All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Railroads are like the veins going to and from the heart of the country. In years past, they were numerous, a near constant; today, they almost seem like something from the past. Similarly, as there are increasingly more talks about sustainable energy, conversations about the use of coal seem to be on the decline. Local historian Larry Dorsey is coming to Niwot’s Left Hand Grange on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the rich history of the area, especially as it relates to coal mining and railroads. His upcoming lecture, entitled “Black...
Calling all photographers, intentional or accidental! The Left Hand Valley Courier’s Photo of the Week feature is open to any area resident who personally photographs Niwot-Gunbarrel area sights, including people (with permission, of course), buildings, animals, birds, plants, flowers, events, or anything else is fair game. Naturally, there are a few rules to follow: • The photograph must be submitted in jpg format via email to editorial@lhvc.com in high resolution. • Please include a caption describing the photo, your name, email addre...
The Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band was on hand to provide a musical backdrop to the 2022 Why Not Niwot? Juried Art Show awards ceremony Sept. 2 in front of Osmosis Art & Architecture. The art contest, now in its 11th year, featured 36 entries in the Niwot Cultural Arts Association's annual contest featuring art about Niwot. The 24-member band directed by Debbie Benson, which is also sponsored by the NCAA and Left Hand Grange No. 9, added a bit of color to the evening with...
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...
A sweet Saturday is on tap as the Honey Bee Harvest Festival brings swarms of family-friendly activities, goodies and know-how to Niwot. The second-annual event expands on last year's festivities with a full schedule from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. downtown and in Cottonwood Square. "Seems like there are so many topics to share," co-organizer Victoria Keen said. "The more I learned, the more I was amazed." The fascinating story of bees will be shared through a speaker series at the Left Hand Grange....
Born in Kansas, educated at an Ivy League college in Massachusetts and having worked as a management consultant for 20 years at the Watergate Building in Washington, D.C., Leigh Suskin – owner of Farmers Insurance Agency in Cottonwood Square – is truly a Renaissance woman. Whether serving root beer floats at Niwot's "National Night Out" celebrating first responders, or studying for her Ph.D. in East/West psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, or raising her...
On Aug. 2, Gene Hayworth, Executive Director of the Niwot Jazz Festival, gave a wrap-up report to the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID), which provided funding for over half the cost of the free festival. The event, sponsored by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association, marked its second year of bringing live jazz to Niwot. To measure the success of the festival, volunteers conducted an hourly attendance count and handed out surveys to gather information about those attending. Everyone who compl...
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...
On June 9, 2022, Governor Jared Polis signed into law House Bill 22-1235, the revised Veterinary Practice Act that includes regulation of veterinary technicians. The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and the Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technicians (CACVT) have worked jointly since late 2020 to provide for regulation of veterinary technicians as part of the Sunset Review of the Veterinary Practice Act. On Aug. 11, State Representative Karen McCormick spoke at the...
The Rock & Rails concert opener Aug.11 was the high energy sound of All About the Brass, a Longmont-based group. The band played favorites from a wide variety of genres, ranging from James Brown's "I Got You" to "You and Me and the Bottle Makes 3" by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy to "Smooth" by Santana. Other tunes included Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" with "more cowbell" from Niwot native Katie Warren, Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," and Vance Joy's "Riptide," with the...
The August meeting of the Niwot Business Association was held Aug. 9 at Niwot Market, with 34 members attending. The timely topic of fire prevention, emergency preparations, and insurance coverage gave members useful information in the wake of the Aug. 6 Abo’s Pizza fire in Niwot. Although the topic had been planned early in July, the presentation by representatives of Mountain View Fire Rescue, Leigh Suskin and Lindsay Cumberland of Farmers Insurance in Niwot was especially timely. Mountain View Fire Rescue community outreach officers e...
Business is anything but "as usual" in Niwot's business district. A nationwide worker shortage has left businesses everywhere struggling to maintain their typical working hours and functionalities, and many of the staple establishments in downtown Niwot have been affected by the shortage as well. At 1914 House, the worker shortage has affected all levels of employment, but the restaurant has been very fortunate to have had enough staff on hand thus far. Head Chef Justin Hirshfield shared his ins...
