Knit Wits
WALSENBURG- The Volunteers for Change Knit Wits will meet at 11 am this Thurs. Jan. 27 at Edla′s Yarn Shop in Walsenburg for a knitting, crocheting and needlework get-together. The Knit Wits meet monthly to make scarves, hats, lap robes, and other items for veterans and those in need. Please call Susan Kalman at 719.250.6097 for more information, or join us at Edla′s on Thursday!
"Crisis in the Food Industry"
LA VETA- On Thurs. Jan. 27 at 7 pm at the La Veta Public Library, Chip Kraynyk will speak to the current crisis in the food production industry. He will discuss certified organic food – can it be trusted? He will also discuss the following topics: what are the unseen dangers of chemically dependent agriculture, why organic food is more expensive, what is a GMO and what is healthy beef.
Kraynyk has been an inspector of organic food and processing facilities for over twenty years at farms and facilities from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. According to Kraynyk, most farmers get their advice about when and how much pesticide to use from the pesticide salesperson — a direct conflict of interest — leaving us wondering if our food is safe.
This enlightening program will include a question and answer segment.
Admission is free and refreshments will be served. For more information, contact the library at 742-3572. Sponsored by Friends of La Veta Library.
Book Nook raising dough by selling bread
LA VETA- The Book Nook is now selling artisan bread every Friday after 1 pm at their book store, 107 W. Francisco Street in La Veta. Artisan baker Jon Dolak creates these enormous loaves using a procedure called “A simple way to make delicious bread” that he got from the son of his wife Sandy.
The sale of the loaves and the sale of the ‘secret’ recipe for them is one of the fundraising efforts of the Book Nook. The fundraising goal is to raise enough money to purchase the building they are currently renting.
The Book Nook is the fundraising arm of the Friends of the La Veta Library, a 501(c)3 non profit organization which provides funding for library programs. Come by to help us “raise some dough” while enjoying our good tasting bread, and look through our large selection of used books and films. Chances are you’ll find something else to take home and digest!
PeeWee wrestling
WALSENBURG– PeeWee Wrestling sign up will be Fri. Jan. 28, 6:30 pm at John Mall High School. PeeWee Wrestling is for youth 14 years and younger. Please bring proof of insurance, a copy of birth certificate, and $30 entry fee. Scholarships available.
Sunday Movies at the Library
WALSENBURG--Due to a technical glitch, the film, A Walk In the Clouds, wasn’t shown last Sunday but will be our movie this Sunday Jan. 30 at 2 pm. We hope that the public, now that football is almost over, will be able to attend the select group of movies which are seldom seen and are high quality.
The movie is the third of a series by the Friends of the Spanish Peaks Library to take place January through March. The film will be shown in the community room of the library which has a large screen and excellent sound system (we won’t blast you out with high volume levels.) Light refreshments will be served and please be aware that library services will not be 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 at 738-2774.
Navajo Homeowners Association
NAVAJO- The Navajo Ranch HOA will have their monthly meeting on Tues. Feb. 1 at 7 pm. The meeting will be at the NWWD building at 705 Navajo Road. All HOA members and Navajo Ranch residents are encouraged to attend.
UHCD announces 2011 Cost-Share Program
WALSENBURG- The Upper Huerfano Conservation District (UHCD) is sponsoring a cost-share program in 2011. The 2010 program enabled fourteen projects with an expected soil savings of 3,037 tons over the life of those projects which included: water control structures; stock tank; fences; steel irrigation structure; spring development; rigid gated pipe; and pipeline, tank and float chamber.
This program is being operated on a reimbursement basis and the annual reimbursement limit will be $2,500 per applicant and is available to both small and large acreage landowners. Landowners with approved projects will submit proof of the cost to install the conservation practice and then will be reimbursed for 50% up to $2,500.
Projects can include irrigation water management, planned grazing systems, improvement to wildlife habitat, and enhancement of riparian areas.
Interested landowners should contact the Upper Huerfano Conservation District for an application form. The sign-up period will be February 1 – February 17, 2011. The UHCD Board of Supervisors will select projects for funding in February, 2011. Approved projects must be completed by July 31, 2011.
For more information, contact the UHCD office, 711 Walsen Avenue, Suite A, Walsenburg, 738-1171.
Armchair visit to Ethiopia, Rwanda, Namibia and Cambodia
LA VETA- Amble through Namibia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Cambodia with Fran Sanden next Thurs. Feb. 3, at 7 pm, at the La Veta Public Library.
Sanden spent time in all these countries in her work as a Human Subjects Protection Advisor, and her photos provide a fascinating and intimate look at life in these exotic locales.
