March 10, 2011

Rams make statePage 3

TSC gym deal inkedPage 5

Grays check in2

here are fashion shows and thenthere are Carbondale fashionshows. The Green is the NewBlack fashion extravaganza on Fri-

day and Saturday nights feature the samebasic theme – “A World of Fashion” – andmany elements, but the two nights are dis-tinctly different.

Friday night is the gala show, with adessert reception, an ice sculpture and after-show dance party. Saturday night kicks offwith fashions created by local youth beforethe adult show.Both shows will include fash-ions from professional and hobby designers,an opening video, multi-media theatrics,dancers, music from around the world,larger-than-life-size puppets, a martini bar,dozens of models strutting up and down the

runway and more.“Both nights will be pretty darn fun,”

said Amy Kimberly, the show’s organizer.“It’s an interactive show … with lots ofwhooping and hollering … people get upand move around.”

The show is a fund-raiser for the Carbon-dale Council on Arts and Humanities andtakes place at the Carbondale RecreationCenter on March 11-12.

The designers and clothiers, almost 50 inall, work with recycled and sustainable ma-terials. Some of those materials come fromthe Glenwood Springs based EnviroTextiles,one of the leading importers of hemp prod-ucts in the United States.

Designers include nationally knownAkomplice, Obermeyer and Patagonia, plus

regional designers such asAutumnTeney andlots of locals, including former Aspen CityCouncilman Jack Johnson. “He knits thesegreat sweaters,” Kimberly said.

Fashions from several area shops andstores are in the show, including: Nice Banana(The Editailor and Le Claranns Sew Shop),the Backdoor/Misers, Lullubelle Clothing,and Studio 10 (Jill Sher, Pam Taylor, RuthHolliwell,Andi Korber and Pat Winger).

A special feature will be a showing of theChamberlain Collection (courtesy of Geor-gia Chamberlain). Kimberly said Chamber-lain’s collection is from her mother’s hautecouture wardrobe from the 1960s. Hautecouture is generally defined as high fashioncreations from a syndicate of designers thatincludes Coco Channel, Christian Dior andPierre Cardin.

Then there are the kids’ fashions, created

Green is theNew Black

fashions funthis weekend

By Lynn BurtonSopris Sun Staff Writer

FASHION EXTRAVAGANZA page 5

THurray for fashionAfter months of planning and weeks of rehearsals (like the one shown here), the third annual Green is the New Black fashion extravaganza is ready to hit the runway. Friday andSaturday night’s shows are at the Carbondale Recreation Center. The show is a fund-raiser for the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities. Photo by Jane Bachrach

Sopris Sunthe

Carbondale’s weekly, non-profit newspaper Volume 3, Number 4 | March 10, 2011

Greenis

theNew

Black

LOOKINSIDE

FORTHE

PROGRAM

down by previous generations. I have spentmany years learning about sustainable en-ergy, food production and natural healingmethods.

As we see more local retailers going outof business and the downward spiral of theUnited States financial system, I believe it’sabsolutely ludicrous to try to build anothergiant shopping center in Carbondale. Wehave many creative, intelligent people inour town who should definitely be able tocome up with a solution for this space thatcould continue to be appreciated by ourgrandchildren and beyond. I simply wouldlike to live in a community where our chil-dren could have access to clean air, waterand food. Is that too much to ask for?

Cody LeeCarbondale

Why build more?Dear Editor:

I believe question number 1 on the Vil-lage at Crystal River coverage is most im-portant. I thought it was voted down twoyears ago. If we can’t sell houses that arefor sale now, why build more? A quarter ofthe shops and businesses are empty or soonto be. This shopping center that is pro-posed will cut down customer traffic in ex-isting businesses causing them to close orto cut staff. Then within five years or lesshalf the storefronts will be closed at saidmarket place. Just look at Main Street andHighway 133: so many empty storefrontseither due to greedy landlords, no business,or because they’re just done. Here’s an-other one for you to check: Do businesslandlords not have to pay property taxes ifthe unit is empty? If not, then there isn’tmuch incentive to lower the rent and workwith the tenant.

Joe MeadeCarbondale

Thank you from Sam HayesDear Editor:

To my Carbondale community and fan-tastic friends: I am so honored and thank-ful that you took up a collection for me atthe Pour House, making it possible for meto be here with you for my Pat’s 64th birth-day and our 32nd wedding anniver-sary. Your support, love and hugs meant

the world to me.Thanks to Skip and Kay Bell, and the

Pour House crew and customers.And manythanks to Kate and Randy Schutt for or-ganizing the flights, and for hosting a soireeat their gracious home for Pat’s birthday.

I will be home for the summer aroundJune 4 so I hope to see you all then. Again,you are all in my heart and I can’t thankyou enough for your love and generosity.

Sam HayesCarbondale

Russets says thanksDear Editor:

Russets would like to take this opportu-nity to publicly thank everyone who partic-

Before the revolution, Nancy Palmer (left) and Marilyn Murphy found some quiettime in Egypt to catch up on the news from Carbondale. Courtesy photo

The Sopris Sun welcomes your letters, limited to no more than 400 words. Letters ex-ceeding that length may be edited or returned for revisions. Include your name and res-idence (for publication) and a contact email and phone number. Submit letters via emailto [email protected] or via snail mail to P.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623.

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LETTERS page 11

Candy Corn RepublicA recent post from a friend pointing out the difference between a democracy and a re-

public got me thinking … the United States of America is actually a republic in democracy’sclothing, and none of us seem to notice the giant wolf ears sticking out through the granny-flowered nightcap. We’re a trusting people – a big-hearted corn-fed lot – but I’m starting towonder if maybe we are too trusting. Maybe we’ve lost our way in the woods and begun toeat the cookies in our picnic basket. And maybe they are special cookies for grandma’s glau-coma, which would explain why we don’t really seem to care that we’ve lost the markers forthe Land-of-Opportunity-with-Freedom-and-Justice-for-All Trail.

We, the people,don’t actually run this comic tragedy,after all.We are “represented” by those who have the means to make itto the big show.While we watch from behind the rope with ourpopcorn and peanuts, they arrive at the theater laden with min-erals and stones we mined for them, in fancy dress and wigs wemade for them. American taxpayers are a force to be reckonedwith; we could buy whatever we want, the sky’s the limit! It’s justthat our idea of “pie in the sky” appears to be eating at Chili’sand watching the E! channel while waiting for delayed flights.Somewhere along the way, it seems we lowered our expecta-tions.

Speaking of lower expectations, I have an idea to solve thewhole TSA “don’t touch my junk” problem. Let’s divide up allthe major airports into two categories.We’ll give half the equiv-

alent of Mexico’s security in the ‘80s (I loved hitting that big button and waiting for the greenlight – it felt like I was on a game show), and the other half can continue down the path offull resistance, i.e., Homeland Security Full Metal Jacket Orange Level Alert Stick a Bananain theTailpipeTransportation SecurityAdministration.Then let people choose for themselves:Risk your life for a cheaper fare out of Dallas, or pay more to get there safely molested by Ol’Blue Gloves in Houston.What a concept, let the people decide – definitely not what you wouldfind in a banana republic, but we’re different. We’re a corn republic.

With everything made from corn these days, it’s no wonder we’re a little foggy on thewhereabouts of our money once the government gets ahold of it.The brain needs a balanceddiet just like the body for optimum performance, and corn served up 50 different ways is stillcorn. It has the same nutrients it always had; that is, if it hasn’t been genetically modified tohave the nutrition of a piece of candy corn.

