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Briefs for September 30, 2010

VFC food drive in Walsenburg

WALSENBURG- Tomorrow Oct. 1, Volunteers for Change members will collect foods at Dollar General from 1 to 5 pm for distribution to Huerfano County residents who need a little extra help at this time.  They will accept any nonperishable food, household product, or pet food.  Please stop by and drop off a can or box of food, or a dollar or two.  

    They will purchase food at Dollar General with all cash collected, and all food will be given to Dorcas Circle for distribution.  For further information please contact Susan Kalman at 719-250-6097, or visit www.volsforchange.org.  Thank you for your generous help in caring for Huerfano County residents in need.

Upcoming Events at Spanish Peaks Library

WALSENBURG-

Karate Demonstration

On Fri. Oct. 1, 10:30 am, this event will be held in the meeting room and is for all ages.

Model Airplane and Engine Display On Thurs. Oct. 7, 10 am-2 pm, Jerry Price will lead this event.

Mask Magic workshop

On Fri. Oct. 8, 10:15-noon, build paper masks with Dianne Hannisch.  This event will be held in the meeting room and is for all ages (children under 6 with an adult).

Board Game time 

Mondays from 4:30-5:30  works well for groups of family and friends who want to meet for games at the Library.  (Please give us a call ahead of time if you have a large group coming.)

Young Adult Computer Lab time. 

Tuesdays from 4:30-6:00, help with studies will be available.

Computer Question and Answer time Tuesdays from 5-6 with John Thomas.

     Please sign up for workshops at the main desk in the Library.  For more information call 738-2774 or visit the website at www.spld.org .

Oktoberfest this Saturday in La Veta!

LA VETA- Plan now to attend Oktoberfest in scenic La Veta on Sat. Oct. 2.  Always held the first Saturday in October, Oktoberfest has become one of southern Colorado’s premier events.

    As always, this year’s Oktoberfest will begin at 10 am with a salute to a local veteran. The party begins shortly after, with authentic German music by Das Edelweiss.  The fun continues with Dennis Rains performing classic western music, followed by a street dance at 1 pm to the sounds of Krush. The music, prizes and fun last until 6 pm. The party then moves inside to the area’s many restaurants and pubs.

    A beer garden, arts and crafts vendors and southern Colorado’s largest classic car show attracted over 4,000 visitors to La Veta last year. This year promises to be even bigger!

    Proceeds from Oktoberfest benefit the Candy Cocco Memorial Student Award fund.  For more information: www.lavetacucharachamber.com or email to lavetaoktoberfest@yahoo.com.

Free tack and ranch supply swap and sale

TRINIDAD- Neighs and Brays, a local group of donkey, mule, and horse enthusiasts, is sponsoring a free tack swap and sale on Sat. Oct. 2.

    It will be held at the Las Animas County Fairgrounds in the 4H Pavilion.  There is no charge for a space.  Bring any and all unwanted or unneeded donkey, mule, or horse tack; riding apparel; or barn, farm, or ranch supplies.  Sell it for cash or swap it for something you need!  For details, call 719 680 1669.

Friends of the Library to meet

WALSENBURG– The Friends of the Library (Spanish Peaks Library District) will be meeting in the Archive Room at the library, 415 Walsen Ave. on Tues. Oct. 5 at 2:30 pm.  Please join us with your ideas on how to help library services and programs.

Radon meeting

WALSENBURG- Do you want to understand more about radon?  A meeting to raise awareness of radon and reduce its risk will be held Tuesday, October 5, at 6 p.m., at Spanish Peaks Public Library, 415 Walsen Avenue in Walsenburg.  Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer deaths in the U.S.  The only way to determine if your home has elevated levels is to test for it.  If a high radon level is detected in your home, you can take steps to fix it to protect yourself and your family.  Residents of Huerfano, Custer, and rural Pueblo Counties who attend the meeting will be given a free radon test kit.

    This meeting is sponsored by the Las Animas-Huerfano Counties District Health Department, PuebloCAREs (Community Action for a Renewed Environment), and Sangre de Cristo Volunteers for Change.

Navajo Home Owners Association to meet

NAVAJO- The Navajo Ranch HOA will have their regular monthly meeting Tues. Oct.5. at 7 pm. The meeting will be at the Navajo Western Water District building located at 701 Navajo Rd.

Trails Committee Open House Scheduled

WALSENBURG- Huerfano County Parks and Trails Committee will hold an open house Oct. 7 at the Spanish Peaks Library in Walsenburg.  There will be two sessions:    11am-1pm and 4-6 pm.  The open house will introduce the community to the National Park Service  interactive mapping website.  This website gives the public the ability to supply input online about the proposed trails.  National Park Service employees will be on hand to demonstrate how to navigate the site.  The public input will help refine the trail alignments in preparation for the Huerfano County Trails Master Plan.

