NEWS Briefs & NOTES from your editor, 11/16/23

WEATHER: We’ve had above average temperatures for most of November… instead of 55, we’ve had 65 degrees, for the most part. It looks like the coming week it will be closer to normal, and the mountains might get a little snow. – Did you know that at this time of the year, I-70 experiences a sun glare that causes the state to shut the road down temporarily, as it is impossible to see anything in front of your car!

November 23, Happy Thanksgiving! — Remember that federal buildings will be closed on Thursday, which includes the post office, and town hall. Many will also close on Friday for a 4-day weekend. The Lyons library will be closed both Thursday and Friday, but not Saturday. This is because Friday is “Native American Heritage Day.”

ADDED 11/17 at 4pm — We were told that the Lyons Post Office will have only one employee working next week, Nov. 20 to 24 (closed Thanksgiving day). They will not be sorting boxes. The post office director said she could not give us an official statement, per headquarter’s rules.

The Memorial for Pricilla Cohan at the Clarifier was well attended, and was a heartfelt sendoff from her friends.

Rachel at MainStage Brewing has moved on to a new adventure. She was with them for two years, and made pizza pies and served customers with a smile. MainStage still has their Bingo games, and Trivia Night, and TV sports going on. They also usually have some “fry” special going on every Friday.

NEW CHURCH IN TOWN: Christian Promise Fellowship at 12650 N. Foothills Highway (also known as Highway 36. About a mile SE of Lyons) Former location of Calvary Foothills Baptist Church. Service: Sunday Worship 10:00 am  (First day of worship 11/12/23 starting with a new series called Romans 8 – This series will help you learn more about God’s love and grace for all of us.) Pastor Dawnmarie Fiechtner – Their kickoff meet-and-greet is December 3^rd. See our article for more details. Nondenominational; bible based.

YOU MAY KNOW The Colorado Department of Transportation announced Monday 10/30 that with the heavy snow, Independence Pass is closed for the season.  BUT YOU MAY NOT KNOW: This 32-mile mountain pass is the highest paved state highway in Colorado and crosses the Continental Divide at 12,095 feet.

KNIT CLUB: With the onset of cold weather season Spirit Hound ‘s crocheting & knitting group is moving to bi-monthly meetings- the 2nd Tuesday and the 4th Tuesday of the month. Come by anytime after 6 pm and bring your latest project!

ADDED 11/17:    Our old friends at Sage + Grace Botanicals have a Thanksgiving “forest terrain” centerpiece workshop going on at Moxie’s this weekend on Sunday! ==== and Metamorphosis Tattoo and Piercing Studio has a plant sale going on, 30% off, until they are pretty much all gone. (at corner of 3rd and Main St)

BENCH At Crescent Lake in Pinewood Springs == there’s a new bench on the east side that was purchased and installed by community volunteers dedicated to Jon and Carol Andrews. Jon was a well-respected longtime resident in Pinewood Springs. Jon made significant contributions to the community while serving on the PSFPD Board, was hands-on while serving on the Road Board and was a generous community supporter. Jon would be 83 today, November 9. Happy Birthday Jon. For over 20 years every Thursday evening at 6 P.M., October through April, Carol and Jon opened their home to the community for soup supper.

LYONS VET announces: We are excited to be offering regenerative medicine in the form of PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections. These are joint injections that are used for the treatment of arthritis or acute injuries to the joints. The entire process is very quick (about an hour) and only requires sedation, not full anesthesia. Learn more about this innovative medicine by watching the following video or contacting the clinic for more information. Call/Text 303-823-6767

LOCAL ARTIST – Ann Hall has some of her pieces of art now on display at our Lyons Moxie’s Mercantile. They are unique and good for starting conversations! === AND, she is also flying to the Netherlands for a show. She says: “The newest art pieces, like Star Man, will be heading for a windmill gallery, Galerie in De Molen, in Wassenaar, Netherlands opening November 18th.” She will be joined by Jacob and her mom Marcia.

Our WORLD TRAVELLER Cheri Hofer got good news this week – her 3-year residence permit has been approved! “My Residente Temporale card is now good for three more years of coming and going in and out of Mexico, until it ostensibly rolls over into Residente Permanente!” Send her good wishes.

VERIZON PHONE SERVICE: Lyons residents posted that for the last two months or so they have had spotty service, not only in Lyons, but especially in larger cities like Boulder and Loveland. — James Morton said: Lifetime Verizon customer here. Same experience. Hit or miss reception. This type of reduction in quality of coverage was predicted for rural areas during the great conversion to 5G. Bleh.

