february 28, 2013

Sopris Sunthe

Volume 5, Number 3 | February 28, 2013

LOOK INSIDE:

PAGE 2Disobedience

PAGE 3“Bidder 70”

PAGE 7RFHS hoops

Carbondale’s community supported, weekly newspaper

5 Point Film FestivalAce Hardware-CarbondaleAckerman Log and TimberAll Valley Music TogetherAllegriaAloha Mountain CycleryAlpine Animal HospitalAlpine Bank CarbondaleAmerican Legion Post 100American Seminar InstituteAmoré RealtyAnn Korologos GalleryAnne PrattAreDayAspen Art MuseumAspen Chamber Resort AssociationAspen Choral SocietyAspen Community TheatreAspen Dance ConnectionAspen Eco FestAspen EmporiumAspen FilmfestAspen Golf ClubAspen Santa Fe BalletAspen Ski SwapAspen SolarAspen Valley Land TrustAspen Valley Ski/Snowboard ClubAspen Writers FoundationAspen Yoga SocietyBack Door Consignment StoreBack to Earth Body WorksBarbara SnobbleBasalt Chamber of CommerceBasalt Regional LibraryBasalt Sunday MarketBasalt Thrift StoreBeyond OrganicsBig Mama’s Home Cookin’Blue Green AspenBlue Sky WoodworkBlue Tent MarketingBlue Tulip Music ProductionBob AlbrightBonfire CoffeeBusiness World Brokers, Inc

Campaign to Elect Lorey EsquibelCarbondale & Rural Fire

Protection DistrictCarbondale Animal HospitalCarbondale Beer WorksCarbondale Clay CenterCarbondale Community United

Methodist ChurchCarbondale Community Chamber

of CommerceCarbondale Community SchoolCarbondale Council on Arts

and HumanitiesCarbondale First FridayCarbondale Food Co-opCarbondale Soccer ClubCarbondale Wild West RodeoCarbondale Youth FootballCasual CultureCello PianoChurch at CarbondaleCity of Aspen RecreationCity of Glenwood SpringsCLEERColdwell BankerCollage! Creative CollectionsColorado Educational ConsultingColorado Mountain CollegeColorado Rocky Mountain SchoolCommittee to Elect Jim BreastedCommittee to Elect John HoffmannCommittee to Elect Kathleen CurryCommittee to Elect Red CunninghamCommittee to Re-Elect Pam ZentmyerCool Brick StudiosCORECrystal Glass StudioCrystal River SpasDance InitiativeDancing ColoursDavi NikentDebbie & Marc BruellDiane Kenney Pottery StudioEl MontanesElk Mountain ExpeditionsEncana Oil & Gas (USA)

Energy & Sustainable DesignEvolving Gardens & Grounds

LandscapesFamily Visitor ProgramsFarmers’MarketFirst Friday CarbondaleFrosty MerriottFloral BoutiqueFootsteps MarketingForest House PressFour Dogs Fine Wines & SpiritsFriends of Bob RankinFriends of the Gordon Cooper LibraryGallery 809Garden Planet, LLCGarfield County ClerkGarfield County Housing AuthorityGarfield County Public HealthGarfield County Public LibraryGathering of the AmericasGlenwood Downtown MarketGlenwood Springs Art GuildGlenwood Springs Center for the ArtsGlenwood Vaudeville RevueGordon Cooper LibraryGrassRoots TelevisionGreen Miracle MedicinalsHarmony Scott JewelryHarvey for CarbondaleHealing HeartsHealthy Horse BoutiqueHeathy Mountain CommunitiesHeaven’s GateHeirloomsHigh Country NewsHigh Tone Auto BodyHoly CrossHomeCare & Hospice of the ValleyIndependence Run & HikeIsberian Rug CompanyJackson HewittJazz Aspen SnowmassJennifer M Smith PCJessica Garrow for CU RegentJim FinchJohn Foulkrod

Joshua HmielowskiKaren BradshawKDNKKim NuzzoKim StaceyKonnyaku / Sake Sushi BarLabelsLamont for CarbondaleLe CercleLea TylerLift-UpLinda WylieLocals for Smarter GrowthLullubelleM3 MarketingMacXprts-ColoradoMadd FoxMain Street Gallery & The FramerMannix PaintingMartin’s Central VacuumMedical Marijuana Centers

of ColoradoMi CasitaMichael BlakesleeMidland ShoeMiser’s MercantileMountain Harvest FestivalMt. Sopris Historical SocietyMt. Sopris Nordic CouncilNew Belgium BreweryNovus Auto GlassOsage GardensOsmia OrganicsOut West Antiques CollectionsPAC3 TheatrePeppino’s PizzaPitkin County AirportPitkin County Attorney’s OfficePlanted EarthPolish, A Salon For NailsPop’s LiquorPotato Day ComitteePotter FarmsProtect Our Ranchlands,

Rivers and RecreationPublic Council of the Rockies

Quick Mediation ServicesRampageRaven Heart GalleryRed Rock DinerRedstone Art FoundationRFHS World Travellers ClubRiver Valley RanchRiver Valley Ranch Master AssociationRJ PaddywacksRoadside GalleryRoaring Fork Cultural CouncilRoaring Fork Family Resource CenterRoaring Fork Transit AuthorityRoaring Fork VegetationRobyn HubbardRock Bottom RanchRoss Dress for LessRotary Club Of CarbondaleRPI ConsultingSalvation ArmySawyer’s ClosetSay Yes! to CarbondaleSenior MattersShare International Mountain WestSherry Caloia for 9th District DASOL Theatre Company

Solar FlairSopris Liquor and WineSopris Medical PracticeSpellbindersSt. Mary’s of the CrownStan BadgettStashSteve Child for CommissionerStrange ImportsSunburst Car CareSweet Ruby’sTastefully SimpleThe AgencyThe BlendThe Buddy ProgramThe Campaign to Elect Jo Ann BaxterThe Campaign to Elect Sonia LinmanThe Candy FloristThe Committee to Elect John MartinThe Cowen CenterThe Fireplace CompanyThe Goat DeliThe OrchardThe Paonia Chamber of CommerceThe Pour HouseThe Western Rivers Institute

Theatre AspenThird Street CenterThunder River Theatre CompanyTown of BasaltTown of CarbondaleTrue Nature Inc.Two Rivers Unitarian UniversalistUnited Way Garfield CountyUpscale Thrift ShopValerie GilliamValley EventsValley View Hospital

Community RelationsVision SourceViva la WomanWaldorf School on the Roaring ForkWewer KoehaneWheeler Opera HouseWhimsical Women of the WestWhite House PizzaWilderness WorkshopWilliams & Williams AuctioneersWindWalkersWyly Community Arts CenterYampah SpaYoga with Alya Howe

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BIRTHDAY PARTYTONIGHT

5-7 PM at the Pour House

A special THANK YOU to our 2012 advertisers …without you the Sopris Sun would not shine.

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COME HAVE A “WAIL” OF A TIME AT FIRST FRIDAY! PAC3, the Black Nugget,

Carbondale Beer Works & Steve’s Guitars

THIS FIRST FRIDAY IS ALL ABOUT LIVE MUSIC!

IMaGINE thanksDear Editor:

At the IMAGINE fund-raiser on Feb. 16,our community came out in full force to sup-port three local non-profits dedicated to chil-dren’s health, well being and safety: RiverBridge Regional Center, Early ChildhoodNetwork, and Cooking Matters. Localcelebrity chef Susie Jimenez provided the de-licious menu; the Starletts got everyone danc-ing; wine and beer were enjoyed and greatdeals were grabbed up on the silent auctiontables. Numerous caring donors, sponsorsand volunteers contributed to create a fan-tastic evening for over 300 guests.

IMAGINE raised over $20,000, fundsthat will go towards supporting healthy, safe,and well cared-for children.

We wish to sincerely thank our manywonderful volunteers who made this successpossible, as well as the following generous in-dividuals and businesses: Land Rover Roar-ing Fork; Sopris Liquor & Wine; ANB Bank;Bishop Plumbing Heating & Air Condition-ing; Costco; El Jebeverage; Epicurious FineFoods; The Floral Boutique; Rifle BrewingCompany; Roaring Fork Liquors; ShamrockFoods; White River Bar & Grill; and ofcourse Susie Jimenez with her catering com-pany Spice It Up.

Within a warm, child-friendly environ-ment, River Bridge provides hope and healingto neglected and abused children and theirfamilies through counseling, advocacy and in-vestigation services.

Early Childhood Network promotes theavailability of quality, affordable early child-hood education and provides childcare infor-mation and resources.

Cooking Matters connects children inneed with nutritious food and teaches familieshow to cook healthy and affordable meals.

We are thrilled and grateful to be a part ofthis very special and caring community!

Blythe Chapman, River Bridge Regional CenterJonathan Godes, Early Childhood NetworkCooking Matters, No Child Hungry

The Sopris Sun welcomes your letters, limited to no more than 400 words. Letters exceeding that length may be edited or returned for revisions. Include your name andresidence (for publication) and a contact email and phone number. Submit letters viaemail to [email protected] or via snail mail to P.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO81623. The deadline to submit letters to the editor is noon on Monday.

Letters

By Frosty Merriott

That is the question. Whether it is no-bler in the mind to burn clean gas or dirtycoal. Is that really the question?

But I progress … for those of us whobelieve climate change is man made and isa clear and present danger for our kidsand grandkids the real question may be:how can the all mighty $Dollar$ makesome people so oblivious to something soclearly obvious.

In Carbondale and Garfield County weare making every effort to be the changewe seek and to create a balance for the en-vironment. Please don’t label us NIMBYsover Thompson Divide as we enacted ourEnergy and Climate Protection Plan in2005, way before it was in vogue. We haveset realistic goals to wean off the dirty coalthat produces most of our electricity andto reduce our carbon footprint by con-serving and moving to renewables. Hey,even our very own Church at Carbondaleis onboard, offsetting 100 percent of itselectric with a 88kw system and LEDlighting. Our recreation center was the firstPlatinum Leeds building in the countryand sports its own 50 kw system. We haveenthusiastically supported a state-of-the-art RFTA bus system run on compressednatural gas and are talking about a CNG(compressed natural gas) station at theRoaring Fork Valley Co-op and convert-ing our town fleet to CNG. ColoradoRocky Mountain School, with the help ofAspen Ski Co. is home to another 147kwsolar farm system, and numerous individ-uals have installed their own systems ontheir homes not only to provide clean en-ergy, but because it is the right thing to do.