I can’t believe Washington is already trick or treating again. We haven’t even recoveredfrom the last heist and now they’re going after fundamental unions (albeit outdated andoverfed, but how else are we going to stand up to these thieves?).Today’s politicians are quitethe variety show of song and dance, and not a good one like when the Von Trapps were es-caping from the Nazis.Today, there are no Nazis, just greedy little boys and girls who appar-ently answer to no one and have no trouble sleeping at night after their dinner of glutton,lettuce & tomato sandwiches. Here’s a revised version of a “Sound of Music” song for suchover privileged sell outs:

Raindrops on rovers,and whiskers on Ritalin,pop ringing cell phones,and intellect’s a villain,brown cardboard houses tied up with string,these are a few of my favorite things …Who knows, maybe I’ll write a whole musical: The story of a naive young redhead who

can sing and dance without the stars, just trying to support her retired teacher grandmotherin the woods of Connecticut. It will be a smash hit! I can see it now, Little Red Riding HoodmeetsThe Sound of Music in 3D and set to a count-punk soundtrack. I’ll call it“Who’sAfraidof the TSA?”

Editor’s Note: In the March 3 edition,we asked readers to choose from a list ofpotential article topics on the proposedVillage at Crystal River Development. Thefollowing two letters were written in re-sponse. They refer to questions 1, 7 and12: Why does the property need to be de-veloped at all? What is the perfect projectand is it economically viable? What is“sustainable development” and would itwork for the VCR?To check out the complete list, visit so-

prissun.com or contact us at [email protected].

Village can be more creativeDear Editor:

Thanks for asking for our input con-cerning the coverage of the Village at Crys-tal River development. I would like to seesomething along the lines of options 1, 7and 12. I’m 28 years old and have lived inthe valley for five years. I’ve fallen in lovewith the Carbondale community andthe support of its citizens.This is the kind oftown where I would like to settle and havea family. Since I was in high school, I havebeen learning how to live in the dysfunc-tional, wasteful world that has been passed

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • MARCH 10, 2011

Ps & QsBy Jeannie Perry

THE SOPRIS SUN • MARCH 10, 2011 • 3

By Terray SylvesterSopris Sun Staff Writer

Carbondale, meet your new town trustee.Or rather, student town trustee.Monica Grijalva Ruiz, a junior at Roaring

Fork High School, is about to become amore familiar face around town. For the nextyear she plans to attend each regular towncouncil meeting as a student representativeto the board. She’ll weigh in during discus-sions and, perhaps most importantly, workto build bridges between the goings on attown hall, local students and the Carbondalecommunity as a whole.

“I’ve lived in this community my wholelife and I like to speak my opinion, and it re-ally feels like this will benefit me in the longrun,” said Grijalva Ruiz, who was sworn inat the trustees’ meeting on Tuesday. “I wantto connect the high school to the community... I really care about this place and I want tosee it grow, and I want to be a part of that.”

Grijalva Ruiz is concerned that localadults and high school students don’t mixwith one another as much as they should.She feels there’s a communication gap divid-ing the lives of students – whether they’reparticipating in school events or sports com-petitions, talking about the issues aroundtown or looking for community service op-

portunities – from the day-to-day awarenessof the rest of the town.

“I want the community and the highschool to be more as one,” she said.

Grijalva Ruiz also hopes to put a littlepolish on the public image of RFHS students.She feels students at the school are sometimesperceived in a negative light, partly as a resultof an assault involving local students that oc-curred in early 2009. She wants to help herpeers recast themselves as active, contribut-ing members of the community.

Mayor Stacey Bernot said she supportsany attempt to build stronger bonds betweenthe schools and the community, and shethinks a new representative on the board may

By Lynn BurtonSopris Sun Staff Writer

After a double overtime loss to Aspen onFeb. 11, Roaring Fork went on an 8-0 tearthat earned them a trip to the Class 3A boysstate basketball tournament in Fort Collinson March 10-12.

The Rams (seeded No. 7) were scheduledto face No. 15 seed Jefferson Academy at8:45 a.m. on Thursday, March 10 (after TheSopris Sun went to press). Other teams in theRams bracket were No. 3 seed Valley andNo. 27 seed Brush. The other bracket wascomprised of No. 1 seed Faith Christian, No.4 seed Machebeuf, No. 5 seed PagosaSprings and No. 9 seed Kent.

Roaring Fork would have to win theirfirst two games to reach the finals at Col-orado State University’s Moby Gym at 5:15p.m. on March 12.

Roaring Fork entered the season withtwo returning senior starters (Jake Strack-Loertscher and Dalton Handy) and juniorClay Gross. Sophomores Trae Moxley andDakotah Grett rounded out the startinglineup. Sam Carpenter and Trent Reeds sawa lot of action off the bench.

“All seven were pretty interchangeable,”said head coach Larry Williams. “Theycould all play pretty darn equally.”

The Rams finished 17-7 on the season.Williams said he went into the season

“quietly optimistic” his team could do well.Roaring Fork,Aspen and Grand Valley werebunched up as the Western Slope leagueleaders through much of the season. Afterthe loss to Aspen in February, Roaring Forkgot down to business with a win over Basalt,an overtime win against Coal Ridge then an-other overtime win against Rifle in the lastregular season game.

After the Rifle game, Roaring Fork de-

feated Olathe 64-50 to earn a post-seasonplayoff spot. Next up was No. 1 seed GrandValley in the district tournament. RoaringFork won that one 41-36 and the followingday defeated Aspen 60-55 to wrap up thedistrict title.

The following weekend at home (March4-5), the Rams defeated Bennett 65-61 inone of their seven overtime games of theyear. The win set up the Rams in a gameagainst Weld Central for a trip to state.

Weld Central was led by their hot shoot-ing senior guard J.J. Sirios, who averaged 20points a game this year.“He sinks NBA (dis-tance) three pointers,”Williams said.

Roaring Fork led by nine points goinginto the fourth quarter but Sirios took it onhimself to bring his team back, which he didby sending the game into overtime. ButSirios also fouled out with 20 seconds left inregulation play, and the Rams turned up theheat to notch an 82-72 win (their highestpoint total of the season). “Without him(Sirios) we liked our chances,”Williams said.

Both of last weekend’s games broughtout big, boisterous crowds. “Friday night,they had to turn people away,” Williamssaid. On Saturday, half of one set of bleach-ers were crammed full of students.“It was aspecial atmosphere … It meant a lot to us,”Williams said.

At this weekend’s state tournament, FaithChristian is the team to beat.“They’ve wonthe state title for the past three or fouryears,” Williams said. Faith Christian relieson a really good big man and an entire teamthat executes well.“They run a well coachedsystem,”Williams said.

Roaring Fork faced Faith Christian in aseason-opening tournament game in Glen-wood Springs and lost 53-36. “We werenine points behind starting the fourth quar-

ter and we switched defenses,” Williamssaid.“It backfired.”

For the season, Strack-Loertscher leadthe Rams with 12 points per game. He andMoxley tied with an average of eight re-bounds per game. Gross and Handy led theteam in assists, while Grett led the team inthree point scoring.

RFHS student takes a non-votingtrustee seat

STUDENT TRUSTEE page 7

Roaring Fork won the 3A regional boysbasketball tournament with an 82-72 homecourt victory over Weld County Central onMarch 5.A police escort led the Rams downMain Street and out of town on March 9,then it was on to Fort Collins for Thursday’sopening round action. Head coach LarryWilliams (right) cuts down the net after histeam’s win over Weld. Photos by JordanHirro (jordanhirro.zenfolio.com)

Month-long tear leads to state for Ram boys

By Terray SylvesterSopris Sun Staff Writer

With new representation in Congress,members of the Thompson Divide Coali-tion are working to re-tune and re-energizetheir effort to stave off gas drilling in thewatersheds west of Carbondale.

