All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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This week, CW & Twenty Hands High are returning to the Rock & Rails stage for their second year, bringing their country, Southern rock, outlaw, red dirt sound with them. Local musician Taylor Shae will open for them. I talked to the band's founder and frontman, CW Wooten, just after the band finished a performance at Beasts and Brews, a taphouse and butcher shop in Colorado Springs. Our conversation started not by talking about music or his latest show, but about the food that was there. Wooten...
Dark skies and the threat of rain didn't deter a large crowd from enjoying the second Rock & Rails concert of the season on Thursday, June 8. The music kicked off at 5:00 p.m. with Dean Himes, a local country artist. Himes wowed the crowd with a combination of his original songs and well-loved covers. Himes is no stranger to Niwot having played at the Niwot Tavern, First Friday Art Walks and Rock & Rails in the past. Himes was inducted into the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame in 2022. Headli...
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...
Thursday's Rock & Rails headliner is familiar to many attendees, with proven performers who can get the audience up off of their lawn chairs, abandon their picnic baskets and onto the dance floor. It will be the popular Chris Daniels and the Kings, the beloved Colorado Music Hall of Fame inducted band, which has played its rock and blues-based music in venues throughout the world. They will be preceded by the opening act, Gunbarrel acoustic guitarist Dean Himes, a 2022 Colorado Country Music...
Despite the threat of rain and the allure of the Denver Nuggets playoff game, Rock & Rails kicked off its summer 2023 season last Thursday, drawing an impressive and enthusiastic crowd. With looming dark clouds above, the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band provided the opening set. The headliner, Girls on Top!, followed with two sets of high-octane party music, bringing the dance floor to capacity. As usual, the team of volunteer greeters, beverage servers, and student "gargoyles"...
One of the first jewelry pieces Edward Amsbaugh had accepted in an art exhibit was the first piece he ever created. "It was a deer head," Amsbaugh said, "that I cut from a 2 x 2 piece of metal. By hand. From an old, distant memory of my childhood friend Ian. Because he had deer heads on his walls. And I took from that memory, and I tried to make something that made me not only feel that sort of nostalgia, but also bring something new to people looking at a new piece of artwork." Since then, Amsb...
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,...
It was a fun-filled "Saturday in the Park" on June 3 as the Niwot Business Association held its Third Annual Lobsterfest at Whistle Stop Park in Niwot. The rainy skies cleared for this sunny charity event filled with over 150 friends, neighbors and family members which Deborah Fowler, an event organizer said raised over $3,000 to benefit the Niwot Sculpture Park, which is restoring the tree carvings created by Eddie Running Wolf. In addition to Fowler, the event was organized by Linda Klueber...
The first band to play Niwot's summer concert series 18 years ago returns to open the 2023 Rock & Rails summer concert series Thursday, June 1. Girls On Top!, a seven-member band featuring vocalists Dawn Beck, Kristin Henry and Michele Steele in three-part harmony, performs R&B, rock, soul and funk from the 1970s and 1980s, with a stage presence that has made them a favorite along the Front Range. "We're 24 years in," said Henry, who doubles as the band's manager. "We're interactive, we're part...
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...
Niwot High School trumpet player Paola Ramirez has found inspiration for her music in many places. She is a big fan of Colorado musician Greg Gisbert. "I love seeing him play," Ramirez said. "He brings me this wave of inspiration." And then there is piano player Cyrus Chestnut, who composed "Soul Food" (one of her favorite pieces), and trumpet player Rafael Méndez. "He's a really good Latin trumpet player," she said. "He has a beautiful sound. And Chet Baker. Awesome. He's really great. He's...
Getting up in the morning is a lot to ask any teenager, and asking students to be ready at 8 a.m. for a dress rehearsal sounds nearly impossible. But not to the Niwot High School band and Wade Hendricks, the NHS Band Director. On May 18, at 8 a.m. sharp, band students were on stage with their instruments and their commitment to one last rehearsal this school year. At this early hour, the Niwot High School auditorium felt subdued. "They are slowly waking up," said Hendricks tenderly. He and two...
The Niwot High School Symphonic Band had the honor and privilege to perform an original composition by Gus Brockmann at the final "Crossroads" concert of the 2022-2023 school year. The final concerts for choir, orchestra, and band traditionally provide an opportunity to recognize the graduating seniors and send them off with further recognition beyond Music Awards Night, which took place Wednesday, May 3. Seniors of the band this year had an extra special treat. For the past 10 years, Gus...
