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From a Letter to the Editor by Stephen LeFavier,
"Dear Nederland Residents,

As you may know, TEENS, Inc. is proposing to build an early childhood education/care center (ECE) in Nederland on town-owned property (750 W. 5th St.). This vacant lot, located in the Dyer’s neighborhood 150 feet from the fire station, is known as the Old Town Shop Site because up until the mid-2000’s it served as the shop for the public works department. This site is build-ready and offers the most affordable and efficient way to complete this project and enable TEENS, Inc. to offer subsidized care and competitive wages for staff.

On February 20, the Nederland Board of Trustees will be voting on whether or not to approve the special review use application from TEENS, Inc. If approved, TEENS, Inc. and the town will work to solidify a lease for 99 years at a $1 / year allowing TEENS, Inc. to build a facility that will triple the amount of year-round care for children under the age of 5 in our community. Today, year-round care options are limited to 20 slots for children 2.5 to 5 years old, with no licensed infant care. While childcare is a pressing issue for families with children, this is not a parent problem. Lack of childcare affects the workforce, k-12 school enrollment, the demographic makeup of the community, and the local economy more broadly. This is a big decision for our elected officials to make and I hope that you will lend your voice to help inform their decisions by submitting letters expressing your opinion to the Board of Trustees."

Located just outside the city limits of Black Hawk, at 5320 Highway 119, Blackhawk Pizza is making a name for itself as a delightful dining destination. Next to the Coyote Motel West, in a small plaza that also houses a dispensary and a liquor store, this new pizzeria is already generating buzz among locals and tourists alike.

Recently verified on Google and boasting a new, permanent sign, Blackhawk Pizza hopes to attract more tourist traffic. The business has so far thrived on local interest and word-of-mouth recommendations.

Samantha Waite, the granddaughter of owner Mike Estes, and her partner, Tyler Smith, run the establishment, creating a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

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Vocalist Chris Fogler moved to Colorado when the COVID-19 pandemic started, and he had many friends in the area. One of these friend’s partners lived with guitarist Dan Thurnhoffer, and Thurnhoffer, Fogler, and their mutual friend made a point to get together and play music every week. Ultimately, they formed the group Sycamore Porch Pickers, with the mutual friend eventually dropping out and being replaced by bass player Dave Keller. Fogler also played guitar and mandolin, and Thurnhoffer also contributed to vocals.

The group felt like their name didn’t fit with their sound, which covers the gambit of rock-and-roll, blues, and jazz, but not bluegrass, which they felt their name was reminiscent of. They took the first part of their new name from their guitarist’s truck Goldie, and they took their second name from feeling ground down from life and music, and thus, Goldie and the Grindstones was born.

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At around the age of eight years old, Will Whalen started playing around on his grandma’s upright organ and found that he really enjoyed it. Eventually, his family got him a plastic keyboard, which he would play on for hours. He learned how to play some of his favorite songs by ear, including music from video game soundtracks and contemporary radio-play songs. Whalen moved to Grand Junction in 2009, where he picked up an acoustic guitar for the first time. From there, he started doing open mics and eventually getting longer gigs. He finished getting his bachelor’s degree in writing in college and then continued pursuing a music career.

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Today, we talk with Kelsey Simpkins of the Regional Air Quality Council about how you can help moderate ground-level ozone levels and improve the air quality in your community! For more information, text “BetterAirCO” to 21000 to sign up for ozone alerts and be sure to head to SimpleStepsBetterAir.org.

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Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected]

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected]

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected]

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Guitarist and songwriter Noah Gose started playing piano with his siblings at a young age, and he was the only sibling who gravitated toward music. He taught himself how to play guitar after finding his father’s guitar under a bed. He has a wide-ranging musical taste, listening to artists from John Prine to Radiohead and Weezer. Violin player Chloe Gose grew up with a musical mother and brother, the latter of whom inspired her to start playing her instrument of choice for the first time. Bass player Andrew Vaggalis didn’t learn how to play his first instrument until he was 14, as he was primarily into sports before picking up a guitar.

