All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Sorted by date Results 1501 - 1550 of 2541
The 2021-22 Niwot girls basketball team is on the path to redemption after posting just two wins during the prior two seasons. Helping lead them there is senior captain Madison Tajchman, a second-year varsity guard and natural leader, according to Cougars' new head coach Jon Hill. "Maddi represents our program and Niwot as a whole in a positive light, and is probably our biggest voice, along with Carly [Toothaker]," Hill said after a recent win. "She's an amazing student, on and off the floor....
In 2020, charitable giving rose to an all-time high in the U.S., even as many Americans struggled with uncertainty and disruptions. While that is good news for the nation's non-profit organizations, the unfortunate reality is that much of the bounty went to high profile causes and groups, leaving small and locally-focused charities scrambling to make up for lost fundraising opportunities. As 2021 comes to a close, many of those groups could still use some help to balance the scales. "There are a... Full story
One day in 2012, a group of moms got together for lunch. All of them had gone to college, and all were part of PEO International, which seeks to help women with their higher education goals. With children of their own, many of whom would soon graduate high school, these mothers wondered how they would best be able to help them. Inspired, they began an annual Q&A event that included counselors, parents of students who had graduated, students who were now in college, and there was one aim–how d...
Turkey Trots seem to be the ubiquitous activity of choice for many on Thanksgiving morning. These fun races vary in distance from 5k to 10k (sometimes longer, sometimes shorter) and usually feature more than a few people festively sporting a turkey outfit. This year, in lieu of trotting, some Niwot runners opted to take their Turkey Trot to the track - for a speedy mile run at the Turkey Mile 4 REAL. The event, which was put on by REAL Training, featured seven one-mile races hosted at the Niwot...
The importance of small community papers I recently viewed an excellent PBS documentary about the Storm Lake Times in Storm Lake, Iowa. One in four local newspapers have been shuttered in this country, many bought up by big national corporations. I love that Niwot has a local newspaper that keeps the community current on local news and events, including our talented high school athletes and all the amazing folks who volunteer to help make Niwot the friendly community we all enjoy. I love supporting LHVC and reading the paper digitally so I can... Full story
CROSS COUNTRY Taylor James (Niwot) is on the Cross Country roster for Stanford University this fall, but has not officially competed for the Cardinal yet. James, a freshman, will have an opportunity to run her trademark events (200M, 400M, 800M, Mile) during the indoor and outdoor track seasons. Her Stanford biography notes that her grandmother, Jana Veverkova (200M, 4x100M), and grandfather, Zdenek Veverka (triple jump), are both Czech Republic track and field national record-holders. Eva...
CROSS COUNTRY Lucca Fulkerson (Niwot), a freshman at Princeton University, helped her squad to a second-place finish at the Lehigh Invitational Sept. 3, when all five runners crossed the 6K finish line together, good for an eighth-place tie at 22:14.8. She followed with a fourth-place finish at the Harvard-Yale-Princeton meet Sept. 11, with a time of 16:28.3 for the 4800-meter race. At the Princeton Invitational she finished seventh with a time of 21:44.2 for the 6K. At the NCAA Mid-Atlantic...
Isabella Steiner, a senior at Niwot High School, is shown competing with her horse Hazel. Isabella has been named 2021 Grand Champion of the Children's Jumping Division for the Colorado Hunter Jumper Association. She will be competing in Las Vegas later this month for a national title from the United States Hunter Jumper Association....
November is turning out to be eventful for Niwot junior Lucas Haratsaris, a talented saxophonist in the school's advanced jazz band. On Nov. 13, he submitted an audition for the Colorado All-State Jazz Band, which band director Wade Hendricks described as "incredibly challenging to get into." He followed that up on Nov. 15 with a day of rehearsing and performing with the Combined League Honor Jazz Band, a group composed of the upper quadrant of Colorado band students. To top it off, after...
On Nov. 10, Niwot High seniors (from left) Morgan Daugherty (volleyball), Zane Bergen (track and cross country), Zoe Gibbs (volleyball), and Mary Codevilla (swim and dive), signed letters of intent to compete in their sports at the next level. Bergen will be the fourth Niwot runner moving west to Stanford, while Codevilla, defending state champion in two swimming events, is headed east to Notre Dame. Teammates Daugherty and Gibbs are both heading north of Niwot-Gibbs to UNC in Greeley, and...
