Lathrop Park’s weekend programs
Fri. June 26, 8:30 pm
– King Coal, the story. Join Jon Sudar, a local history enthusiast, as he tells the story of a time when coal was king. Explore the history of coal mining and the Walsen Mine from 1906 – 1910, the inner workings and operations of a coal mine, as well as about the lives and people who worked in the coal mines and lived in the coal mining camps. Pinon Campground Amphitheater.
Sat. June 27, 9 am
– Pancake Breakfast
Lathrop State Park Interpreter, Peter Galopin, will be cooking up a homemade breakfast for guests camping at the park of REAL pancakes made from scratch. Come and enjoy a filling breakfast and get ready for a full day of boating, fishing, and getting to know your campground neighbors. Breakfast will be served in the courtyard area of the Visitors Center.
Sat. June 27, 8 pm – Dangerous Wildlife
What do you do if you come across a mountain lion or bear while out hiking or camping? Regional DOW officer Lance Gatlin will be here to teach us all about the potentially dangerous wildlife living in southern Colorado, and the harmful bacteria which can be transmitted by wildlife including West Nile and bird flu. Lance will bring specimens and furs collected by the DOW for a truly hands on learning experience. Pinon Campground Amphitheater.
Russian olives out
WALSENBURG- Volunteers are welcome to participate in an invasive tree removal project on Sat. June 27th, from 8:30 to noon at Lathrop State Park. Volunteers will use chainsaws to cut down Russian Olive trees or haul branches off. Meet at the Visitor Center at 8:30 am. Lunch and beverages will be provided. Participants are encouraged to wear long sleeves, sturdy shoes, and bring their own gloves if they have them.
Lathrop will host ongoing Russian Olive removal projects every month through September to continue to eradicate this invasive tree from the park and to open more shoreline access for fishing. Sign up by calling Stacey Lewis at 738-2376 ext. 101 or e-mail stacey.lewis@state.co.us. Volunteers who work 48 hours or more at state parks are eligible to receive a free annual state parks pass.
Tour a WWII POW Camp
Trinidad- You’ve heard about it and now you can see it! A free guided tour of Camp Trinidad, the World War II prisoner of war camp for German officers, is being offered by the Trinidad History Museum in partnership with Cougar Canyon Golf Resort. Cougar Canyon Marketing Director Michael Butcher will lead the tour on Sat. June 27.
Butcher was excited to learn that Cougar Canyon was home to the historic site and has read extensively about Camp Trinidad. Parts of some structures are still standing and there is other evidence of the camp, which for several years was on a private ranch.
To join the tour, meet at 10 am in front of the Fairway Grill at Cougar Canyon, located three miles east of Trinidad on Highway 160; turn east on to Cougar Canyon Drive.
High clearance vehicles are needed to reach the site and participants will be asked to carpool. The drive and tour will take approximately two hours. Please bring your own water bottles, sun screen, insect repellant, etc. All participants must sign a liability waiver.
The Camp Trinidad tour takes place as part of the Trinidad History Museum’s programs about World War II. Last year, the museum hosted a lecture by Kurt Landsberger, who was a young Jewish refugee, American immigrant, and U.S. soldier sent to the camp as a translator. Landsberger is the author of “Prisoners of War at Camp Trinidad, Colorado, 1943-46: Internment, Intimidation, Incompetence and Country Club Living”, available at the tour and at the Trinidad History Museum Bookstore.
For more information, call the Trinidad History Museum at 719-846-7217 or stop by the Museum Bookstore at 312 E. Main Street.
Poets’ open mike
WALSENBURG- Poets and lyrisists come break a leg. Sun. June 28 at 3 pm. Open mike at the Blue Rooster in Walsenburg. Closet poets and musicians welcome.
Old library sale
WALSENBURG- There will be a book and furniture sale at the "old" library, 323 Main St. Walsenburg, Monday June 29, 10 – 4.
Relay for Life team captains meet
WALSENBURG- The American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Huerfano County will hold a team captain Meeting at 5:30 pm and a committee meeting at 6 on Mon. June 29 at the community center meeting room. Contact Juan Martinez at 738-3361 or Danelle Martinez at 719-738-3093 for more information.
Huerfano Basin Stockgrowers
WALSENBURG- The Huerfano Basin Stockgrowers Association will meet July 2 at 7 pm at the community center.