OLD TIME MEMORIES: We have a handful of articles that stay at the top of the “most viewed list” each month that are a year or more old. Some how people still seek them out. We also have a rare “Comment” on an old article that someone is just discovering. This week we had the “Black Bear Restaurant, 35 years, with 4 stars (history)” article get a comment from a person who had decades long connection to Lyons (through her dad John Ramey), and no longer lives here – Linda Ramey said: I remember the Black Bear Restaurant from when I was my Child. Mom and dad would not allow us to eat in restaurants back then. A practice I sometimes wish parents still did today.  When I was “old enough”, 13 or so, my parents took all of the family once. Years later I would met my Dad there several times. The last time I went there was not long after Mr. Wyppler’s Passing. I remember the coffee was so hot immediately after it was poured into the porcelain coffee cup, it was already too hot to pick up. It was the best coffee I ever drank. The whole meal was delicious and the evening was relaxing. One of my fondest memories was that evening, enjoying that incredibly hot coffee.

November 24, Native American Heritage Day. Some offices will be closed, including Lyons library.

Alexa Wildish (Lyons) got picked again, and is still on The “Voice” TV reality show. 11/14/23 =The knockout rounds continued on “The Voice” (at 8 p.m. Tuesdays, on NBC). During the knockouts, the coaches – Niall Horan, John Legend, Gwen Stefani and Reba McEntire – pit three of their singers against each other.  John Legend compared her to a young Joni Mitchell. Another person said Judy Collins.  See the 2 minute video of “Do you believe in Love” — NBC LINK — (PS You might want to stick around and see the next video of a 13 year old girl.. wonderful)

THTHR.Org – Wendy Miller recommends this organization for the Holiday Giving: This is the perfect place to spread some Christmas cheer! Help homeless youth by either sponsoring one through the Holidays and donating items on their wish list, or buying items needed for the organization in general. It helps them with food, clothing, mental health services, educational counseling and supportive housing.

===THINGS GONE WRONG===

11/5/23 Fatal Rollover accident: It was just west of the canal. Maybe around 5600 Saint Vrain Rd. Maybe 2 miles east of 36 and 1 mile west of 65th St.

FIRE ALARM at Lyons Mid/Sr High School on Thursday 11/9 – no problem! – the school posted: Hello, thanks for sharing the concern. We have had no fire or smoke in the building, a faulty sensor has tripped the alarm and is being fixed right now. Sorry for any inconvenience.

CONSTRUCTION: Southbound I-25 nightime closure needed on Nov. 17th between Loveland and Berthoud. Watch for detour signs.

Shannon Pennell Johnson said 11/15/23: I just wanted to give a big shout out to the Lyons Fire Department and townspeople who helped me when I had an accident on my e-bike yesterday (I’m banged up but ok thankfully!) They were so caring and warm and really made a stressful situation much easier to handle. We live in the best little town ever and I am so grateful to call Lyons my hometown! ===Julie Jacobs added: They are fantastic, I needed them last week and felt very safe and well cared for by the responders. Love Lyons!

The new IN N OUT burger place opened in Loveland. The had police out to direct the traffic. The wait was “only” an hour. People just like to be part of “an event.” Get your double double! (slightly lower cost and bigger, and fresher meal than MacDonald’s)

HOLIDAY SUPPORT GROUP: The holiday season can present many unique challenges (depression, stress, financial worries, grief, family, loneliness). Join the local support group to learn from professional strategies for staying healthy and resilient. Starting next Tuesday, 11/21 at 5:30 pm and running through the holiday season. LEAF is here when you need it! Takes place in lower level of Lyons Community Church on Main Street.

FAKE! — there is a post going around saying that you need to post a notice on your page, but it is wrong and fake, and will do nothing for you and your photos: ==Claim==: Says Facebook is now a “public entity” that will be able to “use your photos” and “information” unless you post a statement declining your permission. — The violation of privacy can be punished by law etc. (per my attorney) == This has been going on for 4 years! and I just saw someone post it this October 2023.

===A Waltons Thanksgiving (2022)===

Looking for a good family movie to enjoy over the long weekend? == The plot: In 2021, the CW made a surprising programming move when the usually teen-focused network aired The Waltons’ Homecoming, a new movie featuring the characters from the beloved 1970s drama. It was such an unexpected hit that the creators whipped up this autumnal sequel that sees the rural Virginia clan gathering for Thanksgiving in 1934 during the Great Depression. Original John Boy actor Richard Thomas, 72, narrates, while the updated cast includes many recognizable faces from your favorite TV shows, such as Bellamy Young, 53 (first lady Mellie Grant from Scandal), as the matriarch, Olivia, and Logan Shroyer (teen Kevin Pearson on This Is Us) as John Boy. – look for it on YouTube.