At a recent Boulder County Planning Commission meeting, Prairie Orchard LLC faced stiff opposition from area residents for their planned reception hall and vacation rental at 5114 Niwot Road. At the April 19 meeting, staff planner Pete L'Orange presented the staff report which included traffic studies and recommendations from other Boulder County agencies. L'Orange said that 115 letters in opposition to the project and four letters in support had been received, in addition to a petition against...
The Music Department at Niwot High School is going on a world tour - sort of. In June, the NHS choir is headed to New York and Carnegie Hall, and the orchestra is going to Finland and the Baltics. The marching band is planning to go to Walt Disney World next year. For many years, the Music Department at Niwot annually alternated which "sub-department" (choir, band, orchestra) would get to travel during the summer. In the few years preceding the pandemic, it had become common for each...
Over the next few months, the former feed store on 2nd Avenue will continue its reimagined purpose as a home for art and culture in Niwot. "At this time, the climate isn't good to start building any kind of development for that lot, so we decided to do a minimal fix up and get the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA) involved and create something that would encourage people to come downtown," said John Fischer, who co-owns the building with his wife Xan. "Until the climate for redevelopment...
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...
Before Joshua Ibarra-Trujillo became a musician, he was not a big music fan. "I just listened to it and didn't think much of it," Ibarra-Trujillo confessed. But in December 2019 the romantic comedy film "Como Caido del Cielo" was released, and that film became his inspiration to perform music. Omar Chaparro stars in the movie as a Mexican singer named Pedro Infante, who is sent back to Earth to earn his place in heaven. The actor became Ibarra-Trujillo's favorite performer. From there, the...
The Niwot High School Music Department hosted its annual awards night on May 3. The awards recognize music students for their dedication, commitment, and accomplishments made throughout the school year. This year had an added element of fun to the evening. Attendees of the awards night were encouraged to dress up more formally than usual for this year's event, including parents, friends, and other guests. "Other departments, when they host their end of the year celebrations, all have nice...
It's that time of year - when your favorite summer concert series once again returns to Whistle Stop Park. Starting June 1, with the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band opening for Girls on Top, you can enjoy free live music with your friends all the way through August 31. If you are a long-time fan of these weekly summer events, you are sure to recognize several of the headlining bands such as Last Men on Earth, Mojomama, Face Vocal Band, Hazel Miller & the Collective, and The Long...
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."...
Music is in the air, and May is a busy and exciting month at Niwot High School. While students look forward to summer vacation, they must get through finals, choose courses for the next school year, and complete their projects and assignments. And several young men and women are busy practicing for their last concerts this year on May 17 and 18 at 6 p.m. Niwot High School has a rich and impressive music program led by devoted music directors. Robert (Wade) Hendricks directs Marching Band, Jazz...
Even though she is only a freshman, Arts Student of the Week Prugh Dunfee has already chalked up an impressive list of accomplishments in her first year at Niwot High School. She is a member of the Chamber Singers and the District Honor Choir, she had a role in the Niwot High School production of "Beauty and the Beast," and she is a valued student in the NHS Music Theater Class. "She is in Chamber Singers as a freshman," said Dunfee's drama teacher Laura Walters, "and has auditioned into our...
Niwot Youth Sports will host Opening Day ceremonies on Sunday, April 30 at 10 a.m. at Hangge Fields at Monarch Park, with speakers, live "baseball" music by the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, youth baseball and softball games, and a chance to see the progress on the new Monarch Improvement Project building. The NYS website states, "Our initial goal is to build a permanent structure to house the concession stand, a storage facility, and real bathrooms. No more using...
Jasper Allison has been listening to music and playing drums his entire life. "Music has always been a necessity for me," Allison said. "I don't think of it as an interest, but rather a part of my personality and who I am, and just kind of me." The 16-year-old musician is a junior at Niwot High School. His music teacher, Wade Hendricks, nominated him for Arts Student of the Week. Allison has taken advantage of the many music opportunities the high school has to offer. He has been in the...
