News | May 5 An Aspen resident has challenged the city’s enforcement of local sign regulations galvanizing community support with a demonstration planned for 1 p.m Participants are encouraged to bring their own signs in defense of free expression and private property rights.  a longtime local artist and former gallery owner is defending the politically-charged yard signs on his property as protected free speech after drawing attention with his colorful a roadside display along Colorado Highway 82 that has become a familiar including one that reads “Evict Mark Hunt,” prompted a formal complaint to the city from neighbor Dr who criticized the signs as “horrific and mean-spirited.”  “If you have not seen what he is doing on the property — his signs — and not just about Hunt — it is time.” She described Tye’s art as “so ugly and inappropriate to have to see every time we turn into our home.”  Her communications requested an “emergency response” to the matter and raised concerns about the safety and influence of the signage on community standards The city subsequently issued a notice of violation citing Tye for exceeding the allowable frequency and duration of temporary signage under Aspen’s municipal code While the city maintains the content is irrelevant to the citation it argues Tye’s display violates regulations designed to limit visual clutter and preserve community aesthetics He insists the signs are protected speech under the First Amendment and calls them a form of political and artistic expression.  I am going to sign each piece and number them ‘one of one,’ along with a certificate of authenticity,” he said “That is what the authenticity of art is He added that Aspen’s cultural identity is rooted in expression not conformity.  “Keep Aspen fun and funky,” reads one of his pieces Tye accused Bronson of having a conflict of interest a developer who has become a lightning rod for criticism in Aspen. Tye asserts that she initially brought her complaints about the signage to Sheriff Michael Buglione whom he alleges previously worked for Hunt and still maintains relations with the developer Residents have expressed growing frustration with Hunt’s alleged sluggish project timelines and perceived role in accelerating gentrification according to Tye — including the Buckhorn Arms and Park and Midland — have drawn complaints for leaving central Aspen sites in a prolonged state of disrepair.  “Forget that he boarded up buildings He and his supporters view the city’s enforcement not just as bureaucratic overreach but as a broader erosion of Aspen’s creative “This is an extension of our national government taking away our freedoms and our local government’s attempts to homogenize Aspen.”  stands by its position that the ordinance is content-neutral and necessary to maintain public safety and visual order Tye stated that he has no intention of removing his artwork and anticipates that the matter will ultimately be resolved in municipal court Readers around Aspen and Snowmass Village make the Aspen Times’ work possible Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage are you considering any property transactions this spring View Results The postseason brackets were announced on Sunday for both boys and girls lacrosse with local teams receiving good and bad news Following its historic undefeated run through the regular season 1 overall seed in the 24-team Class 4A state tournament and will be one of eight teams with a first-round bye with that game scheduled for Friday on the AHS turf The Skiers were the only team in 4A to finish undefeated going 14-0 with Thursday’s 8-7 overtime game at Steamboat Springs the latest win Should the Demons prevail in their first-round game AHS did win 14-1 earlier this season in Glenwood Aspen hasn’t played Green Mountain in recent years Possible quarterfinal matchups for the Skiers include No Aspen girls lacrosse safely made the 24-team state tournament in 4A and will be the No AHS (10-5 overall) will have a first-round bye and host either No Mary’s Academy (5-9) in the second round on Thursday Roaring Fork (11-4) will also get a first-round bye 23 Liberty (2-13) in their second-round home game on Thursday 3 Battle Mountain; Steamboat Springs is No The season continues for Roaring Fork soccer (7-5-3) as the Rams were awarded the No 19 seed in the 3A state tournament and will play at No 14 Montezuma-Cortez (9-1-3) in the first round on Thursday 30 Elizabeth in the second round on Saturday Missing from the 32-team field are both Aspen and Basalt The final seeding data ranked AHS (7-6-1) at No Glenwood Springs did not make the 4A postseason field Following regionals last week in Grand Junction Aspen girls tennis will send one singles player and two doubles teams to the 3A state tournament held Thursday through Saturday in Colorado Springs AHS freshman Olivia Mandelblatt finished second to Vail Christian’s Heidi Iverson with the top two per flight at regionals making state Joining Mandelblatt at state will be the No 3 doubles team of Anna Dangler and Quintessa Frisch 4 doubles team of Grace Gallagher and Luna Murray Aspen does not have any state alternates (must have finished third at regionals) Basalt did not have any state qualifiers or alternates Glenwood Springs did have a state qualifier in senior Amanda Madden Demon junior Grace Sims will be a state alternate at No The regular season isn’t quite over for baseball Aspen is 7-12 overall following Saturday’s doubleheader split with Gunnison AHS plays on Wednesday at Roaring Fork before the Rams make the return trip on Saturday RFHS is 6-14 overall following a doubleheader sweep of Moffat County on Saturday Basalt is 9-9 overall after losing twice at Delta on Saturday The Longhorns host Glenwood Springs (14-5) on Wednesday Only 32 teams will qualify for regional play Aspen girls golf competed on Wednesday at Eagle Ranch Golf Course shooting 11-over 83 to finish six strokes back of Battle Mountain junior Makena Thayer Junior Josie Cole was next best for the Skiers This week’s schedule includes a trip to Tiara Rado in Grand Junction on Tuesday The regional tournament is scheduled for next Monday The Skiers are competing in the newly created 2A classification this spring Area track and field teams competed on Friday and Saturday at the WSL/SWL league championships at Stocker Stadium in Grand Junction — the last big hurrah before state Coal Ridge won both the boys and girls 3A Western Slope League titles Aspen was seventh (girls) and sixth (boys) while Roaring Fork was sixth (girls) and seventh (boys) Basalt’s Jared Tennenbaum won the 3A WSL boys 300-meter hurdles in 39.03 seconds The duo also finished 1-2 in the 110-meter hurdles The BHS boys 4×400-meter relay team won the 3A WSL race in 3:32.29 Basalt junior Towler Scott was fifth in the boys 3200-meter run in 10 minutes and he was sixth in the 1600-meter run in 4:34.95 BHS freshman Max Rooding snagged fourth in the boys triple jump (37-7.75) and AHS sophomore Yale Gieszl was fourth in the boys discus (119-08) Basalt’s Sidney Barill was fourth in the girls 100-meter hurdles (17.63) State track is scheduled for May 15-17 in Lakewood A full list of state qualifiers is expected out next week after this weekend’s last-chance qualifiers acolbert@aspentimes.com News | May 4 It’s the kind of thing that might most often be associated with the wild side of the Roaring Fork Valley are growing in popularity with local doctors offering alternatives to medication and integration with therapy ketamine is a legally classified Schedule III drug (Schedule I drugs are considered the most dangerous) which permits its use for medical purposes under specific regulations.  At both The NeuroSpa in Aspen and Basalt and at Satori Integrative Medicine Clinic in Glenwood Springs ketamine treatment is currently available to patients seeking assistance with treatment-resistant depression or even creativity and personal growth.   “The way I describe it to people is that they get their lives back,” said Dr Tamara Stoner of Satori Integrative Medicine Clinic recover from whatever it is that you’re trying to recover from.” Stoner grew up in the valley and has had her clinic for the past five years; she was an anesthesiologist for more than 20 years and did evidence-based medicine research and has a more appealing side effect profile than standard antianxiety and antidepressant medications “It’s equivalent to a hard reset for your central nervous system “It allows parts of your brain that don’t normally communicate particularly to be in touch with each other.” The next 48 to 72 hours after treatment also create a neuroplasticity in the brain that allows an individual to rapidly learn and unlearn patterns gave an example of a patient who went through ketamine therapy with her after feeling incredibly stuck in their life.  and felt like they couldn’t leave home,” Allen said “After a series of sessions that also included preparation and integration They’re a much more high functioning individual It can be a great way to provide healing and closure.” Allen also finds it important to integrate therapy with the psychedelic treatment providing both preparation and integration before and after the intramuscular therapy.  “You do get these really beautiful effects like suppression of anxiety and depression for short periods of time the same way breathwork is a tool,” she said “It’s all about the support around that tool that helps someone shift their mindset or worldview It’s really the container of everything around it.” Stoner agreed that ketamine is most effective in the context of therapy treatment around it has also been participating in a year-long program to hold a facilitator license for psilocybin journeys She has applied for The NeuroSpa to become a healing center and anticipates to open this additional offering by late summer Psilocybin and ketamine provide very different journeys A ketamine journey usually lasts 90 minutes where most people are either reclined in a chair or lying on the floor with an eye mask and noise-cancelling headphones She said that music can be one of the most important parts of this journey She said it’s a more somatic experience where people move around the room and often talk during the journey “We are really just there to support them,” she said “and give the person the time and ability to heal themselves.” Studies on psilocybin treatment particularly highlight the psychedlic’s ability to assist with treatment-resistant mental health in addition to quitting smoking and drinking less alcohol While psilocybin are a Schedule I drug in Colorado and illegal under federal law except for clinical research the state can issue licenses for medical-assisted use of the drug.  Allen and Stoner encourage those interested in psychedelic therapy to seek out a trusted professional for treatment.  whether it’s underground or in a more outward visible way … do it with people you feel safe with,” Allen said She highlighted that a high number of sexual assaults have occurred while someone has been in a “non-ordinary state of consciousness.” At The NeuroSpa Allen always has two guides at all times in the room for a patient’s safety Stoner also urges those experiencing any type of mental health issue or chronic pain to consider trying psychedelic therapy earlier on in their own journeys They’ve tried most everything else available and failed,” she said “We would love to see people earlier in the process … Progress is a little easier to find.”  From the entrance to Aspen to the exit as you head toward Independence Pass you might not know that you’re passing dozens of buildings that have been moved or otherwise altered from their original location.  all of those moves have been done by the same guy and his house moving company.  Bill Bailey started moving homes when he was 14 years old helping out with his stepdad’s home moving business Bill died in April after a long battle with Leukemia and more than 50 years of running his own home moving business “From the Hickory House all the way to Matchless Drive you can walk any block and see at least one building we’ve done over the last 45 to 50 years all the old historic buildings,” said Douglas Bill got his start in Grand Junction when he was teenager where he opened his own business in 1972 after serving in the National Guard He has helped move buildings all across the western slope of Colorado some as far as hundreds of miles and some as little as tens of feet.  