
Niwot’s first Flower Fest will be held on Aug. 5 from 10:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m. on Second Avenue and in Cottonwood Square Shopping Center in celebration of colorful summer blooms. Sponsored by Niwot Business Association and the Niwot Local Improvement District, the fest is being organized by Sarah Cioni, the owner of Belle Terre Floral, and Kathy Trauner, the owner of Fly Away Home Decor, with several fun events planned and lots of free flowers. The first seventy-five arrivals at Fly Away Home for the Flower Fest will receive a punch card to u...
The Boulder County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) held a virtual public briefing on July 18 to hear from county staff about how sales taxes will be spent on transportation projects. In 2022 voters approved Ballot Issue 1C to extend the 0.1% countywide sales tax in perpetuity. All three commissioners were in attendance at the hearing. Kathleen Bracke, Deputy Director of Community Planning & Permitting, provided most of the presentation. Bracke identified staff priorities for spending. The...
The July meeting of the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID), delayed a week due to the July 4th holiday, took place on Tuesday, July 11. The LID approved two funding requests - $2,037 for the Niwot Cultural Arts Association's Why Not Niwot? Juried Art Show, which kicked off July 1, and $5,300 for NHS student Montana Heather's Eagle Scout project to install a "Welcome to Niwot" stone sign on Niwot Road near the intersection with the Diagonal Highway. Anne Postle of Osmosis...
Grab your leashes and your best (four-legged) friend for the inaugural Pampered Pooch event in Niwot on Saturday, July 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Local businesses and fellow dog-lovers will have give-aways and canine-themed fun for your pet, including Good Boy Dog Beer, snuffle balls, pet food samples, pup-acinos, dog pool cooling area, stylish bandanas, Barkuterie! (Charcuterie for dogs) and other dog-friendly pooch-tivities and swag. You can pick up a map from one of Niwot's local businesses to follow the trail to pup fun and prizes. Four-foot...
American flags are a common decoration and symbol to see flying during national holidays that celebrate the United States of America. Most notably, the 4th of July, Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Veterans Day are holidays where the flag is seen frequently. However, American flags have decorated Niwot this year for longer than usual. According to the Niwot Community Association, the "Flag Fairy" recruited some volunteers this year to raise American flags all around Niwot, including Cottonwood...
"Why would anybody ever eat anything besides breakfast food?" This excellent question was posed by the fictitious character, Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler, from the television show "Parks and Recreation." Quite frankly, it appears a large majority of Niwot agrees. The only thing that makes breakfast foods better is when that food is shared with friends, neighbors, loved ones, and new faces. That, and when a portion of the proceeds go towards helping our community. This year's pancake...
Busy is certainly one way to describe Alison Steele, this week's recipient of the Left Hand Laurel award. The mother of a 16-month-old little girl named Elizabeth, who often comes to work with her mother, Alison, 42, is also co-owner, with her father and brother, of the Niwot Market. Alison Steele runs the grocery department doing all the ordering, stocking the shelves, working with distributors, unloading the trucks and "doing all the financials," as she puts it. The market at Cottonwood...
Another year, another Fourth of July - it seems like Niwot just had a celebration, just last year. This year, the Niwot Community Association is once again hosting a town-wide celebration for our nation's independence beginning at 8:00 a.m. and wrapping up around noon. Festivities include a pancake breakfast and concert as well as the Niwot Downhill Mile Run, and a parade winding around both Cottonwood Square and down Second Avenue. The pancake breakfast will be served from 7:30 a.m. until...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly meeting June 14. This is a busy time of the year for the NCA as it focuses its work on the many events it sponsors. Niwot Clean Up Day and the second annual Slepicka Tractor Show were a success, and the annual 4th of July Pancake Breakfast and Parade is coming up very soon. Director John Barto led the effort organizing Niwot Clean Up Day. Barto reported that the event went very smoothly with traffic spread out throughout the morning. A...
The requests for funding presented to the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee June 6 included old and new events –- a new event designed to capitalize on the Bike MS: Colorado event coming through Niwot on Saturday, June 24, a FlowerFest event scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 5, music for First Friday Art Walks, a resurrection of Oktoberfest on Sept. 30, and a Where’s Waldo Local scavenger hunt throughout the month of July. Bike MS: Colorado Bike MS: Colorado is a bicycle ride, as opposed to a race, with a route from Fort Collins to...
Sandwiched between Thursday's first Rock & Rails concert of the season and Saturday's much-anticipated Niwot Lobsterfest, Niwot's First Friday Art Walk had fewer visitors than anticipated. But those who did make it out were treated to an evening of great music, inspiring art, light refreshments and fine dining. On Friday, June 2, a core group of Niwot business owners hosted four artists, including Penny Peterson at Slifer Smith and Frampton; abstract expressionist painter Blaise Simonelli,...