Huerfano Community Coalition to meet

WALSENBURG- The monthly meeting of the Huerfano County Community coalition will be held Thurs. Oct. 7 in the community room of the Spanish Peaks Library, 415 Walsen Ave.  Luncheon begins at noon followed by our guest speaker, Mayor Bruce Quintana whose topic will be “Government in Transition.”  The yearly dues are now due ($5).  Everyone is welcome to join us to share and support “communications in the commun-ity.”  Any questions, please call Deb Channel at 719-738-2718.

Hunter Education Courses for October

PUEBLO- A special one-day hunter education course will be given Oct. 14 from 8 am to 8 pm.  Minimum age is 14 years.

    Three weekend courses will be given Oct. 16 & 17, Oct. 23 & 24 and Oct. 30 & 31 all from 8 am to 3 pm.  Minimum age is 10 years.

    Pre-registration is required for all courses and all will be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 1601 Bonforte Blvd, Pueblo.  For more Information call Jose Alvarado  719-544-1922.

Huge Book Sale  at Spanish Peaks Library

WALSENBURG- The Friends of the Library are hosting a fall book sale from 10 am to 3 pm on Oct. 15 in the Library Community Room.  There will be great prices on used books:  25 cents for paperbacks and 50 cents for hardbacks.  Come and browse for bargains.  If you have questions or if you would like to help, please call Jerry @ 738-2426 or Dorothy @ 719-422-1031.

Bee Keepers meeting

WALSENBURG- The Spanish Peaks Bee Keepers will have a meeting on October 16, 2010 at the Spanish Peaks Libary at 1 pm.  Melanie from Zia Queen Bee will be the presenter.  Cost is $6 per person. 

Booth Space Available for NM Christmas Bazaar

CLAYTON- The 15th annual Christmas Bazaar will be held in Clayton, NM, Sat. Nov. 13 and Sun. Nov. 14 at the Clayton Civic Center downtown.

The Christmas Bazaar is sponsored by the Clayton Federated Women’s Club and proceeds will benefit the club’s annual scholarships and other community projects.  The ladies of the club plan to incorporate several new ideas this year, including a photography display.

    Booth space may be purchased to display arts and crafts, jewelry, Christmas gifts and ideas, etc.  There will also be a food concession, free door prizes and admission is free.

    For more information, please contact Sue Richardson at 123 W. Broadway, Clayton, NM 88415, or call (575) 374-1090.

Fire Ban

HUERFANO-A stage one fire ban has been issued for Huerfano County and will be in effect until further notice.   A stage one fire ban will ban outdoor burning, require smoking in a vehicle or a clearing of a 3 foot circle and will restrict camp fires to designated camp grounds.

Final VFC food drive in La Veta a success

LA VETA- Once again La Veta residents and visitors came through with contributions of food for Dorcas Circle.   VFC members spent a gorgeous Huerfano County afternoon sitting at a table outside Charlie′s Market in La Veta, and collected a table full of food as well as $97.53 in cash, with which they purchased more groceries.   VFC will resume food collection in La Veta in front of Charlie′s next spring.   Thanks to all who so generously contributed to this effort!

Local Author a finalist in the New Mexico Book Awards

WALSENBURG-  Kay Beth Faris Avery’s new book was judged to be among the top three best books in the Anthology Category of the 2010 New Mexico Book Awards.  According to the New Mexico Book Coop website, this prestigious competition recognizes “the best of southwestern literature as judged by a distinguished panel of scholars and librarians” familiar with our unique region of the country.

    Avery’s book, Tales From the Trappers’ Trail, released by Western Reflections in April 2010, features nine captivating stories that provide readers a lively, yet thorough history of the early trade routes and cultural changes that shaped northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. From Spanish conquistadors to Zebulon Pike, from the Mexican-American War to the Sand Creek Massacre, this collection of narratives shares a unique perspective of the past, with all its accompanying hardships, atrocities, and attitudes of the day.

    The Reading New Mexico website describes Avery as an author capable of delivering “history lessons you will certainly enjoy. Well written, very well researched, footnoted and complete with maps, a very detailed timeline and thorough bibliography, Avery simply did a great job.”

    This author, who is the daughter of Juanita M. Faris and the wife of Charles W. Avery, is a native of Southern Colorado. She has published stories and professional educational articles for more than thirty years. She describes herself as a person who has been in love with the “Old West” since she was a little girl. Listening to her father and his siblings tell tales about real western characters while mixing folklore with their own personal encounters as they merged history and fantasy became second nature to Avery at an early age.

     First place winners of the New Mexico Book Awards will be announced at the annual banquet in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Nov. 19th.

Area Non-profits in danger of losing their tax exemption

HUERFANO- The IRS needs your help to prevent non-profit organizations in your community from losing their tax exemption.

    Tax-exempt organizations, except churches and church-related groups, that fail to file for three consecutive years automatically lose their tax-exempt status.  The IRS is providing one-time relief to allow small tax-exempt organizations to come back into compliance by Oct. 15. and retain their tax-exempt status even though they failed to file for three consecutive years.