His impact on the town of Aspen is undeniable.  he primarily helped lift and support historic houses and structures in town while construction crews excavated underneath the building to expand the foundation or otherwise renovate the subfloor area of the buildings He has helped lift or move the old Red Onion building and the Innsbruck Hotel owner of local construction company Steeplechase Construction Bill was the mastermind behind much of the engineering and planning for how to support the houses Walden contracted him to help with many of his projects in the Aspen area “He was able to understand all the components of a building He understood how to do his craft better than anybody He could look at a building and know exactly how he was going to set up a grid of steel Bill and stepson Douglas would lift structures using hydraulic jacks before supporting the structure underneath The structures were often supported with massive steel I-beams suspended on top of wooden “bridge supports.”  When transporting structures large distances Bill and his team would occasionally need to load the buildings onto the backs of trailers and transport them on the highway Many of these structures exceed the maximum height that roadways can support so they would work with local municipalities to find alternate routes or temporarily remove stop lights and signs when necessary Bill continued to work on the houses he was under contract with until a couple of months before his passing.  helping us get steel under these buildings or our building shoring and cribbing,” said Douglas or for the ones we actually got on the road Bill was married to wife Donna for 39 years Their large family included his four stepchildren and two children He was known for his love of fly fishing and ATV-ing with his family Douglas and his own son now plan to carry Bill’s home moving business forward for another generation They will be assisting the remodeling of the old Skier’s Chalet building by the Shadow Mountain The tabletop digital frame adds a 12-inch model with a 4:3 aspect ratio to the company’s lineup by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy FacebookThreadsIf you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. It also brings two new features to the table: text captions and people search but the Walden is larger and thicker than the Aspen Aura sent me an Aspen ahead of the launch this week The first thing that struck me was how much more it looks like a traditional photo frame than the Carver Its slim design and lightweight build are a nice change from the chunkier style of the earlier model Its new antiglare screen better mimics a real photo and the 4:3 aspect ratio displays the images beautifully As the default setting for most smartphone cameras nearly all the photos coming out of your phone will fit that size This means they’ll display on the frame without black bars the frame shows portrait and horizontal photos in full screen with some cropping that can be adjusted in the Aura app You add photos to the frame from your camera roll through the Aura Frames app (available on iOS and Android). You can also email them to the device or have them automatically added with an iCloud Photos or Google Photos album integration. (The latter is still available despite Google initially saying it was shutting it down.) Aura CTO Eric Jensen tells me that sourcing LCD displays for this size and use case was tricky but something the company worked toward for a while “It’s the best middle-ground size and thinness,” he says of the Aspen adding that they designed this frame specifically to sit on a desk “I’m excited that we were able to source a display that is the right aspect ratio Jensen says Aura has done a lot of work to make its digital frames look like photo frames and not just gussied-up screens — to be “invisible” technology Each display is individually calibrated at the factory to “match the native lighting environment,” he says A built-in ambient light sensor dims the frame in darker environments turning it off completely when the lights go out The new adjustable metal stand on the Aspen resembles what you’d find on a regular photo frame and a touch bar lets you swipe between images without leaving fingerprints on the screen Especially delightful is how the Aspen displays Live photos from your iPhone as mini-movies The Aspen is especially delightful when it displays Live photos from your iPhone as mini-movies — it feels very Harry Potter-esque It can also show videos up to 30 seconds long The new text captions and people search features You can now filter your camera roll by specific people which you can add in the app and appear on the frame are a nice way to add context when you’re sharing new photos to a family member’s frame This also helps with Aura’s other use case — as the orchestrator of a private family social network Sharing photos across different frames is core to the Aura experience many people’s first experience with Aura is buying one for a family member and sending pictures to the frame from the app The fun of sharing photos with loved ones in a way that is not restricted to their phone or their computer is apparently catching The duo was still interested in social networks many early ideas ran up against a common problem for this type of business: revenue streams they had an idea to combine a photo-sharing network with good hardware to display the images Even they were surprised at how quickly this took hold Jensen says; with people sharing photos and sharing frames The fun of sharing photos with loved ones in a way that is not restricted to their phone or computer and is physically present inside their homes is Aura doesn’t charge a subscription fee for its cloud-based photo storage Its business model is based on people buying one frame we know when we sell a frame to you that you buy for your mom that you are going to buy a certain number of frames in the future That accounts for more than half our sales,” Jensen says “That network growth is what drives the business.” It’s certainly refreshing to have a simple other than emailing them or posting them on social media (something my teenage kids refuse to let me do) I gave my mom an Aura frame to test the sharing feature and while I knew she would love seeing new pictures of the family Rather than just commenting on a social media post or replying to an email she called to talk about the photos I’d shared to her frame Photos by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge A weekly newsletter by David Pierce designed to tell you everything you need to download and explore that fits in The Verge’s universe ShareSaveCommentLifestyleDiningFrom Cognac To Colorado, A Taste Of Hennessy Paradis In AspenByBenjamin Liong Setiawan Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights and all of life's indulgences.Follow AuthorMay 05 09:18am EDTShareSaveCommentThe Paradis Suite at St Regis Aspen Resort Not only has their presidential suite been transformed into the Paradis suite but guests can also book a special Paradis dinner experience A partnership between Pastry Chef Cyril Baudin of Chateau de Bagnolet the historic estate of the Hennessy family in Cognac the four course dinner brings epicureans on a gastronomic journey from Cognac to Colorado A sample menu includes Alaskan king crab and Kaluga caviar paired with Krug Grande Cuvée dry aged duck breast and foie gras paired with Joseph Phelps Insignia Wagyu striploin and white Alba truffle paired with Hennessy X.O and a lavender infused baba paired with Hennessy Paradis Dessert course from the Paradis dinner experience: lavender infused baba paired with Hennessy .. Paradis is the pillar of the Hennessy Rare Editions collection an eighth generation master blender for Hennessy to learn more about the unique cognacs in the Rare Editions portfolio Naturally his family has deep roots in the cognac industry with his parents being grape growers and distillers About 20 years ago his uncle noticed his potential and gave him the opportunity to join Hennessy For Renaud “it’s really about what you believe in I believe in preparing the future and having values.” Hennessy Paradis in the Paradise Suite at St Regis Aspen Resort Benjamin Liong Setiawan: There are several expressions within the Hennessy Rare Editions collection Renaud Fillioux de Gironde: The heart of the Rare Editions is Hennessy Paradis It’s really the idea of being on the quest for perfect harmony It’s this idea of how you can see that everything just fits together Even after all these years—because we’re talking about a blend of 100 different eaux-de-vie that are at least 30 years old and some way more—it’s still fresh iconic because you can have all of these characters with this wonderful freshness and harmony We’re talking about the ingredients that are at least 50 years old and up to way more than that It’s the history of our founder in a glass So it’s really more about maturity and complexity when Paradis is about harmony and a delicate character It’s two different expressions of what an amazing stock of eaux-de-vie we have in Cognac BLS: In addition to your core range of Rare Editions RFdG: I’d say a limited edition or special creation is Paradis Unlimited We put back the cognac for almost three extra years in the barrel to let all of the elements combine with it how can you get the purest clarity and expression of Paradis So we took it straight from the barrel directly to the bottle It’s even more delicate and more elegant than Paradis And you can craft the packaging and design it any way you want the ultimate expression of our rare cognacs is La Dame Jeanne you have to know every Hennessy eau-de-vie is aged in barrel Each year I taste them to see their evolution and see if they’re ready to blend we’re going to keep them for a longer period in the barrel I remove it from the barrel and put it in the demijohn it stops the evolution because if you leave it in the barrel If we want to keep the essence just as it is The idea of La Dame Jeanne is you want a cognac just for you What I’m going to do is ask you to invite me for a couple of days to where you live I’m going to do a tasting with you of several different eaux-de-vie I’m going to understand even more what you like 10 liters of a pure expression of what I believe—with my knowledge about cognac making and blending—is something you will like I’ve done that twice and I’ve got the third one on the way It’s a pure expression of a perfect cognac just for one person what can you tell me about the eaux-de-vie that make up the cognac RFdG: I don’t talk too much about the figures because what matters is the quality of the selection Because if you blend a thousand poor eaux-de-vie What I learned during the first ten years of my career at Hennessy is learning how to taste It’s every day at 11 o’clock tasting 60 to 70 samples to learn what is good for Hennessy I worked ten years with my uncle and the team of tasters you start to have a good understanding of the stock is to follow the quality of our eaux-de-vie stock We try to put in the best condition the ones that still have potential blending is the very last step of the process The quality of the selection makes a difference BLS: Knowing that there are different eaux-de-vie in the blend RFdG: If you look at the stock of Hennessy the oldest eaux-de-vie we’ve got in stock is from 1800 a lot of the eaux-de-vie were there before I joined Hennessy there’s a bit of emotion because I’m using some of the treasures of all the members of my family that were here before me I have a special bond with them—the liquid I’ve got something that you can touch physically So even though I didn’t get a chance to meet him it’s a tribute to their work—to what they’ve done A look at some of the oldest eaux-de-vie in the cellars at Hennessy in Cognac BLS: There’s a real passion and tangible history in what you do The fact that a lot of the ingredients that I’m using in Paradis Doing something good and trying to make it better you’re preparing some eaux-de-vie that will be used for generations to come Part