On August 11, at 12:30 p.m., the Left Hand Animal Hospital is hosting an event to discuss the Veterinary Practice Act (VPA) and technician regulation with State Representative Karen McCormick. Rep. McCormick was invited to the event as one of the prime sponsors of the bill. She is also a veterinarian in her professional life. Erin Henninger, the Executive Director of the Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technicians (CACVT), has spent the past several years working to include technician regulation in the VPA. “Prior to this r...
I hope you’re a fan of Jerry Seinfeld, co-writer and co-producer of “Bee Movie,” because Saturday, Aug. 27, is Niwot’s 2nd Annual Honeybee Harvest Festival. Go to downtown Niwot for live music, bee-friendly activities for children, horse-drawn carriage rides, pop-up vendors, mead tasting, bee-loving advocates’ presentations, artwork, and a farmer’s market. Drop by anytime between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., and you won’t be disappointed. This festival this year will honor the memory of Tom Theobald, who spoke at the inaugural festival last summer i...
The Small Town Big Heart Marshall Fire Fund is into its last group of events in an effort to get to the $100,000 finish line. Headed by Niwot Business Association President Deb Fowler, the effort began shortly after the first of the year to show victims of the fire that other communities cared. "I couldn't be more delighted," Fowler said. "The support from the local businesses, some Niwot clubs and residents joining in, has been overwhelming and the next few events are going to be so much fun."...
A large crowd came early to the July 21 Rock & Rails concert, and were treated to an opening performance by "Dr. Banjo and Nurse Banjo," otherwise known as Pete and Joan Wernick, who have made their home just across the Diagonal Highway on Oxford Road since 1976. Pete played banjo, and his wife Joan accompanied him on the guitar, with both contributing vocals. Pete and Joan have a unique progressive bluegrass, country music style. Joan also has a wonderful voice she shared, singing some of the... Full story
You may know Seth Steele as the guy who cuts your turkey slices and pork-based needs at the Niwot Market-the same guy who's been a part of the family business since high school and has worked his way up from the produce aisle to becoming the manager of the meat department. Or you may think of him as the son of Bert Steele, owner of the Niwot Market, or the brother of Alison Steele, who coordinates volunteers for the Niwot Business Association (NBA) while also working at the Niwot Market. But...
A dog on hind legs peeks longingly into the window of Niwot Rental and Feed, a red guitar bursts from the stage at Whistlestop Park as children dance, a golfer tees off with Haystack Mountain in the distance. These are just a few of the iconic images of Niwot and the surrounding area that are on display around town for this year's annual art exhibition, "Why Not Niwot? Juried Art Show. Thirty-five pieces have been entered by 16 artists who submitted up to three works each. A panel of judges...
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...
Proving the event has staying power, the Second Annual Niwot Jazz Festival wrapped up Saturday night, June 25, 2022. Approximately 650 people were in attendance throughout the afternoon and evening and enjoyed almost perfect weather and an even better jazz lineup. Keith Waters, the Jazz Festival's Musical Director, as well as CU Music Professor and Inkberry Books co-owner said, "We were really delighted with the way it turned out." Musicians from as far away as New York and Washington, DC,...
Nothing conjures up a deeper sense of patriotism and belonging to a community like a 4th of July parade, and Niwot's celebration has a way of elevating that hometown, apple pie feeling to the max. There are kids riding their streamer-adorned bikes, horse-mounted riders carrying flags, well-represented community organizations walking with their banners, all encased in a backdrop of majestic music. And of course there's the Grand Marshal riding in a spiffy convertible smiling and waving to the cro...
Left Hand Water district has released its annual water quality report and methods for homeowners to reduce their water consumption for the environment. Water contamination is often caused by agricultural livestock operations, septic systems, sewage treatment plants, oil and gas production, gas stations, synthetic or volatile organic chemicals, and urban storm-water runoff that may contain pesticides, herbicides, salts, and metals. Fortunately, there were no treatment technique violations or maximum contaminant level violations found in the...
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...