===WORLD NEWS===

The Actors /and Screenwriters Strike ended November 9^th. They had joined the Writers Guild of America in July (the writers settled in October). There was a hold on advertising and producing films and TV shows for those four months. If it had not been agreed to, the next chance would not have happened until next year 2024. The heads of studios stated that the demands were “unrealistic” and “disruptive.” The key issues were mainly increased compensation, streaming residuals, and permission required for use of AI.  It’s hard to believe that actors did not get any residuals from their work being streamed, in this day and age! And that the Studios didn’t understand that they needed to work with Actors together NOW to STOP the use of their image/voice/etc. thru AI without their consent or payment. It was the first time both unions had been on strike since 1960. The production shutdown has cost the California economy an estimated $5 billion.

===BUSINESS NEWS===

ONE MORE BITES THE DUST – The Diner Bar restaurant closed on Sunday, November 5^th. Other restaurants that occupied that spot were: Foothills, Redhill, Anastasia’s, Outlaw, Axe & Oar, Lyons Den, Prickly Pear, Canyon Door. (not necessarily in that order). – Some people like to say it is cursed. But having a tiny parking lot may be a stronger reason for people not pulling in and enjoying the place. Each of these owners did a great job. Each renovated it, spending a LOT of money. Perhaps a non-restaurant should give it a try.

As one leaves, a new one opens… we have a short preview of the new tapas restaurant “Farra,” located behind Moxie’s at 5th and High Streets. See the full list of SEVEN BUSINESSES with BIG NEWS this quarter. 

OK, make that two: 

“Boulder Integrative Therapy” has now opened the 2-person office in LYONS. Amy Benton Krenz, Therapist. “Offering therapeutic guidance for adults at all stages of life. Amy has her Masters degree in Clinical Psychology, certification in yoga therapy, PhD in contemplative studies, and has been a student of eastern practices and philosophy for over 20 years.” SEE THE AD AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FRONT PAGE after the List of Articles for more info and a link. // as well as more details in our article on “BIZ NEWS.”

===Library News===

Friends of the Library had their annual meeting and social at SpiritHound Distillery. They served a meat/cheese tray from St. Vrain Market, and had a cash bar. The teens from the library Teen Advisory group gave a short skit stating all the good things that the “Friends” have done to make their activities even more fun (like free pizza). Ellen Hine gave a brief report on the 2023 activities they funded (which was also handed out on a sheet of paper), and accepted nominations for officer positions. The veranda bar room was full, and lots of friendly conversation among “library lovers.” We love you “Friends”!

LIVE MUSIC BENEFIT FOR LEAF: What: Live music at the Library to benefit the Lyons Community Food Pantry = When: Friday, December 1st, 7-9pm =Where: Lyons Community Library = Donations: Donations to the food pantry are not required, but are greatly appreciated. Food and household items as well as monetary donations in the form of cash or check will be accepted all night long. See LEAF web site for suggested donations of unexpired food. RSVP == Performance Schedule: 

     7-7:30: Sweet Sunday (Rob Pate, Brian Schey, Liam Pierce)

     7:45-8:15: Billeby Brothers (Eben Grace, Billy Shaddox)

     8:30-9:00: Junior Burke (with Colin Mahoney)

===SCHOOL NEWS===

Added 11/17: INFO MEETING for new attendees: Lyons Elementary School — preschool, kindergarten, K-5 OPEN Enrollment begins December 1st. Jon us for an informational meeting on Dec. 12th at the Lyons Elemen. Library at 5 to 6:15 p.m. // learn more at www.LyonsES.svvsd.org or call 303-823-6915.

Flight Deck Grill – food truck – says: We had the pleasure of showing potential future food truck entrepreneurs the Flight Deck Grill yesterday. Ms. Busby, Lyons Middle Senior High School art teacher, is having her students create their own food truck – from exterior and interior design to cuisine. The students were able to tour the trailer, work the window, place orders & ask all of their burning questions. We had a blast showing them the ropes, we love this community!

Thank you to Oskar Blues who donated 40% of its sales on Wedn., November 15^th to the “Lyons Lions DINE OUT” / supporting Lyons Middle Senior High School students. Watch out for other opportunities in town.