We are investing parts of our energymitigation funds from Garfield Countydrilling back into energy efficiencies andrenewables: $80,000 last year and$100,000 this year. This is over and above

our membership commitments to CORE(Community Organization for ResourceEfficiency), CLEER (Clean Energy Econ-omy for the Region) and GCE (GarfieldClean Energy), which have yielded bene-fits too numerous to mention.

Look at all the folks riding their bikesand walking. We are setting the standardwith how to move forward to make a dif-ference, to be the change we want to see!

We have enacted residential efficientbuilding codes and are working on com-mercial efficient building codes. We wantto be recognized for our efforts and topartner with reasonable folks to move intoa different energy future.

Some of us believe that gas, if properlyexcavated and transported, can provide abridge to a cleaner energy future. It willalso serve as an engine to our local and na-tional economies. Having said that, it willalso require a eureka moment from the en-ergy companies that there are places toospecial to drill and Thompson Divide isone of them.

The importanceI am going to repeat for those who have

not so far paid attention why this is so im-portant. Thompson Divide is a 220,000acre place of inherent and incrediblebeauty, not to mention its wildlife habitat(14,000 big game licenses every year), his-toric rangeland (where our local beefgraze), “recreation Mecca” reputation andthe clean air and headwaters of 15 water-sheds (with tributaries of the Crystal, Gun-nison and Colorado rivers).

Carly and I hiked in this area with theWilderness Workshop five years ago andthis pristine and roadless area is not onlya big part of our local economy but partof our heritage as a people. It is too specialto drill!

By Patrick Hunter

Let’s see if I can make 98 percent of thereaders of the Sopris Sun mad at me. Asyou know, community members are tryingto move heaven and earth to keep oil andgas interests from drilling in the regionwest of Carbondale and Redstone knownas Thompson Divide.

I have spent a little time in that areahiking and biking. There is a good networkof trails and old mining and ranchingroads. There is even the old Midland Rail-road grade that stretches from Glenwoodup Four Mile Road to Marion Mine andpast that to other coal mines on Thomp-son Creek. West of Redstone is CoalCreek, named of course, for the coal mines.

In the summer and fall, ATV’s are outand about, and in the winter snowmobil-ing is popular. A large pipeline scar in theflora runs west from the natural gas com-pressor station on County Road 108.There are, according to a website map,producing wells and active pipelines to thewestern edge of this area.

There is quite a bit of information onthe damage and the potential damage ofoil and gas drilling. The documentary“Gasland” is a convincing indictment ofoil and gas production gone bad.

On the one hand, we know what drivesfossil fuel extraction: money. Those verysame Wall Street “banksters” are financingthe exploration that costs barrels of money.The major energy corporations are mak-ing historic profits. The “One Percenters”are raking it in.

On the other hand, I’m using electricityfrom coal-fired power plants, natural gasto heat my house and my water, and gaso-line to run my car.

And so are you.So here is the equation: It’s OK to burn

fossil fuels that screw up other people’slives and landscapes, but not ours. TheThompson Divide Coalition was leaning

on RFTA to join their group at the sametime as RFTA is bringing natural gas fu-eled buses on line. One of their spokes-people used the “h” word — “hypocrisy.”

Colorado politicians are being told toburn a lot of political capital to satisfy thedesires of people who appear to want tohave it both ways. If there wasn’t a lot ofcampaign money in the valley, I doubt theywould give us the time of day. Plenty ofother Coloradans are taking it in the teethfor oil and gas.

What is not being talked about is themost fundamental issue: whose fossil fuelare we talking about; and what is the bestpolicy to make use of it? The GlenwoodPost Independent just ran a column by JonKovash (High Country News) laying outthe insanity of U.S. oil companies export-ing gasoline. They do that in part to driveup the price of gasoline. Energy companiesare also exporting coal in a huge way, andtrying to get pipelines in place to exportliquefied natural gas.

I believe that energy resources found inthis country ought to stay in this country.I believe these resources belong to the peo-ple of this country — not corporations —and that the people should decide howthey should be developed and used.

More later.

Patrick Hunter is a longtime Roaring ForkValley resident and lives in Carbondale.

Ready to get mad?To drill or not to drill

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • FEbRUaRy 28, 2013

LETTERS page 13

DRILLING page 13

To inform, inspire and build community

Donations accepted online or bymail. For information call 510-3003

Editor/Reporter: Lynn Burton • 970-510-3003

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Photographer: Jane BachrachAd/Page Production: Terri Ritchie

Webmaster:Will Grandbois

Sopris Sun, LLC Managing Board of Directors:

Debbie Bruell • Barbara Dills Will Grandbois • David L. JohnsonColin Laird • Laura McCormick

Trina Ortega • Jean Perry • Frank ZlogarHonorary board members:

Peggy DeVilbiss • Elizabeth Phillips

Sopris Sun, LLC • P.O. Box 399520 S. Third Street #35Carbondale, CO 81623

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Carbondale CommentaryThe views and opinions expressed on the Commentary page do not necessarily reflect those of The Sopris Sun. The Sopris Sun invites all members of the community to submit letters to theeditor or guest columns. For more information, e-mail editor Lynn Burton at [email protected], or call 510-3003.

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s community supported newspaper • FEbRUaRy 28, 2013 • 3

“Bidder 70” to beshown March 6, 7 and 8Sopris Sun Staff Report

Wilderness Workshop is issuing a call-to-action to help save Thompson Divide fromnatural gas drilling with a screening of thedocumentary “Bidder 70” in Carbondale,Glenwood Springs and Aspen on March 6,8, 9 respectively. The shows are free and startat 7 p.m.

“Bidder 70” tells the story of TimDeChristopher – the Utah resident who isnow serving a two-year sentence for disrupt-ing a BLM auction of oiland gas leases outside ofArches and CanyonLands National Parks –and the popular move-ment he launched.

“The screenings aretimely,” said WildernessWorkshop spokesmanDave Reed. “The filmcombines two of thedefining environmental is-sues of our time (and ourvalley): climate changeand energy development.… They (the screenings)also come on the heels ofnationwide protests against the proposedKeystone XL pipeline.”

DeChristopher was released from prisonin October and is now serving the final sixmonths of his sentence in a halfway house inSalt Lake City, according to the Deseret News.

DeChristopher, 31, grew up in Pittsburgh,graduated from Shady Side Academy, at-tended Arizona State University and moved toUtah in 2005 where he worked as a wilder-ness guide for troubled and at-risk youth.

His work with at-risk youth led him to re-ject what he viewed as a political and eco-nomic system that concentrates wealth in thehands of a privileged few while ostracizing vul-nerable and impoverish U.S. citizens, accordingto published reports. In 2009 he earned a BAin economics from the University of Utah.

DeChristopher’s road to the big housestarted on Dec. 19, 2008, when he protesteda BLM oil and gas lease auction of 116parcels of public land in Utah’s RedrockCountry. He decided to participate in the auc-tion, signing a Bidder Registration Form andplacing bids to obtain 14 parcels of land (to-taling 22,500 acres) for $1.8 million. For that

action, he was indictedon April 1, 2009, in atwo-count felony chargefor violation of the Fed-eral Onshore Oil andGas Leasing Reform Actand making false state-ments. He pleaded “notguilty” on both chargesand faced up to 10 yearsin prison and $750,000in fines.

In November 2009,DeChristopher’s team oflawyers claimed a “ne-cessity defense,” whichrequired proof that he

was faced with choosing between two evilsand that his actions resulted in the lesser ofthe two to avoid imminent harm where nolegal alternative was available.

He lost.On July 26, 2011, a judge sentenced

DeChristopher to two years in prison, im-posed a $10,000 fine and ordered him intoimmediate custody.

In explaining his decision not to appeal hisconviction, DeChristopher said, according to

the Common Dreams Web site, “Throughoutevery stage of this legal process, it has been apredetermined conclusion that I should bepunished for standing up to the collusion be-tween government and corporations.”

Reed, from Wilderness Workshop, said thenon-profit organization is using the screen-ings to inspire a citizen movement in defenseof the Thompson Divide, the 220,000-acrebackcountry area southwest of Carbondalethat’s targeted for natural gas drilling.

Houston-based SG Interests has applied todrill in at least six sites in the heart of theThompson Divide.

“If approved, this would bring the kind ofindustrial development and impacts now seenin the I-70 corridor to the Roaring Fork Val-ley, and directly compete with our recreation-

based economy,” Reed said.All “Bidder 70” screenings will be fol-

lowed by a Q&A with representatives ofPeaceful Uprising (the group DeChristopherfounded) and the Wilderness Workshop.

For more information, contact DaveReed at [email protected].

“The film combinestwo of the defining

environmental issues of our time(and our valley): climate change

and energy development.”

Wilderness Workshop issues call-to-action on Thompson Divide

Tim DeChristopher is finishing a two-year sentence following his conviction for disruptinga BLM oil and gas leasing process in Utah. The documentary “Bidder 70” tells his story andis being brought to the Roaring Fork Valley by Wilderness Workshop. Courtesy photo

“Bidder 70” will be shown:Carbondale: March 6 at 7 p.m. atthe Third Street Center;Glenwood Springs: March 8 at 7p.m. at the Glenwood Springs Recre-ation Center;Aspen: March 9 at 7 p.m. at theWheeler Opera House.

Sopris Sun Staff Report

As we prepare to celebrate the Sopris Sun’sfourth birthday (party at the Pour House,Thursday, Feb. 28, 5-7 p.m.) with you, wehave some important announcements.

Change comes to all organizations andthe Sopris Sun is no exception. With 2013just under way, we have the following com-ings and goings to report.

Leaving the Sun’s board of directors, fouryears after having helped to found the news-paper, are Liz Phillips and Peggy DeVilbiss.

