Lyons Town Hall will be closed on November 28th and November 29th for Thanksgiving. – Check government and businesses opening and closing days and times before you go! == Also town hall will be closed for Christmas December 23 thru 25th. Yes! Mon Tues Wedn!
Native American Heritage Month of November == Native American Heritage DAY, November 29th == The town hall and the library will be closed. Check other government offices before you go there.
COMMUNITY PARKS – can you believe that our little town has FOUR COMMUNITY parks?! Each is a nonprofit that allows the public free access at any time. We have the new orchard, the farm project that had a good little harvest this year, the botanic gardens that introduces us to Rocky Mt. plants, and the Labyrinth, a refuge in the middle of a downtown. == See the 4 articles I helped put together as part of our Thanksgiving edition — that let’s you know what happened in each of them this year 2024!
Nov. 6 Wedn. thru this week – TWO MAJOR Wildfire areas
- one in California with winds 85mph+ destroyed more than 100 homes in just two days — Camarillo, Calif. in Ventura County ; thousands of residents fled when it exploded in size in only a few hours. I heard 14,000 at first, and more later. And was 31 square miles. They were hit a second time the following week, with the strong Santa Anas warm, dry winds.
- The other wildfire hit 5 NE states. We’ve been watching the news showing daily the fires, including the New York area.
- The Natl. Interagency Fire Center (a government website, Dept of the Interior) says that these are the active fires: Massachusetts (2) California (1) North Carolina (1) West Virginia (1) The page is updated on Fridays, so I’m sure NY will be added.
SLOW DOWN, MOVE OVER. Colorado. Colorado Department of Transportation kicks off Crash Responder Safety Week this week. The number of crashes are increasing. Slow down – it’s the law.
The DUI squad is out as of today for the Holiday week! Don’t drink and drive!
MEXICO – new 2024 president is dropping the plan to use social programs to avoid having kids get recruited as cartel gunmen. The criminals find it makes more money to smuggle people than drugs, and the US recently cracked down on immigration. According to AP: But the challenge Mexico now faces is different from that during the country’s 2006-2012 drug war. Cartels today are more diversified, more deeply entrenched in migrant smuggling and more willing to use foreign recruits and adolescents to fill their ranks. (according to an article by Assoc.Press)
Boulder Municipal Airport – Should the city close it and build housing on that land. This almost was on the November ballot. — Although the measures were withdrawn, the city had sued the FAA seeking clarity on its authority to close the airport. The FAA has now moved to dismiss the case. This will ikely end up in a lengthy legal process.
HUNGER FREE COLORADO: Colorado’s leading advocate for people experiencing hunger turns 15 this year and a new report outlined key advances and persistent challenges facing residents across the state. its work on the Healthy School Meals for All program is a major win. Students in schools opting into the program can now get the nutrition they need to learn, regardless of their parents’ ability to pay– it is also putting an end to practices such as lunch line shaming.
Nov. 29, Friday, day after Thanksgiving – Holiday tree lighting ceremony in Sandstone Park. See Things to Do for more info.
Dec 7 & 8 – Lyons annual Artisan Market (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) and PARADE on Saturday 6:30 p.m. And, yes, Lyons Community church will have their chili during the parade == and the high school band will sell it at the market. And Santa will be at both events. == See our Things to Do, or monthly calendar for all the details. We will have a full article next edition.
LYONS VALLEY TOWNHOMES: There are a few units at Lyons Valley Townhomes that are either available or will soon be available. They have both single family and multifamily unit(s) available for those who qualify. Contact them for HUD “income limits” etc. lyonsapts@leasehighland.com (720) 600-4278.
LYONS VALLEY TOWNHOMES – we have heard that many of the residents are unhappy with the management. If you like to do “investigative reporting,” please let us know, and we can assign you this topic to look into – showing both the renters and the management sides.
LYONS PINBALL == Season 41 of the Mile High Pinball League was a huge success with 44 players competing for IFPA points, bragging rights, cash prizes and of course, our highly coveted Snowphies. Many thanks to everyone who consistently showed up and contributed to Colorado’s oldest, toughest, but also most supportive group of players we could ever hope for. Watching everyone help one another become better ballers is truly the best part of our little community. We’re all truly winners here at Lyons Classic Pinball.
Christmas trees for sale – 1230 Big Thompson Rd., Estes Park – ONLY Friday December 6, from 3 to 6pm, and Saturday 9-11a.m. at the VERT office center; plus some other homemade craft gifts for sale. They say they might come back Saturday morning if they still have trees left.