Members of the coalition’s board of di-rectors will be reaching out to small busi-nesses in the region in an attempt to drumup the sort of support that may appeal to3rd District Rep. Scott Tipton (R – Cortez),who frequently identifies himself as a smallbusiness owner and chairs a subcommitteeunder the House Committee on Small Busi-ness. Coalition members met with Tiptonstaffer Mike Hesse on Feb. 25. They arepreparing for a meeting with the congress-man himself in late April.

Tipton’s office in Washington, D.C. didnot return calls before press deadline.

Tipton’s election in November shook upthe coalition.The group had managed to se-cure the support of former 3rd District Rep.John Salazar, as well as the likely backingof Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Udall,for a draft bill that would withdraw un-leased terrain in the Thompson Divide areafrom future oil and gas auctions, while atthe same time establishing basic provisionsfor the existing leases in the area to be re-

tired, exchanged, or purchased from thecompanies that hold them. Salazar wasplanning to introduce the bill, but that op-portunity fell by the wayside when he failedto win re-election.

Now the coalition is renewing its effortsto get the bill introduced, in part by mobi-lizing its supporters in a push to fillTipton’sinbox and letter box with letters of support,said Jock Jacober, president of the coali-tion’s board of directors.

On Wednesday, the coalition held an in-formational and letter-writing event at Car-bondale Beer Works, the first in what isplanned to be a series of such gatherings atlocal coffee shops,bars and restaurants.Thecoalition is particularly interested in reach-ing out to young people in the region, manyof whom own or work for the sort of smallbusinesses – outdoor shops, ski areas, snow-mobile concessions, angling and huntingoutfitters – that may be impacted if oil andgas development spills into the west end ofthe Roaring Fork Valley, Jacober said.

“Is it better riding in and out of [gas] rigson your snowmobile?” he asked. “They’llhave to decide.”

But the coalition isn’t starting fromscratch, pointed out Dorothea Farris, an-other member of the group’s board of di-

ompson Coalition courting Tipton

TIPTON page 7

Monica Grijalva Ruiz

Do you love Red Hill? Want to be Involved?The Red Hill Council is seeking new members

1. Love Red Hill2. Positive Energy

3. Desire to Contribute

Help care for this wonderful community asset. Tell your friends!

If you are interested, send a letter of interest right away.

Forum forAvalanche quarry slatedElbram Stone, LLC, will hold an open

forum to discuss its proposal to operate analabaster quarry in the Avalanche Creekarea south of Carbondale from 6 to 8 p.m.at Carbondale Town Hall on Friday, March11. Elbram Stone has submitted an operat-ing plan to the Forest Service to mine al-abaster at its Mystic Eagle quarry (formerlyknown as the White Banks mine). The For-est Service is accepting comment on El-bram’s plan until March 18. Comments canbe sent to the U.S. Forest Service, WhiteBanks Project, c/o Skye Sieber, 0094 CR 244,Rifle, CO 81650. For more information, callthe Forest Service at 945-2521.

Envision Carbondale’s futureWhat would you like Carbondale to look

like in 20 years? What do you want to pre-serve? What needs to change? As a first stepto answer those questions, and to inform thetown of Carbondale’s ongoing effort to up-date its Comprehensive Plan, the town willhost a“vision workshop”from 6 to 8:30 p.m.on March 23 at town hall,511 ColoradoAve.Refreshments will be served.

The workshop will be an interactive,fast-paced event featuring large- and small-group discussions. Shortly afterward, plan-ners will draft a vision statement forCarbondale and will ask the community,“Did we get it right?”The vision statementwill become the foundation for the Com-prehensive Plan as the process evolves andbecomes more detailed. RPI Consulting hasbeen hired by the town to facilitate theprocess.The Comprehensive Plan is focusedon providing long-range guidance for landuse and infrastructure planning.

For up-to-date info on the comp plan,visitthe Community Governance page on car-bondalegov.org, or call RPI Consulting at(970) 382-9886.

Red Hill Council seeks membersThe Red Hill Council is seeking commu-

nity members to serve in the voluntary citizen-led group. Interested applicants should have alove of Red Hill, positive energy and a desireto contribute to enhancing this communityasset. The Red Hill Council is a private non-profit organization that works with the Bu-

reau of Land Management to plan, constructtrails, manage and maintain the 3,000-acreRed Hill area north of Carbondale.To apply,email a letter of interest to [email protected], or mail it to Red Hill Council, 0165Basalt Mountain Drive, Carbondale, CO81623; or visit redhillcouncil.org.

Info session for bridge repairA repair project on the Castle Creek

Bridge on Highway 82 is scheduled to beginon April 11. To prepare, the Colorado De-partment of Transportation will hold a pub-lic open house to discuss project details andpotential traffic impacts. The open housetakes place from 4 to 6 p.m., March 23, atthe Rio Grande Meeting Room at 455 RioGrande in Aspen. For more information callthe CDOT construction line, (970) 300-2283,

or sign up for project updates at col-oradodot.info/projects/SH82.

CMCcloses in on four-year degreesThe Colorado Commission on Higher Ed-

ucation has given preliminary authorizationto Colorado Mountain College to offer twobachelor’s degrees: a bachelor of science inbusiness administration and a bachelor ofarts in sustainability studies. The commis-sion’s authorization is pending the college re-ceiving official approval for the degrees fromthe Higher Learning Commission.

College President Dr. Stan Jensen said thepreliminary approval will allow CMC tomove forward with its planning. The collegecan’t begin enrolling students without finalapproval. Over the past 15 months the col-lege has received approvals from its board oftrustees and the Colorado Legislature.

Redistricting meetings in MarchThroughout March, the Joint Select Com-

mittee on Redistricting will be meeting tohear public input on congressional redistrict-ing. Following the 2010 Census, the legisla-ture is required to redraw the boundaries ofColorado’s congressional districts, a processknown as redistricting. The Colorado Gen-eral Assembly has appointed the 10-membercommittee to evaluate proposed maps for re-districting, to solicit public feedback on theredistricting process, and to make recom-mendations to the General Assembly on re-districting. Members of the public areencouraged to attend and may testify beforethe committee.

Three meetings have already been held onthe Front Range since Feb. 28. The meetingfor the 3rd District will be held at Mesa StateCollege in Grand Junction from 9 a.m. to 12p.m. on March 19. Other meetings will takeplace inAlamosa and Pueblo on March 12, inCastle Rock on March 14 and in Boulder onMarch 15. For more information, visit col-oradosenatenews.com/?q=redistricting.

The Weekly News Brief The Sopris Sun and the KDNK news departments teamup to discuss recent news from the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond. Catch the Briefon KDNK between 7:30 and 8 a.m. and between 5:30 and 6 p.m. on Thursdays.

Cop ShopSATURDAY Feb. 26 At 7:15 a.m. officersresponded to an unconscious man found ina car in a garage on Wheel Circle.An EMScrew arrived on the scene and performedCPR but could not revive the man.

WEDNESDAY March 2 At 10:33 p.m. aman reported a tire on his car had beenslashed at the intersection of Fourth Streetand Garfield Avenue. Later in the week, onFriday, a different man reported both thetires on his utility trailer had been slashed.The trailer was parked on Fourth Street.

FRIDAY March 4 At 12:10 a.m. policecontacted a man sleeping on the sidewalknear the intersection of Sopris Avenue andSecond Street. He said he was fine and thathe was resting on his way to a friend’shouse. The officer contacted the man’sfriend, who said the tired man could crashat his place.