    The IRS has published a list of over 300,000 organizations at risk of losing their exemption because the IRS has no record of their filing for 2007, 2008, or 2009.  If you are a volunteer, member or supporter of an organization at risk of losing its exemption, please alert the organization and encourage it to find out how they can come back into compliance by going to www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=225702,00.html.

74-2574169     American Legion Auxiliary 16                               Huerfano PO Box 135                                        Walsenburg, CO 81089-0135

3 84-6051467    American Legion Post 16

            Huerfano PO Box 1079                                   Walsenburg,CO 81089-1079

4 23-7416363    Arts N Things Association Inc                                                  PO Box 267                             Walsenburg, CO 81089-0267

5 84-0628729    Busy Bear Pre School Inc                               108 Kansas Ave Box 167                            Walsenburg, CO 81089-1819

6 84-1163655    Caring Unlimited Hospice                                             15419 County Road 340                             WalsenburG, CO 81089-9528

7 84-1054168    Domestic Violence Elimination                 Program Inc                                                                                202 W 9th St                                          Walsenburg, CO 81089-2228

8 23-7636182    Free & Accepted Masons Prince                 Hall Grand Masters Conference                 National Spanish Peak 17                               Walsenburg,CO 81089-0000

9 84-1457947    Harmony Barrel Racing Inc                                                       450 Co Rd 520 1                                       Walsenburg, CO 81089-9604

10 84-6038723    Huerfano County Beverage Asso                ciation                                                                                     526 Main St                                           Walsenbur, CO 81089-2036

11    23-7053087    Huerfano County Farm Bureau                                                    Po Box 163                                            Walsenburg, CO 81089-0163

12    84-0232182    Huerfano Masonic Cemetery As                sociation                                                                                    111 E 5th St                                          Walsenburg, CO 81089-2009

13    84-6050720    National Association Of Letter                 Carriers 2139

            204 E 6th St                                          Walsenburg, CO 81089-2022

14    74-2287438    North Land Water Users Associa

            tion Inc                                                                                   PO Box 48                                             Walsenburg, CO 81089-0048

15    84-0951066    Spanish Peaks Mutual Water                 Company                                    PO Box 145                                            Walsenburg, CO 81089-0145

16    31-1730646    Teen Court Of Huerfano County        401 Main St Ste 304                 Walsenburg, CO 81089-2045

17    84-0775620    Toltec Water Users Association             502 County Road 598              Walsenburg, CO 81089-9428

18    23-7034728    Walsenburg Industrial Develop                ment Corporation                            PO Box 942                                            Walsenburg, CO 81089-0942

Little known rebates from the Governors Energy Office

HUERFANO– We have news regarding rebates that are available from the Governor’s Energy office and that don’t seem to be too widely known around Huerfano County.

    Rebates are ‘reserved in advance,’ where a Colorado resident sets up an account on the Governor’s Energy Office website and reserves a rebate for a specific opportunity.  The following rebates are available.

Energy Efficient Appliances Rebate Amount

• Clothes washers        $75

• Dishwashers        $50

• Refrigerators        $50 with no recycling

                    $100 with recycling

• Gas tankless water heaters    $300

• High performance or gas

    condensing water heaters

    (Includes propane & natural gas)    $200

• Gas condensing furnaces    $500

• Gas boilers            $400

Energy Efficiency Measures

    Energy Audits will get you a tiered rebate between $25 to $100 depending on the cost of your audit.  If the cost is less than or equal to $75, then there is no rebate.  With an audit cost of $76 to $124, the rebate amount will be $25.  For the $125 to $184 level, the rebate is $50.  From $185 to $239, the rebate is $75, and for audits that cost $240 or more, your rebate would be rebate $100.

    The following three rebates are available for a limited time only and are valid for reservations made through September 30, 2010.

    Insulation and Air Sealing:  Installing insulation and air sealing will get you a rebate of 40% of cost up to $600. 

    Duct Sealing:  Sealing the ducts in your home or business will qualify you for a rebate of 40% of the cost up to $150.

    Energy Monitor: Installing an energy monitor will get a rebate of 40% of the cost up to $100.

    ENERGY STAR Homebuilder:  For Homebuilders only, a $300 rebate

    To reserve a rebate, Huerfano County residents should visit www.rechargecolorado.com/ and click on the “Login/Register” link at the top of the page.  For residents without access to the internet, the Governor’s Energy Office has established the Recharge Colorado Hotline at (800) 462-0184.  For local assistance, contact Larry Blessman, Community Energy Coordinator with the South Central Council of Governments at 719-845-1133 x211 or by e-mail at lblessman@sccog.net.

Cement plant concerns

Building inspector suggests a negotiated move out of Northlands to site near prison WALSENBURG — The Walsenburg City Council convened a special meeting Friday, March

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