On Monday, July 4, the Niwot Historical Society welcomed Fourth of July parade-goers to take a self-guided tour of the Niwot Fire House Museum as part of their patriotic revels. The Niwot Fire House, which was built in 1910 to house the Niwot area firefighting equipment, now is a tiny museum packed with local historic items, including classic school desks, an old anvil, old post office boxes, and other Niwot artifacts. Attendees young and old enjoyed a stop-off at the museum for a self-paced...
Niwot's annual 4th of July Pancake Breakfast was back to pre-pandemic size this year, with long lines waiting to be served by volunteers and staff from the Niwot Market. The Pancake Breakfast is more than just pancakes - servings included pancakes, sausage, eggs, and Bert Steele's famous chile, with coffee and orange juice on the side. The net proceeds of the breakfast after costs are covered were donated to the Niwot Youth Sports Monarch Improvement Project. Tip jars were also available with...
Nothing conjures up a deeper sense of patriotism and belonging to a community like a 4th of July parade, and Niwot's celebration has a way of elevating that hometown, apple pie feeling to the max. There are kids riding their streamer-adorned bikes, horse-mounted riders carrying flags, well-represented community organizations walking with their banners, all encased in a backdrop of majestic music. And of course there's the Grand Marshal riding in a spiffy convertible smiling and waving to the...
Get ready for fun summer nights, because Dancing Under the Stars has returned. Opening night took place on June 24, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Cottonwood Square Shopping Center. If you have not heard of Dancing Under the Stars, it is a free dance event that takes place every Friday through Sept. 23, except on Labor Day weekend. Dancing Under the Stars originated in Boulder in 1982, organized by Tom Materson at the UMC Rooftop Terrace. The event later moved to Dushanbe Tea House, then to Niwot...
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...
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...
Karen Quinn is kind. She is also modest, so she probably will not like being described in this way. A passionate gardener, talented photographer and deeply spiritual long-time resident of Niwot, Quinn also, by giving of herself and her talents, recently raised $1,600 for Ukrainians. We are sitting outside on a recent warm and sunny day on her patio, overlooking colorful gardens, alive with lupines and peonies and iris. Quinn is sharing her story over cups of tea and tasty homemade pumpkin...
The Rotary Club of Niwot, through its grant program, was able to make a generous donation of $2,000 to the Niwot Cultural Arts Association to assist in the purchase of the "Kore That Awakening" sculpture in Niwot Sculpture Park. The donation will ultimately be money sent directly to the sculptor Egor Zigora, who along with his family and studio, fled Ukraine at the beginning of the attack by Russia. The sculpture park is located at the Community Corner of Niwot, on the southwest corner of Niwot...
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...
Three Niwot Youth Sports players practiced their swings early Saturday morning at Left Hand Valley Grange Park to beat the afternoon heat. Julianna, Wesley, and Burke Deens were there taking some batting practice with their dad and coach just in time for Father's Day. Julianna is a pitcher and first baseman on the Wildcats 10U softball team, and when asked about how the team's season was going she said, "Our team is doing really well, and our hitting has really improved so far." Her dad, Jeremy...
The monthly Niwot Business Association meeting, hosted by Pat Murphy and the Niwot Group-Compass June 14 at their offices at 7916 Niwot Road, included a lively discussion of food trucks and other mobile vendors in Niwot. NBA president Eric Bergeson of Niwot Wheel Works noted that the topic had come up at the NBA Executive Committee meeting and at the Niwot Future League (NFL) meeting recently. The main issues discussed were whether food trucks and other mobile vendors should pay a fee to the...
Life is better when you dance...so get your dancing shoes on. Dancing Under the Stars is back and the season is now extended! Starting Friday, June 24 at 7 p.m., Dancing Under The Stars will kick off its third season in Niwot. Located outside some of Cottonwood Squares independent stores, restaurants, pubs and coffee shops, this coveted event continues all summer long, with plenty of free parking in the shopping center and surrounding areas. Dancing Under the Stars started in Boulder, offering...
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 BSA Troop 161 Boys Troop has been operating out of Niwot for over 50 years. In April of 2021, the Left Hand Grange approved the BSA 161G troop, which started with 6 female scouts from the surrounding areas. Two to three times a year, troops hold a Court of Honor where they award their scouts with merit badges earned, rank advancements and other awards which have been worked on throughout the year. On June 6th, the BSA 161G troop held their second court of honor, recognizing eight female...
