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Briefs for July 10, 2008

El Fandango rummage and bake sale

WALSENBURG- El Fandango will be holding a rummage and bake sale from 8 to 2 on Saturday July 12, at Martie Henderson’s lot at 6th and Main in Walsenburg.  Community donations to the cause are welcome, and can be dropped off in advance.  Call Rachel at 252-7927 for details.

 Felting class

LA VETA- Spanish Peaks Alpacas will be teaching a felting class on July 12 from 10 am to 5 pm.  Using hand dyed silk chiffon scarves, alpaca and decorative yarns, you will create a unique, beautiful 13 by 60 inch scarf.  E-mail Judy at spanishpeaksalpacas@gmail.com for further information and photo of scarf.  Or call 719-742-6014.  Cost is $70, which includes all materials.  Classes may be scheduled at your convenience for three or more participants.

The Paradise Cruise

WALSENBURG- All Aboard for the Paradise Cruise!!   Saturday, July 12 at  Calvary Baptist Church, 801 Pennsylvania Avenue in Walsenburg from  2 – 4 pm (come-and-go event).   "Ladies, Bring your Girlfriends (Youth to Seniors) to a free event to escape from the cares of everyday life and cruise into some fun and friendship.  There will be fun in the sun as we set sail for exotic ports of call including Reflection Beach, Good Times Bay, and Treasure Island." 

    This will be a fun time, refreshments, crafts, casual dress (unless you’d like to wear a hula skirt.)   A Girlfriends unlimited event.

Navajo Ranch  annual picnic

LA VETA- The Navajo Ranch Annual Picnic will be held at the La Veta Town Park  this Saturday July 12, 2008 from 4– 7 pm.  The picnic is sponsored by the Navajo Ranch Homeowners Association. Fried chicken and drinks will be provided. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share with others.  Navajo Ranch hats and shirts will be available. Come and meet your neighbors and hear about our exciting plans for a future community building.  All Navajo Ranch residents are invited and encouraged to attend.

VBS in Gardner

GARDNER- The Community Church of Gardner will be having its second Annual Vacation Bible School July 14 through 18 at the Community Center of Gardner.  Hours are 9 to 11:30 am each day. The theme of the program will be the Wild West Avalanche Ranch and activities each day will include Music, Bible Stories, Crafts, Games and Snacks. All Gardner area kids ages 3-12 are invited.  Come and join the fun.  Registration forms are available at Papa Joe’s in Gardner.  For more information call Pastor Glee Moore at 746-2989.

Fibromyalgia

WALSENBURG- The fibromyalgia support group meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm at Calvary Baptist Church, 801 Pennsylvania in Walsenburg.  Next meetings: July 15, August 19, and Sept 16. 

    Hear about low cost, low side effect treatment, and meet with others who have gone from bedridden with pain and “fibrofog” to having their life back.  Contact Karen at 738-2859 or Patty at 738-1189.

Singers Needed

WALSENBURG- The Commuity Singers are seeking people who like to sing to prepare for the musical “God Bless the USA”, to be performed during the August 15th Ice Cream Social.  Rehearsals will be from  6 to 8 pm on Tuesday evenings beginning July 15, in the United Church basement.  Full information is posted on our online calendar at www.huerfanojournal.com, or call Carol Lyons  at 989-0826.

 

Three great classes

LA VETA- The La Veta School of the Art is holding three great classes in July. First is a traditional watercolor class on July 19 and 20.  Learn basic watercolor techniques as you create a landscape painting.  You will explore drawing, perspective, tips on composition, color temperatures and values as well as using specific materials.  Bring your own materials  using the list provided or there is an optional materials fee.  Class fee is $150.    

    Your teacher is Kathy Hill, who studied painting at the University of Illinios, Champaign-Urbana and graduated from The American University in Washington DC with a BA in Art Education.  She currently specializes in watercolor painting of the Spanish Peaks and the surrrounding area.  She has won many awards and is included in many private collections.  Visit her website at www.KathyHill.com.

    Sculpting the Buddha is a 5-day class beginning July 21.  You will create your own personal Buddha that can function as a meditative image or as a decorative work of art.  Oil based clay will be used so that larger pieces can be completed in the session.  The class fee is $375.  Joan Hanley, the instructor, was a painter and illustrator for 20 years before studying sculpture at the Art Institute of Chicago. 

    Finally, Paul Alhadef is teaching digital photography Friday July 25 from 6-9 pm and Saturday & Sunday 9-4.  Learn to use your camera as a fine art medium by refining your image quality as well as the skills necessary to confidently operate your digital camera on a professional level.  Bring a digital camera with interchangeable lenses.  Additional lenses and filters are suggested.  The cost is $185.

     Paul Alhadef has over 14 years of experience in the digital imaging field.  He has worked as a commercial photographer and a fine art photograper.  He has experience with lighting, composition and graphic design.  His photographs appear weekly in publications around the world.

     All classes will be held at the art school at 105 West Ryus in La Veta.  Questions?  call  Joy Hesler, at 719-742-3421 or send e-mail to  LVArtSchool@yahoo.com.