Liz was instrumental in helping the Sun getoff to a sound financial start and worked tire-lessly (and we do mean tirelessly) in the earlydays to make sure there was no interruptionin producing the paper after the demise of theValley Journal. She promises to stay involvedwith the Sun on other levels as her busy sched-ule permits (she has three jobs).

Who doesn’t know and love Peggy DeV-ilbiss? How many remember that this is notthe first Carbondale paper that she helped tofound? That’s right. Peggy was there at the be-ginning of the Valley Journal in the 1970s.Not many people can say they helped starttwo newspapers in the same town. Peggybrought instant credibility to the upstartpaper. Carbondale cannot thank Peggyenough for all that she has done and not just

for the Sopris Sun. Peggy has also promisedto stay involved with the paper as a volunteer.

Trina Ortega is moving on as well, but inher case, to the Bay Area where her husbandhas accepted a job and his relatives live.Trina is such an integral part of the com-munity that some may be surprised to knowthat she grew up in Denver. Trina was notonly a board member and founding editorof the Sun, but she also wrote some of thebest stories to come out of any newspaper inthis area. All three board members will besorely missed.

Sad as their departures are, The Sun isalso excited to welcome three new boardmembers: Will Grandbois, Barbara Dillsand Sue Gray.

Will Grandbois has been our websitemanager since 2009, even while he was atthe University of Colorado studying anthro-pology. He attended so many board meet-ings that some members thought he was onthe board. It was only natural that we correctany misunderstandings and make it official.Will’s positive and common sense approachto helping The Sun with its web design andmaintenance have been invaluable.

Barbara Dills is a relative newcomer tothe area (a gift from Portland, Oregon), butshe is no stranger. Her son attended Col-

orado Rocky Mountain School. Since relo-cating to Carbondale, she has jumped rightin as a super-volunteer, taking on many is-sues that interest her. Thankfully, she wasmost interested in community journalismand has already been a volunteer writer sub-mitting stories to The Sun.

Sue Gray is a long-time Roaring ForkValley journalist who is turning her atten-tion to local issues, such as sustainability,transportation and local food production.She is one of those many devotees of thepaper who read every word of every issue.

Finally, it’s a pleasure to announce thatDottie Daniels is the newest intern at the Sun.Dottie and her husband were the honoraryKing and Queen of Carbondale’s Fat Fridayparade. Even though they live in Snowmass

(retired from the restaurant business in NewOrleans), they brought the idea of the FatFriday parade to Carbondale and it is sureto be an annual mid-winter crowd pleaser.Dottie has already written a story for the Sunon the history and spirit of Mardi Gras.

So, if you’re standing on the sidelinesreading about these changes and wonderinghow you too can get more involved in com-munity journalism in its truest form, contactus here at the Sopris Sun. We can alwaysfind a place for someone with your interest,whether you get a kick out fund-raising, area social media maven, or just like to writeabout your favorite subject. Don’t forget tojoin with us on Feb. 28 to help thank thosewho are departing and to welcome thosejoining us in this great adventure.

ere is something new under the Sun

Will Grandbois Barbara Dills Sue Gray

The Sopris Sun welcomes new board members


News Briefsalpine expands to Front Range

Alpine Banks of Colorado has announced its next big move: ex-pansion to the Front Range in 2013. A site in lower downtownDenver has been selected for the new Alpine Bank location withplans to begin serving the public by the third quarter of 2013, ac-cording to a press release

Norm Franke, a 30-year Alpine Bank veteran, has been namedpresident of the Front Range region. In 1991, he opened the firstMesa County Alpine Bank location and grew the bank’s presencein the region over the next 22 years.

Alpine Bank is a $2.4 billion, employee-owned organizationchartered in 1973 with headquarters in Glenwood Springs. With36 western and southwestern Colorado banking offices, AlpineBank employs over 500 people and serves more than 130,000 cus-tomers with retail, business, trust, asset management, mortgage,and electronic banking services.

GarCo offers online tax paymentA new system for online payments is available for Garfield

County property tax payers. The new payment portal allows tax-payers to complete property tax payments by credit cards or E-checks, with automatic posting to property tax records andimmediate verification of payments, according to a press release.

“We are very excited to offer this service to Garfield Countyproperty owners,” said Garfield County Treasurer Georgia Cham-berlain. “It makes the process easier for taxpayers, and the pay-ments are applied within our property tax database, so it ensuresthat the payments are made to their accounts directly.”

The Garfield County Treasurer’s Office had an online paymentportal previously, but the new system is integrated with thecounty’s online database of properties.

Deadlines for 2013 taxes are February 28 and June 17 for tax-payers making two half payments, or April 30 for full payments.

To utilize the online payment portal, taxpayers may visit theGarfield County website treasurer’s home page at garfield-

county.com/treasurer. Click on the button named “Property taxes”,search for the property, and click in the upper left corner of theTax Account screen on the payment you are processing.

Garfield County has $169,455,617 in taxes certified to be col-lected through this tax cycle, said Chamberlain.

Jackel joins health committeeCarbondale Recreation Director Jeff Jackel has joined the nine-

member Garfield County Livewell/HEAL Coalition steering com-mittee, according to a town memo.

They will work this year on creating a strategic plan to reduceand prevent obesity among county residents. “Promoting healthyeating and an active living lifestyle where we live, work and playis the goal,” the memo said.

Livewell Colorado is providing $40,000 to assist GarfieldCounty in creating a sustainable strategic plan that will occurthrough a county-wide prioritized needs assessment.

The program goals include:• Connecting to residents county-wide, particularly the His-

panic community and low-income citizens, about Livewell’s ob-jectives and goals;

• Identifying gaps within the coalition, and the county, so as toinclude all residents;

• Working with both RE-1 and RE-2 school districts, and alltheir schools, to reach their students and staff regarding collabo-rative efforts to accomplish our mission.

big game hunting applications due april 2Hunting licenses for deer, elk, pronghorn, moose sheep, goat

and bear are due April 2, according to a press release.Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which issues the licenses, encourages

hunters to apply for licenses online. For details, call 303-291-7526.In 2012, more than 474,000 applications were received, and more

than 80 percent of those were filled out using the online system.

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SOPRIS LIQUOR& WINEBe Responsible!

Cop ShopThe following events are drawn from in-cident reports of the C’dale Police Dept.

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WEDNESDay Feb. 20 at 11:58 a.m., po-lice issued a warning to a 1999 Volkswa-gen Jetta without tires parked in adriveway on Morrison Drive. The policereport states, “A vehicle like this should bescreened from the public eye according toour ordinance. The vehicle owner came tothe police station the next day and wastold he has a week to move the vehicle.

WEDNESDay Feb. 20 between thehours of 2:38 and 2:51 p.m., police is-sued warnings to vehicles parked in atwo-hour zone on Third Street north ofMain Street.

WEDNESDay Feb. 20 at noon, 3:14p.m. and 6:41 p.m., police issued speed-ing tickets to motorists on SnowmassDrive, near the intersection of Highway133 and Weant, and in the 900 block ofCowen Drive.

THURSDay Feb. 21 between the hours2:44 and 3:08 p.m. on Highway 133near the Co-op, Carbondale police is-sued seven tickets to southbound mo-torists for passing on the right.


“Grapes of Wrath”revisited

The Garfield County Library District’sBig Read was John Steinbeck’s Depression-era novel “The Grapes of Wrath.”

The book, which earned Steinbeck aPulitzer Prize, follows a fictional family ofdisplaced farmers (the Joads) as they jour-ney from their 40-acre homestead in theeastern part of Oklahoma near Sallisaw, tothe land of milk and honey – California.

Hundreds of thousands of poor folksfrom the midwest and south emigrated toCalifornia during the 1930s but the Joadshad it especially rough. On their way to Cal-ifornia: their dog was run over and killedthe first day; Grandpa Joad died and wasburied along side of Highway 66 just out-side Oklahoma City (he didn’t want to go toCalifornia in the first place); Grandma Joaddied in the California desert and was buriedin a pauper’s grave; the truck broke downa time or two; a strike breaker killed one ofthe party (Rev. Casy) and then Tom Joadkilled the strike breaker and went on thelam while the remaining Joads got floodedout of their migrant farm camp after thedaughter had a still-born baby (which Tomsent down the river in a Moses style boatduring the flood). And everybody justabout starved.

Word has it folks in Oklahoma hatedthe book because the dialogues Steinbeckcreated made the Joads sound like hill-billies, when in fact hillbillies were foundin Arkansas and elsewhere in the south-ern hills.

The Gordon Cooper Library wrappedup the Big Read with an old-fashion “Jam-boree” (shown here) at the Third StreetCenter on Sunday.

Sunday’s jamboree brought outfolks for food, fellowship, musicand a little preachin’. Clockwise

from upper left: Crystal River Ele-mentary School first graders belted

out all four versus of WoodyGuthrie’s “This Land is Your

Land;” Jack Green took on theRev. Casy persona and told the

congregation that maybe everyoneis part of the same soul, and a

country is headed for trouble whentoo much wealth is held by too few;Slidewhistle performed Depression-

era tunes and at one point teamedup on the bass; the bread line in-

cluded home-grown butternutsquash with curry prepared by

CRMS students and kitchen staff.Photos by Lynn Burton

anyone remember these businesses?Carbondale starts celebrating its 125th birthday later

this year but at least one old codger is already getting intothe spirit. He loaned the Sopris Sun a 1931 business tele-phone directory for Colorado and Wyoming. Right thereon page 14 of the white pages, 20 businesses and one gov-ernment office are listed for Carbondale. Here’s how theyare listed plus (as an added bonus to Sun readers) theirphone numbers back then: Bagett Jas grocer (28-J3), BarForks Ranch (13-W), Barthell PK produce (44), BertranMD baker (37-W), Carbondale Garage (37-J), CarbondalePotato Growers Co-op Assn. (47-J), Continental Oil Co(1), Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Co (18-J),Dinkel Mercantile & Lumber Co (4-W), Ferguson MVgarage (2), First National Bank (33), Hampton E W drugs(17-W), Leonhardy’s Pool Hall (22-J11), Mt. View Hotel(38), Mountain States Tel & Tel Co (10), Pattison Roy Dblacksmith (28-R3), Pings William J general merchandise(40-J), Tubbs W R physician (35), United States Govern-ment Forest Service (8), Witchy W A general merchandise(12-J) and Woody J S general merchandise (28-R2). Uponclose inspection, it appears that Carbondale might not havehad any restaurants or churches back then … a pool hallyes, church no.

