Gilpin County Education Foundation annual golf classic
by Patty Unruh
Golfers hit the links last Friday, August 25, in the Gilpin County Education Foundation’s (GCEF) 12th annual Gilpin Golf Classic. 51 golfers competed in teams at the Evergreen Golf Course, with the goal of raising funds to benefit Gilpin County students. A little over $15,000 was raised, before expenses. (more…)
High Country Auxiliary
By Pam Deck
Life is better with this giving organization. Sometimes we assume things just happen and everything just seems to get done. But this “behind the scenes” group knows that is not true. The High Country Auxiliary of Gilpin County is the heart behind things that need doing. (more…)
Third and Final competition
By Jaclyn Morrow
Peak to Peak Buckle Series completed their third horsemanship competitions to open the 25th Gilpin County Fair. The first two exhibition of horse and rider cooperation were in June and July. Saturday morning, August 19, 2017 was the third and final event. Riders entered into classes of competition as over 40, 18-39, 12-17 and under 11 years of age. Riders earn points for the place they take in five different events, with the grand winner earning the most points in all three events in their age range, to take home the coveted belt buckle. (more…)
Mardi Gras Bulls and Beads Rodeo
By Jaclyn Morrow
The bulls won. None of the more than 30 cowboys and cowgirls stayed on for the full 8 seconds to get points for their efforts at the 2017 Mardi Gras Bulls and Beads Rodeo. Points from these Ford Rodeo Series are accumulated for the grand total winner later this year. The event filled the grand stands, and the extra bleachers near the cowboy entrance where their support crews watched with their dogs and little ones all had high hopes for a safe, great ride. These same cowboys travel and compete in the series of rodeos and encouraging each other to ride their best, and keep the crowd on the edge of their seat. (more…)
Viewing the Great American Solar Eclipse
by Patty Unruh
As everyone knows, unless they were camping under a rock for the past several weeks, this past Monday, August 21, our nation experienced its first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse since 1918. Dedicated eclipse chasers had efficiently reserved motels and viewing spots months if not years in advance along the path of totality. My family and I found ourselves in North Platte, Nebraska on Monday at 12:54 pm Central Standard Time, gazing with awe at the nearly once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon. (more…)
Volunteers make it happen
By Jaclyn Morrow
Gilpin County Fair 2017 found the community enjoying so many ways to have fun together. In true anniversary fashion, for 25 years Gilpin County has had these festivities. The fair gathers folks from all over to share in what we like to do best, have fun. The 25th Anniversary booth folks, overseen by Vickie Nemec, was eager to hear your stories of previous Gilpin County Fairs, including making a video of the memories told. On display was an amazing quilt made from the official t-shirts from each of the 25 years of our fair. This was made by local Gilpin quilters and is truly unique. If you stopped by the booth, you may have picked up souvenirs like the anniversary pin or fidget spinner. (more…)
Cottonwood Lake provides plenty of action
By Randy Beaudette
Just 35 miles south of off I-70 in Mesa County there’s a place that has stood against the test of time. A place so magical, it has been the destination of choice for millennia. The Ute Indians called this place Thigunawat the “Home of Departed Spirits” or Heaven. Today we know it as Grand Mesa on the map, author Muriel Marshall called it “The Island in the Sky” in her book by the same title. At over 10,000 feet in elevation, 800 square miles sits on top of the world’s largest plateau that is an outdoor enthusiast paradise. Within that vast area, there are over 300 lakes, eight reservoirs, and numerous streams. It is a place where the angler can experience some of most breathtaking scenery while practicing the ancient art of fishing. (more…)
A Family having Fun
By Jaclyn Morrow
Salida Circus from the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado brought happiness and joy to the Gilpin County Fair. Jacob, Addison and Vea – three volunteer local children, enjoyed watching the performers getting decked out in clown collars, noses, spinning plates, hoops and juggling pins on foot stands to the music of the William Tell Overture. (more…)
Pro Cycling returns to Colorado
by Dave Gibson
From the years 2011 through 2015 the USA Pro Cycling Challenge Bicycle Race rolled through the mountains and brought Coloradoans a professional sport that has long been enjoyed in Europe with race extravaganzas such as the Tour de France. When five years of monetary losses mounted, it was cancelled. There were no races in 2016. Fortunately for bicycle racing fans, in 2017 bike racing has returned to the state with the four-stage Colorado Classic. (more…)
The Power of One
By David MacKenzie, Superintendent
Congressman Jared Polis spoke to all Gilpin County School District employees at Convocation on August 7, 2017 in the auditorium. Polis represents Colorado’s Second Congressional District, which includes Gilpin County. (more…)
Colorado Pioneers
By Maggie Magoffin
While financial depression still ruled the land and men were without money, credit, or opportunity for business of any kind, fanciful fabrications of the discovery of gold at Pike’s Peak caused a wild rush to the new Eldorado. Good, bad and indifferent; the educated and illiterate; the merchant, the speculator, the mechanic, the farmer, the gambler, some of every kind, a sort of human mosaic, marshaled under a banner which bore the forceful, if inelegant legend, “Pikes Peak or Bust.” (more…)
Locals reminisce about the early days of the fair
by Patty Unruh
Gilpin County residents are looking forward to the Gilpin County Fair, which will take place at the County Fairgrounds on Saturday, August 19 and Sunday, August 20. This year’s event is extra-special: it’s the 25th anniversary of the free community celebration. (more…)
Enjoy the journey
By Randy Beaudette
Not all fishing adventures end with success. Preparing a boat for a day on the water requires some sort of a checklist. There is the State-required equipment like boat registration, fire extinguisher, life jackets (PFDs), horn, lights etc. Then there is the gear for fishing – like poles, tackle, bait and any other gadgets that the experts claim that will give you, the angler, an advantage over your aquatic opponent. (more…)
Colorado Pioneers
By Maggie Magoffin
This week’s “tailing tale” comes from Colorado Pioneers in Picture and Story written and published by Alice Polk Hill in 1915, Part III, Chapter VII, The Unwritten Law.
Mr. Hugh Steele is a son of R. W. Steele, who was at the head of the Provisional government. He is now Secretary of the Colorado Pioneer Society and likes to talk about old times. (more…)
August 21, CDOT encouraging eclipse watchers to be careful, plan ahead
By Jared Fiel
On Aug. 21, you will have a chance to see a total eclipse of the sun for the first time in our lifetime. And so will several hundred thousand of your closest friends and neighbors. That is why the Colorado Department of Transportation is asking anyone who is planning to drive to Wyoming or Nebraska (both in the “totality” path of the eclipse) to be prepared for a lot of traffic, delays and headaches for this unique event. (more…)
Team triumphs 10-8 over the Champs
by Patty Unruh
The month of July concluded with a favorite pastime – the annual adult co-ed slow pitch softball league’s Tonya Putnam Memorial Tournament. As typical, the final showdown was between the Acers and the Champs. The Acers came out on top 10-8 in the championship game. They were also the 2016 league victors, winning over the Champs. (more…)