Last month, Catherine McHale completed her contract with the town of Niwot as the Niwot Business Association's Economic Development Director (EDD). She has held that role since 2018, and this milestone marks a change in her professional life. "It's been a great five years," McHale said. "At the same time, essentially, I feel that it's time to focus on my core business. I've achieved a lot of things that I wanted to with Niwot but it's time to make a shift." McHale talked about things she feels...
Some of us remember when television audiences watched spellbound as pageant host Bert Parks whittled down a row of finalists to reveal the identity of our new Miss America. The year's reigning beauty would hear her name as the last one called, then half-laughing, half-sobbing, she'd parade across the stage, one shaking hand steadying her new tiara, the other wrapped around an enormous bouquet of fresh flowers. She was the very vision of disbelief that her lifelong dream had come true. This...
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...
A few weeks before opening night, students from Erie Middle School came to see a special performance of Niwot High School's "Beauty and the Beast." "All the kids absolutely loved it!" said NHS freshman and actress Micah McGhee. "Afterwards, we had some time for questions. When the microphone was handed to one of the middle schoolers, they said something along the lines of, 'Cheese grater, whoever you are, we love you!'" McGhee, who performed the part, added, "I will honestly never forget that....
Niwot real estate agent Pat Murphy has been putting on an Easter Egg Hunt for so long she now sees second-generation participants. The event, originated by Murphy over 40 years ago, and now sponsored by the Niwot Business Association, was Murphy's way of connecting the community and bringing joy to Niwot-area children. It has grown over the years to the point that Murphy recently had to ask Niwot Business Association members not to promote the event on social media or in newsletters to out of to...
The Left Hand Grange is all about April showers bringing flowers, music, nostalgia, and dancing. Niwot Community Connection Monthly Meeting Thursday, April 13, 10- 11:30 a.m. Local gardener extraordinaire Cathy McCall will give a presentation during April's Niwot Community Connection monthly meeting on how to beautify our area with water-wise pocket gardens on small plots around town. Join the group for this special presentation as well as updates on what the many other NCC groups are up to....
As a technical theater student at Niwot High School, Claire Plath has had the opportunity to learn about all aspects of theater production. From set design and construction to lighting and sound, she has gained a wide range of knowledge and skills that she can apply to any situation. She has enjoyed being part of the Niwot High productions, including plays, musicals, and concerts. "It has been a great experience to learn how to work together as a team to create a successful performance," Plath...
Dustin Bell found his passion at an early age and he's done nothing but run with it. A 2005 Niwot High graduate, Bell was constantly surrounded by creativity growing up in an arts-friendly area. His passion for theater grew the quickest, though, with the help of family members taking him to shows in New York City. Bell then began acting at Jesters Dinner Theatre in Longmont and the Rocky Mountain Theatre For Kids in Boulder. "I had a family who was so supportive," said Bell, who was especially...
Arts Student of the Week Kennah Brackett first became passionate about music in middle school when she started taking music courses and composing. "Music gives me a warm, comforting feeling that nothing else can," Brackett said. "I also really appreciate the time and effort that someone has to put in to become good. I think it is really fun to work hard towards something so rewarding." "I have been singing for as long as I can remember," Brackett said, "mainly singing along to Disney songs in...
Lucky Niwot Day celebrates St. Patrick's Day on Saturday, March 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., courtesy of the Niwot Business Association, with live music, games, Irish food and face painting for the whole family. See if you can spot the leprechaun wandering our streets. Start the day with an Irish breakfast at the Niwot Market, treat yourself to cookies at Little Bird, Cimmini's, and Few of a Kind Vintage + Mercantile, and lemonade at The Niwot Inn. Get your face painted at Blessings Day Spa, find...
As a young girl, Anastasia Williams loved the sound of the flute. "I can't remember a time when it wasn't my favorite instrument," Williams said. "When I was in third grade, I started taking flute lessons--my arms were finally long enough to be able to play it properly--and I have been playing ever since." Williams loves music, she said, "because it is emotion and math blended together into a harmonious whole. I enjoy making music because I will never be able to do it perfectly, because there...
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 pandemic inspired many people to pick up new hobbies, and it inspired others to further develop their passions into something greater. For Niwot senior Dakota Allison and junior Jasper Allison, the pandemic focused them on their musical training and they decided to form a band: Voltage 85. "Jasper and I have been doing music our whole lives," Dakota said. "We started off in 2020, just us jamming with another guitarist and it took off from there." The Allison siblings first received training...
