Voter Voices
The Sopris Sun is partnering with multiple news outlets across the state to understand what is driving Coloradans this election year. What issues do you care about most as we head into the 2024 election? Find a survey at www.soprissun.com and help inform our coverage!
It’s official!
Dr. Matt Gianneschi has been formally appointed as Colorado Mountain College’s next president and chief executive officer. Gianneschi has served as the college’s chief operating officer and chief of staff for more than 10 years alongside outgoing president Dr. Carrie Hauser. The college board of trustees conducted an internal search and reviewed more than 400 survey results in English and Spanish from the community, students, faculty, staff and alumni ahead of this decision.
RMI deadline
Rocky Mountain Industrials (RMI) was given 30 days (as of April 19) to submit a revised plan modification to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for its current quarry operations. The federal agency issued a notice of noncompliance in August 2022. This was followed by a rockslide in January of 2023 which prompted two other agencies to intervene — the U.S. Mine Safety and Healthy Administration and the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining & Safety — requiring a geotechnical report outlining the cause of the slide and plans for stabilizing the slope. RMI’s proposal for stabilization was to mine the limestone layer upslope. Unless RMI can meet additional specifications, ”the BLM cannot process the plan modification,” a letter stated.
Return of the monks
Monks of the Gaden Shartse Monastery in India return to the Roaring Fork Valley for a week of compassionate activities beginning Monday, May 13 with an opening ceremony for the creation of an intricate sand mandala. Monday’s ceremony is free and open to the public. Throughout the week, there will be many opportunities to interact with the monks, including a Tibetan dinner and cultural night Friday, May 17. Other events include a workshop for children and adults on the traditional arts of butter sculpting, Tibetan calligraphy and sand painting. Each evening, the monks will offer Tibetan Buddhist blessing rituals and teachings.They are also available for individual healing and astrology readings as well as house, land and business blessings. The week concludes with the dissolution of the sand mandala on Sunday, May 19. To make an appointment for a healing, blessing or astrology reading, contact Roxana at 970-274-4490. Otherwise, all activities are at Carbondale’s Third Street Center. For more information, visit wocdc.org/gaden-monks-tour
Artist opportunity
Carbondale Arts is accepting fellowship applications through June 3. Four deserving artists will receive $2,000 each toward developing a vision, art supplies, studio rent, residency or workshop fees or for marketing purposes. This fellowship was created to honor the legacy of Alleghany Meadows and is now supported by the Wolfpack Foundation and Carbondale Arts event sponsors. Find the application at www.bit.ly/CdaleFellow
Responsible recreation
Colorado Parks and Wildlife would like to remind recreationists that “seeing green doesn’t always mean it’s a green light to recreate.” Wild animals remain vulnerable to disturbances as they raise their young and migrate in search of food. It’s important to respect seasonal trail closures and keep pets on a leash.
Powers Art Center
The Powers Art Center will be closed from May 5 to May 31 for an exhibit installation. “Not Mine But Taken” by Jasper Johns will open on June 1.
SRO arrest
Felony criminal charges were brought against former Glenwood Springs High School Student Resource Officer (SRO) Sean Tatro following his arrest last week in Silt and included: contributing to the delinquency of a minor (18-21), sexual assault, second degree assault and use of a stungun in the commision of a crime. The case is suspected to have stemmed from a domestic violence scenario between Tatro and an unidentified alleged victim between the ages of 18 and 21 who reported a pattern of abuse. According to a press release, the incidents occurred outside of Tatro’s role as an SRO. Tatro was arrested by the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office. The Glenwood Springs Police Department placed Tatro on administrative leave and has made clear its intent to assist with the investigation as needed.
They say it’s your birthday!
Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Sherry Caloia and Patrick Wilson (May 2); Kathy Goudy, Maura Masters and Mary Matchael (May 3); Matte Curry, Mackie Keller, Zoe Kimberly and Aaron Laemmel (May 4); Stan Bell, Frank Betts, Jeremy Heiman, Claudia Prado Zepeda and Sandy Kaplan (May 5); Joe Burleigh, Susan Caddoo Hannisian, Soozie Lindbloom, Stephen Olson and Maggie Suma (May 6); Amanda Leahy (May 7); Judy Milne, Ricky Ross and Karen Tafejian (May 8).
~ C A L E N D A R ~
THURSDAY, MAY 2
LIBRARIES 101
The Basalt Library conducts a bilingual tutorial where participants learn how to best utilize its resources at 5pm.
CLASSICAL AT TACAW
Daniel Adam Maltz, a fortepianist who specializes in Viennese Classicism, performs at TACAW at 5:45pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org
COMMON ROOTS
The Common Roots men’s group meets at HeadQuarters in Basalt at 6pm.
PARTY PARTY
Local musical group Party Party incorporates pop, R&B, contemporary Latin hits and more. Catch their performance at El Dorado in Carbondale from 6:30 to 8:30pm tonight.
HIGH COUNTRY SINFONIA
You have three chances this weekend to catch High Country Sinfonia performances. The first stop is at the Basalt Library tonight at 7pm, then at the Old Thompson Barn in River Valley Ranch at 5pm on Saturday, May 4 and finally at the Aspen Chapel on Sunday, May 5 at 4pm.