Teen Dance at Eagles Hall
WALSENBURG- La Plaza de Los Leones Youth Auxiliary will host a teen dance Fri. July 3. DJ Cardo will provide the non-stop music from 7:30 pm to Midnight at the Eagles Hall. The teen dance is open to 7th thru 12th graders, cost is $3 per person. There will be door prizes, concessions and lots of fun & dancing! Once a student leaves the dance, they will not be permitted back in. If parents have any questions, they may call Ricardo Bobian, Youth Auxiliary Chair at 821-5938.
La Plaza de Los Leones, Inc. is an all-volunteer, non-profit, community based organization dedicated to promoting Hispanic cultural awareness and to assisting in the recruitment, admission, and finances of qualified and deserving Huerfano County students to institutions of higher learning.
Hackbarth at LVPL
LA VETA- Nashville songwriter and recording artist Andy Hackbarth will be offering a free children′s songwriting workshop entitled, "Dr. Seuss and Hannah Montana; Turn Your Favorite Book Into a Song!" on July 3 from 1:30 to 2:30 pm at the La Veta Public Library. As a group, attendees will compose and perform an original song based on their favorite book. The performance will be recorded and emailed to attendees as an MP3. Call LVPL at 742-3572 for more.
Sculpting a portrait with Joan Hanley
LA VETA- Working with a live model, this 5-day portrait class will cover the basics of sculpting a likeness in clay, starting with building an armature and finishing with a discussion covering the variety of material options available for making a sculpture permanent. Dates are July 6-10, and cost of the 5-day class is $375.
Class will be held at the La Veta School of the Arts, across from the town park on Ryus Ave. For more information or to register, call 719-742-3421, e-mail LVArtSchool@yahoo.com. or check our website www.the LVSA.org.
Experimental drawing/painting
LA VETA- Peggy Zehring’s exciting, abstract, experimental drawing and painting weekend class will be happening July 10, 11 and 12 at the La Veta School of the Arts in La Veta, CO. Draw with charcoal Friday evening 6-9 and then use the images you created unconsciously to unfold abstract paintings on Saturday and Sunday. You’ll learn color mixing, recognizing and capitalizing on your own marks, compositional excellence and much more. The cost is $185. E-mail LVArtSchool@yahoo.com, call 719-742-3421, or register at www.theLVSA.org.
Riggins resigns
WALSENBURG- At the monthly board meeting on June 18, Bill Riggins resigned from the Upper Huerfano Conservation District for personal reasons. Mr. Riggins was elected in 2008 to serve a 4-year term, and he was an associate board member for 4 years prior to that. “The Board of Directors would like to thank Mr. Riggins for his contribution and service. His background and experience have been a big help,” said Jim Hribar, Board President.
Jack Fischer will serve out the remainder of Mr. Riggins’ term. Fischer has been an associate member for 5 years and is a small-acreage subdivision landowner.
Relay for Life team captains meet
WALSENBURG- The American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Huerfano County will hold a team captain Meeting at 5:30 pm and a committee meeting at 6 on Mon. June 29 at the community center meeting room. Contact Juan Martinez at 738-3361 or Danelle Martinez at 719-738-3093 for more information.
5-County Heritage Tourism
by Debra Malone
HUERFANO- The Tourism Board of Huerfano County hosted the 5-County Heritage Tourism Marketing Committee (HTMV) meeting last Friday at the Huerfano County Court House.
This group of interested citizens meets monthly for the purpose of developing strategies to attract the heritage/cultural traveler to art venues, theaters, museums, historical sites and cultural attractions. The five counties co-operating on this marketing effort are Custer, Fremont, Huerfano, Las Animas and Pueblo.
The 5-County HTMC meeting adjourned to a tour of the Huerfano Mining Museum, the Francisco Fort, the SPACe Gallery and 5 miles of the Scenic Highway of Legends. The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad’s steam engine locomotive was laid over in La Veta and the group was able to climb on board to see the dome cars and talk with the engineer. The tour ended at 2 pm with a ride back to Walsenburg, with all sharing their railroad memories from years gone past.
Last March the 5-County Committee contracted Judy Walden, a specialist in tourism development for rural communities, to provide an assessment to determine the potential of expanding tourism revenue by developing heritage tourism. Walden’s findings identified “centers of excellence in the performing and visual arts, an extraordinary inventory of historic, cultural and scenic assets and ethnic histories second to none in the state.”
The Committee is seeking grants from the Colorado Council on the Arts, the Department of Local Affairs/CSU Technical Assistance Program, local community groups and in-kind services. Each County will also be responsible for raising some of the cash match.
