All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Her name is simply Sunshine – and she totally exudes it. Sunshine provides manicures, pedicures and facials at Classic Looks in Niwot and is this week's Familiar Face. The owner of Classic Looks, Sheri Sutton, met and hired Sunshine in 2005, when Sunshine first moved to Colorado, and they have been together ever since. "Classic Looks is like my second family," Sunshine explained one recent day, sitting in the salon in Cottonwood Square. "I just love, love this place," she added with a smile. "...
Niwot's Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID), made up of nine community members appointed by the Boulder County Commissioners, unveiled a Master Plan for Niwot, focusing primarily on the business district, at a meeting of Niwot's primary community non-profit organizations Nov. 6. The first meeting of Niwot organizations took place in the fall of 2021, when each organization had an opportunity to describe its mission and planned projects. The Nov. 6 meeting was a followup to the...
Niwot’s annual Rock & Rails is partnering with an eco-friendly compost and delivery service known as Wompost this summer. Wompost is a women-owned business founded by Carolyn Pace in 2018. Pace was frustrated that there was no composting pickup service in Aurora, so she decided to launch her own business as the one and only employee at first. Now, Wompost provides services not only in Aurora, but also in south Denver, Greenwood Village, Centennial, Englewood, Cherry Hills, Southglenn, Littleton, and Commerce City. They do not normally s...
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...
Dear Left Hand Valley Courier, I am writing in comment on Wandering Jellyfish's Drag Queen Story time, as published in the article "Drag Queen Story Time Comes to Niwot" by Biff Warren. Niwot has long been politically dormant. Due to its lack of mayor and place within the greater Boulder County area, this small country town of just over 4,000 people has managed to keep itself civil and strong in face of growing political division, and besides the odd Trump flag or Biden bumper sticker, this is how it was. Niwot is also the site of Niwot High...
2/23/23 Dear Left Hand Valley Courier, I am writing in comment on Wandering Jellyfish's Drag Queen Story time, as published in the article "Drag Queen Story Time Comes to Niwot" by Biff Warren. Niwot has long been politically dormant. Due to its lack of mayor and place within the greater Boulder County area, this small country town of just over 4,000 people has managed to keep itself civil and strong in face of growing political division, and besides the odd Trump flag or Biden bumper sticker, this is how it was. Niwot is also the site of...
Last September, the community of Niwot mourned the sudden death of Craig "Lefty" Harris, owner of Lefty's Gourmet Pizza on 2nd Avenue. A little over two months later, the iconic restaurant that means so much to the community has launched a new chapter. Lorenzo Villalobos, who worked as a chef for Harris for 24 years and considered him family, along with Villalobos' wife, Marciela Vazquez, have purchased the restaurant from the Harris family and have reopened it to the delight of the pizzeria's...
The mid-20th century modern, bi-level home is a classic design found around the country and in many Boulder County neighborhoods. Decades after their building date, many of these homes are in need of a refresh. When Niwot-based Osmosis Art and Architecture was called on to participate in the design for a Boulder-based home in this style, the result led to a significant industry award. On Nov. 5, the project earned Osmosis a MAME (Marketing and Merchandising Excellence) award sponsored by the Hom...
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...
Jenna Kate Olschlager Williams (37) passed away peacefully with family by her side on December 11, 2021, in Aurora, CO, from complications of multiple autoimmune diseases. Jenna was born on March 7, 1984, in Harvey, ND, to Terry and Sandra (Wittenberg) Olschlager. She grew up on a farm near Fessenden, ND, and graduated from Fessenden-Bowdon High School in 2002. She earned a degree in Music Education from North Dakota State University and a Master of Music Education degree from Colorado State...
Books are wonderful gifts because of their versatility. Especially now with the holidays, they allow you to travel to different places and times, all while staying comfortably snug at home. Whether you're a library fan, local bookshop lover, or an online shopper, we've got a few holiday/winter suggestions for our Courier readers. Another option, thanks to The Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop, is to buy a bookshop gift card, which supports local bookstores. Niwot's Inkberry Books has a large...
From the time Cotton Burden was in the sixth grade, he knew he would be a lawyer. After a stint in the Navy as an aircrewman and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Leeds Business School at the University of Colorado, Burden accomplished that goal and graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1981. It was during that time that he also obtained a real estate broker's license, setting him up for his current role as president and in-house counsel of Burden Incorporated, which...