FALL LEAVES? – Lyons Community Farm Project says: Do you need leaves raked or just picked up? We use leaves to help create new soil. For a donation of at least 40 dollars, you can support this effort and get rid of your leaves. Plus, you’ll receive a tax deductible receipt. Win win. == Please DO NOT rake them into the street, but bag them (per Town of Lyons)
BIG Holiday Meals mean lots of FATS – 3 helpful tips : ====remind everyone that dumping Fats, Oils, and Grease (F.O.G.) down your drain is never a good idea. It costs the Town a lot of money and work to clean out the water system. It can cause sewer backup ==== I’ve read about a product you can buy to put in the hot fat, and it turns it into a jelly substance, which can be dumped in the trash! To solidify hot cooking oil, you can add stearic acid to it while it’s still hot, as it acts as a hardening agent that will thicken the oil as it cools down ===== you can also wipe with paper towels your containers (pots & pans) of the fat, and toss that out.
LGBTQ+ RIGHTS in COLORADO ….being thankful…. : Just over thirty years ago, Centennial State voters were presented with an anti-LGBTQ+ amendment to the Colorado constitution. Amendment 2 passed on November 3, 1992 by a narrow margin, subsequently blocking protections against discrimination for people in the LGBTQ+ community. The shock and fallout sparked a movement that led all the way to the US Supreme Court, where it was ruled unconstitutional. Last week, Colorado voters chose to eliminate wording in the state constitution that specifically defined marriage as between “one man and one woman,” further protecting LGBTQ+ rights in our state and echoing Congress’s 2022 repeal of anti-LGBTQ+ language in federal law. (see the CPR article for full details)
Estes Park Police investigating vehicle break-ins and thefts = In the early morning hours of Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, unknown suspects committed vehicle trespassing by unlawfully entering 10 separate vehicles that were unlocked. Personal items including wallets, credit cards, and tools were stolen from the vehicles. In addition, two vehicles were stolen, which were also left unlocked. These crimes occurred in different locations in Estes Park.
reminder: Individuals in Colorado can sign up or renew health insurance through Connect for Health Colorado. Open enrollment for Connect for Health Colorado runs from November 1, 2023 through January 15, 2024. Connect for Health Colorado is the official marketplace for individuals to: Shop online and compare plans.
reminder: Medicare’s open enrollment period for 2025 is from October 15 to December 7. During this time, Medicare-eligible individuals can switch their plans or enroll. Always check for changes! don’t assume the coverage and price will be the same in the new year.
===HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES at RIVER CHURCH===
THANKSGIVING DINNER = We’ll be providing a full Thanksgiving Dinner here at the church on Thanksgiving Day from 11:00 – 1:00. It is FREE and Everyone is welcome, especially anyone who does not have someone to spend Thanksgiving with. Come and join our family!
LYONS TREE LIGHTING =We’ll be serving Hot Cocoa at the Tree Lighting in Sandstone Park this year. Friday, November 29th at 5:00pm.
COCOA & COOKIE BOOTH at Lyons Christmas Parade. =We will have our Cocoa & Cookie booth up and running for the parade! We’ll be in front of the Old Stone Congregation instead of Sandstone Park as the parade route has changed.
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING & ACTIVITIES == a full, big list in our next edition, December 5th!
SEE BELOW UNDER NATURE – Important survey being conducted about our Water Shed area.
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EARLY DONATING now “open” = Colorado Gives Day = multiple categories to choose from (arts, music, sports, nature, religion, military, housing, etc) and multiple ways to pay. = Your donation is matched by an incentive fund. See our ARTICLE for lots of details! https://www.coloradogives.org/ Colorado Gives Day is on December 10. See our ARTICLE for a lot of details.
