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Littleton 7.11.13
ourlittletonnews.com
July 11, 2013 75 centsA Colorado Community Media Publication Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 124, Issue 24
POSTAL ADDRESS
LITTLETON INDEPENDENT (ISSN 1058-7837) (USPS 315-780)
OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129PHONE: 303-566-4100A legal newspaper of general circulation in Englewood, Colorado, the Littleton Inde-pendent is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES.POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129DEADLINES: Display advertising: Thurs. 11 a.m. Legal advertising: Thurs. 11 a.m.Classi� ed advertising: Mon. 12 p.m.
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Project garners board’s backing Neighbors at meeting agree Littleton Village a good idea By Jennifer Smith [email protected]
Only eight people spoke during the planning board’s July 8 public hearing on the Littleton Village proposal for the old Marathon site, and the general tone was supportive.
“I’m looking forward to having coffee at one of the restaurants, looking at the sunset going down over Mount Evans,” said Paul Raab, who lives just a few blocks from the site, which lies on the east side of Broad-way at Dry Creek Road. The city will benefi t from the additional revenue, jobs and ser-vices, he said.
In addition to the sales and property taxes the site will generate, Littleton City Council is expected to vote on implement-ing impact fees during its Aug. 16 meeting, said senior planner Jan Dickinson. Those are fees developers pay to offset any nega-tive effects a project might have on the community at large, such as on infrastruc-ture or public services. Watt Investment Partners, Littleton Village’s developer, will also make improvements to Broadway and Dry Creek Road as part of the project.
The board voted unanimously to send a favorable recommendation on to city coun-cil, which is expected to hold a public hear-ing and fi nal vote at the end of August. It ap-proved the current zoning and site plan in 2006, and the only signifi cant change that Watt Investment Partners wants to make is to turn a diagonal street into a straight one to create a more traditional shopping expe-rience.
Fourth is busy day at parks complex Holiday is crowd-pleaser in Englewood, Littleton By Tom Munds [email protected]
A crowd estimated in the thousands gathered on July 4 in Belleview Park, Cor-nerstone Park and a wide area in Engle-wood and Littleton surrounding the parks to watch the fi reworks.
The display was part of the annual July 4 fi reworks and festival event that included food vendors, games and a variety of activi-ties.
It was sunny and hot early, and Belleview Park fi lled up fi rst because of the abun-
dance of tall trees providing shade.Shelia Traylor and her husband were set-
ting up their tent in Cornerstone Park about 3 p.m. because Belleview Park was full.
“We were surprised when we came to Cornerstone, found a place to park and a nice place to set up the tent where we will have a good view of the fi reworks,” the Cen-tennial resident said.
Traylor said she grew up in Englewood and remembers her parents taking her to see the fi reworks over the Centennial Park Lake in the 1960s.
“We like fi reworks. So do our kids and their kids. This year, our son and three of our grandchildren will be joining us shortly so we can watch the fi reworks show togeth-er,” she said.
This was the 18th year several local agen-cies and communities have joined together to put on a July 4 celebration in the adjacent parks. For 2013, contributors and sponsors included Englewood, Littleton, South Sub-urban Parks and Recreation, Sheridan, Cen-tennial and Arapahoe County. A small army of volunteers was on hand to help put on the event, including representatives from the Arapahoe Rescue Patrol and Englewood Neighborhood Watch as well as graduates of the Englewood Citizens Academy. Also, Englewood Country Buffet annually do-nates the food to feed police offi cers, fi re-fi ghters and volunteers. Englewood police and paramedics on bicycles moved through
Adrianna Wright, 7, prepares to enter a plastic bubble in one of the attractions at the July 4 gathering that brought families to Belleview and Cornerstone parks. Photo by Tom Munds
Street name may be changed to honor sister city Australian visitors will be on hand in August By Jennifer Smith [email protected]
In the welcoming spirit of the sister-city program, Littleton City Council will vote July 16 on whether to change the name of the street that runs past Bega Park to Bega Street in time to greet visi-tors from that Australian city dur-ing Western Welcome Week.
Under the plan, the block of Rio Grande Street that connects Main Street and Alamo Avenue
would be renamed.Littleton has enjoyed a 52-year
alliance with Bega, established by former Littleton Independent publisher Houstoun Waring and Curly Annabel, the editor of a newspaper in Bega.
According to the program’s website at begalittleton.org, the U.S. State Department and U.S. Information Agency in 1951 made “Small Town Editor,” a fi lm they showed in foreign countries to en-courage an independent press to compete with government-con-trolled news. It was fi lmed in Lit-tleton and featured Waring, who had achieved national recognition
for his editorials on foreign affairs.Annabel saw the fi lm and was
entranced by the similarities be-tween the towns and their news-papers. He reached out, and a friendship was born that became formalized in 1961 with the estab-lishment of a federal sister-city program. Residents have taken turns visiting each other ever since — Littleton sends a delega-tion to Bega in the fi rst and sixth years of the decade, and Bega citi-zens visit Littleton in the third and eighth years.
This year, the 11th Bega The Littleton/Bega Sister City Exchange is gearing up for this year’s visit. Shown here is the 2008 Bega contingent in the park named in their city’s honor. Courtesy photo
Project continues on Page 21Complex continues on Page 21
Bega continues on Page 21
2 The Independent July 11, 2013
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Love planted in Colorado sprouts in AfricaOn an unseasonably cold April day
three years ago, snow broke from the sky and chilled business for a Castle Rock garage sale. But high school student Hanna Tenerowicz and her friends in the French Honor Society slapped high fives in jubila-tion.
They had raised $150, enough to pay for two Congolese girls to stay in school another year and lessen their risk of being married at 13 or 14 in exchange for money to feed their families.
“They were just so excited that we raised enough to sponsor a girl,” said Anne Damanti, Hanna’s French teacher at Castle View High School.
But Hanna, 19, a wisp of a young wom-an who just completed her freshman year at Wellesley College near Boston, wants to do more.
Two weeks ago she left for the Demo-cratic Republic of Congo to document the lives of schoolgirls, bring back their hopes and ideas for community transformation, and establish connections to help those dreams come true.
“Gender equality makes a difference,” Hanna, whose soft voice conveys convic-tion with quiet, deep passion, said before leaving. “It’s a domino effect on all kinds of things.”
The story of how this came to be — that a girl so shy Anne often couldn’t hear her speak in class has grown into a young woman daring to change lives — converges on a shared connection to the French lan-guage and a motivation to help.
It is a story of compassion, determina-tion and, quite simply, courage. Because it takes bravery to stretch beyond the familiar, to push cultural boundaries, to try to make a difference in a world so big and complicated we sometimes wonder whether what we do matters.
Finally, perhaps most importantly, it is a story of empowerment.
And it begins with Sandra Bea, who emigrated to Colorado in 2001 from the French-speaking D.R. Congo to continue her studies in education. A French teacher, she graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver and today is dean of
students at Global Village Academy, a lan-guage immersion school in Denver.
The daughter of an engineer of a lo-cal mining company in Mbuji-Mayi, the country’s third largest city, Sandra grew up without worries: “I was eating three times a day; I went to school with a car. I grew up really easily. It was not hard like the other girls are facing right now. We never had any conversation about `You are going to get married in two days because we don’t have the money.’”
It wasn’t until she was 22 and student teaching in her former high school that she understood the reality. Every two weeks, it seemed, another student would leave. They were, she learned, getting married.
“Why?” she asked.“Because, Madam, we are not like you,”
they told her. “You can afford it. We cannot afford it.”
“That,” Sandra said, “broke my heart.”So, four years ago, she founded the non-
profit Muanjadi Organization, a women’s empowerment project that helps girls complete their high school education and avoid early arranged marriages.
“For many parents in the Congo, marry-ing off their daughters constitutes a source of revenue in a country where people live with less than $1 a day with a GDP per capita of $300,” Sandra writes on the orga-nization’s website.
Through fundraising and donations, the organization — whose name means Brave Woman — provides tuition and supplies for girls in seventh through 12th grades at the same school Sandra attended.
Cost for one girl for one year of high school: $75.
Cost for one year of college: $350.Anne, originally from Belgium, met San-
dra and learned about Muanjadi at a state world language conference three years ago. She brought the idea back to her French Honor Society, which was looking for a community service project.
Students learned how most girls eat just one meal a day and how the school has no water or electricity. They compared the cost of one year of high school to what teens here might spend on fancy jeans or a Starbucks coffee habit. “That’s not a lot to have the freedom to actually go to school and try to be something,” Anne said.
That, Hanna said, coupled with the specter of forced marriage, “was a pretty powerful thing to learn about.”
Last school year, Muanjadi sponsored 100 girls, 11 of them thanks to Castle View. The honor society, which has correspond-ed with the girls through letters, phone and Skype, also is sponsoring a student in college — one of the girls it began sponsor-ing in high school three years ago. Other organization sponsors include Kent Den-ver Academy, Metro State, Colorado State University, a lawyers’ organization and many individuals and families.
But Hanna hopes to take the program one step further.
Her new project is Portrait of a Brave Woman. Accompanied by Sandra, she has spent the past two weeks interviewing — in French — and filming girls at the school about their lives, but also about their ideas to implement change in their communi-ties.
She plans to share the mini-documen-taries with artists who will be encouraged to create paintings about a particular girl whose story connects with them. Proceeds from the sale of those paintings will go toward the girls’ personal and community goals, such as becoming a nurse or train-ing midwives to decrease the high infant mortality rate.
The objectives are several: to empower Congolese girls, improve their communi-ties and create meaningful cross-cultural connections with Western artists and
buyers.“I hope community improvement
brought about by women’s ideas will help to create more positive and respectful attitudes towards women in Mbuji-Mayi,” Hanna, also an artist, said. And “I hope the project empowers the girls themselves by helping them to personally make a differ-ence.”
Her dream is unquestionably big.But, Anne said, “There is nothing, any-
more, that she can’t do.”Hanna’s visit, Sandra said, is the con-
crete realization of what dreams and hard work can accomplish. And having some-one their age talk to them and share ideas with them is inspirational: “You don’t know me, but you came to give me a chance to become someone.”
Which is exactly what Hanna wanted to do after reading “Half the Sky,” a book about the oppression of women and girls in the developing world.
“It really changed my outlook on the world,” she said. “I was really interested in doing whatever I could to make a differ-ence.”
Hanna returns this week with her videos and interviews and dream.
“I’m definitely prepared for this to change my life,” she said before leaving.
Without a doubt, it will. But, in a school half a world away, girls are surely changed, too, because a stranger from a different life cared enough to learn about theirs.
That’s empowerment. The kind that makes a difference.
To learn more about Hanna Tenerowicz and Portrait of a Brave Woman, go to www. muanjadi.blogspot.com. For information about the Muanjadi Organization, go to www.muanjadi.org.
Ann Macari Healey’s column about people, places and issues of everyday life appears every other week. She can be reached at [email protected] or 303-566-4110.
The Independent 3 July 11, 2013
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LITTLETON NEWS IN A HURRY Kids golf for free
South Suburban Parks and Recreation is waiving greens fees during the sum-mer on weekend evenings at all its courses for kids age 17 and younger.
South Suburban is the only metro-area park and recreation provider that allows kids to play for free without an accompany-ing paying adult. For more information, visit www.sspr.org.
Hospital earns kudosLittleton Adventist
Hospital is a recipient of the Healthgrades 2013 Women’s Health Excellence Award, ranking in the top 10 percent of hospitals in the nation for its treatment of women’s health issues.
The 2013 Women’s Health Excellence Awards are presented to the top 176 hospitals out of 4,783 across the country. These hospitals excel in the treat-ment of women in a variety of specialties, as measured by in-hospital complication and mortality rates across 15 of the most common hospital-based conditions and procedures.
Heads up, liquor establishments
Throughout the sum-mer, the Littleton Police Department will conduct alcohol and tobacco compliance checks. LPD periodically conducts these checks on businesses that sell alcohol and tobacco to make sure they are in compliance with the laws regarding sales to underage people. These businesses include convenience stores, liquor stores, gas stations, bars, restaurants, and gro-cery stores.
LPD recruits underage
volunteers, with their par-ents’ permission, to go into the establishments and attempt to purchase either tobacco or alcohol. If the purchase is completed, the employee, store manager, or store owner can be cited or arrested for the viola-tion. If no citation is issued, LPD sends the business a letter advising them of the results of the investigation. Historically, LPD has found the majority of businesses refuse to make the sale.
SSPR awards grantsSouth Suburban Parks
and Recreation has an-nounced the recipients of its Matching Gifts Program, which allows partner organizations to help im-prove parks, facilities and programs.
Projects selected this year include the comple-tion of the planting of crabapple trees along the Crabapple Route at Sterne, Ketring, Gallup, Little’s Creek, Carbone, Footbridge and Charlie Emley parks; enhanced maintenance of a soccer fi eld at Cornerstone Park; a repair to the score-board deck and TV installa-tion and outdoor bar exten-sion at Lone Tree Golf Club; planting of fi ve trees on the Foxridge greenbelt; the improvement of an existing dirt path to a trail in the Foxridge neighborhood; the purchase of two-way radios and headsets and a laptop for Franklin Pool; a sound system for swim meets and a permanent display case for Holly Pool; kiln repair and kiln furniture for the pottery studio; landscaping at The Knolls’ clubhouse; and planting two pine trees and adding a crusher-fi ne trail to the Tiffany neigh-borhood’s sidewalks.
Riding for a reason Amputee seeks to help baby by bicycling across U.S. By Jennifer Smith [email protected]
Hector Picard stood in what he once referred to as a torture chamber on July 1 and talked about his redemp-tion.
Twenty years ago, Picard ended up at a HealthSouth rehabilitation hospital in Florida similar to the one that recently opened in Littleton. The facility on Mineral Avenue was a stop on his 3,274-mile journey from Miami to Spokane to prove people who are missing limbs can overcome. And he wants to help one little guy in particu-lar do just that.
Baby Jameson Davis was born April 12 of last year with no arms below the elbow. Along his journey, Picard is ac-cepting donations to help Jameson’s family with the $1.3 million it will take to keep him in prosthetic arms for the next 18 years.
“Jameson was born with no hands or forearms, but a wonderful smile and a zest for life,” says Picard. “Due to the high cost of prosthetics, the Davises are struggling to provide Jameson with the latest technology to afford him the same opportunities every able-bodied child deserves.”
Picard says he just wants to show Jameson that once upon a time, some-body just like him did something that only a few people have done.
In 1992, Picard was an electrician. He made the tragic mistake of climb-ing the wrong transformer on a job site one day. He caught fi re, fell two stories and woke up in a hospital a month later missing one arm and half of the other.
“Why me?” he wondered at the time. “I lived a good life, I was a good person, I helped people. So why did this have to happen to me?”
It was a hard path from there to to-day, but he set out with resolve.
“I use one word to describe my ex-perience in rehab: torture,” he said. “But it was all in hopes of getting my
life back and being a husband and fa-ther to my child.”
His kids have been a huge motiva-tion, he said. When babies cry, they want to be held, fed or have a new diaper — all of which take hands. Of course, Picard had to fi gure out how to feed and clothe and do things for him-self, too.
“I just have obstacles,” he said. “We stop ourselves from realizing our goals, because we just have dumb ideas.”
To say he overcame them is put-ting it mildly. In 2009, he ran his fi rst triathlon. Last month, he fi nished his 75th. In August 2012, he became the fi rst double-arm amputee Iron Man, with 18 minutes to spare. The same year, he cycled 1,500 miles from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to New York City to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his second chance at life.
He did it all with the help of his pros-thetic arm, which not only responds to electrical impulses in his arm to help him do normal hand things, but also spins completely around a la The Ex-orcist kid.
“Coolest bar trick ever,” he said. “I
think of it as a tool versus my hand. I’ll never get my hand back.”
David Shefte, CEO of HealthSouth, kicked in a check for $10,000 toward baby Jameson’s future arms.
“Picard is an inspiration to not only our employees, but also to our pa-tients who are recovering,” he said.
Those patients include Thornton resident Eddie Lindhorst, who nearly lost his leg in a motorcycle accident in Florida.
“I went there to do yoga, get cen-tered and drop some weight, and I end up wrecking a motorcycle, and boom,” he said. Six years and 59 surgeries lat-er, he’s still in and out of rehab.
“People say I’m an inspiration,” he said. “I don’t get it. It’s just doing the next right thing. God’s not done with me yet.”
Lindhorst is even more inspired by people who are even worse off — kids in burn units and their families, for ex-ample.
“Somebody out there would like to have my problems, so it’s all relative,” he said.
For more information or to donate, visit www.dontstopliving.org.
Hector Picard, the fi rst double arm amputee Iron Man, demonstrates his prosthetic arm for patients at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Center. Photo by Jennifer Smith
4 The Independent July 11, 2013
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LPS hoped to delay bond requestAging buildings require action now, officials sayBy Jennifer [email protected]
Diane Doney, chief operating officer of Littleton Public Schools, says a recent audit of the district’s facilities revealed the likely need to go to voters for an $80 million bond issue this year, rather than waiting until 2014 as originally planned.
“We’re spending down this year on roofs, but pretty soon, we’re going to have to de-cide to do something,” she told the board of education on June 27.
Surveying the needs of the district was led by volunteer David Metcalf, who worked on LPS bond elections in 2002 and 1995.
“The whole idea is to keep moving to keep the district competitive,” he told the board. “We need to make sure the buildings stay up to date with our academic stan-dards.”
Doney said a recent community survey showed that’s a high priority for district residents. They placed high value on main-taining a safe learning environment while preparing kids for jobs of the future.
“Our community wants our students to be ready to compete out there in the mar-ketplace,” she said.
Superintendent Scott Murphy has said the time is right to take advantage of low interest rates for what amounts to refinanc-ing a mortgage — not a tax increase, he em-phasizes.
LPS has historically put a bond issue on the ballot every seven to 10 years; it’s been 11 since the last one. With the average age of the buildings around 50 years, there’s a lot of work to be done.
Doney said the exact list of needs com-piled by Metcalf’s committee isn’t quite
ready to be released, but it’s extensive.“I think we’re above that $80 million
mark already,” she said.The board is scheduled to vote on
whether to go forward on Aug. 8. A bond issue would strictly be used for building maintenance and basic infrastructure such as sewer lines, gym floors, furnaces and electrical systems.
Metcalf said the committee has spent a lot of time making sure projects get done efficiently.
“We need to see how they’re all going to go together and make sure we don’t open the ceiling four times for four different things,” said Metcalf.
Murphy stresses that a proposed state-wide $1.1 billion tax increase for educa-tion — planned to be on the ballot this fall — has absolutely nothing to do with this local question, and that it does nothing to address capital improvements.
“Whether people say yes or no to the state issue has nothing to do with the build-ings,” he said. “This is totally a community issue.”
A bond is not a tax, rather more like a loan that has to be repaid with interest. As with raising taxes, government enti-ties need voter permission to accrue large amounts of debt.
The last time LPS went to the voters was in 2010, when they passed a $12 million mill-levy override, or property-tax increase. That money has maintained the district’s current level of service, despite decreases in state and federal funding. It will likely be several years until another there’s another one.
“I call it the ‘Mr. and Mrs. Citizen test,’” said Jim Woods, the district’s outreach co-ordinator, stressing the need to put forth credible evidence. “We can’t delay. We don’t know what the circumstances will be in 2014, either.”
Council halts chemical monitoringContamination declining at Reynolds Landing siteBy Jennifer [email protected]
Littleton City Council voted unanimous-ly July 2 to stop monitoring contamination on a small piece of open space it owns near the South Platte River.
Charlie Blosten, the city’s director of public works, said the levels now meet min-imum requirements on the .24-acre portion of Reynolds Landing, but it will take about 20 years for them to reach zero. With the cost to monitor the levels at about $20,000 a year, stopping will save the city about $400,000.
The entire 22-acre site between the river and Meadowood Village mobile homes on Santa Fe Drive was a construction compa-ny’s storage lot for more than 50 years. Un-derground gasoline tanks leaked benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes and methyl tertiary butyl ether.
The city and South Suburban Parks and Recreation each own about half the site, and the contaminated area straddles the boundary.
They removed the tanks and took other
steps to remediate the property. Blosten said the environmental engineer the city hired found no evidence the river was af-fected and has indicated there’s nothing left to do but wait for zero.
Council’s vote approved a covenant with SSPR that forbids either party from excavat-ing or building without notifying the other, but Blosten said a path or fence could be safely installed without disturbing what chemicals remain deep underground. Be-cause city ordinance prohibits building on open space, it would only become an issue if the property is ever sold. That would re-quire a vote of the people.
Councilman Bruce Beckman was con-cerned that if they approved the covenant, the issue would fall off the radar.
“I’m not sure that’s responsible behavior for a public entity alongside the river,” he said.
