Youth Services
WALSENBURG- There will be a meeting Thurs. Sept. 3 at the Spanish Peaks Library District with food provided by the Spanish Peaks Outreach Clinic. The focal point will be what services and activities are available for youth throughout Huerfano County. Bring information you would like to share.
Please RSVP to Debbie at <hcys@amigo.net>
Chorus reminder
WALSENBURG- The Community Youth Chorus rehearsals begin on Fri. Sept. 4 from 1-2 pm at the United Church downstairs. For more information, call Carol at 989-0826.
Burgers & Brats: youth sports fundraiser
WALSENBURG- There will be a barbecue prior to the first game on the new football field from 11 to 1 pm Sat. Sept. 5. Meet in the parking lot for great food, great friends, and great fun! The feast is $5 and is a Walsenburg youth sports fundraiser.
Lathrop Park Programs
Sat. Sept. 5, 7 pm
Windy Valley Pack Goats. Owners of Windy Valley Pack Goats, Gary and Karen Knutson, will be joining us for a night of up close of hands-on fun and education with two of their goats. Come see, and learn all about their versatility. Please leave all pets at home or at your campsite.
Sun. Sept. 6, 8:30 pm. Geology: All you want to know about rocks & more.
Join Walsenburg native Jon Sudar as we explore the roickin’ world of geology. The program will identify the three basic types of rocks, and how each got to Huefano County.
Both programs will be held at the Pinon Campground Ampitheatre.
Patriot Golf Day
LA VETA- Grandote Peaks will be hosting a Patriot Golf Day Sept. 5. Grandote will match up to $10 of each golfer’s donation to Folds of Honor Foundation. This foundation raises money for children of service persons killed or disabled serving our nation. At 5 pm, a two-man scramble will be held which is open to the public. Call 742-3391 for information.
Tour of Walsenburg for alumni
WALSENBURG- Alumni attending the all-classes school reunion this weekend have an opportunity to take a special "new" and "old" Walsenburg tour. Two tours, one meeting at 8:45 am and one at 11:45 am on Sat. Sept. 5, will use the comfortable Council of Governments small bus holding 13 passengers. Sponsored by the Walsenburg Mining Museum for a $15 per person donation, the tours will cruise Main Street where they will see the locations of the early fort and adobe houses and hear the stories of the infamous Main Street brothels.
The "new" Walsenburg drive-by includes the 2009 football/sports complex, the water park, a peek into the new library in the old Huerfano County High School, and a chance to identify the new tenants of the old Washington School.
Passengers can try spotting houses moved in from the coal camps and stop at the Walsen Power Plant to look up the hill where the cannon and searchlights were placed during the 1913-14 coal strike.
The hour and a half tours still have some openings. Contact Carolyn Newman 738-2840 or Walsenburg Mining Museum for information and to reserve a seat.
Gardner’s bustling on Labor Day
GARDNER- Fri. Sept. 4 is the grand opening of The Back 40 at the Station. The Vialpandos are leasing the building, and plan to open the gas station and store from 7 am-8 pm daily.
On Sat. Sept. 5 will be the grand opening of the Tortilla Flats Café, also at the Station. They’ll have coffees, teas, and lattes, as well as their great Mexican food, organic food, and vegetarian entrees.
The Gardner School Farmer’s Market and Garage Sale will be from 9-1 pm in front of the school. Bring stuff to donate, or come sell your surplus and give the school a donation for the space.
UHFPD garage sale
GARDNER- Come one, come all to the Upper Huerfano Fire Protection District (UHFPD) fund-raising garage sale, Sun. Sept. 6, 10-4 and Mon. Sept. 7, 12-5. Many items will be for sale. The garage sale will be held at the fire station, located at 25396 Highway 69, in Gardner. Along with the garage sale on Monday, the fire department will be holding its annual open house.
UHFPD annual open house
GARDNER- The Upper Huerfano Fire Protection District (UHFPD) is having their annual open house, Mon. Sept. 7, 12-5. The open house will be held at the fire station, located at 25396 Highway 69, in Gardner. Please come meet the firefighters, board members and the up-coming auxiliary members. The new pumper fire engine will be on display, and there will be games with prizes for the kids. Bring your appetite for burgers and brats.
Republicans meet
WALSENBURG- The Huerfano County Republicans will kick off their fall season with a meeting on Tues. Sept. 8 at the Huerfano County Community Center at 928 Russell in Walsenburg. The meeting will start at 6 pm but come early at 5:30 for a social period to meet others with like minds in the county. Plans will be made for upcoming events and discussions will be held regarding the upcoming local elections and the candidates for the 2010 election. If you have any questions, please contact Dick Chenault at 252-1752.