Thomas Cross Theobald Dec. 18, 1942 - Nov. 10, 2021 A Celebration of Life for Tom Theobald will be held on Saturday, June 11th at 1:00 pm at the Left Hand Grange in Niwot. Tom died Nov. 10, 2021, after a long-time illness. His family invites the Niwot community to attend and to bring stories of Tom to share. For more information on Tom’s contributions to the Niwot community, please see Tom’s full obituary in the Dec. 15, 2021 issue of the Left Hand Valley Courier....
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...
Tom Wilke Up-a-Creek-Robotics "A robot is a machine that can perform tasks," explains Tom Wilke, taking a sip of his drink outside at lunch in Niwot's Cottonwood Square. "A self-driving Tesla, for example, is a robot." Wilke is a retired mechanical engineer and adjunct professor at CU Boulder, who is also a mountain climber and author and chairman of the board of Boulder Meals on Wheels. But what we're talking about this particular day is a huge victory he shared as a mentor to...
Rock & Rails is a well-loved, much-attended community event in Niwot's very own Whistle Stop Park. As the recipient of the 2006 Governor's Award for Downtown Excellence for Best Promotional Event, Rock & Rails benefits many who volunteer to make all the magic happen. The free summer concert series takes the stage at Niwot's Whistle Stop Park at 1st Avenue and Murray Street in historic downtown Niwot, Colorado, and is produced by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association in conjunction with the Niwot...
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...
Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Troop 161B held its Court of Honor ceremony to award the rank of Eagle Scout to Wyatt Boyd and Cole Robinson May 16 at the Left Hand Grange No. 9. Boyd and Robinson are the 97th and 98th young men to be honored with the rank of Eagle Scout in Troop 161 in less than 50 years since the troop's formation. Bruce Grinnell was the first to earn the rank of Eagle Scout from Troop 161, and was a member of the first graduating class at Niwot High School in 1974. The names of...
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,...
It's a service we take for granted today - our local fire department. But until the late 1960s, Niwot's fire protection came from Longmont, which at the time had only one truck assigned to cover rural calls. All of that changed in 1968, however, when the Left Hand Men's Club formed Niwot's volunteer fire department. Only Mike Holubec and Pete Plantiga had any previous experience, so they were chosen to conduct a training program. "We had training sessions at the Left Hand Water office," Holubec...
The area around in and around Niwot, known as the Left Hand Valley, has deep agricultural roots dating back to the late 1800s in the early settlement days of Colorado Pioneer families such as the Caywoods, Williamses and the Goulds turned the prairie land into productive soils, producing wheat, sugar beets, and alfalfa. Many farms started alongside the nearby railroads and Niwot became a farming town, even having it;s own dairy and creamery. Many homes were built on farmland in the early 1900s,...
Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Troop 161B held its Court of Honor ceremony to award the rank of Eagle Scout to Wyatt Boyd and Cole Robinson May 16 at the Left Hand Grange No. 9. Boyd and Robinson are the 97th and 98th young men to be honored with the rank of Eagle Scout in Troop 161 in less than 50 years since the troop's formation. Bruce Grinnell was the first to earn the rank of Eagle Scout from Troop 161, and was a member of the first graduating class at Niwot High School in 1974. The names of...
Left Hand Giving Circle members volunteered at Bella Boutique, a nonprofit that promotes inclusion and positive self worth by providing no-cost formal gowns and accessories to teens in financial need. During their time at the boutique, members served as personal stylists to help students find their perfect prom look!...
Niwot will host the next Five Kingdoms dinner to benefit the newly re-formed Slow Food chapter in Boulder. Brandon Pitcher launched 5 Kingdom dinners over 15 years ago to highlight a new approach to food, by focussing on protozoa, algae, plants, animals and fungi. Pitcher’s philosophy is that by eating these five food groups, we are creating an ecosystem of sustainable food on earth, which is better for the planet, and better for our health. Pitcher hosts regular dinners with an educational focus and to also benefit non–profit org...
