On the first Monday of November – Election Day eve – my father would have turned 100. Election Day frequently fell on his birthday over his almost 87 years. He took voting very seriously, as did my mother (who would have been 99 in August), and they instilled in my sister and me a deep […]
Ken Pletcher
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Scuttlebutt & Calendar
Volunteer seasonRoaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers’ 2025 project season is now taking registrations for trail work volunteers. From the Four Pass Loop and Hanging Lake to Maroon Bells, Red Hill and Rifle Falls, a variety of projects welcome volunteers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. Registration is necessary at www.rfov.org/calendar Ride Glenwood On-DemandThe City of Glenwood […]
Posted inLetters
Letters – April 3, 2025
Re: RobertoLate one afternoon in 1978 I beheld a beautiful site: A lone skier carving graceful, high speed, long curves down Snowmass Mountain. It was Roberto Gasperl. Truly glorious and, clearly, he was loving it. I too remember the kind and amazing Roberto, and the day we lost him. Thank you Ed Colby for your […]
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Scuttlebutt & Calendar
Spring Gulch vandalismSpring Gulch is closed for the season following an unprecedented weekend of vandalism at the Marion Gulch parking lot. On Friday night, for the fourth time this season, some rowdy individuals drove their vehicles on the meticulously-maintained cross-country skiing trails. This time, the offenders slid off a trail and got stuck. Sheriff’s deputies […]
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Scuttlebutt & Calendar
Day Without ImmigrantsMany Latino-owned businesses in the area participated in a national “Day Without Immigrants” strike on Monday, Feb. 3. While most restaurants, bakeries and clothing stores participated, service work like construction appears to have been less disrupted. A flyer which circulated on social media declared, “We are essential, we are strong, we are community.” […]
Posted inNonprofits
Toklat restored and open again
Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) announced in late November that its wilderness retreat facility in the Castle Creek Valley, the Catto Center at Toklat, was reopening to the public after a major renovation of the historic structure. In a conversation with The Sopris Sun, ACES CEO Chris Lane said that the nearly three-year project, […]
Posted inLetters
Letters – Oct. 17, 2024
MAP updateHave you heard? Coming in 2025 to a Carbondale street near you: more crosswalks, wayfinding signs for priority bike routes, traffic calming pilot/demonstration projects on key streets, mini-roundabouts (adding a feature like a large planter to a four-way intersection to create a makeshift roundabout). These are a few of the first steps suggested in […]
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Scuttlebutt & Calendar
Streets of Glenwood surveyThe City of Glenwood Springs is asking residents to share their experiences and concerns around transportation safety. An online survey, available until Oct. 25, seeks to identify areas where people feel unsafe while traveling, whether by foot, bike, public transit or car. Survey insights will be combined with existing data, such as […]
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Hank Spaulding: A Carbondale original
Soft-spoken, self-effacing Henry (Hank) Spaulding is a third-generation Carbondale native with a ready smile and laugh. He is also a skilled stonemason with Gallegos Corporation and an avid outdoorsman. He recently sat down with The Sopris Sun. Sopris Sun: Both sides of your family have been here for quite some time, at least since the […]
Posted inColumns
Letter from Michigan: Elections have consequences
Editor’s note: Every summer Ken Pletcher has written a letter to Sopris Sun readers from Michigan. Here is letter number four. Hello again from the southeastern shores of beautiful Lake Michigan, part of a region sometimes called America’s Third Coast. I had planned, in this fourth letter, to write about our immediate neighbors behind our […]