All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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A concerning trend has emerged in Niwot and Gunbarrel, with an increase in "porch piracy" and mail thefts. Criminal activity is targeting both residences and institutions, including Niwot United Methodist Church. A Niwot resident was walking his dog early in the morning of Tuesday, April 29, when he came upon seven Boulder County Sheriff's patrol cars. Deputies were responding to a call notifying them that a woman had passed out in a parked car on Greenwood Drive in Niwot. According to a...
Community-wide Easter egg hunts were held on Saturday, April 19 at Niwot High School and on Sunday, April 20 at Niwot United Methodist Church. A Friday snowstorm did not deter youngsters from attending the events as the sun came out. The Niwot Community Connection assisted Pat Murphy and the Compass Real Estate team in putting on Bert's Pancake Breakfast at Niwot High before the Easter egg hunt began, while the youth group at the Niwot United Methodist Church served brunch before and during...
On Saturday, April 19, Niwot's annual pancake breakfast and Easter egg hunt will be held at Niwot High School. The entire community is invited to celebrate the season. Bert's Pancake Breakfast, named in honor of the late Bert Steele of Niwot Market, begins at 7:30 a.m. and serves a hearty breakfast until 10:30 a.m. The price for the breakfast is $10 for adults and $5 for children five and older. Kids age four and younger are free. Proceeds go to the Niwot Community Connection, Live music and a...
A steady stream of Niwotians, past and present, visited Niwot Hall on Sunday, March 30, 2025, for an open house celebrating Niwot's Sesquicentennial. The town plat was recorded with Boulder County 150 years earlier, on March 30, 1875. Niwot resident Laura Skaggs, who chaired the organizing committee, was more than pleased with the turnout. Young and old were mesmerized by the slide show which paired photos of buildings past with current photos of the same property. Pete Wernick on banjo, his...
Those who attended the 27th Annual Soup, Soup & More community dinner enjoyed a savory time on Saturday, Feb. 22, at Niwot United Methodist Church on Lookout Road in Gunbarrel. For three hours, over 20 delicious soups were on display in crock pots just waiting for sampling. In addition to the soups, community members enjoyed a variety of salads, breads and desserts. All the soups were homemade by church members and friends. One church member, the spry nonagenarian Arlene Grinnell, made and...
Soup, Soup & More, a community favorite event, returns to Niwot United Methodist Church at 7405 Lookout Road in Gunbarrel on Saturday, Feb. 22, from 4 - 7 p.m. The event has been a community favorite for 27 years because there is no set entry price, patrons always run into someone they know, and it provides an easy opportunity for fellowship. Donations are welcome, and there are over 20 different types of hot soup presented along with drinks, salads, bread and dessert to enjoy. Repeat attendees...
Colorado House Bill 1169, known as “Housing Developments on Faith and Educational Land,” was introduced on Feb. 4, 2025, to the Colorado General Assembly by 14 Democrats as sponsors. It aims to make it easier to build housing on land owned by religious institutions, school districts, and state colleges or universities. The sponsors say the bill is part of an effort to address Colorado’s growing housing affordability crisis by allowing residential development on these properties, even if current zoning laws would not normally permit it. If pa...
Whining about winter will be put on hold in favor of the wondrous world of wine at Let's Wine About Winter 2025 this Saturday Feb. 8, in the Niwot Business District. Starting at 1:00 p.m., businesses throughout downtown Niwot and Cottonwood Square will celebrate the Eighth Annual Let's Wine About Winter event, sponsored by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA), with funding from the Niwot Local Improvement District. Anne Postle and Kristin Alger are coordinating the event again this year....
The Niwot United Methodist Church hosted the Third Annual Community Seed Swap on Saturday, Jan. 25 in Gunbarrel. The Seed Swap brought gardeners and would-be gardeners together for an exchange of seeds, gardening tips and community. Two master gardeners from Colorado State University, Patty Rhodes and Eric Redding, gave an educational talk about seed-starting in Colorado before the seed swap started. Despite the fact that there was a snowstorm during the event, there was a much larger turnout...
Boulder County's Third Annual Seed Swap will take place on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Niwot United Methodist Church. The swap, founded originally by Elise Edson, Maureen Harvey, and Diana Neff, is a networking event for new and experienced gardeners to share information about the plants they are growing and to swap seeds with other gardeners. Gardening was a hobby that many people took up during the pandemic, and the founders started the event three years ago in order...
Although Mother Nature hasn't given us much to whine about this season, Let's Wine About Winter is still on tap for next month. Sponsored by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA), with funding by the Niwot Local Improvement District, the event is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 8 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Now in its eighth year, event participants, who become members of a club by purchasing tickets, have the opportunity to stroll through historic Niwot when Cottonwood Square and Second Avenue...
