Briefs for August 20, 2009

Southern Colorado Watercolor exhibit

PUEBLO- The El Pueblo Art Alliance presents  "ANYTHING GOES", an all-media exhibit of works by members of the Southern Colorado Watercolor Society and the Pikes Peak Pastel Society.  This is a juried show at the new High Vista Gallery in the El Pueblo History Museum from Aug. 14 – Sept. 27.

    Original works of Art will be available for purchase.  The El Pueblo History Museum is located at 301 North Union. Gallery hours are Tues.-Sat. 10 am 4 pm.  No charge.  For information, contact Merlyn Jones at (719) 547-2185.

Soccer League sign-up

WALSENBURG– A Walsenburg Soccer League, sponsored by the Colorado Health Foundation and Huerfano County Youth Services,  is being formed in August.  The league will participate in Colorado City Recreation League play each Saturday morning in September and October.  Students in preschool through middle school are welcome to attend an organizational meeting on Aug. 20 at 4:30 at the old football field behind the library.  The cost to register is between $25 and $35 depending on the age of the player.  Scholarships are available.  Also, the league is looking for volunteer coaches. Call 738-1573 or Cindy at 719-890-0009 to sign-up.  

UHCD supervisors meet

WALSENBURG- The Board of Supervisors of the Upper Huerfano Conservation District will meet at 5:30 pm on Thurs. Aug. 20 at 711 Walsen Avenue, Suite A.  The meeting is open to the public.

Ice Cream Social supports Mining Museum

WALSENBURG- With three musical groups providing musical tunes of all sorts, the annual ice cream social in Walsenburg′s Heritage Park (next to the railroad depot) should be especially entertaining.  The Notables from the Trinidad Chorale, our own Huerfano Winds, and individual musicians  invite you to sit in the shade and enjoy your ice cream dishes or cones.  For only $2 participants receive ice cream and music 4 to 7 pm Fri. Aug. 21, sponsored by the Walsenburg Mining Museum.  Profits support changing exhibits each year such as the new mine tunnel located within the 1896 county jail.

′Drive′ performs at Uptop Friday

UPTOP- From Bluegrass to Beatles with a whole bunch of funk and soul in between, ′Drive′ is a super-group of musicians that will definitely make you want to get up and dance.  The band features Alamosa virtuoso Don Richmond on fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin and vocals – Pueblo West favorite Tom Munch on guitar & vocals – Johnny Watson on drums and vocals, and David Enke on bass, guitar, mandolin and vocals.

    Opening up for them will be the acoustic trio D&A. Tickets are $10 at the door. BYO refreshments and come prepared to party! Fri. Aug. 21 6:30 pm in the old Tavern, Uptop on Old La Veta Pass. Call David & Annie at 742-5303 for more info.

Lathrop Park Programs

LATHROP- Come on out to sing a song and dance a jig!   Willson and McKee will be joining us to share some of that great auld celtic music, which has sent them traveling and playing all over the world.  This is surely not a show to be missed!

Sat, Aug. 22, 7 pm  – Lions and Bears, no Tigers

Join us as we welcome back local naturalist Bob Kennemer.  Bob will be sharing with us some very important information about some of the dangerous wildlife found here in Colorado.  This program will focus on mountain lions and bears: what their habits are, where they are found, and what you need to do if you do encounter one.

    Both programs will be held in the Pinon Campground Amphitheater. All vehicles must have a valid park pass.  In the event of poor weather, programs will be held inside the Visitor′s Center in the multi-purpose room. 

Geology 003/8 All You Wanted To Know About a Rock And More?

WALSENBURG-  On Sat. Aug. 22, 10:30 am at the Spanish Peaks Library Jon Sudar, a Walsenburg native and retired Grand Canyon NP Park Ranger, is presenting a geology program.  This is not a technical program.  The program covers the three basic rocks and what they consist of, how they arrived in Huerfano County, and places near Walsenburg where you can see the rocks and their geological formation.

Huerfano Open Golf Tournament

HUERFANO- Two-person scramble with rounds at Grandote Peaks and Walsenburg Aug. 22-23.  For registration, call 738-2730.

Volunteers for Change meet

GARDNER-The Sangre de Cristo Volunteers for Change will meet Sun. Aug. 23, at 3:30 pm in the Gardner Community Center, on the north side of Highway 69 just past the rodeo grounds.  Light refreshments.  The public is invited.  We′ll be discussing ideas for new projects for community involvement

Water Board meets

WALSENBURG- The Board of the Huerfano County Water Conservancy District will meet at 7 pm on Mon. Aug. 24 at City Hall, 525 S Albert Avenue. The meeting is open to the public. 

Water Enterprise meets

WALSENBURG- The Water Enterprise of the Huerfano County Water Conservancy District will meet immediately after the HCWCD regular meeting, approximately 7:30 pm on Mon. Aug. 24 at City Hall, 525 S Albert Avenue.  The meeting is open to the public. 

WALSENBURG- There will be a public meeting Aug. 25 at 2 pm at the Huerfano County Community Center.  Viaero Wireless will discuss three proposed new cell towers.

Open Door Huerfano Poetry Society meets

WALSENBURG- This Poetry Society is devoted to homemade poems and lyrics from the heart, brain and body born of hard work, contemplation, meditation, suffering, and loving.  Share your stuff, appreciate other people’s stuff, and get another angle on stuff on Wed. Aug 26, 5-8 pm at the Spanish Peaks Library.  Meetings are fourth Wednesdays of each month.

