Transistion Town Talk tonight! Adapt to the challenges of global warming, decreasing fossil fuel supplies and economic instability
LA VETA- Reminder, please join us at the La Veta Public Library at 7 pm, Thurs. Jan. 20. to hear about Transition Town/Transition Network. Heloise Lynn of La Veta will speak on how Transition offers communities ways to comprehend and adapt to the challenges of climate change (global warming), the fossil fuel situation, and economic instability.
The Transition movement, which began in the UK, and is now worldwide, encourages individuals and communities to consider the impacts of the above three events during the next 20 years and to plan ways that they and their communities can thrive during the next 20 years. Growing local food, eating local food, using local goods and services, increasing the type and number of local goods and services, increasing reliance on renewable energy sources, decreasing use of hydrocarbons and decreasing one′s carbon footprint, plus more, are types of actions found in the Transition Network/Transition Town viewpoint.
For more information, go to www.transitionnetwork.org and www.transitiontowns.org and www.transitionus.org, or contact Heloise Lynn, hlynnearth1@gmail.com.
Celebrate Recovery
TRINIDAD- Come join us at Fishers Peak Community Church for Celebrate Recovery! We are a Christ-centered recovery program for any of your hurts, hangups and habits. You can find freedom from drugs, alcohol, divorce, anything that is keeping you from being free from destructive behavior. The group meets every Friday from here on, 6 pm, meals included. Fishers Peak Community Church 10377 Santa Fe Trail, Trinidad, Colorado 81082, 719-738-5758, 719-846-6018 or clgypin@gmail.com
Fertilizer fundamentals yard / garden
PUEBLO- Discover the importance of soil conditions, how chemical fertilizers work in your soil and how to diagnose nutrient deficiencies during the Fertilizer Fundamentals class on Tues. Jan. 25 from 6-9 pm offered by CSU Extension/Pueblo County. Mike Bartolo, Extension Specialist from the Ag Experiment Station, will teach this class. Cost is $15 and pre-registration with payment must be received no later than Fri.. Jan. 21.
For more information contact the CSU Extension office at 583-6566.
Sunday Movies at the Library
WALSENBURG- Nothing to do this Sun. Jan. 23? Then come to the Spanish Peaks Library at 2 pm for a showing of the movie A Walk in the Clouds (1995). This lovely story involves a young man returning from WW II who meets a college student, Victoria, on a bus. She is an unmarried pregnant girl going home to help with the grape crop at her father’s vineyard. A plot is hatched between the young folks; he will be the husband who permanently disappears after showing up at the vineyard. This should help out the young girl explain to her father. Well, Paul falls in love and problems ensue that must be overcome so they may stay together. The movie stars Keanu Reeves, Debra Messing, Anthony Quinn and is directed by award winner Alfonso Arau (Like Water for Chocolate)
The movie is the second of a series by Friends of the Spanish Peaks Public Library to take place Jan. through March. The main idea is to show great films which are seldom seen anywhere else. Light refreshments will be available and please be aware that there will be no library services available. We are asking for a suggested donation of $2 to offset costs. For additional information, please call John at 738-1315 or the library 738-2774.
Supervisors meet
WALSENBURG- The Board of Supervisors of the Upper Huerfano Conservation District will meet at 5:30 pm on Mon. Jan. 24 at 711 Walsen Avenue, Suite A. The meeting is open to the public.
Board meets Monday
WALSENBURG- The Board of the Huerfano County Water Conservancy District will meet at 6 pm on Mon. Jan. 24 at City Hall, 525 S Albert Avenue. The meeting is open to the public.
Enterprise meets
WALSENBURG- The Water Activity Enterprise of the Huerfano County Water Conservancy District will meet immediately after the HCWCD regular meeting, approximately 6:45 pm on Monday, January 24, 2011 at City Hall, 525 S Albert Avenue, Walsenburg. The meeting is open to the public.
