NEWS Briefs & NOTES from your editor, 5/25/23

If there ever is an emergency in town, or timely news needing to be distributed, you can trust the Lyons Recorder to put it online immediately.

Dear Readers,

How do you define a hero? Is it the citizen who jumps on a shooter and stops them from further killing people? Is it the soldier defending our country? Or, is it your single mom, who never let you feel poor?

Sara Herchenroether discusses this in her debut novel, The Night Flowers — what does the word survivor conjure in the mind. “Often, we label survivors as heroes,” the author says, “But survivors carry guilt, they carry scars. Not everyone feels like a hero”… I saw a movie “Dear Sirs” this week about a soldier who fought in WWII and was a POW, experiencing horrible conditions. He got several medals and commendations for his “heroic actions,” but he never spoke about it during the rest of his 90 years of life. He never called himself a hero. How often do you see a person shrug off others calling them a hero, and often pointing to someone else as being the “real heroes”?

In 1943, during the grueling war with Japan, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt went on a five-week tour of the South Pacific that included battle sites. Many thought it was inappropriate. But, she had already broken with the conservative requirements expected of a quiet, demure First Lady. Eleanor persisted, saying that she wanted “our boys” to know that they were supported by the people back home. She spoke to individual soldiers, from the highest to the lowest ranks, and particularly the wounded in hospital wards. She lifted morale. Was she a hero to the soldiers? To Women’s Rights?

Who is your hero?

…….. from your editor, Kathleen Spring

ACTIVITIES // Holiday Weekend!

TODAY – Thursday – May 25^th**

Prescribed Burn– Boulder County Parks & Open Space and the Sheriff’s Office Fire Management Program will conduct a five-acre prescribed burn on Thursday, May 25, weather permitting. Hall Ranch will be closed all day.
Party at the Lyons Shoppette for graduating teens, and tweens. — School’s Out! Summer Kick Off Party – SEE BELOW
A-Lodge Rock Garden was rained out twice – come on down Thursday night and see the MOVIE ON THE LAWN! At 6:30p.m. tonight: “Princess Bride”
5^th grade — family-hosted Graduation (a/k/a Continuation) party at LVJ park after school today, at 3p.m.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND:

See our ARTICLE on (1) things happening in nearby cities, and (2) a history of Memorial Day. Including MILITARY HONORS – Have fun, but don’t forget to remember what we are honoring this weekend… and Thank Them for Their Service… in person, or at their gravesite, or in your heart. Fly your Flag!

Saturday, May 27, 9-3p.m. Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens annual plant sale. Buy locally grown, healthy mountain plants. Fundraiser! == See MORE info below…

The Town has hired two part-time staff to run the Visitor Center!! (after an almost 3? year hiatus) — open Friday, Sat, Sun and Mondays from 10 am – 4 pm. Beginning this weekend. – Let your visiting friends and relatives know! Or pick up brochures for yourself on hiking trails, maps, wildlife, and more!

Trail Ridge Rd. in RMNP opens May 26th. (Don’t forget you need a Reservation. see our articles for details; incl. the “hikers shuttle” bus). Independence Pass and Guanella Pass are also now as of this weekend.

School’s OutPARTY TIME

May 25, 2023, 3:30 pm to 5:30pm – LYONS – School’s Out! Summer Kick Off Party – for all school-aged kiddos, and their parents, at Lyons Dairy Bar & Thor’s Pet Palace: 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Free! — Face paintings, sidewalk chalk art, fairy hair (fee$), coloring contest, balloons (fee$), reptile viewing, beanie babies, and more!
May 25, 1 – 2:30 p.m. — PINEWOOD SPRINGS TWEENS & TEENS — IT’S THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! Join us at the ESTES PK library to celebrate! Come get a free book by signing up for the Summer Reading Program, enjoy some free pizza and snacks, make art and play Just Dance on our Wii. A Tween / Teen Summer Reading Program event. REGISTER==ok to just show up if you are reading this too late!
See our “Things to do” for more activities in the Front Range.