The Left Hand Valley Courier has been fortunate to have devoted staff members who bring you the news every week. We profiled many of our staff members a year ago, and have had some new valuable additions this year, and thought you might want to know who is reporting what you like to read. Karen Sherlock Well into her sixties (but yet very young!) Karen Sherlock is still trying to decide who she wants to be when she grows up. After pursuing a degree in English literature, she made a sharp turn...
Janet Gates' wide range of volunteer efforts benefiting the Niwot, Gunbarrel, and surrounding communities have earned her the December Left Hand Laurel. Gates grew up in Gunbarrel, graduated from Niwot High School in 1984, moved out of state, then returned 13 years ago as a single mother with two small children. Immediately in need of a path to support herself and her family, her father suggested that she might start by cleaning people's homes. That led her to start her current business,...
The Niwot United Methodist Church will be holding its annual Trunk or Treat event on Sunday, Oct. 27 from 1 - 3 p.m., filled with free Halloween festivities including candy, treats and games at 7405 Lookout Road. This is a public gathering where all families can come celebrate Halloween in their costumes in a welcoming, fun and safe environment for children's trick-or-treating. Janet Gates, event organizer for Niwot UMC said, "I always have fun seeing the creative costumes people come up with....
Niwot United Methodist Church celebrated the 30th anniversary of the installation of a stained glass window in its sanctuary on Sept. 8. The stained glass was designed and created by current church member Gayle Weiss and former member Patti Dahlem, now living in Colorado Springs, who volunteered for the project after out-sourced bids to other artists came in too high for the congregation to afford. They met once a week to painstakingly create the window art. After completion, the stained glass...
On Sept. 8, Niwot United Methodist Church, located at 7405 Lookout Road in Gunbarrel, will celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the installation of a stained glass window with the two artists who created it for the sanctuary where they were members at the time. The service of celebration will begin at 10:20 a.m. and is open to the public. Gayle Weiss and Patti Dahlem really didn't understand what they were getting into when they volunteered to undertake the project in 1994. It required 600 hours...
Niwot United Methodist Church is hosting a free fun back-to-school event Sunday, Aug. 18 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at 7405 Lookout Road. Families will be treated to free hot dogs, chips, cookies and activities to celebrate the start of school. “This 4th annual Back-to-School Extravaganza is a free community event that is open to all as the church throws open its doors in hospitality to its neighbors,” said the event host, Janet Gates. Activities will include a “bounce house’ and a dunk tank, s...
Niwot's annual Fourth of July celebration was packed with fun activities from start to finish, thanks to the continued efforts of the Niwot Community Association (NCA) which sponsors the event, with financial support from the Niwot Local Improvement District. Starting the morning off at 7:30 a.m. was the "Bert Steele Pancake Breakfast" served in front of the Niwot Market. Net proceeds from this year's ticket sales went towards purchasing another grill for the breakfast to help cover the increasi...
Alison and Seth Steele, owners and operators of the Niwot Market, have been named as the Grand Marshals for the upcoming 4th of July Parade in Niwot. Not only do they continue to manage the Niwot Market, but they have been active volunteers for different community events as they carry on the legacy of their father, Bert Steele. "Their Niwot heritage and being involved in activities reflects over a century of families serving the Niwot community," said Kathy Koehler, one of the organizers of the...
The Niwot United Methodist Church has thrown open its doors for 26 years to invite the community for bowls of soup, salad, bread and fellowship. "Soup, Soup & More," held on Saturday, March 9, was open to the public free of charge. Most people attending contributed to a free-will offering, and donations are funneled to different local charities each year. According to Janet Gates, the event coordinator, 75% of the proceeds from the event this year will go to The Reentry Initiative, whose...
The Left Hand Valley Courier is spotlighting various local neighborhoods, their history, issues and general nature. This week, the Courier is spotlighting the Old Town residential neighborhood. Thanks to its proximity to the railroad depot, Second Avenue is one of the oldest areas of commerce in town. As the earliest Niwotians created businesses on both the eastern and western side of the railroad tracks, now the Diagonal Highway, they chose to live in or around where they worked. Eventually,...
Although Pawxatawney Phil has determined spring is right around the corner, based on last weekend's storm, winter seems determined to hang around. One upcoming event might offer some relief: Let's Wine About Winter in Niwot. Sponsored by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association, the annual Let's Wine About Winter event is planned for Saturday, Feb. 24 to welcome community members in from the cold with wine, art, food and hospitality. Kristin Alger, who is co-chair of the event with Anne Postle,...