Gene Hayworth and Keith Waters are awarded the Left Hand Valley Courier's Left Hand Laurel for bringing the Niwot Jazz Festival back to life and for putting in the time and energy to organize Niwot's Oktoberfest. "We're really lucky to have the support of the Local Improvement District (LID) and the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA)," Waters said regarding Oktoberfest. The event will be held this year on Sept. 30, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Cottonwood Square. "There will be beer and food...
Saturday May 20 was a busy day in Niwot starting with the Niwot Community Association's annual Clean-Up Day, followed by the Niwot Business Association's Around the World Day, and concluding with an open house at the Left Hand Grange and a street concert by the House Blend Band on 2nd Avenue. Around the World Day, which began during the pandemic as the brainchild of NBA vice-president Deb Fowler as a way to bring shoppers to Niwot, provided the community with a reason to enjoy the spring...
In the 1950's, the area we now know as Gunbarrel Estates looked much like it did the century before. You'd see tractors instead of horse-drawn plows, of course, but the land was farmland, known locally as Carton Estate. The nearest neighbors were deer, prairie dogs and burrowing owls-all of which must have felt a world away from the growing city of Boulder. Around this time, an Illinois native and builder named Bob Bowron was settling his family in Boulder. The Bowrons might have stayed in...
After 35 years as an award-winning Boulder-based architect, Bob West retired in 2015, and bought a Wyoming ranch to raise Scottish Highland cattle. His memoir, "Twenty Miles of Fence: Blueprint of a Cowboy," co-written with Janet Fogg, describes the-at times-bumpy transition to life as a rancher along the North Laramie River. Accompanied by his family and trading what he called the "yuppie haven" of Boulder for the Devil's Washtub Ranch, West learned, sometimes the hard way, the joys and...
Niwot Business Association President Eric Bergeson introduced Angela Hudgins as the new Niwot Administrative Coordinator at the May 9 NBA meeting. "Angela is an architect, and has a lot of experience in marketing, and has her own business," Bergeson said. Hudgins, who lives on Oxford Road east of 95th Street, has many ties to the Niwot community, with three children in the Niwot High School feeder system. She formed her own business, Boulder Mama, a craft, clothing and "sweet treats" business...
Pat Murphy and the crew at Niwot Real Estate - Compass hosted the May meeting of the Niwot Business Association May 9. NBA president Eric Bergeson introduced Angela Hudgins, who has been contracted to serve as the new Administrative Coordinator for the NBA and other non-profit organizations. He also discussed the recent transition of the www.niwot.com website to a new format. Bergeson noted that an NBA focus group has been formed to look at the website, headed by NBA vice-president Deb Fowler. N...
Niwot's Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) approved funding requests for six events in Niwot from May to September, including several beloved Niwot events as well as a new music event. The May 2 meeting included annual requests from the Niwot Business Association (NBA), Niwot Community Association (NCA) and Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA), and a request from a local restaurant. Cottonwood Concert Among the funding requests approved was a new event, a Cottonwood Concert,...
The Niwot Business Association is bringing back Around the World Day on Saturday, May 20, starting at 10 a.m. and lasting throughout the day until 4 p.m. The event was brought to life during the pandemic as a way to get people out and about in Niwot late in May when temperatures warm up. The popularity of the event with businesses and shoppers alike led to it becoming a much-anticipated annual event. This year will be the third annual Around the World Day, where local businesses throughout...
Did you know that Niwot had a live nude dancing venue in the 1980s? The Ace of Hearts was located at 112 2nd Avenue, now occupied by Little Bird. The show was apparently short-lived. Kathy Koehler said she contacted the Boulder County Sheriff's Office to see if anyone recalled the business. "One former deputy remembers this location," Koehler said. "She remembers that the business was open for about three weeks. The closure was related to liquor license issues rather than an eviction closure."...
Pun intended: love between Belle Terre Floral and the Niwot community has blossomed since the business opened in 2021. What many don't know, however, is the story of owner Sarah Cioni, who is one of the best floral designers in the region and has maintained a deep love for the area and the town. Her background as an area florist began a little more than two decades ago, coinciding with one of the most striking moments in our nation's history. "In 2001, I decided it was time to open my first...