Meanwhile, in the 21st centuryThe Sopris Sun’s mystery shopper reports that City

Market is now selling digital items such as flash drives andphoto-cards for some cameras. And where might these newitems be located? They are part of a display that includesdiapers – of course.

Turd City, USaHere’s a job you don’t want to fall down on: picking up

after your mutt at the Delaney dog park. Falling down is

what dog walkers have been doing for what seems to betwo or three months, as there are now dog turds as far asthe eye can see at the park. It’s like a mine field out there.

Each year, usually in the spring, volunteers hold a semi-organized turd pick up day. Until then, if everyone will justgrab two or three extra bags and put them to work eachtime they visit the park, the spring pick up day should beeasy pickins’.

Turding tip: the scooping is smoother when the tem-perature is a few degrees above freezing. Below freezingand you could be dealing with dreaded bag rip.

Circle the dateThe Steve Skinner band (sic) opens for the Young

Dubliners at PAC3 on March 14.

Solar group honors WeissThe Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association re-

cently honored Johnny Weiss with its Lifetime Achieve-ment Award.

Weiss co-founded Solar Energy International in 1991.He is a solar educator, consultant, certified industrial trainerand solar building professional, according to a press release.As an associate professor for 10 years at Colorado Moun-tain College, he helped develop and teach a hands-on vo-cational training program in solar thermal, photovoltaics,energy efficiency and construction skills. He currently servesas a consultant for Solar Energy International, and is help-ing develop SEI’s Alumni and Friends Association.

Mountain Fair deadlinesArts and crafts vendor applications for the 42nd annual

Carbondale Mountain Fair are due on March 1, and foodvendor applications on April 5. For details, go to carbon-dalearts.com.

Town seeks GCEa board membersThe town of Carbondale is accepting applications to

serve on the Garfield County Energy Advisory Board. Fordetails, call 510-3003.

They say it’s your birthdayFolks celebrating their birthday this week include: Kate

Feinzig and Dick Hallagan (Feb. 2), Heather Smith (Feb. 4),Tim Bauer (Feb. 5) and Gwen Garcelon (Feb. 6).


Scuttlebutt Send your scuttlebutt to [email protected].

Cody Adams Ace Hardware of CarbondalePaint Expert Since 1999

The Carbondale Board of Trustees recognized Students ofthe Month at their meeting on Feb. 12. From left to right(front) are: Yulissa Sanchez, Sam Schoon, Nicole Topeteand Dalton Groom; (back): Aldo Pinela. Not shown:Tavia Teitler. Photo by Lynn Burton

By Lynn BurtonSopris Sun Staff Writer

March Madness for Roaring Fork High School boysand girls starts on Feb. 28 as both teams head for post-season play.

The boys take a 16-3 season record to the court afterwinning the 3A Western Slope League championship. Theyface Coal Ridge at home at 7 p.m. on Feb. 28. If they winthat game they play in Palisade at 4:45 p.m. on March 1 andMarch 2. They must finish in the top four teams to advanceto the next round, according to head coach Larry Williams.

The Rams dropped their first two games of the seasonto 4A teams Steamboat Springs and Eagle Valley, then wenton a tear, winning their next 12 games before losing toAspen at home.

The Rams are led by seniors Trae Moxley (6’5”), Dako-tah Grett (5’10”) and Israel Leyva (5’8”). Other playersseeing a lot of action are juniors Jack Fisher (6’1”),Dwayne Yin (6’3”) and Tanner Nieslanik (5’8”), and soph-omore Ben Carpenter (5’11”).

Moxley and Grett lead the team in scoring; Moxleyleads in rebounds and Grett in assists.

For the season, Roaring Fork averaged 51 points pergame and held their opponents to 43.

Statewide, Roaring Fork is ranked seventh by the DenverPost and eighth by Maxpreps. The other teams in the West-ern Slope League are Aspen, Basalt, Coal Ridge, MoffatCounty, Grand Valley, Cedaredge, Olathe and Gunnison.

GirlsThe Lady Rams finished fourth in the 3A Western Slope

League with an 11-5 record (11-8 overall, with one loss aforfeit due to a CHSAA rules violation). Moffat Countywon the league championship with a 15-1 record, with their

only loss coming at the hands of Roaring Fork. They faceCoal Ridge at home at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 28.

Roaring Fork is led by seniors Megan and Hattie Gian-inetti (both 6’1”), Shaeley Lough (5’6”), and juniors Mad-die Nieslanik (5’10”) and Toni Gross (5’5”). Other playersseeing a lot of action this season include senior Georgia Ack-erman (5’9”) and Autumn Grandberry (5’7”). Other playersrounding out the team are Daniella Santana, Emily Fisher,

Ruby Lang, Heidi Small and Kristen Joiner.Megan Gianinetti leads the team in scoring with a 12-

point average, followed by Hattie Gianinetti and MaddieNieslanik with 9.

If Roaring Fork wins at home against Coal Ridge on Feb.28 they are guaranteed a birth in regional play. If they losebut are the highest seed not making it to the tournament inPalisade they will also land a spot in regional action.


March AT VALLEY VIEW HOSPITAL

Tobacco Cessation

ClassesMonday, March 4 • Noon

Second floor classroom at Valley ViewHospital. Small group classes are taught

by Sandy Hyra, RN and Deb MeaderBSN, CCRN. Please register by callingVVH Respiratory Therapy at 384-7834.

VALLEY VIEW HOSPITAL1906 BLAKE AVENUE, GLENWOOD SPRINGS • WWW.VVH.ORG • 970.945.6535

VVH Auxiliary scholarships

Teeny Jeung Memorial ScholarshipsValley View Hospital Auxiliary offers four scholar-

ships in memory of Teeny Jeung, a long time nurse at Valley View Hospital. Anylocal graduating high school student who has

been accepted into a Health Sciences programat a college or university is eligible.

Valley View Hospital Auxiliary Health Sciences Scholarships

The Health Sciences Scholarship is for those enter-ing or continuing with studies in the medical field.

Two scholarships will be awarded. Any personwishing to study or to continue studies in the med-

ical field is eligible for this scholarship. Completed applications are due Friday,

April 12, 2013 by 5 pm. For further info and ap-plications for either of these scholarships, please

call Michele Orton, at 384-6656.

Roaring Fork ValleyWOMEN’S HEALTH

SYMPOSIUMApril 20, 8:00am to 2:30 pmThe Orchard in Carbondale

UPCOMING EVENTS

Fitness and How It Impacts YourHealth/Disease Process

• Free Lectures • Free screenings • Free childcare (6 months to 12 years)

Keynote speaker Allison Gannett - worldrenowned Extreme Mountain Skier, Global

Climate advocate & originator of multiple nonpro!ts including Save our Snow

To register: visit www.vvhfoundation.org

Blood testingPredraws

for Valley View Hospital’sCommunity Health Fairs

NNEEWW LLOOCCAATTIIOONN

PreDraws for blood draw only (no appointment needed)

Mountain View Church, 2195 Co Rd. 154,next to the Old Buffalo Valley

Wednesday, February 27 • 6:30 to 10 amWednesday, March 20 • 6:30 to 10 am

Blood draw includes cholesterol, cardiac risk,blood sugar, kidney and liver function for $45.

Add Prostate Specific Antigen for $35 Blood count$20. Colorectal kit $15. Requires fasting 12 hours

before blood draw. 18 years and older.

Health FairsSaturday, April 6, 7-11 am

Roaring Fork High School, Carbondale

Saturday, April 13, 7-11 am Coal Ridge High School, New Castle

Saturday, April 27, 7-11 amGlenwood Medical Associates, Glenwood

More information: 384-6651

Valley ViewAuxiliary invites you to “High Tea”

Get together with friends, your bookclub, sorority or your daughter andgranddaughter to celebrate spring!

Wear your favorite hat, or your grandmothers hat and gloves. Create

memories. For information call 384-6656

MaintainingGood Health

before & duringPregnancy

Learn about some simple, practical stepsyou can take that will help to insure a

healthy pregnancy.

Presenter: Brooke Halliwell, D.O.Women’s Health

Thursday, March 7, 2013 • 7:00 pmValley View Hospital

Conference Rooms 3A & 3BRSVP to 945-2238

Find crediblehealth

information onthe internet

with Jean Winkler, VVH Connie DelaneyMedical Librarian and Pat Conway, branch

manager of Glenwood Springs Library“Consider the Source” • Tues., March 19

1:00 to 2:30pm • GWS Public Library“Getting There from Here” • Thurs., March 21

1:00 to 2:30 pm • GWS Public Library

Ram boys and girls head to post-season tournaments

Last week’s final game was ParentsNight at Roaring Fork High School.

To the left is Marianne Ackermanwith daughter Georgia Ackerman.

Photo by Sue Rollyson

Dakotah Grett (left) and Israel Leyva(right) fist bump before the regularseason’s final game last week. Bothare seniors. Photo by Sue Rollyson


The Best place to warm upafter playing in the snow!

February’s SpecialChocolate Bliss Wrap

Back, Neck and Shoulder MassagePrivate Natural Thermal Mineral Bath

and a Day Pass to the Vapor Caves “It’s a Day at the Spa” $115

The Best place to warm upafter playing in the snow!

Historic Underground Vapor Caves

Readthe

SoprisSun

e-edition soprissun.comYou Are On Line

We Are On Line!

Karen Nieblas drives forthe basket in Saturday’s

PEG League tourna-ment in Glenwood

Springs. The Carbon-dale Middle School

eighth-grade girls teamwon the tournament

and finished the regularseason with a 5-1

record. This weekendthey play in Delta.