Resident Leah Burkett wondered if the site could be checked periodically rather than stopping altogether.
“It’s not required, and it’s not necessary, but it can be done,” said Blosten. “It’s ex-tremely expensive.”
Mayor Debbie Brinkman pointed out it’s highly unlikely the chemical levels would rise, since the source was the gasoline tanks that are now gone.
The Independent 5 July 11, 2013
5
LPS hoped to delay bond requestready to be released, but it’s extensive.
“I think we’re above that $80 million mark already,” she said.
The board is scheduled to vote on whether to go forward on Aug. 8. A bond issue would strictly be used for building maintenance and basic infrastructure such as sewer lines, gym floors, furnaces and electrical systems.
Metcalf said the committee has spent a lot of time making sure projects get done efficiently.
“We need to see how they’re all going to go together and make sure we don’t open the ceiling four times for four different things,” said Metcalf.
Murphy stresses that a proposed state-wide $1.1 billion tax increase for educa-tion — planned to be on the ballot this fall — has absolutely nothing to do with this local question, and that it does nothing to address capital improvements.
“Whether people say yes or no to the state issue has nothing to do with the build-ings,” he said. “This is totally a community issue.”
A bond is not a tax, rather more like a loan that has to be repaid with interest. As with raising taxes, government enti-ties need voter permission to accrue large amounts of debt.
The last time LPS went to the voters was in 2010, when they passed a $12 million mill-levy override, or property-tax increase. That money has maintained the district’s current level of service, despite decreases in state and federal funding. It will likely be several years until another there’s another one.
“I call it the ‘Mr. and Mrs. Citizen test,’” said Jim Woods, the district’s outreach co-ordinator, stressing the need to put forth credible evidence. “We can’t delay. We don’t know what the circumstances will be in 2014, either.”
Council halts chemical monitoringsteps to remediate the property. Blosten said the environmental engineer the city hired found no evidence the river was af-fected and has indicated there’s nothing left to do but wait for zero.
Council’s vote approved a covenant with SSPR that forbids either party from excavat-ing or building without notifying the other, but Blosten said a path or fence could be safely installed without disturbing what chemicals remain deep underground. Be-cause city ordinance prohibits building on open space, it would only become an issue if the property is ever sold. That would re-quire a vote of the people.
Councilman Bruce Beckman was con-cerned that if they approved the covenant, the issue would fall off the radar.
“I’m not sure that’s responsible behavior for a public entity alongside the river,” he said.
Resident Leah Burkett wondered if the site could be checked periodically rather than stopping altogether.
“It’s not required, and it’s not necessary, but it can be done,” said Blosten. “It’s ex-tremely expensive.”
Mayor Debbie Brinkman pointed out it’s highly unlikely the chemical levels would rise, since the source was the gasoline tanks that are now gone.
Fireworks crew lights up skyPyrotechnicians spend hours preparing for 20-minute showBy Tom [email protected]
While people in nearby parks relaxed, played games or prepared picnic meals, a half-dozen individuals were hard at work wiring and loading the shells for the fire-works show that was part of the July 4 festi-val at Cornerstone and Belleview parks.
The main platform for the show was a 40-foot flatbed trailer. The crew had set up the firing tubes on the trailer and, on July 4, they were following the script as they con-nected one end of a pair of wires to each shell and the other ends to a specified ter-minal on the bank of terminals mounted vertically on the side of the trailer.
“Each tube has a number and the script tells the crew what shell to load into the tube and what terminal to wire it to,” said Les Naok, a retired pyrotechnician helping with setup. “All the shell terminals are con-nected to one of two control boards. When time comes for the show, the script sets the order and which switches to flip to set off the proper fireworks for that portion of the show.”
He noted that, in addition to the tubes, there are a number of shot boxes that are part of the show.
“Each shot box contains 100 shells,”
Naok said. “The shells are timed to go off all at once or to go off in sequence. Some of the shot boxes are wired with one of the larger shells so, as the shot box goes off, so does the larger shell if fired too in order to provide added fun to the show.”
He said the schedule called for about 2,500 shells to be set off for the July 4 fire-works show. The individual shells ranged from three inches to five inches in diameter.
Each shell is shaped like an ice cream cone. The cone area is the explosive to push the shell about 100 feet up in the air.
The fuse continues to burn and, at the top of the arc, the shell explodes to provide the displays of various colors in a variety of shapes.
Naok, an Englewood resident, has been working on the local fireworks show since he helped put on the fireworks show in 1966
that fired the shells out over the lake at Cen-tennial Park.
“Back then, everything was loaded by hand and the fuses were lit by hand, so it was a lot harder to put on a show. We took precautions like storing all the shells in metal garbage cans and making sure all the sparks were out before we loaded the next shell into the tubes that were mounted in the ground,” he said. “But those shows were less exact and more dangerous. Today’s shows are electronically fired. The timing can be more precise and putting on a show is a lot less dangerous.”
Organizers for the July 4 event contract with Western Entertainment, a company based in Oklahoma to put on the fireworks display.
The company then contracts with the team of local pyrotechnicians to prepare and fire off the show. Naok said all the crew members live in the Englewood or Little-ton area and most of them only do the one show a year.
“The crew spends a lot of hours on this show,” Naok said.
“The team has to spend a number of hours the day before the show loading all the equipment and material on the truck. The day of the show, it takes hours to wire up and load all the shells. Then, the day af-ter, it is cleanup and then returning all the equipment to the warehouse. It’s a lot of work but it is also fun to be able to set of all these fireworks and light up the skies.”
Eddie Hoenighausen connects wires to a five-inch fireworks shell before loading it into a tube for the July 4 festival and fireworks show at Belleview and Cornerstone parks. Hoenighausen is part of a local crew hired by Oklahoma-based Western Enterprises to prepare and put on the fireworks display. Photo by Tom Munds
Irish festival returns to Clement ParkBands, dancers, athletes take part in three-day gatheringStaff report
Clement Park is gearing up to go green July 12-14 for the 19th Annual Colorado Irish Festival, which is offering two chances to get in free this year.
The first is July 12 from 5 to 6 p.m. to help kick off the event. The second is for July 14 early risers, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Proving that the festival celebrates all aspects of Irish heritage, the faithful can participate in a traditional Catholic Mass at 9 a.m. that day, as well.
International acts including Gaelic Storm, Seven Nations, The Elders and The Fighting Jamesons will join more than 20 lo-cal bands on three stages to perform tradi-tional Irish music and contemporary Gaelic rock. Gaelic Storm was featured in James Cameron’s blockbuster hit “Titanic” as the band playing in the ship’s steerage area, and organizers are excited to have them back.
“They and our other national acts play to crowds of thousands around the country, and folks can see them here, in a very inti-mate setting, for only $15,” said entertain-ment coordinator Bill O’Donnell. “Festival attendees are going to see some fantastic performances for a price they cannot get
anywhere else.”New this year is the Paddy’O, a VIP tent
featuring a private bar, snacks, restrooms and the opportunity to interact with mem-bers of the performing acts between sets.
Competition will be a theme, with step dancing at Columbine High School and sports throughout the weekend. The Gaelic Games feature football, hurling and camo-gie, three sports that are deeply ingrained in Gaelic culture and combine elements of soccer, lacrosse, hockey and basketball, says Greg Phelan of the Denver Gaels foot-ball team.
“The festival is an opportunity for us to showcase these sports, and the great spirit of competition that accompanies them, to the Colorado community,” said Phelan.
All proceeds from the Colorado Irish Fes-tival will be donated to the Colorado United Irish Societies (CUIS), a Denver-based non-profit dedicated to promoting Irish culture and businesses across Colorado.
“Young, old, Irish or not, everyone is invited to share in the festivities, food and fun, and contribute to a great cause while doing it,” said Shelly O’Hara, event planner for the CUIS.
Clement Park is at the intersection of West Bowles Avenue and South Pierce Street in unincorporated Jefferson County. For more information, visit www.colorado irishfestival.org.
Time to dig out the corncob pipeTurkey Leg and Wine Hoedown ready to rollBy Jennifer [email protected]
“The Turkey Leg and Wine Hoedown is back bigger, badder and stronger,” says Greg Reinke, president of the Historic Downtown Littleton Merchants. “Bring the family, listen to the music and have a great time.”
Yes, you read that right. Turkey Leg and Wine Hoedown. And this year, there will even be good wine, not just Manischewitz, says Reinke, and Fat Tire and Blue Moon in addition to Schlitz, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Co-ors and Coors Light.
The Daisy Duke girls will be back to serve up the libations out of their wheelbar-rows, or visit the statuesque servers up in the Amazon Tree House.
The concept for the hoedown evolved in 2011 after Reinke heard some complaints that people who like “turkey-leg events” might not be the best clientele to attract to downtown Littleton. He thought it was hi-larious, and the rest is history.
The menu, of course, features turkey legs
— two kinds this year, both smoked and Louisiana deep-fried. Sides include corn on the cob and individual servings of EZ Mac. The appetizer is Cheez Whiz on crackers, and dessert is pecan pie on a stick. All can be purchased as a meal or a la carte.
New this year are the bands: Ken K cranking out classic rock, and Brian Par-ton, former lead singer of Mad Dog and the Smokin’ Js, belting out rockabilly.
The $3 cover charge includes all the en-tertainment you can stand, including tub-ing on the Lazy River, Frozen Turkey Bowl-ing (on a real bowling-alley lane), Little People’s Paddle Boat Pond, Dunk-a-Mer-chant and more.
Reinke says suggested attire is Daisy Dukes for the ladies and bib overalls with no shirt for the guys, and everyone who ar-rives in character gets $1 off admission. The general store will be open in case you run out of chewin’ grass or corncob pipes.
“It’s a fun, middle-of-summer event be-cause you can dress down and just have a good time,” he said.
The event is July 19 and July 20, 6-11 p.m. in the Reinke Bros. parking lot, 5665 S. Prince St. For more information, contact 303-795-5006 or [email protected].
Jersey Babb, 6, shows off her best karate moves in the fountain at The Streets at SouthGlenn on July 7. According to Babb’s mother, Jacque Babb, the Centennial girl’s interest in martial arts was inspired by her older brother. While pools and lakes were crowded over the July 4 holiday weekend, many Centennial residents made their way to local parks and spraygrounds as a way to beat the heat. Photo by Deborah Grigsby
FounTain oF youTh
6 The Independent July 11, 2013
6-Opinion
opinions / yours and ours
Not only a time to vote, consider servingOK, it sounds hokey, but we believe it.The city council and school board elec-
tions coming up this fall — always on the uneven years — feature democracy at its best.
These nonpartisan races basically in-volve folks who want to make a difference, and the fact that most of these positions involve little or no compensation is evi-dence enough.
We admire the people in this group of roughly 1,500 elected officials in Colorado because public service is one of the highest callings. And as this annual event shapes up, we like to see candidates in all races. Uncontested races simply don’t provide the choices voters should have or the valuable discourse that comes from competition.
We encourage citizens who observe vacant races in their districts and cities to
take a look in the mirror, think about step-ping up, or think about asking someone else to step up. Some of the best elected of-ficials are the ones who were recognized by others for their skills, energy and insights and then urged to run. When three or four people think a neighbor has a lot to offer, it’s time to make a phone call or knock on a door. Be bold.
For those who run, we have a few friendly reminders. The odd years are the nonpartisan years. By state law, city coun-
cil, school board and special districts are nonpartisan. Although it is handy to team with their parties, we urge candidates to honor the nonpartisan framework, and we urge voters to assess candidates by looking at their character, skills and drive — not party affiliation.
The late statesman Ted Strickland of Adams County once told us that the most important asset of an elected official is an open mind. To that point we do like candi-dates who work hard to keep learning and stay close to the pulse of a community — continually checking in with constituents and not making assumptions.
And to the voters, remember to look for balance, look at your boards and council and think about what is missing. What is needed — an attorney, an engineer, a shop owner? And — not to discriminate but to
diversify — if all the members of the board have the same first digit in their ages, maybe older or younger representatives would improve the representative mix.
Sam Mamet, longtime executive direc-tor of the Colorado Municipal League, which interacts with 60-70 cities around the state, often emphasizes how reward-ing public service is and tells those who serve that they will look back and feel good about at least one thing they had a hand in — perhaps nobody will remember what you did, but “you’ll know” he says. And of course the act of simply contributing — recognized or not — is reward for the soul.
For the most part, candidates in school board and city council races simply want to do something to better their communi-ties. That’s good stuff. Be part of it one way or the other.
our view
How do you stay cool?With temps well into the 80s, Colorado Community Media surveyed four people at
Lone Tree’s Sweetwater Park on the Fourth of July about their preferred way to beat the heat.
“A frozen pina colada.” — Claudia Lopez, Lone Tree
“I take my kids and go to the pool at Lifetime Fitness.” — Doug Hecox, Acres Green
“Ice cream.” — Oksana Menagh, Acres Green
“I burn easily so I definitely try not to be in the sun. I stay in air conditioning or the shade of a tree.” — Janet Day, Centennial
question of the week
Flesh is weak, spirit isn’t far behindNinety-year old Constance Rolon cried
when Denver police officers welcomed her back into her home. Constance had been taken to a motel by the officers two weeks earlier because they determined that her house was uninhabitable.
I have seen this before. My good friend Ruth Todd lost her husband and most of her five senses, and housework didn’t get done.
Constance’s daughter died, and her son Paul vanished 13 years ago. A 2001 West-word article, “Home Alone,” details Paul’s mysterious disappearance when he was vacationing in Crete. Constance’s caregiver was gone.
Little by little, her home went undone. Ruth’s home went that way too.
Ruth was 96 when she died in a hospice, and thinking we were married. Relatives were anxious for her money, but not to help out with her estate.
Ruth’s brilliant paintings went to the Kirkland Museum. Her furniture was sold or donated. The rest, including an empty bowling ball bag, went into one of the two dumpsters that I filled.
Ruth spent a lot of time in ambulances near the end of her life. She always took her resume with her.
She was a beautiful New York model in the 1920s and 30s, and by the time she turned 87, when I met her, she was an invisible woman.
When police officers made a welfare check on Constance they couldn’t get in the front door. “Trash and tangled pos-sessions” blocked them. There were cats. Aren’t there always cats?
Ruth had a cat named Sweet Pea. Sweet Pea was attached to Ruth and to no one else. Ruth had one cat after another. In succession, they showed up at her back door. Ruth let one in, and it stayed with her for the rest of its life. Then another one showed up.
“How terribly strange to be 70.” Simon and Garfunkel wrote that. I am a handful of years away from being strange. The truth is that I have been strange all along.
No one wants to get older. We lose things and forget things. The crisp young woman who walked the high school halls is long gone. We can no longer talk like we
once did. Words become wickets. No one pays attention to us. No one flirts.
Ruth and I went grocery shopping. It took two hours. She held up the grapes. She looked at vegetables like she might be seeing them for the last time.
“At roll call, I told the guys what I needed and they all volunteered and took a chore,” said Sgt. Kim Lovato of the District 1 station.” The officers replaced carpet and painted Constance’s walls. They took care of the cats.
Ruth bent over to pick up a piece of pa-per on her front porch. She broke her hip, and didn’t come home for 40 days.
She didn’t think she would ever come home. So I went to her house and took pictures. Sweet Pea showed up, out of no-where, and she let me take a picture of her.
I took the pictures to the nursing home and Ruth couldn’t stop crying. Then she held me.
If 70 is strange, what is 90? I’m not sure I want to find out. Beautiful lives sometimes fade without grace. I looked at my father in a Michigan hospital and wanted him to come back and play catch with me. But he couldn’t do anything on his own. He couldn’t even talk with me.
We see each other with quiet familiar-ity. But some of us are floating away while we’re still here, and go unnoticed.
Ruth used to say, “Take me to Dr. Kev-orkian.” There were days, when nothing on her worked, that I wish I could have.
“Bless your hearts, thank you, thank you,” Constance said to the officers.
“We are such stuff as dreams are made on.” — The Tempest, Act 4, scene 1.
Craig Marshall Smith is an artist, educator and Highlands Ranch resident. He can be reached at [email protected]
Change in outlook needed for LittletonWhat a sad commentary on the lack of
imagination and civic spirit in Littleton as reflected in Jim Wood’s letter, published in the June 27 Independent.
It’s precisely this mulish thinking that has led to stagnation of Littleton’s eco-nomic progress and the city’s reputation as a difficult venue in which to do business.
Tax incentives have been demonstrated to be effective, whether setting the tone for favorable business growth or attracting businesses. We presume in Littleton that’s a combination of location, demographic mix and potential.
The belief that “Littleton does not need to be like everybody else” hurts Littleton’s ability to prosper as a community, both economically and culturally. That antique mindset has permeated City Hall, and to a great extent civic engagement and in-volvement. As a result, we have a constant shallow group of naysayers opposing the private ventures that would propel the city into better times — the housing complex
on Littleton Boulevard and South Bemis Street, the ideas for the Marathon prop-erty, and the redevelopment of Colum-bine Square at West Belleview and South Federal.
Add to that the same shallow naysay-ers’ ill-conceived scheme about changes to the city charter to impact zoning deci-sions, and the beliefs demonstrated by the Sunshine Boys that Littleton deserves to remain in a 1952 state of suspended ani-mation. It’s a wonder Littleton continues to attract businesses and young families.
One final note — Mr. Woods was the former city manager. Perhaps with a new city manager the city council felt it had the support and enthusiasm to encourage a business such as Breckenridge Brewery to locate in Littleton. That certainly was dem-onstrated in the council’s action to approve a comprehensive economic plan, another affirmative step to boost the city’s fortunes and end the stagnation.
Pete WebbLittleton resident
letter to the editor
Veterans deserve fast claimsThe Department of Veterans Affairs
needs a watchdog. This is the single most important thing I have learned since join-ing the House Veterans Affairs Committee in January. The Committee must stay vigi-lant because, if not, the VA will not perform up to the level the Congress expects and veterans deserve.
As the chairman of the Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee, I have been shocked at the level of bureaucratic incom-petence the VA has shown in their ability to reduce the disability claims backlog. Although their reported goal is to have average wait times of 125 days per claim by 2015, the current reality is that many veterans wait an average of 270-plus days
before their claim is processed.I have little hope that this department
will reach its 2015 goal of reducing the average wait time to 125 days because the VA has not laid out intermediate metrics
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Coffman continues on Page 7
The Independent 7 July 11, 2013
7
OBITUARIES
Private Party Contact: Viola Ortega 303-566-4089 [email protected]
Funeral Homes Visit: www.memoriams.com
Not only a time to vote, consider servingdiversify — if all the members of the board have the same first digit in their ages, maybe older or younger representatives would improve the representative mix.
Sam Mamet, longtime executive direc-tor of the Colorado Municipal League, which interacts with 60-70 cities around the state, often emphasizes how reward-ing public service is and tells those who serve that they will look back and feel good about at least one thing they had a hand in — perhaps nobody will remember what you did, but “you’ll know” he says. And of course the act of simply contributing — recognized or not — is reward for the soul.
For the most part, candidates in school board and city council races simply want to do something to better their communi-ties. That’s good stuff. Be part of it one way or the other.
Coffman continues on Page 7
between now and 2015 that show how it will reach its goals. A recent Government Accountability Office report, in response to the VA’s 2015 goal, concluded that “this plan lacks any metrics or deadlines to ensure these goals are met.”
In a May letter to the president, I, along with over 160 members of the House, expressed our dismay with the lack of progress in the backlog. We wrote, “This country must be grateful for the safe homecoming of every single man and woman who has served in harm’s way. Our joy in their return must be reflected in our commitment to helping all who have served.”
I lay the responsibility of the likely failure of the VA’s backlog plan at the feet of Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki. Although Congress has allocated a huge 40 percent increase in the VA’s budget at a time when other agency budgets are be-ing slashed, the backlog is growing rather than shrinking. The VA lacks effective leadership, not inadequate resources. The secretary must be more forceful in shaking up the status quo.
The issues with the claims backlog, as with Gulf War illness research, hospital construction and cyber security, are not funding-related; rather it is a cultural prob-lem within the department that must be fixed. I know firsthand that the VA does not answer my inquiries in a timely manner and too often I hear from veteran service organizations and individual veterans that
the VA is not responsive to their questions as well.
Often times, my Oversight hearings become embattled stalemates between my subcommittee and representatives from the VA until witnesses are forced to answer questions from members.
Unfortunately, the answers usually confirm my pre-existing belief that the VA has acted wrongly either intentionally or incompetently. Either way, a disappointing pattern has emerged that we must change.
For this reason, I have supported strong actions like suspending bonuses for VA employees, and I have joined Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California in legislation that would create a commission to implement recommendations from the Government Accountability Office that will help reduce the claims processing time. Further, I have instituted a post-traumatic stress work-ing group with Sen. Mark Udall to look for ways the VA can help treat veterans with PTSD and whether the VA can alter its claims process to better fit the needs of these disability claims.