FRIDAY March 4 At 2:47 p.m. a womansaid that,back in 2009, she had paid a manto repair her snowmobiles. She alleged thatthe man accepted the snowmobiles but al-legedly never returned them – and neverfixed them.

FRIDAYMarch 4At 4:57 p.m. police no-

ticed a man selling meat out of his truck atthe intersection of Fourth and Main streets.Police told him to cut it out until he obtainsa city sales tax license.

FRIDAY March 4 At 7:53 p.m. an officerarrested a man for allegedly driving drunkand speeding on Main Street.

SATURDAYMarch 5At 1:56 a.m.officersarrested a woman for allegedly drivingdrunk and speeding on Main Street.

SATURDAY March 5 At 11:01 a.m. offi-cers found a small, pink, child’s backpackon Colorado Avenue.

SATURDAYMarch 5At 1:39 p.m. an of-ficer noticed a woman sitting on the side ofthe road and crying at the intersection ofWeant Boulevard and Highway 133. Shesaid she and her husband had argued andshe was feeling depressed.The officer droveher to a friend’s house.

SATURDAYMarch 5A resident of EuclidAvenue reported that sometime between 8and 10 p.m. someone had entered herhome. She said the person didn’t take any-thing, but did leave something: a backpackwith a laptop in it.The unknown party alsoate some of her food.

The following events are drawn from incidentreports of the Carbondale Police Department.

Amy Goodman – host of the syndi-cated radio show “Democracy Now!”– spoke to a sold out crowd atKDNK’s fund-raising breakfast attown hall on March 5. Photo by JaneBachrach

News Briefs


From left, Jose Melondes, Ku’ulei Costa,Melissa Villalobos, Laura Needham,GradyBurger, ShawnTeitler and JacobWadsworth were honored as students of the monthfor March at the town trustees’ meeting on Tuesday. Photo by Terray Sylvester


Promoter inks contract on TSC gymSopris Sun Staff Report

An Aspen music promoter has signed alease on the Third Street Center gym that setsin motion ambitious plans to turn it into notonly a music venue but community eventspace as well.The official name for the spacewill be PAC3.

“My mission is to create an all purposecommunity performing arts center that willprovide a place to present music, dance, the-ater and other arts, as well as create a spacefor events,activities, conferences and fundrais-ers, while providing economic stimulus andvitality for the town of Carbondale,”said JoshBehrman,who recently signed a lease with thenon-profit Third Street Center board.

The venue’s first big attraction will befolksinger Bruce Coburn on May 29.Ticketsare on sale at carbondalearts.com.

Behrman,who books such upvalley eventsas the Snowmass Chili Pepper & Brewfest,said the PAC3 project is more than two yearsin the making. He said one of his main goalswill be to work collaboratively with organi-zations such asAspen Santa Fe Ballet and theCarbondale Council onArts and Humanities,

and other non-profits, to create an artisticcenter for the town of Carbondale.

Behrman said he will oversee the venue,the calendar of events and performances.AmyKimberly (the events director for CCAH) willoversee community outreach, working withthe Third Street Center and non-profits inscheduling and producing events.

“I have my sights set on creating a coollounge-style vibe with added amenities suchas theater style seating, state of the art light-ing, acoustical enhancements, and showcas-ing national and talented local artists,”Behrman said.

Kimberly added, “I think PAC3 is adream come true for us to have a venue likethis downvalley.”

Behrman’s other clients and events in-clude the Snowmass Balloon Festival, theSnowmass Culinary & Arts Festival, theSnowmass Summer of Free Music series andthe Palisade Bluegrass & Roots music festi-val. He is also talent buyer for the weeklybluegrass series on Aspen Mountain pre-sented by the Aspen Skiing Co., and sits on

TSC GYM page 10

Fashion extravaganza continued om page 1

Next steps:Friday night’s show begins with a dessert reception at 6 p.m., followed by the showand dance party. Tickets are: $100 for VIP, $45 for non-CCAH members and $40 forCCAH members.Saturday night’s show begins with the kids’ show at 7 p.m., followed by the adultshow at 8 p.m. Tickets are: $30 for non-CCAH members, $25 for CCAH members and$15 for students (limited).To buy tickets in advance, go to carbondalearts.com.

and modeled by dozens of local kids.Kimberly conceived the show three years

ago and the first one was a success.Last year’ssell out was such a smash, a second night wasadded this year. “Both nights are a greatchance to get dressed up, come on and havesome fun, particularly Friday night,” Kim-berly said.“You can get creative.”

In keeping with the“A World of Fashion”theme, 1960s style airline stewardesses willlead people to their seats,Kimberly said.“Thefashions are just icing on the cake.”

Handling the tunes for the first time will

be music director Rob Mockley, a former DJfrom Austin, Texas. Halcyon Productions isin charge of lighting. Mark Burrows is han-dling projections. Frankie Grundler is stagemanager.Vickie Browne is wardrobe mistress.Hamilton Pevec did the opening video andthe poster art was created by Sheri Gaynorand Creative Spark Studio. Kimberly was as-sisted by Katrina Byars and Ellie Davis.

To round out the weekend, CCAH is pre-senting a trunk show featuring many of thefashion show designers at the Third StreetCenter from noon to 5 p.m.on March 12-13.


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Scuttlebutt Send your scuttlebutt to [email protected].

“Balancing Bill” wins itMichael Lindsay’s sculpture, entitled

“Balancing Bill,” was voted People’s Choicewinner in the 2011 Valley Visual Arts Show.

Lindsay, from Carbondale, has workedas a metal artist and craftsman for morethan 20 years. He has studied sculpture,blacksmithing and bronze casting,“refininghis skills in a style that is uniquely his own,”according to a Carbondale Council on Artsand Humanities press release.“His talent fordesign and artistic finish produces custommetal work that is creative, intricate, anddurable.” Congrats to Bill.

Mystery aircraft returnsThe mystery aircraft that has been spot-

ted lumbering up and down the RoaringFork and Crystal river valleys at low altitudeoff and on for more than 10 years has beenspotted again.This time, a Crystal Valley res-ident reports the jet flew in front of MountSopris then banked as if to head upvalley to-ward Aspen on Feb. 28, or March 1 or 2.

Some theorize the big aircraft is a mili-tary jet and uses the Roaring Fork and Crys-tal River valleys for training missions. TheCrystal River man who saw the jet jokedthat Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafimight have been inside, searching for a newplace to live. If that’s the case, here’s a cluefor Muammar: the Marble InternationalAirport will need a bigger windsock if youwant to touch down up there.

Gas prices shoot upAs of Monday morning, gasoline prices

had shot up at least 20 cents in the past twoweeks to $3.59 a gallon (unleaded regular) atthree of Carbondale’s four outlets. All threeof the $3.59 gas outlets are located on theeast side of Highway 133, while the fourth(7/Eleven) is on the west side of the highway.Do you think there’s any connection?

Watch out for deerIt’s early March so deer are nibbling

green grass chutes along roads and high-ways. In fact, three deer were spotted Mon-day at high noon chowing down alongHighway 133 just north of Triangle Park.

Bluebirds spottedIn yet another indication that spring

isn’t far away, several bluebirds were seenflitting around up Prince Creek Road onSaturday and a few others just east of townon County Road 100 on Sunday.

Good grubThe Sopris Sun’s Man About Town has

added the hotdogs at Carbondale BeerWorks to his list of preferred foods, whichincludes: the seasoned French fries at thePour House, Peppino's pizza, cheese cakeat Russets, tiramisu at Hestia, turkey sand-wich at Grana and chili at the Third StreetCafé.

