December 2017

Firefighters snuffed a smoldering battery compartment Rosybelle Mobile Maker Bus on Dec. 8 before it could spread further.

At a small school, a single teacher can make all the difference.
Case in point: Marcia Kuhlman and the fledgling Roaring Fork High School Choral Music Department, which puts on its inaugural Holiday Harmonies Winter Concert event beginning at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 12 at The Orchard.

The Garfield County Planning Commission will consider a developer’s application to amend the county’s comprehensive plan in order to accommodate a vision for a new community of up to 400 small houses in the pasture northwest of the intersection of Catherine Store Road and Highway 82. Ken Arnold, managing member of Florida and Aspen based GatorCap, submitted an application earlier this year that will be formally considered when the Commission meets Dec. 13.

Natalie Spears is perhaps best known as a founding member of the local band Pearl & Wood (pearlandwood.com) that seemed to be playing every venue and event around this summer. She’s also a teacher of music and adventure, and she’s currently helping revive the art of the “crankie” scrolling stories — more at nataliespears.com.
Sopris Sun: Where are you from and how did you end up out here?
Natalie Spears: I grew up in Washington D.C., but I spent a lot of time upvalley as a kid because my grandpa helped start the hut system.

If all goes according to plan, on Friday, Dec. 15, Aspen Valley Land Trust will purchase the long sought-after 25-acre land parcel at the base of Red Hill. The sale is the first step of a larger vision to build a new trailhead and parking for the popular 19-mile trail system. “I’m super confident this is going to happen,” AVLT Executive Director Suzanne Stephens said of the land acquisition. While the land itself — which has been on the organization’s radar for more than five years — will require $825,000, the entire project carries a $1.35m price tag.

The Dec. 8 deadline is fast approaching for our annual Spruce up the Sun design contest. Kids from pre-K through high school have a chance to see their artwork on a “Peace and Love” theme printed in the Dec. 21 edition of The Sun.

Dec. 5, 1977: A special extra edition of The Journal was dedicated exclusively to the Roaring Fork Rams’ victory in the state football championships. The seniors on the team had begun their high school careers alongside head coach Rocky Whitworth in the fall of 1974 — which also happened to be when the team joined class AA.