of what I decide to buy will be used in 100 years We also have the impact of the climate and everything Maybe this 2024 vintage is not going to age for a long time Aging is making a lot of decisions about how to get the best potential We are all different and have different abilities you probably went through schooling and jobs that helped you to be good at your craft And I need a plumber because we need diversity You just want to make sure that you take every eaux-de-vie and you put them at their best Managing stock is understanding potential from the beginning and putting it in the best condition for them Understanding how these eaux-de-vie are different from one another Seeing what’s the ultimate they can be after two years or after 300 years BLS: How do you know when you need to move some eaux-de-vie into a demijohn to stop the aging process versus giving others more time in the barrels RFdG: So this is why tasting is so important This is why all the time I spent learning how to taste is I can see in these eaux-de-view that they can be even better tomorrow Or if I found a point that I realize through tasting the character that will develop is just going to be linked to age and I don’t want that So let’s use it now or move to demijohn to halt the aging There’s no chemical analysis that you can do It’s really about understanding and making decision I’m going to do it for just half of the batch There’s a metaphor for life found in that philosophy This interview has been edited for length and clarity Paradis dinner experience in the Paradis Suite at St The Paradis Suite and the Paradis dinner experience at St Regis Aspen Resort will be available for bookings from May 29th onward and just in time for the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen Find Benjamin Liong Setiawan on Instagram: @hungryeditor Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited has launched its initial public offering of 11 million Class A ordinary shares will be sold by entities managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management which currently controls the Bermuda-based insurer The move comes after Aspen announced in January its plan to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange following a series of reforms introduced by the London Stock Exchange in 2024 the selling shareholders have granted underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1.65 million shares The offering price is expected to fall between $29.00 and $31.00 per share Aspen’s shares have been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “AHL,” subject to official notice of issuance and Jefferies are acting as lead book-running managers Additional book-runners include Apollo Global Securities Academy Securities and Siebert Williams Shank are serving as co-managers The IPO marks a return to public markets for Aspen which was taken private in 2019 following its acquisition by Apollo for approximately $2.6 billion The offering gives existing shareholders a partial exit and may provide additional liquidity for the company as it continues to expand its insurance and reinsurance operations Aspen’s listing comes amid a gradual recovery in the U.S After a period of reduced activity in 2022 and 2023 companies are beginning to pursue public offerings again as market volatility eases and investor demand shows signs of returning and healthcare companies have led recent filings with insurers and specialty finance firms also showing renewed interest in tapping equity markets Aspen provides insurance solutions in property Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Before Arnie’s Antiques and More had a storefront It beat through late-night sorting sessions with coin jars and magnifying glasses It echoed in conversations about gold certificates and silver eagles passed between Carl Garza and his kids as they sat cross-legged on the living room floor inside three storage units and across nearly every inch of the Garza home that pulse has found a permanent home — and a front door — in Glenwood Springs Arnie’s Antiques and More quietly opened in early April but the roots of the business go back decades It’s a continuation of something they’ve been building their entire lives “This has been a passion of mine since I was 13,” Carl said I’d buy bags of change from banks and stay up late going through them And snowball it did — into a collection that took over their home “We had antiques everywhere,” Cynthia said ‘We’ve got to do something with all of this.'” What they did was build something that feels both nostalgic and new — a place where history is honored It’s all captured in their motto: “Preserving the elegance of the past It’s a tribute to Carl’s grandfather a man who played a central role in his upbringing and whose values helped shape the store’s identity “My grandfather meant the world to me,” Carl said “Naming this after him just made sense.” That tradition of honoring family is woven throughout the Garzas’ story they’re continuing to build something rooted in legacy every item has been researched and tagged with care You won’t find mass-produced replicas passed off as vintage “I don’t want someone buying something that looks old but was made last year,” she said “These items were crafted with skill and intention What started as a childhood hobby grew into something that filled entire rooms “Carl would bring home coins all the time,” she said going through rolls we picked up from the bank watching YouTube videos about what to look for the Garzas began collecting more than just currency Their travels around Colorado — mostly work trips for Carl’s asphalt company — became opportunities to stop at antique shops glassware — anything that told a story came home with them “Our house was overflowing,” Cynthia said even the walls were part of the collection.” It was how much of it there was — and what to do next “Our collection outgrew everything,” Carl said “Even our first attempt at a storefront on Grand Avenue was too small before we finished moving in.” That’s when they found their current location at 251 Soccer Field Road near Glenwood Springs Middle School — a large open space that offers more than just room to display From the moment you step inside Arnie’s Antiques and More it’s clear it isn’t a resale shop Typewriters with keys that still click like they did 80 years ago The walls are lined with pieces that feel like they’ve waited decades to be noticed again “This isn’t stuff you find at a thrift store,” Cynthia said The Garzas are exploring plans to expand the space into a local auction house — something the valley currently lacks They’re also considering event rentals for weddings “We’re not just trying to sell things,” Carl said “We’re trying to keep things from being lost — to landfills the mission has always been about giving items the space they deserve — and giving people the chance to experience them “There’s something special about seeing someone light up when they connect with a piece,” she said “You can tell it reminds them of something That’s what this is all about.” The Garzas have received a warm response from the community even before hosting a formal grand opening One longtime acquaintance recently visited the shop You’re going to do great,'” Cynthia recalled “And that just stuck with me.” who has seen firsthand the weight this project has lifted from her mother “My mom’s cried to me more times than I can count about the amount of stuff they had to go through,” she said I can see it in her face — she’s proud Their Grand Avenue location remains open by appointment only while the main showroom on Soccer Field Road is now open to the public as they continue preparing for a full grand opening the store is fulfilling its mission: preserving the past and making it accessible to anyone who walks through the door “We want people to feel something when they’re here,” Carl said or just appreciation for how things used to be made.” “This isn’t just our story anymore News | May 3 Let’s get the bullocks out of the way right away: This is my final Mucking With Movies for The Aspen Times I haven’t been fired for turning in my columns late trying to pick up girls with my press pass or for the numerous times I snuck in cocaine jokes I got hired back home back East to be the mogul program director for Stratton Mountain School But that means Mucking With Movies must be taken behind the woodshed the Times wants local writers for their local paper As my final way to annoy my former editor and now the Times publisher I implored her to let me review my favorite all-time flick “Big Wednesday” written and directed by John Milius and released in 1978 I was sitting around with a film degree I hadn’t used in years and had fallen out of love with movies I started binge-watching Dave Bautista flicks When I got to “Knock at the Cabin,” I started thinking about ending the marathon with a trip to the theater so something connected in my foggy brain that maybe I could get somebody to pay for it I went to see “Blackberry” and wrote a review on spec sitting in my backyard smoking cigarettes on a sunny spring day and making my roommate read every draft I churned out and she told me she thinks she has space for a biweekly column but I would need to see more mainstream movies I wake up every morning and think about my 10th-grade radio teacher who told me I was talentless and then I tell him he didn’t know what he was talking about I’ve broken every rule I was taught about non-fiction writing You let me get away with it all — thank you I would have never found “Big Wednesday” without him and probably never have fallen in love with film without him I would have been one of those nothing human beings with no passion and no great curiosity about art and how enriching it can be he would drive me about nine hours round-trip from Long Island I would watch four to five movies a weekend and finally for a main character reunion in 1974 for the childhood friends to surf the biggest swell their beach had ever seen Using a trio of Los Angeles area surfers: local legend Matt Johnson (Jan-Michael Vincent) and reckless Leroy “The Masochist” (Gary Busey) as vessels to dissect the effect the Vietnam War had on America’s youth it displays how fast time moved during that era we’re talking about kids who went from drinking red wine in hammocks one day to being sent away to fight in a war they didn’t understand the next Their maturation was somehow both stunted and accelerated One of the film’s great scenes is in the processing warehouse all have to shuffle through to see if they’re “fit” to serve Writer/director Milius utilizes scores and scores of extras here better than I have seen in any other film Deploying them as pawns to display the dehumanization the draftees underwent as they moved from station to station like cattle They return from war to a world they no longer understand has turned into a hippie haven that no longer serves the cheeseburger and spaghetti special they grew up on yells at the waiter “I’m not your brother and turn down that crappy music.” The film is an hour and a half of heartbreak and eventual triumph masquerading as a gorgeous yet simple surfer slice-of-life film It is the paramount proof that great art can be about anything “Growing up is hard ain’t it kid” — whenever there is a lull in the conversation Most notably using it to shepherd us through tough situations It’s something I whisper to myself often as I free-fall towards thirty Spoken by their surfer/life mentor Bear (Sam Melville) to Matt so succinctly it articulates the struggle of our lives almost every day presents us with new challenges we thought ourselves incapable of achieving I have athletes and mentees who look to me for answers and now I have to sacrifice this column to chase bigger dreams “Nobody surfs forever” — another poignant piece of advice from Bear I’m sure I’ll always be cutting out to put the sticks on my feet The time in my life when there was nothing to worry about but ripping powder and making out in liftie shacks is coming to a sharp end I’ve written here before that it is not art that is important but the things that art brings into our lives thank you if you emailed me to argue about movies Jack Simon is a mogul coach and writer/director who enjoys eating food he can’t afford Check out his website jacksimonmakes.com to see his Jack’s Jitney travelogue series You can email him at jackdocsimon@gmail.com for inquiries of any type What's your favorite spring task around the house View Results Those who have mastered the craft say it rarely comes without a trial and error period.  