Mark your calendar:

Sunday, June 4 for the Third Annual Lyons Summer Artisan Market, Bohn Park.
June 17, Lyons annual Garden Tour (see article next week)
Call out to artists, of all ages: Lyons Arts & Humanities says: Time to work on your “Funky Whimsy Town” ready-to-wall-hang submissions; up to 5. == Due July 7^th.
June 17, 3-6 p.m. – Lyons Pride Fest – at Sandstone Park; and Drag Show at A-Lodge Rock Garden 6:30-8:30p.m. (more to come).

===NEWS YOU CAN USE===

WEATHER: For about five days, the Front Range and Denver were shrouded in a misty cloud. The combination of the rain soaked earth giving up into the atmosphere its water in the form of fog and mixing it with smoke from the nine Canadian (Alberta) wildfires, turned into one of the worse SMOG situations in America. On Friday 5/19/23 it dropped down to Colorado’s Front Range Urban Corridor. ARQ and particle readings in some area homes read between 160 and 200! We were the 4th most polluted city in the world. Almost every day the weather forecasters said it would end the next day, but it just kept coming back again and again. Temperatures were around 60 to 75 degrees most days, which is normal for this time of year. Looks like the coming week will again be “chance of scattered showers.” ==== See our ARTICLE on the wildfires in Canada and details on their affect on Colorado in next week’s edition.

ACCIDENT on Hwy 36, close to Estes Park “sign” — 2 smallish black sedans. Accident victims left – not in emergency vehicle. – Monday May 22, 2023. Witnesses say 1 car got front impact with front completely off and the other side impact.

BOMB THREAT 9a.m. Monday, In response to a bomb threat, the Larimer County Loveland Campus was temporarily closed earlier today as a precautionary measure. Following a thorough investigation conducted by local law enforcement agencies, it has been determined that the bomb threat was illegitimate, and there is no imminent danger to the public or the building.

ONE MORE TEAM for the LYONS Softball LEAGUE == Jill Jacob says: The Lyons Coed Softball League is in need of one more team folks. We have 5 free agents who are willing. Three more females are needed to make another team. Anyone after that would be a bonus. If you feel like it’s time to get that glove dusted off or you are new to it and just want to be a part of a great game on a really delightful community night please contact Lisa Ramsey from Town of Lyons or myself. In the name of fun. Apparently there are food trucks this year and everything.– Register on the Town web page.

Reminder: ART CLASS “series” FULL —starting June 2, at Lyons library = class & waiting list is full.

Lyons Community Resource Fair on Wednesday, May 31.=====Ask your questions face-to-face of our local Front Range providers===held from 12:30 – 3 pm at the Lyons Library, in the Community Room. The library is located at 451 4th Ave. Join the organizations below and many more for resource connection! ==Light Refreshments and some Giveaways== groups who will attend (and there may be more, or brochures from others): == Boulder County Area Agency on Aging — Town of Lyons, Recreation Department — OUR Center (community resources, based on Longmont) — Lyons Emergency Assistance Fund (emergency funding, food pantry, mental wellness) — TruPace (an innovative model that enables individuals who are 55 years old or older and certified by the state who need nursing-home-level care to continue to live safely in their community … designed to combine a senior’s Medicare and Medicaid funds.)

AUDITIONS! – The Lyons Community Theater is looking for adults to participate in a play to be performed in late September or October. There are parts for 7 women and 5 men. The play deals with current issues through the characters participating in a book club. The women have come together to discuss great works of literature, and have roped their husbands into joining them. The discussion leads not only to discussion of literature, but also basketball, sex and other things. It is a ribald comedy with adult themes and strong language. Auditions will be held on the following dates in the Effie Banta room at the Lyons Library: Saturday, May 27th, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm== Saturday, June 3rd, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm – just show up, no experience necessary.

