Almanac Week of 02.27.18

Tuesday, Feb. 27

City Manager Forum. The city of Woodland Park will hold informational meetings regarding the hiring of a new city manager on Feb. 27. Citizen input is welcome.. There will be two sessions, one occurring at 8 a.m., and another one scheduled for6:30 p.m. Both meetings will be held at the Woodland Park City Council Chambers. Already, the city has received more than 30 applications for the position to replace long-time city manager David Buttery. Buttery will be retiring in April. 

The Green Mountain Falls Planning Commission will meet on Feb. 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the GMF Town Hall.   

Wednesday, Feb 28

The 6^th annual Teller County Economic Forecast is scheduled for Wednesday, February 28 at the Ute Pass Cultural Center. This forum features local experts from the public and private sectors brought together to discuss the Teller County economy. The Forecast features perspectives on recent trends in the real estate, financial, and construction industries, how they impact our local economy, and what the experts predict for the future. Understanding where we have been will help us plan  for the future and how to get there.Attending the Forum Will Give You Local economic information provided for and supported by Teller County businesses;Teller County trends and whether Teller County is following national, state, and regional trends;Key economic indicators such as population, employment, prices, retail trade and housing;Forecasts in real estate, construction, and lending;Meet local experts and business owners. Register at www.TellerForecast.com.

TSC (Teller Senior Coalition) Transit is excited to announce our bus service on Wednesdays and Fridays in Woodland Park and the lower Ute Pass area. TSC also offers a joint venture with Cripple Creek Transit on Wednesdays to provide much needed transportation service between Cripple Creek and Woodland Park. TSC Transit will be picking up from the Senior Center and will be making stops at Pikes Peak Family Medicine, Pikes Peak Regional Hospital, City Market, Safeway, Walgreens, Walmart and the Department of Social Services upon request. In addition, new ride services are available on a limited basis to Green Mountain Falls, Cascade and Manitou Springs. Call 719-687-0256 for more details or visit the TSC website at www.tellerseniorcoalition.org. for a full schedule of pick up and drop off times.

Ice Skating lessons through WP Parks and Recreation. Ice Skating is fun for all ages.  Participants must have their own skates. Beginners will learn the fundamentals of ice skating so you can enjoy a lifetime of fun and exercise. Intermediate will build on the fundamentals of the beginner class. For this class, you must be able to skate forward and backward confidently and be able to stop. Classes, sponsored by WP Parks and Recreation, will be held at Meadow Wood Sports Complex on Feb. 28 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. For more information, call Kelsey Gavit at 719-687-5225. 

Thursday, March 1  

Tops, Take Off Pounds Sensibly. The original nonprofit weight-loss group is an educational support group providing weekly weigh-ins and programs to help members to make positive changes in the role food plays in their lives. The local chapter meets every Thursday at 10 a.m. in Green Mountain Falls at the Church in the Wildwood. Call Evelyn at 719-748-8383 for more information.

The Woodland Park City Council will meet at 7 p.m. in the WP Council Chambers, next to city hall.

Ute Pass-Woodland Park Kiwanis Bingo. Join the fun at Shining Mountain during the 1st & 3rd Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Twenty dollars buys a packet for 10 games, 6 cards for each game It’s a great opportunity to have fun and socialize with your friends and neighbors. Come early and have dinner! Food and drinks will be available for purchase during the games!  This event is sponsored by the Ute Pass-Woodland Park Kiwanis club.  The proceeds benefit the children of Teller County.  For more information, call Rita Randolph at 719-502-5085.

 Friday, March 2  

  
The Pikes Peak Rotary Club will meet at 7 a.m. at the Woodland Park Public Library every Friday. 
 