It is our absolute moral duty to help the VA overcome its problems so it can finally make progress against the disability claims backlog. As a Marine Corps combat veteran myself, I have a personal stake in the success of the VA and I will continue to press them to improve so our veterans are getting the care and service they have earned.
Mike Coffman is the U.S. Representative for Colorado’s 6th District. He is a Marine Corps combat veteran and has a combined 21 years of military experience between the Army, the Army Reserve, the Marine Corps and the Marine Corps Reserve.
Continued from Page 6
Coffman
Stillness, quiet rejuvenate the soulI had three unplanned days off recently.
Back spasms brought my busy schedule to a screeching halt. The Lord was seri-ous when he inspired the words that King David wrote in the 23rd Psalm, “I will make thee lie down in green pastures.” I even had to find a replacement for a wedding I was to officiate.
The older I get, the more I recognize that these times often precede specially blessed, extra-productive times. They set me up for success. That’s hard to believe for those of us who have lived by the mot-to, “The harder I work the luckier I get.”
In his book, “Margin,” Dr. Richard Swenson illustrates the necessity of restful times. Imagine how difficult it would be to read a book with no margins — no white space, he writes. When every inch of a page is filled with words, all the way to the edge, reading is difficult, stressful and tiring. Many people live with no margin in their lives — every waking moment of every day is filled with activity and stimulation. I sometimes get stuck in that pattern.
But, what is “margin”? Not all recreation qualifies as margin. The stress of vacation is different than work and often worth the effort, but too often it is far from restful.
In order for a person to experience re-creation there needs to be stillness and quiet. Eugene Peterson, the author of “The Message,” a paraphrase of the Bible, once said, “A busy mind never thinks deep thoughts.” I heard this years ago when I was learning the art of stillness by visiting a Catholic monastery in Conyers, Ga. The quiet retreat, whether it was for a half-day or a day and a half, was a welcome sabbati-cal. My brain activity calmed down so my thought process was more thorough and focused.
Every week our churches invite people to rest and experience re-creation. Come and sit still, take a deep breath, think in-trospective thoughts, worship an awesome God and discover how much of your bur-
den He wants to remove from your shoul-ders or how He will help you carry it. Tap into His resourcefulness for your needs or His gift of new opportunities. In a variety of ways, the churches speak the message of Jesus, “Come all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest.” Cultivating the discipline to come and be still, quiet and listen helps us incorporate the experience into our daily lives.
In my slower, restful, injured mode I meditated, prayed more and felt more deeply. Surprisingly, unpleasant circum-stances often produce the opportunity for stillness.
The white space between jobs can be a painful time of fear and need, but it can also be a time to listen, think and get ready for a new chapter of life, a new idea to pur-sue and a new energy for new relationships and a fresh setting.
My friend Darryl Chaney, whom I wrote about in the book “Welcome to the Big Leagues,” every season but one, had a one-year contract. Each December he had to be still and wait for the front-office people to decide his worth during their winter meet-ings and mail him a contract. The waiting became part of his character development
and preparation for a new season.What seems like the worst possible
thing, a terminal illness, brings what is normal to a sudden stop and the need to face difficult questions. As a hospice chaplain I have observed people who have faced this chapter of their lives with inten-tionality, purpose and grace.
They allowed the hospice staff to take the burden off of their family and help them be comfortable so they could write the most important chapter of life and fin-ish spiritual work, pass the blessing to the children and grandchildren, mend fences and savor the experiences, relationships and memories that made their life mean-ingful.
Planned or unplanned, temporary or permanent, times of stillness should be maximized so we can experience re-cre-ation for our souls.
Dan Hettinger is director of pastoral ser-vices at Hospice of Saint John and president of The Jakin Group, a ministry of encour-agement, especially to Christian workers. You can email him at dhettinger@hospice ofsaintjohn.org or dan@welcometothebig leagues.org.
Don’t let a single second go unappreciatedHave you ever paid attention when
someone is counting for a specific pur-pose or during a game or competition, and as they near the point of where they are counting towards, there is a discern-able difference in the tonality and pace? If they are counting to 10 for instance it may sound something like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 888, 999999, 10.
What is it about the approach to those final numbers that has us draw them out, elongate them for dramatic purposes? We could be counting to 10, 50, 100, or any number for that matter, and just as we get close for some reason we end up with 95, 96, 9777, 988888, 999999999, 100. It’s not even the final number that gets the extra emphasis, I mean when we hit 10 or 100 we just say that number sharply and crisply, with absolute finality.
It even happens when we do a count-down and reverse the order, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 333, 222222, 1111111, 0! Almost as if we are trying to extend or expand a timed event or task. I know it makes it fun during games and competitions, especially when we are surrounded by our friends and fam-
ily and enjoying our time together.I like those other numbers too, all of
those in-between numbers. I like thinking about how I can make every second count. There are 86,400 seconds in each day, and it’s the same for each and every one of us. During a recent workout I noticed that I was actually counting my repetitions in much the same way I described above. Particularly when I was doing a particular exercise and had to hold a position for a specified period of time. As I was counting down in my head and neared the number zero, I literally found myself extending the final numbers just so I could work a little harder. Of course, I could have just as eas-
ily kept counting, but the effect of draw-ing out the countdown to zero seemed to motivate me just a little more.
How many times during our day do we either rush to have our workday come to an end, wishing the seconds and minutes would tick by just a little faster? And it could also happen as we wish the evening chores would go by faster or our workouts would be over sooner. What would happen if we stopped wishing for our 86,400 sec-onds to fly by us each day and we focused on making the most out of every one of the seconds we are so blessed to enjoy?
Instead of counting up to a final num-ber or counting down to zero, and instead
of just emphasizing those final few sec-onds, try to remember just how important every second is and think of ways that you can and will make every second count.
Are you managing the clock to maxi-mize every second, or winning the game in the final three seconds with a “buzzer beater” all too often? Either way I would love to hear all about it at [email protected], and I hope this will be a better than good week for you.
Michael Norton, a resident of Highlands Ranch, is the former president of the Zig Ziglar organization and CEO and founder of www.candogo.com
8 The Independent July 11, 2013
8
CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL LIVINGAffiliated with United Church of Religious Science
Sunday Services 10 a.m.Castle Rock Recreation Center
2301 Woodlands Blvd, Castle Rockwww.OurCenterforSpiritualLiving.org 720-851-0265
Sunday Worship8:00 & 10:45 a.m.
Trinity Lutheran School & ELC(Ages 3-5, Grades K-8)
303-841-4660www.tlcas.org
Trinity Lutheran Church
& School
Abiding Word Lutheran Church
8391 S. Burnley Ct., Highlands Ranch
(Next to RTD lot @470 & University)
Worship ServicesSundays at 9:00am
303-791-3315 [email protected]
www.awlc.org
Sunday Worship8:00 am Chapel Service
9:00 & 10:30 am Sunday School 9:00 & 10:30 am
Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.
www.st-andrew-umc.com303-794-2683
Preschool: 303-794-05109203 S. University Blvd.
Highlands Ranch, 80126
Open and Welcoming
Sunday 8:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m.
First Presbyterian Church of Littleton
1609 W. Littleton Blvd.(303) 798-1389 • www.fpcl.org
P.O. Box 2945—Parker CO 80134-2945www.ParkerCCRS.org
303.805.9890
ParkerCommunity Churchof Religious Science
Sunday services held in thehistoric Ruth Memorial Chapel
at the Parker Mainstreet Center...19650 E. Mainstreet, Parker 80138
New Thought...Ancient Wisdom
Visit our website fordetails of classes &
upcoming events.Sunday Service& Children’s Church10:00 a.m.
www.SpiritofHopeLCMC.org
5755 Valley Hi DriveParker, CO303-941-0668
Pastor David FisherFellowship & Worship: 9:00 amSunday School: 10:45 am
Sunday Worship: 10:45AM & 6PMBible Study: 9:30AM
Children, Young People & Adults
www.parkerbiblechurch.org
4391 E Mainstreet, Parker, Colorado 80134
Church Office – (303) 841-3836
Where people are excited about God’s Word.
Castle Rock Highlands Ranch Littleton
Greewood Village
ParkerParkerParker
Franktown
Hilltop United Church Of Christ
10926 E. Democrat Rd. Parker, CO
10am Worship Service www.hilltopucc.org
303-841-2808
Little Blessings Day Carewww.littleblessingspdo.com
First UnitedMethodist Church
1200 South StreetCastle Rock, CO 80104
303.688.3047www.fumccr.org
Services:Saturday 5:30pm
Sunday 8am, 9:15am, 10:30amSunday School 9:15am
Sunday Worship 10:304825 North Crowfoot Valley Rd.Castle Rock • canyonscc.org
303-663-5751
An EvangelicalPresbyterian Church
“Loving God - Making A Difference”A place for you
worship Time
Welcome Home!Weaving Truth
and Relevance into Relationships and Life
9:00am Spiritual Formation Classes for all Ages
90 east orchard roadlittleton, co
303 798 6387www.gracepointcc.us
10:30AM sundays
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call 303-566-4091 or email [email protected].
GR A C E PR E S B Y T E R I A N
303-798-8485
w w w.gracecolorado.comAlongside One Another On Life’s Journey
Sundays at10:00 am
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Sunday 9:30am
Joyful Mission Preschool 303-841-37707051 East Parker Hills Ct. • Parker, CO
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Teen magician helps other kids shine McKee performs fundraiser for theater programs By Jennifer Smith [email protected]
Littleton won’t be able to call Derek McKee its favorite teen magician much longer, because he won’t be a teen much longer.
The 19-year-old graduated from Heri-tage High School in the spring and will soon be off to the University of California, Los Angeles, to study business and market-ing as he prepares to pursue his magical ambitions on the West Coast.
“I’m excited for him to go, but I’m going to miss him,” said his proud mom, Sharon McKee, after his performance at Littleton’s Town Hall Arts Center on July 6. The occa-sion was a fundraiser for the theater’s youth programs, designed to give young people a place to express themselves creatively, ex-pand their appreciation of the arts and de-velop artistic skills.
“We open up new worlds for children by providing experience and guidance in a professional setting,” reads THAC’s web-site.
The kids are rehearsing now to perform the school version of “Grease,” running July 12-20. THAC also offers a variety of work-shops on everything from stage combat to physical comedy.
With his own youthful energy shin-ing, McKee gave several kids some time
in the spotlight during his performance. He even decked out one young lady in his “Derek McKee lookalike kit.” He stuck his hands through the sleeves and coached her through some tricks while whispering in her ear what to say.
“You’re clapping like you see this every day, so now I will keep doing this trick until you like it,” she giggled to the audience af-ter a making a handkerchief appear.
McKee’s magical journey started when he was about her age, just 6 years old, and many of his inspirations were the audience. His grandma, known as Gaga, got the ball rolling by buying him a Lance Burton mag-ic set.
“Yes, I have a Lady Gaga in my life,” he said. (Perhaps that explains his fl air for per-forming?)
Gaga said she’s amazed at her grandson’s
talent.“I just want the best for him,” she said.
“He’s a lovely person.”His love for the magic set inspired his
other grandparents, who sold the old West-ern Wardrobe building to Reinke Bros., to take him to visit the Reinke store and its magic counter.
“Derek’s just a joy,” said his grandma. “Most of the rest of our grandkids tend to be quiet, but Derek’s just bubbly. He always gives us a lot of pleasure.”
He became a regular fi xture at Reinke’s, and credits that with much of his success. McKee calls resident magician Richard Na-kata his mentor — Nakata opened the show for him, and McKee has never done a show without the mysterious cup-and-ball trick Nakata taught him, using the cups he hand-ed down to him.
“He’s had lots of great things and lots of good people helping him,” said his mom. “Littleton is great, but it’s time for him to broaden his horizons.”
At 11, McKee became the youngest per-son ever to compete at the World Magic Teen Competition in Las Vegas. Two years later, as he prepared to compete there for the third time, a production company de-cided to fi lm a documentary based on it. “Make Believe” won in its category at the Los Angeles Film Festival, and McKee was on his way.
His great-grandma is sure he’ll be on TV again soon.
“I’m a great-grandma who is very proud,” she said. “I hope he fulfi lls his dreams.”
Heritage graduate Derek McKee performed his magic at a fundraiser for Town Hall Arts Center July 6. He leaves for UCLA later this summer to study business and marketing. Courtesy photo
The Independent 9 July 11, 2013
9-Color
Edelweiss Pavilion, Hwy 8. Morrison (just north of the Fort Restaurant and south of Red Rocks)
Admission:Friday & Saturday--$8/person
Sunday--Frühschoppen! (FREE entry and $15 all-you-can-eat brunch buffet)
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Kids’ Games • Bratwurst Eating Contest
Teen magician helps other kids shine talent.
“I just want the best for him,” she said. “He’s a lovely person.”
His love for the magic set inspired his other grandparents, who sold the old West-ern Wardrobe building to Reinke Bros., to take him to visit the Reinke store and its magic counter.
“Derek’s just a joy,” said his grandma. “Most of the rest of our grandkids tend to be quiet, but Derek’s just bubbly. He always gives us a lot of pleasure.”
He became a regular fi xture at Reinke’s, and credits that with much of his success. McKee calls resident magician Richard Na-kata his mentor — Nakata opened the show for him, and McKee has never done a show without the mysterious cup-and-ball trick Nakata taught him, using the cups he hand-ed down to him.
“He’s had lots of great things and lots of good people helping him,” said his mom. “Littleton is great, but it’s time for him to broaden his horizons.”
At 11, McKee became the youngest per-son ever to compete at the World Magic Teen Competition in Las Vegas. Two years later, as he prepared to compete there for the third time, a production company de-cided to fi lm a documentary based on it. “Make Believe” won in its category at the Los Angeles Film Festival, and McKee was on his way.
His great-grandma is sure he’ll be on TV again soon.
“I’m a great-grandma who is very proud,” she said. “I hope he fulfi lls his dreams.”
Rally calls for immigration reform Activists lean on GOP to back bill that passed Senate By Vic Vela [email protected]
A group of immigration activists rallied in Denver on July 2 to call on Colorado’s Republican U.S. representatives to support an immigration-reform bill that recently passed the Senate.
“We are calling on our Republican con-gressional delegation leaders to step up, to exercise leadership, to show bipartisan will-ingness, to follow the will of the people of Colorado,” said Julien Ross of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, during a rally that was held outside of Denver’s Republi-can Party headquarters.
The group waved Americans fl ags and held signs that signaled its desire for im-migration reform at the federal level. Im-migration reform is high on President Obama’s second-term priority list, but it’s an effort that faces an unknown future in the Republican-controlled House.
The bill — which passed the Democrat-ic-controlled Senate by a 68-32 vote on June 27 — overhauls immigration laws by allow-ing a pathway to citizenship for about 11 million undocumented workers. It also puts provisions in place that strengthen border security.
Many House Republicans have ex-pressed concern over security issues in the bill, and some party members are opposed to a bill that they believe grants amnesty for those living here illegally.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has said through national media outlets that he will not bring the bill up for a vote
if the majority Republicans in his caucus do not support it.
The purpose of the Denver rally, which was organized by Coloradans for Citizen-ship Now, was to put pressure on Colo-rado’s four House Republicans — Reps. Mike Coffman, Doug Lamborn, Cory Gard-ner and Scott Tipton — to support the Senate bill.
Through a statement issued after the rally, Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter joined
rally organizers in calling on House Repub-licans to pass immigration reform, saying that by allowing undocumented persons a pathway to citizenship it would “lead to increased job growth and a stronger econ-omy.”
“I hope House Republican leadership will work with Democrats in a bipartisan way to protect our borders and ensure those who are working hard, paying taxes, getting an education, learning English and
not committing crimes are able to achieve their American Dream as a citizen of our country,” Perlmutter said.
Colorado House Republicans are con-cerned that the Senate bill doesn’t go far enough in strengthening border security. Coffman said in a statement that in 1986, when Congress passed a major immigra-tion reform bill, the promises made “on enforcement and border security were not promises kept.”
“I will look for solutions in the House that will provide for the reforms necessary to not only secure our borders but to verify that they remain secure,” Coffman said in the statement.
Coffman spokesman Dustin Zvonek did not wish to comment beyond what was in the statement.
Rally speakers brought up Coffman’s upcoming re-election race, a contest that surely will receive national attention.
“Latinos came out in record numbers in the last election,” said Olivia Mendoza of the Colorado Latino Forum. “This is just the beginning.”
Ezequiel Ramirez, 19, of Highlands Ranch, voted for the fi rst time last year, and is one of Coffman’s constituents.
Though he was born in the U.S., his par-ents were not.
“The message we want to get across is that this is potentially going to help out a lot of people,” Ramirez said.
“It’s going to help us become a better country. There’s a lot of people counting on (Coffman) and it’s really important for him to put his vote into this.
Asked by reporters how he’d character-ize Coffman’s re-election chances if he does not support the bill, Ramirez said, “Best of luck.”
Immigration activists rally outside Denver’s Republican Party headquarters on July 2 in support of an immigration reform bill that is making its way through Congress. Photo by Vic Vela
Time Warner breaks ground for expansion $85 million data center to add jobs, local income By Deborah Grigsby [email protected]
Time Warner Cable broke ground June 25 for construction of a new $85 million Data Center expansion in Centennial.
The National Data Center West, located at 11011 E. Peakview Drive, will support the delivery of digital video and IP-based ser-vices for TWC’s core residential and busi-ness products.
Chosen for its cool, dry electronics-friendly atmosphere, Centennial will be home to a modern 170,000-square-foot fa-cility with more than 1,600 racks of techni-cal equipment.
“Every day we serve millions of custom-ers across 29 states from Hawaii to Maine, and expansion of National Data Center West reaffi rms our commitment to de-liver an expanding array of products, ser-vices and content to our customers any-where, any time and on any device,” said Mike LaJoie, executive vice president and chief technology offi cer of Time Warner Cable.
Like its sister facility in Charlotte, N.C., NDC West will host applications that sup-port approximately 70 million residential emails sent per day, managing the billing records of more than 15 million customers and supporting back-end applications de-livered to Time Warner Cable employees.
Construction will continue through late
2014, according to a statement by TWC, with the new facility scheduled to go online in January 2015.
Including upgrades that have already been made at the facility since 2011, cost for the entire project, once complete, will top $141 million.
Construction on the additional build-ing for National Data Center West will con-tinue through late 2014, with the new facil-ity scheduled to go online in January 2015. Including upgrades that have been made at the facility since 2011, investment in the entire project will top $141 million once complete.
Through thoughtful planning, design and best practices, the company hopes to achieve Silver LEED certifi cation in the cat-egories of site, water, energy, material use and environmental quality.
“Our two national data centers serve as backups to one another to provide our resi-dential and business customers with con-tinuously available services, even in times of a major disruption,” said Jim Ludington, senior vice president of technology busi-ness operations for Time Warner Cable. “We’re excited to be extending and enhanc-ing our Data Center here and expanding our operations in this area.”
Seventy employees are currently located within the facility, but once the project is complete, TWC expects to add jobs to en-sure the facility is staffed 24 hours a day.
According to TWC, during the course of the project, the company is on track to add close to 400 jobs, equating to more than $11 million in local income.
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10 The Independent July 11, 2013
10-Color
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INSIDE
Rightsizing your next homeOne of today’s real estate
trends is appropriately named “rightsizing.” This happens when an existing home owner wants to right-size their housing needs in terms of space, upkeep and mortgage costs. Typically, Empty Nesters or buyers in retirement are looking to rightsize, but this trend applies to anyone look-ing to buy their next home.One of the ways current students or even recent graduates can make themselves more attractive to prospective employers is to find the right internship. Intern-ships are not always easy to get, and many of them don’t pay. But students who find the right internship often look back and recognize that their in-ternship was their first step toward a rewarding career, and a step that pro-vided valuable insight into their cho-sen field. To find the right internship, consider the following tips.
Whether you are interested in living in a traditional neighborhood or a master-planned community full of amenities, with these simple steps you will be able to find the rightsized home to fit your needs.SPACE
For the first time in many years, smaller homes have become much more dominant in the marketplace. For many, the right fitting home is smaller than ever before. The assump-
tion is that only Empty Nesters or re-tired adults would welcome less space, but today’s families are discovering the appeal of smaller homes.
Less space means less to maintain inside and out, providing more time to enjoy the home and less time clean-ing. Smaller homes also can help to rightsize costs, from the energy bill to the mortgage, which is always an attractive feature. Looking at the big-ger picture, a smaller home carries a reduced carbon footprint and adds to the environmental appeal of such a decision.UPKEEP
For some, the most important home amenity is maintenance or the lack thereof. A home within a master-planned community, for example, appeals to those who have reached a point in their lives where they want to spend less time taking care of a home and more time enjoying their home.