Photo byGregg&Cath/GreggAdams Photography

By Debbie BruellSopris Sun Correspondent

Roaring Fork School District Superintendent DianaSirko and the Board of Education are in the process of de-veloping a plan for a district visioning process.

The goal of this visioning process is for stakeholders ineach community to work to define what they believewould make an outstanding school district. In preparationfor the visioning process in Carbondale, The Sopris Sun isrunning a series of articles on district schools inside thetown limits, giving the principal of each school an oppor-tunity to describe the essential as-pects of his or her school. Thefollowing article on Bridges HighSchool is the fourth in this series.

Lyn Bair, principal of BridgesHigh School, points to four key ele-ments that are central to herschool’s approach to learning:

• Strong teacher-student rela-tionships;

• A personalized approach;• Engaging students in the en-

tire process of their schooling;• Very clear and explicit expec-

tations and tracking of stu-dents’ progress.

According to Bair, most studentscome to Bridges because they havefelt “disenfranchised” from the reg-ular school system — sometimes socially, sometimes aca-demically. (Bridges includes special education students aswell as highly advanced students.) Because these kids havestruggled at other schools, Bair explains, staff’s ability tomake strong connections with each student is critical totheir success.

“School should be a loving, caring place; it shouldn’t befocused primarily on numbers, percentages and proficien-cies,” Bair said.

Every student participates in a grade-level advisorygroup of about 12 students, which meets weekly. Advisoryteachers help each student identify goals and checks in reg-ularly with each student regarding the progress they’remaking toward those goals as well as their plans for theirfuture, including summer work opportunities and apply-ing to college.

Each student’s advisory teacher also functions as thatstudent’s individual advocate and support person through-out the school year.

Personalized approachBridges, which is located in the former Carbondale

Middle School building on Sopris Avenue, focuses onbuilding each individual student’s “personal resources.”Staff talks with each student about what resources theybring (emotional, mental, financial, support systems, rolemodels, etc.), and what resources they could work on de-veloping. (See Ruby Payne’s book, The UnderresourcedLearner).

Before a student is even admitted to Bridges, Bair meetswith each applicant and his/her parents to discuss the stu-dent’s educational goals, identify resources that the studentbrings with him/her and begins exploring what resourcesthey could work on developing at Bridges.

As a very small school, teachers can focus all of their at-tention on a limited number of students and get to knowthose students well, which enables them to “personalize”the curriculum. By connecting the learning to the individ-ual students’ lives and passions, teachers can help studentsunderstand and appreciate the value of their education.

Bair points to the following examples: English teacherRonnda Kuhr draws on the specific interests of individualstudents to get them hooked on reading even when they’venever enjoyed reading before; science teacher SuzanneFitzgerald gets kids connected with specific environmentalefforts such as the plastic bag campaign, to make science

“real’ for the students; history teacher John Cordasco fo-cuses on giving students the tools they need to be activecitizens, engaged in issues that impact them personally.

Engaging studentsBair told the Sopris Sun that students are very involved

in their own learning process as well as the workings ofthe school as a whole. Every quarter, each student writes aself-assessment outlining the goals they set for the quarterand reflecting on their success or challenges as they workedtoward those goals (including academic, social and behav-

ioral goals).Students also participate in evaluating

teachers, making suggestions for the kindsof classes they would like Bridges to offerand about 8 to 10 students each year par-ticipate in a Student Accountability Com-mittee, which monitors schools climateand student involvement and provides crit-ical feedback about various aspects of theschool.

Clear expectationsEvery teacher outlines exactly what will

be done in the class — and why — at thestart of every quarter. In addition, each stu-dent has a clear outline of the steps theyneed to accomplish in order to graduate.Bair has a large color-coded poster in her

office charting each student’s progress toward graduation.This visual display helps students understand how the dif-ferent choices they make will impact their progress towardgraduation.

Staff also provide frequent feedback to both studentsand parents about the student’s progress. Every Mondayafternoon is “Parent-Teacher Time,” during which all staffare available to meet with parents and/or students.

Bridges staff are also using the district’s Infinite Cam-pus Internet program, to which both parents and studentshave access, to document upcoming assignments and re-port grades on past assignments.

Like the other RFSD schools, Bridges holds two to threeparent-teacher conferences each year. Unlike other schools,however, Bair told The Sun that staff ensures that 100 per-cent of Bridges students participate in two parent-teacherconferences each year.

Other highlights• Senior Project: Every senior

writes a thesis on a career optionand then spends 40 hours actuallyworking in that industry. At the endof the year every senior does a 20-minute oral presentation to thewhole school about their thesis,their hands-on experience and theirfuture plans. Examples of SeniorProjects include: making bio-fuel,making straw-bale structures, me-chanics and beauty school.

• A strong focus on commu-nity-service: All students are in-volved in two service projects eachyear, such as volunteering forHabitat for Humanity.

• Community support: Bridgeshas been able to draw upon com-munity support to bring in the re-sources they need to serve theirstudents well, such as offering aclimbing class and bringing in acollege counselor.

• Involved principal: Workingas an assistant principal underCliff Colia, Bair said she learned

the importance of getting out of her office and into class-rooms every day. “That helps me know what kids andteachers are doing, helps me build trust and helps to showthe kids that learning is still fun for me,” she said.

Bair identified the small size of Bridges as their mainchallenge in that it means that she has a small staff andlimited funds. This financial challenge is particularly diffi-cult, Bair said, because many of these students’ needs aregreat, especially with special education students.

Another challenge Bair noted is the school’s reputationin parts of the community as being an easy school filledwith unmotivated students. In fact, Bair explained, overhalf of Bridge’s graduates exceed the district’s graduationrequirements.

Bair said her dream is to expand Bridges High School toinclude seventh/eighth graders. She would also love to seethe Bridges model transferred to a larger school. “A largeschool could divide up into little academies, smaller groupsof teachers and students,” Bair said. “The model of caringfor other people is where we need to be going; focusing ontelling kids, ‘You are a valuable part of our community andwe will help you reach your goals.’”

Daily schedule:Most classes are offered between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Oc-

casionally, night classes are offered that run as late as 9p.m. Bridges works to create class schedules that work wellfor students’ and families’ needs.

All classes are 50 to 70 minutes long.On average, Bridges students are in class about 30 hours

per week.Bridges students can also take elective classes and

other specialized and/or advanced classes offered at theother district high schools.

Additional info on Bridges High School:Students grades 9-12: 80; Latino, 57 percent, Anglo 43 percent.

Students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch:41 percent.

Average class size: 12.Note: In contrast to other district high schools, Bridges canonly accept a limited number of students – 80 students max-imum. Students are accepted on a first come, first servedbasis.

Poet Myrlin Hep-worth visited with the Creative Writing class at Roaring Fork High

School this week.Hepworth will per-form with students

and other local poetsat the First Friday

poetry slam at Steve’sGuitars at 7 p.m. on

March 1. Photo byTomas Karmelo/Parazol Studios

At Bridges: strong relationships, personalized approach


“School should be aloving, caring place;

it shouldn’t be focused primarily

on numbers, percentages and

proficiencies.” Lyn Bair, Principal

Bridges High School


THURSDAY Feb. 28PaRTy WITH THE SUN • The Sopris Sun,Carbondale’s community supported non-profit newspaper, celebrates its fourth birth-day from 5 to 7 p.m. at the PourHouse on Main Street. There’llbe music (Guilty Pleasure)food (including Midge’s fab-ulous chocolate sheet cake)and fun. Everyone’s invited asthe Sun honors three of itsfounders: Trina Ortega,Peggy DeVilbiss andElizabeth Phillips. Info:510-3003.

C-TOWN • KDNKradio presents C-Town atPAC3 in the Third StreetCenter at 8 p.m. Talentlike you won’t believe.It’s free. Info: kdnk.org.

LIVE MUSIC • TheBlack Nugget in the Dinkle Building presentssolo artist Timothy Carey at 8 p.m. No cover.

aRT TaLK • The Carbondale Council onArts and Humanities presents a panel discus-sion titled “How to go from ‘Starving Artist’to ‘Artiste’” (that’s French for successful) from5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Third Street Center. Panelmembers include Dick Durrance (photogra-pher), Wewer Keohane (mixed media), NancyLovendahl (sculptor) and Ashley Todey (artsmanagement). Info: carbondalearts.com.

METa-MEDICINE • Integrative health spe-cialist Jon Robson explains meta-medicine’sapproach to problems with the liver, spleenand pancreas (third chakra) from 6:30 to

8:30 p.m. at the Third Street Center. The sug-gested donation to Davi Nikent is $10. info:970-989-3329. ROTaRy • Mt. Sopris Rotary meets at Mi Ca-sita every Thursday at noon. Sopris Sun boardmember Frank Zlogar is today’s speaker.

FRIDAYMarch 1

MOVIES • The Crys-tal Theatre presents“Life of Pi” (PG) at7:30 p.m. on March1-7. “Life of Pi” is adrama about ayoung man on afateful voyage who,after a spectaculardisaster, is hurtledinto an epic journeyof adventure anddiscover. He be-

comes marooned ona lifeboat he must share with the ship’s onlyother survivor – a fearsome Bengal tiger withwhom he makes an amazing and unexpectedconnection. The film won an Oscar for bestdirector, cinematography, visual effects andscore. “‘Life of Pi’ is a miraculous achievementof storytelling and a landmark of visual mas-tery,” said Roger Ebert.POETRy SLaM • The Aspen Writers’ Foun-dation presents a poetry slam and spoken-work performance featuring Myrlin Hep-worth at Steve’s Guitars at 7 p.m. Poets’ reg-istration is at 6:30 p.m. The slam is free butdonations will be accepted. Judges will be se-lected from the audience.