As part of the effort to update the town's five-year strategic plan, the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee invited leaders from more than a dozen local community organizations to a round table discussion at the Left Hand Grange on Nov. 2 to discuss how to prioritize tax revenues over the coming years and encourage cooperation among the groups on community projects. Among the groups represented were the Niwot Business Association, Niwot Community Association, the Rotary Club of...
The Class 4A state gymnastics meet on Nov. 5 was full of memorable moments for Marisa Purcell and the Niwot gymnastics team, and there's at least one they'd like to forget. When it was all over at Thornton High, the Cougars came away with their best finish in the team competition since 2018, and an important lesson about sticking the landing. "There isn't anything they could have done differently," Purcell said. "They rocked the beam to end it, and to come out and stick five out of six, I'm...
At 6-foot 3-inches and 225 pounds, Niwot senior guard/tackle Brad Bair is a force to be reckoned with on the football field, as opponents across the scrimmage line from him can no doubt attest. But underneath that intimidating exterior lies a quiet workhorse who leads by example as he consistently does his job well, Niwot head coach Nikolas Blume said. "We actually give him a hard time about how nice he is, because no matter how hard you coach him, he's just so polite all the time. It's almost...
Live theater returned to the Niwot High stage on Nov. 5 with "Peter and the Starcatcher," and at least one of the cast members was thrilled to be back in front of a live audience. Junior Hosannah Adams starred as Black Stache, the play's comedic foil, and hearing crowd reaction in real time again is definitely something she missed. "It was the best, best feeling of my year so far," she said. "I can't compare anything to that feeling.... The whole cast just took a deep breath and was in awe when...
As predicted, the nationally-ranked Niwot girls cross country team ran away with the title after a historically dominating performance at the 2021 Class 4A state championships, held Oct. 30 at the Norris Penrose Events Center in Colorado Springs. All seven of Niwot's competitors finished in the top 16, and five of them finished in the top 10. That added up to just 20 points in the final standings, a record low across all classifications. But almost no one predicted that unheralded Eva Klingbeil...
Niwot's Zane Bergen put an exclamation point on the end of his high school cross country career with another title-winning performance at the Class 4A state championships. All alone when he crossed the finish line at the Norris Penrose Events Center in Colorado Springs, the Stanford-bound Bergen posted a time of 15 minutes, 17.70 seconds, breaking the Class 4A meet record he set in 2020 (15:29). It was the second straight individual cross country championship for Bergen, and extends Niwot's...
Behind a much-improved performance on the uneven bars, the resurgent Niwot gymnastics team turned in its top score of the season to claim first place at the Class 4A Region 2 championships, held Oct. 29 at Mountain Range High School. Now the Cougars are heading into the state championships on Nov. 5 with a renewed sense of optimism, according to head coach Marisa Purcell. "We worked really hard on bars, and really tried to get the routines into place," she said afterwards. "You can see the...
Live theater returns to the Niwot High stage starting on Nov. 5 with the premiere of "Peter and the Starcatcher," a semi-musical reimagining of the Peter Pan story that explores his life before Neverland. Bringing the title character to life is senior Ethan Rauschkolb, a veteran of the NHS stage who said he is thrilled to be back in front of a live audience. "Opening is November 5th, and we're super excited about it," he said of the upcoming production, the first non-virtual one in more than 18...
As Veterans Day 2021 approaches, the Niwot Community Association is once again honoring the local men and women who have served their country in the U.S. Armed Forces through the Veterans Banner Project. Earlier this month, nearly 50 full-color banners featuring the names, photographs, branch, and service years of military members past and present with local connections were installed along 2nd Avenue and in Cottonwood Square where they will hang through Veterans Day. Behind each of these...
Growing up, Mina O'Dell loved to copy the colorful cartoon characters she watched on T.V., and, over the years, that turned into a passion for painting and drawing. Now as a sophomore at Niwot, she is exploring a new medium that is challenging her perspectives. "I really like sculpting because it's so much different from drawing and painting," she said. "Because with a drawing, you can only see one point of view of the art that you're making. Whereas with sculpting, you can really put detail...