===ARTS & CULTURE & Gifts===
Lyons Arts & Humanities Commission = welcome to Heidi Johnson and a re-welcome to Magali Fournier to the commission. One spot still open – Claudia Patero is meeting with applicants. ===Priscilla Cohan Artistic Pursuits Grant – Announced at the 4th Quarter Lyons Art Show by Gil Sparks (LCF Director) They are soliciting donations to establish the $25,000 needed. it will be an annually awarded grant to an artist of any age and art genre who needs a small award to help with their artistic pursuit. Could be used for supplies, tuition or whatever they might need. The funds are being collected by CFBC ( Community Foundation Boulder County) and their USA page on their website dedicated to it. Checks may be made out to CFBC with ‘Priscilla Cohan Fund’ put in the memo line. www.commfound.org
Rocky Mountain National Park and the Rocky Mountain Conservancy are pleased to announce that the park’s Artist-In-Residence program will begin accepting applications for the summer 2025 season on Sunday, December 1, 2024. RMNP’s Artist-in-Residence program is open to artists of all creative disciplines and genres. Interested artists are invited to apply. Applications for the summer 2025 program will be accepted beginning on December 1 and will close at 11:59 p.m. MST on January 31, 2025. For all details on application requirements and how to apply, visit Rocky Mountain National Park’s Artist-in-Residence webpage at LINK
ART HOLIDAY BAZAAR in PINEWOOD SPRINGS Community Church: It’s time for Creator’s Church! Our special 4th Sunday Worship where you bring your projects (crochet, coloring, sidoku, etc) and enjoy a casual worship experience. We’d love to meet you! Service is at 10 am in the Fellowship Hall. – note, that the Holiday Bazaar is on a Saturday, December 14th. Watch our calendar for more info.
January Lyons Arts & Humanities Commission “town hall” show theme is “Focus Pocus. Due Jan. 10th.
Lyons CHAMBER of Commerce’s fourth “1st Sundays in Lyons” event! December 1st, 1 – 4p.m. Plenty of activities going on along Main Street, including multiple “live music” opportunities. NEW: the basement of the Lyons Community Church will be a hub of warm activities. And does anything say “Lyons” like carolers walking and singing along Main Street?
Gingerbread House contest: bring it to Western Stars, judging from 1 to 3p.m. and prizes awarded. (You take it home that day; it is not sold). See their web page or Facebook page.
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING & ACTIVITIES == a full, big list in our next edition, December 5th!
===SCHOOL ** and ** KID NEWS===
ANNUAL WREATH SALES: pickup date/time is Monday, December 9th from 2:30pm-4:00pm at Lyons MS/HS.
Battle of the Schools Staff Volleyball game was November 13th in the school gym. All proceeds benefit a Meals of Hope fundraiser. What fun!
Thanks OSCAR BLUES – Folks who Mentioned Lyons Lions on 11/13/24 had 25% of their check go to support Lyons Middle/Senior High students! They are raising money, “Lyons Pledge” with a goal of $20,000.
===BUSINESS ===
MARIGOLD RESTAURANT: message – Hallo neighbors, just wanted to say thank you for your incredible love and support. The past two and a half years have been such a dream serving y’all. Love this town so dang much. We’re closed a couple days around thanksgiving and then Xmas but nothing too crazy. Hope everyone has a magical holiday season and we’ll see you soon
LYONS HEALTH & WELLNESS: Now accepting Medicare and Medicaid for patients 2yr and up! We have in- house flu, strep and Covid tests. — We sure were blessed when she chose Lyons to set up her business!
See our separate quarterly BIZ NEWS article this week for ‘news’ tid bits on: Ranger Rick’s // hotel // Mariposa // Eclectica // Spirit Hound // Wildcat Mtn.
===NATURE/Wildlife ===
Mountain Lion seen walking on patio in downtown Lyons around 1am November 11th. He walked on their sliding glass door/patio twice that week! Peeking inside.
Mule bucks, with five points, (two bucks) were hanging out in Coleen Divine’s yard.
People “here and there” reported seeing a bear these past few weeks… not hibernating yet? Go to sleep Smoky!
===WATERSHED CENTER / Fire Dept ==
Join your local Fire Protection District in shaping a wildfire-ready community! (Lyons, Allenspark, Lefthand, and Pinewood Springs residents get the survey)
From The Watershed Center Forest Program Director Chiara Forrester: We are conducting a study in and near the St. Vrain watershed to evaluate fire risk on residential parcels and to gather community perspectives and needs regarding wildfire and wildfire mitigation. The information gathered as part of this study will help emergency responders and land managers better prepare for future fires as well as improve our community engagement and education efforts. This project is a partnership with The Watershed Center, the Wildfire Research Center, and your local Fire Protection Districts – Lyons, Allenspark, Lefthand, and Pinewood Springs.
We are now requesting your participation in a mail-in survey: Living with Wildfire in the St Vrain Watershed. If you live in the study area, you have or will soon receive a survey by mail that will help us understand your perspectives and needs around wildfire and wildfire mitigation. To guide our programming, we want to learn about the community’s current state of wildfire preparedness as well as residents’ knowledge, experience, and thoughts. We believe that every community member is an important part of fostering wildfire-ready communities and ecosystems. This includes you! Your participation in this survey is voluntary and anonymous, but we sincerely hope you respond so that we can learn about and better address the needs of our communities.