Generally designed to provide low-maintenance properties, these com-munities allow for a lock-and-leave lifestyle, meaning if the homeowner wants to leave for a long weekend or an extended holiday, they simply lock their home and leave without needing to arrange to have the grass cut and watered, or snow shoveled from the sidewalk. Even if they aren’t travel-ing, these homeowners can also enjoy
being at home and not having those tasks on their to-do list, ever thanks to the maintenance provided by the Home Owner’s Association (HOA). COST
When looking for a home, cost is oftentimes the leading factor in any search. Cost varies greatly depending on the age and size of a home, the sur-rounding community and a number of other factors that figure into the value of a home. When looking for your next home, make sure to con-sider what matters most to you – style of home, amenities, walkability, etc. – knowing the rightsize cost will affect which elements are possible.
One way to rightsize your cost, yet still afford many of the commu-nity features you want, is to look in a neighborhood or master-planned community that offers multiple hous-ing types. When a mixture of housing types is available – single-family, patio home or other style – it is much more reasonable to expect to find the right-sized mortgage to fit your financial needs. And, when you bring together home styles that appeal to everyone from young professionals and grow-ing families, to Empty Nesters and active adults, a vibrant community is the result.
As you head out to find your next home, don’t think of it as fitting in
with the Jones’, but rightsizing with your needs. After all, the Jones’ won’t be living there, so you shouldn’t buy a home with their needs in mind. ■
Author’s Byline: Jeff Hall is senior sales and marketing manager for Solterra, a master-planned community
in Lakewood. He may be reached at 303.790.6582 or [email protected]. For more information
about Solterra, please visit www.MySolterra.com.
The Independent 11 July 11, 2013
11-Color
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12 The Independent July 11, 2013
12-Color
Miscellaneous Real Estate
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You can expect a lot from working at Target.An inclusive, energetic team.A company focused on community.A brand that puts guests first.And the fun and flexibility of a job that works for you.
Join our team. Expect the best.Target.com/careers
Requirements:• Cheerful and helpful guest service skills• Friendly and upbeat attitude
Benefits:• Target merchandise discount• Competitive pay• Flexible scheduling
LOTS & ACREAGE
LAND LIQUIDATION! 60 acres -only $231.85/mo. Prime So.Colorado location w/ Rocky Mtnviews. Sur veyed, utilities, build-able. Best value around! Call now866-696-5263 Price $34,900,20% down, bal fin 15 yrs at5.75% Fixed, OAC
MODULAR / MANUFACTUREDHOMES FOR SALE
F R O M $ 3 4 , 1 8 1 B r a n d N e wF A C T O R Y B U I L T H O M E S
Construction to Perm Loans FHA / VALoans 303-573-0067 Free Brochure,
floor plans & price sheet www.coloradofactorymodulars.com
HELP WANTED - DRIVERS
25 DRIVER TRAINEES NEEDED!Learn to drive for SwiftTranspor tation at US Truck.Earn $750 per week! CDL & Job Ready in 3 weeks! 1-800-809-2141
HIRING Local, OTR & O/O DRIVERSLocal Drivers live within 50/mi ofPierce, CO. Class-A-CDL Plus 2 yrsExp.REQ. Pay $53-65K/yr,Perdiem, Benefits, No Touch,Paid/Home weekly, 877-273-3582
SYNC2 MEDIA CLASSIFIED ADS
S t a t e w i d e 2 5 - w o r dC O S C A N c lass i f ied l ine adacross Co lor ado for jus t $250per week . Contac t th is news-paper or ca l l COSCANCoord inator S tephen Her r er a ,S Y N C 2 M e d i a , 3 0 3 - 5 7 1 - 5 1 1 7 x 2 0 .
SYNC2 Media COSCAN Ads - Week of 7/7/13 – STATEWIDE
LOTS & ACREAGE
LAND LIQUIDATION! 60 acres - only$231.85/mo. Prime So. Colorado location w/Rocky Mtn views. Sur veyed, utilities, build-able. Best value around! Call now 866-696-5263 Price $34,900, 20% down, bal fin 15yrs at 5.75% Fixed, OAC
MODULAR / MANUFACTURED HOMES FORSALE
F R O M $ 3 4 , 1 8 1 B r a n d N e w F A C T O R YB U I L T H O M E S Construction to Perm LoansFHA / VA Loans 303-573-0067 Free Brochure,
floor plans & price sheet www.coloradofactorymodulars.com
HELP WANTED - DRIVERS
25 DRIVER TRAINEES NEEDED!Learn to drive for Swift Transpor tation at USTruck.Earn $750 per week! CDL & Job Ready in 3 weeks! 1-800-809-2141
HIRING Local, OTR & O/O DRIVERS LocalDrivers live within 50/mi of Pierce, CO. Class-A-CDL Plus 2 yrs Exp.REQ. Pay $53-65K/yr,
Perdiem, Benefits, No Touch, Paid/Homeweekly, 877-273-3582
SYNC2 MEDIA CLASSIFIED ADS
S t a t e w i d e 2 5 - w o r d C O S C A N c lass i -f ied l ine ad across Co lor ado for jus t$250 per week . Contac t th is newspaperor ca l l COSCAN Coord inator S tephenHer r er a , S Y N C 2 M e d i a , 3 0 3 - 5 7 1 - 5 1 1 7 x 2 0 .
COSCAN COSCAN
Co loradoStatewide Class i f iedAdvertis ing Networ k
Co lorado Statewide C lass i f iedAdvert ising Network
To place a 25-word COSCAN network ad in 82 Coloradonewspapers for only $250, contact your local newspaper
or call SYNC2 Media at 303-571-5117.To place a 25-word COSCAN network ad in 82 Colorado
newspapers for only $250, contact your local newspaperor call SYNC2 Media at 303-571-5117.
Help Wanted
APC Construction CO.now has immediate openings for thefollowing positions:
Drivers Class A&B-experience requiredPaving ForemanPatching ForemanHeavy Equipment OperatorsQuality Control Tecnician
Our company is an EEO employerand offers competitive pay and
benefits package. Please apply inperson at 14802 W. 44th AvenueGolden, CO 80403
Caregivers to provide in-homecare to senior citizens who need
assistance with activities ofdaily living.
Call Today 303-736-6688www.visitingangels.com
/employment
Employment Opportunity____________________________PAID IN ADVANCE! MAKE $1000 AWEEK mailing brochures fromhome! Helping Home-Workerssince 2001. Genuine Opportunity!No experience required. Start Im-m e d i a t e l y ! w w w . w o r k i n g -c e n t r a l . c o m
_____________________________
NOW HIRING!!! $28/HOUR. Under-cover Shoppers Needed To JudgeRetail and Dining Establishments.Genuine Opportunity. PT/FT. Ex-perience not required. If You CanS h o p - Y o u A r e Q u a l i f i e d ! !www.AmericanShopperJobs.com
_____________________________ NOW HIRING! LOCAL PEOPLENEEDED- Men & Women In De-mand For Simple Work. P/T- F/T.Can Be Done From Home. Accept-ance Guaranteed- No ExperienceR e q u i r e d , A l l W e l c o m e !w w w . E a s y P a y W o r k . c o m
GAIN 130 LBS!Savio House needs foster
parents to provide temporary carefor troubled teens ages 12-18.Training, 24 hour support and$1900/month provided. Must
complete precertification trainingand pass a criminal and motor
vehicle background check.Call Michelle 303-225-4073
or visit saviohouse.org.
Keep Kids Together
Abused and neglectedbrothers and sisters are often
separated in foster care.There just aren’t enough fosterhomes to keep them together.This leaves them sad, anxious
and confused and they feellike it’s “all their fault.”Give the Gift of Hope--
Become a Savio foster parent.
Call Tracy Stuart303/225-4152
Help Wanted
Hiring Event!Thursday, July 17th
At 8:30-12:30westernsummit.eventbrite.comLOCATION: Arapahoe County
Workforce Center6974 South Lima Centennial, CO
80112Available positions:
Concrete Finishers $16-20,Carpenter $18-$22Laborer $12-$17Pipefitter-$18-$22Millwrights-$18-22Foreman $23 - $28Pipeline - Laborer $12 - $17Pipeline - Operator $17 - $22Pipeline - Pipelayer $17 - $22
*WSCI is an EEO EmployerEncourage women, minorities,
veterans, and the disabled to applyQualifications:
• At least 1 year experience• Must pass drug screen• Ability to lift a minimum of 50 lbs
Benefits:• Full time (40 hours per week)• MedicalDress professionally, bring yourresume, and arrive promptly!
Law firm and title companyhas a F/T receptionist/clericalposition open. Previous phoneexperience preferred. Must be
professional & accurate forhi-volume, fast-paced work.
Office located at I-25 and LincolnEmail letter, resume & salary
requirements to:[email protected]
with “Receptionist/Clerk - yourname” in subject line
LEGITIMATE WORKAT HOME
No Sales, no Investment, No Risk,Free training, Free website. Con-tact Susan at 303-646-4171 or fillout form at www.wisechoice4u.com
Help Wanted
Now Hiring Cashiers!Full/part-time, all shifts available.
Apply at Conoco,18561 Hwy 40, Golden.
NOW HIRING MANAGERSCastle Rock location
Paid training, Competitive Salary, health, dental and vision
Send resume to:[email protected]
or fax to 719-622-3070
The AcademyThe Academy, a charter school inWestminster, is hiring custodians.
Visit our website attheacademyk12.org / Employment
for details
The Arvada Cemetery isaccepting applications for
Grounds Maintenance workerApplication and position details are
available at the Cemetery officelocated at 5581 Independence St
Western SummitConstructors, Inc. is seeking
Formwork Carpenters & Laborers,Concrete Finishers, Pipefitters, and
Millwrights (process equipmentinstallations) NCCCO Tower Crane
Operator for large wastewaterproject located in Denver area.Applications will be taken at9780 Pyramid Ct, Suite 100,
Englewood, CO 80112,from 8-5 M-F.
Send resumes [email protected]
or call (303)325-0325.WSCI is an EEO Employer.
Got Profits?Productivity specialist
extraordinaire seeking training anddevelopment position in Colorado.
20 years of dynamic results.Call 904 400-0965
or visit my website atwwww.rachaelmcnaughton.com
WriterPublished writer seeks
full-time/contract work innewspapers, magazines,
RFP's, editing etc.Experience in
all genres.Call 904 400.0965 or visit
www.rachaelmcnaughton.com.
The Independent 13 July 11, 2013
13-Color
TO SELL YOUR GENTLY USED ITEMS, CALL 303-566-4100
ourcolorado
.comFarm Products &
ProduceGrain Finished Buffaloquartered, halves and whole
719-775-8742Locally raised, grass fed and grain
finished Beef & Pork.Quarters, halves, wholes available.
Can deliver 720-434-1322schmidtfamilyfarms.com
Wanted
Semi retired HVAC sheet metalshop worker seeking part time em-ployment in Golden area, experi-enced in hand layout, plasma cut-ting, roto-die, Stormy 970-520-7899
Wanted to rent; quiet spacew/hookups for 36' RV. We're quiet,have references and no pets.Prefer within 20 miles of CastleRock area but will consider others
928-528-8028 [email protected]
GARAGE & ESTATE SALES
Garage Sales
Castle Rock3 Family Yard Sale
Fri-Sat 8-3!4222 Serenade Rd CR (Bell Mtn).John Deere Tractor & assessories,
Moped, Elect scooters, clothes,Trampoline, edger, mower, Potterybarn kids furniture, TOTAL GYMmachine, Felt kids racing bike,
Giant bike, sports equip, printersAND MUCH MORE!
GoldenApple Meadows community sale
Friday 7/12 - Saturday 7/13from 9a-3p both days.
Come and check out over 40homes. We are just east of Hwy 94on 58th ave. Just follow the signs to
find new treasures.
ArvadaGarage Sale 6189 Otis StJuly 13th & 14th 9am-4pm
power & hand tools, furniture,clothing, art, household items
and more.
ArvadaGarage Sale-8am-?
July 12th & 13th8221 Chase Way
between Sheridan & WadsworthLarge variety of everything!
Great prices
Castle RockGarage Sale July 12th & 13th
9am-3pm388 Bayan Ct in PlumCreek
GoldenMoving Sale- exercise bikes,clothes, dishes, shoes, games,
books, and much moreFri & Sat 12th & 13th 9am-3pm
17140 W 9th Ave9th Ave & Ulysses St
Garage Sales
Castle RockJuly 12th, 13th & 14th
19th, 20th & 21st 8am-5pmA Spectacular Garage Sale
Items for everyone even collegekids. Kitchen, Small Appliances,
Christmas, Sports Gear,odds n ends, lots of new stuff219 Crosshaven, Plum Creek
LakewoodMoving/Yard Sale
July 12-14 9-463 S Newland Ct
lots of books, womens clothing, gasgrill, everything must go!
303-235-0399
ArvadaMacArthur Park multiple family,Garage Sale, 81st and Kipling,Arvada. July 12-13, 8 to 3 pm
Call Sue at 303-868-2113
Arvada Garage Sale6950 Independence St.,Fri. & Sat. July 12 & 13 8am-3pm.Vintage dolls & accessoriesHO Train Set, Movie Projector &films, Princess Di, Puzzles, Kit-chen Stuff, Coffee Table, VintageHats, Tennis, Sewing, 1920's SheetMusic, Games, Jars & Misc.
ParkerGarage/Moving Sale
16432 Parkside DrSaturday July 13 - 8 AM to 3 PM
Tons of baby clothes,baby items and more!
Text Tom at 303 919 5768
Estate Sales
Estate Sale Franktown11515 E Caribou Dr
off Russeville Rd & 83Fri & Sat July 12th & 13th 9am-4pmContents of home including Curtis
snow plow 3000,large tractor vintage 1951 (TO 20),Craftmans riding lawnmower andsnowblower attachment, car port
frames, and more!
Appliances
White Maytag Neptune -front loadwasher & dryer with 2 pedestals.Great condition! Energy efficient,$550.00 303-646-1971 leave msg
Washer/Dryer Maytag Front loader,4 yrs old. w/12" risers w/drawersGood Condition $850 (303)909-6789
Bicycles
Schwinn Womens 7 speed,like new $100.00
303-420-4350
Furniture
Beautiful formal Dining RoomSet, Table + 6 chairs and glassfront China cabinet (mirrored back)chairs are white upholstered.
$750 OBO 303-646-1971 leave msg
Q Oak Bed, beautiful w/4 drawersunder, Woodleys $550 complet.Glass top din table 42" rnd 4 chairs,$125. 2 bar stools, swivel w/backs$20 ea 720-733-0853
Sofa 92" dark green excellentcondition, durable, spotless fabric.
email- [email protected] forphotos. $200 303-681-3906
Lawn and Garden
Weed Wacker (trimmer)Craftsman, heavy duty, electric,with extra string $35Worx GT battery operated, 2 bat-
teries included and extra string$25 303-420-4350
Health and Beauty
Canada Drug Center is your choicefor safe and affordable medica-tions. Our licensed Canadian mailorder pharmacy will provide youwith savings of up to 90% on allyour medication needs. Call today1-800-418-8975, for $10.00 off yourfirst prescription and free shipping.
_____________________________
ATTENTION SLEEP APNEA SUF-FERERS with Medicare. Get CPAPReplacement Supplies at little orNO COST, plus FREE home deliv-ery! Best of all, prevent red skinsores and bacterial infection! Call1-866-993-5043
_____________________________
Medical Alert for Seniors - 24/7monitoring. FREE Equipment.FREE Shipping. Nationwide Ser-vice. $29.95/Month CALL MedicalGuardian Today 866-992-7236
_____________________________
CASH for unexpired DIABETICTEST STRIPS! Free Shipping,
Friendly Service, BEST prices and24hr payment! Call today 877
588 8500 or visitwww.TestStripSearch.com Espanol888-440-4001
_____________________________TAKE VIAGRA? Stop paying out-rageous prices! Best prices… VIA-GRA 100MG, 40 pills+/4 free, only$99.00. Discreet Shipping, PowerPill. 1-800-368-2718
Household Goods
Electric adjustable twin bedlike new cond. $250
Arvada areacall 720-771-1049
Miscellaneous
100% Guaranteed Omaha Steaks -SAVE 69% on The Grilling Collec-tion. NOW ONLY $49.99 Plus 2FREE GIFTS & right-to-the-doordelivery in a reusable cooler, OR-DER Today. 1- 888-697-3965 UseCode:45102ETA or
www.OmahaSteaks.com/offergc05_____________________________
DISH TV Retai ler. Start ing at$19.99/month PLUS 30 PremiumMovie Channels
FREE for 3 Months! SAVE! & AskAbout SAME DAY Installation!CALL - 877-992-1237
_____________________________
KILL BED BUGS & THEIR EGGS!Buy a Harris Bed Bug Kit, Com-plete Room Treatment Solution.Odorless, Non-Staining. Availableonline homedepot.com (NOT INSTORES)
_____________________________
KILL SCORPIONS! Buy HarrisScorpion Spray. Indoor/Outdoor.Odorless, Non-Staining, Long Last-ing. Kills Socrpions and other in-sects. Effective results begin afterthe spray dries! Available at AceHardware, The Home Depot orHomedepot.com
_____________________________
DirecTV - Over 140 channels only$29.99 a month. Call Now! Triplesavings! $636.00 in Savings, Freeupgrade to Genie & 2013 NFLSunday ticket free!! Start savingtoday! 1-800-279-3018
Instrumentation Testing Equip-ment - Too much to list call formore information 303-238-1986
My Computer WorksComputer problems? Viruses, spy-ware, email, printer issues, bad in-ternet connections - FIX IT NOW!Professional, U.S.-based techni-cians. $25 off service. Call for im-mediate help. 1-866-998-0037
_____________________________
Advertise your product or servicenationwide or by region in up to 12million households in North Amer-ica's best suburbs! Place your clas-sified ad in over 815 suburbannewspapers just like this one. CallClassified Avenue at 888-486-2466or go to www.classifiedavenue.net
_____________________________
Dish Network lowest nationwideprice $19.99 a month. FREEHBO/Cinemax/Starz FREE Block-buster. FREE HD-DVR and install.Next day install 1-800-375-0784
_____________________________
*REDUCE YOUR CABLE BILL! *Get a 4-Room All-Digital Satellitesystem installed for FREE and pro-gramming starting at $19.99/mo.FREE HD/DVR upgrade for newcallers, SO CALL NOW. 1-800-699-7159
Miscellaneous
Upright Baldwin Piano $195 oboTV Sony Trinitron 30" screen $125303-660-8730
Tickets/Travel
All Tickets Buy/SellNFL-NBA-NHL-NCAA-MLBWWW.DENVERTICKET.COM(303)-420-5000
PETS
Cats
KITTENS KITTENS KITTENStabbies, mixture of colors
also black or black & whiteboys, girls. Small adoption fee
303-430-4569
Dogs
Penbroke Welsh Corgired and white male puppy, shots
and wormed, except rabies. 6months old, wonderful puppy
$300 720-213-4046
Horse & Tack
Horse boarding near C-470 &Quebec, stall w/run. Quality feed,round pen, arena, pasture, access
to trails $214/mo 303-601-3896
Use cattle to improve yourhorsemanship skills
on the 87,000 acre Chico BasinRanch. Cam Schryver, life long
educator and horseman, supportedby Chico Basin Ranch staff, willhelp you sharpen your skills in aranch setting, working cattle as a
medium for learning naturalhorsemanship principles.
www.chicobasinranch.com719.719.683.7960 or
Pet Services
www.naturaldogremedies.netCommunity resource website
Learn about holistictherapies for dogs
Natural Dog Remedies720.345.7379
Autos for Sale
1999 Mazda Miataconvertable with hard top, loaded,64k miles, excellent cond. hatesgas, $7000
720-404-6021
RV’s and Campers
Class A motorhome- Like new con-dition, less than 10k miles. 2005Georgetown forest river XL, 2 slideouts, color back up camera w/mic,V10 motor, full tub w/shower, 2 roofa/c, sleeps 5, gas stove/oven + mi-crowave, corian counter $56k
Call Barb 303-988-6265 or Tom720-940-7754
Wanted
Cash for all Carsand Trucks
Under $1000Running or not.Any condition
(303)741-0762bestcashforcars.com
CASH FOR CARS! Any Make, Mod-el or Year. We Pay MORE! Run-ning or Not. Sell Your Car or TruckTODAY. Free Towing! Instant Of-fer: 1-888-545-8647
_____________________________Got junk cars? Get $ PAIDTODAY. FREE towing. Licensedtowers. $1,000 FREE gift vouchers!
ALL Makes-ALL Models! Call today1-888-870-0422
_____________________________SAVE $$$ on AUTO INSURANCEfrom the major names you knowand trust. No forms. No hassle. Noobligation. Call READY FOR MYQUOTE now! CALL 1-877-890-6843
Top Cash Paid for Junk CarsUp to $500
720-333-6832
Local Ads The New Big Bang for your Buck.