Education is in Sarah Hurianek's blood–a number of family members were and are educators, and she has worked in early childhood education for over 20 years. In addition to her on-the job experience, she has been an active member of the Mead community and even graduated from Skyline High School in the St. Vrain Valley School District herself. Her husband Noah Hurianek, also a teacher, grew up in Niwot where both of his parents, Dennis and Nancy Hurianek, were long-time teachers. "Serving as a b...
Former Lyons head coach Kenneth Rosales is the new leader atop Niwot baseball. Rosales brings his unique coaching journey to Niwot in hopes of restoring the program's previous glory. NHS athletic director Joe Brown announced the hiring in late September after four-year head coach Adam Strah resigned in June. During his eight seasons leading Lyons, Rosales brought the Lions to four state tournament appearances. He was also an assistant coach there for four seasons prior to taking over the...
With his varsity tennis season now behind him, Niwot senior Raaghav Agarwal is turning his attention to another type of head-to-head match. This year, he is taking on a key technical role for the Up-A-Creek Robotics' Team 1619, one of the top high school robotics teams in Colorado. Though competition season is still a few months away, Agarwal is excited about the youthful squad, and looking forward to getting back into the arena. "This year, we're going back to in-person challenges, which is...
Work on a proposal to create a community garden space in Niwot is starting, Niwot Community Association board member Diane Zimmermann told NCA members at the Oct. 6 meeting. "The first step is to survey our NCA members to gauge interest and gather ideas, and then put together a community group made up of Niwot residents and NCA members interested in getting this project started," Zimmermann said. "We see so many Niwot residents with beautiful gardens and we could use their expert advice and...
As a self-proclaimed "serial volunteer and community member," SVVSD Board of Education member Karen Ragland has been involved in the local educational community since 2007. She started in parent groups and other organization committees before being elected to the Board in 2017. Much of her professional background is in mental health counseling, healthcare consulting and project management. Between her professional experience and having a masters in Community Counseling, she brings a diverse set...
Dung Nam Pham is a gifted violinist in Niwot High's orchestra who pours his emotions into his performances. But for the school's orchestra director, Yin-Feng Keynes Chen, the senior's natural talent is just one of the attributes that make him a great musician. "He has been a very dedicated musician in our orchestra program ever since his freshman year," Chen wrote in an email. "Not only is he one of the hardest workers among his peers, his strong passion for high-level music making is quite...
First Hole A hawk whistles as it lands on the giant cottonwood just behind the first tee. It's an appropriate send-off as I begin my final round at Haystack Mountain Golf Course. As always, there is something that takes my attention away from the little white ball when I'm here, whether it is the wildlife, peach and purple sunsets, stately trees or the tawny slopes of the odd bump on the horizon, Haystack Mountain itself. This late summer day is the last time I'll play the nine-hole course off...
If there's a Niwot event happening Joanne Neville is likely in attendance, especially if music is involved. Dressed in beautiful long skirts, with her long flowing hair, and a warm smile, Neville's love for shared joyful times shines through as naturally as sunshine. The Courier wanted to hear about this Niwotian's life – past, present, and future. Left Hand Valley Courier (LHVC) - Where are you from and what brought you to the area? Joanne Neville (JN) - I grew up on the East Coast, mostly i...
After a five-hour meeting to review its five-year strategic plan, the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee decided that the best course of action would be to host the leadership of all of the non-profit organizations serving the Niwot community at a roundtable discussion. The purpose of the meeting will be to give each organization, including the LID, a better understanding of each organization’s purpose and short-term goals, as well as start a conversation about how best to share resources. Eight of the nine LID committee member...
The third time was a charm for senior Niwot golfer Christopher Gunlikson at the 2021 class 4A golf championships, held Oct. 4-5 at City Park golf course in Denver. Behind a sharp short game and smart shot-selection, the senior carded a two-round score of 143 to capture sixth place overall, his first top-10 finish after two disappointing state appearances as a sophomore and junior. "I'm happy I had a big comeback, because last round was not the finish I wanted at all," Gunlikson said after...