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...
"Ever since I was in elementary school," Najla Onofre Valles admits, "I've been wanting to use a guitar and learn how to play it. I just thought it would be something really fun to do." Valles, who was selected by NHS' Orchestra Director Keynes Chen as Arts Student of the Week, developed an interest in mariachi while she was still a student at Sunset Middle School. When the school started a mariachi class, Valles immediately signed up. "I thought it would be cool to be in a mariachi class," she...
Some of the best middle school choir students in the area came to Niwot High School last week for a district-wide honor choir concert. Despite the start of a mid-winter snowstorm, more than 100 students filled the stage, performing eight songs for an auditorium filled with parents and friends. Students represented 13 schools, with choir teachers from each school taking the stage as the concert began to thank students, their parents and Niwot High School as a host. The evening consisted of three...
The Niwot Business Association's Holiday Magic events on the day after Thanksgiving and the first two Saturdays of December produced increased attendance and raised almost $2,000 for charity. Deb Fowler, NBA vice-president and champion of the events, reported to the Niwot Local Improvement District, which provided funding for the event. The festivities began with Enchanted Evening, on what is known elsewhere as Black Friday, with Linda Klueber organizing the annual Christmas tree lighting, a...
The Niwot Market is at the heart of Niwot, and its team is central to the community's success. Whether it's the people running the pop-up shops or the core staff, it is a place of community. Terry Purcell and Emily Herrmann are two of Niwot Market's team members who help give the market its heart. Purcell was raised in Colorado Springs and Herrmann in Boulder, but with time, they both found themselves in Niwot. Purcell came, in part, because of bike racing, and Herrmann for something new, but...
The Grange kicks off the New Year with music and dancing. There's a performance by a world-renowned Niwotian musician, then talented musical locals perform for the community, followed by three opportunities this month for everyone to get up and dance. Niwot Community Connection Thursday, Jan. 12, 10- 11:30 a.m. January's NCC meeting welcomes musical celebrity Pete Wernick, also known as Dr. Banjo. Pete will share his love of bluegrass music, talk about his time with Hot Rize, and he'll perform...
Growing up in a big Air Force family, it was normal to move regularly, explore a new area and make new friends. However, I have lived in the Niwot area for thirty years, the longest I've ever been in one place. I continue to explore the area and I have made many friends. I never get tired of looking at the Flatirons. I attended UCLA where I earned my bachelor's degree in English and then Loyola Law School where I earned my Juris Doctorate and met my husband. My family moved to Colorado from Los...
Greta Stauch has a passion for choral music. The Niwot High School sophomore describes the music as "a group of people attempting to blend their voices into one sound with as much beauty as possible." Succeeding in choir, she said, "requires a deep understanding of vocal technique as well as music as a whole. Sight reading and music theory skills play a large part in contributing to a strong choral group." Laura Walters, the Choral Music Director at Niwot High School, selected Stauch as the...
Four Sunset Middle School students and nine Niwot High School students have been selected to perform in the Spring 2023 Colorado All State choirs. Charlotte Stauch, Bryce Grayless, Athil Henderson and Camryn Bell, eighth grade students at Sunset Middle School, will participate in the Colorado Middle School All State Choir, a two-day event held at the Denver Convention Center on Mar. 9 and 10. Stauch and Grayless are in the Triplo Choir, which is made up of soprano and alto voices. Henderson and...
It's morning – the second Thursday in December – and about 50 Niwotians who are over 55 are drinking coffee, eating snacks, listening to two local musicians play their tunes, socializing and – later, playing trivia, at the Left Hand Grange. We're at the monthly meeting of the Niwot Community Connection. It really seems like a great way to connect as well as to build local community. Besides the monthly meet-ups – often with a guest speaker – at the Grange Hall, the group has organized smaller s...
During the first week of December, the Niwot High School Jazz Band played in an unusual venue. Instead of performing in the school auditorium, where such performances have been held in the past, the band played on the Learning Stairs, the central staircase at NHS sweeping up from the ground level. "It was really cool," said alto saxophonist Sebastian Aguirre, this week's Arts Student of the Week. "because there were a lot of people. In the auditorium you can't see people because of all the...