PLANT SALE: May 27, 9a.m. – 3 p.m. — Annual plant sale of locally grown plants = fundraiser for Lyons’ Rocky Mt Botanic Gardens. Park on Prospect Street (just one block off of 5th/Hwy 7). For more information, go to: http://www.rmbg.org – support your local garden, AND get some healthy plants!==== Garden Tour- 10:30 am, with Garima Fairfax, RMBG Director=======Interested in adding some beautiful, low-water, pollinator-friendly native plants to your garden? Or reconnecting with our local gardening community among the first flowers? Come to the RMBG plant sale! We will be selling an assortment of high-quality Colorado native plants in 4” pots, mostly perennial wildflowers, as well as hanging baskets of annuals, T-shirts, and canvas tote bags. Garden volunteers will be on hand to talk about plant care, and all things plants and gardens. All proceeds benefit the gardens. In case of inclement weather, please check our website for updates (www.rmbg.org).

LEAF still looking for a new building – We got the notice Thursday morning that they cancelled the contract to buy the Main Street building, and we added the “letter to the editor” around noon time. If you did not see their explanation-and-goals, check out the ARTICLE.

Spring Run Off – Learn how much water is in the River: The Colorado Department of Natural Resources has a measurement and observation station for the St Vrain in Lyons. The station shows cubic feet per second, air temperature, water temperature and more. Many residents call Town Hall to ask about the spring run off and the height and cfs of the river. The information is all posted online: =Learn more.= this is specifically “Station Name: St Vrain Creek at Lyons”

MISC NEWS: Netflix is cracking down on password sharing in the U.S., and will charge a fee for sharing outside the home. They lost millions due to sneaky sharing thieves. Maybe now they can fund more new movies again.

PHOTO SPREAD – our May 4^th Photo Spread “Looking Back at the First Signs of Spring” had the photo of the brilliant sunrise (by Robyn Sloan) disappear. If you want to see it, click HERE.

===WILDLIFE==

FOX RESCUED: Lyons Vet said: we are proud to share with you the partnership efforts between Greenwood Wildlife and Lyons Veterinary Clinic to rescue a baby fox a few weeks ago. We are stronger together, and these two companies are incredibly grateful for the support you give. Donations welcome.

FOXES – perhaps mating? – several people said that if you hear screaming, it’s probably foxes who make wild sounds, often sounds like a human screaming. You can YouTube some recordings and see if that sounds similar. It’s unnerving the first time you hear it!

BEARS still roaming LaV Johnson park! — Kristin Barnes said: My neighbor had one on his front porch at 3am – he said the size of a cub from last year. I’m pretty sure I saw that one and his sibling a few nights ago. My other neighbors had a bear in their trash (again) and they are still leaving the bins outside. I’m losing my mind.

Remember to contact Town Hall if you see unsecured trash cans – Zack Burges, Compliance officer- right away; that’s setting up a dangerous situation that will end up with bear(s) dead or someone surprising one at night and getting swiped.

===SCHOOL NEWS===see ARTICLE For lots more details & events

*TODAY* == PINEWOOD SPRINGS TEENS: May 25, 1-2;30p.m. – End of School Party at Estes Park Library. See Things to do / or library’s calendar page. ==and== LYONS KIDS: May 25, 2023, 3:30 pm to 5:30pm -LYONS – School’s Out! Summer Kick Off Party – for all school-aged kiddos, (and their parents) at Shopette

Gemma Powell, won a state championship in girls discus.

SCHOOL CALENDAR: Thursday, May 25: Last Day of School (Grades 6-11)==Friday, May 26: HS Senior Prom Night, 7:00 p.m.

See our ARTICLE this week for details on these items, and more. // We have requested the two coaches to let us know how it goes at the “State championship games.”

===CONSTRUCTION=== We will have a full article next week

==Hygiene Rd. – while the flashing sign on Hwy 36 going to Boulder says the road will be closed on May 22; it is misleading. It will actually be closed for weeks! == here are the details: Boulder County will begin a roadway resurfacing project on Hygiene Rd beginning, Monday, May 22. Work will take place between 7 am and 4 pm, Monday thru Thursday. It is anticipated to last through July, weather permitting. Learn more

Broadway Improvements Update ==The BOT approved a contract for the Broadway Improvements at their May 1, meeting. The contractor has been selected. Next steps are to work with the contractor on their estimated start date and the Town will send an update when we have that information. The bid pricing came in low enough for the project to also move forward with the frontage road paving option.