Happy customertells 2 neighbors...tells 2 neighbors...tells 2 neighbors...tells 2 neighbors...
who tell...
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Build brand loyalty at the zip code level.
For more information on advertising in one or more of our23 community papers or 20 websites, Call 303-566-4100. ColoradoCommunityMedia.com
who tell...who tell...who tell...
Please Recycle this Publication when Finished
For Local News Anytime of the Day Visit
OurColoradoNews.com
Joe SouthworthCommercial & Residential Sales
Joes Carpet Service, Inc.
New Carpet Sales • Wholesale PricingInstallation • Restretch • RepairsCall foR youR fRee eStImate
720.227.1409
Thomas Floor Covering
303-781-4919
~ Carpet Restretching~ Repair ~Remnant Installs
Residential & Commercial
In home carpet& vinyl sales
720-270-4478
Professional, Reliable, Responsible 11 years experience & good references
Call Maria For A Free Estimate
Need House Cleaning?
• DepenDable •• Thorough •
• honesT •
12 yearsexperience.
Great References
A continental flairDetailed cleaning at reasonable rates.
720.283.2155ReferencesAvailable
Honest & Dependable
Residential • CommercialMove Outs • New Construction
DAZZLING DAIZIESOFFICE & HOUSE CLEANINGFAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED
SINCE 1990BONDED AND INSURED
DEPENDABLE - EXPERIENCEDWith REFERENCES
WKLY - BIWKLY - MONTHLYJODI - 303-910-6532
Just Details Cleaning ServiceWhen “OK”Just isn’t good enough
-Integrity & Quality Since 1984For more information visit: JustDetailsCleaningService.comCall Rudy303-549-7944 for free est.
All Phases of Flat Work by
T.M. CONCRETEDriveways, Sidewalks, PatiosTear-outs, colored & stampedconcrete. Quality work, Lic./Ins.Reasonable rates"Small Jobs OK!"303-514-7364
Concrete MikeConcrete Work, Patios, Driveways,
Sidewalks, Tear Out, Replace,Colored. Reasonable Rates
Office 303-840-7347Mobile 303-902-1503
14 The Independent July 11, 2013
14-Color
SERVICESSERVICESSERVICESSERVICESSERVICESSERVICESSERVICESSERVICESSERVICESTO ADVERTISE YOUR SERVICES, CALL 303-566-4100
ourcolorado
TO SELL YOUR GENTLY USED ITEMS, CALL 303-566-4100
ourcolorado
.com
Colorado Community Media was created to connect you to 23 community papers with boundless opportunity and rewards. Did you know...
Carpet/Flooring
Joe SouthworthCommercial & Residential Sales
Joes Carpet Service, Inc.
New Carpet Sales • Wholesale PricingInstallation • Restretch • RepairsCall foR youR fRee eStImate
720.227.1409
Thomas Floor Covering
303-781-4919
~ Carpet Restretching~ Repair ~Remnant Installs
Residential & Commercial
In home carpet& vinyl sales
Cleaning
720-270-4478
Professional, Reliable, Responsible 11 years experience & good references
Call Maria For A Free Estimate
Need House Cleaning?
• DepenDable •• Thorough •
• honesT •
12 yearsexperience.
Great References
A continental flairDetailed cleaning at reasonable rates.
720.283.2155ReferencesAvailable
Honest & Dependable
Residential • CommercialMove Outs • New Construction
DAZZLING DAIZIESOFFICE & HOUSE CLEANINGFAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED
SINCE 1990BONDED AND INSURED
DEPENDABLE - EXPERIENCEDWith REFERENCES
WKLY - BIWKLY - MONTHLYJODI - 303-910-6532
Just Details Cleaning ServiceWhen “OK”Just isn’t good enough
-Integrity & Quality Since 1984For more information visit: JustDetailsCleaningService.comCall Rudy303-549-7944 for free est.
Concrete/Paving
All Phases of Flat Work by
T.M. CONCRETEDriveways, Sidewalks, PatiosTear-outs, colored & stampedconcrete. Quality work, Lic./Ins.Reasonable rates"Small Jobs OK!"303-514-7364
Concrete MikeConcrete Work, Patios, Driveways,
Sidewalks, Tear Out, Replace,Colored. Reasonable Rates
Office 303-840-7347Mobile 303-902-1503
Concrete/Paving
FBM Concrete LLC.
Free Estimates17 Years ExperienceLicensed & Insured
Driveways, patios, stamp &colored concrete.
All kinds of flat work.Let us do good work for you!
(720)217-8022
Deck/Patio
UTDOOR ESIGNS, INC
303-471-2323
“Specializing inComposite Redwood and
Cedar Constructionfor Over 30 Years”
• DECKS •• FENCES •• STAIRS •
• OVERHANGS •
www.decksunlimited.com
720-635-0418Littleton
Denver’s PremierCustom Deck Builder
Deck RestoreRepair • Power Wash
Stain • Seal
Free EstimatesHighly Experienced
Bill 720-842-1716
FREE ESTIMATES
BEST PRICES30+ years experienceClem: 303-973-6991
• Repairs • Sanding • Stain• Pressure Washing • Paint & Seal
• FREE ESTIMATES •
www.coloradodeckandfence.com
303-261-6163
Colorado #1
Deck & FenceRestoration & Refinishing
PRoFessional
303-683-7990 • Trex Pro
Custom designs that �t your lifestyle…
T h e L o w e r D e c k . n e t
Doors/Windows
Door Doctor
www.DenverDoorDoctor.com
James maryeDoor SpecialiSt ~ carpenter
Interior • ExteriorReplacement • Repair
Commercial • [email protected]
Drywall
PAUL TIMMConstruction/Repair
DrywallServing Your Area
Since 1974303-841-3087 303-898-9868
We Specialize in AllResidential Drywall Needs
Drywall Repair • RemodelsAdditions • Basements • Texture
Popcorn Ceilings replacedwith texture of choice
One Year Warranty On All Work
10% offlAboRWith AD
since 1989
fRee eStimAteS303-688-9221 office720-331-0314 cell
Drywall FinishingMike Martis, Owner
35 Years ExperiencePatches • Repairs • Texturing
Basements • Additions • Remodels• Painting & Wallpaper Removal
(303)988-1709 cell (720)373-1696www.123drywall.com
We AcceptAll Major
Credit Cards
A PATCH TO MATCHDrywall Repair Specialist
• HomeRenovationandRemodel
• 30yearsExperience• Insured• Satisfaction
Guaranteed
Highly rated & screened contractor byHome Advisor & Angies list
Call Ed 720-328-5039
Sanders Drywall Inc.All phases to include
Acoustic scrape and re-textureRepairs to full basement finishes
Water damage repairsInterior paint, door & trim installs
30+ years experienceInsured
Free estimatesDarrell 303-915-0739
Electricians
HIGHLANDS HOMEIMPROVEMENT, INC.
303-791-4000
FREE EstimatesA+
General Repair & RemodelPaul Boggs Master Electrician
Licensed/Insured/Guaranteed
Affordable Electrician25 yrs experience
Remodel expert, kitchen,basements, & service panel
upgrades.No job too small. Senior disc.
720-690-7645
Fence Services
Cowboy Fencing is a full service fence & gate company installing fences in
Colorado for 23 years.Residential/Commercial/Farm & Ranch
FencingLow rates, Free estimates
Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270Scott, Owner 720-364-5270
D & D FENCINGCommercial & Residential
All types of cedar, chain link, iron,and vinyl fences. Install and
repair. Serving all areas.Low Prices.
FREE Estimates.720-434-7822 or
303-296-0303
Garage Doors
Owner Operated
Service & RepairSprings, Cables, Openers, etc…
10% Off with thiS adCall or text anytime
303-716-0643
GreGorGaraGe
Door
www.mikesgaragedoors.com(303) 646-4499
For all your garage door needs!
• Springs, Repairs • New Doors and Openers • Barn and Arena Doors • Locally-Owned & Operated• Tom Martino’s Referral List 10 Yrs • BBB Gold Star Member Since 2002
Handyman
DeSpain’s Home SolutionS
DepenDable, Reliable SeRvice
Over 30 Years ExperienceLicensed & Insured
Solving All your Remodeling & Repair Problems – Just Ask!
Eric DeSpain 303-840-1874
HIGHLANDS HOMEIMPROVEMENT, INC.
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16 The Independent July 11, 2013
16-Color
Child-health law proves toothlessProposal was intended to spur more physical activity by kidsBy Kevin VaughanI-News Network
A 2011 state law requir-ing 30 minutes of physical activity a day for elementa-ry students was supposed to mark a new tool in the fight against childhood obesity — but in reality it did little more than reinforce the sta-tus quo, an I-News exami-nation found.
The reason: The mea-sure was so gutted during the legislative process that it has meant virtually no meaningful changes in the way elementary schools are operated. The standard im-posed by the law — which allows recess to count as physical activity time — was already being met by districts across the state.
Two years later, the school day looks exactly the same for students across the state as it did before the law was passed.
“We didn’t change any-thing because we were al-ready meeting it to begin with,” said Dave Eichman, director of athletics and physical education for Col-orado Springs School Dis-trict 11.
That sentiment was echoed over and over again by officials in the 10 largest Colorado districts — which account for more than half of the state’s 863,561 pub-lic school students — the I-News inquiry revealed. Checks with smaller dis-tricts by I-News showed the same thing.
Still, supporters believe the law marked an impor-tant change in Colorado by instituting a standard where none previously existed.
“We felt like it was a step in the right direction,” said Reilly Pharo, of the Colo-rado Children’s Campaign, a nonprofit advocacy group that backed the measure. “We know that obesity pol-icy is complex, and it’s big-ger than what happens at the state Capitol.”
Weight issues increasingA far more encompass-
ing measure was originally envisioned in an effort to fight the burgeoning child obesity problem — a grow-ing concern among health professionals and policy makers who have seen a dramatic rise in the per-centage of young people who are heavy. That reality concerns health officials — an obese child is at greater risk of such things as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea, and is more likely to grow up to be an obese adult. In addition, obese children can suffer social discrimination.
“For kids, it has not only health consequences, but it has emotional consequenc-es, too,” said Janet Fulton, a lead epidemiologist and expert in physical activity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “It is that double-edged sword.”
In 1980, about 7 percent of U.S. children ages 6 to 11 were obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control. By 2010, that num-ber had jumped to 18 per-cent. Among adolescents ages 12 to 19, the jump was similar — from 5 percent in 1980 to 18 percent in 2010.
Colorado has not been immune to the problem, al-though the data here is less clear-cut.
For example, the Colora-do Childhood Survey, con-ducted by the state health department, found that about 16 percent of chil-dren ages 1 to 14 were obese in 2011. But a different sur-vey of high-school teenag-ers showed that about 7 percent of those students were obese that same year.
At the same time, other data paints a bleaker pic-ture among children in a state ranked as the “fittest” by virtue of the fact that its adult obesity rate is the low-est in the country.
When it comes to child-hood obesity, Colorado ranks 23rd of the 50 states, according to the CDC’s lat-est data. That data, which dates to 2007, showed that a little more than 14 percent of the state’s children were obese.
Trends are troublingOther trends portend
trouble on the horizon.Latino children, who
have overweight rates 60 percent higher than white children, according to the federal Office of Minority Health, are the fastest grow-ing segment of the elemen-tary school population. And the percentage of poor children, also more likely to be overweight, entering the state’s elementary schools is also climbing.
Determining what con-stitutes “overweight” and “obese” requires determin-ing what is known as body mass index — a formula that takes into account an indi-vidual’s height and weight. In adults, it’s a simple calcu-lation: Anyone with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is con-sidered overweight; anyone with a BMI of 30 or greater is considered obese.
In children, the calcula-tion is more complicated. Although the determina-tion is still based on BMI, it includes a comparison to other children the same age
and gender. A child is con-sidered overweight with a BMI between the 85th per-centile and 94th percentile as compared to children of the same age and gender. A child who is obese has a body mass index in the 95th percentile or higher when compared to children of the same age and gender.
Against that backdrop, legislators drafted a mea-sure that would have re-quired each school district to formally report how it was incorporating physi-cal activity into the daily routine for elementary students. It also proposed minimum standards for what had to be reported — including the physical education curriculum used by schools, the number of minutes each week that students spent on things like exercise programs, re-cess and fitness breaks, and the qualifications of those who supervised students in physical activity. And it would have required the Colorado Department of Education to report the col-lected information and cor-relate it with the academic performance information for each elementary school.
But opponents, includ-ing the Colorado Associa-tion of School Boards and several school districts, chafed at the potential cost and at the intrusion of the state into an issue that many believe is one of lo-cal control. The proposal also banged into the philo-sophical question of who is responsible for making sure kids lead healthy lives — parents or schools?
Schools fought measureAmong the opponents
were the Jefferson County, Adams 12 and Boulder Val-ley school districts.
“It was creating a man-date,” said Briggs Gamblin, spokesman for Boulder Val-ley Schools. “That was the height of the cuts, and we felt that we couldn’t support even well-intentioned pro-grams at that time that were
mandating new programs on school districts, many of them much more cash-strapped than us.”
The bill was amended to simply require that each school board institute a policy stating that all el-ementary students would have “opportunities” for the equivalent of 30 minutes of physical activity a day. Those opportunities could include gym class, recess, stretch breaks, and field trips that involve walking.
“It was a great bill in concept, but it got watered down,” said state Sen. Irene Aguilar, one of the mea-sure’s sponsors, who is also a primary care physician.
Because there are no re-porting requirements, there is no way to know with cer-tainty exactly how schools are complying.
Aguilar said she hopes the legislature can come back at some point and push for more substantive changes.
Research has shown that physical activity is critical to maintaining a healthy body weight in adults — and, conversely, that it is almost impossible to do it with diet alone.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Servic-es’ Physical Activity Guide-lines for Americans call for children to get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical movement a day. That means moving with enough intensity to get winded. A variety of activi-ties that promote aerobic development and muscle and bone strengthening is recommended.
And research has shown benefits far beyond healthy body weight — things like attention, behavior and academic performance all improve when kids are ac-tive, according to multiple studies.
Trouble meeting goalKim Gorman, director
of the weight management program at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Health
and Wellness Center, point-ed out that even in the best possible scenario — every student getting 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous movement every day — it would account for only half that is called for. And it would account for only about 46 percent of the year.
But even the best case has problems. In some schools, recess is an exten-sion of lunch — meaning students who spend more time eating can end up with less time to move around. And recess doesn’t require a student to do anything — drive by an elementary when the kids are outside, and it’s not unusual to see groups of them standing around, or even sitting on the blacktop, talking.
Still, Gorman and others argued that it’s critical to get youngsters moving, and it doesn’t have to be running laps.
Gorman’s idea is simple: She’d have 30 minutes of open playground time be-fore and after school each day. And then she’d let the kids do whatever they wanted so long as they were moving — everything from jumping rope to playing basketball to dancing.
“It can be dancing — it absolutely can be dancing,” Gorman said. “It doesn’t have to be a punitive thing that kids don’t like.”
Data analysis and addition-al reporting by Burt Hub-bard. I-News is the public service journalism arm of Rocky Mountain PBS. For more information: inews-network.org. Contact Kevin Vaughan at [email protected] or 303-446-4936.
This article was conceived and produced as a proj-ect for the Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism, which is administered by The California Endowment Health Journalism Fellow-ships, a program of USC’s Annenberg School for Com-munication & Journalism
Grade-schoolers play during recess at Hutchinson Elementary School in Lakewood as the 2012-2013 school year draws to a close. A 2011 state law written to incorporate physical activity into the daily schedule of elementary schools to help fight against childhood obesity has had little effect, according to an I-News examination. Photo by The I-News Network at Rocky Mountain PBS
HOW COLORADO STACKS UPSurveys have shown that Colorado has not compared well to other states in requiring physical education classes, I-News analysis of data found:
• Colorado does not rank well in requiring recess and physical education classes in public schools. The 2010 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state indicator report on physical activity found that Colorado was one of 14 states that did not re-quire that physical education be taught in elementary, middle and high school.
• Colorado was also one of 31 states that did not require or recommend that el-ementary schools provide school recess.
• Less than 25 percent of students ages 5 to 14 years of age took a physical educa-tion class five days a week in Colorado, according to the 2010 and 2011 Colorado Childhood surveys. The 2011 survey found 24 percent of the students had physical education every school day, while the 2010 found 20 percent.
• A higher percentage of students took physical education classes twice or less a week in Colorado. In 2011, it was 34 percent, and in 2010 it was 48 percent.— Source: I-News
17-LIFE
Child-health law proves toothless
and Wellness Center, point-ed out that even in the best possible scenario — every student getting 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous movement every day — it would account for only half that is called for. And it would account for only about 46 percent of the year.
But even the best case has problems. In some schools, recess is an exten-sion of lunch — meaning students who spend more time eating can end up with less time to move around. And recess doesn’t require a student to do anything — drive by an elementary when the kids are outside, and it’s not unusual to see groups of them standing around, or even sitting on the blacktop, talking.
Still, Gorman and others argued that it’s critical to get youngsters moving, and it doesn’t have to be running laps.
Gorman’s idea is simple: She’d have 30 minutes of open playground time be-fore and after school each day. And then she’d let the kids do whatever they wanted so long as they were moving — everything from jumping rope to playing basketball to dancing.
“It can be dancing — it absolutely can be dancing,” Gorman said. “It doesn’t have to be a punitive thing that kids don’t like.”
Data analysis and addition-al reporting by Burt Hub-bard. I-News is the public service journalism arm of Rocky Mountain PBS. For more information: inews-network.org. Contact Kevin Vaughan at [email protected] or 303-446-4936.
This article was conceived and produced as a proj-ect for the Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism, which is administered by The California Endowment Health Journalism Fellow-ships, a program of USC’s Annenberg School for Com-munication & Journalism
Grade-schoolers play during recess at Hutchinson Elementary School in Lakewood as the 2012-2013 school year draws to a close. A 2011 state law written to incorporate physical activity into the daily schedule of elementary schools to help fight against childhood obesity has had little effect, according to an I-News examination. Photo by The I-News Network at Rocky Mountain PBS
South Metrolife The Independent 17
July 11, 2013
Raise da roof
Photos by Deborah GriGsby
Cirque du Soleil returns to Denver with its newest production, “Amaluna.” The first visible signs of the popular Canadian entertainment group’s arrival came July 2 as more than 60 men and women worked to erect the familiar blue and yellow big top on the Pepsi Center grounds. Trav-eling with 65 trailers carrying more than 2,000 tons of equipment, workers will spend eight days assembling the colorful big top, the entrance, box office, additional rehearsal tents, administrative offices and a kitchen. Once complete, the big top will seat 2,600 people for the show, which opens July 18 and runs through Aug. 25.
Men hoist some of the 100 poles required to support the big top tent for Cirque du Soleil’s newest production, “Amaluna.” Workers raised the tent July 2 on the Pepsi Center grounds as media and others looked on. The tent will seat 2,600 people and requires 550 pegs to hold it firmly in the ground.
With room for 2,600 people, the Cirque du Soleil big top takes shape on the grounds of the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver. The colorful tent will be the home to the Canadian entertainment company’s newest production, “Amaluna,” July 18 to Aug. 25. The production travels with 65 trailers carrying more than 2,000 tons of equipment.
‘Minimum Wage’ pays off for audienceA cappella musical comedy on stage at Avenue TheaterBy Sonya [email protected]
When “Minimum Wage “ played Off-Broadway in 2007, Denver-based co-writers/brothers Jeff and Charlie La Greca were in the cast of this kooky and wonderful a cappella musical comedy. (Sean Altman co-wrote the songs).
One has to see this one to be-lieve it!
The actors don’t need a band — they supply their own music with their voices as they carry the audience at Denver’s Av-enue Theater through training sessions at Happy Hamburger University, where “Minimum Wage” is what they’ll earn.
Under the sure hand of di-rector Nick Sugar, Michael Bouchard (Hux), Keegan C. Flaugh (Titus), Damon Guera-sio (Orwell), Abby McInerney (Piercy) and Carter Edward Smith (Bradbury) sing rock-ing a cappella music almost
non-stop for 90 minutes. There are a few minutes out to watch grainy, bad training videos and announcements from the com-pany headquarters and a few more for bits of goony action.
Numbers of new shops keep being announced. References to another major hamburger chain are continual and clever.
Music director Mark Middle-brooks, a teacher and perform-er familiar to fans at Littleton’s Town Hall Arts Center, has, in conjunction with Sugar’s good-humored direction and choreography, delivered an all-together chorus of singers, each with a different role in the a cappella format and each indi-
vidually outstanding. Strong harmonies, beatbox-
ing and fine comic timing pre-vail.