and intensified ultraviolet rays into the mix creates obstacles that those living in high-altitude environments have to hurdle Fostering a fruitful garden at 9,000 feet comes with a different set of rules and should also come with a different set of expectations Here’s the tips and tricks of those who have figured out agriculture at elevation Community Supported Agriculture farmer Kyla Laplante has spent over a decade getting acclimated to farming at thousands of feet above the sea level terrain she got her start on She readied herself for this new role providing inventory for a community garden with research to begin what she describes as education-backed trials when she first made her way to Summit County as a farmer “I learned a lot about soil temperatures and used that as a guide to see how we could push our limits (as) we were really trying to produce as much food as we could for Community Supported Agriculture,” she said Being mindful of the temperature is particularly important during spring gardening when cold temperatures can come back to visit at night She said the sturdiest vegetables have a minimum soil temperature of 40 degrees Root vegetables like carrots and parsnips are able to withstand colder temperatures and are among the vegetables that can be successfully planted as early as April Laplante said the environmental nonprofit that supports her work developed a helpful grow chart with recommended plant dates she recommends as a guide the other set of somewhat frost-resistant vegetables that can be planted in the spring include greens like baby kale warmer weather helps open to the door to a more robust garden featuring more plants not just those that can withstand the cold Lisa Clement has been gardening in some of Colorado’s highest elevation municipalities with her company Ladybug Gardening for around 25 years working in Park County communities and Breckenridge She said if she’s really pushing the envelope She added most people use Father’s Day as a reliable start to the gardening season “You really have to pay attention to the weather apps,” longtime Summit-based gardener Karn Stiegelmeier said noting warmer weather patterns are a solid signifier of prime garnering season approaching She said while people can house early-season plants in close proximity to their house to keep them warm it’s a safer bet to start growing a plant inside and then bring it outside there’s some species better suited for the High Country that require less maintenance than others Stiegelmeier said native plants are a strong place to start for beginner because they are genetically wired to survive in high altitude larkspurs — all those grow really well and can be easily bought from local nurseries,” she said Clement said to keep an eye out for flowers found on trails as these can resist drought better than most and generally require low maintenance She recommends steering clear of big box stores when it comes to curating a garden you don’t know where the plants are coming from,” she said “They could be grown in Oregon and then get transferred to Colorado and then they just kind of don’t do anything once you try and plant them here.” With high-elevation communities lacking humidity and being closer to the sun the odds of plants drying out are stronger but mulching can be crucial while garndening in the mountains She said mulching both preserves water and aids in suppressing weeds It is particular useful for those who are bound by irrigation rules mandating how and where they can use water “The lack of humidity really impacts plant growth and so anything you can do to cover your plant beds is an important,” Laplante said can act as a helpful barrier to keep moisture in and things like insects out Keeping things larger than insects away from the garden is more of a feat Stiegelmeier said she has had some success keeping critters away using products that smell like predatory animals but it’s not always a bulletproof method Laplante said the only tried and true methods she’s found are traps While fences and covers can deter animals like moose animals that can burrow underground can easily get around those She said gardening is a constant game of success and loss and there’s adequate opportunities to learn you have another chance to try something different or look at it a different way,” she said News | Apr 30 Old Snowmass’ Alex Kelloff announced on Wednesday he will run for U.S The fourth-generation Coloradan and co-founder of Armada Skis formally entered on Tuesday into the race for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District He will run as a Democrat in the November 2026 election “Everything that holds this country together — honor mutual respect — is under attack,” Kelloff said in a press release including Lauren Boebert and her successor are tearing at the fabric of our democracy and undermining the very institutions that protect our freedoms I can’t sit back and watch it happen.” was elected November 2024 to represent Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District who now represents the state’s 4th Congressional District “I’m running for Congress because I’m ready to lead and determined to make a difference,” Kelloff said in the release “I believe in stepping up when the moment calls for it — and that moment is now.” “There’s a growing energy out there for change due to the chaos of the Trump administration and the dysfunction of the last 100 days,” said Kelloff’s Campaign Chairman and Senior Advisor Eric Lodal “where people know the country’s off course and they’re hungry to be part of fixing it “There’s a lack of leadership nationwide and that’s the void Alex is stepping into — not with slogans but with serious ideas and the guts to get things done and he’s ready to meet it,” he added Kelloff’s family settled in Trinidad His grandfather worked in the coal mines near Aguilar and his mom attended high school in Grand Junction His parents married almost 60 years ago in Aspen he most recently serves as a partner and member of the Investment Committee at SDC Capital Partners a global digital infrastructure investment company he worked at a number of other financial firms Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com Opinion | May 2 I’ve been noticing a lot of Teslas around Aspen these days It seems like we’re the mini Tesla capitol of Colorado I’m curious as to what local owners are feeling right now with regard to all the controversy surrounding the brand I know plenty of people in town who own Teslas and they seem like perfectly reasonable folks to me Just the other day driving into my bucolic employee-housing neighborhood and I probed a couple of people who own Teslas The first guy went full-on apologist and sounded like he was a PR spokesman for a corporation going into crisis mode even mentioning he was reading Elon Musk’s biography by Walter Isaacson — the Tesla’s default owner’s manual The other dude was experiencing major buyer’s remorse He said it was a total drag pulling into the parking lot and enduring incessant stupid questions and snarky comments Not the greatest way to start your ski day we’re all either trying to hide something about us or make people think we’re someone that we’re not If you’re a Tesla owner having second thoughts I have a solution for you: You can buy one of my aftermarket “Hide My Tesla” kits that turns your Tesla into an AMC Pacer I can almost see the 5-star reviews on Amazon now like this conjured one from @skibum7908: “Ever since I bought my “Hide a Tesla” kit the other day while searching for a parking space like a famished piranha in the dank fluorescent confines of the Highlands garage I was faced with a moral parking predicament of sorts: park next to a Tesla truck or a Jeep I started to pull into the space next to the brutalist architecture-esque beast then suddenly jerked the wheel toward the Jeep out of fear of my car being caught up in a collateral damage vandalization scenario I had a horrific vision of skiing down to the base after a soothing bowl lap and seeing a column of toxic battery smoke pouring from the parking garage only to discover my van and all of its contents burned to a crisp and checked out the rear bumper to see if you could skitch behind the thing because that would be pretty funny — a Tesla truck scooping the loop with a few hoodlum kids hanging off the bumper like ticks Onlookers probably thought I was putting a bomb underneath the behemoth the Tesla truck strikes me as very “Bauhaus” design-wise and would look oddly complimentary parked in front of the Aspen Institute Turns out the Tesla truck has no graspable rear bumper and is basically un-skitch-able I’m more concerned about the white supremacist flyer I saw affixed to the traffic signal control box at the busy intersection of Colorado Highway 82 and Cemetery Lane the other day the whole bizarre “hating on a car” trip made me think about growing up here Aspen and all the different cars that have been provocative The first one that comes to mind is the Saab When Aspen Police Chief Marty Hershey first introduced the Saab as the official car of the Aspen Police in the ’70s they were considered wildly unconventional and somewhat outrageous I spoke to Pitkin County Sherriff Michael Buglione on the street the other day and he said the latter-day Saabs were really quite luxurious with Bose stereos and heated seats the Aspen Police now have a couple of tricked-out Teslas The next car that comes to mind is the Grand Wagoneer Limited I saw one the other day in immaculate condition and was heartened The Grand Wagoneer was considered the essential mountain luxury vehicle Who can ever forget when the notorious Range Rover came on the scene The first person to have one was Jack Nicholson whose trademark forest green Rover was consistently parked out in front of his spread on Lake Avenue next to Elizabeth Paepcke’s place coming out of his front door after an all-nighter and insinuatingly greeting her like his character in “Something’s Gotta Give,” with a lecherous “Mornin’ Pussy!” as she tended her front garden before slithering into his Rover and driving off The Range Rover went on to become one of the most loathed cars in Aspen (unless you happened to be Jack Nicholson) right up to the point when the Hummer first arrived In perhaps a precursory omen to the local groundswell of Teslas I remember seeing a stainless-steel DeLorean in Aspen — a car purported to have ties to cocaine Volant also came out with stainless-steel skis Aspen was swarming with Mellow Yellow taxis the Aspen Highlands busses were painted like sticks of Fruit Stripe gum and RFTA buses were dressed up like streetcars of desire One of the craziest cars I remember was a Citroen station wagon driven by a Sikh who wore a white turban and full robe There was even a Rolls Royce parked outside a Victorian on Lake Avenue Mea culpa: I’ve never driven a Tesla “Don’t knock it ’till you tried it.” What kind of car you drive tells a lot about you I have two Fords and a Mini Cooper with tacky vanity plates My dream car is a 4-wheel drive Porsche 911 with a ski rack I bought my youngest son a Tesla truck for his 22nd birthday — a 1:64 scale Hotwheels version — as a gag Contact Lorenzo via email at suityourself@sopris.net The Aspen Valley Polo Club this week announced its schedule for the upcoming summer season with 14 grass and arena tournaments set in July and August New this year is the creation of a Twilight Polo Series which will feature Tuesday night arena and twilight polo from July 29 to Aug The main summer schedule will get underway on July 5 with the Independence Cup followed the next day by the ChukkerTV Cup The rest of the month includes the Craig Sakin Memorial (July 10-13); Basalt Handicap (July 17-20); Emma Challenge Cup (July 24-27); and the High Alpine Cup (July 31-Aug 14-17); Triple Crown of Polo Aspen and Silver Queen Invitational doubleheader (Aug AVPC is headquartered on 15 acres near the Catherine Store outside Carbondale under the shadow of the 12,965-foot Mount Sopris This will be its 12th season of offering summer competition The highlight of the last summer’s lineup was the Summer Polo Charity Classic benefiting the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation A record crowd of 250 VIP guests raised just over $1 million “raised the most money in a single-day polo event in the United States.” Details on a possible 2025 event were not released The 2024 competition schedule included multiple different team champions: Santa Rita will live stream the entire 2025 polo season with announcer Dale Schwetz again calling the action AVPC is the only USPA club to live stream its entire schedule and refreshments are free and open to the public The club was resurrected in 2014 by valley locals Marc and Melissa Ganzi. The club is also behind the popular World Snow Polo Championships News | May 2 The Aspen Recreation Department is relaunching the Aspen parkrun series on Saturday inviting residents and visitors to take part in a free weekly 5K that showcases one of the city’s most scenic corridors.  