CRYSTAL THEATRE
The Crystal Theatre shows “Civil War” tonight at 7pm. “The Fall Guy” opens tomorrow at 7:30pm and continues May 4, May 8 and May 9 at 7:30pm. The Sunday show is at 5pm.
FRIDAY, MAY 3
NATURE JOURNALING
Adults learn techniques to creatively document nature at the Carbondale Library at 1pm. For more info, call 970-963-2889.
W.E. SALOON
W.E. Saloon will be at The Painted Pig on First Friday with an herbal elixir bar, joke box and more.
PRIDE PARTY
This First Friday, Carbondale hosts the 13th Annual Family Block Party from 4 to 8pm. There’ll be food, beer for the adults and activities for the kids. Local schools’ Gender and Sexualities Alliance chapters will lead the Pride Parade kicking off at 5:15pm at 2nd and Main — all are welcome to participate.
FIREBALL DROP
The Carbondale Rotary Club raises money for scholarships by dropping 1,000 ping pong balls from a fire truck ladder outside the Village Smithy Restaurant at 5pm. Tickets can be purchased for $20 apiece with a $5,000 grand prize for the person whose ball lands closest to the target. Tickets can be purchased at paybee.io/@fireballdrop
CIVIC SERVICE
The Town of Carbondale will host an open-air open house for all boards and commissions on Main Street from 5 to 6:30pm.
MOMS FOR AMERICA
The Open Door Church in Rifle hosts Tony May, the subject of a Re-2 school board recall, along with Sherronna Bishop, aka “America’s Mom,” for a panel discussion at 6pm on “divisive legislation,” “inappropriate sexual materials” and “ani-American rhetoric” as they pertain to education.
HARM REDUCTION PRIDE
High Rockies Harm Reduction presents live music and DJ sets by Mugsy Fay and Basic VVitch, plus a dose of harm reduction education, at Carbondale Beer Works from 5 to 7pm.
MUSHROOM BALL
The Western Colorado Mycological Association celebrates its first anniversary with a “Galerina Gala” dance party at 7pm at the Third Street Center. Wear your best mushroom couture!
CONSENSUAL IMPROV
The Valley’s premier comedy troupe, Consensual Improv, performs at the Thunder River Theatre at 7:30pm. Tickets at www.thunderrivertheatre.com
THREE QUEENS
A triangle of local female songwriters performs at Steve’s Guitars at 8pm. Tickets at www.stevesguitars.net
SATURDAY, MAY 4
RFOV LEADERSHIP
Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers hosts a training today and tomorrow for people interested in becoming volunteer crew leaders. Participants will meet at Wulfsohn Trailhead, next to the Glenwood Springs Community Center, at 8:30am. Visit www.rfov.org for more info and to register.
ARBOR DAY
The Town of Carbondale celebrates Arbor Day with a tree planting at Colorado Meadows Park at 10am.
MAYFAIRE
The Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork hosts its spring Mayfaire celebration from 10am to 2pm. All are welcome. More info at www.waldorfschool.com
COMICS FESTIVAL
The Glenwood Springs Library presents its third annual Comics Festival from 10am to 6pm with games, crafts, tech, cosplaying, free comics and more! Visit www.gcpld.org/comics-festival for details.
COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY
Colorado Mountain College’s general commencement ceremony honoring graduates from the Aspen, Carbondale, Spring Valley and Glenwood Springs campuses begins at noon at Spring Valley.
HEALING HORSES
Smiling Goat Ranch partners with Emily White, a yoga professional, to offer a Horses for Mental Health Month movement workshop “designed to rejuvenate your body, heart and soul” at 1pm. Find details at www.smilinggoatranch.com/events
LABYRINTH DAY
Laura Kirk leads a World Labyrinth Day moving meditation at True Nature from 12:30 to 2pm.
KENTUCKY DERBY
WindWalkers hosts a Kentucky Derby watch party fundraiser at Spring Creeks Ranch from 2 to 6pm. Details at www.windwalkers.org
5 POINT ENCORE
Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers partners with 5 Point for an encore adventure film extravaganza at TACAW, complete with a gear giveaway, at 7:30pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org
SUNDAY, MAY 5
DRAG BINGO
AspenOUT presents 21+ Drag Disco Bingo Brunch at TACAW at 11:30am. This is a fundraiser in partnership with HeadQuarters.
ARTE EN ESPAÑOL
The Aspen Art Museum celebrates Cinco de Mayo with “Arte en Español” from noon to 4pm.
GRIEF WORK
Akaljeet Khalsa leads “Graceful Transitions” with Laura Kirk at True Nature at 1:30pm. Tickets at www.truenaturehealingarts.com
POTTERY FOR A CAUSE
Ceramics uniquely created by Annette Roberts-Gray will be up for sale at the Launchpad from 2 to 5pm. All proceeds will benefit the Aaron Roberts-Gray Memorial Scholarship Fund.