Rick Clark and Bob Stadtherr are the latest recipients of Left Hand Valley Courier's Left Hand Laurel for their contributions to local music - most notably, as members of the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band. The Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, formed in 2005, is iconic in the Niwot community. The band plays at local events such as Rock & Rails, the July 4th Breakfast and Parade, Enchanted Evening, the Christmas Holiday Parade, and Niwot High School basketball...
Seed swaps are events where gardeners and farmers exchange seeds to help people garden inexpensively and reduce seed waste. The swap also provides a networking opportunity to build community, share local gardening information, and dispense education from experts such as CSU Master Gardeners and Growing Gardens. The swap works locally to keep plants for future generations. The Second Annual Boulder County Seed Swap was held on Jan. 27 at the Niwot United Methodist Church on Lookout Road. The swap...
Open areas are dwindling as urban areas continue to be developed into more densely populated regions. One location being proposed for development is a vacant parcel on the west side of 79th Street between Lookout Road and Highway 52, next to the Church of the Lookout. An application for development of the parcel to be a private tennis club, "Tennis Center of the Rockies," was dated Nov. 22, 2023 and formally filed with Boulder County on Dec. 5, 2023. Many Gunbarrel residents met on Dec. 17,...
Gunbarrel residents met at the Niwot United Methodist Church on Lookout Road on Dec. 17 to discuss the "Tennis Center of the Rockies" proposed to be built at 5701 N. 79th Street in unincorporated Boulder County. The 19.73-acre property is located just north of Lookout Road on the west side of 79th Street adjacent to the Church of the Lookout (formerly Vinelife Church). That area is sometimes referred to as "Gunbarrel Hill." A Planning Application dated Nov. 22, 2023, and filed Dec. 5, 2023, for...
The Niwot High School Marching Band has been working hard to prepare for the upcoming school year. Members perform at a multitude of events throughout their tenure with the band including the Boulder County Fair Parade, Niwot High School football games, St. Vrain Band Night, and several local parades. These performances would not be possible without the substantial practice time and effort each band member puts into their instrument. The first practices each year that bring the group together...
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...
Soup, Soup & More, a community event sponsored by the Niwot United Methodist Church, returns for its 25th anniversary on Saturday, Feb. 25, from 4 to 7 p.m. The free event began in 1997 as an opportunity to connect with the community, enjoy homemade soup and other refreshments during a time of fellowship, and raise money for outreach programs. This year Soup, Soup & More returns after a Covid-induced hiatus, marking the 25th year the church has offered the event. Janet Gates, who grew up in the...
Members of local faith congregations gathered Nov. 30 at Gunbarrel's Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church on Lookout Road for a Community Thanksgiving Eve service. The service, an annual tradition in the Gunbarrel community for many years that was interrupted by Covid, allowed in-person attendance as well as remote attendance on video. The faith leaders of five congregations participated in the service, including Pastor Janet Kettering (Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, ELCA), Rev. Sasha...
Bug's Eye View The building may be small, but Niwot artist Denise Chamberlain has transformed it into a colossal piece of public art. The new mural called "Bug's Eye View" wraps around the entire front and southern side of 291 2nd Avenue, the former location of Niwot Rental and Feed. The new owner of the property, John Fischer, reached out to Chamberlain to create the mural. "I just told Denise to do whatever she'd like," Fischer said. "She told me what she wanted to do and I said, 'That's...
The Niwot Business Association meeting at the Niwot United Methodist Church on Nov. 8 focused on saving energy, reducing costs and recycling. Pastor Emily Kintzel welcomed the NBA members and she and Janet Gates provided a brief history of the church, which was founded in 1870, and formerly occupied the building which is now the offices of Left Hand Animal Hospital in Niwot. Jim Dorvee, President of Left Hand Grange No. 9, was the featured speaker, sharing his experience trying to maximize energy savings for the Grange building in Niwot....
Niwot United Methodist Church's Trunk or Treat "was a big success with 80 kids plus parents," according to organizer Janet Gates. "So many characters were represented - super heroes, witches, Minion's, Harry Potter, Toy Story, Beetlejuice and many more. It was a beautiful fall day and fun was had by all." The church parking lot featured 10 decorated trunks on Sunday, Oct. 30. Families collected treats and had fun playing cornhole and Giant Jenga. Upcoming community events at NUMC include an...
The Niwot United Methodist Church in Gunbarrel is hosting its second annual Trunk or Treat event open to the community on Sunday, Oct. 30, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the church parking lot. "Last year was a big success," Pastor Emily Kintzel said. "Everybody loved visiting the spookily decorated trunks and getting treats. The church enjoys welcoming the community to this fun event." Janet Gates of Niwot, one of the organizers, said, "Bring your kiddos for fun and treats." The Halloween-themed event...