Happy Hamburger Univer-sity training includes segments on fryers, grills and spatulas, dangers and the theme song about what they’ll earn as they work their way toward the mid-dle — “Minimum Wa-yay-age.”
Different songs offer each performer a chance to shine.
Keegan C. Flaugh, the boom-ing bass, is the hypochondriac chain clown, Kooky, and Abby McInerney “Shakes her Booty With Danger.”
Damon Guerasio’s take on “G-R-I-Double-L” is a show-stopper in this most entertain-ing evening — it’s not to be missed.
Damon Guerrasio, Keegan C. Flaugh, Abby McInerney, Carter Edward Smith and Michael Bouchard perform in the a cappella musical, “Minimum Wage” at the Avenue Theater. Courtesy photo
if you Go
“Minimum Wage” plays through Aug. 3. Performances: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at the Avenue Theater, 417 E. 17th Ave., Denver. Tick-ets: $26. (For an additional $7.38, you can buy a ticket from the theater for a deluxe burger and fries at Park and Com-pany, a few doors east.) 303-321-5925, avenuetheater.com.
Who wants to try out for ‘Millionaire’?
Who wants to be a millionaire? Now, you can be, as the syndicated game show will audition Denverites on July 12 at the Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Performing Arts Complex.
“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” audi-tions will include a timed multiple choice test and, for those people who pass, an interview with one of the show’s producers.
Auditioners will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis and producers will audition as many people as they can. Participants must be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. resident and meet all eligibil-ity requirements. Rules and times can be found on “Millionaire’s” website at www.millionairetv.com.
A new season of “Millionaire” will debut at 2 p.m. Sept. 2 on KMGH-Channel 7 with new host Cedric the Entertainer.
Blues & BBQ accepts challengeThe Duke Street Kings’ 16th Annual
Blues & BBQ for Better Housing Block Party — set for July 14 in Olde Town Arvada — has accepted the challenge to raise more than $25,000 as the Silver Sponsor of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project that benefits Habitat for Humanity.
In addition to donating the money raised during the Blues & BBQ music fes-tival, the Blues & BBQ for Better Housing Foundation will provide volunteers to help the former president build housing in Den-ver for those who are less fortunate.
The festival runs from noon to 8 p.m. and an all-day pass is just $10. Music will be performed on three stages and you can dine and drink on Colorado’s best barbecue and beer that includes 70 street vendors.
The past 15 years the festival has donated more than $80,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver. The Blues and BBQ for Better Housing Block Party is the Denver Habitat’s longest-running fund-raiser.
For more information, visit www.bluesnbbq.com.
Paladins returnAfter a nearly 10-year hiatus, legend-
ary rockabilly and Western swing legends the Paladins have reunited to perform in Denver again on July 12 at Denver’s storied “Ninth Avenue West,” now named La Rumba. Sure to be a live-music and danc-ing highlight of the year for many fans, the all-original lineup will feature founding members Dave Gonzales and Thomas Yearsley.
Tickets can be purchased in advance through www.Ticketfly.com, or at the door. Admission is 21 and over only, and doors open at 9 p.m.
The Paladins, from San Diego, were founded in the early 1980s by guitarist Dave Gonzalez and his high school friend and double bass player, Thomas Years-ley. They have recorded nine studio and three live albums, and along the way built a reputation as one of America’s hardest-working live bands.
Dish, Southwest Airlines team upNow, thanks to Dish Network
and Southwest Airlines, TV flies free. Doug-las County-based Dish is sponsoring free TV for all customers on eligible Southwest
Parker continues on Page 19
18 The Independent July 11, 2013
18
Museum hosts quilt retrospectiveMarie Agnes Conway had Littleton businessBy Sonya [email protected]
Marie Conway began sewing early — creating en-sembles for her self and her two sisters. She graduated from Cathedral High School in Denver.
She married David Con-way and they lived in Little-ton, where they raised seven children: David (deceased), Daniel, Martin, John, Ste-phen, Paul and Jenise. They celebrated their 62nd anni-versary before she passed away in July 2012.
For a time in the 1960s, she had a dressmaking business on Littleton’s Main
Street, called Marie’s, where she designed and sewed en-sembles and costumes for customers.
When she retired from that business, she turned to her real love — quilting — and created many inno-vative wall hangings as well as functional quilts and in later years, smaller quilted pieces, such as totes and lap quilts.
“A Quilter’s Craft: Marie Agnes Conway Retrospec-tive” is on exhibit at the Littleton Museum July 12 to March 16, 2013.
Her daughter, Jenise Conway, said there are about 50-60 works in the show.
While Conway used some traditional block pat-terns, usually her quilts were of her own design, each unique. She enjoyed the textures of fabrics as
they passed between her fingers
The City of Littleton owns two Conway quilts in its art collection: “David’s Home-town” was designed and made for Littleton’s Centen-nial and dedicated to her oldest son as a memorial. It shows various recognizable scenes around town and has been displayed at the Littleton Center at times. She worked on it from 1985 to 1989, finishing in time for Littleton’s 1990 Centennial
celebration.There is also a mauve
shantung silk spider quilt, her first art quilt, created in 1983 and purchased by the Littleton Fine Arts Board for the city collection. She made several quilts of silk, but most are crafted from cotton fabrics, Jenise said.
“Flora” is an example of her original designs — a rosebud with little ladybugs and ants.
Some pieces are a col-laboration — with Jenise or, in the case of a pillow, with her granddaughter for a 4-H project.
Her quilts were exhibited in several local shows: the Littleton Fine Art Board’s “Own an Original”; the Lit-tleton Fine Arts Guild Depot Art Center’s “Great Frame Up” show; and the annual Western Welcome Week Arts and Crafts show.
Marie Agnes Conway’s quilt ”David’s Hometown” was created for Littleton’s Centennial. It is exhibited in a retrospective of her work at the Littleton Museum. Courtesy photo by William Hastings
if you go
“A Quilter’s Craft: Marie Agnes Con-way Retrospective” will be exhibited through March 16, 2014, at the Little-ton Museum, 6028 S. Gallup St., Little-ton. Admission is free. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays; 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. 303-795-3950.
Thinkers, architects, artists set to gatherBy Sonya [email protected]
The 2013 Biennial of the Americas will bring togeth-er ideas, artists and culture, focusing on the Americas from Canada to Chile.
A four-day festival of ideas will launch the 2013 Biennial of the Americas with ticketed forums fo-cused on “Unleashing Hu-man Potential: Reinventing Communities, Business and Education.”
From July 16 to Sept. 2, “Draft Urbanism” is an um-
brella title that will bring free public events highlight-ing art, architecture, film and performances from across the Americas.
Readers will want to check for more information at: biennialoftheamericas.org, but we provide a sam-pler of the wealth of pro-gramming planned.
International leaders will interact with local thinkers in four ticket forums at the Buell Theatre on July 16-19. Tickets: $50 and $25.
• July 16, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. — “Unleashing Hu-man Potential” — Journalist
Tina Brown will moderate a panel with John Malone, chairman of Liberty Global Inc. and Liberty Media Cor-poration; Eric Schmidt, ex-ecutive chairman of Google; and career diplomat Ar-turo Sarukhan, chairman of Global Solutions.
• July 17, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. — “Reinventing Com-munities and How We Live,” moderated by Arianna Huff-ington, Huffington Post.
• July 18, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. — “Reinventing Business as Usual,” moderated by Don Tapscott, authority on in-novation.
• July 19, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. — “Reinventing Edu-cation for the Global Mar-ket,” moderated by Patricia Janiot, senior anchor, CNN en Espanol and CNN La-tino.
Free evening cultural festivals in the inaugural week:
• July 16 — Art Opening:
Draft Urbanism, 7:30 p.m., McNichols Building, brings together international art-ists and architects.
• July 17 — Canada Night, 7 to 11 p.m. at Sus-tainability Park, 2500 Law-rence St., Denver. A block party with RedLine Gallery’s “Imagined Realities” exhibit and more.
• July 18 — Mexico Night, 6:30 p.m., presented by the Mexican Cultural Center and Denver Film Society, with music, dancing, tra-ditional food and the film “Bajo la Misma Luna” (Un-der the Same Moon).
• July 19-- Denver Night, “Music for Animals,” 6:30 to 11 p.m. at Denver Civic Center Park with Nick Cave’s “HEARD-DAM,” dancing horse soundsuits, music, video art and dance, includ-ing an opera performance for dogs, accompanied by the Colorado Symphony and a performance by the
Denver band Fray.Draft Urbanism cultural
events will be throughout Denver until Sept. 2, includ-ing an architectural instal-lation at the 16th Street Mall with butterflies.
Special art exhibits: Mu-seum of Contemporary Art Denver, Denver Art Mu-seum, Museo de las Ameri-cas, Clyfford Still Museum, RedLine Gallery, Denver
Botanic Gardens, Center for Visual Arts, the McNich-ols Building, Skyline Park and Denver Digerati — the electronic billboards in downtown’s theater district, Denver Film Society, DIA, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Su Teatro and Platte Forum.
See biennialoftheameri-cas.org website for details and, probably, more events.
Dancers in Nick Cave’s “Heard” soundsuits will perform at Denver Civic Center at 8 p.m. July 19 in a free Biennial Denver Night program called “Music for Animals.” Courtesy photo
‘Hairspray’ a dream show for local actressEvergreen company stages colorful playBy Sonya [email protected]
Twenty-year-old Bailey Walton plays Tracy Turn-blad in what she describes as her dream show, ”Hair-spray,” which runs from July 12 to Aug. 4 at the Evergreen Players’ Center/Stage.
She plays the pleasingly plump Baltimore teen who rushes home after school daily to watch the Corny Collins dance show on tele-vision, wishing she could be on it.
She says she worked in “Magic Moments” recent-ly with percussionist Tad Worley, who told her about Evergreen’s auditions for “Hairspray.” She landed the part and rehearsals started May 19.
The year is 1962. Tracy lives with her large, shy mother and supportive fa-ther in a small apartment where her mother takes in ironing.
When she does get a place on the show, she de-termines to integrate it, re-placing the once a month
“Negro Night.” Complica-tions arise and Tracy be-comes a leader, dethroning the reigning teen queen and capturing the affections of heartthrob Link Larkin — as well as being an accom-plished dancer.
The colorful show has a good story line and many big production numbers. It opened on Broadway in August 2002 and played until January 2009, plus ex-panding to national tours and a London run. Music is by Marc Shaiman, lyrics
by Shaiman and Scott Wit-tman, with book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan. It’s based on the film written and directed by John Waters.
Brenda Billings is direc-tor of “Hairspray” and Al-ane Worley, who worked at Country Dinner Playhouse for many years, is choreog-rapher. The company first rehearsed dance numbers at ATA, the local dance stu-dio Worley and Paul Dwyer operate.
Bailey and her brother and father have performed often over the years at Lit-tleton’s Town Hall Arts Cen-ter. Her first show was “An-nie” in 2004.
She attended Cherry Creek High School for a year then completed an online high school course because she was working at the Ar-vada Center.
She became a nanny for Elizabeth and Tim Welch’s daughter and lived in New York with them for six months. (Town Hall fans will remember the couple with operatic voices. Eliza-beth landed a job with the touring company of “Phan-tom of the Opera” and is now working in the show New York, where Tim has
opened a voice studio.) At present, Walton teach-
es at a child development center during the day and has been teaching dance and acting for Christian Youth Theater, which she plans to resume.
In the fall, she will begin online classes at CU Denver in English, writing and child development, while con-tinuing to teach.
And, of course, she’ll watch the audition notices in case another dream op-portunity comes along.
Complicated theater schedules are a given in her family’s Centennial home. She mentioned that her dad will perform in Parker’s upcoming summer production of “Oklahoma” and brother Burke is cast in Boulder Dinner Theatre’s “The Full Monty.”
Centennial actress Bailey Walton plays the lead role, Tracy Turnblad, in Evergreen Players’ production of “Hairspray.” Courtesy photo
if you go
“Hairspray” plays July 12 to Aug. 14 at Evergreen Players’ Center/Stage, 27608 Fireweed Drive, Evergreen. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Fri-days and Saturdays (no show July 13); 2 p.m. Sundays; extra show at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 14. Tickets: $15 to $25, 303-674-4934, ever-greenplayers.org.
The Independent 19 July 11, 2013
19
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‘Hairspray’ a dream show for local actress
opened a voice studio.) At present, Walton teach-
es at a child development center during the day and has been teaching dance and acting for Christian Youth Theater, which she plans to resume.
In the fall, she will begin online classes at CU Denver in English, writing and child development, while con-tinuing to teach.
And, of course, she’ll watch the audition notices in case another dream op-portunity comes along.
Complicated theater schedules are a given in her family’s Centennial home. She mentioned that her dad will perform in Parker’s upcoming summer production of “Oklahoma” and brother Burke is cast in Boulder Dinner Theatre’s “The Full Monty.”
‘Nest’ finds new home in Greenwood VillageAfter a number of months
installed in a busy downtown Denver location, sculptor Erick Johnson’s “The Nest” has been moved next to a peaceful pond at Westlands Park, 5701 S. Que-bec St. in Greenwood Village. The installation is a collaboration of the Museum Outdoor Arts, Green-wood Village Arts and Humanities Council and Demiurge Design. Johnson said: “Throughout our natural world and among many different species of birds, fish, insects and mammals, a nest is an amazing, instinctively created environment for raising a family. It not only serves as a shield from the elements, but as a fortress against other threatening natural predators.”
Wildlife Experience is topic“The Wildlife Experience:
More than a Museum” is direc-tor Gary Debus’ topic on July 15 when he speaks to the Highlands Ranch Historical Society at 7 p.m. at Southridge Recreation Center, 4800 McArthur Ranch Road, High-lands Ranch. In addition, club members can tour the museum on July 19 at 11 a.m. at a group rate of $9. [email protected].
Hundreds of bands scheduledThe annual Underground Mu-
sic Showcase is scheduled in the South Broadway Arts District July 19-22. We are told that more than 400 bands are scheduled to per-form in a number of venues, start-ing at 8 pm. each night. A brace-let, good for all four days at $35, is available at the box office, near the Goodwill Mainstage at First Avenue and Broadway. Informa-tion and schedule: theums.com/lineup. NPR radio Open Air, 1340 AM, will broadcast from the UMS.
The buzz about bees“Meet the Beekeeper” at Hud-
son Gardens from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. July 20. Watch the beekeepers working at the apiary and learn about management techniques and the process of starting a hive if interested. Free and open to the public.
Dr. Colorado’s in town“Coloroddities” is the title of
Dr. Tom Noel’s program at 7 p.m. July 16 at Bemis Library, 6014 S. Datura St., Littleton. He will give a slide presentation on strange things about our state. Free. 303-795-3961.
Sazon gets jazzyLocal jazz ensemble Sazon will
perform at its first Sunday Jazz Concert from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. July 14 at Garcia’s Mexican
Restaurant, 5050 S. Syracuse St. in DTC. Ensemble members are Bobby Trujillo, Joe Lopez, Norma Tell and guest Ron Jolly. Tickets: $15 advance; $18 door, BrownPa-perTickets.com, 1-800-838-3006.
Littleton Jazz FestivalSazon will also play at the Lit-
tleton Jazz Festival on Aug. 16 at Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main Street in Downtown Little-ton. Also on the program: High-lands Ranch-based After Midnight with Benny Goodman arrange-ments and pianist Neil Bridge. Tickets: $25, on sale July 15 at townhallartscenter.com, 303-794-2787 ext 5.
Palmer Lake Historical Society“The Western Museum of Min-
ing and Industry: Past, Present and Future” will be presented at 7 p.m. July 18 at the Palmer Lake Town Hall, 28 Valley Crescent, Palmer Lake. Richard Sauers will talk about programs and plans at the 27-acre Colorado Springs mu-seum. Free. Palmerdividehistory.org.
“The Nest” by sculptor Erick Johnson was installed by Museum Outdoor Arts at West-lands Park, 5701 S. Quebec St., Greenwood Village. Photo courtesy of MOA
Getting around“17 Border Crossings” brings artist
Thaddeus Phillips back to Denver for a three-week run of his latest production, a stage voyage to Bosnia, Morocco, Cuba, Brazil, Serbia, Colombia, Bali, Holland, Czech Republic, Israel, Croatia, Jordan and Mexico. Performances will be at Buntport Theater, 717 Lipan St., July 11 to 27: 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets: $15, 2-for-1 on Thursdays. Buntport.com/reservations.
Foothills theater“Hairspray” by Mark Shaiman, Scott
Whitman, Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the film written by John Waters, plays July 12 to Aug. 14 at Evergreen Players’ Center/Stage, 27608 Fireweed Drive, Evergreen. Tickets: $15-$25, 303-674-4934, evergreenplayers.org.
Theater tradition “Fiddler on the Roof” by Jerry Bock,
Sheldon Harnick and Joseph Stein, based on Sholem Aleichem’s stories, is presented by Phamaly Theatre Company from July 18 to August 11 at the Space Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex. Performances: July 18 to Aug. 11 at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Sat-urdays; Thursday, July 18; Monday, July 29; 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: $30-$34 ($17 pre-
views July 18, 19 and industry night, July 29.) 303-893-4100, phamaly.org. Audio-described and ASL-signed performance on Sunday, July 28, with free backstage sensory tour at 11 (reservations needed, 303-575-0005.)
On Edge “House of Blue Leaves” by John Guare
plays July 19 to Aug. 11 at the Edge Theatre’s new venue, 1560 Teller St., Lakewood. Per-formances: 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, Sat-urdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Theedgetheatre.com
Up Greeley way“Escanaba in da Moonlight” by Jeff Dan-
iels plays at 7:30 p.m. July 13, 14, 24, 25, 26 and 2 p.m. July 14 at Little Theatre of the Rockies’ Norton Theatre in Gray Hall, Uni-versity of Northern Colorado central cam-pus in Greeley. Tickets: 970-351-2200, www.unco.edu/tickets. (See the website for other summer productions.)
It’s a wonder“Wonder of the World” by David Lindsay-
Abair plays July 26 to Sept. 1 at Miners Alley Playhouse, 1224 Washington Ave., Golden. Performances: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Satur-days: 6 p.m. Sundays, except 2 p.m. Sept. 1. Tickets: $19-$29.50, 303-935-3044.
curtain time
flights.The service offers 10 channels of live
television and 75 on-demand programs to wi-fi enabled devices such as smart phones, tablets and laptops.
Usage is unlimited and only requires a Southwest passenger to view a Dish com-mercial.
Bubbles and bites for charityThe American Wine Society Denver
Chapter invites you to celebrate summer wines with bubbles and bites, beginning at 6 p.m. July 24 at The Washington Park Boathouse (Exposition Avenue between Downing and Franklin).
The effervescent event benefits Sense of Security, an organization that helps to ensure that breast cancer patients receive the financial assistance they need while undergoing treatment. Your participation in this event helps to add to patients’ qual-ity of life during this difficult time (check it out at www.senseofsecurity.org). Sense
of Security is my pet charity, and I’ve been fortunate to help raise thousands of dollars for this worthy nonprofit for several years.
The Boathouse overlooks the south shore of Smith Lake in the northern half of Washington Park, and is close to Exposi-tion and Downing. Parking is available along the perimeter of the park or there is limited parking within the park using the following entrances: Marion and Virginia (north side), Exposition and Downing (west side), Kentucky and Franklin (east side) or Mississippi and Franklin (south side).
To order tickets, go to www.blacktie-colorado.com/rsvp/rsvp.cfm?eventcode=%26%3E%2B%26L2%40%5B%5F.
Penny Parker’s “Mile High Life” column gives insights into the best events, res-taurants, businesses, parties and people throughout the metro area. Parker also writes for Blacktie-Colorado.com. You can subscribe and read her columns (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) at www.pennyp-arker.blacktie-colorado.com. Send her Mile High Life column tips and eavesdroppings at [email protected] or at 303-619-5209.
Continued from Page 17
Parker
Send uS your newS
Colorado Community Media welcomes event listings and other submissions.
Please note our new submissions emails.
events and club [email protected] notes, such as honor roll and dean’s list [email protected]
Military [email protected] press releasesSubmit through our websiteLetters to the [email protected]
Fax information to 303-566-4098Mail to 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Ste. 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
20 The Independent July 11, 2013
20
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OurColoradoNews.com
Mellow Mushroom makes colorful debut Restaurant is bright addition to Lone Tree By Jane Reuter [email protected]
Well before tasting the Mellow Mushroom’s food, the restaurant’s new Lone Tree building feeds its guests’ eyes with colorful, whimsi-cal decor.