When local rockers Francis & the Wolf started recording their second album, the members had no idea that it would take four tumultuous years to finally come together. But, last week, the band finally released "Truth Be Told," a full-length album featuring 10 original songs that examine "the sweeping ups and downs of life." On August 13, the group is throwing a release party at Wibby Brewing that's a celebration both of the new album and of weathering the tragedy, heartbreak, and triumph that...
Habitat for Humanity of St. Vrain Valley (HFHSVV) hit a milestone of $1 million in contributions toward building homes around the world and has earned the local affiliate the Sam Mompongo Award. The contributions were raised as a result of one of the entity's foundational principles – a 10% tithing of unrestricted revenue toward partnering countries to fulfill the global organizations' goal of helping every person have an affordable and decent place to live. HFHSVV's unrestricted funds are g...
For seven years the Bowhaus in Gunbarrel has provided furry family members with daycare and boarding. While the pooches are playing with friends and relaxing in a safe environment, they're likely to spend time with two long-time employees, Klare Black and Suzi Hendrix. We wanted to learn more about these two familiar faces in the community. Left hand Valley Courier (LHVC) - Where did you grow up, and how did Colorado become your home? Klare Black (KB) - I'm the middle child of seven siblings,...
On Aug. 27, 2020, the Veterans Community Project (VCP) broke ground on a two-acre site in Longmont, the beginning of the much-anticipated construction of a tiny home village for homeless veterans. Governor Jared Polis and Niwot resident Kevin Mulshine of HMS Development were among the speakers who oversaw the groundbreaking ceremonies. The joint venture between VCP, the City of Longmont, and HMS Development is in the process of transforming the property into a tiny home village to serve...
History can be learned from books and films and lectures, but a deeper layer of understanding comes from being in the place where things happened. That belief was what led me to visit Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in southeastern Colorado earlier this month. I had planned to join dozens of people who signed up to take a bus from Niwot to the site this fall. The trip, organized by the Niwot United Methodist Church in cooperation with several other community organizations, has been...
While this is not explicitly an Inkberry Book, it was a book recommended by one of the paper's readers. I've said before that I enjoy memoirs and expressed hope that I'd read more nonfiction, so I was excited about the chance to read Tears Run Dry, a memoir penned by Dr. Patrick Kalenzi of Niwot Veterinary Clinic. Kalenzi said, "I come from a tribe of cattle keepers and animal lovers in Uganda, that I was never going to be content doing anything but treating animals." When asked why Kalenzi...
From its shady locale in Cottonwood Square, the Niwot Tavern has been a popular local gathering spot for more than a decade-and-a-half, so when the 2020 coronavirus pandemic threw the lives of local residents into chaos, co-owners and longtime bartenders Tara Kpogoh-Narh and Stacy Szydlek quickly shifted their mission from helping local residents unwind to helping them get through a global health emergency. "It was the kids, when the schools shut down," Kpogoh-Narh said, explaining why she and...
Allan J. Gjovig, 82, of Niwot, Colo., passed away in his sleep on Friday May 1, 2020, at the Peaks Care Center in Longmont. Al was born May 24, 1937 in Canby, Minn., to the late Herman and Esther (Olson) Gjovig. He attended Canby schools and was class valedictorian in 1955. His high school activities included lettering in varsity track for 3 years, and membership in the drama club, yearbook staff, and Future Teachers of America. He served in the Navy and was honorably discharged in June of...
They call her Mama G., but students and teachers at Flagstaff Academy can now refer to their middle school principal as Colorado Charter School Leader of the Year. "I was very excited and totally humbled when I found out about all the nominations and the kind things people had to say," said Katie Gustafson, 39, who has been an administrator at the school for five years and a teacher for five years before that. The award from the Colorado League of Charter Schools recognized Gustafson for...
It's not the way Leland Oxley expected to launch his Gunbarrel restaurant, Motherlode. In less than two weeks he opened the new restaurant, closed down the dining room, started a carryout and delivery business and began room service for all of five guests staying at the nearby Hampton Suites hotel. "At some point you just say it is what it is and make the best of it," said Oxley. Motherlode isn't the only restaurant suffering after the coronavirus forced Gov. Jared Polis to limit all...
