News

The spirit was already there in the area’s first performance of George Frideric Handel’s choral epic “Messiah” 40 years ago, but the substance had room for improvement. “We were terrible when I think back,” said Steve Child who, along with his wife, Molly, has been participating almost since Day One. “Over the years we’ve added more parts of it and become more expert… Now the group has really blended.”

If you’re too young to recall, Minnie Pearl appeared for decades on the Grand Ole Opry and Heehaw. When Sarah Ophelia Colley created Minnie Pearl, by accident she left a price tag on Minnie’s flower-bedecked hat. Later, Colley decided that the price tag was essential to Minnie’s countrified character.

In something of a surprise vote, miners at the Anschutz Thompson Creek mine west of Carbondale voted to become a non-union operation. The national United Mine Workers of America and local Redstone Workers Association had vied for the votes of 92 eligible hourly workers, but in the end an independent shop won out.

Hanging out with the Roaring Fork Quilt Guild feels something like wrapping yourself in one of their creations.
Each of the roughly two dozen members brings a different character and experience that somehow stitches together into a warm, welcoming whole. The group usually gathers at the Carbondale Branch Library, but more intimate gatherings and special retreats are all part of the program

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

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.

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.

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.