From the archives of the Roaring Fork Review, Valley Journal and The Sopris Sun; in collaboration with the Carbondale Historical Society and Carbondale Branch Library.
June 6, 1974
Former astronaut Gordon Cooper was on hand as Carbondale’s library was officially christened after him. The fact that his mother, Hattie, lived locally was part of the inspiration, but Cooper found ways to link libraries to his time aboard Friendship 7.
“It is a pleasure to have a library named after you because books offer such a great challenge and inspiration,” he said. At the time, Gordon Cooper Library was housed in the Dinkel Building alongside Colorado Mountain College, with a circulation of some 24,000 books annually. It later found its own home at what’s now the aptly-named The Launchpad, with architecture intended to evoke a spaceship. The name was dropped with the move to Carbondale Branch Library’s current location in 2013.
In other news … Senator Floyd Haskell was advocating for a halt to Project Plowershare’s nuclear fracking tests in Western Colorado until past results had been fully analyzed.
June 28, 1984
Believe it or not, Mountain Fair went its first 12 years without on-site beer concession. But KDNK fixed that with a request to serve 3.2 Budweiser and Bud Light, which was approved unanimously by trustees the month before the big event. Although Trustee Frank Smotherman thought they should look at licensing the entire park, most agreed that 60 seats would provide plenty of capacity. There was no formal opposition to the move, and Police Chief Fred Williams said he didn’t foresee any problems. Coupled with the completion of the gazebo, it was looking like a big year for the Fair.
In other news … El Jebel’s Beverly and Floyd Crawford were returning home from St. Mary’s Hospital in Denver with triplets — just in time for Father’s Day.
June 9, 1994
After speaking with Basaltine Jack Wayman, a spokesperson for the Electronic Industries Association, columnist Rebecca Harwood envisioned a scenario in which you interrupt your wilderness fishing experience to keep up with the Broncos score, take a call from a client, check the weather and keep your kid busy with a video game. Wayman identified around 20 “must-have” devices to take on vacation, including a cell phone, camcorder, portable CD player and GPS. The grand total of all this gadgetry (not counting the 38¢-a-minute cell phone plan, solar panel and portable satellite dish)? $2,700 (roughly twice that of today). It puts your smartphone in perspective.
In other news … The release of the movie “Tombstone” brought a spike of visitors to Glenwood Springs, all eager to find out more about Doc Holliday.
June 10, 2004
A host of local businesses stepped up to fund the Wild West Rodeo after lack of sponsorship threatened to cancel the event. Roger Frahm of Rim Rock Rodeo in Denver said he had lost money on the previous year’s series and expressed frustration with the lack of support, but almost no one remembered being asked for a donation. So, new arrival Dave Weimer took it upon himself to knock on doors, drumming up $3,000 in a matter of days.
In other news … The Colorado Wildfire Academy drew more than 1,000 participants to town.
June 12, 2014
Carbondale Trustees’ decision to install a piece by internationally-recognized local sculptor James Surls in the new roundabout prompted public scrutiny. No other artists had responded to the Town’s ad, making Surls’ gift of “Sewing the Future” seem like a no brainer. The vote was 6-0 in favor, with Allyn Harvey absent, Pam Zentmeyer wishing for more community feedback and unlikely allies John Foulkrod and Frosty Merriott pushing for prompt approval.
In other news … A police bike patrol class in Glenwood Springs concluded with students apprehending an actual fleeing suspect.