The visual appetizers start on Park Meadows Drive, where the orange-and-blue building — topped by a cartoon mushroom fl ashing a peace sign and tossing a pizza — greets visitors to the Entertainment District. A smil-ing, pizza-laden waiter sculpted in yellow and blue metal stands at the restaurant’s entrance. The sen-sory stimulus doesn’t let up inside, where a 1970s theme plays out in disco balls, color-splashed ceiling supports and wall murals on which butterfl ies, mushrooms and musi-cians appear to dreamily fl oat.
“The decor is fabulous,” said Lone Tree resident Kim Lenihan, one of hundreds who dined there during the restaurant’s June 30 grand opening.
“Fantastic,” agreed Bob Leni-han.
“Groovy,” decided a man at the bar.
The new look is a far cry from any of the building’s previous ten-ants, which included the Blue Rox Grill, Hops, Kassai and Grazio. Franchise owners Sharon and Morris Purcel and their son Shane stripped the restaurant’s interior down to the shell, investing about $2 million to redesign the building to their standards. That included greatly expanding the patio with garage doors and in-fl oor heating to allow open-air or enclosed year-round dining, reconfi guring the kitchen and taking the building’s
exterior from bland to brilliant.“The design and colors refl ect
the fun that’s to be had inside,” Sharon Purcel said. “It’s family-oriented, and it’s also after-hours-oriented.”
Drink and food menu offerings carry on the quirky theme — with names like the Kosmic Karma, Mellowterranean and Thai Dye pizzas — but Purcel said the res-taurant’s pizza is serious business.
“Our pizza crust is what makes it extremely special,” Purcel said. “Our specialty is the spring water and the molasses. It’s a very cre-ative recipe.”
Mellow Mushroom also offers
build-your-own salads, calzones and hoagies.
The Lone Tree location is the third in Colorado, preceded by The Streets at Southglenn and down-town Denver locations.
“We’re just thrilled to be part of the community,” Purcel said. “The population is exactly who we thought would enjoy the restau-rant.
“We defi nitely want to embrace the community. I certainly hope the community embraces us.”
The 121-store Georgia-based chain opened its fi rst restaurant in 1974. Purcel said more sites are planned in Colorado.
The Mellow Mushroom’s June 29 grand opening drew happy crowds to its space in the Lone Tree Entertainment District off Park Meadows Drive. Photo by Jane Reuter
Incentives approved for Sprouts location Big changes coming at site once occupied by Larry Miller Nissan By Tom Munds [email protected]
Englewood City Council gave unanimous approval July 1 to a package of reimbursement in-centives for the development planned at 5001 S. Broadway, the site of the former Larry Miller Nissan dealership.
The incentive, in the form of a total of $250,000 in tax rebates, will reimburse the developer for making public improvements on Broadway to include installation of a traffi c signal and realign-ment of road lanes.
“I think this a a good negoti-ated use of the city’s incentive program to help foster develop-ment,” Council Member Joe Jef-ferson said before the approval vote.
Mayor Pro Tem Jim Woodward voted for the incentives and said the planned development will be a major business addition to the south end of Broadway.
“Providing incentives for this project will bring dividends for Englewood,” he said. “This will be a long-term plus for our com-munity.”
Cadence Capital Investments plans to demolish the former Lar-ry Miller building and, on the 3.7-acre site, will construct a project that will include a 27,000-square-foot building for Sprouts Farm-ers Market, an 8,075-square-foot site for Advance Auto Parks and about 8,000 square feet that will
be leased to a retail business or a restaurant.
Alan White, community de-velopment director, noted the incentives will be provided by rebating taxes that would have been paid to the city.
The agreement calls for the company to receive a rebate of 50 percent of the building use tax paid on materials used in the construction, and 50 percent of the taxes collected on furniture, fi xtures and equipment.
The rebate is not to exceed $68,000.
In addition, the developer will receive a 50 percent rebate of sales taxes collected not to ex-ceed $182,000 or for three years, whichever comes fi rst.
The money is to repay the company for funds used to make used public improvements on South Broadway, including the traffi c-signal installation. The incentives are to cover the actual cost of the improvements but are not to exceed $250,000.
According to information provided to council members, it is estimated that Sprouts will do $20 million in business the fi rst full year of operation, with about $4 million of the total receipts being subject to sales taxes. That is because sales taxes are not col-lected on grocery items.
It is estimated that the re-maining retail spaces in the de-velopment will do about $3.85 million in business the fi rst full year of operation, which will mean the companies will pay En-glewood about $275,000 in sales taxes. The sales tax collections to the city are expected to increase to about $326,000 in three years.
The Independent 21 July 11, 2013
21-Color
milestonesEducation
Daniel Thomas, of Littleton, named to the spring 2013 dean’s list at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Alexandra Hause, of Littleton, earned a bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering with distinction from Worces-ter Polytechnic Institute.
Jennifer Anne Carda, Molly R. Carpen-ter and Allie Lynn Lundberg, of Littleton, were named to the spring 2013 dean’s list at Iowa State University. Carda is studying industrial engineering. Carpenter is study-
ing community and regional planning. Lundberg is studying animal science.
Katelyn Maloney, of Littleton, was named to the spring 2013 dean’s list at Rockhurst University.
MilitaryAir Force Airman Aaron L. Torrez gradu-
ated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas. Torrez completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force
core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Com-munity College of the Air Force. Torrez is the son of Kim Schaible, of Littleton, and a 2012 graduate of Dakota Ridge High School, Littleton.
Air Force Airman Courtney N. Jones graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.
Jones completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills. Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. Jones is the daughter of Beth Dearborn, of Conifer, and Randy Jones, of Littleton.
She is a 2011 graduate of Dakota Ridge High School.
“Our main objective was to improve on the existing plan and make it more econom-ically viable,” said Jennifer McElyea, man-aging director. To that end, they squared off the site plan, moved the smaller retail shops closer to Broadway and improved access.
Plans for the 77-acre project include 250,000 square feet of commercial property and up to 500 apartments and 400 single-family homes, including a mix of townhous-es, patio homes, cluster homes, detached homes and whatever else the builders deem marketable. The zoning allows up to 900 residential units total, but the develop-ers don’t expect to have that many.
The proposed commercial portion is oriented toward Broadway, with boutique shops in front, medium-size boxes — like Kohl’s or a grocery store — behind. In the middle are a 3.5-acre park and two high-end apartment buildings, limited to no more than four stories. Single-family homes will fill the east side, backing up to the existing residential neighborhood.
Several of the board members said they
hope the development will connect to the broader community, especially since the park will sit at what’s nearly the highest point in the city. They also suggested incor-porating the site’s history somehow, in def-erence to the many current residents who worked at Marathon Oil over the years.
Marathon moved out of the complex in 2000, and Denver oil tycoon David B. Rich-ardson bought the land for $14.5 million in December of that year. After battling away a Lowe’s Home Improvement store in 2004, neighbors initially expressed cautious op-timism about the mixed-use, “new urban-ism” project he proposed, similar to East 29th Avenue in Stapleton. It became more and more controversial as it worked its way through the public process, however, with residents concerned about things like den-sity, traffic and infrastructure.
But the economy tanked before con-struction began, and the land has been dor-mant ever since.
Planner Mark Rudnicki was on the board during the first two go-rounds.
“I’m getting tired,” he joked. “If we ap-prove this, please build the thing.”
He urged the Watt representatives to in-clude housing that would appeal to empty nesters and utilize architecture that reflects the rest of Littleton.
Continued from Page 1
Project
contingent will be officially welcomed to town at 10 a.m. on Aug. 15 at the park, with a reception complete with an 18-piece band and refreshments.
“The public is encouraged to join in the fun on Main Street and help show our sister-city guests the true Littleton hospital-ity,” said Kelli Narde, the city’s director of communications.
Led by Barbara Westmacott and her hus-band, Bob, the 25 Australians will stay for 10 days with their Littleton host families. There are lots of fun things planned for them, including riding in the 85th Western Welcome Week parade on Aug. 17, a dinner at Mount Vernon Country Club, a bus tour of Colorado Springs and a Barn Dance &
BBQ grand finale.“The Littleton/Bega Sister City Commit-
tee is very proud of the relationship that has developed between the communities,” writes Charlie Blosten, the city’s director of public services, in his council communica-tion.
“Bega Park is a focal point for downtown Littleton, with commemorative plaques and flags representing the sister-city ex-change.”
The vote to change the street name was six to one on first reading, with Councilor Peggy Cole dissenting.
“I think it is confusing for people not familiar with Littleton to have a different name on that very short block, particularly if they are in the left lane of Main Street in congested traffic and are looking for Rio Grande,” she said.
Blosten noted the park’s address is actu-ally 2250 W. Main Street, as listed by South Suburban Parks and Recreation.
Continued from Page 1
Bega
the parks throughout the day to provide help where it was needed.
Belleview, Cornerstone and Progress, the three parks clustered near the intersection of West Belleview Avenue and South Win-dermere Street, were again the location for the July 4 celebration. The parks are open all day and people generally begin arriving early to pick a good spot to set up to pic-
nic, play games and to watch the fireworks, even though the vast majority of July 4 ac-tivities like the games and attractions didn’t get underway until about 3 p.m.
The main activity that began earlier was the fishing derby that was held in the lake at Progress Park. Fishing is traditionally pretty good because the state usually stocks the lake the night before the derby with an abundance of trout, but reports indicate that this year’s angling was only fair.
Other early-starting activities include Belleview Park’s miniature train and chil-dren’s zoo, which open at 11 a.m. A small fee is charged for both attractions.
Continued from Page 1
Complex
incentives approved for sprouts location
be leased to a retail business or a restaurant.
Alan White, community de-velopment director, noted the incentives will be provided by rebating taxes that would have been paid to the city.
The agreement calls for the company to receive a rebate of 50 percent of the building use tax paid on materials used in the construction, and 50 percent of the taxes collected on furniture, fixtures and equipment.
The rebate is not to exceed $68,000.
In addition, the developer will receive a 50 percent rebate of sales taxes collected not to ex-ceed $182,000 or for three years, whichever comes first.
The money is to repay the company for funds used to make used public improvements on South Broadway, including the traffic-signal installation. The incentives are to cover the actual cost of the improvements but are not to exceed $250,000.
According to information provided to council members, it is estimated that Sprouts will do $20 million in business the first full year of operation, with about $4 million of the total receipts being subject to sales taxes. That is because sales taxes are not col-lected on grocery items.
It is estimated that the re-maining retail spaces in the de-velopment will do about $3.85 million in business the first full year of operation, which will mean the companies will pay En-glewood about $275,000 in sales taxes. The sales tax collections to the city are expected to increase to about $326,000 in three years.
Volleyball was a popular way to have fun and pass the time at Cornerstone Park on July 4. People arrived early in Cornerstone and nearby Belleview Park to claim a spot and then took part in activities and games until it got dark and it was time for the fireworks show to celebrate Independence Day. Photo by Tom Munds
What's happening this Week? Want to know what clubs, art exhibits, meetings and cultural events are happening in
your area and the areas around you? Visit our website at www.ourcoloradonews.com/
calendar.
22 The Independent July 11, 2013
22-Color
What’s on the horizon.
The RidgeGate community is thriving this season, with many fun, free events that will inspire you and your family to reconnect with nature, move your body, and hear great music. Plan now to join us.
Lone Tree, Colorado
Lone Tree, Colorado
Put us on your summer calendar.
Thursday, July 18, 6:30–8pmFree Nature Hike Series: Nature Journaling Location: Register online to receive meeting location details Discover new ways of perceiving the outdoors. We’ll hike with a trained naturalist from South Suburban Parks and Recreation, then practice journaling techniques while sitting quietly and observing nature during the sunset. Register at ridgegate.com for this free,
family-friendly hike. (Age 8 and up)
RidgeGate Presents Tunes on the Terrace: Sons and Brothers - Saturday, July 27Allan Harris - Friday, August 2 Location: Lone Tree Arts Center
Enjoy live music in a beautiful outdoor setting at the state-of-the-art Lone Tree Arts Center. Coming up, see Sons and Brothers’ upbeat Rockabilly and bluegrass stylings, or enjoy a romantic date night out listening to romantic jazz vocalist Allan Harris. $15 lawn, $20 reserved seats. Tickets at www.lonetreeartscenter.org.
Saturday, July 27, 7– 8:30pmThe Wildlife Experience: Nature Nights Campfire Series Location: Schweiger Ranch
Come gather around a fire for an evening of s’mores, stories and activities with The Wildlife Experience at
RidgeGate’s historical Schweiger Ranch. This month, hear amazing true wilderness stories from Jeff Rucks, retired education manager with Colorado Parks & Wildlife. Visit www.thewildlifeexperience.org for more information and to register.
Tuesday, July 30, 6:30 –7:30pmFree Sunset Yoga in the ParkLocation: Belvedere Park (between RidgeGate Parkway and
RidgeGate Circle on Belvedere Lane)
Join RidgeGate, South Suburban Parks and Recreation and the Lone Tree Recreation Center for a free yoga class in Belvedere Park. Bring your own yoga mat, or one will be provided for you. In case of heavy rain or lightning, class will be cancelled. No yoga experience is necessary. No need to register - just drop in!
Wednesday, August 7, 11:30am–1pmThe RidgeGate Walk Concerts: Martini ShotLocation: Outside the Lone Tree Rec Center
Enjoy a summertime lunch break with live music in beautiful Prairie Sky Park, courtesy of the South Suburban Parks and Recreation District. This month, enjoy Martini Shot, a high energy, six-piece rock band from southern Colorado. Take a walk on the paved path around the park, bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the music.
Professional
american association of Univer-sity Women, Littleton-Englewood Branch invites baccalaureates to participate in activities that further goals of equity for women and girls, lifelong education and positive societal change. Meetings usually are Mondays each month, September through May, at Koelbel Library, Orchard Road and Holly Street, Centennial. Social time is followed by business meeting and informative program on subjects ranging from public policy issues to poetry. Call Pam Hansen, 303-753-0838.
american Business Women’s Asso-ciation meets on the second Wednesday each month at 6:30 p.m. welcoming women, working or not, to Success Chap-ter programs for success and positive living. Call Lori Smith at 303-688-3100 ext. 360 or e-mail [email protected] for upcoming speakers and events at Marriott Denver South, 10345 Park Meadows Drive, Littleton.
contacts unlimited is a business and professional leads group that meets at Courtesy Ford, 8252 S. Broadway, Littleton in the meeting room on the first, second, and third Thursday of every month. Meeting time is 8-9:15 a.m. Visitors are welcome. Call Jenifer at 303-221-6550.
destination success provides an opportunity for professionals to gather, form connections, expand relationships and exchange information. Business
Success meets every fourth Tuesday from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the Bear Rock Cafe, 7903 South Broadway, Suite B, Littleton. As with other networking groups, membership and referrals are not required. To RSVP and for information, e-mail [email protected] or call 303-250-4528.
nurse link/non-Practicing and Part-Time Nurses’ Association meets from 12:30-2:30 p.m. the third Wednes-day of each month at Grace Presbyterian Church, 251 Sterne Blvd., Littleton. All nurses are invited to join us for a medical presentation. For further information, call Mary Callaway at 303-471-2243.
Women investment Group Master Mind Group meets to empower all women to build a real financial freedom through the power of real estate in any market condition. We network, share ideas, leads, resources and encourage each other. We meet once a month. For meeting information, call Lorena 303-981-6539 or e-mail [email protected].
recreation
deer creek Women’s Golf Associa-tion. The 2010 golf season is just around the corner and we’re looking forward to a terrific new year! If you’re looking for a challenging course and the company of friendly women on Tuesday mornings, please consider joining our league. We’ve got the best deal in town. If interested please contact Chris Jackson at [email protected] or 303-347-9193.
Homestead 9-Hole Golf Women’s Golf League is accepting membership applications for the 2012 season. You do not need a GHIN number to join, but can acquire one as you play. We golf Monday mornings, April through October. To join this fun and active group, contact Bar-bara McGovern, [email protected]. Homestead Golf Course is at South Kipling and W. Hampden Ave., 11500 W. Hampden. Call 720-963-5181.
ladies golf League at Raccoon Creek Golf Course, Littleton, is accepting new members. Call 303-973-4653.
meadoWs Women’s Golf League offers relaxing Tuesday mornings of friendly golf for ladies at the Meadows Golf Course, 6937 S. Simms St., near Ken-Caryl Ranch. The league plays 18 holes weekly from mid-April to mid-October. This fun group competes for prizes while playing from the red tees. Afterward, lunch can be ordered on the patio overlooking the course. Call Laura at 303-526-9598.
rec and Rock for ages 10-14 meets from 7-11 p.m. every first and third Saturdays at the Goodson Recreation Center in Littleton. The cost is $6. Call 303-798-2476 ext. 11.
rocky mountain Basketball Academy club, expert training for youth basketball players grades fifth through 12th meets twice per week and operates all year. Play in leagues and tourna-ments. Send inquiries to [email protected].
stroller strides is a group fitness program that provides moms with a challenging workout and the op-portunity to build relationships and gain the emotional support needed to adjust to the tremendous life change called motherhood. Classes are offered at 9:30 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at DeKoevend Park, near University and Arapahoe, and at 9:30 a.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at Clement Park, near Wadsworth and Bowles. For more information, visit the Stroller Strides Web site at www.strollerstrides.com or call Kathy or Karen Zawadzki at 888-684-0641 or e-mail [email protected].
services
creative counseling Center is a network of mental health providers with offices in Denver, Aurora, Lakewood and Littleton. To meet therapists or to learn about locations, scheduling and fees, visit www.ccc-denver.com or call 303-267-2310.
englisH conversation Sessions. Go to the Bemis Public Library Friday mornings from 9-10:30 a.m. to practice English in an informal group and learn about American culture. No registration is required. Call 303-795-3961.
Homecoming inc. offers caregivers of low-income seniors who are frail, disabled or unable to live alone without care in Adams, Arapahoe, Jefferson and Denver counties respite care. Assistance includes personal care and homemak-
ing. Call Pamela Dombrowski-Wilson or Trini Martinez at 303-526-2318 for an application and information.
nutrition classes. Free bootcamp class meets at 8:30 a.m. three Saturdays per month at L-Town Nutrition, 1360 W. Littleton Blvd., Littleton. Go to the park for a fun, energizing start to the weekend. Visit our Facebook pages for updates: Littleton 24Fit Club or L-Town Nutrition. Also offered is a Body Exchange Challenge. This consists of weekly meetings to discuss both nutrition and fitness. We deliver all of the tools that you need to help you reach your goal. There is an optional fitness class offered after the class. The class meets Wednesdays at noon or 6 p.m. You can join the challenge anytime, the fees are prorated. Visit L-Town Nutrition, call Gen McKenna at 303-730-2038 or email [email protected] to sign up.
single dads Resource Center Inc., a nonprofit organization, offers free par-enting classes such as “The Ins and Outs of Single Fathering Parenting” focused on single fathers. Classes are from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 6322 S. Lakeview St., Littleton. Call Jamey O’Donnell, founder and executive director of the group, at 720-298-2021 or e-mail [email protected].
summit cancer Solutions is a nonprofit organization that offers exercise programs in the Denver Metro area to adult cancer survivors. Our goal is to improve the health and well being of cancer survivors through exercise. Contact us at 303-409-2206, e-mail us at [email protected] or visit www.summitcancersolutions.org.
social
american needlePoint Guild, Colorado Columbine Chapter, meets third Mondays each month, except August and December. Call Doris at 303-403-8703.
antique cluB meets the second Sat-urday each month from 10 a.m. to noon at Antique Gallery, 5501 S. Broadway, Littleton. Call 303-794-8100.
araPaHoe county Young Demo-crats meetings are the third Thursday each month. Call Benjamin Godfrey at 303-745-3418 or e-mail [email protected].
amazing titan Toastmasters meets from 6-8 p.m. Mondays at Marie Cal-lender’s, Dry Creek Court and Broadway. Call Art Gomen at 303-762-9726.
aarP greater Littleton Chapter meets at 1 p.m. the third Monday each month at Douglas H. Buck Community Recreation Center, 2004 W. Powers Ave. Meetings feature informational pro-grams or entertainment, refreshments and social time. July and December meetings feature potlucks. Anyone 50 and older can join. Local chapter dues are $5 per year. For information on meet-ings, call 303-578-2669.
Bemis evening Book Group meets at the library, 6014 S. Datura St., in Littleton, the third Monday each month at 7 p.m. Call 303-795-3961.
Bemis knitting Group invites knitters to the library’s knitting group, which meets Fridays at 2 p.m. in Sophie’s Place. Just bring a pair of needles and a skein of yarn. Beginners learn skills such as casting on, knitting, pearling, and casting off, while experienced knitters get project ideas and provide hints and tips. The group is creating mittens, scarves and hats for elderly library users at Bemis’ sister libraries in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.