Colorado State Fair

PUEBLO-  The Colorado State Fair runs from Aug. 28–Sept. 7.  The 2009 Colorado State Fair will mark the Fair′s 137th year as Colorado′s premier celebration of agriculture.  In addition to showcasing Colorado agriculture, the annual event features one of the country’s largest traveling carnivals, artwork, crafts, food competitions, thrilling rodeo action, a wide variety of food and merchandise booths and a Fiesta Day honoring Colorado′s ties to Hispanic culture.

     For more information, visit www.coloradostatefair.com.

LA VETA- Sign up for the La Veta Library Open, a golf tournament at Grandote Peaks on Sept. 12 to benefit the library.  Cost is $95. Call 742-3391.

Spanish Peaks Celtic Music Fest

HUERFANO- Save September 25-27 for the fifth annual Spanish Peaks International Celtic Music Festival in Walsenburg and La Veta just off I-25 between Pueblo and Trinidad in Colorado.  Enjoy harps, fiddles, pipes and whistles, dancing and storytelling, all against the fall colors of the beautiful Spanish Peaks.

    The Festival offers five different concerts, a ten-hour Celtic Harp Retreat, and a Sunday noontime “Burns Supper” in honor of Robert Burns’ 250 anniversary. The weekend also provides a variety of workshops including singing, storytelling, Scottish and Irish ceilidh dancing, Irish step dancing, and numerous instrumental classes.  There are also free workshops for beginners in harp, bodhran and whistle.  And this year we can promise you session playing not only throughout the day, but also late night at the Parkside Gallery in La Veta. Finally, there will be free ceilidh dancing Saturday and Sunday afternoons in La Veta Park.

    For more information see the Festival website:  www.celticmusicfest.com

PUEBLO- St. John’s Greek Orthodox Church at 1010 Spruce Street brings the popular Greek Festival back to Pueblo Sept.19-20 from 11 am to 7 pm. The festival, which is held on the shady, grassy ground of the historical church, features Greek food, specialty booths, live entertainment, and free admission.

    The foods are crafted on site, and include gyro sandwiches, Greek shish ka bobs, Greek French fries, and popular Greek pastries (baklava, powdered sugar cookies, Greek doughnuts).

Utility bill funds available

HUERFANO- South Central Council of Governments has funds available to help with past-due utility bills.  Income guidelines depend on the number of persons in the household and the household income.  Call Carol Reynolds for more information at 719-738-2205.

USDA Farm Service Agency’s Farm Loan Program 

LAKEWOOD CO- Trudy Kareus, State Executive Director of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Colorado, reminds producers that FSA makes and guarantees loans to help ensure the future well being of American agriculture. Each fiscal year, FSA targets a portion of its farm ownership and operating loan funds to beginning farmers and socially disadvantaged applicants.

    A beginning farmer is an individual or entity who has not operated a farm for more than 10 years.  For purposes of this program, the socially disadvantaged groups are women, African Americans, American Indians and Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, and Asians and Pacific Islanders.

    Farm Operating Loans may be used for normal operating expenses, machinery and equipment, real estate repairs, and refinancing debt.

    For more information about FSA’s Farm Loan Program visit the Farm Service Agency website at www.fsa.usda.gov or contact your local USDA Service Center.

New Conservation Stewardship Program

HUERFANO- Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan recently announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin continuous sign-up for the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) on August 10 with the first signup period cutoff scheduled for September 30.  CSP is a voluntary program that encourages agricultural and forestry producers to maintain existing conservation activities and adopt new ones on their operations.

    USDA′s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers CSP. Eligible lands include cropland, grassland, prairie, improved pastureland, rangeland, and non-industrial private forestland — a new land use for the program. Agricultural and forestry producers must submit applications by Sept. 30 to be considered for funding in the first ranking period. For information about CSP, including eligibility requirements, producers can visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/new_csp or their local NRCS office.

Health care workers needed

HUERFANO- The Las Animas-Huerfano Counties District Health Department is anticipating a busy flu vaccine season.  We are looking for individuals who can give us their time, talent, and effort to help keep our population healthy. We are especially interested in nurses and people with a health care background.  If you are interested, please contact Kristy at the Trinidad Office (719) 846-2213.

Stimulus money available

Federal stimulus money is available to help many Americans weatherize homes and make energy efficiency improvements as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 goes into effect.

      Homeowners with incomes below 200 percent of the national poverty level are eligible.

    Program participants receive a professional energy consultation with an analysis of energy bills, a blower-door test to locate air leaks and advice on how to be more efficient.  Workers then arrive to make energy upgrades like insulating walls and roofs, sealing air leaks, and installing more efficient heating and cooling systems. The process usually takes two days with an average cost of $2,500.  The stimulus bill allows up to $6,500 for each home.

    For members not eligible for the funded programs, the stimulus plan provides a tax credit of up to $1,500, or 30 percent, of the cost for new energy upgrades, including weatherization. Tax credits directly lower taxes owed dollar-for-dollar; a $1,500 tax credit for energy efficiency efforts will lower taxes owed by $1,500!

    To apply, contact Pueblo County Department of Human Services  at 2631 E 4th, in Pueblo, CO 81001 or call (719) 583-6110  or visit www.eere.energy.gov/weatherization/state_contacts.cfm.

OA

WALSENBURG- Overeaters Anonymous  meets on Fridays at 9:30 am at the Calvary Baptist Church, 801 Pennsylvania.