As the town recovers from its annual Mountain Fair with this year’s theme of “Camp Bonedale,” it’s worth noting similarities to another famous gathering in the Rocky Mountains involving vendors, music, dancing, games and merriment. Carbondale’s celebration was not the first mountain fair in Colorado. That distinction goes to a rendezvous that started in 1825, […]
July 2026
Posted inNews
Scuttlebutt – July 30, 2026
Sunflower contestWhere, oh where, is the tallest sunflower reaching for the sky in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys? Perhaps in your garden? Send photos and measurements by Aug. 31 to news@soprissun.com for the chance to win a shout-out and bragging rights. The winner will be announced the first week of September. Hoop D’Ville […]
Posted inEducation
Literacy Outreach puts a call out for volunteer tutors
Literacy Outreach is in its 40th year of community empowerment. The organization has been facilitating development of literacy skills since 1985, based on the belief that the ability to read is an essential survival skill. Literacy Outreach believes that illiteracy holds people back from their full potential, and that improving reading skills allows them to […]
Posted inNews
Nearly 3,000 pounds of rotting meat discovered in former Basalt meat shop after foreclosure
Meat removal is not listed in most contractors’ business repertoire. But Two Man Crew, Inc. could very well add that to its resume — along with carpentry, drywall, paint, construction and the other, more typical focuses of the general contractor — after the company removed nearly 1.5 tons of rotting meat allegedly left in a […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The Art Base going strong at 30
On Aug. 15, The Art Base in Basalt will celebrate 30 years of operation, education and creativity at its annual pARTy, where attendees can expect to dress in Oscar-themed attire and view and bid on its “10×10 Name Unseen” auction. Celebrations for this milestone have been taking place since May, when the nonprofit held a […]
Posted inLocal Government
Checking out the Bells
Picture the scene: Friends from out of town are visiting the Roaring Fork Valley for the first time and you’ve offered to show them around. The first place that comes to mind is Maroon Bells. It’s an obvious choice. They are, after all, among the most beautiful and most photographed landscapes in the Rocky Mountains. […]
Posted inLocal Government
Town weighs housing needs, supports development on Emma Road
During this week’s meeting, Basalt Town Council was presented with a final report from the City of Aspen estimating that Basalt will need an additional 299 units of housing over the next 10 years in order to keep up with regional growth. In addition, the council unanimously and eagerly approved the first reading of the […]
Posted inLocal Government
Carbondale Report: Community urges Town to withdraw from SPEAR
Five Carbondale community members urged the Carbondale Board of Trustees on Tuesday to withdraw from Special Problems Enforcement and Response (SPEAR), a local interagency task force that has been accused of working with Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE). At the heart of their argument was the potential for data sharing between the task force and […]
Posted inNews
Curated Calendar – July 30 to Aug. 8
THURSDAY, JULY 30 TIE-DYE FOR TEENSTeens and tweens, ages 10-18, are invited to tie-dye bandannas at the Carbondale Library at 2:15pm. Participants are encouraged to bring their own clothing to tie-dye as well. ‘GROUNDSWELL’350 Roaring Fork screens “Groundswell,” a film about regenerative agriculture at 5pm in the Carbondale Library. GALERIE MAXIMILLIANGalerie Maximillian (602 East Cooper […]
Posted inColumns
Seeking fire
I remember my father weeping when President Kennedy was shot. For a 12-year-old to see their father weep uncontrollably — a bomber pilot who in 87 missions had seen the world’s pain, a man who in that darkness loved quoting the soaring idealism of Don Quixote — was wrenching and bewildering. He was heartsick. Kennedy […]