Working in the President’s Emergency Plan program, which was started by President Bush and reauthorized by President Obama, Sanden teaches locally employed HIV/AIDS researchers and staff how to ethically conduct studies utilizing the local population that is suffering from HIV/AIDS and TB.
After the slide show, she will entertain questions on her travels and experiences. Admission is free and refreshments will be served. For further questions, please call 742-3572. Sponsored by Friends of the La Veta Library.
Huerfano County Democrats meet
WALSENBURG- David Gnaizda, president of the Huerfano County Democrats, announced that the first meeting of 2011 will be February 12, 1 pm at Spanish Peaks Library. The purpose of the meeting is to elect officers and plan for the coming year. If you are interested in helping set the policies for the future of our county, state and country, join us for this organizational meeting.
Steering meeting scheduled
WALSENBURG- Let it be known hither and yon that the first administrative, structural, bureaucratic, and all things abhorred, meeting will come together at the beautiful Walsenburg Library on Walsen Avenue on Feb 16 at noon, straight up, to create a steering committee to make plans for people to educate and better themselves for jobs, love, and enrichment so that they feel good about themselves.  Hippy doo dah day. Let’s go get ‘em and break a leg.
Bar NI Ranch Community Service grant opportunities
TRINIDAD- The Bar NI Ranch Community Service Fund is accepting grant proposals from both previous as well as new applicants. Grants may be awarded in the areas of education, youth development, environment and conservation, health and human services and civic or public benefit.
Grant awards will be made to 501c3, non-profit organizations in the Purgatory Valley with projects that serve to inspire awareness, expand horizons, create independence and foster personal growth. We strongly encourage projects focusing on youth and environmental education. We look for projects exploring creative ways to ignite the spirit, facilitate dreams and address root causes of problems rather than just treat affected conditions. Creative collaboration is strongly encouraged. For a proposal packet, please contact Tom Perry at tomandlindaperry@gmail.com . The deadline for submitting proposals is Fri. April 1, 2011.
SPACe scholarship
LA VETA- This year $600 will be given by the Spanish Peaks Arts Council (SPACe) for "Excellence in Art" Awards. Recipients need to be residents of Huerfano County for a minimum of one year. The awards are to be given yearly to individuals, between 17 and 21 years of age.
The awards are given for the purpose of furthering the recipients’ education in an area of the fine arts to include : two or three dimensional artwork, film, theater, music, dance, or creative writing. The awards may be applied to coursework, workshops, tuition or such pursuits as to further the recipients’ learning in the field of fine art.
Applications are available at the SPACe Gallery, La Veta High School and John Mall High School, as well as at the La Veta Public Library and the Spanish Peaks Library. They also may be downloaded from the SPACe website, www.SpanishPeaksArts.org . Deadline to submit applications with examples of artwork is April 30. For more information call SPACe at 719 742-3074 Tues.or Thurs. 11 am – 2 pm or Saturday, 10 am – 3 pm.
Historic photos needed for new book!
WALSENBURG- A history of Walsenburg written by the late Dorothy Ree will be published soon in cooperation with Ben Ree and the Walsenburg Mining Museum. A search is on for clear photos of Sheriff Jeff Farr, a tent camp during a strike, early Fandango performances, Klu Klux Klan, dust bowl days, early and mid-century businesses, the early Leon family, state or national school sports champions.
Photos will be copied and returned. For information contact Ben Ree, Carolyn Newman, Jerry Skryznear or Margaret Gleisberg.
Win Tony Hawk skateboard merchandise
WALSENBURG- Buy your tickets today and February 20, 2011 you could win prizes from companies that include : Mystery Skateboards, Powell-Peralta, and Fallen. The winner will be contacted to receive a skateboard deck, hooded sweatshirt, T-shirt, and an assortment of vinyl stickers (package value of $150). All proceeds from this fund raiser go toward the continued construction of the Walsenburg Skate Park.
Tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10. For more information on where to buy tickets contact: Charles or Alicia Bryant: 738-2696
Conservation District offers camp scholarship
Walsenburg- The Upper Huerfano Conservation District is offering a $300 scholarship to a Huerfano County student between the ages of 14 and 19 who wants to attend Camp Rocky. The camp is an educational outdoors adventure which is primarily sponsored by the Colorado Association of Conservation Districts, Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Reclamation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, State Forest Service, Division of Wildlife and Conservation Districts of Colorado.
Camp Rocky will be held July 10-16 in mountains above Colorado Springs, near Pikes Peak and Divide. It is geared toward youth who enjoy the outdoors and are interested in natural resources.
Camp Rocky staff members are natural resource professionals who help participants learn about their environment while working in teams.
Students can choose from the following resource fields to focus their learning experience:
• Recreation Management
• Forest Management