Vocalist Rianna Rickford loves to perform, whether it's in Niwot's prestigious Evenstar choir, or in a theater department musical, such as Cinderella or Little Shop of Horrors. For choir director Laura Roberts, Rickford's dedication to her craft is nothing short of inspiring. "She is probably one of the most improved singers in the choir program," Walters wrote of the senior, who is currently a member of the school's Evenstar choir, and is deeply involved in the fall musical. "She has the...
Niwot's summer concert series Rock & Rails is a special event. But it doesn't just provide the setting for people to chat and hang out while listening to live music. Rock & Rails was also the catalyst for Niwot to push toward a standard of zero waste. Zero waste means limiting trash as much as possible, usually by swapping out single-use packaging, utensils, etc. for either recyclable or compostable options. "There's no such thing as total zero waste," said Jill Whitener, one of the people invol...
Silence and Respect. Thus reads the first trail sign greeting visitors at the Sand Creek Massacre National HIstoric Site. Thirty Niwot-area residents, both young and old, traveled to the site on Saturday, Sept. 25, by bus exactly 17 months after the original excursion was derailed by the pandemic. What originally started as two busloads of Niwotians dwindled to a little more than half a bus, due to COVID concerns and the difficulty of finding a rescheduled date that fit everyone's schedule, but...
The Niwot boys golf team is heading back to the Class 4A championships, after a rock steady round at the Region 3 qualifying tournament on Sept. 21. Behind clutch putting from Christopher Gunlikson and some well-timed consistency from his teammates, the Cougars finished second overall out of a 16-team field, and secured an elusive team bid to the state tournament for the first time since 2017. For seventh-year head coach Ed Weaver, the Cougars' proficient performance was gratifying on several...
During his first three seasons as a Niwot varsity golfer, talented left-hander Christopher Gunlikson was one of the league's strongest performers during the regular season, but struggled with consistency when it came to high pressure and postseason tournaments. He wanted his fourth and final season as a Cougar to be different, so he spent last off-season getting "tournament tough" at local and statewide junior golf events, while making a few adjustments to his game here and there. The ultimate...
For the first time in the 65-year history of the Sister Cities program of the United States, a sovereign nation entered into a sister-city relationship with a U.S. city. Steven Fast Horse, a representative of Business Council of the Northern Arapaho tribe of the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming and Longmont Mayor Brian Bagley signed an agreement Saturday, Sept. 18, establishing the relationship after a 3-year effort that initially met with resistance from government officials who said it...
Back when she was a budding high school track star, Elise Cranny never thought she would be honored as she was during this year's Niwot Homecoming celebration. The 2014 Niwot graduate and 2021 U.S. Olympian was given a hero's tribute during the annual parade and football game on Sept. 17. Before finishing 13th in the Olympic 5,000 meter race, Cranny helped Niwot win two 4A girls track titles and competed collegiately at Stanford University. She said that with no fans allowed in Tokyo, the...
This month's Left Hand Laurel goes to Thom Lynch. Lynch moved to Niwot in September 2018 and decided the best way to meet folks and to make a difference was to jump in with both feet. So, the new guy in town joined the Rotary Club of Niwot and not long after became the president-elect of the organization. Lynch had been an active Rotarian for a year before he moved to Niwot, after being recruited to the organization by his then girlfriend who was the president of a chapter in Syracuse, NY "I...
Though his induction into the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame was delayed a year due to the pandemic, Niwot resident Cotton Burden was never at a loss for words when the time arrived Sept. 16 at the Embassy Suites hotel in Boulder. Burden accurately predicted that he would have trouble getting through his remarks without choking up, much as he did during soccer banquets during his 11-year tenure as Niwot High's head coach. He thanked his many supporters who were present. Among those Burden...
It was a beautiful morning for taking out the trash. On Sept. 18, the Niwot Community Association held its annual Clean Up Day in the parking lot of Niwot High School. Turnout was so heavy in the early morning hours that there were cars lined up waiting to enter the parking lot half an hour before the lot opened. The cars kept on coming, and it was 9 a.m. before Niwot Road was cleared of vehicles waiting to turn left into the school parking lot, according to volunteer Kathy K...