There are numerous retreats every year for entrepreneurs to help them realize their goals and direct them in good business practices. However, the upcoming retreat sponsored by Family Village and Nesting Your Business in Longmont this month is different. Inspired by the modest success of the cathartic event last year, the two organizations are hoping to create an annual event for entrepreneurial parents. "We wanted something to continue...we're going to have this every year. This retreat is...
Family Village in Longmont is modeled on a communal premise which many societies depended on only decades ago. In the past, families relied heavily on near-by friends, neighbors, and relatives for social connection and support with life’s daily tribulations. As we’ve progressed scientifically, we’ve become more isolated socially, relying on devices to help raise, rear, nurture, or connect. Founder of Family Village of Longmont, Melanie Piazza, believed there was a disconnect occurring, in part d...
The Aug. 22 Rock & Rails Tip Jar recipient is The Mwebaza Foundation, founded right here in Niwot. The Mwebaza Foundation seeks to unite Colorado students from four elementary schools with students in Uganda to foster a better understanding of each group’s culture. Before he started The Mwebaza Foundation, Dale Peterson, first-grade teacher at Niwot Elementary, fostered cultural exchange through a pen pal program. He knew this type of exchange gave children the opportunity to learn about o...
In an effort to help area families save some money, Niwot High is teaming up with Gunbarrel Family Medicine to provide free sports physicals to students participating in athletics in the upcoming 2019-20 school year. “Sports are expensive, from buying equipment, to fees, and everything else that goes with it,” new Cougars athletic director Joe Brown said. “So any opportunity we have to reach out to our community and find scholarship ways to help lower barriers for kids to participate, we want...
He makes his living diving down more than a hundred feet to capture astonishing images of marine life and he lives in a barn in Niwot. Go figure. But Andy Mann’s work is about more than pretty pictures. Mann has quite the tale to tell. In 2003, at the age of 23, he moved to Boulder from Virginia for the mountains and the bluegrass music scene. A co-worker from The Sink restaurant asked Mann to come climbing and scaling the side of a mountain instantly became his obsession. Mann moved to E...
The Longmont Community Foundation (LCF) will be celebrating 25 years of supporting charitable giving at its annual dinner on April 4. Since 1994, the foundation has overseen the distribution of $11 million to non-profits. This year alone the organization will allocate more than $1 million to the arts, education, animals, human services, health and environmental causes. There are only 1,900 community foundations world-wide, each honing in on a particular geographic area. LCF was originally under...
There have been restaurants and stores to support Gunbarrel residents for quite some time now. But with the recent addition of large multi-family developments (over 300 new units) and many new businesses in the last few years, the sense of a warm, small town with a heart center is really starting to inch in. Two Boulder-raised, longtime friends are adding to the village atmosphere with the opening of a café-by-day/libation-by-eve enterprise. Come the first week of May, Gunbarrel resident Mike...
Three Niwot residents have been taking their skills abroad to help those in need. K. Lynn Walker, M.D., is a doctor in Longmont; Lisa Lee is a pediatric nurse practitioner; and Mary-Jean Fickes is an interpreter and translator. The three friends use their professional skills on medical mission trips to underdeveloped parts of the world. While Lee is new to these trips, Walker and Fickes are seasoned veterans and the three met under happenstance. “We all met at Pilates of Niwot,” Walker sai...
Niwot Elementary School will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this weekend with an open house and guest speakers. The event starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 8, with guest speakers starting at 11:30. Included on the roster of speakers are Principal Nancy Pitz, Superintendent Don Haddad and board of education member Debbie Lammers, a Niwot resident. Pitz has been at the helm of NES for the last four years, and said that she’s excited about the anniversary. “It’s really neat to be a small...
The construction fencing was replaced with a new wooden fence, and those that have helped push the cause couldn’t be happier. Biff Warren, president of the Niwot Cultural Arts Association and one of the organizers for the new park, said that the project has really taken a village to complete. “We need to thank and recognize literally hundreds of people who have donated to the park in some fashion,” Warren said. “There were kids who sold lemonade and donated proceeds, businesses that hosted...
The Women’s International Niwot Club (WINC) is heading into its second year after having a very successful first year. “WINC is a non-profit social club focused on celebrating the international and diverse heritage of its members, while raising money for the community,” local realtor Deborah Read Fowler said. Fowler is the president of WINC and created the club after she had started and chaired the Niwot chapter of the Daughter’s of the British Empire (DBE). Fowler is originally from England and wanted a chapter in Niwot where women of differe...