Bumper sticker talkA couple of broken down old skiers

were comparing their aches at the RedRock Diner the other day when an out-of-shape old slug sauntered up and suggested

a bumper sticker for his lethargic ilkwould say, “Couch potatoes live longer.”To which one of the skiers replied, “Andmore comfortably, too.”

Happy birthdayBirthday greetings to out to Ann Harris

(March 10), John Nieslanik (March 15)and Brian Kelso (March 16).

Six of the seven artistsin the current CCAHshow “Untamed andReclaimed” were onhand to discuss theirwork during anopening reception atthe Third Street Centeron March 4. In theback row, left to right:Susan Obermeyer-Strauss, Janet Nelson,Gena Hawkins andWewer Keohane. Infront, left to right:Terry Muldoon andLinda Drake. Notpictured is KathyHonea. The showcontinues throughMarch 28 in CCAH’sR2 Gallery. Photo byJane Bachrach

help breathe some new life into the weeklyproceedings at town hall.

“It’s definitely a win-win. It gives us somefresh youthful perspective on our board,”saidBernot, who will act as a mentor for GrijalvaRuiz. “[RFHS students] are very proud oftheir community and proud of their schooland proud of themselves and they want toshare that … I think it will be a good educa-tional piece for our board as well, sometimeswe get so stuck in our working relationships.”

Grijalva Ruiz won’t be the first studentrepresentative to join the town council. Untilthe program faltered about seven years agoother young adults had served as studenttrustees as well, Bernot said.The idea was re-vived last year by Jake Strack-Loerstcher,Sonia Cortez, Jordan Hirro and Jessie Stokan,a group of students in Ben Bohmfalk’s junior-year Fundamentals of American Democracycourse at RFHS. It became a reality this yearwith the help of the local non-profit organi-

zation YouthZone and Project Titans, aYouthZone program that places teens on theboards of local organizations as a learning ex-perience and a way for students to dip theirtoes into civic engagement.

Since she wasn’t elected, Grijalva Ruizwon’t cast any votes during her tenure withthe trustees. She was chosen from a pool ofthree RFHS applicants to Project Titans.Theother two applicants will potentially takeseats with the town Environmental Boardand the Mt. Sopris Historical Society Board.

Student trustee continued om page 3

rectors. Over the last two years, about 2,000people have signed petitions circulated by thecoalition, she said. The coalition has also re-ceived endorsements from Garfield, Gunni-son and Pitkin counties, as well as the townsof Carbondale,Glenwood Springs,Basalt andAspen and groups such as the Crystal ValleyEnvironmental Protection Association, theNorth Thompson Cattlemen’s Associationand various recreation groups.

The coalition has not yet been able to holdsubstantive discussions with decision makersfrom the major leaseholders in theThompsonDivideArea, including SG Interests,GunnisonEnergy,and Encana,Farris said.She hopes thebill, which would establish a 180-day com-ment period for leaseholders,would bring thedrilling companies to the negotiating table.

“We can’t provide that leverage, that hasto come from the feds,” she said.

The Thompson Divide Coalition’s focusarea encompasses roughly 220,000 acresstretching past Sunlight Mountain Resort and

East Divide Creek in the north to the MuddyCreek watershed near McClure Pass in thesouth. According to the coalition’s research,about half of that terrain has already beenleased in 73 different parcels.

Currently, the coalition is also working on“interim defense,” to ensure the landscape isworth protecting if and when legislation is en-acted. A number of leases in the area were is-sued in 2001 and 2003 and are approachingthe end of their 10-year terms, said Peter Hart,an attorney for the coalition. Unless lease-holders begin to develop on their leases (es-sentially by drilling a well) the leases will lapse.

“A lot of these leases are getting towardthe end of their terms,which means the threatof activity is getting higher,” Hart said.

Hart said he is keeping an eye on the ad-ministrative review process and opportunitiesfor public comment as leaseholders file for per-mits to drill. Hart said he is aware of only onecompany that has recently moved to renew alease: At the end of last summer SG Interests

filed for a permit to drill on a 200-acre leaseon the west side of Huntsman’s Ridge not farfrom McClure Pass. According to Hart, thatapplication has not yet been approved.

In other news, the coalition’s nine-mem-ber board of directors is considering hiring anew executive director, although that movewould require a renewed fundraising push.The coalition has been operating with justenough funds to pay one half-time staff per-son since its previous director left last spring.

Next steps:The Thompson Divide Coalition islaunching a renewed outreach drive todrum up support for its mission to preventfurther oil and gas development in the hillswest of Carbondale. For more information,contact Laurie Stevens at (970) 355-4223or [email protected], or visitsavethompsondivide.org. Stevens also en-courages the public to stop by the coali-tion’s office at 711 Main Street, Carbondale.

Tipton continued om page 3


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Sunday, March 13, 10 a.m. ServiceBridges High School, Carbondale

(former middle school)

"The Kindness of Strangers:A Performance Meditation"

FeaturingThunder River Theatre Company’s Valerie Haugen, Lon Winston

Musician Jimmy ByrneGretchen Haley, Dramaturg and Unitarian Universalist Minister

Sooner or later, we all come to realize that to be human is torely on others. We are all, always, depending on

"the kindness of strangers."

Kerston Wilson and Shawna Brownsit in on a class at Aloha MountainCyclery's Wahine Bike MaintenanceSeries held everyWednesday throughMarch 23. Aloha owners DarrenBroome and Nic Degross offer theclass to help female cyclists gain skillsin basic bike repair. For details, call963-2500. Photo by Trina Ortega

New Spring Classes Begin April 11th! Singing ~ Dancing ~ Rhythms & Rhymes ~ Instruments

Music learning supports all learning. Join other Parentsand Young Children for weekly music & movement classes.

Research-based, developmentally appropriate. Supportsall styles of learners in growing musical, physical,

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Spring Term April 11 to June 3Enrolling now for classes in Carbondale

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THURSDAYMarch 10BOOK DISCUSSION • A discussion of thebook, “The Death and Life of the GreatAmerican School System,”by Diane Ravitchtakes place at Gordon Cooper Library at 6p.m. Books are available through the library.Info: Bonnie Cretti a [email protected].

CRYSTAL CAUCUS MEETS • PitkinCounty’s Crystal River Caucus meets at theChurch at Redstone at 7 p.m.Agenda itemsinclude a discussion on Wild and Scenic des-ignation for the Crystal River and a presen-tation by Skye Siebert of the Forest Serviceon the White Banks Mine application.A ca-sual information session starts at 6 p.m.

NPR GUY SPEAKS • Aspen’s KAJX pres-ents National Public Radio’s JasonBeaubien at the Third Street Center at 6p.m. Tickets are $10. Info: 920-9000.

RFOV ORIENTATION • Roaring ForkOutdoor Volunteers holds an orientationmeeting for people wanting to get involvedwith the organization at the Basalt libraryfrom 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. A light dinner willbe served. Info: 927-8241.

THURS.-SAT.March 10-12THEATRE • The Thunder River TheatreCompany concludes its production of Ten-nessee Williams’s “A Streetcar Named De-sire” March 10-12. Curtain time is 7:30p.m. Ticket info: 963-8200 or thunder-rivertheatre.com. The theatre is located be-tween Main Street and Colorado Avenue indowntown Carbondale.

FRI.-SAT.March 11-12GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK• The Carbondale Council onArts and Humanities presentsits third annual Green is theNew Black fashion extrava-ganza at the CarbondaleRecreation Center. Ticketprices are as follows:March 11, VIP $100;general admission, $40for CCAH members/$45for non-members;March 12, general ad-mission $30 non-mem-bers/$25 members,$15 students (limited).A dance party followsFriday night’s show.This year’s theme is “AWorld of Fashion”featuring fashionscreated with recycledand sustainable ma-terials showcasingIndia, Africa, France,Mexico and other countries.Info: carbondalearts.com.

