As a way to help pay for the music lineup at New Belgium FIBArk 2012 volunteer organizers host the annual FIBArk Cruiser Crit. This year it starts with registration at 3 p.m. May 19th at Riverside Park in Salida, Colorado. The event is essentially a rolling-costume contest on classic cruiser bikes. It features parade laps, kid races and a criterium-style race on a course established in downtown Salida and Riverside Park. The Fritz will host an after party featuring live music by At the Water Tower and a silent auction.

Registration and more information is available at www.fibark.net.

Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for kids. Entry fee includes eligibility for contests, door prizes and entry into after party.

FRIDAY, APRIL 20th
Ballroom Dance Social 7:30pm-10pm at Hi Steppin’ Studio, 547 Jones St., Salida.

SATURDAY, APRIL 21st
NO Saturday Tango Lessons Classes will resume Sat, April 28th.

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This event is worth the drive . . .
Planter’s Moon Festival
Friday, May 18—Sunday, May 20
Colorado Mountain Ranch, Gold Hill
(45 min west of Boulder)

The Moon Festival is a weekend of traditional music and dance, a place to meet new people, share friendship, learn something new, share what we know, and have a lot of fun. It is a cooperative weekend, with everyone doing one 3-hr chore to keep costs down. Cost is only $95/adult ($105 after 4/28). Children 4-15: $45. Under 3: Free. Call 303-786-8502 for more info or visit:

http://boulderdance.org/MoonFestival

The 20th Annual FolkMADness Music & Dance Weekend will be held May 25th – 28th in Socorro, NM! See http://folkmads.org/folkmadness.html for brochure, registration form, online registration, preliminary schedule, T-shirt design. See our Facebook event page (you do not have to be a Facebook member) for videos of our wonderful artists: http://www.facebook.com/events/354730391203667/

Josh Been was willing to donate significant time and the buildings owner’s Jack and Linda were willing to donate the wall space. We had some Citizen money to buy supplies, Lex Johnson was willing to contribute iron work for mounting aesthetics while Anton was willing to donate money. Moreover, Anton was willing to give Josh and I artistic licence. He didn’t request the shop’s (Salida Bike Company) logo on the art, and expressed indifference to having a bike present if we felt a hiker was more appropriate.*

The financial value? It’s difficult to know. This is significantly larger than even Josh’s biggest current canvases. Even with Josh donating so much time, It would be a costly project. So, I’d hoped the city would help, hence my grant submission looking for assistance. As a member of Salida Mountain Trails, and being familiar with the Siding project, I am aware of the general time frame to create good downtown signage and wayfinding tools on or near railroad property (we’re close! Thanks to Dara McDonald, Mike Harvey and many others). So, in addition to getting a JB original downtown, one of my goals for this project was to create a beautiful tool to help visitors get acquainted with the valley.

In the end, there were legitimate questions about ownership. The city council wisely and collectively wished to ensure their investment was addressed. Josh and I spoke after the City Council meeting and decided that if we could do the project without the city’s help, it would simpler for everyone. I thanked the Mayor for his help, telling him we would no longer be in need of the funds. However, we still plan to move forward with a privately funded and recreationally artsy addition to our hamlet in the next few weeks. Thanks should be given to everyone involved.

Josh’s painting will be visible from Riverfront Park, an area that was littered with garbage before Mike, the Arkansas River Trust, Lowry & Co., and others got busy. As I stand in the park I am reminded of Salida’s past visionaries and how many community minded people there are in town. I am reminded of how many people it takes to make interesting ideas happen on a blank canvas.

I appreciate Mountain Mail Editor Merle Baranczyk’s thoughts in his op-ed today. However, I am curious how he thinks “it will do little to inform or educate visitors who wish to ride area trails…” without seeing the art? Our working sketches are rooted in a wide valley view highligting the valley’s trails and towns.

Additionally, I noted Mr. Baranczyk’s opinion about our thoughtful city council and staff’s priorities in his April 10th Op-ed. It’s easy to confuse misplaced priorities with vision. As I told Council, better signage on the highway is an excellent idea. I am certainly not opposed to it. As our city planner knows, I have many ideas aside from the Sackett Street art. The good news is that creating a giant piece of art can clearly happen without the city’s assistance. Merle, if you’d like to help spearhead and fund creative wayfinding signage on Highway 50, I’d be willing to support your vision.

*How did this project happen? Among other things, my dad was a big part of the parks program in Madison, Wisconsin during the 1960s and 1970s. That city, now much larger is well respected for its bike paths and parks. He said you must look for opportunities to make your town more interesting. He wasn’t an artist, a cyclist or a frisbee player. He was a Veterinarian. But, through his lifelong work, primarily as a Rotarian he learned to look for the pieces of the puzzle that are often necessary to make something beautiful, functional and whenever possible healthy, become a reality. Council as well as city staff understand the often oblique connection between ROI in the arts and how it translates to tourism.  However, their real vision was that they quickly understood the opportunity presented by several community members coming together. In short, this would not have happened a year ago, and it might not be possible a year in the future.

Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center’s Family Birthing Center is offering a four-week childbirth class on Wednesdays, April 4 to April 25, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

The class will be held in the Shavano Conference Room on the second floor of the hospital in Salida. Topics include breathing and relaxation, onset and stages of labor, birth plans, breastfeeding basics and postpartum lifestyle changes.

Please wear comfortable clothing and bring a floor mat or blanket and pillow. You are welcome to bring your lunch. Cost of the four-week class is $50. Scholarships are available.
For more information or to register, please call the Family Birthing Center at (719) 530-2277 or contact instructors Wendy Trafford-McKenna at (719) 539-4394 or Megan Juba at meganjuba@yahoo.com. You can also register online at HRRMC.com

Brandon walks into my office wearing a concerned look; I immediately start to think of ways to console this young man that I have known for almost 8 years. Then I hear the words, “I got it.” I wanted to do a back flip but with a controlled voice I say, “Congrats, you must be excited.” His face changes to an ear-ear grin, and we both laugh. I let him know that I am proud that he put in the academic, and community effort to be eligible for such a sought after scholarship. This process started in September, and I am glad to see that Brandon’s dedication have made him a success, regardless of the scholarship.

I would like to thank his parents, community members and all of his teachers for being a part of molding this young man, a job well done!

The Boettcher Scholarship:
Annually more than 1300 students apply for the 40 available scholarships. To be eligible Colorado students must have a composite score of 27 on the ACT or a combined score of 1200 on the Critical Reading and Mathematics sections of the SAT. Eligible student also must be a Colorado resident during their junior and senior years.

Please understand that the Boettcher Scholarship is extremely competitive. Scholastic eligibility requirements listed above are minimums, not norms. In recent years, Boettcher Scholars have averaged in the top 2.8% of their class by rank and have scored an average of 1380 on the Critical Reading and Mathematics sections of the SAT and 32 on the ACT. While Boettcher Scholars come from all over the state, represent diverse backgrounds, and possess an incredible array of talents, they share two overriding characteristics: an intense intellectual curiosity and a passion for involvement.

From the Boettcher web site: Each of the forty (40), four-year Scholarships includes the following elements:

FULL TUITION AND FEES: The Scholarship covers tuition as well as laboratory and other special fees at any of these accredited, four-year Colorado undergraduate institutions:
Adams State College, Colorado Christian University, Colorado College, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, Colorado State University – Pueblo, Fort Lewis College, Johnson & Wales University, Colorada Mesa University, Metropolitan State University, Regis University, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, University of Colorado at Denver, University of Denver, University of Northern Colorado and Western State College.
LIVING STIPEND: Each Scholar receives $2,800/year to help defray the cost of room and board.
BOOK ALLOWANCE: The Scholarship also includes a book allowance, the amount of which is determined by the host institution each semester/quarter.
CAMPUS ENRICHMENT PROGRAMMING: The Foundation provides funding to enable schools to offer special programs and opportunities to enrich the undergraduate educations of their Boettcher Scholars. Although the funds have supported a variety of opportunities, the money must be applied toward experiences that are academically enriching and particularly helpful to Boettcher Scholars as they prepare for graduate school and/or a future career.
SCHOLAR GRANTS: Click here to learn more about these additional grants.
ANNUAL EVENTS: Part of being a Boettcher Scholar is the camaraderie students enjoy with their fellow Scholars. The Foundation hosts a variety of events for the entire Scholar community throughout the year. A holiday party is usually held at the Governor’s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion, and community service days are scheduled at least twice a year. Through these events students can meet and network with Scholars from different colleges and universities.
The Foundation also hosts three special events for the 40 New Scholars each year:

Rockies Baseball Game (in a luxury suite generously donated by the Rockies Baseball Club)
Teacher Recognition Awards Program
New Scholar Orientation

President Shaffer, who is himself a Navy Veteran, offered the following comment on Senate Bill 141 today:

“This legislation will ensure our courageous citizens in the military aren’t being punished for serving their country.  Every American dreams of owning their own home, and we should be doing everything in our power to support our troops and help them buy a house to come home to.”

Under current law, to qualify for certain publicly funded home mortgage loans, such as loans offered by the Federal Veteran’s Administration the borrower has to certify that they will occupy the property within 60 days.  Military personnel deployed overseas may not be able to move into their home until the end of their deployment, which could be longer than 60 days.  Senate Bill 141 will modify the law so that individuals serving their country abroad will still be able to receive a loan to purchase a home.

This legislation will now head to the House of Representatives for consideration.