Bemis nonfiction Writers’ Group. Unpublished nonfiction writers of personal essays and/or articles meet the second Monday each month at 6:30 p.m. in the café area of Sophie’s Place at the library. Take a pencil and five copies of a recent essay, no longer than 650 words, to share and read aloud. Elaine Kallos, a language arts instructor, facilitates the group.
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge No.1650 meets at 8 p.m. Thursdays at 5749 S. Curtice St., Little-ton. Call 303-794-1811.
Boards of Directors of the Southgate
Water District and the Southgate Sanita-tion District, Arapahoe and Douglas counties, meet at 4 p.m. the second Tuesday each month at office of the districts, 3722 E. Orchard Road, Littleton. Agenda information for each meeting is posted at Southgate office not less than 24 hours before meetings.
Boy scouts of America Pack 633 welcomes all first- through fifth-graders to join any time during the year. Call Nick Erlenburg at 303-471-4172.
tHe Breakfast Club Singles 50 Plus meets on the second Saturday of each month at Maggiano’s at 7401 S. Clinton Street, Englewood at 9 a.m. Arrival is 8:30 a.m. and buffet starts at 9 a.m. Must RSVP the Hotline at 303-794-3332 for reservation.
cHatfield sertoma Club meets the first and third Mondays at Bistro Aspen Grove, 7301 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton. Contact Linda Holloway at 303-423-4197 or [email protected].
coffee and Conversation Group con-nects people in the community who like to discuss books, current events and any topic of interest. The group meets from 10-11 a.m. the second Monday of each month in Sophie’s Place at Bemis Public Library, 6014 S. Datura St., Littleton. Free snacks and beverages are provided. Call 303-795-3961.
tHe columBine Genealogical and Historical Society has a program meeting on the second Tuesday of each month, except in June, July, August, and December. A social meeting is the second Tuesday of December. A genealogy workshop is the third Tuesday of each month, except in June, July, August, and December. Contact JoAnn LaGuardia at 303-770-3420 or visit www.rootsweb.com/~cocghs/index.htm.
columBine ladies is a warm, welcoming, fun loving group of ladies. We offer a variety of activities: regular or duplicate bridge, canasta, Mah Jongg, Pinochle and we’re very willing to teach you how to play. We have monthly luncheons at new and different places as well as take side trips to museums, plays, sporting events, movies, etc. There are special quarterly events and our summer ice cream social will be coming up. We also do community outreach through Shiloh House, a support program for teen moms. Annual dues are only $20. For more information or to make a res-ervation to visit us at our next luncheon, call Iris McMullen at 303-794-3739.
current events Group meets the first Wednesdays of the month from 1-3 p.m. at the Buck Recreation Center, 2004 Powers Ave. in Littleton. Call 303-730-4609.
daugHters of the American Revolu-tion, Mount Rosa Chapter meets at 1 p.m. every first Monday of the month at Koelbel Library, 5955 S. Holly St. in Littleton. Call Donna Elin at 303-781-6400.
daugHters of the British Empire is a national organization with a philanthropic purpose. For almost a century, DBE has been a common bond for women of British heritage living in the United States. DBE is open to women who are citizens or residents of the United States who are of British Commonwealth birth or ancestry or who are married to men of British Common-wealth birth or ancestry. There are six chapters in Colorado, including chapters in Littleton, Englewood, Centennial, Evergreen and Boulder County. Call Chris at 303-683-6154 or Olive at 303-347-1311 or visit www.dbecolorado.org and use the contact form available.
discovery cluB is a fun and exciting way to meet new friends and enjoy recreational activities. Activities include sports, arts and crafts, drama, singing, dancing, board and computer games, group and individual activities. Volunteer opportunities exist for people older than 15. Student volunteers can earn community service hours. Club meets third Saturday each month at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 8817 South Broadway. Call Jenita Rhodes at 303-791-0659.
clubs in your community
23-Sports-Color
Water District and the Southgate Sanita-tion District, Arapahoe and Douglas counties, meet at 4 p.m. the second Tuesday each month at office of the districts, 3722 E. Orchard Road, Littleton. Agenda information for each meeting is posted at Southgate office not less than 24 hours before meetings.
Boy ScoutS of America Pack 633 welcomes all first- through fifth-graders to join any time during the year. Call Nick Erlenburg at 303-471-4172.
the BreakfaSt Club Singles 50 Plus meets on the second Saturday of each month at Maggiano’s at 7401 S. Clinton Street, Englewood at 9 a.m. Arrival is 8:30 a.m. and buffet starts at 9 a.m. Must RSVP the Hotline at 303-794-3332 for reservation.
chatfield Sertoma Club meets the first and third Mondays at Bistro Aspen Grove, 7301 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton. Contact Linda Holloway at 303-423-4197 or [email protected].
coffee and Conversation Group con-nects people in the community who like to discuss books, current events and any topic of interest. The group meets from 10-11 a.m. the second Monday of each month in Sophie’s Place at Bemis Public Library, 6014 S. Datura St., Littleton. Free snacks and beverages are provided. Call 303-795-3961.
the columBine Genealogical and Historical Society has a program meeting on the second Tuesday of each month, except in June, July, August, and December. A social meeting is the second Tuesday of December. A genealogy workshop is the third Tuesday of each month, except in June, July, August, and December. Contact JoAnn LaGuardia at 303-770-3420 or visit www.rootsweb.com/~cocghs/index.htm.
columBine ladieS is a warm, welcoming, fun loving group of ladies. We offer a variety of activities: regular or duplicate bridge, canasta, Mah Jongg, Pinochle and we’re very willing to teach you how to play. We have monthly luncheons at new and different places as well as take side trips to museums, plays, sporting events, movies, etc. There are special quarterly events and our summer ice cream social will be coming up. We also do community outreach through Shiloh House, a support program for teen moms. Annual dues are only $20. For more information or to make a res-ervation to visit us at our next luncheon, call Iris McMullen at 303-794-3739.
current eventS Group meets the first Wednesdays of the month from 1-3 p.m. at the Buck Recreation Center, 2004 Powers Ave. in Littleton. Call 303-730-4609.
daughterS of the American Revolu-tion, Mount Rosa Chapter meets at 1 p.m. every first Monday of the month at Koelbel Library, 5955 S. Holly St. in Littleton. Call Donna Elin at 303-781-6400.
daughterS of the British Empire is a national organization with a philanthropic purpose. For almost a century, DBE has been a common bond for women of British heritage living in the United States. DBE is open to women who are citizens or residents of the United States who are of British Commonwealth birth or ancestry or who are married to men of British Common-wealth birth or ancestry. There are six chapters in Colorado, including chapters in Littleton, Englewood, Centennial, Evergreen and Boulder County. Call Chris at 303-683-6154 or Olive at 303-347-1311 or visit www.dbecolorado.org and use the contact form available.
diScovery cluB is a fun and exciting way to meet new friends and enjoy recreational activities. Activities include sports, arts and crafts, drama, singing, dancing, board and computer games, group and individual activities. Volunteer opportunities exist for people older than 15. Student volunteers can earn community service hours. Club meets third Saturday each month at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 8817 South Broadway. Call Jenita Rhodes at 303-791-0659.
clubs in your community LittletonsPorts The Independent 23
July 11, 2013
Golfers gear up for solheim cupMatch-play format has unique twistBy Jim [email protected]
Some captains and potential players of the European Solheim Cup team recently visited and played the Colorado Golf Club during a week off in the LPGA and Europe-an Tour schedules.
The Solheim Cup, the women’s version of the Ryder Cup, pits 12 golfers from the United States against 12 European golfers and is scheduled Aug. 13-18 at the Colorado Golf Club in Parker.
Coaches and players met with the media July 2, and almost everyone delivered the same message that anything can happen in match play.
“In match play, anything can happen,” said assistant captain Annika Sorenstam. “Some players feel they are representing their country and continent. They just soak it up and find another gear they might not find in other tournaments.
“It’s a putt here, it’s a shot here, it’s a match turned around.”
The Solheim Cup has a unique match play format.
Players will play fourball, in which each player plays their own ball throughout the round. Each hole is won by the two-women team whose player had the lowest score on the hole and the team is awarded a point. If the teams tie, a half-point is given to each team.
Foursomes pit two-player teams and the golfers hit alternate shots. A point is award-ed each hole to the team with the lowest score.
In the 12 singles matches, all 24 players square off and golfers gain points or halves for each hole.
There will be 28 matches played over the three days of the tournament.
Four foursomes matches will be held Aug. 16 starting at 7:30 a.m., with four four-ball matches set to begin at 1 p.m. On Aug. 17, foursome and fourball matches are scheduled for the same times.
The 12 singles matches begin at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 18.
There are 28 points up for grabs in the team standings over the three days, with a point awarded for each match won and half point garnered for each match that is tied.
Europe needs 14 points to retain the cup, which it won in 2011 in Meath, Ireland. The Americans would need 14.5 points to earn theirs seventh straight victory on U.S. soil.
Many purists argue that match play is
boring because when a team or individual gets a commanding lead, their play tends to be cautious and conservative. However, the format often leads to more aggressive play, especially since each hole is a separate competition.
“It’s (Colorado Golf Club) a great course for match play, especially the back nine from 14 on could be fun holes,” said Euro-pean captain Liselotte Neumann. “A lot of things could happen on those holes, there are short par 4s and par 5s that you can get on in two shots.
“There are some great holes, especially when it comes to playing maybe the best
ball matches. You have 16 when someone might want to go for it. In match play, you can have someone be more aggressive.”
Carlota Ciganda, a former Arizona State golfer from Pamplona, Spain, who turned pro two years ago, played on two Europe-an Junior Solheim Cup teams and enjoys match play.
“The whole format is fun, being a team member,” said Ciganda. “Match play is dif-ferent and this course suits it well because you can take some risks and play it as a match play course. It’s going to be fun.”
Neumann, Sorenstam and assistant cap-tain Carin Koch will have the difficult task
of matching partners for the fourball and foursomes matches.
“It’s about finding the right partners you are playing with,” said Sorenstam. “There are times you play with players and you try so hard but it always doesn’t fit.
“I can mention Suzann Pettersen. She’s a top player as an individual. She’s now No. 3 in the world. In the Solheim Cup she really rises to the top and she’s had some oppor-tunities to make some winning putts. She was my partner a few times and together she elevated my game and I elevated her game. That the challenge of the captains, to find the right combinations.”
LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam, right, high-fives Dewi Claire Schreefel during a chipping contest at the Colorado Golf Club. Sorenstam is co-captain of the Solheim Cup’s European team. There will be 28 matches played over the three days of the Solheim Cup tournament at the Parker golf course. Photo by Chris Michlewicz
littleton girl wins drag racing titleTeen takes second junior regional championshipBy Tom [email protected]
Victoria Flores added to her collection of “hardware” as she received her second consecutive trophy for winning the 16- and 17-year-old age division at the National Hot Rod Association Ju-nior Drag Racing League’s Western Conference Finals.
“I have been drag racing for about seven years,” the 17-year-old said. “Most of my experience is in junior dragsters, but now I also drive a 2010 Chevy Camaro in the high school division. That is because I love drag racing. It’s a blast.”
The junior dragster Western Conference Finals were held June 24-29 at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison.
Junior dragster competition is open to 8- to 17-year-olds. The young drivers are in a vehicle that is half the size of the top fuel dragsters and is powered by a five-
horsepower, single-cylinder en-gine. The race is from a standing start to the finish line one-eighth of a mile down the track. Junior dragster drivers can complete the eighth-mile run in about eight seconds and can be traveling as fast as 85 mph when they cross the finish line.
Flores, who attended Colum-bine High School last year, said she started her racing career when her grandfather bought her a ju-nior dragster.
“My grandfather, Rick Free-man, still competes in drag rac-ing at Bandimere Speedway and he got me interested in the sport,” she said. “My first time at a race was really exciting. It was a rush to come off the line and get the car to go as fast as it can down the track. You know what? It is still as excit-ing and just as much of a rush now as it was the first time I came off the starting line.”
Flores said she looks forward to drag racing season every year be-cause driving is fun and also be-cause she gets to meet new people and make new friends.
She said her dad and grand-
father maintain the car during racing season, and a friend, Dave Matthews, overhauls the engine and tunes it up during the off sea-son.
“I do some little things with the car, like I know how to change the oil,” Flores said. “I would really like to learn more about tuning and maintaining engines because my real desire is to continue to drag-race and become a top fuel dragster driver.”
Junior dragster competition is about speed, but the real focus is consistency, because officials use a handicap system called dial-in. Each car makes time-trial runs to establish a dial-in time. Then, when two cars pull up to the start-ing line, the car with the slowest dial-in gets to leave first. But, to keep everything fair, if a driver runs faster than dial-in, it is called a breakout and can cost the driver the race if his opponent runs un-der the dial-in time.
“I think one of the hardest things to learn is to get a good re-action time off the starting line,”
Victoria Flores holds her trophy after winning her second championship in the Junior Drag Racing League’s Western Conference Finals. Courtesy photoTitle continues on Page 24
24 The Independent July 11, 2013
24-Color
July 12-14
IrIsh festIval. The Colorado Irish Festival returns for its 19th year July 12-14 at Clement Park in Littleton. Tickets can be purchased online, at King Soopers stores or any Tickets West Outlet. Tickets also will be available at the event. Admission is $15 per person, $10 for seniors over 65 and active military members with valid ID. Admission on Friday is free before 6 p.m., and $10 thereafter. For information, visit www.coloradoirishfestival.org.
July 13
hIstory of radio. Throughout human history there have been a number of inventions that have fundamentally changed how people communicate. One of the most influential was the advent of radio. Although the technology was dis-covered in the 19th century, radio really came into the popular culture in the first half of the 20th century. Even today, ra-
dio continues to reach nearly 250 million Americans on a weekly basis. Join Active Minds from 2-3 p.m. July 13, as we trace the history and impact of this important technology. Program is free and take splace at MorningStar of Littleton, 5344 S. Kipling Parkway, Littleton.
July 13
JunIor naturalIst. Chatfield State Park presents junior naturalist programs in July. From 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 13, Junior Naturalists will explore the world of birds. See a live raptor presentation by Wild Wings. Learn how to use binoculars, how to identify birds, and where the best spots are to see birds within Chatfield State Park. Spend the morning hiking and searching for birds. Discover the behaviors, songs, and displays of different birds. Learn all about the high flying creatures that are in the park! Receive a Junior Naturalist Ornithology certificate at the end of the program. Meet at the Heronry Picnic
Area Parking Lot in Chatfield State Park, west of the state park office, park on the north side of the parking lot. Registra-tion required: $5 per person, $8 for both programs, State Park Pass is required. To register, call 303-973-9530 or register online at www.denveraudubon.org.
July 15
Mental health summit. The South Metro Health Alliance and Arapahoe/Douglas Mental Health Network are convening the communities of Arapahoe and Douglas counties for a Mental Health Summit from 8-10 a.m. Monday, July 15, at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood. A hot breakfast will be served. Seating is limited; contact Traci Jones at 303-793-9615 [email protected] to reserve your place at this important convening. Visit www.southmetrohealthalliance.org.
July 16
Photo PresentatIon. Well-known
Colorado historian Tom Noel will give a photo presentation on strange things about our state at 7 p.m. July 16 at Bemis Public Library, 6014 S. Datura St., Littleton. Featured in the talk will be entertaining stories on bizarre people throughout the history of Colorado, weird vehicles, exotic animals and hungry cannibals. Copies of Noel’s recent books will be available for purchase and signing at the program. Call 303-795-3961.
July 19-20
QuIlt entrIes. Firehouse Quilts is looking for quilt entries for its eighth annual quilt show to support its mission of helping children in crisis in Colorado. Early bird entries submitted by May 17 are taken at a discounted entry fee ($15). Otherwise, the fee is $18 per item, and the final deadline is June 21. This year’s show has a special theme, Patriotic, along with 13 other categories. The show is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 19-20 at
the Douglas County Events Center in Castle Rock. All forms and instructions are available at www.firehousequilts.org; click on the Quilt Show link at the top.
July 20
JunIor naturalIst. Chatfield State Park presents junior naturalist programs in July. From 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 20, Junior Naturalists discover the world of reptiles and amphibians. Learn where to find these slithering, slimy creatures and how to identify them. Why do snakes shed their skin? Why do rattle snakes rattle their tails? How do tadpoles turn into frogs? Come discover the answers to your questions as we dig in the ponds for tadpoles and turtles and search the fields for snakes and lizards! Receive a Junior Naturalist Herpetology certificate at the end of the program. Meet at the Heronry Picnic Area Parking Lot in Chatfield State Park, west of the state park office, park on the north side of the parking lot. Registration required: $5 per person, $8 for both programs, State Park Pass is required. To register, call 303-973-9530 or register online at www.denveraudubon.org.
July 20
aCC enrollMent. Arapahoe Com-munity College will offer an opportu-nity for anyone to begin the process of enrolling in fall 2013 classes with the Start Now! event from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 20, at all three ACC cam-puses (Littleton, Parker and Castle Rock). Start Now! provides all prospective and currently applied, but not enrolled, stu-dents with the opportunity to complete student orientation and placement testing while receiving assistance with advising, financial aid and registration. For information, or to apply for admis-sion, contact the admission and records office at [email protected] or 303-797-5621. Visit www.arapahoe.edu.
July 22
Blood drIve. Arapahoe County Administration community blood drive is from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday, July 22, inside grays peak room at 5334 S. Prince St., Littleton. For information or to schedule an appointment, contact Bonfils Appointment Center at 303-363-2300 or visit www.bonfils.org.
July 23
Blood drIve. Columbine Library
community blood drive is from 12:30-6 p.m. Tuesday, July 23, inside Bonfils’ mobile bus at 7706 W. Bowles Ave., Littleton. For information or to schedule an appointment, contact the Bonfils’ Appointment Center at 303-363-2300 or visit www.bonfils.org.
July 24-28
County faIr. The Arapahoe County Fair is July 24-28 featuring returning favorites such as the demolition derby, open and junior rodeos, a carnival and more. General admission is free for all ages on July 24-25 and $5 for ages 13 and older on July 26-28. Ages 12 and younger are free all week. Parking is $5 per day. Carnival and midway games are sold separately. The youth livestock auction is July 27. For information and a schedule of events at www.arapaho-ecountyfair.com.
July 28
Blood drIve. Southern Gables Church community blood drive is from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, July 28 inside Bonfils’ mobile bus at 4001 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Littleton. For informa-tion or to schedule an appointment, contact the Bonfils’ Appointment Center at 303-363-2300 or visit www.bonfils.org.
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exhIBItors needed. More than 35 booths are available for handmade crafts, food and seasonal items at the second annual arts and craft fair, which is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at Stober Elementary, Lakewood. Most booth spaces measure 8-by-8 feet. A limited number of retail vendor spaces are also available. Reserve your spot by Aug. 5. Request an application at [email protected]. Applicants will be notified by Aug. 26.
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WIne tastIng/auCtIon. Mayfair Liquors will host a special wine tasting to benefit Gateway Battered Women’s Services. The event is at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16, at the Wellshire Event Center, 3333 S. Colorado Blvd., Denver. The theme will be “Around the World in 80 Wines.” A survivor will share her story about being a battered woman and how she was helped by Gateway. The event also features a sit-down dinner followed by a live auction. Call 303-343-1856 for tickets and more information.
things to do around the area
Flores said. “You want to leave as quickly as possible but not too quickly or you will be disqualified. You want your reaction times to be consistent so you keep your runs consistent with your dial-in time.”
In the championship round, she ran 8.10 sec-onds, which was nearly perfect as her dial-in for the day was an 8.12.
Flores said she is sad this is her last year in ju-nior dragster competition and wanted to thank ev-eryone who believed in her and encouraged her all the years she was driving a ju-nior dragster. But she still plans to drive in the high school division, where she has made 14-second runs down the quarter-mile track at 100 mph. She said that is fun because she likes to drive fast.
She said she still will be driving in the high school competition and still will be going to the track for junior dragster races because her two younger brothers are both drivers.
“Junior dragster racing has become sort of a fam-ily affair,” said Tamara Free-man, Flores’ mother. “My husband did some drag rac-ing when he was younger, and until the kids came along. Victoria got driving a junior dragster and then our boys, Dawson, 13, and Kobe, 12, both started com-peting in junior dragsters. As you might guess, with our kids so involved in ju-nior dragsters, we spend a lot of time at the track.”
The family brought home a trunk full of hard-ware from the Western Con-ference Finals.
Victoria won the big trophy, called a Wally in honor of NHRA founder Wally Parks, for winning her age division. In their age groups, her brother Dawson brought home the trophy for making it to the semifi-nals and her brother Kobe got the trophy for making it to the quarterfinals.
Next season, the family will be racing at a new track because this summer, they will be moving to the Fort Worth area, But they expect to be back in the area next year when the junior drag-ster Western finals are held at Bandimere Speedway.
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