FRIDAYMarch 11MOVIES • The Crystal Theatre presents“The Fighter” (R) at 7:30 p.m. March 11-17 and “127 Hours” (R) at 5:30 p.m.March 12-13.

LIVE MUSIC • Steve’s Guitars, located in

the old part of the DinkelBuilding, presents livemusic every Friday nightInfo: 963-3304.

LIVEMUSIC • Carnahan’s inthe Dinkel Building presentsStimulus Package at 10 p.m.

LIVEMUSIC • Defiance String-band plays Aspen’s LimelightLodge lobby every Friday from4:30 to 7:30 p.m. The band fea-tures Don and April Paine, DonKaufman and John Sommers.Info: 925-3025.

FINANCIAL SEMINAR •Dave Weimer, an EdwardJones financial advisor,hosts a Social Security andfinance seminar at Car-bondale Town Hall. Hewill be joined by a So-cial Security adminis-trator. Info: 963-4513.

CMS ART • CarbondaleMiddle School art students are

included in the Valley Kids Exhibitat the Glenwood Springs Center for

the Arts through April 11.

AFTER HOURS • The Glenwood SpringsChamber Resort Association hosts an afterhours session at W.J. Bradley Mortgage (214Eighth Street) at 5 p.m. Info: 945-6589.

MEETANDGREET • Roaring Fork ValleyEnvironmental Education holds a meet and

greet at Blue Bird Café (730 GrandAve.,Glen-wood Springs) from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Or-ganizations taking part include the AspenCenter for Environmental Studies, Solar En-ergy International and others. Info: 510-0697.

S.A.W. SHOW • S.A.W. presents new sculp-ture by Bayard Hollins starting tonight at 5p.m. He’s a painter, sculptor and currentS.A.W. studio/Carbondale Clay Centerartist. S.A.W. is located at 978 Euclid Ave.Info: 963-0201 or bayardhollins.com.

SAT.-SUN. March 12-13TRUNK SHOW • The Carbondale Coun-cil on Arts and Humanities holds a trunkshow featuring sustainable fashion fromnoon to 5 p.m. in the Third Street Center’sRound Room. Some Third Street Centerstudios will also be open. Info: carbon-dalearts.com.

SATURDAYMarch 12LIVE MUSIC • Carnahan’s in the DinkelBuilding presents Trunk at 10 p.m.

SUN.-WED. March 13-16FASHION WEEK • The third annualAspen Fashion Week takes place at numer-ous venues around town.Attendees includeLauren Bush.

SUNDAYMarch 13LIVE MUSIC • Steve’s Guitars in the oldpart of the Dinkel Building presents theTony Furtado Trio. Info: 963-3340.

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.

CALENDAR page 9

Community Calendar from page 10

ACTCOURSE • Carolyn Williams of Col-orado Educational Consulting presents anACT prep course through April 7. Info:274-6298.

MONDAYMarch 14JAM • Carbondale Beer Works hosts an ac-oustic jam session every other Monday night.

TUESDAYMarch 15JAZZ • Steve’s Guitars presents jazz from7 to 9 p.m. the first and third Tuesday ofthe month. Info: 963-3340.

BLOOD DRIVE • Valley View Hospital inGlenwood Springs holds its monthly blooddrives from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the third

Tuesday of the month. Info: 384-6657.

BOOK CLUB • The Senior Matters bookclubs meets the third Tuesday of the monthat the Third Street Center from 11 a.m. to1:30 p.m. Info: 945-7094.

WEDNESDAYMarch 16LIVEMUSIC • White House Pizza on Car-bondale’s Main Street presents Steve Frish(bluegrass) from 7 to 10 p.m.

SENIORMATTERS • The Senior Mattersboard meets at the Third Street Center thethird Wednesday of the month from 8:30to 10:30 a.m. Anyone wishing to attend orto become a board member is invited. Info:


Further OutMarch 17ST. PAT’S DINNER • American LegionPost 100 holds a St. Patrick’s Day dinner at5 p.m. Tickets are $8 and the menu in-cludes corned beef and cabbage.The Amer-ican Legion is located 97 N. Third St. andthe public is invited. Info: 963-2381.

March 19THE INFAMOUS STRING DUSTERS •The Carbondale Council on Arts and Hu-manities presents The Infamous String-dusters at the Church at Carbondale (110Snowmass Dr.) at 8 p.m. Advance ticketsare $20 for CCAH members and $18 for

non-members, and $25 at the door. Theopening act is The Tippets. Tickets areavailable at Dos Gringos, Glenwood Musicand CCAH. Info: carbondalearts.com.

FULL MOON FEAST • The WaldorfSchool on the Roaring Fork hosts its FullMoon Feast at the Third Street Center from4:30 to 9 p.m. The event will feature or-ganic and biodynamic Colorado-grownfood and spirits.Tickets are $25 for the auc-tion/wine tasting/appetizers only, and $75for the entire evening. Dinner will be pre-pared by Mark Fischer (of Six89, Phat Thaiand the Pullman). Music will be providedby Acoustic Mayhem. Info: 963-1960.

OngoingCASTLE TOURS • The historic RedstoneCastle (aka Cleveholm Manor) is open forguided tours Saturdays and Sundays. Info:963-9656.

WOMEN’S BIKE CLASSES • AlohaMountain Cyclery offers a women’s bikemaintenance clinic from 6 to 7:30 p.m. everyWednesday through March 23. Wine andsnacks are served. Info: Shawna Brown at(970) 319-0538.

MAYOR’S COFFEE HOUR • Chat withCarbondale Mayor Stacey Bernot on Tues-days from 7 to 8 a.m. at the Village Smithy,located at 26 S. Third St.

VAUDEVILLE • The Glenwood VaudevilleRevue presents its winter show at 901 Col-orado Ave. through April 23.Tickets are $22for adults and $16 for kids. Info: 945-9699and gvrshow.com.

NOONE SHOWCONTINUES • The Col-orado Mountain College Gallery in down-town Glenwood Springs presents a show bypainter Mary Noone through March 23.

BRIDGE • Senior Matters in the ThirdStreet Center offers bridge every Wednesday.Info: 945-7094.

ZINGERS SING • The Zingers singinggroup gets together at the Third Street Cen-ter every Thursday from 2 to 3 p.m. Info:945-7094.

ACOUSTIC CARNAHANS • Singer/song-writer T Ray Becker hosts an acoustic musicnight with new musicians every week from7 to 9 p.m.Thursdays at Carnahan’s Tavern.

Info: 963-4498.

OPEN MIC • Dan Sadowsky hosts openmic sessions at the Limelight Lodge in Aspenfrom 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Sunday. Info:925-3025.

OPEN MIC • Jammin’ Jim hosts open micnights at Rivers restaurant in GlenwoodSprings from 8 to 10 p.m. every Wednesday.Tacos are a buck.

HISTORIC TOURS • The Aspen Histori-cal Society offers free historic ski tours ofAspen Mountain Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1p.m. (a lift ticket and intermediate skiingability is required). Meet at the informationkiosk on top of the mountain. Info: 925-3721.

MUSEUM EXHIBIT • The Aspen Histor-ical Society’s “Out of Your Mind, Body andSpirit: Voices of Aspen, 1975” continues atthe Wheeler/Stallard Museum in Aspen.Thehours are 1 to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sat-urday. Info: 925-3721.