Pearl’s Follies. Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 3 to attend Cripple Creek’s biggest party of the year.  This annual brouhaha is a fundraiser for The Old Homestead Museum where everyone is welcome to join in the fun at the Double Eagle’s Hotel and Casino’s Conference Center. Pearl’s Follies is the yearly fundraiser to benefit the Old Homestead Museum and where local Cripple Creek area residents get together to share their love of the community, Colorado history and having a great time with family and friends. The Old Homestead was built in 1896 and was the most elegant brothel in the Cripple Creek Mining District during its heyday. Since 1958, the house has been operated as a museum and has been a public favorite ever since. With the continued support of the community this treasure will be around for many generations to come. This year’s Follies lineup consists of pros and local performers including: Debbie Martin, Lays Brothers, Sonja Oliver, Dennis Thornberry (Everywhere Elvis), and Sergio (Trigger) Schaefer. We are working on a couple more acts and we always throw in some surprises.  We are lucky to have the Woodland Based ‘CARIDELL TRIO’ as the house band this year, they will play a couple of songs during the show and then more for your dancing pleasure after the show.

Our sponsors are Black Hills Energy, Newmont (CCV gold mining company), Bronco Billy’s Casino, Century Casino, Wildwood Casino, Butte Theatre, CnR Mechnical, and Cripple Creek Automotive. We really appreciate their continued support yearly, they help us make Pearl’s Follies the success it is. Tables are filling up fast as of 2/16 we have only 40 seats left.  Tickets are available at the door for $22 but you might want to buy them in advance, you can go to our websitewww.oldhomesteadhouse.com or call Charlotte at 719-689-2485 or Karen at 719-689-3984 for help in obtaining your seat. The fun all starts on Saturday, March 3rd  6pm with a cash bar cocktail hour at the Double Eagle’s Hotel and Casino Conference Center in Cripple Creek, Colo. The show starts at 7pm so we hope to see you there! Plan to come and enjoy some good food, socialize with your neighbors and have a blast watching some entertaining acts For additional information about The Old Homestead Museum, contact Charlotte Baumgartner at 719-689-2485 or cb4mile@hughes.net or The Old Homestead Museum at 719-689-9090.

Fossil Beds Activities and Hours. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is open year round. The Monument is open from 9 am to 4:30 pm through March 9 and then 9 am to 5 pm from March 10 until May 25. Here are some the the highlights for March: Friday, March 16, Night Sky Program, 730 pm – 10 pm. Join park staff and members of the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society to gaze at the dark skies above Florissant Fossil Beds in search of planets, galaxies, nebulas, and more. Meet at the visitor center; Saturday, March 17, Winter Track Detectives, 11 am to12:30 pm.  Join an interpretive park ranger for a guided hike (up to 2 miles) to discover the clues left behind by the Monument’s wildlife.  As a track detective you might encounter tracks, scat, feathers, rubs, burrows, and much more left behind by birds, coyotes, elk, badgers or perhaps even see some of the wildlife in person.  Dress in layers and be ready to walk on uneven ground and possibly snow. Meet at the visitor center;Saturday, March 24, Introduction to Nature Photography, 1 pm to 3 pm. Join volunteer interpretive ranger Steve Veatch for a hands on photography workshop amid the spectacular scenery of the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. While walking a trail you will learn on-location compositional strategies that will turn your photo into something more than a snapshot! The workshop will teach you how to tell stories with your photos. Meet at the visitor center. Be prepared for outdoor conditions by dressing in layers, wearing a hat and sunscreen, etc. Bring water and snacks and most importantly your own camera. There are no additional fees for any park programs beyond the daily entrance fee of $7.00 per adult (15 and younger are free). Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument offers 15 miles of beautiful, yet lesser known, hiking trails to explore, a free Junior Ranger Program, three short self-guided trails, a park video and museum exhibits, and bookstore.  For additional information, please call (719) 748-3253 or visit our website: www.nps.gov/flfo or on Facebook or Twitter at /FlorissantNPS

Mueller Winter Fun. Naturalist led hikes are on the thing to do at Mueller State Park in the winter.  Enjoy the peaceful silence in the snowy woods, watch for signs of wildlife and learn their different tracks, and see the hardiest of birds searching for food in the trees.  It’s great to explore Mueller in winter with a naturalist during this beautiful time of year!Don’t forget to dress for the weather!  Hiking at Mueller in winter can bring a wide range of temperatures and snow depths at 9600 feet.  Sometimes there is not enough snow to sled on and sometimes there is a foot or two of fresh powder!  Check our website cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/Mueller or call ahead for snow conditions (719) 687-2366.  Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and sledding are popular activities as well.  The campground is still open or stay in one of the luxurious cabins  Call 719-687-2366 for details on forthcoming events at Mueller State Park.