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Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected]

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected]

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected]

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James Moors and Kort McCumber first met each other in Lyons, Colorado, at the Rocky Mountain Folk Fest in 2005. Both of them were touring solo at the time, but as their friendship developed, so did their camaraderie as a duo. When McCumber didn’t have any gigs, he would play mandolin and sing harmony with Moors, and the duo grew organically from there. Their first self-titled album came out in 2009, and the record gave them an excuse to move on from their solo careers and stick together as a duo. McCumbers would describe their music “under the umbrella of Americana” along with singer-songwriter and folk music.

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Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected]

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected]

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected]

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Head to our website for all of the latest news.

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As described on KGNU: The 4th of July Barn dance is "7 hours of music including Rapidgrass; a special ensemble with Dango Rose and Bridget Law of Elephant Revival with Silas Herman and Marty O’Reilly; The Sweet Lillies; NoGo Gilbillies; Windy Pines, [and] Finn O’Sullivan. Plus artist booths, food trucks, and kids’ activities." Be sure to stop by when doors open at 1:30 on Thursday, July 4th! More details in the podcast!

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Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected]

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 From an early age, Harry Tuft was involved in piano and clarinet lessons. Through a summer camp counselor, he learned about the ukulele and became interested in playing that instrument. From there, he moved to a baritone ukulele, and then a six-string guitar. His father loved classical music and opera and would often play traditional classical during dinner. After dinner, Tuft would listen to the pop and R&B stations of the day and sing along with the likes of Nat King Cole, Jo Stafford, and Perry Como. 

From John McEuen: "With the airing of Ken Burns Country Music, [John] McEuen has brought acoustic music to many new fans, taking part in 4 episodes of the series. Episode 6 is called Will The Circle Be Unbroken and John closes that one. A co-founding member of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1966, with a dream ‘to be on the radio’).  October 2017, after [the] 50th anniversary tour, John left the band to pursue his own tour dates and projects, and stepped off the bus."

 From a very young age, inspired by a piano inherited from his grandparents, Howard Dlugasch took piano lessons of his own volition. By his early teens, he started playing a multitude of instruments, such as guitar, drums, bass, and vocals. He jokes that he is mediocre at all of them, but only because he is a musician who wants to focus on a multitude of instruments at once rather than completely on one specific instrument. 

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Ella Wren Running-rabbit grew up in a musical household. Coming from a Native American background, her mother played the piano and her father played the bass, and she had a little wind-up radio through which she would listen to any local artists she could. She started playing piano herself, with her mom beginning to teach her and her neighbor teaching her how to build a chord from three separate notes. From there, she practiced every day and started teaching herself more concepts. She started writing her own songs around the age of nine. In 11th grade, she started playing the guitar as well. Running-rabbit found herself inspired by many artists from her area, including Leftover Salmon and many different bluegrass groups, but was also drawn to artists such as Janis Joplin, Stevie Nicks, and Jimi Hendrix. Now, she has expanded her musical repertoire to include funk and blues artists and even artists such as Metallica. However, those initial roots gave her the track on which to run her musical train.

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Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected]

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 On Saturday, June 15, 2024, The Very Nice Brewing Company opened their second location in the Peak to Peak region. The new brewery is located at 180 Jankowski Drive, in mid-Gilpin County. Jeff and Susan Green are excited about the new location and spent the weekend meeting new beer enthusiasts. Jeff said, “Although exhausted from the undertaking, it is the best kind of exhausted. Also, the smiles and genuine well wishes has been overwhelmingly sufficient to re-charge our battery packs. We know we have a lot of work to do to demonstrate to Giltuckians that we are going to be a positive addition to the Gilpin community.” 

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Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

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Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected]

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected]

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Head to our website for all of the latest news.

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