The event will be held every Saturday at 9 a.m This year’s series introduces a new course that begins and ends at Herron Park in downtown Aspen following an out-and-back route along the Rio Grande Trail Aspen Recreation Programs Supervisor Shelley Roy said the relocation of the course downtown fulfills a long-held goal “We have been doing the event since 2017 we’ve had the event start at the rec center we’ve had the event start at the golf course But we’ve always wanted to have it in downtown Aspen.” Roy added that the Rio Grande Trail offers more than just a beautiful course — it brings the event closer to Aspen’s cultural and social hub so it will be nice for them to be downtown and explore the markets afterwards,” she said “It sort of has been my vision to have this event held downtown since we’ve started.” Aspen’s parkrun is part of a global network of timed 5K events that began in London in 2007 and now spans more than 20 countries.  attracting visitors who want to experience a high-altitude challenge in the heart of the Rockies and we look forward to seeing the community come together to participate,” Roy said “The beauty of parkrun was to just get people out and be healthy.” Roy emphasized that the event welcomes a wide range of participants.  “This is about being together with the community That is really what this is all about,” she said and an adult must accompany children under 12 Although the event is free, first-time runners must register in advance at parkrun.us/aspen to receive a personal barcode used for timing participants are invited to celebrate their effort with a free drip coffee and 10% off pastries at the Swedish Hill bakery kiosk located inside the Aspen Art Museum For updates, participants can visit the parkrun website or follow Aspen parkrun on Facebook “Aspen Booms in 1889 style,” announced the Aspen Daily Times on May 2 Aspen was one of the first cities to install the new and modern arc lights on street corners and for domestic lighting A jewel of a mining camp set high in the Rockies Nothing was too good for a city that was busy digging millions in rich silver ore from Aspen and Smuggler Mountains Many call it the Crime of 1893 when silver lost its value as a basic money metal and took its place on the auction block along with the base Once a city where the finest opera companies stopped over when going from Denver to Salt Lake City the 1940 census listed only 777 souls who could call Aspen home But have you heard the pounding of hammers is leading the way in helping to restore and repair what is left of the once proud little city an artist and designer of international fame to come to Aspen to supervise the decoration of company property Bayer will be in charge of all color schemes used in the Hotel Jerome and the several guest houses operated in connection with the hotel.”  The image above shows Aspen from Roch Run on Aspen Mountain “Back in Time” is contributed by the Aspen Historical Society and features excerpted articles and images from past Snowmass Sun/Aspen Times issues Visit archiveaspen.org to view the vast Aspen Times photographic collection in the AHS Archives Aspen Historical Society actively preserves and passionately presents local history in an inspired and provocative manner that will continue to anchor the local community and its evolving character Steamboat Springs boys lacrosse closed the regular season Thursday night with what will perhaps be their biggest battle of the year The Sailors were matched up with undefeated Aspen a team that beat the Sailors earlier this season Steamboat got off to a slow start in the regular season dropping games against a stacked opposing schedule early on Those games helped push the Sailors to get better and progress rapidly through the season.  the Sailors won seven of their last eight games including wins over Battle Mountain and Vail Mountain That winning streak came to a close Thursday night after the Sailors dragged the Skiers to an overtime sudden-victory finish Ultimately it was Aspen who would prevail 8-7 to finish the regular season undefeated It was the tightest game Aspen played all season a squad that will almost certainly earn the No Steamboat honored its senior athletes before the game Its six varsity seniors include Finn Baier; Seamus Malia; Baron Fleming; Jeffrey Sturges; George Redfern; and Jake Davidoff The Sailors take a 9-6 record and +24 goal differential into the playoffs 9 on the RPI rankings but will learn of its official seed on Sunday when the Colorado High School Activities Association releases the playoff brackets To reach Tom Skulski, call 970-871-4240, email tskulski@SteamboatPilot.com. Readers around Steamboat and Routt County make the Steamboat Pilot & Today’s work possible Obituaries | May 3 surrounded by friends and family on Saturday He picked the perfect day to ride off — warm It was also his favorite day of the year: Branding Day at McCabe Ranch and raised in Carbondale as a fifth-generation native Horses were in his blood from the beginning and riding wherever there was a trail to find He graduated from Roaring Fork High School then earned a rodeo scholarship to Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo though the surf waves sometimes called him more loudly than the psychology courses Jeff spent time working ranches in Hawaii and Australia before the Roaring Fork Valley called him home for good from the rodeo arena to the high-country trails winning buckles at the Carbondale and Snowmass rodeos He also made his mark in the polo and cutting horse world where his instinct for a good horse was unmatched Benedict’s Monastery in Old Snowmass guided countless rides through the Snowmass Lake area and even spent time camping under the stars while John Denver strummed his guitar He never met a horse he couldn’t throw a leg over a steer he didn’t think he could catch His love for livestock and the outdoors ran deep and he shared his knowledge freely with anyone who wanted to learn Jeff was happiest sitting in the rodeo arena You could always spot him by his well-worn denim from head to toe and the signature hat tip and mustache-clad smile he gave to friends and strangers alike sons Dylan Greenough-Groom and Bowen Groom He is also survived by his in-laws Nancy and Glenn Forsey and Erin Forsey and a posse of cowboys who left us all too soon A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday and Andrea Korber will discuss best practices for designing learning spaces for children during a talk and panel focusing on Ford’s newly published third book “Creating the Regenerative School.” Ford wrote the book along with collaborators Kate Mraw and Betsy del Monte The book highlights how to design learning environments that are “regenerative,” going beyond sustainability to be restorative for the “occupants “The idea is that you’re making it better,” Ford explained His newest publication spotlights the importance of projects like Aspen’s yet-to-be-built Burlingame Early Childhood Education Center a project worked on by both Ford and Korber said her organization initiated the Burlingame project in 2021 to address the community’s need for high-quality early learning programs “There are a lot of conversations about how you set up spaces for learning,” Korber said “It’s a subject a lot of people are talking about these days.”  “What’s special about a case study of the Burlingame project is that it’s the only project represented in the book that is able to embrace all of the best practices discussed which some of the other projects in the book have,” Ford said He and Korber are also working together on a scaled-down project for a little red school house in Snowmass The final construction documents are in process and it’s projected to be completed by 2026 Ford’s previous book that was published in 2007 “Designing the Sustainable School,” received international recognition and is still being used by architects today “I’m happy to have the chance to speak to the community about the project we’re working on with Alan because he’s just an incredible researcher and a wealth of knowledge and it’s a joy to work with him,” Korber “Every day we are doing something new It’s a pleasure to share that with everyone else,” she concluded News | May 1 A talk about Aspen’s planned Burlingame Early Childhood Education Center and its significance will take place from 4:30-5:30 p.m. The Burlingame Early Childcare Center in Aspen is featured in the newly published book “Creating the Regenerative School,” written by Alan Ford of Ford Architects Although the Burlingame project itself is still not built it was selected for publication as the project encompasses forward-thinking design principles that go beyond traditional “green building.” It zeros in on regeneration meaning a design that actively improves the health and well-being of its users; in this case it outlines the best practices of design for early childhood through 12th grade learning environments as well as supports the teachers and the broader environment The architectural project is an Aspen project led by Kids First The team includes Land+Shelter and Ford Architects Speakers Ford and Andi Korber from Land+Shelter will talk about the project and its significance in the community. For more info, visit explorebooksellers.com/event/alan-ford-andi-korber-creating-regenerative-school Roaring Fork Cycling will host its 13th annual Bike Swap from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Local’s Night is back, featuring Lo-G Golbus Quevo at Belly Up Aspen from 9-11 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. “Party with your favorite EDM Aspenites.” The doors open at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m. Belly Up Aspen is located at 450 S. Galena. The admission price is $10, and the event is for those 21 and up, with valid ID. For more information, visit bellyupaspen.com/events/locals-night-lo_g Basalt Bike and Ski is hosting the Women’s Cycling Collective Inspire Kick-Off Party at 5 p.m. The first 65 people registered receive a swag bag Attendees can enjoy an exciting raffle, a huge discount on Smith Optics gear, a chance to meet and mingle with the board and other members, and learn about the sponsors and partnership perks. Basalt Bike and Ski will be offering 25 percent off all accessories and clothing during the event. To register, go to inspirecycling.org Be sure not to miss the final Cinco de Mayo celebration at Aspen’s Mi Chola The popular Mexican restaurant is set to close later this year the happy hour menu is expected to be available all day Darren Chapple is anticipated to be present “My Body is a Geodesic Dome,” the event will be hosted by Aspen Film from 6:30-8:45 p.m. “This is an amazing program which we’re proud to be a part of for the second year,” AspenFilm Executive and Artistic Director Susan Wrubel said The event is hosted by Clay Dahlman and will feature guest speaker Penner Manager of Educational Programs Andrew Travers at the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies who will talk on relevant science topics.  