If you have any questions about this study, please reach out to Chiara Forrester, the Forest Program Director at The Watershed Center: cforrester@watershed.center, 720-745-3160, www.watershed.center.
===GOVERNMENT===
Donald Trump wins the presidential election.
Latest numbers: US Senate 47 // 53 GOP
US House 209 // 218 GOP
Republicans win control of both houses of Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson will remain; and
Nominated Senate Minority Whip John Thune to succeed Mitch McConnell as majority leader.
HOUSING: The Boulder City Council approved in November the concept plan for a mixed-use apartment building on Folsom Street. The current two-story office buildings will be demolished. The new building will have 183 apartments, from studios to 3-bedroom units (and underground parking). There are still a lot of steps to go thru, like building permits.
COAL MINE UNDERGROUND FIRE in Boulder County: You may recall that these century old mines were investigated back during the Marshall wildfire to see if they were the cause of the fire; officials determined the Marshall Coal Fire was not a factor. Yes, it is an ongoing fire underground. In October, Boulder officials and the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (click for docs) announced the Marshall Mesa Trailhead would be closed for earth-moving activities to mitigate the underground fire. The project is expected to take four months, beginning in late October.
SPACE CENTER – Colorado Springs is anxiously awaiting the new Administration. About six years ago, the Trump Administration tried to move the headquarters to Alabama. During the Biden Administration that was stopped. — Since there are so many space, engineering and science industries in Colorado, it seems the most appropriate place to have it centered (and save time and money). Write your congress person and state your opinion.
ELECTRIC & GAS HEAT PUMPS REBATES: Contact X-cel Energy = if you have a gas meter in Lyons, you can qualify for thousands of dollars in rebates for super-efficient HVAC systems and Water Heaters. Just expanded to include natural gas customers. /or/ Town of Lyons MEAN – the town’s electric wholesale supplier: Energy Pump LINK
===SPORTS===
Lyons LIONS hosted the 2A Region 3 Volleyball Tournament Saturday, 11/9. LYONS LIONS are regional champions and are headed to state!
COLORADO SPORTS: The Broncos (6-5, 3rd in AFC West) and Avalanche (10-9-0, 4th in Central Division) are doing well this season. Bo Nix, football head quarterback, has really stepped up and done great so far (with 2,275 passing yards!). It’s nice to be able to see them on TV finally. (or gather at a bar in town to watch with friends). CU-Boulder Buffs are expected to reach the CFP. Colorado State, Ft. Collins, took the Bronze Boot last week.
Rafael Nadal officially resigns from tennis. He started playing professionally at age 14, and won his first big tournament at 19 years of age. The 22-time Grand Slam champion’s 23-year career came to an end in Malaga on Tuesday night after the Davis Cup quarter-finals. Nadal retires as the second-most successful men’s singles player of all time, behind only long-time rival Novak Djokovic. They and Roger Federer makes up the famous “Big Three” who have dominated men’s tennis for nearly two decades.
==Special ENTERTAINMENT ==
It’s NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH – try out this program: November 22, 5:30 – 7 p.m., Museum of Boulder on Broadway. Examining How Arapaho History Impacts Our Lives in Boulder County. Join author Mark Gerzon and members of Right Relationship Boulder for an intimate and moving conversation about how the history of our valley affects each of us in ways that may surprise us. As one of the characters in Mark’s novel/screenplay “Just Neighbors” says: “The past is not past at all.” — explore of how collective traumas from long ago can mysteriously touch our personal lives today. REGISTER.
YEAR Dec 2024 – 2025 == It feels like the summer concert schedule has barely wrapped up. But Denver’s a town with a great music scene, and here we are, talking about who’s headlining some really big shows for the new year. You might start checking the listings for your favorite artists and venues, because many of these tickets go on sale soon if not already. (Excited about History Colorado’s new ’90s exhibition? Some of your favorite ’90s artists like Justin Timberlake, Kylie Minogue, and Coldplay will be visiting the Mile High City too!) Not to mention the new jazz festival taking place across ten different venues the first week of April, and those tickets are on sale now == thank you History Colorado for providing this list! Check it out; mark your calendars!
HOLIDAY SHOWS – we will have our annual list of special events happening in Lyons, and the surrounding towns, and a few big ones in Denver – in our December 5th edition! Denver is opening its annual light show and old time market the weekend after Thanksgiving. And our local Front Range cities will be having parades. See our Things to Do article for more details.