STORY TIME • The Gordon Cooper Li-brary presents lap-sit story time Fridays at11 a.m. It’s for parents, caregivers and kids2 and under. Info: 963-2889.

GROUP RUN • Independence Run andHike at 995 Cowen Drive leads group runsSaturdays at 8:15 a.m. rain or shine. Info:704-0909.

AL-ANON MEETS • Al-Anon for friendsand families of alcoholics meets at theChurch at Carbondale Tuesdays at 7 p.m.Info: 963-3514.

Spring CreekLand & WaterscapesWith Spring just around the corner

it’s time to start thinking about gettingthose spring start-ups scheduled,

be sure to get your Sprinkler Systems& Waterfeatures up and running

for that first spring BBQ!

Call Mitch at 379-6488for ALL your landscaping needs,We do it all, so you don’t have to!

0022 Mesa Ave. ¥ Carbondale, CO 81623(970) 379-6488

Sopris Sun Staff ReportLocal climbers did the Roaring Fork Val-

ley proud during the state high school climb-ing championships at the City Rock ClimbingCenter in Colorado Springs on the last week-end of February. Twenty-five teams turnedout for a three-hour competition full of falls,sore fingers and super-pumped forearms.Competitors racked up points based on thedifficulty of the routes they completed, withfinal scores resulting from a tally of eachclimber’s best performances on boulderingand roped climbing routes.

Colorado Rocky Mountain Schoolbrought its A-game to the Front Range. TheOyster girls took second place title, and theboys took fifth place overall.For the girls,Sen-ior Maria Mork of Carbondale climbed to aninth place finish, a great result to cap off herhigh school climbing career and a strongshowing after a broken arm forced her to misslast year’s state finals. Supporting her effortswere Mollie Podmore of Glenwood Springs

in 10th place, Giuliana Sheldon of Seattle in17th, Kim Clary of Basalt in 21st and TorreySanson of Carbondale in 26th. SophomoreLea Linse, from Carbondale, won the girls’junior varsity competition handily.

The Oyster boys met fierce competition,but they earned their place in the top five withsome great performances. Senior and teamcaptain Tobin Sanson of Carbondale took13th, and sophomore Sammy Martin, fromthe Caribbean island of Antigua, finishedright on Tobin’s heels in 15th. Rounding outthe team was Mason Cazedessus of CostaRica in 35th.

A fledgling Glenwood Demons climbingsquad held their own on their first trip to thechampionships, although they did not qualifyenough climbers for a full team score. JuniorJessica Gerstner finished in 11th place andsophomore Jenna Pearce took 14th. With alittle more experience under their belts and afull team at the championships, the Demons’will likely become strong contenders.

Community Briefs


Enjoy Spring in the North Fork Valley

with a 20% discount on a stay of two or more nights at the

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Look for couponon back of bumper sticker for

Buy any regular sandwich and 32 oz. drink andGET A 2ND SANDWICH FOR FREE

of equal or lesser valueOffer good at any Subway location in the Roaring Fork Valley

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To win, follow instructions carefully:1. Choose a location for the sticker on the rear

window of your vehicle where it can be easilyseen so that our mobile sticker spotters canregister your license number.

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This is a Sopris Sunwindow sticker.Available at fine business establishments

throughout Carbondale

CRES kindergarten info nightCrystal River Elementary School will hold

an information night for parents of next year’skindergarteners from 6 to 7 p.m. on April 7.

Registration for kindergarten at CrystalRiver Elementary School is slated for April12 from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Parents shouldbring their child’s birth certificate, immu-nization card and deposit for full timekindergarten.

For details, go to rfsd.org.

Baseball registration under wayThe Carbondale Recreation Department

is accepting registrations for coach pitch(ages 7-8 years), youth baseball (boys ages9-15) and softball (girls ages 8-15). Regis-tration deadline is April 22, but the depart-ment advises players to sign up early tosecure a spot. Player practice and gameschedules will be available May 6 online.Practices will start the week of May 16,games will begin in June, and the tourna-ment will conclude by the third week inJuly. The fee is $80. All contact will be viaemail. For more information, call the Car-bondale Recreation and Community Cen-ter at 704-4190.

Creative Spark offers art classesCreative Spark Studio and Rochelle Nor-

wood offer spring break art classes March 28-30.The classes are offered on a sliding scale of$30 to $60. For details, call 948-0263.

CMCplanning Edwards art festivalColorado Mountain College is accepting

applications for its first annual Art in theRockies festival, to be held July 9-10 in Ed-wards. For details, call 443-783-3959 or e-mail [email protected] vendorapplication deadline is March 30.

The Vail Valley Arts Council is co-pro-

ducing the festival. Events and attractions in-clude booths,demonstrations, food and silentart auction.

PitCo seeks board membersPitkin County is seeking volunteers for the

following citizens boards: animal shelterboard,board of adjustment, board of appeal,broadcast services, conflict of interest, finan-cial advisory board, open space and trails(district 5), planning and zoning, RedstoneHistorical Preservation and Senior Services.Pitkin County asks that applicants apply online by April 4.

High school climbers rope instrong scores at state competition

The Colorado Rocky Mountain School girls team took second place at the recent statehigh school climbing championships in Colorado Springs. Courtesy photo

TSC gym continued om page 5the Wheeler Associates board.

Kimberly said she and Behrman will alsowork with community groups and non-prof-its to help them produce fund-raising eventsand put together gatherings.

Behrman said PAC3 will hold 360 audi-ence members for seated concerts and 540for general admission events.

The Third Street Center, located at 520 N.Third St., is the former Carbondale Elemen-tary School, built in 1969. In a land swap be-tween the town of Carbondale, the Re-1

School District and Carbondale Council onArts and Humanities, the town took owner-ship of the building in 2008. The town thenleased the building to the non-profit ThirdStreet Center, which upgraded the facilityand rented spaces to other non-profits and ahandful of for-profit businesses.

Converting the old gym into a publicspace is one of the Third Street Center’s lastmajor remodeling projects.The center is stillexploring options for the school’s oldkitchen space.


J.FROST

MERRIOTTCertified Public Accountant

Office 970-704-1101

Fax 970-704-9101

Email [email protected]

Web frostycpa.com

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FURNITURE, CUPBOARDS, DISHES,rugs, skis, lanterns, and much, muchmore… Friday & Saturday March 11 & 12from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. 88 Cedar St., Carbon-dale (Satank) Turn on Dolores (Ajax Bike& Sport) take a right on Sopris Ave. andfollow the signs.

LOOKING TO MOVE TO PAONIA/HOTCHKISS? I am looking to trade myhome on 16 acres, with fruit trees, killerviews, garden, etc. for a home in Carbon-dale. Please call me at (970) 366-6000 Bro-ker/Owner.

NEED SUPPORT with constant contact,facebook, fliers, and website ehance-ments. Contact [email protected] ifinterested in equitable trade for yoga.

HELP WANTED: The Sopris Sun seeks vol-unteer columnists. Support your community

newspaper and make your voice heard! Call(970) 510-3003 or email [email protected].

GET THE WORD OUT IN UNCLASSI-FIEDS! Rates start at $15. Email [email protected].

Unclassifieds Submit to [email protected] by Monday 12 p.m. Rates: $15 for 30 words, $20 for up to 50 words. Payment due before publication.*

*Credit card payment information should be emailed to [email protected] or call 948-6563. Checks may be dropped off at our office at the Third Street Center or mailed toP.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623. Call 618-9112 for more info.