Wisdom Jesus study series
LA VETA- A Wisdom Jesus study group will begin meeting on Wed. Sept. 9 from 3:30-5 pm at St. Benedict Church, 113 W. Field. The series will continue on a weekly basis. The series is based on the writings of Cynthia Bourgeault.
Opportunities: Recovery and Reinvestment Act
WALSENBURG- Maranda Pleau, Director of Minority and Small Business Outreach for the Governor’s Economic Recovery Team, will be coming for the second time to Walsenburg on Wed. Sept. 9. She will be at the Spanish Peaks Library from 5 to 7 pm. She will visit all 64 counties to help local citizens and business people understand and access opportunities from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Questions? Call 303-764-7703.
La Plaza de los Leones roars
WALSENBURG- The Indian trails which became Main and 7th streets in Walsenburg brought the first Spanish speaking colonists to the area. Around 1860 Don Miguel Antonio Leon arrived, and along with the Atencio family, some Valdez, Vigil, Trujillo and Medina settlers started a community, named “La Plaza de los Leones.” By 1873, the settlement had been platted, replaced Badito as the county seat and renamed Walsenburg in honor of Fred Walsen, an influential German immigrant.
In 1973, La Plaza de Los Leones, Inc. was established as an all-volunteer, non-profit, community-based organization dedicated to promoting Hispanic cultural awareness and to raising scholarship money for area high school graduates and continuing education students. There are various fundraising activities for adults and youth throughout the year, but the culmination is the Grand Fiesta held each September. This year’s three-day festival will be held on Sept. 11-13 at the Huerfano County Fairgrounds, (behind the Huerfano County Community Center, at 928 Russell Ave.) Attractions include a parade, booths, games, car show, food & drinks, entertainment and a live band on Saturday night. For information, go to http://plazadelosleones.org or email info@plazadelosleones.org.
La Veta Library Golf Tournament
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.
Vacancy on Re-1 School Board
WALSENBURG- With the resignation of Lynette Kleinschmidt from the Re-1 Board of Education (District G) on August 25, 2009, there is now a vacancy on the board that will be filled by appointment within 60 days.
See the Re-1 classified ad on page 7 for informationon how to be considered for the position.
In other school board election news, Jessie Jackson has filed a petition in District F and Sandra Dotter has filed a petition in District D. There have been no petitions filed or picked up in District B.
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’ 250th 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
La Clinica update
GARDNER- Early this summer, the Board of Directors of La Clinica met to consider applications for Board positions and interviewed candidates. Lana Thomas-Wachterman was chosen to join Gail Seitz, president, and Harlene Michaels, secretary. Kenny Schneider submitted his resignation, after serving well for many years, both on the La Clinica board and the SPRHC board.
The new Board met to discuss possibilities for reopening the clinic and met with Todd Oberheu, director of Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center, to explore ideas. SPRHC plans to look into getting grants to support some operations and to bring out some SPRHC personnel to offer services. Todd suggested looking into getting a Tele-Med machine, which is capable of reading vital signs and includes the capability to create a live picture and voice link with a doctor which could be available 24-7. At this point it looks like La Clinica may be able to open as a facility that health care providers can use/rent to provide services.
Grant from Libri Foundation
WALSENBURG- Children at Spanish Peaks Library are now enjoying books purchased with a grant from the Libri Foundation. In April, 45 books with a retail value of $762.00 arrived at the library. The Friends of the Library matched funds for this grant. The new books were covered by library volunteers. We thank the Libri Foundation for considering Spanish Peaks Library for this grant.
Yoga with Arlene Feiccabrino
GARDNER- Give yoga a try at the Gardner Community Center each Wednesday from 5:30 to 7 pm.
Feiccabrino offers exercises for all ability levels and pain levels, for just $5 a session. Bring a mat and a bath towel or blanket and a long strap. Wear stretchy clothing.
Open door poetry society is looking…
WALSENBURG- The Open Door Poetry Society is looking for offspring and extended family of the beat/bohemian/yippie-hippi poets and performers to entertain and invigorate the Huerfano diehard counterculture closet word and rhythm jugglers. Please assist with open-minded contacts.
For info, call 719-738-1154. The group is currently meeting on the 4th Wed. of each month at Spanish Peaks library in Walsenburg.
Open Arms seeking scrapbookers
HERFANO- The Open Arms Pregnancy Center is seeking scrapbookers in the Huerfano County area. There are two different kinds of opportunities to help. One is to put together a scrapbook of Open Arms clippings and pictures. The second is to conduct a little scrapbooking workshop for some of our new moms and moms-to-be.
For info, send email to openarms9994@gmail.com or call 719-738-9994.