THEaTRE • The Thunder River TheatreCompany’s production of Eugene O’Neill’s“Long Day’s Journey Into Night” continuesat 7:30 p.m. on March 1-2 and 2 p.m. onMarch 3. Tickets are $22 for adults and $12for students at 963-8200 or thunderriverthe-atre.com. The final performances are March7-9. Thunder River Theatre is located west ofthe Dinkle Building on the red brick walkway.LIVE MUSIC • PAC3 in the Third StreetCenter presents the Wailers performing “Sur-vival.” Tickets are $30/$35 and the showstarts at 8 p.m. Info: pac3carbondale.com.LIVE MUSIC • The Black Nugget in theDinkle Building presents the Roosters (fea-turing Josh Phillips) at 9 p.m. No cover.LIVE MUSIC • Carbondale Beer Workspresents Chicago’s Marbin Band (Israeli jazzstylings) from 8 to 11 p.m. Check them out atmarbinmusic.com. No cover.SPaGHETTI DINNER • American LegionPost 100 serves up spaghetti from 5 to 8 p.m.The cost is $8 for adults and $5 for kids. Thepost is located at 97 Third St.FIRST FRIDay • Galleries and shops areopen late and some bars will be presentingmusic for First Friday. CLay CENTER • The Carbondale Clay Cen-ter at the east end of Main Street hosts an open-ing reception for Sarah Moore and K RhynusCesark from 6 to 8 p.m. Info: 963-2529.

SATURDAY March 2CELEbRaTING SEUSS • The GordonCooper Library throws a birthday party forthe late Dr. Seuss at 1 p.m. There’ll be a Seussstorytime with special guest reader, music,

arts and crafts, games and – a birthday cake!Info: 963-2889.

CONTRa DaNCE • The next Carbondalecontra dance takes place at the Third StreetCenter at 7:30 p.m. The caller will be JeffHaemer from Boulder and admission is $8.Info: Dana at [email protected].

LIVE MUSIC • Carbondale Beer Works pres-ents percussionist Lyn Byers and friends on sax,guitar and violin from 6 to 9 p.m. No cover.

LIVE MUSIC • The Black Nugget in theDinkle Building presents Trout Steak Revival(bluegrass) at 9 p.m. No cover.

HOCKEy FOR HOPE • The Aspen ValleyFoundation holds its third annual Hockey forHope fund-raiser at the Aspen Ice Garden(233 W. Hyman Ave.) at 7 p.m. There’ll beSmoke chili and cornbread, beer, Tasters pizza,tunes from DJ Echo Dafunk, a chuck-a-puckcontest and more as the Snowmass fire-fighters take on the Aspen police. VIP ticketsare $100. There’ll also be free skating at 5p.m. Info: 544-1298.

SUNDAY March 3aSC • A Spiritual Center in the Third StreetCenter holds an open discussion at 10 a.m.The guest speaker on March 10 is Tanai Starrs.

LIVE MUSIC • The Black Nugget in theDinkle Building presents Jonathan Warrenand the Billy Goats at 5 p.m. No cover.

MONDAY March 4JaM SESSION • Carbondale Beer Works onMain Street hosts an old time jam sessionwith Dana Wilson Mondays at 7:30 p.m.

Community Calendar To list your event, email information to [email protected]. Deadline is 5 p.m. Saturday. Events takeplace in Carbondale unless noted. For up-to-the-minute valley-wide event listings, check out the CommunityCalendar online at soprissun.com. View and submit events online at soprissun.com/calendar.

Learn to Salsa!SALSA

DANCE CLASS!!WHEN: Saturday, March 2nd

TIME: 6 to 8pmWHERE: Roaring Fork High School Auditeria

$6 for Single / $10 for Couples

*Sponsored by RFHS Junior Class*

ANYBODY ANDEVERYBODY IS

WELCOME!!

Parents, grandparents, cousins,aunts and uncles, and evenFRIENDS from OTHER

schools!GRAB YOUR DANCINGSHOES AND PARTNER!

Open seven days a week Next to City Market in El Jebel, 400 E Valley Rd. Ste I/J

963.1700 | Open M-F 10-6:30pm | Sat/Sun 11-5pm

Call us today to place your order, discuss your needs or for more information 963-1700

FEED THE BIRDSWe are now offering Large

Animal Feed and wild bird seed

50# Corn Chop

$1707

50 lb. Black OilSunflower Seed

$3199

CALENDAR page 11

Peggy DeVilbiss and Trina Ortega


Community Calendar continued from page 10

Further Out

Ongoing

FRIDAY March 8aNDy TayLOR SHOW • Korologos Galleryin Basalt hosts an opening reception for “AndyTaylor: Current Works” from 5 to 7 p.m.

SUNDAY March 10RIVERSIDE CHaT • Loren Jenkins, a Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter and former NPR seniorforeign editor, will speak at the Basalt Libraryfrom 5 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 (minimumdonation). Info: 927-4311 ext 1008.

FRIDAY March 15PaIRINGS • The Carbondale Clay Centerhosts “Pairings” from 6 to 9 p.m. Featuring over30 local and national artists, “Pairings” bringstogether the handmade cup with delicioushandcrafted beverages provided by distin-guished Colorado distilleries, wineries and

brewers, as well as other non-alcoholic bever-age makers. The community is then invited tochoose a cup to purchase and "Pair it" withtastings of handcrafted beverages. Beveragesfrom past “Pairings” events include local wines,vodkas, spirits, beers, coffees and teas. The Car-bondale Clay Center is located at the east end ofMain Street. Info: 963-2529.

SUNDAY March 17SHaMROCK HUNT • St. Patrick’s Day funincludes a shamrock hunt at Crown MountainPark in El Jebel from noon to 2 p.m. Starting atthe pavilion, come walk the park, find a sham-rock and redeem it for a “lucky” prize. Thisevent is for children, ages 6 months to 12 years,one shamrock per child. The one-mile path isstroller accessible and leashed-pet friendly. Info:963-6030 or crownmtn.org.

MEMbERSHIP DRIVE • KDNK’s winter mem-bership drive continues through March 1. The sta-tion — at 88.1, 88.3 and 88.5 FM — airs NationalPublic Radio shows, music from more than 50 vol-unteer DJs, local news, Youth Radio and more. Fordetails, call 963-0139 or go to kdnk.org.

PHOTO SHOW • Colorado Mountain Col-lege’s ArtShare Gallery features current andpast students from the school’s professionalphotography program through March 2. Thephotographers are: Andrew Braun, CopiVojta, Elizabeth Moreno, Guadalupe Laiz,Beth White, Jury Jerome, Martin Cowell,Freya Fennwood, Charles Engelbert, Seth An-dersen, Tracy Trulove, Sarah Schwab, BrunaVelloso, Sergio Carrasco, Ryan Martinek,Spencer Herford, Dan Hall, AnthonyWilliams, Justine Cranford, Amy Painter,David Gillette and Jeremy Joseph. The galleryis located at 802 Grand Ave. in GlenwoodSprings and the hours are weekdays from8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Info: 947-8367.

STRaNaHaN CONCLUDES • “GeorgeStranahan: Looking Back” concludes at the WylyCommunity Art Center in Basalt on Feb. 28.Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondaythrough Friday. Info: 927-4123.

VVaS CONCLUDES • The 33rd annual Val-ley Visual art show continues at the Third StreetCenter and Bonfire Cofffee through March 1.More than 60 valley artists are included. Info:the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humani-ties at 963-1680.

TaLLMaDGE CONCLUDES • The MainStreet Gallery presents Catherine Tallmadgethrough February. Raised in Carbondale, Tall-madge recently returned to the valley after liv-ing in Chicago for nine years where shegraduated from the School of the Art Institute ofChicago. This collection of work features multi-media collages that draw their inspiration in theveneration of Patron Saints and other idols butwith a whimsical application.

Hold the PressesLEaRN TO SaLSa! • The Roaring Fork High School junior class is sponsoring salsa dance les-sons at the school from 6 to 8 p.m. on March 2. The cost is $6 for individuals and $10 for cou-ples. Everyone is welcome.

P&Z TaLKS TO HPC • During the Carbondale Planning & Zoning Commission meeting attown hall on Feb. 28, the commission will discuss historic preservation incentives with the HPC;discuss with CCAH a possible creative district; and discuss downtown issues, including parking.The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Public comments will be taken at approximately 9 p.m. For a com-plete P&Z meeting packet, go to carbondalegov.org.

PITCO’S FOUNDING • The Aspen Historical Society presents a discussion on how the stateof Colorado created Pitkin County in 1879. It takes place at the Aspen Community Church at 5:30p.m. and admission for non-AHS members is $8.

LOCAL LEGEND BOBBY MASONLOCAL LEGEND BOBB Y MA SON

NON-STOP C H I C A G O D E N V E R L O S A N G E L E S S A N F R A N C I S C O H O U S T O N D A L L A S / F T.W O R T H

Aspen/Pitkin County AirportIt’s your airport

We never stop working to make

your airport experience more enjoyable.

A S P E N A I R P O R T . C O M

Bring your banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle,spoons or washboard; all skill levels are in-vited. Info: 704-1216.

TUESDAY March 5LIVE MUSIC • PAC3 in the Third StreetCenter presents Joe Pug at 8 p.m. Tickets are$10/$15. Info: pac3carbondale.com.

WEDNESDAY March 6LIVE MUSIC • PAC3 in the Third StreetCenter presents the New Orleans Suspects at8 p.m. Info: pac3carbondale.com.

NaTURaLIST’S NIGHT • Andrea HollandSears presents “What’s in the air: Air qualityon the White River National Forest” at 7 p.m.

at the Third Street Center. It’s free. The pres-entation is part of the Wilderness WorkshopsNaturalist’s Night series.

WaCKy • The Carbondale Recreation Cen-ter presents Wild-n-Wacky Wednesdays forkids 2-5-years-old from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.The cost is $5 for members, $6 for non-mem-bers. Info: 510-1292.

HICK aRRIVES • Roaring Fork Leadershippresents Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooperfrom 6 to 8 p.m. at the Base Village Confer-ence Center in Snowmass Village. The topic is“Hickenlooper 2.0: Leadership in Action.”Tickets are $35 in advance or $45 at the door,which includes appetizers and a beverage.


tyler WARE1901 Dolores WayCarbondale

New Path520 S. Third StreetCarbondale

Meier Skis 7800 Hwy 82 Carbondale

This ad sponsored by

The Sopris Sun welcomes newCarbondale Chamber members

Community BriefsPlease submit your community briefs to [email protected] by noon on Monday.