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Letters continued om page 2

ipated in our seventh birthday benefit lastmonth. With your help we raised $1,050 forseven nonprofit organizations over the courseof seven nights. Russets also gave away $350in prize money.We feel lucky to live in and besupported by such a giving community. Weare grateful to have this kind of opportunityto give back and benefit our valued area non-profit organizations. Although the proceedsmay seem humble to some,we are aware thatthese are difficult times for many and budg-ets are tight. For this reason we have a deepappreciation for your continued patronage ofRussets. We hope to continue to serve thecommunity for years to come!

Sue Van HortonRussets restaurant

A theatrical treasureDear Editor:

We are so lucky to have a theatrical treas-ure in our valley – Thunder River TheaterCompany. After seeing the riveting perform-ance of “A Street Car Named Desire” thispast Saturday, I am totally convinced thatlocal repertory theater of the highest qualityis alive and thriving. The audience was filledto capacity with many people from up anddown the entire valley from Aspen to Glen-wood. If you haven’t seen this production,don’t miss out – it’s on for one more week-end.

Having attended many performance overrecent years, I marvel how founder andArtis-tic Director LonWinston andAssociateArtis-tic Director Valerie Haugen are continuallyable to provide amazing, spellbinding pro-ductions, and in the theater that they and somany generous donors built from the ground

up. Hats off also to all of the hard-workingboard members and volunteers for their com-mitment.

The sets are marvelous, the plays topnotch and the actors professional, well-di-rected and so passionate about the roles theyplay.

Carbondale is so well situated in the mid-valley – and certainly much closer than NewYork City or Denver or Chicago.

Enjoy!Roberta McGowanMissouri Heights

Tipton hypocritical on CPB fundingDear Editor:

I recently received a response from Rep.Scott Tipton (R-Colo.) addressing my con-cerns for the proposed elimination of fund-ing for public broadcasting. In it,he notes thathe believes public broadcasting“is capable offunding itself through private resources.” Al-though I respect the difficult task we face ingetting the federal budget under control, Ifind the rationale he gives for the eliminationof funding for public broadcasting to be in-dicative of what seems to be a blindingly nar-row partisan perspective towards the currentbudget debate.

To assert that the grossly disproportionateproposed funding cuts to education, health,environmental protection, child and familywelfare and, as in this case, public broadcast-ing are being done out of a sense of fiscal re-sponsibility is rich in hypocrisy. In recentlegislative activity, Rep. Tipton in fact votedagainst considering a motion to amend H.J.Res. 44 that would have cut the substantialtax subsidies for major oil companies and po-

tentially added over $45 billion to the federalbudget over the next 10 years. Such a notionhas recently been supported by the likes ofSen.Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), former Shell Oil CEOJohn Hoffmeister, and at one time even byformer President George W. Bush, all assert-ing that in times of high oil prices, subsidiesprovide little, if any, additional incentive forexploration and development. Combinedwith forward-looking cuts and stimulusstrategies, such measures may go much fur-ther to enhance the region’s long-term eco-nomic health than the reactionary tacticsbeing seen in the current legislative arena. If itis Tipton’s rationale that a sector does notneed public support when it is capable of sus-

taining itself through private resources, it verywell deserves to be directed at entities otherthan those seemingly contrary to his ideolog-ical views.

The concern surrounding eliminatingfunding for the Corporation for PublicBroadcasting seems, again, to be indicative ofa reactionary and, in some cases, even ret-ributive approach to governing seen in thecurrent political arena. It is with respect thatI hope that any discontentment around thecurrent budget debate can be directed to pressMr. Tipton to be more inclusive and prudentin his public service.

Peter PiersonCarbondale

Here’s something you don’t see much anymore — a vintage Volkswagen Bugdusted with snow. Carbondale still gets plenty of snow, but VW Bugs (a 1960s-70s hippie fave) are now a relic. This scene was captured on 10th Street. Photoby Terray Sylvester


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By Sue GraySpecial to The Sopris Sun

Editor’s Note: Last summer, Sopris Sun con-tributor Sue Gray set off with her husband,Bruce, on a bicycle adventure that may endup taking them around the country. In mid-January, when we received their last dis-patch, they were in Messilla, New Mexico,riding past pecan orchards and blue heronson the banks of the Rio Grande. Nowthey’re exploring the Gulf Coast.

Every time we journey across America bybicycle, my husband and I learn so muchmore about the tapestry of cultures thatmake up this grand country. As we passslowly through communities, stopping to eatin family run cafes and shopping at the cor-ner grocery, we take the opportunity to readlocal newspapers, bulletin boards and signs.Finding out about upcoming social events,festivals, and musical performances gives usa glimpse at the particular interests and con-cerns of the area’s inhabitants.

Hearing unique dialects and regional ex-pressions makes me realize how much myperceptions were formed by movies and TVshows I watched as a kid growing up on theWest Coast. Long before I ever heard some-one from the deep South, I heard an actormimicking someone from the deep South.It’s not quite the same, as Bruce and I foundout while traveling through Louisiana, Mis-sissippi and Alabama.

The South is rich with a history of bat-tles, conquests, takeovers, handovers, for-

tune seekers and refugees, which has pro-duced an astounding variety of culturesunique to the region. In southwesternLouisiana we met Cajuns, descendents of theFrench Acadian people who were expelledfrom eastern Canada by the British between1755 and 1763. This small refugee popula-tion carved a niche for themselves in thesouthern bayous, and to this day the Cajuncommunity retains their distinctive cultureand peculiar dialect.

In New Orleans we stayed with relativesof our daughter-in-law, a Vietnamese familywho came here as war refugees in the late1970s. Kim’s family were merchants andrestaurateurs, but many Vietnamese werefarmers and fishermen and those who set-tled on the Gulf Coast found it a good placeto pursue their former careers.Today there’sa thriving Southeast Asian community inand around New Orleans, adding a delight-ful dimension to an area already known forits vibrant blend of cultures.

The southern sates are collectively calledthe Bible Belt because of a large concentra-tion of Christians. Every Sunday morning,the roads are empty and quiet as believersfill the churches. After service, groups ofchurchgoers gather in local cafés to eat andsocialize. In Lafayette, La., we visited theCathedral of St. John the Baptist, establishedin 1821 as the Catholic center of the Cajuns.In every little town in Mississippi we sawBaptist churches, some with names reflect-ing the plantation origins of their freed slavefounders. In Alabama we stayed at a United

Methodist Church whose minister told usabout the roots of the Methodist faith andtheir tenet of helping those in need. As weride by churches of all denominations, weenjoy reading the uplifting and noble senti-ments expressed on marquees in front.Many times these messages seem meant forus bicycle travelers, as in,“Without strugglethere is no progress.”

Music is also an important expression ofvarious southern cultures. Cajuns have theirown particular style characterized by the ac-cordion. Dixieland jazz was born here, sowas gospel and folk rock. In Alabama wespent three days at a Pickin’ Party, a gather-ing of musicians playing various string in-

struments, and we visited the bayou bar thatwas the inspiration for Jimmy Buffet’s song,“Cheeseburger in Paradise.”

Bicycle travel puts us in a position of ac-cessibility that makes people open up andshare their lives with us for a brief moment,an hour, a day or more. From them we learnabout the myriad ways people live in Amer-ica. Through it all we recognize our com-mon dreams regarding family, friends, food,fun, music and community. It’s made us re-alize that we’re not a society of strangers;we’re a nation of neighbors.

For more on the Gray’s adventures, visitcrazyguyonabike.com/doc/nomads.

Carbondalians Bruce and Sue Gray received some warm hospitality at the MethodistChurch in Grand Bay, Alabama. Photo Courtesy of Grand Bay Methodist Church

Day 169: Cycling through a nation of neighbors

March 10, 2011

Documents

Transcript of March 10, 2011