With many pet owners going back to work and the cost of living increasing, dog owners nationwide are giving up the pets they acquired during the earlier years of COVID. An estimated 3.1 million dogs were relinquished to shelters in 2022, according to The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. How could this problem have been prevented? "By responsible breeders and responsible owners," said Cary Unkelbach, the award-winning Colorado author of Heartbreak Kennel: The True Story...
The Niwot Business Association presented four funding requests to the LID, including funding for five concerts on 2nd Avenue by the House Blend Band. All of the requests were approved unanimously. The House Blend Band concert series is now in its third year, and features co-owners of The Old Oak Coffeehouse, Michael Tomich and Patty Machen with what they describe as "about the most eclectic group of people ever to assemble in the name of music." Both appeared to present the application to the...
April's First Friday Art Walk, co-sponsored by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association and Osmosis Gallery, brought out plein-air artists and local musicians on April 7 as the weather cooperated for a change. Several plein-air artists, including Niwot Juried Art Show award-winning artist Bill Enyart, painted scenes of Niwot on 2nd Avenue, while musicians performed in Cottonwood Square and on 2nd Avenue. Restaurants were busy and stores that stayed open, including Osmosis Gallery and Niwot Jewelry &...
The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) unanimously overruled county staff and approved the construction of a 2500-square-foot hay barn at the location adjacent to the Niwot Cemetery proposed by Mary and Douglas Lyle. The decision occurred at a public hearing for the Lyles' appeal as docket SPR-22-0077 on March 21. The Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting (CPP) Department had conditionally approved the proposal on December 9, 2022, but with a condition that the barn be constructed at...
The Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LIDAC or LID) held its annual meeting with the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on Monday, March 27 in the Left Hand Grange. The members of the LID are a mix of people from businesses and community plus representatives of the Niwot Business Association (NBA) and Niwot Community Association (NCA). The commissioners serve as directors of the LID while the LIDAC advises the commissioners on ways to benefit the district through...
Blue skies and a warm early spring day set the stage last Saturday for Lucky Niwot Day festivities held on 2nd Avenue and at Cottonwood Square. As part of the event, families and groups of friends dressed in green walked between stations and into shops, filled tables at restaurant patios and made lines at coffee shops. Street musicians performed at stations along the street and Irish dancers performed in front of Inkberry Books. Individual retailers gave away a range of delicious food fit for...
The Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) welcomed its newest member, Sarah Cioni of Belle Terre, to the March 7 meeting. Cioni was appointed to fill the business position vacated by Bruce Raberler, who did not seek reappointment. Cioni said, "Speaking as a business member, the LID is such a gift to us." Mary Coonce was selected to serve as treasurer of the LID, a position Rabeler previously held. A reception to honor Rabeler and recognize his contributions is planned for a f...
Halfway between Boulder and Longmont lies the charming, unincorporated little "whistlestop" town of Niwot. The "small town with a big heart" was platted in 1875, but never incorporated. Today, Niwot is home to a unique commercial downtown district that is primarily located along two blocks of 2nd Avenue, with the "first block" located between Murray and Franklin streets, and the "second block" between Franklin Street and its intersection with Niwot Road. For many years this modest "downtown"...
February 2023 marked the return of Let's Wine About Winter and it made its return in spectacular fashion. Anne Postle, event founder and co-organizer, said more than 500 people attended the event on Feb. 11 and approximately $13,000 was raised that will go towards maintaining the Niwot Children's Park and Whistle Stop Park. "This was our most successful Wine About Winter to date," Postle said. "The beautiful weather and the event's hiatus for two years certainly helped add to the excitement."...
"You treat people the way you want to be treated," says Sheri Sutton, owner of Classic Looks salon in Cottonwood Square for the past 33 years. "I love the small town feel here in Niwot, and this business is my safe area. I'm comfortable here." Taking an hour break from her work cutting and styling hair and running her business, Sutton offered tea seated in the middle of the small salon, where she employs a smiling Vietnamese–born manicurist appropriately named Sunshine, her son Chris Sutton, w...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) has a full calendar of events for 2023 which are all open to the public. One event in particular, the annual Niwot Clean-up Day on May 20, is free for members and is a great reason to join the NCA. Roll-off dumpsters will again be set up in the Niwot High School parking lot so that members of the community can drive through to unload a variety of materials which might otherwise end up in a landfill. That includes yard waste, branches, and much more. Staff...
The monthly meeting of the Niwot Business Association (NBA) was postponed until Feb. 21 due to a conflict with Valentine's Day, but the delay did not hurt attendance as 37 members gathered at Porchfront Homes to hear about the launch of the newly designed NBA website, www.niwot.com. The website is currently in transition as businesses are updating their listings, which was made easier by a new platform. NBA president Eric Bergeson announced that the current NBA officers, who ran unopposed, had...
The Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) February meeting opened with a presentation from 18-year veteran Sgt. Michael Hill of the Colorado State Patrol. LID members also welcomed another guest, who offered her perspective on planned traffic improvements on Highway 119. Boulder County Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann, who was elected to replace Matt Jones last fall, attended the February LID meeting at the Niwot Inn Feb. 7, and gave her perspective on the traffic issues...
People packed Cottonwood Square and Second Avenue last Saturday for the Let's Wine About Winter event, sponsored by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association with partial funding provided by the Niwot Local Improvement District. After a two-year hiatus, the tasting event attracted more than 30 shops, businesses and restaurants who participated in the event, as well as over 400 participants. "We haven't had it since 2019, and we just love the event," business owner Holly D'apolito said. "It brings...
Let's Wine About Winter, sponsored by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA), returns Feb. 11 after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The walk-about event begins at 1 p.m. and runs until 5 p.m., with businesses offering beverage samples, refreshments, and live music for participants in Cottonwood Square and the downtown business district. Several businesses are pairing up for the event, with a total of 31 shops, restaurants and offices participating. To purchase a ticket and become a me...
Four candidates have applied for appointment to the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee, with four openings to be filled. The Boulder County Commissioners will make appointments to the LID in February. Current LID Treasurer Bruce Rabeler, who serves as one of four rate-paying business members of the LID Advisory Committee, did not seek another term. Rabeler is a co-owner of Little Bird in downtown Niwot. Sarah Cioni, owner of Belle Terre Floral, a floral design shop in...
On Saturday, Jan. 28, at 7:00 p.m., Tibetan Buddhist monk Khentrul Lodro Thaye Rinpoche will read from his book, "The Power of Mind: A Tibetan Monk's Guide to Finding Freedom in Every Challenge." The reading will take place at Una Vida in Cottonwood Square in Niwot, and will be followed by an author's reception at Inkberry Books around the corner from Una Vida. Inkberry Books, in a press release, wrote, "We've all heard platitudes about cultivating love and compassion, but how can we actually...
The Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) advisory committee approved a $10,000 expenditure for connectivity planning, accepting a proposal from Niwot architectural firm Fletemeyer & Lee Associates, Inc., to create a plan for better access to Niwot from the planned bikeway-pedestrian path in the median of the Diagonal Highway from Longmont to Boulder. The proposal was presented by Mary Coonce on behalf of the Niwot Business Association (NBA). Coonce is a LID member, and also serves as...
I complained loudly about this assignment and I'm still nursing a hissy fit, but I guess it's silly to rail against the chance to remember how lucky you are. I'm a native New Yorker (the Bronx, actually), and as a kid I remember wishing with all my heart for three things: a life in the mountains, a job in television, and 12 children. Two out of the three came true for me, and I'm willing to admit that the kid-count falling short might be a blessing in disguise. I fell into my television dream...
Una Vida Meditation and Movement studio was created by Niwot resident Kristin Dura. With a dream of having a bilingual studio to host a variety of classes, workshops and healing treatments, Una Vida welcomes those seeking peace, balance and longevity. We also host many programs for the curious in a spacious, serene and clean environment. Una Vida strives to create unity and joy through deep connection with our community. We believe this community connection is our guide to a stable, meaningful life amidst the unknowns. We provide meditation, mo...
I moved to Boulder when I was eleven years old from Long Island, New York. Ever since then I've been in love with the mountains, the aspen trees, and the great hiking trails, although it was difficult adjusting to the altitude at first. I graduated from Cornell College in Iowa in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in Creative Writing and Civic Engagement. I've been working as a freelance journalist at the Left Hand Valley Courier for over a year now. The Courier has such a great work environment and...
The oldest bank in the Gunbarrel-Niwot area is closing in March. FirstBank announced that the Gunbarrel branch, which opened in June, 1975, will be closing March 7, 2023, due to lack of foot traffic at the location. Kevin Classen, a Niwot resident who is president of Firstbank Holding Company, cited the changing nature of banking brought on by online banking, and Covid concerns. Customers are now able to deposit checks with their phones, and almost all merchants now accept credit cards with the...
One might think the Bank of Estes Park is only located in the resort community 35 miles up Highway 7 from Niwot. But the bank also serves the Niwot community, with one of its three branches located at 7980 Niwot Road, attached to the Niwot Market in Cottonwood Square Shopping Center. "Bank of Estes Park is a local community bank that started up in 1965 in Estes Park, and they opened up a second branch in Estes Park," said Vice-President and Branch Manager Terry Gushiken. "Over time, they...