It begins with s a screening of “The House of Tomorrow” with director Peter Livoisi — a coming-of-age story about Sebastian Pendergast raised in isolation by his grandmother in a geodesic dome inspired by Buckminster Fuller Sebastian’s life changes when he meets Jared leading to a journey of self-discovery and rebellion the short film “Chilly and Milly” with director William D Caballero is a 9-minute autobiographical documentary exploring the director’s father’s chronic health issues and his mother’s role as caretaker combining 3D-modeled characters with footage shot 13 years prior “This series in particular allows us to demonstrate the mission of enlightening Being able to work with an amazing partner such as the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies and having two of our favorite locals in conversation certainly elevates the conversations and the evening.” The film is part of Aspen’s film “Science on Screen” series. This initiative is part of a nationwide program by the Coolidge Corner Theatre, supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Tickets are $15 general admission, $50 series pass, and free for Aspen film members. For more info, visit aspenfilm.org/event/science-on-screen-my-body-is-a-geodesic-dome Icelandic band Kaleo will perform live at Belly Up Aspen on May 9 coinciding with the release of their highly anticipated third studio album “Mixed Emotions,” via Atlantic Records those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian Belly Up Aspen is located at 450 South Galena St The Aspen Art Museum’s “Little Architects” program is scheduled for 10-11 a.m. This engaging workshop is designed for families with young children It will begin with a tour of the Youth Art Expo 2025: Architecture and Imagination exhibition showcasing the art from almost 2,000 K-12 students in the extended Roaring Fork Valley children will move to the Education Workshop to create a block set to take home Both the weather and the calendar have turned a page around here this wine scribe’s thoughts are turning to the unofficial opening of the summer season the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen will make its annual return to our little mountain town for the 42nd edition of what is nationally recognized as the premier culinary and wine event of its kind the Classic comes a little later than usual falling on the weekend of June 20, rather than the traditional Father’s Day weekend When people ask me why The Aspen Times has a wine column I explain that Aspen is one of the great wine towns in all of America the wine lists in many of the restaurants are world class and there is a community of collectors who bring their share of wine gravitas (not to mention epic bottles) to the table But I also always regard the presence of the Food and Wine Classic as being a key component in making Aspen such a significant destination for wine lovers The event brings the world’s best wines and their makers here each summer The festival first debuted back in 1983 as the Aspen/Snowmass International Wine Festival with about 300 mostly local attendees It has since become one of the longest running gatherings for food afficionados and wine connoisseurs in the country then owner of the downtown Aspen wine shop Of Grape and Grain who owned the French–inspired Chez Grandmere in Snowmass could hardly have dreamed that their little event would become a summer staple that would be thriving 42 years on There is a lot to look forward to for wine lovers at each year’s Classic — from seeing old friends to tasting the prodigious selection of wines in the Grand Tasting Pavilion the impromptu parties where great wines are poured I look forward to attending  the seminars which marry a combination of entertainment and education delivered by the foremost authorities on wine I inevitably learn something at each and every seminar executive wine editor of Food & Wine Magazine and his team convene a cadre of the most learned and enthusiastic people in the world of wine to host seminars in assorted hotel ballrooms and tasting tents around town who will be presenting a pair of seminars himself (a celebration of “new” Bordeaux and his ever-popular “chips and wines”) has been at this for two decades now and always invites illuminating experts for the wine seminar attendees to enjoy Aspen can look forward to sharing “Bubbles and Blockbusters” with Amanda McCrossin a “Sake vs Wine Showdown” fronted by Monica Samuels and Julia Coney keeping it cool with “Wines from Extreme Regions.” And that’s just the beginning Wine lovers always pack the presentations for the tag-team of Bobby Stuckey and Carlin Karr of  Boulder’s Frasca Hospitality Group they will be partnering on a pair of seminars including “The New Friuli: Italy’s Most Exciting White Wine Region” and “Terroir Tradition & The Sea: The Great Island Wines of the World.” Oh and they will be coming straight off the James Beard Foundation Awards in Chicago where Frasca Food and Wine is up for the title of “Outstanding Restaurant” on Monday Seminar favorite Mark Oldman returns for his 19th year at the Classic bringing with him bottles of mythic proportions to a seminar titled “GO BIG: Superstar Magnums & Beyond.” Expect bottles that will require a team of sommeliers just to pour he will introduce attendees to the wines of “California Royalty: California’s Top Winemakers.” It will take you to the West Coast in a glass Also making a welcomed return as presenter (This will be her fourth year pouring at the Classic) is wine writer she’ll be tackling a different kind of Cabernet than you might expect “Cabernet Sauvignon has dominated the red wine scene has more than earned its close-up,” she explained ‘Let’s Get Franc: The Other Great Cabernet,’ will feature delicious wines from different regions that showcase Cab Franc’s elegance and versatility I’ll be pouring Planeta Didacus from Sicily and Ovid Hexameter from Napa Valley.”  And I always look forward to attending the presentations hosted by Little Nell wine alum Sabato Sagaria beginning in 2007 as the director of food and beverage “the fifth bald Master Sommelier.” He comes back to his former home at the Little Nell to present a seminar alongside hospitality guru Gary Obligacion titled “Sips & Sausages: Top Wines to Pair with Brats Boudin & Beyond.” It’s a meaty topic Right around 50 days to go before the Classic pours again The Aspen Music Festival and School president and CEO Alan Fletcher has been granted membership into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and I think the honor really goes to the organization for what it means nationally and internationally,” Fletcher said The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is a prestigious honorary society that brings exceptional individuals from a wide range of disciplines to collaborate on pressing global and societal affairs Its mission is to foster knowledge and leadership across fields “These new members’ accomplishments speak volumes about the human capacity for discovery and persistence,” Academy President Laurie L The announcement granted Fletcher a spot in the Leadership specifically for the subcategory of Scientific he has served as dean and provost of the New England Conservatory as well as a professor and head of the Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Music He lectures both nationally and internationally from George Washington and Benjamin Franklin to journalist Gloria Steinem “The essence of the academy since its first members (Washington Hamilton) has been to care deeply about this country and its people and to believe that leadership from the arts and sciences is truly important — a message we need more than ever!” Fletcher said The Aspen Institute’s President and CEO Dan Porterfield and Aspenite Eric Liu Fletcher will be among the 250 newly selected members to be inducted in a ceremony in Cambridge Since Tom and Nancy Yoder opened the first ever Kemo Sabe store in Aspen the company’s mantra has been “make everyone feel important.”  the flagship shop might have appeared to cater primarily to the big-name celebrity and well-off tourist culture with its hand-made hats that blend beaver and rabbit felt with hand-molded cowboy and softened flat-brimmed styles the locals’ event is proving that locals matter to Kemo Sabe just as much as its more affluent and visiting clientele Kemo Sabe’s vice president who oversees the Aspen and Vail regions is a driving force behind making locals feel welcomed and appreciated with this event “We want it to be more focused for our friends and neighbors,” Benninger said We want more of a community in Aspen.”  Discounts will range from 20% to 50% off on items including hats and a special sneak preview of a new peak season amenity to celebrate the hard work those in town put in over the winter.  Aspen Kemo Sabe Bar and Events Manager Kristi LaBauve emphasized that everyone will be carded at the door The featured cocktail will be Kemo Sabe’s signature margarita we want to make it super special because it’s locals’ weekend,” LaBauve said “We want to make them feel like the VVIPs.” Benninger hopes this will give locals the opportunity to share in the Kemo Sabe experience that can sometimes seem a bit out of reach.  “We want it to be special,” she said “Everyone has worked so hard in this entire town over the peak season that we want to give back a little.” This isn’t the first time that Aspen’s Kemo Sabe has celebrated its locals This weekend marks the third locals’ sale event that the store has put on; while the first two focused on selling the iconic hats This event is more so looking to provide the custom decorations for those hats hand-made boots in a large variety of sizes with DJ Naka G playing on Friday and Sunday and DJ Double Wide playing on Saturday “I always like playing at Kemo Sabe,” DJ Naka G said “It’s unlike any other place that I play (Kemo Sabe) does take care of the locals … during off-season people can take advantage of something they might not be able to take advantage of during peak season.” Locals won’t just have access to the main store’s space Benninger confirmed that Kemo Sabe will be opening its private event space to the public this weekend for everyone to enjoy something that will be officially introduced starting this summer season so we want to have a little bit of a specialty for people who are willing to wait,” she explained “This sneak preview is just something special for our locals’ event.” Kemo Sabe will remain open throughout the off-season While markdowns are available company-wide most of May she emphasized that the push for the Aspen locals’ event this weekend is to continue to foster that community that she sees as an integral part of the brand and the brand’s home base.  “I want people to come here and have a great time and have the experience we’re known for,” Benninger said “We want our locals to have that same experience.” Aspen’s announcement of an IPO earlier this week may have caused a sharp intake of breath in the sector as participants marveled at the nerve of such a decision You have reached the limit for gifting for this month Insurance Insider US is the premier intelligence solution for the P&C insurance market Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy The Roaring Fork Valley’s Rio Grande Railroad will potentially be seen for the last time as the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority commences plans to remove it this year.  which currently sit in pieces overgrown by vegetation The money that RFTA makes from this project will go toward paying for the work it took to remove them in the first place those will go toward restoring the land through reseeding of native vegetation.  Phase 1 of the salvage project is set to begin on June 1 and go through the end of the month crews will be working on clearing the rails of vegetation that could impede future rail removal efforts from Glenwood Springs to Wingo Junction in the Basalt area Because portions of this project will take place alongside the Rio Grande Trail trail users could see work crews working to clear vegetation for the duration of the efforts.  