The Historical Society presents Niwot: 1980's and into the 90's

Was your house at one time in the middle of a cornfield? Some of Niwot's most interesting history happened as recently as the 1980's and 90's when the downtown streets were just dirt. Shopping meant you were headed to the feed store, and Rev. Taylor's was the place to go for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And yes, many of our houses were just starting to be built on what was once had been farmland.

Niwot Historical Society president, Kathy Koehler said, "There were very few trees except for the Old Town area or along the ditches. The first liquor store opened in the mid-1980s. The Hotel Livingston came down and the Antique Emporium took its place."

As part of Niwot Historical Society's Now & Then lecture series, on Wednesday, April 26, Koehler will speak about the not-too-distant past when Boulder felt like it was getting ever closer from the south and Longmont was inching nearer from the north.

Early Niwot residents adamantly wanted this hamlet to remain rural in nature, so a group of community members worked determinedly with Boulder County for a transferable development rights program that would allow the town to stay its own unique community. Without this effort, Niwot wouldn't have the spectacular open spaces we all enjoy and would likely have been more intensively developed.

"The 1980's subject came up," Koehler said, "when we were looking in the archives a few years ago and noticed we really did not have 'recent' history."

A hefty collection of close to 200 photos from the '80's and the 90's has since been put together thanks to the public responding to a recent call-out for images.

A curated group of those images will be shown at the upcoming lecture and will be accompanied by a narration of the days when this community was known for its robust antique businesses, when the Left Hand Grange hosted an annual volunteer fire department chili supper fundraiser, Santa arrived for holiday celebrations via train, and Niwot Nostalgia Days spanned several days. The Easter egg hunt was created 43 years ago, and the Great Pumpkin Party began during that period too, along with some now lesser known and extinct events like the Teddy Bear Picnic.

Niwot's population grew rapidly with the construction of the Somerset neighborhood and other residential developments, resulting in an upsurge of new families moving to Niwot. With this growth, the community supported an array of activities and events at Niwot Elementary School and Niwot High School.

This lecture will be a wonderful way to learn about the recent history of Niwot and gain an appreciation for how far it has come in a short period of time.

The presentation will take place at the Left Hand Grange No. 9 located at 195 Second Ave. on Wednesday, April 26. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the lecture will begin at 7 p.m. There is no cost for Niwot Historical Society members and for the general public, the cost is $5.

To learn more about the Niwot Historical Society, visit http://www.niwothistoricalsociety.org