LYONS Mid/Sr High School BOOSTER Club: THANK YOU, LYONS’ LIONS FAMILIES & BUSINESSES! With your overwhelming generosity, the Lions Pride Pledge fundraising campaign was a HUGE success raising over $40,000 and destroying our $32,000 goal! — We also hit the 50% family participation goal, and we can’t thank you enough! Our school and Lyons community are truly AMAZING! —Congratulations to the JUNIOR and SEVENTH GRADE CLASSES for winning the Class Competition! They’ll enjoy an awesome ice cream sundae party.

Lyons Marching Band performed at the Longmont Veteran’s Day parade, and then went and performed at the school foot ball game. They will be performing at the LYONS Christmas/Holiday parade too in December. Thank you for all your good work!

See our ARTICLE on a SVVSD band (retired) teacher who will be marching in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade next week!

GO LYONS! They are now on to the quarter-finals this Saturday, November 18! Only 4 teams left in the state championship playoffs! – watch online or go in person and support our great team: It wasn’t so long ago that we struggled to have a winning team. Let them hear you cheer! If they win, they play the final game November 25^th in Pueblo.

Monday-Friday, Nov 20-24: THANKSGIVING BREAK – NO SCHOOL

BIG CHEER == Lyons senior Henry Johnson has an offer to play football at Western Colorado University and will most likely accept that offer.

SEE OUR ARTICLE this week about THREE BIG!!! Champion wins – even if you don’t have kids in the school, you still have bragging rights – share with your Thanksgiving family and friends!

===NATURE/Wildlife===

The Nature Talk by David Neils on how the mountain lion is a keystone animal was a “full house” on both nights at the Lyons library. He showed a film that followed a researcher on his quest to find out how keystone wildlife was important to its ecosystem; and by eliminating just one (often described as a predator) the whole system was DRASTICALLY affected for the worse, including the vegetation. It also included a short segment of him speaking while showing clips from his wildlife web cam. Thanks to Western Star and the library Friends for each sponsoring one of the two programs.

RMNP – Recently retired Rocky Mountain National Park Superintendent Darla Sidles has won the esteemed Stephen T. Mather Award. In 2016, she became the first woman to serve as superintendent of Rocky Mountain National Park. During her time in the role, (1) she established the Next Generation Ranger Program to employ local young people, with an emphasis on recruiting a regionally diverse group (2) she helped launch the nation’s first-ever pilot timed-entry permit system and (3) in 2020, steered the fires and recovery in the Park’s most devastating wildfires in known history.

Warning: WILD TURKEYS in YARD: Evan Jones warns Lyons folks: Murray and I learned a hard lesson the other day that I wanted to share so that maybe you and your dogs won’t have to: wild turkeys are dangerous animals and not nearly the pushovers they might seem. The toms have big sharp “spurs” that they will use with shocking speed and ferocity to protect their hens. Had I checked the yard first before letting him run around outside for a bit, I would’ve seen the flock and known to wait until they were gone. I’m just glad it wasn’t worse.

SURVEY: Be sure to read our article this week about both sides of the issue on timed-entry into the RMNP / Park, and send in your comments.

TREE MITIGATION: Robyn Sloan, Lyons area naturalist, spotted work being done, and made this comment:  We went up the hill to see the Mitigation machine taking down trees. This tracked vehicle can cut 1300 trees a day, several at a time, with its circular blade below sets of grabber arms. It carries the whole tree and stacks it in a pile that is then packed into a huge truck and hauled off to Boulder to be used in a biomass fuel generating system. The new science is about leaving islands of trees rather than spacing trees 30 feet apart or more and limbing them 5 feet up. There are many groups cooperating in Boulder County to team up with grants to help property owners do this. It really reduces the fire risk and opens up the land to improve the habitat for wildlife. We expect to see an increase in deer and elk in this area for their winter range. === note from editor: I’ve read a couple of books on the “life of trees,” and trees living solo was considered bad and sad, so I’m glad they are updating their methods, which will enable the higher level of survival of trees.

ELK – a 6 x 6 point (antlers) elk has been hanging around backyards in Pinewood Springs for about a month. Quite a big guy. Roams around quietly. Counting Points— An elk’s first antlers are usually spikes. Most mature bull elk are 6 x 6s. In good habitat, a bull may have a 5-point rack as a 2-1/2-year-old and then a small six-point rack as a 3-1/2-year-old. The prized antlers come at age 9-1/2 to 12-1/2.