we don’t anticipate major impacts to the Rio Grande Trail,” said Jamie Tatsuno because a rail salvage contractor has not yet been selected we won’t know the exact impacts until the contractor provides RFTA with a detailed methods and schedule plan That plan will clarify whether any short-term closures or detours will be needed though trail disruptions are expected to be minimal.” which first landed in the Aspen area in 1887 was the first to transport silver ore from mines in Aspen to be smelted in other places according to the Aspen Historical Society.  Before transporting its last rail car in the mid-1980s and agricultural goods to its roster.  “It was active for passenger service into Aspen until 1949,” said Aspen Historical Society Archivist Anna Lookabill Scott “It was still going on into the early ’60s They brought sheep up every year in the spring and then took them back out in the fall potatoes that were being shipped out.” the railway was only operating as far up as Woody Creek where the Pitkin Iron Corporation would load its iron.  There were conversations and studies into whether the railroad could be used for more regular transportation in the valley but those studies never resulted in the railway’s use for public transit RFTA eventually would take control of the corridor they began to build the Rio Grande Trail alongside much of the old tracks does not yet have a determined time window RFTA is hoping they will be able to start the removal during the fall off-season for the Rio Grande Trail.  “RFTA’s preference is to conduct the rail salvage work during the fall off-season,” said Tatsuno the specific timing and duration of Phase 2 will be finalized once a contractor is selected and under contract.” RFTA will still own the land that the railroad currently sits on RFTA retains the rights to operate a train service on the Rio Grande corridor.  ASPEN CYCLING CLUB — WEEKLY RACE RESULTSWOODY CREEK-OLD SNOWMASS-LENADOFROM WEDNESDAY Men’s A (18.3 Miles) — Wave 11—0:44:23—CREEL Butch—Hub of Aspen/Jenny11—0:46:35—WILLIAMS Women’s A (18.3 Miles) — Wave 2 1—0:51:19—BRENDAMOUR Men’s B (18.3 Miles) — Wave 21—0:49:53—FULLAM Patrick—Park East Mafia 3—0:51:09—ANDERSON Simon—Basalt Bike & Ski 6—0:54:19—SMITH Larry—Feedback Sports 7—0:55:51—BARTOLACCI Women’s C (18.3 Miles) — Wave 31—1:00:49—DAVIS Men’s C (18.3 Miles) — Wave 31—0:56:58—MORROW Mark—Basalt Bike & Ski3—1:09:09—CHILSON Women 50+ (18.3 Miles) — Wave 31—0:59:26—SHAW Men 50+ (18.3 Miles) — Wave 31—0:57:41—MERRILL Men 60+ (18.3 Miles) — Wave 31—0:57:01—SIRIANNI Men 70+ (18.3 Miles) — Wave 31—0:58:10—HANDWERK Results may also be viewed at http://www.aspencyclingclub.org. Questions about results should be directed to results@aspencyclingclub.org Voters will likely decide the financial future of the Aspen School District this November The Aspen School Board decided in an April 23 meeting to move forward with a bond as well as a mill levy override increase It also took steps to renew the Aspen and Snowmass Village public education funds the four funding options could go before voters as November ballot questions The board first plans to seek public input through a poll this spring “We need to get a plan to keep our school district not only where it is right now but grow it in the way we’d like to in the next decade,” said ASB President Christa Gieszl “And we are not in a position to do that without some of these things getting passed in November.” The school district has operated at a financial deficit for four of the past five years assistant superintendent of business and operations The district’s financial reserves also dropped from $8.1 million to $2.8 million between the 2017/18 and 2022/23 school years To find a reprieve from dire financial straits The district considers borrowing between $20 million and $120 million in a bond The funding would be put toward housing acquisitions according to a presentation created by Rodino and Max Marolt Aspen School District business office controller A $20 million bond would mean a $13 annual tax increase for district taxpayers who own a $1 million home A $120 million increase would mean an $83 annual increase for taxpayers in the same position The mill levy override increase would raise the limit the district can levy per pupil from 25% to 47% beyond the state’s financial cap It would increase annual property taxes by $68 for district taxpayers who own a $1 million home but would yield roughly $5 million in recurring funding for the district The funding would help combat the $5 million expected funding fallout from HB24-1448 The formula increases funding for most public schools but detracts resources from the Aspen School District The renewal of this sales tax would not increase existing district taxes the 0.3% Aspen sales tax provides between $3 million and $3.5 million in annual funding to the district.  The funding is used for educational programs This property tax renewal would continue to provide $500,000 annually to the district which would be used for school programming The existing property tax is set to expire at the end of 2026 The board leaned toward keeping a bond at $90 million or below though it did not officially decide on a number It also decided the mill levy override was crucial to maintaining the level of service it is currently providing to its students It discussed proposing an increase to both the Aspen sales tax and Snowmass Village property tax by 0.5% to 1% asking the district’s financial staff to research what the increases would entail “You can’t fund schools without a lot of different revenue sources,” School Board Vice President Sarah Daniels said we’re sort of at a crisis and we really do need more money.” I was checking the Colorado Historic Newspaper Collection and found reporting about the 1979 Deaf Camp Picnic I was involved in part of what it reported — an interesting event in my life — but I left the event to go on vacation so never read the Times’ accounts and the letters to the editor about that reporting The Times headline was “Picnic marred by fire and brimstone.” The article reported “The only thing that marred the day was the appearance of a number of unadvertised and uninvited religious propagandists complete with leaflets and loudspeakers Laurie Lozoc’H played her own blend of cute-sy children’s songs and religious fervor Readers fired back in letters to the editor One said it was opinion and that if you wanted to report what really happened it should have reported on drug activity and improper dressing was shocked at all the anti-John Denver comments she heard from the crowd (He was one of the performers that year) pointing out it was a fundraiser and Denver’s participation was raising money for a good cause The pastor of the New Creation Christian Center of Basalt describing what — from his and the church’s point of view — happened reported the good news: The event raised $40,000 ($135,000 in today’s dollars) and 2,250 pounds of barbecued beef were consumed along with 800 pounds of cabbage and 3,500 ears of corn an annual event held at the Snowmass Creek campground featured well-known performers but did not advertise them in advance Local bands/performers that were popular were advertised and they included Bobby Mason and Twerp Anderson and the Country Cannonballs that always stole the show and because I was a teacher working with younger students and she decided to record an album — a great idea because there were very few records of children’s songs and her songs when she tried them out at local children’s events were popular The album was titled “I Love Life,” and her shows were billed using that name She had a friend who made puppets and costumes for Disneyland so she had her make large-sized costumes and puppets of the characters of her songs like one in the photo attached here and one for Sally Owl A popular song was titled “I want to Be a Monster When I Grow Up” — also a favorite with many but the costume sometimes scared the very youngest The Deaf Camp organizers wanted to make the event more family attractive so they invited and billed her “I Love Life” act I volunteered to recruit some musicians to back her up so I was working at the Aspen Music Festival I talked another employee who had played in some well-known rock bands at bass to coach Stroh and he also volunteered to take on the lead guitar spot There were a couple of others recruited to be a chorus and to work the puppets and dress in the costumes (I got to be the monster and sing part of the song) and many of her songs had religious references a husband-and-wife Christian performing act came to visit with friends and she invited them to be part of the backup Unknown to the rest of us who had worked hours preparing she promised them they could do a song of their own families moved closer to the stage to see more A letter writer said they sang “Jesus Loves You” but they repeated the chorus over and over and over “Where’s the rock and roll?” and others joined in The rumor that the “star” that year was going to be Jimmy Buffett was correct I whispered to Lozac’H that we had better do only one more song — she did What those of us who were the backup didn’t know was that the couple and the church were handing out Christian literature-leaflets at the exit/entrance and then moved back to her home state of Hawai’i Tim Willoughby’s family story parallels Aspen’s He began sharing folklore while teaching at Aspen Country Day School and Colorado Mountain College Forest Service staffing cuts have impacted mountain communities interfacing with public lands across the country — including Aspen with support from the Aspen Chamber Resort Association and Pitkin County is now working to fund a vault toilet gap in land management to maintain visitor experience and environmental stewardship up Colorado Highway 82 Under President Donald Trump’s administration the USFS lost the ability to create a contract with private companies for the pumping and cleaning of vault toilets this contract has historically been made with American Land and Leisure to clean and stock restrooms on Independence Pass every day according to Independence Pass Foundation’s Executive Director Karin Teague.  “The public will feel a reduction in the services that they’ve enjoyed in the past,” Teague said “That’s what happens when you cut funding and staffing to the people charged with taking care of our public lands but the Independence Pass Foundation felt strongly that we were not going to let the toilets be closed for the season which was certainly under discussion.” the Independence Pass Foundation has entered into its own contract with American Land and Leisure to the tune of $18,000 the cost of which will pay for the cleaning and stocking of three sets of toilets on the Pass — The Grottos trailhead and the summit of Independence Pass — three days a week The contract will begin when Independence Pass opens and end when it closes.  “We will be on the hook for that total amount,” Teague said “We’re hoping for further partnerships we’re the ones who signed on the bottom line and we will see the contract through It’s a big hit for a small organization.” ACRA Vice President of Destination Marketing Eliza Voss said she is currently assisting with trying to find community partners to help fund half of the cost.  “Our concerns are ecological damage alongside public health implications if we were not able to have the public access vault toilets available on Independence Pass,” Voss said.  strategic communications manager for Pitkin County confirmed that Pitkin County will be contributing to the pumping of the vault toilets throughout the summer “The County has been a financial partner to ensure the waste is removed as needed annually since they were installed on Indy Pass,” Bektesh said “This will occur again this year.” While the main contract will enable the toilets to remain open Teague emphasized that the drop to three days from the historic daily maintenance could still pose problems “The toilets at the summit historically have been cleaned and stocked every single day and that’s been necessary because of the sheer volume of use up there,” Teague said “We’re not able to get more than three days a week and frankly couldn’t afford to pay it.” The Independence Pass Foundation is trying to fill the other four days by rallying volunteers as the primary source of service to pick up trash and stock toilet paper.  “We’ve worked on Independence Pass in the past when there weren’t toilets available and it was not a healthy situation,” Teague said “There was a lot of environmental degradation happening.” “Hopefully people realize the importance of funding public lands and how important that is for our communities and our residents and visitors,” Voss added.  And vault toilets aren’t the only gap Teague sees going forward She warns that without USFS staff monitoring fire bans during droughts wildfires could become an even bigger risk.  “If you don’t have boots on the ground and eyes on the place those are things that could get missed,” Teague said The Independence Pass Foundation is going to try to be on the Pass as much as we can this summer It’s a very real loss and I think it’s important that our community knows that.” EventsSIGN UPSIGN INbullishAspen Insurance HoldingsWatchlistAspen Insurance Holdings Limited (AHL): Valuation Entices Investors as Orders Flow into IPOEquity Capital Markets316 Views05 May 2025 22:55​Aspen's deal is oversubscribed with high-quality conversions and Apollo Global has improved profitability by reducing risk exposure.What is covered in the Full Insight:IntroductionValuation AnalysisUnderwriting and Business StrategyIPO Details and Market ResponseOutlook and Analyst CommentarySUMMARY(Sign Up to Access)Try NowBegin exploring Smartkarma's AI-augmented investing intelligence platform with a complimentary Preview Pass to: Unlock research summaries Follow top independent analysts Receive personalised alerts Access Analytics including top global asset managers overseeing $13+ trillion Upgrade later to our paid plans for full-access Such is the case with the themes explored in Aspen Community School’s latest musical “Seuss!,” which follows the literary journey of Theodor Seuss Geisel — Dr Seuss — and the ideas he highlights in his work.  “He’s actually talking about some things in the 1940s and ’50s that are still relevant today,” said Garry Pfaffman Aspen Community School seventh and eighth grade teacher who wrote the musical.  Pfaffman said stories about standing up for one another and environmental protection are explored in many of Seuss’ literary works “Horton Hears a Who,” “The Lorax,” “Mulberry Street,” “The Sneetches,” “The Cat in the Hat,” “Green Eggs and Ham,” “Fox in Sox,” “My Many Colored Days,” and more are featured in the musical The musical premiers at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 1, and 7 p.m. on Friday, May 2, at the Wheeler Opera House. Tickets can be purchased at aspenshowtix.com for $23 or $15 for individuals age 18 or under Pfaffman said he was inspired to write the play because of the relatability of Seuss’ stories.  “I wanted to create something that kids can relate to Something that parents and grandparents can relate to who has written Aspen Community School plays for the past decade “Seuss!” also falls in line with the school’s goal to instill confidence and public speaking skills in its students All 130-plus students from kindergarten to eighth grade are featured in the musical “And every student has at least a line,” “Seuss!” Director Caty Dalton said And public speaking extends past school musicals Dalton said students deliver announcements or perform in front of the entire school at assemblies “We’re really big on that — just being able to stand up in front of people and communicate your thoughts clearly,” she said “Seuss!”‘s focus on imagination aligns with the school’s educational scope “I think the biggest theme that we tried to hit on is for kids to stay imaginative and look for the good in the world and to be curious about things and to have a passion for learning “Our school is really big on lifelong learning.” Students agreed that performing is an important part of their public speaking ability.  Aspen Community School eighth grader Anderson Tippet said performing in plays “gets you out there.” “You can’t just hide away from the stuff you’re scared of,” Tippet said Aspen Community School eighth grader Olivia Trevisan who plays the director in the scene about The Lorax said she likes the collaboration gained through the musical “We get to interact with people from different grades,” she said “And then it’s really fun because sometimes we get to work on our choreography.” Both students have performed in school plays since they started at the school in kindergarten I read the recent article about Aspen Chamber Resort Association “Rebranding the Airport visitor center.” I had a laugh about the last paragraph that states the visitor’s first impression of Aspen … wanting the space to feel intentional I sent a letter to the editor about this same issue of “first impression.” As a limo driver myself and others are witness to the “first impression” of the visiting guests the first thing our guests see is the “dog relief” area with poop bags who have never seen snow and commonly play where a dog just pissed on the snow doesn’t make a very good first impression this “Rebranding” by ACRA takes this into consideration I’m willing to bet that 90% of arriving guests don’t even notice the visitor center as they are likely looking for their ride to their accommodations A good design should start with a dose of reality MARYLAND — A $2,500 trip to Aspen and two $300 trips to the Kennedy Center were the biggest-ticket items that Gov Wes Moore received as gifts during his second year in office Moore collected 81 gifts worth an estimated $7,957 in 2024 Unlike the gifts during his first year in office in 2023 most of those were from public entities — either state or local government agencies universities or emergency response departments became the most expensive freebie in either year The $2,500 was for travel and lodging to the pricey Colorado enclave when Moore spoke in June at the Aspen Ideas Festival an annual conference featuring public officials and high-profile business and entertainment leaders hosted by the Aspen Institute think tank In an hour-long conversation hosted by MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle Moore talked about the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge three months earlier Though it was pitched as a forum for supporting infrastructure projects the talk also touched on other areas of Moore’s agenda and politics Read the full story on the Baltimore Sun One of Colorado’s new laws introduces sweeping restrictions on the manufacture and ownership of certain semiautomatic firearms and devices designed to increase firing speed It represents one of the most significant overhauls to firearm regulation in state history or purchase of “specified semiautomatic firearms” is prohibited.  This category includes both semiautomatic rifles and shotguns equipped with detachable magazines as well as gas-operated semiautomatic handguns that accept detachable magazines The legislation exempts .22 caliber rimfire firearms with tubular magazines and other firearms deemed to pose a lower public safety risk the bill also introduces a new permitting process for individuals seeking to acquire one of the specified firearms.  Applicants must complete a state-approved firearm safety course and pass a background check conducted by the local sheriff Sheriffs are authorized to deny permits if they determine the applicant poses a danger and denied applicants have the right to appeal in court it bans anything other than a non-magazine firearm It bans all semiautomatic rifles and handguns except for a .22 that you can load into the underside of the gun It puts this extremely onerous requirement on owners to do these training sessions which picks up with every new gun that you have.” questioned the motivations behind the bill’s drafting and criticized what he perceived as an emotional response by its primary sponsor whose son was killed in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting.  “I have the utmost respect for the gentleman who lost his son so when it comes to bereavement and what he was going through I suspect that his mind was so overwhelmed with the loss of his child that he thought this was the answer,” Melnick said “It surprises me that your overall population does not recognize that Republican — what difference does it make when it comes to recognizing that?” He added that legislative approaches like SB 003 miss the mark on addressing the real causes of violence He pointed to a recent incident in Vancouver where a driver plowed into pedestrians “Would banning SUVs stop incidents like this?” he asked voiced strong support for the bill while reaffirming her commitment to Colorado’s tradition of responsible firearm ownership.  “I believe in responsible gun ownership as part of our heritage and constitutional rights,” she said “I support responsible use of firearms and this bill would not prohibit possession of any currently owned firearms.” meaning individuals who legally owned specified firearms before Aug can retain them without applying for a permit Future sales or transfers of those firearms except under narrow exceptions such as inheritance Velasco emphasized that the legislation reflects values already embedded in many rural communities.  “I know that hunting is extremely important to our district even our youth get access to safety training in their 4-H programs,” she said “This bill requires training for users of specific firearms to complete a hunter education course certified by the Division of Parks and Wildlife.” She further framed the legislation as part of a broader public safety initiative.  “Colorado also has a tragic history of gun violence and mass shootings I also support legislation that includes addressing root causes such as education “Coloradans deserve to be safe in our communities Velasco added that she looks forward to supporting additional efforts to reduce gun violence across the state Despite support from many Democratic lawmakers and gun safety advocates the bill has drawn sharp criticism from rural constituents and Second Amendment defenders who argue that the measure unfairly targets responsible gun owners and will face serious constitutional scrutiny Kelly also argued the bill is unconstitutional and in direct conflict with the U.S Supreme Court’s 2008 decision in District of Columbia v which affirmed an individual’s right to possess firearms for lawful purposes such as self-defense Legal challenges are expected as advocacy groups prepare to contest the measure in court The Aspen Chamber Resort Association is rebranding its Aspen/Pitkin County Airport’s visitor center — one of four visitor center locations in town the center will see a preemptive refresh during the airport’s temporary closure before its more comprehensive large-scale redesign and construction scheduled for 2027.  “This is a strategic refresh that helps us align the visitor experience with our evolving brand — while we plan for a full rebrand alongside the 2027 airport redevelopment,” said Debbie Braun The efforts this May will be aimed at creating a more thoughtful Interim Airport Director Diane Jackson said the airport fully supports the initiative.  “It’s so important that our arriving customers have that feeling of being welcomed by Aspen in true Aspen fashion They have been such wonderful partners for us in assisting with passengers.” Between the temporary refresh and the comprehensive rebrand ACRA will be working with its ad agency and local acclaimed photographer Art Burrows to find a balance between retaining visitor center design consistency among all locations and giving the airport location an elevated energy.  “Our goal is to create a more unified look across all visitor centers while keeping the design flexible as we look ahead to larger changes on the horizon,” Braun said.  “I’m certain it will be beautiful when it’s done,” Jackson said “Most airports have those visitor centers so it’s nice for our airport to be able to supply that as well with so much needed information.” May’s phase of work will cost around $5,000 to $10,000 although Braun confirmed the final billing isn’t set yet as the work doesn’t start until next week The estimated start date and cost for the 2027 visitor center rebrand are not yet available this far in advance “The airport is often a visitor’s first impression of Aspen and reflective of our brand — even in this transitional phase,” she said