RFHS looking for mentorsRoaring Fork High School is looking for adults who will help mentor and tutor students

in math and English from 10 to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays through Fridays. The school is alsolooking for volunteers to help with book clubs. For details, contact Drew Adams [email protected].

CMS book drive continuesThe Carbondale Middle School book drive is continuing. The school snagged a matching

grant of up to $3,000 and is shooting for 10 grand. Books purchased will go in the school’slibrary. Donations of actual books are also being accepted. For details, call the school.

CSa deadline coming soonThe deadline to join the Borden Farms CSA is April 1. Members enjoy farm-fresh produce

during the growing season. For details, call 874-5383 or e-mail [email protected].

Community School accepting applicationsThe Carbondale Community School, a K-8 charter school, is accepting applications

through April 5. For details, call 963-9647.

Emergency notification system in placeThe Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority has implemented a new

emergency notification system to alert citizens of emergencies that may affect them and alsoprovide community news when needed, according to a press release.

The Everbridge system enables public safety agencies to provide information for fires,floods and other emergency situations. The messages can be delivered to a cell phone, e-mailaddress VoIP phone and more. To sign up, go to www.garco911.org.

Carbondale accepting library proposalsThe Town of Carbondale is accepting requests for proposals (RFP) from organizations that

want to lease the Gordon Cooper Library when the new library is opened this summer. Thedeadline is March 22. For detail, call 963-2733.

aVF accepting grant applicationsThe Aspen Valley Foundation is accepting community grant applications until noon on

April 5. They are available at the foundation office at 616 E. Hyman Ave., by calling 544-1298 or e-mailing [email protected].

Katrina Byars practices her routine at a recent Green is the New Black fashion showrehearsal at PAC3. The fashion extravaganza is produced by CCAH and is slated forMarch 8-9. Photo by Jane Bachrach

OK, so who wants to drill it? A com-pany called SG Interests is at the forefrontof the movement. It was SG Interests thatconspired with Gunnision Energy Corpo-ration to rig leases (Civil Action No 12—cv-00395-RPM-MEH) and were fined anobscenely low amount for their carefullyworded admission of guilt. It’s a companywhose president, Russell Gordy, now ownsfour ranches in Wyoming and Montana;the largest at 70,000 acres and the last hebought (44,000) acres cost $40 million.Heck, he already owns his own personalThompson Divide. What does he have tosay about this?

“I’ll definitely never develop” (the44,000 acre ranch) he told the Bozeman,Montana Daily Chronicle in an April 13,2002 article; though he made his moneydrilling other peoples’ land he will neverdrill his own.

“I just love that country” he continued,not unlike those of us who love Thompson

Divide. “I won’t mess it up. I think peoplewill find me a good neighbor.”

Well Mr. Gordy we are asking you toput your money where your mouth is andbe our good neighbor, to do the right thingand let the controversial leases expire. Youhave been offered a fair price. These leaseswere after all acquired with the knowledgethat they were part of a proposed roadlessarea and in violation of the Forest ServiceArea Conservation Rule. This of coursecomes as no surprise to some of us as ittook place during the Bush Administration.We remember them. They exempted frack-ing fluid from the Clean Water Act.

Let’s partnerTo Mr. Gordy, we would really like to be

your partner in going toward a clean energyfuture. Gas can be a part of it, but not withan in-your-face attitude of “I got mine, toobad about yours” attitude currently beingexhibited by some gas companies. After all,

Gunnison Energy, one of your partners inthe aforementioned lease rigging (andowned by Bill Koch) was criticized by a fed-eral judge for its “unrepentant arrogance.”So we ask you and others in the energybusiness to join us as partners in a clean en-ergy future. You will still make plenty ofmoney and maybe, just maybe, we can stillstop climate change in the process.

We implore you to admit that there areplaces too special to drill. Enlist our coop-eration and our good will. Make this aproverbial win-win situation. Sell yourleases for a reasonable amount and don’tdrill the Thompson Divide. Set a new ex-ample for our county and our country, andbe an integral part of a new dynamic of co-operation. We are after all in this together.If not, where does that leave us?

Because of who we are, we will continueto try to do the right thing. We will writeletters. We will show up. We will further ed-ucate ourselves. We will conserve. But we

probably won’t support any more CNG fa-cilities or convert our fleets to CNG.

In short, we will continue to do our bestand fight you tooth and nail to preserveour own special place — Thompson Di-vide. We also recognize the time couldcome when cattle drives go up and downFour Mile at all hours and some of thecows choose to nap in the road for hourson end, when farm machinery breaksdown inexplicably, and old hippies (andhopefully some young ones) put on theirheadbands and tie-dyes and rememberback when “conscience did not make cow-ards of us all and the native hue of resolu-tion did not cloud the pale cast of thought.And enterprises of great pith and momentwere not lost in the name of action. Softyou now! ” – Shakespeare.

Frosty Merriott is a certified public ac-countant and member of the CarbondaleBoard of Trustees.

More on railroad history(Editor’s note: This letter as submitted was1,600 words long, so the Sopris Sun is run-ning it in two installments).

Dear Editor:It’s always enjoyable to read a nostalgia

article in the local newspaper. It provides fla-vor and context for the dry facts of historyand helps us all better understand this placewe call home. But all too often these articlesneglect or distort accurate history for thelarger feel-good aspects of the story.

Such, I believe, is the case with the recent“Looking Back” articles on the history of rail-roads in the Crystal River Valley. While theydid indeed evoke a sense of the period, manyof the associated facts backing the story wereincorrect, perpetuating myths or creating con-flicting accounts that muddy future attemptsto paint an accurate picture of the valley asthe old-timers who remember it directly fadefrom the scene.

It’s probably easiest to understand the dif-ferences by giving a quick overview of therailroads that were identified in the article: theColorado Midland (CM), Denver &RioGrande (D&RG, later Denver & Rio GrandeWestern), Aspen & Western (A&W) andCrystal River (CR, later Crystal River & SanJuan, CR&SJ).

As mentioned in the article, the ColoradoMidland (CM) came from Leadville viaHagerman tunnel and down the Frying Pan.At Aspen Junction (Basalt) the line split, goingupvalley to the silver mines at Aspen anddownvalley to Glenwood Springs and be-yond, eventually making it as far west asGrand Junction.

In the vicinity of Carbondale the line wasroughly on the same grade as present-dayHighway 82, crossing over the Roaring Forkwest of the old Satank bridge and the conflu-ence with the Crystal River. A stone abutmentfrom the bridge is still visible at the edge ofthe river. The line then crossed through whatis now Coryell Ranch subdivision and alongroughly what is now County Road 109 intoGlenwood Springs. A branch left the main at

Cardiff, climbed Four Mile and crossed overthe ridge separating Four Mile and SpringGulch, then known as Jerome Park, near thepresent day Sunlight ski area. This line servedthe coal mines at Sunlight, Marion, Unionand Spring Gulch.

At no time did the CM have any tracks upthe Crystal River Valley as stated in the arti-cle. Most likely the person interviewed forthis point remembers the Crystal River rail-road, if the property was in the vicinity of thecreek that bears the same name.

The Denver & Rio Grande (D&RG) builteast from Glenwood Springs on what is nowthe RFTA bike path to Aspen, entering Car-bondale but bypassing Aspen Junction(Basalt) via Emma and Hooks Spur. Both rail-roads were trying to reach Aspen first, a racethe D&RG won on Oct. 28, 1887. The CMreached Maroon Creek on Dec. 1, but didn’tenter Aspen proper until Feb. 4, 1888, be-cause of the time it took to complete the ironbridge over Maroon Creek (re-used afterabout 1918 as the Highway 82 bridge untiljust a few years ago).

As stated in the article, the Aspen & West-ern was incorporated in 1886 but construc-tion didn’t start until some later date. Trackwas completed into Willow Park (not WillowPeak) by April 1, 1888. It was indeed the firstrailroad into the Crystal River Valley (but notCarbondale). However it was hardly a coupthat the D&RG furnished the material toconstruct the track. In fact it was a fairly com-mon practice at that time, especially if thelarger railroad anticipated taking over thesmaller upon completion. And the D&RGcharged Colorado Fuel & Iron predecessorColorado Coal & Iron Co. more than$86,000 for the work. The D&RG also con-structed a number of railroad service build-ings in Willow Park, none of which survive.

As the article pointed out, the A&W onlyhauled a small amount of coal (113 tons ac-cording to state records, not 150 tons) dur-ing its one year of operation, for the reasonsstated in the article. This would haveamounted to about four to six carloads,

probably no more than a single train. Thiswould seem to be a colossal blunder given theamount of money expended for so little re-turn, unless Osgood had larger goals in mind.There is some speculation this might havebeen the case.

In 1892 the Crystal River Railway (CR)was incorporated, joining together the A&Wand three other projects that were never con-structed but existed on paper: the Elk Moun-tain Railway, the Colorado & Utah Railwayand the Crystal River Toll Road. These com-panies had value because of the rights-of waythey controlled. The CR began at the D&RGdepot in Carbondale and utilized approxi-mately three miles of A&W track, to aboutthe long-gone siding of Grubbs. From thatpoint to Redstone the CR constructed its owngrade utilizing the Colorado & Utah and tollroad rights-of-way. It did not use the grade ofthe Elk Mountain Railway in this part of thevalley as stated in the article, that is present

day Highway 133. The old CR grade can beseen on the opposite side of the river from thehighway for most of this stretch. Several localroads and driveways also utilize the old grade.

Ray SauveyCarbondale

(Editor’s note, part II: For five years, RaySauvey was general manager of the Na-tional Railroad Museum in Green Bay,Wisconsin; for four years he was directorof the Steamtown Institute, a cooperativeassociation with Steamtown National His-toric Site, in Scranton, Penn.; for one yearhe was director of the California State Rail-road Museum in Sacramento. He has alsotaught numerous railroad history and ad-ministrative courses, both for volunteertraining, Elder Hostel programs and na-tional symposiums. He provided a bibliog-raphy for this letter to the editor but it wastoo long to publish).