Horsetooth Mountain Open Space’s main trailhead, 6550 W. County Rd. 38E, will be closed to public access November 27-December 1 to allow crews to complete parking and kiosk area improvements and install an additional vault toilet. ==== The improvements at the main trailhead are geared to improve flow and ease congestion for both vehicles and visitor traffic. Additionally, improvements to the kiosk area will include hardening the surface, improving drainage, and updating the informational signs and map. ==== there are other trails that are still accessible.

===GOVERNMENT===

Added 11/17 at 4pm — We were told that the Lyons Post Office will have only one employee working next week, Nov. 20 to 24 (closed Thanksgiving day). She will not be sorting boxes for delivery. The post office director said she could not give us an official statement.

PASSPORTS: (1.) The federal  government has hired more people, so the time has been cut by 1 week to get your passport back; and previously it was cut by 3 weeks – which means it will take 7 to 10 weeks to get it (2.) Locally, in Lyons – multiple people have said that their appointment at the post office was cancelled TWICE. So better to do it in Longmont. (3.) Multiple people recommend you get your photo at Walgreens. No appointment necessary. Quick and inexpensive. One person said that AAA insurance will do the photo for free.

The VOTING BOX in front of town hall had internet/camera problems on the Wednesday before Election Day, and the Drop Off Box had to be closed for 17 hours. It is the law that all boxes have to be monitored, so if the camera is not sending live video via the internet, then the box has to be shut down till it is fixed.

MEETINGS: On Monday, November 15, three commissions met! == Utilities & Engineering Board Meeting

==Historic Preservation Commission Meeting== Housing and Human Services.

Historic Preservation Commission – lost one of its members (deceased Priscilla Cohan), and is designating others to take over her work. They are working on an updated tour of historic Lyons, as well as possible plaques for historic buildings, and a tour. And, working on improving the resources on their public web site. They are studying the material that was presented to them on new standards for museums that have Indigenous collections.

Lyons Housing and Human Services Commission met on November 13th. members who attended the meeting were Kay Sparks (Chair), Julie Jacobs, Claudia Kean and Rhonda Vanderbos (new member). Cherie Maureaux serves as a member (and not representing LEAF). There are now two vacancies; the second one is due to Regan leaving in January. Contact Town Hall to get more info on applying. === TOPICS COVERED:  If you need foot care, contact Amy at the Senior Resource office in the Walt Self Bldg. to let her know, so they have a list of people to work with to try and get help. === They very briefly discussed the latest on the Lyons Valley Townhomes (near the high school) As of September, there were still three 2-bedroom townhomes available. Contact the owners to fill out an application, or Tanya Daty, or the Senior Resource office Amy in Lyons if you need help with the application === Claudia Kean reported on school summer nutrition program. === The Co-Responder position was vacant for a while, and Sarah Windholz was hired. The police changed it to a part time person who is available when called upon. Their report states that suicide and welfare check-ins are increasing. === the 224 Seward Mobile Park (by Kay Sparks): residents had a meeting to consider purchasing the property, having difficulty identifying the owner. Very complex process that they are trying to navigate. There are zoning issues to address as well. — In October, and November, it was reported that there was no change in the information, and the Commission doesn’t even know if it was still for sale. Kay Spark’s comments 11/14/23 are: There is no official movement that I know of, but much communication. === The Evans Street Affordable Housing property has units in place, and working on finishing touches inside and outside, and may be open in December. === LEAF and The Town gave reports, including on Senior activities.

Proposition HH did not pass (about 66% to 33%) and the Governor called the legislators back to a Special Session on Friday November 10^th. / Prop II did pass, and the extra taxes collected will go to pre-school etc.

The Senate passed the bill on Wednesday to avert the government shutdown this month. Some Democrats helped newly voted in Speaker Mike Johnson to pass it with a bipartisan vote. It is being sent to President Biden to sign Thursday, November 16th. ==  by a vote of 336 to 95, the measure funds the government at current spending levels. Funding for different parts of the government will run out on two separate dates: January 19 and February 2. The measure does not include any funding for military aid to Israel or Ukraine. Democrats provided most of the votes for the measure, which passed under a special rule that required two thirds of the House to agree to it. The Democrats provided 209 yes votes; the Republicans, 127. Two Democrats and 93 Republicans opposed it.

===SPORTS===

See above under school sports for four big championship items.

Denver Broncos are finally picking up their game –- This week, they broke the 7 week Monday Night losing streak, and also have won the last of their 3 games.