Niwot community pride was on display during last weekend's homecoming events. Friday afternoon's bright sun and cool temperatures set the stage for the parade, which returned following a pandemic-induced break. Junior Olivia Lacert was watching with friends from just outside 1914 House. "I'm excited to go to a homecoming game and to have the dance this year," she said. "I love dances. Last year we didn't have a lot of school events, so this is pretty cool. The football game is later and I'm...
Niwot senior Isaac Robinson describes himself as "a little bit of a perfectionist" when it comes to academics, a tendency that has paid off with a top GPA and a selection as a 2021 National Merit semi-finalist. Now the senior is taking those perfectionist tendencies to the cross country course for Niwot, where they have been paying off with top finishes in challenging varsity races. He said that's a result of increased training and focusing on "the little things," that actually have a big...
Niwot High graduate ('14) and 2020 Olympian Elise Cranny is returning to her alma mater. On Friday, Sept. 17, the decorated distance runner will be riding in Niwot High's motorized homecoming parade, which departs the school parking lot at 3:15 p.m. Later that night, Cranny is also scheduled to make an appearance during halftime of Niwot's football game at Everly-Montgomery Field. Cranny is a two-time state cross country champion, and won multiple state titles in track & field for Niwot. In...
The Niwot Community Association will hold its annual Clean Up Day from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 18 in the parking lot at Niwot High School, 8989 Niwot Road, Niwot. Any NCA member can bring two free trash loads, with additional loads costing $25 each; non-members will pay $40 a load. Loads equal a standard size pickup truck at bed level. "We suggest that people come early, because once our collection dumpsters are full we will have to close up," event organizer John Barto told NCA...
As a senior in Niwot High's IB program last year, Mackenzie Demmel created St. Vrain for the Brain, a virtual 5K run/walk that raised nearly $4,000 for brain tumor research. Now the fun run is back for a second year, but this time you can get in on the action with family, friends and fellow runners on a course that starts at the high school. While that meant more work for Demmel in 2021, it's all worth it to raise more money for a cause that is near and dear to her heart, she said. "I'm just...
Whether she's gliding down the snowy slopes of Winter Park or mastering the balance beams, Olivia Sroka does so with ease. The multi-talented athlete has reached impressive heights in both skiing and gymnastics throughout her life. Sroka, who plans on graduating from Silver Creek High School in December, began skiing at just four years old. While skiing for Winter Park, she soon specialized in the freestyle mogul where she placed 24th in nationals last year for the junior North American (NorAm)...
Niwot gymnast Mia Curry admitted that winning a third straight Class 4A all-around title is in the "back of her mind," but there's another piece of hardware that she'd rather have at the end of her senior season: the 2021 team championship trophy. "Right now, my only goal is to help my team get the state win, because I think that would be the best way that I could finish my high school career," she said after Niwot's triangular meet against Fort Morgan and Lone Star on Sept. 8. "I just want to...
Kristina Burgoon is the warm welcoming face at The Niwot Inn & Spa and she's also the face of Niwot through her creativity as the social media coordinator for the Niwot Business Association. The Courier reached out to discover a bit about Burgoon's history and her current life. Left Hand Valley Courier (LHVC) - Where did you grow up and what brought you to the area? Kristina Burgoon (KB) - I was born in Orange, California, and lived there until I was 10-years old. My family moved to Flemington,...
Sometimes you just have the music in you, and other times you just wanna get the music in you. Either way, the annual RISE Benefit Concert in Niwot will help satiate music lovers of all ages. The very danceable event returns Saturday, Sept. 11, for the fourth year following an obligatory COVID skip in 2020. This year the event will be held at Whistle Stop Park in Niwot at the corner of 1st Avenue and Murray Street, after the 2019 event was held at the Boulder County Fairgrounds. RISE stands for...
Many Niwotians know Keith Waters as the co-owner of Inkberry Books, along with longtime partner Gene Hayworth. But underneath that mild mannered exterior lies the syncopated heart of a jazz connoisseur, who brings more than his fandom to the form. Now Waters is bringing the versatile genre back to town with the Niwot Jazz Festival, an all-day showcase of local, regional, and national talent, slated for Sept. 4. "Gene and I have now been part of the community for about three years, and it just...