SAM BUSH
Mountain Groove Productions presents Sam Bush at the Ute Theater in Rifle at 4pm. Peach Street Distillers will offer a bourbon tasting at 2:30pm. Find tickets at www.utetheater.com
CARBONDALE MAYORS
The Carbondale Historical Society presents the final event in its winter speaker series, “A Conversation with Our Past Mayors,” at KDNK at 5pm. Join Stacey Bernot, Dan Richardson and Michael Hassig for a rare opportunity to learn from the Town’s past leaders.
MONDAY, MAY 6
IN STITCHES
The In Stitches Knitting Club convenes at the Carbondale Library at 1:30pm.
DEATH CAFE
Share your thoughts around death and dying and hear others’ perspectives on the subject at the Basalt Library at 5pm. Tea and cake provided.
KORA PRESENTATION
Sean Gaskell teaches about the kora — a 12-stringed West African instrument — with a demonstration for all ages at the Carbondale Library at 6pm. This event will repeat at the Glenwood Springs Library on May 7 at 6pm.
AIKIDO
Crystal River Aikikai offers Aikido classes to teens and adults at 13 Moons Ranch, south of Carbondale. Kids, 6-12, practice on Mondays and Wednesdays at 4pm and adults practice Mondays from 5:15 to 6:15pm and Wednesdays from 9:30 to 10:30am. Visit www.crystalriveraikikai.com to schedule an introductory class.
TUESDAY, MAY 7
GIRLS WHO CODE
All genders are invited to learn about coding at the Basalt Library at 3:45pm. Visit www.basaltlibrary.org for more info.
LINWOOD CLEANUP
Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers will be removing old fencing, closing off social trails, formalizing existing ones and stabilizing degrading slopes at the Linwood Cemetery — the resting place of Doc Holiday — from 4 to 8pm. Sign up and help out by visiting www.rfov.org
‘THE LAST CHAPTER’
The Basalt Library hosts a four-part series, “My Life: The Last Chapter,” which covers specific aspects about taking control and preparing for one’s end of life. Part one is tonight at 5pm, and parts two through four occur May 14, 21 and 28. Visit www.basaltlibrary.org for more info.
YARN GROUP
Knitters and crocheters gather to share tips and projects at the Basalt Library at 5pm.
STATE OF THE RIVER
The Colorado River District addresses the state of the Middle Colorado River at the Ute Theater in Rifle at 6pm. Register for free at www.bit.ly/MidCoMay7
BIG FIVE
The Big Five group, hosted at HeadQuarters in Basalt and open to all, discusses mental health at 6pm. The group will reconvene and recap on the last Tuesday of the month to rehash the same topic. Email lindsey@headq.org for more info.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8
HEAT PUMP WEBINAR
Garfield Clean Energy offers the first in a series of webinars about heat pumps. “Heat Pump Water Heaters for Existing and New Homes” will be on Zoom at 5:30pm. Register at www.bit.ly/May8HeatPumps
STOP THE BLEED
In honor of National Stop the Bleed Month, Valley View hosts free, hands-on Wednesday classes in May to teach attendees how to stabilize an injured person and control severe bleeding until first responders arrive. The classes will be held from 5:30 to 7pm. To register, email carly.debeque@vvh.org
‘COMMON GROUND’
Aspen Valley Land Trust, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies and The Farm Collaborative team up to screen “Common Ground,” a new documentary about regenerative agriculture, at TACAW at 6:30pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org
STEVE’S
Good Morning Bedlam performs at Steve’s Guitars at 8pm. Tickets at www.stevesguitars.net
‘SPIRITS & LEGEND’
El Dorado presents “Spirits and Legend Night” featuring Dick Durrance, a career photographer who shot for National Geographic and during the Vietnam war, at 7pm.
THURSDAY, MAY 9
JEFF PLANKENHORN
Steve’s Guitars presents Jeff Plankenhorn at 8pm. Tickets at www.stevesguitars.net
FRIDAY, MAY 10
EQUITY SYMPOSIUM
The Equity Action Project and MANAUS present a daylong bilingual symposium focusing on topics like anti-racism, intersectionality and language justice from 9am to 3:30pm. To register, visit www.bit.ly/EquityMay10
SPRING GALA
YouthZone hosts a fundraiser with food, entertainment and an auction at TACAW at 6pm. Tickets at www.youthzone.com/spring-gala
RUBYJOYFUL
RubyJoyful, a band featuring Andy Thorn, Drew Emmitt and Rob Ickes, performs at Steve’s Guitars with Luke Callen opening at 8pm. Tickets at www.stevesguitars.net
SATURDAY, MAY 11
DANDELION DAY
The Parade of Species departs from 2nd and Main at 10am, arriving in Sopris Park where activities are planned from 10am to 5pm. There will be many vendor booths with environmentally-conscious products and live music at the gazebo! Find details on Facebook by searching for “Carbondale Dandelion Day.”
THE LONGEST DAY
Sopris Lodge will partner with the Alzheimer’s Association for a fundraiser from 11am to 2pm with food, activities and music by Rodrigo Arreguin. To RSVP, call 970-356-8764 or visit www.soprislodge.com/events