On Wednesday, July 7, Boulder County Commissioners Claire Levy, Matt Jones and Marta Loachamin conditionally approved the proposed modifications to Hillside School in Gunbarrel, subject to additional conditions drafted during the hearing. The original Special Review and Site Specific Development Plan (SU-03-09), submitted in March 2022, proposed modifications to the school, located at 7415 Lookout Road, to include a new 10,500-square-foot school building with 12 new classrooms for up to 68...
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...
On Wednesday, March 16, the Boulder County Planning Commission reviewed a revised Hillside School's proposed expansion application, submitted on Nov. 10, 2021. The Planning Commission approved the Community Planning and Permitting staff's determination that it met all applicable criteria for the Boulder County Land Use code for Special Review and recommended that the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) conditionally approve the application. The school described the purpose of the application,...
Gunbarrel Estates residents received notice from Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting Department (formerly Land Use) that the Hillside Learning Center is requesting modification to an existing special review and site specific development plan for a new school building and the modification of the existing structure. HIllside, located at 7415 Lookout Rd. in Gunbarrel, has been in this location since 2017. The school provides half-day, small classes and individualized instruction for...
The 2021 holiday shopping season is just around the corner and, conveniently, you don't have to go much farther than that to start it off right. On Friday, Nov. 26, the Niwot Business association kicks off three weekends of downtown festivities with the 21st edition of Enchanted Evening, featuring Christmas traditions gone-by. "Niwot really comes alive during the holidays," NBA Vice President and event co-organizer Deborah Read Fowler said. "We're so excited for the tree lighting, Santa, the par...
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...
With the beginning of each school year comes the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and to celebrate making new ones. In that spirit, Niwot United Methodist Church (7405 Lookout Rd., Gunbarrel) is hosting a Back-to-School Extravaganza on Sunday, Aug. 29, from 12-3 p.m. Everyone in the community is invited to come enjoy an afternoon of free food, carnival games, crafts, and, most of all, fun, Pastor Emily Kintzel said. "We wanted to do something, especially in light of the last year and a...
A trip to the site of the Sand Creek Massacre site in southeastern Colorado is back on track – 17 months after the pandemic caused the original trip to be postponed. The trip, which was originally set for April 25, 2020, has now been rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 25, with the bus leaving from Niwot Market at 8 a.m. The all-day excursion, organized by the Niwot United Methodist Church as part of its 150-year anniversary celebration, will take participants on a four-hour bus ride to the N...
"I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy.....Born on the 4th of July" The line from "Yankee Doodle Dandy" fits the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, which first performed on July 4, 2005, as part of the bandstand dedication ceremony in Whistle Stop Park. "The Niwot Business Association built a bandstand in the park reminiscent of the bandstand that stood for many years on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Murray Street," Biff Warren, one of the founding band members said. "We had everything ready...
In 2006, Niwot resident Lyla Herman said yes to a friend in her women's hiking group when asked if anyone would like to join her in cooking meals for the kids at Attention Homes. That's how the Trekking Chefs came to be and how Herman became a committed volunteer at the youth safe haven, recently renamed TGTHR (pronounced as Together). Herman is this month's recipient of the Left Hand Laurel, because of her many years of dedicated community service at TGTHR. What was once a home kitchen has...
The addition of the "purple" on the COVID dial last November made the six color levels more like stepping stones between safety level precautions, rather than jumps. With the recent downgrade to level yellow (concern), businesses in Niwot appear to be largely the same. The most notable difference is restaurants are allowed to have indoor dining. "It's [COVID restrictions] definitely taken a toll," said a WiNot Coffee employee. " I think that since the restrictions have been lowered, and having...
The coronavirus pandemic forced churches across America to close their doors. The shutdown caused church leaders to look towards different platforms to spread their message. Many churches switched to online platforms like Facebook to live-stream Sunday services, including Niwot United Methodist Church on Lookout Road. Reverend Emily Kintzel was appointed as the new pastor of Niwot UMC on July 1, 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. Pastor Emily entered the role while the church still struggled t...
On Friday, Nov. 6, Boulder County was moved to Level Orange, High Risk category. Barely two weeks later, Governor Jared Polis added a new color to the COVID dial and Boulder County was bumped up to Level Red, Severe Risk, which was redefined as somewhere between Level Orange and the new Extreme Risk-Stay at Home shut-down, known as Level Purple. "The numbers have been going up, so I can't say that I was super surprised," said Pastor Emily Kintzel of Niwot United Methodist Church. Perhaps the...
Citing a years-long increase in admission requests, an independent school for students with learning disabilities is seeking Boulder County's approval to add a classroom building to its one-acre campus in Gunbarrel. In an application filed with the county's Permitting and Planning Department, the Hillside School, located at 7415 Lookout Road in Gunbarrel, is requesting a modification of the site's existing development plan to allow for the construction of a 10,500 square-foot building that will...