 Upcoming.

Caucus Tuesday. The Teller Democrats and Republicans will be holding caucus meetings at a variety of locations on March 6. These play a key role in selecting delgates for forthcoming county and state races. For more information, see related letters in this week’s TMJ or contact the Telle County Clerk and Recorder’s Office at 719-689-2951.  

Sports Legends to Appear at Charis. Sportscaster James Brown, former host of Fox NFL Sunday and current host of The NFL Today on CBS Sports, will return to Woodland Park, Colorado, nextmonth to speak at Charis Bible College’s Men’s Advance.Joining Brown will be retired NFL head coach Tony Dungy, a New York Times bestselling author and current analyst for NBC’s Football Night in America. These two widely-knownfigures will share the stage with Andrew Wommack, president and founder of Charis Bible College, to inspire men from around the country to train for greatness in their Christian walk.The two-and-a-half-day conference will be held on March 8-10 at The Sanctuary, Charis’s

property in Woodland Park, Colorado. Tickets for this men-only event are $55 and include

four meals provided during the Friday and Saturday sessions.The public is welcome to register at CharisMensAdvance.org or by phone at 719-635-

1111.

Indoor Winter Farmer’s Market.  Scheduled the second Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Ute Pass Cultural Center in Woodland Park. A wide variety of vegetables, meats, fruits, toys and many miscellaneous items will be showcased. For more information, call 719-689-3133. 

Playwrights Workshop. Students will have the chance to be playwrights and actors as they collaborate in groups to create their own plays! Actors will dream up their stories, write their scripts together and then act out their creative creations. This workshop culminates with a presentation of each new play for family and friends on the last day of class that will include simple props and costumes. This workshop is sponsored by the WP Parks and Recreation, with the workshops held at the Parks and Recreation Classroom, 204 W. South Avenue, Woodland Park.  It is held onn March 4 and March 12. Contact Kelsey Gavit for more details at 719-687-5225.  

Dickson Memorial Update. We are sponsoring an update briefing on the status on the Eric V. Dickson Memorial project and how the veteran community in Teller County can help. Of interest is garnering the names of Teller County Vietnam Veterans to have them added to the memorial base and sponsoring those who have passed away. If you are interested we will hold this briefing on March 7, 2018 at 7 pm at Veterans Hall, 27637 State Highway 67 – just north of Woodland Park and past the golf course. All members of the community are invited. The meeting is being orchestrated by Andy Tyler and Thomas Kelly of the VFW Post 6051.

Denim & Pearls Gala. The Greater Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce will feature its 51st Annual Gala onFriday, March 16 at Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs.  The festivities start at 5:30 p.m. with a social hour and silent auction. The dinner and program will occur at 7 p.m.  During this time, the chamber will present a number of prestigious awards (see this week’s story in TMJ News for details.) This is one of the biggest formal events of the year. Tickets are available by contacting the Chamber office at 719687-9885 or going to the website at www.woodlandparkchamber.com. Please RSVP by March 13.  

Gold Spring Time Bird Walk. Spring time in the Rockies is a great season for bird watching. If you are interested in learning about the birds of southern Teller County, plan on attending a free trail walk and program in Victor on Saturday, April 28. Joe LaFleur, a wildlife biologist, will lead the walk on the Trails of Gold near Victor. Meet at the Victor Lowell Thomas Museum at 8:45 a.m. The walk will take about an hour and is free but is limited to 20 people. Be sure to sign up for this walk ahead of time as it is expected to sell out. Reservations should be made at VictorColorado.com. Be sure to dress for mountain weather.

At 10:15 a.m. LaFleur will make a free audiovisual presentation about local common birds of the spring season. The program will help you identify birds by sight and sound and will also review preferred habitats where each species is likely to be encountered. This event is being presented by the Southern Teller County Focus Group and Victor Lowell Thomas Museum as part of the non-profits’ education programs. For more information and to make reservations visit VictorColorado.com or call 719-689-5509.