Women’s Writing Group
WALSENBURG- Interested in expressing yourself through writing? A group of Huerfano women will meet at La Plaza Restaurant at 5:30 on Wed. Jan. 26 to share ideas and write. Bring your prefered writing instrument, whether it’s a Big Chief tablet or the latest laptop model and your imagination. Join this informal group for an enlightening evening of companionship and creativity.
Pickleball time
WALSENBURG– The Pickleball 2011 Season is starting up on Wed. Jan. 26 at the Walsenburg Community Center at 7 pm. New players are needed.
We now have two courts and can accommodate eight players at the same time. All equipment (racquets and nets) is provided free. Just wear tennis shoes to play. The game is played on a badminton sized court with two players on each side of the net. Players hit a wiffle ball with a small racquet either directly in the air or after letting it bounce once. First team to score 11 points wins. It is very easy to learn and it is fun right from the start.
GriefShare Wednesdays
TRINIDAD- If you have suffered the loss of a loved one and need a place to go to help you deal with the grief from this loss then GriefShare is a safe place to meet others that understand. We can help you on your journey from mourning to joy. It is every Wed. through March 2 at 6 pm, at Fishers Peak Community Church, 10377 Santa Fe Trail, Trinidad, Colorado 81082, 719-738-5758, 719-846-6018 or clgypin@gmail.com
Watercolor classes beginning
LA VETA– Kathy Hill will be offering watercolor classes beginning Jan. 28. The classes will be every Friday into the spring, 2 – 4:30 pm at her gallery classroom, 512 S. Spruce St. The classes are ongoing and beginners are welcome. Beginners without any supplies may pay $5 extra for sample supplies to see if they want to invest in the materials needed. Each class is $15. In addition to presenting basic watercolor techniques, emphasis will be on colors, composition, and besides, it′s fun. Watercolors can stimulate your creativity and encourage the ability to focus on the real world. Class size is limited so please call in advance if signing up. 742-5756. www.KathyWHill.com
Quick Start Workshop Workshop teaches how to start up a business
PUEBLO – The Pueblo Chapter of SCORE will give local entrepreneurs the opportunity to get answers to their new business start-up questions with its QuickSTART workshop beginning Tues. Feb. 1 from 5:30-8:30 at the Great Pueblo Chamber of Commerce. QuickSTART, a 5-week series of workshops held each Tues. evening, will help individuals assess their ideas for opening a small business. The first workshop is free for anyone considering opening a business and the cost for attending the four subsequent programs is only $100.
Rita Friberg, an instructor at Pueblo Community College, will teach the workshop and cover a range of topics, including marketing and finances. When participants complete the series, they will know if they are ready to be an entrepreneur and how to be successful at getting started.
Business start-up issues are some of the most difficult problems that new and growing small business owners face,” says Ernestine Thomas, SCORE Chapter Chairman. “We put together the QuickSTART workshop to provide a hands-on feasibility study, so they can feel confident in the success of a new business,” Thomas adds.
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 8.5 million aspiring entrepreneurs nationally. In 2010, The Pueblo Chapter of SCORE provided 631 total services providing face-to-face, telephone and email counseling with residents of Pueblo and Canon City. Local SCORE members contributed over 1700 volunteer hours of service.
For more information about attending the QuickSTART workshop series, starting or operating a small business, please call 542-1704 or visit www.puebloscore.org.
Eagle Days Festival
PUEBLO- Nature lovers of all ages are invited to the 2011 Pueblo "Eagle Days Festival" Feb. 5-6 at Lake Pueblo State Park and Wildlife Area. Activities begin at 8:30 am Sat. and continue through Sun. afternoon.
Highlights of the festival include live bird demonstrations, bird watching classes, nature hikes, wildlife viewing stations and performances by the United States Air Force Academy falcons and the Koshare Indian Dancers.
"Eagle Day is a great opportunity for the whole family to get out of the house and enjoy nature," said John Koshak of the Colorado Division of Wildlife. "There will be outdoor activities and demonstrations as well as indoor exhibits and seminars."
