Amy Hadden MarshFrom the Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England Looking out the bus window, I couldn’t see a thing. It was pitch black outside. No roads — except for the one upon which we were traveling and lit only by our headlights — no cars, no lights in the distance signaling habitation, just a curtain of […]
News
Posted inObituaries
J. Robert “Bob” Young
July 11, 1938 – December 11, 2025 The Young family is saddened to announce the passing of their beloved father, life partner, grandfather and friend. Bob died peacefully on Dec. 11, 2025, in Florida, surrounded by loved ones. J. Robert “Bob” Young, founder and chairman of Alpine Bank and its holding company, Alpine Banks of […]
Posted inNews
Scuttlebutt
Lift-UpdateLift-Up, the nonprofit operator of food pantries and supplementary food programs from Parachute to Aspen, announced on Dec. 18 that Samantha Freese will serve as the organization’s next executive director. Freese, a New Castle resident, has worked for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment as well as Mountain Valley Developmental Services and most recently […]
Posted inNews
Curated Calendar – Dec. 25 to Jan. 7
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25 CRYSTAL THEATRE“Song Sung Blue” opens at the Crystal Theatre with a 3pm matinee and repeats tomorrow, Saturday and next Friday and Saturday at 7pm with captioned shows at 5pm each Sunday. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26 MOUNTAINFILMMountainfilm on Tour stops by the Wheeler Opera House for a family-friendly matinee at 4pm. Tickets and details […]
Posted inNews
‘A Ray of Light at Christmas’
Editor’s Note: The author is a relative of Rayito de Luz’s founder. “A Ray of Light at Christmas” took place on Sunday, Dec. 21, as a year-end celebration honoring the Valley’s seniors. The responsible organization, Rayito de Luz, has six years of experience hosting events, each with a mission of bringing joy and strengthening mental […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Spruce Up The Sun 2025: Holiday Harmony
Picking up a Valley Journal tradition, The Sopris Sun has highlighted youth artwork in each holiday issue. Every year, The Sun comes up with a different prompt and young people (kindergarten through high school) submit associated illustrations. An ad-hoc committee judges the pieces based on quality and how well they match the theme. Participants submitted […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Delighting in the dark
At least 100 people sat together in the dark and silence for several long minutes on Dec. 20, accompanying Persephone’s underworld transformation. That may sound mundane — a room full of people doing ostensibly nothing. But it was, in fact, profound. Waves of discomfort rippled through the audience, now participants, in what felt for moments […]
Posted inOpinion
My little holiday miracle
Get a rental car, don’t get a rental car, yes, get one. Who will be in which car, who is picking up whom from trains or the nursing home, who can go to the store again? We were traveling to a relative’s house for Thanksgiving, in two cars packed with boxes and food, a wheelchair, […]
Posted inObituaries
Ciarra Bristol
December 15, 1989 – November 9, 2025 Ciarra Bristol was born on Dec. 15, 1989 in Glenwood Springs. She lived and attended school in Carbondale and graduated from Roaring Fork High School in 2008. She attended Fort Lewis College in Durango and graduated with an art business degree. After college, her husband, Marlin Boyer, started […]
Posted inBusiness
Colorado Face Company looks to pamper RFV
Cameron Hesseltine is excited to serve the Carbondale community and beyond through the launch of her new esthetician business, in partnership with Ella Rose Salon. Hesseltine, originally from Atlanta, Georgia, has been in the Valley since 2023 and began her craft in facial, lash and brow work several years earlier, after earning her esthetician license […]