Drilling continued om page 2

Letters continued om page 2

The female figure at Fourth and Main wore a shawl on Sunday but as the daywarmed up she shucked it, only to put it back on the following day. Photo byLynn Burton


Shopping | Dining | Culture | Recreation

VISIT BASALT & EL JEBEL At the confluence of Frying Pan and Roaring Fork Rivers

Corky Woods: Keeping“green” all year roundBy S. Michael Jundt

When you enter Corky Woods, the “green” depart-ment store on Midland Avenue in Basalt, you will find aneclectic mix of products

Owner Michelle Pauline Lowe has brought her pas-sion for doing right by the environment and broadened itsexposure to like-minded shoppers.

“For me, raising a healthy family meant using healthyand natural products,” says Lowe, “and wanting to bringthat awareness and availability to others is how Corky

Woods was formed.”Lowe, a professional designer from Chicago, orches-

trated the Eco Fest fashion show in Aspen for three years,and has been satisfying her customers growing concernsfor environmentally friendly products ranging from nat-ural cosmetics and candles to home furnishings and cloth-ing. There is also a wide variety of organic teas and coffeebeans. The beans are even fresh roasted in Carbondale.

“Carbondale is an important setting for sustainabil-ity,” says Lowe, who is currently designing the True Na-ture Healing Arts Project in conjunction with DennisPowell of DK Architects.

The project, when it opens this spring, will feature atea and raw chocolate room adjacent to new gardens. “It’san exciting project and will coincide with the grand open-

ing of a second Corky Woods outlet on Main Street, Car-bondale,” says Lowe. The Main Street outlet, now inprogress, will display Corky Woods “green” home prod-ucts, but will also add furniture and accessories.

Basalt to host National FlyFishing ChampionshipsSopris Sun Staff Report

Basalt had been awarded the National Fly FishingChampionships for Fly Fishing Team USA to take placeOct. 4-6, according to a press release.

“We feel very fortunate and would like to thank all whomade the regional qualifying event such a success lastMay,” said a Basalt Chamber of Commerce spokesman.

Basalt hosted the Rocky Mountain Regional Qualifying

Event last May. “Hosting the national event only increasesour exposure on a national level,” the spokesman continued.

Much like the regional qualifying event, scoring is basedon number of fish caught in addition to total inches caughtin five, three-hour sessions taking place over three days inand around Basalt.

Though anglers must qualify at a regional champi-onship or be invited by Team USA to participate, there arespectator and volunteer opportunities for fishing enthusi-asts who wish to be involved.

Upwards of 70 to 100 sportsmen will be competing inthis event.

We’re Ready! Are You? Now accepting spring/cruise clothing, shoes,jewels, art, household, furniture & giftables.

970-927-4384144 Midland Avenue

Basalt, Colorado 81621

BASALT RECREATIONCheck out these NEWclasses for 2013!

Girls Basketball Camp for 1st through 3rd grades with Coach Kari Strobel.

When: Feb. 26, 27, 28, Mar. 4, 5, 6Time: 3:20 - 4:20 PM

Where: BES Gymnasium

Art Club with Ms. DevineWe have TWO classes to choose from; Tuesdays, March 5

and 12 or Fridays, March 8 and 15. Class is $38.

1st - 3rd Grade Boys Basketball CampThis is another opportunity for the young players to get outon the courts and learn new skills and drills and play gameswith others. Lots of game time so come join us for this great

camp after school on March 18, 19, 20, 21.

www.basaltexpressrec.com

Sopris Sun Staff Report

It’s time to rush to your summer drawers (and we’re nottalking underwear here) and dig around for a favorite Moun-tain Fair T-shirt.

Why?Because Peppino’s is handing out free slices for everyone

who shows up in a fair T-shirt to help celebrate First Fridayon March 1!

Beyond Mountain Fair T-shirts and free pizza, this month’sFirst Friday theme is “A Wail of a Time” to note reggae leg-ends The Wailers at PAC3 plus other great music and relatedentertainment options around town, starting at 5 p.m.

The venues include:• PaC3 – The Wailers not only worked with Bob Marley

but with many other international musicians. Tickets are$30/$35 at pac3carbondale.com. The show starts at 8 p.m.

• The black Nugget – It’s the Roosters with Josh Phillips(blues rock) at 9 p.m. No cover.

• Steve’s Guitars – Hip-hop meets poetry at a slam fea-turing Phoenix-based poet Myrlin Hepworh and localhigh school students. Hooting and applause are encour-aged starting at 7 p.m. Poets’ sign up is at 6:30 p.m. Do-nations are asked.

• Carbondale beer Works – The Chicago-based Marbinplays world, rock and jazz starting at 8 p.m. No cover.

Other action includes:• The Carbondale Clay Center showcases new work by

former co-directors K Rhynus Cesark and Sarah Moore,with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m.

• The Crystal Theatre presents “Life of Pi” (see Calen-dar for details).

• Thunder River Theatre Company presents “LongDay’s Journey Into Night” (see Calendar for details).

• True Nature Healing arts on Third Street presentskirtan singing with Gayan & Laura, plus raw chocolateand tea sampling.

• CCaH presents Sybarite5 at the Third Street Centerat 6:30 p.m. It’s free.

Free pizza contingent upon Mountain Fair T-shirts


It’s Monday today as I write this column for Thursday. Idon’t care for Mondays. My reasons are many. If I’m notcareful this sets me up for failure.

Without the right frame ofmind I’m easily distracted, putout and offended. This ofcourse this usually makes forMondays ending up exactly as Ianticipated — grim.

Only one thing seems tohelp start not just my Mondaysbut every day out in a waythat’s appropriate for me.

There’s a daily journal I keepthat starts out on the left handpage with what I call my morn-ing readings. The first thingwritten down is a Bible versefrom a daily book of devotionalreading that a friend gave me.

Then I search for the next page bookmarked of the TaoTe Ching and write down the most important quote fromthat reading.

Lastly is a randomly selected page from “The Little Bookof Positive Quotations,” compiled and arranged by Steve

Deger and Leslie Ann Gibson. Random is the key word here.It’s my way of exerting my will on the day.

That’s more than enough to chew on and try to remem-ber. Give me more than three things to do or remember andyou can forget it ‘cause I will most definitely not remember.

Next I meditate on those words of wisdom. I’ve writtenthem down so I can refer to them when things get rough andchaos reigns. I ask Creator to help me be the man I should be.

Spending this quiet time to center myself makes a hugedifference in my day. When I’m in too big of a hurry (trans-lated to “I don’t get up early enough”) and don’t do this,usually the day ends up a train wreck.

The verse that came up this morning proves that Creatorhas a sense of humor … “in everything give thanks.”

Yeah right. Give thanks for Mondays? You got to be kid-ding. How do you give thanks for something you don’t like?

And the Tao? “True mastery can be gained by lettingthings go their own way. It can’t be gained by interfering.”Great. More pearls of wisdom.

Let’s hope I can find some comfort in today’s quotation.It’s by Katherine Anne Porter: “Experience is what reallyhappens to you in the long run; the truth that finally over-takes you.”

Don’t know if that really helped thinking about the ex-perience of this coming Monday overtaking me.

So does this stuff work? Am I going to make it throughthe day a better person because I prepared myself this way?There’s probably one way to find out.

The best way to tell would be to ask my co-workers,friends who know me well, people I come in contact with.The proof is in the way people are treated.

The bottom line for me has nothing to do with money.And I don’t need a shelf full of books on ethics. It’s reallyquite simple and can be summed up in five words, “Loveyour neighbor as yourself.”

I can read all the verses in the Bible and write down all theTao my whole life and think positive thoughts till Hell freezesover but the true test is how well am I keeping the so-calledGolden Rule.

So no matter how much I dislike Mondays or dread head-ing out the door or fear what may happen to derail me todaythe true test of my humanity lies in my ability to love othersand treat them accordingly.

That’s a tall order for any of us. Let me know how I’mdoing.

Bill Kight has spent over 30 years helping to manageAmerica’s public lands. He is currently community liai-son for the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District and member ofRocky Mountain Incident Management Team A.


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See Thundercat atCARBONDALE ANIMAL HOSPITAL

234 Main Street(970) 963-2826

www.carbondaleanimalhospital.com

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Service Directory

Mid-Valley Food PantriesCarbondale: � ird Street Center, 520 South 3rd Street, #35

Mon, Wed & Fri: 10am-12:30pm • 963-1778Basalt: Basalt Community United Methodist Church

167 Holland Hills Rd. • Wed & � ur: 11am-1pm • 279-1492Learn more at www.liftup.org and join us on facebook!

Help for families in need.Food is available at LIFT-UP’s seven area food pantries, made possible by support from our caring community.

Miser’s MercantileSpring it on

303 Main St. • Carbondale • 963-3940 • OPEN 7 DAYS

NOW ACCEPTING SPRING CONSIGNMENTS

CommonGroundBy Bill Kight

Dealing with Mondays; a few passages help

altitude Filmworks celebrates first anniversarySopris Sun Staff Report

To celebrate their milestone one-year anniversary in January, Altitude Filmworkshas just released their 2013 Aerial Reel.

The online video is a compilation of aerial footage that the company shot in its firstyear of business in locations throughout Colorado, Utah and Idaho.

In January the company also welcomed Garrett Edquist to the team as a cameraoperator and editor. Edquist’s most recent work includes editing the documentary“Vail: The Rise of America's Iconic Ski Resort,” which aired on Rocky Mountain PBSearlier this year, according to a press release.

Altitude Filmworks specializes in aerial filming and photography using remote-controlled cinema helicopters. Their filming projects include adventure sports, com-mercials, TV productions, documentary films, resort properties and special events.

The Carbondale-based company was founded in January 2012 by Jon Fredericksand Louis Wilsher, and their upcoming projects include TV productions, documen-tary films and resort promotional shoots.

Their 2013 Aerial Reel can be seen on their homepage at www.AltitudeFilm-works.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AltitudeFilmworks.

Altitude Filmworks’s “aerial camera platform” allows the company to fly low and slowor up to 400 feet and 40 miles per hour. Courtesy photo

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Documents

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