Indoor events take place Sat. at the State Parks Headquarters Building. Wildlife viewing tours and viewing stations complete with spotting scopes will be set up on the north side of the reservoir.
Some of the scheduled events include a seminar on how to identify southern Colorado birds led by Koshak, a presentation on burrowing owls by Jeff Thompson, peregrine falcons by Jim Enderson and a guided telemetry hike lead by Debbie Ackley who will demonstrate how wildlife biologists use radio telemetry to locate animals.
There are more eagles around Lake Pueblo in the winter than any other time of the year. The eagles concentrate along the open waters of the Arkansas River Valley because snow and ice has covered the lakes and reservoirs to the north.
Due to the growing popularity of Eagle Days, a second day of outdoor activities takes place on Sun. Feb. 6, including a guided wildlife viewing tour on the Pueblo State Wildlife Area. Koshak said participants for Sunday′s tour should meet at the entrance to the north side of the Pueblo State Wildlife Area at 9 am. (The State Wildlife Area north entrance is located off Nichols Road in Pueblo West.) Koshak advises to dress appropriately for the weather and to bring binoculars, spotting scopes, and cameras.
At 11 am on Sun., staff from the Nature and Raptor Center of Pueblo will host a "bird walk" along the Arkansas River followed by an Open House with live bird viewing from noon until 3 pm.
Weather permitting, a bike ride will take place along the Arkansas River from noon to 2 pm on Sun. Riders will start at 11th Street and ride up to the dam and back.
Pueblo Eagle Days co-sponsors are the Arkansas Valley Audubon Society, Lake Pueblo State Park, Pueblo Zoo, Nature and Raptor Center of Pueblo, Black Hills Energy, the Pueblo Chamber of Commerce, Coyote′s Coffee Den and the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
For more information and a detailed schedule of events and times, please visit the Eagle Days Festival Web site at www.eagleday.org or call John Koshak in Colorado Springs at (719) 227-5221 or the Pueblo DOW office at (719) 561-5300.
Ground Hog Breakfast on Super Bowl Sunday
WALSENBURG- The annual Huerfano County Chamber of Commerce Ground Hog Breakfast will be held on Sun. Feb. 6. It will be held in downtown Walsenburg at the Eagles Club.
The event helps raise money for various Chamber of Commerce functions throughout the year. Pancakes, eggs, sausage, coffee and juice are served. Tickets are available from various chamber members or call the chamber office at 719-738-1065. Tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors 55 and older, and $4 for children 10 & under.
The Ground Hog Breakfast will be held from 9-1 which gives people plenty of time to enjoy the Super Bowl Game later in the afternoon.
Pinnacol Foundation Scholarship Applications Children of Injured workers receive $5,000 on average
DENVER- The Pinnacol Foundation, which provides scholarships to the children of Colorado’s injured workers, is now accepting applications for the 2011-2012 school year. The application deadline is March 31, 2011.
The Foundation provides scholarships to children whose parents have been killed or seriously injured in work-related accidents. The funds can be used for college or vocational training. This year, the scholarship is being expanded to include funding for graduate school.
“A workplace accident can have a devastating impact on a family,” said Carole Sumption, chair of the Pinnacol Foundation. “Oftentimes children must forego their dreams for a post-secondary education in order to help care for the disabled parent or to support the household. Our scholarship helps to make their educational dreams a reality.”
Since its inception in 2000, the Pinnacol Foundation has awarded more than $1.3 million to students for college or vocational training. Scholarships are funded through the generous donations of Pinnacol stakeholders and other friends of the Pinnacol Foundation. Award amounts vary, and this year the average scholarship amounts have been raised from $3,000 to approximately $5,000 for each school year. The funds can be used at any accredited institution recognized by the U. S. Department of Education.
To qualify, a student must be the natural, adopted, step-child or full dependent of a worker killed or seriously injured in a compensable work-related accident while employed by a Colorado-based company, regardless of insurance carrier. The