===GOVERNMENT===

Kathy Carroll was appointed to the Sustainability Futures Commission 5/15/23. Congrats! And thanks!

The Town Administrator reports 5/15/23: staff will be working on a sidewalk assessment RFP, from the direction of the BOT which budgeted for this. Also, the Raul Vasquez Stage in Sandstone Park is being improved (more info to come).

TOWN OF LYONS Board of Trustee Meeting ==5/15/23=go to this link to get a brief summary of what happened/was voted on/and future goals: LINK

JOB OPENING: The Town of Lyons Parks and Public Works Department is hiring for Maintenance Worker 1. If you have enjoy being outdoors and serving others, you will join a hardworking team that work together to support and maintain the town’s infrastructure including: Parks and Open Space, Trails, Streets, Town managed utilities, facility maintenance, snow removal and more. This is fully benefited position including health insurance, dental, vision and retirement. Learn more today!

Farmers’ Suicide Rate Is Three and a Half Times Higher Than The General Population — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and a bipartisan group of colleagues to introduce the Farmers First Act of 2023, legislation to address the mental health crisis in rural America and expand access to critical mental health support and resources for our nation’s farming and ranching communities.

Gov. Polis 5/22/23 signed three bills into law to accelerate Colorado’s clean energy transition by increasing regulatory authority and oversight of advanced energy industries, developing a carbon management roadmap and incentivizing clean hydrogen energy in hard-to-decarbonize industries. Senator Kevin Priola, D-Henderson, sponsor of SB23-285, HB23-1210, and HB23-1281 said. “This package of bills will help Colorado remain on the right path to net-zero emissions by helping us create jobs while encouraging better carbon management and clean energy initiatives. I am proud of our work to help build a healthier more sustainable future for us all.”

US Debt ceiling talks continue, as Biden returns early, after attending the G7 Summit.

5/19/23 = 16 individuals indicted by Boulder County for distribution of illicit drugs and related charges. “Operation Blue Steal” seizes 30 pounds of fentanyl and 25 pounds of methamphetamine

==SPORTS==

The Denver Nuggets basketball team has won the WESTERN Conference Championship! They swept the playoffs, winning them all, including the first time to beat the LA Lakers IN LA. == This is their first win in franchise history – 56 years. Top players were Jokic/Joker, and Jamal Murray, who both lifted the trophy. Jokic is Player of the Series. And a great coach, Michael Malone who says they are “working as a team.” They have now made it to the NBA FINALS for the first time. The games will take place from June 1 to June 18. You CAN watch it on Denver-7-TV. CONGRATS!

May 29 – Bolder Boulder—the annual 10-kilometer Memorial Day race – the largest Memorial Day Tribute in the U.S. The ceremony honors all of those who have given their life in military service to our country.

===LIBRARY===

The library had local author Junior Burke come on Tuesday evening to speak about his book “Buddha was a Cowboy,” and I think it was one of the best author talks I’ve ever heard. Not only did he keep us laughing, but he shared inside stories about how he came up with his locations and characters, including using things in Lyons. And after he read part of his book, he opened it up to Q&A, and responded with so many great tips for writers and general positive philosophical comments. And, then he sang some songs (some or all? written by him) that were so insightful that some people in the room had tears in their eyes. I can see why the book is shortlisted for the Mark Twain 2022 Book Awards for Humor and Satire. Thank you for putting this on, and please bring him back for every book he writes!

SUMMER READING PROGRAM: The program begins on May 27th and runs through August 4th. It’s going to be more manual vs. digital this year. Check their website or come in on or after 5/27 to pick up your BINGO card and get started reading! === We’ve asked the library to submit the details so we can publish them for you, for easy reference.

LIBRARY has two new kids programs and a tween program. See their web page for details. (It’s also on our Monthly calendar).

“Wild Mind/Scared Heart” part 2 is June 13^th at 6:30p.m. at the library.

And a new “Studio Open House” – bring your arts & crafts and share and get ideas., in June, July and August.

Plus a talk about dragonflies on July 20^th

………..you came here and read all these Goodies?! Pass on the Word… tell people what they are missing!

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Take Care of Yourself! See you next week!

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