  Stockgrowers Association Picnic

by Mollie Fuller

WALSENBURG-   The Huerfano Basin Stockgrowers Association will be holding its annual Stockgrowers Picnic on July 26, 2008 at the La Veta 4-H sale barn in La Veta. The festivities will begin at 2 pm and is open to the public.  Highlights of the picnic will be loads of good food and fun, games, a silent auction, raffle, door prizes and live music.  Membership applications will be taken at the picnic for those wanting to join the Stockgrowers Association.  If you sign up to become a member between 7-8-08 and 7-26-08, the cost for dues will only be $10.  After July 26, the dues will increase in cost.  Everyone is welcome to attend the picnic and RSVP are requested to get a good head count for food.  Please RSVP to Mollie Fuller at 719-250-3018 by July 21, 2008.

 Rural POA to meet

WALSENBURG- The Rural Property Owners Alliance will meet to discuss issues of common interest and concern on Saturday July 26, 10 am to 2 pm at the Huerfano County Community Center, 928 Russell Ave. in Walsenburg.    For more information, call Cissy Severance, 719-738-2475.

Hippie Days

GARDNER- The third annual Gardner Hippie Days and Free Music Fest will be held Sunday July 27, 2008 at the Gardner Community Center from 12 noon to 10 pm.  There will be music on two stages, and bring the means to sample different food vendors. Trippy art, minds- ideas & experiments encouraged.  See Clark Dimond, George & Tom,  Izzy & Betts, Taint with Fred James, Planet O, Dugan Hos, Sunny Side Ups, Achral Necrosis & more.  No Bad Vibes!  For info go to: Myspace.com/planetoband or call 746-2212.  There is a $20 vendors fee, and parking is available outside the venue. 

Vacation Bible School: Outrigger Island

WALSENBURG- Calvary Baptist Church is holding vacation bible school from July 28 through August 1st, from 9 to 12 for elementary school age students.  Call Kathy Tatman at  738-1616 for more information.

Most Endangered Places List nominations are due August 1st

HUERFANO- Nominations for listings on Colorado’s Most Endangered Places List are due August 1, 2008.  This list, published anually by Colorado Preservation Inc., focuses on buildings and sites of historic value facing threats for any number of reasons.  The list also calls attention to dangers faced by historical preservation.  Nominations from Huerfano County presently under consideration include : mining sites throughout the county, the power plant at the Walsen Mine, the Walsenburg Depot, St. Mary School, the Libre Waterfall, Old La Veta Pass, Francisco Fort, the Cheese Factory in La Veta, the small cemeteries throughout the county, the church on Upper Turkey Creek, and the Masonic Hall in Walsenburg.  Nominations may be made by any interested party.  Applications are available from Colorado Preservation Inc. 303-893-4260 or www.coloradopreservation.org.

Burning News

HUERFANO- The Huerfano Co. Fire Department responded to 14 fire calls from 6-24 through 7-7.  Seven of the calls were false alarms or cancelled enroute.

• Tues. 6/24. dispatched to a grass fire on CR 122.2, unable to locate, cancelled.

• Wed. 6/25 placed on stand-by for a large grass fire in Las Animas Co., cancelled.

• Sat., 6/28 assisted EMS with a single vehicle, injury accident on Hwy. 85-87 North.

    There was only 1 fireworks related fire, a child dropped a sparkler into dry grass on the 1000 blk. of Indiana Ave. Sat., 7-5 at approx. 11 pm., it started an approx. ¼ acre brush fire on the side of the hill behind the residence. The fire was extinguished by responding units and resulted in no property damage.

    The department also responded to four lightning strike fires in the surrounding area.  All were single tree fires that were quickly extinguished.  One grass fire along Hwy. 10 appeared to have been started by a discarded cigarette.

    The FD would like to remind everyone that even with the recent rain that the county has received, it is still very dry out there and fires can spread rapidly in dry grass and brush.

Two years, no smoke

COLORADO- On July 1, Colorado celebrated the two-year anniversary of becoming the nation’s 13th smoke-free state.  In just two years, the health benefits of our state’s cleaner indoor environments have already been experienced by millions of residents, employees and visitors.

    The Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act was passed by the state legislature in 2006 as a proactive measure to protect residents and visitors from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke. The Surgeon General’s report from 2006 supported this fact by confirming that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

    Here at the two-year mark, proof of the positive health effects from the ordinance have continued. Colorado casinos, which went smoke free in January, saw a 92 percent improvement in air quality after one month of being smoke free. The study, conducted by the State Tobacco Education & Prevention Partnership, found the air quality improved from an EPA rating of “unhealthy” to “good” – meaning that the air pollution in casinos now poses little or no health risk.

    Secondhand smoke has been classified as a “Group A” carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is estimated to cause 53,000 deaths annually in the U.S. alone. Studies have found that a nonsmoker’s risk of lung cancer and heart disease increases 20-30 percent with long-term exposure to secondhand smoke. Just 30 minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke can compromise the cardiovascular system of nonsmokers by reducing blood flow to the heart. In addition, of the 4,000 chemicals found in secondhand smoke, more than 60 of them are known to cause cancer.

    Due to the alarming research data behind secondhand smoke exposure, smoke-free ordinances are becoming more prevalent each year, with regulations being adopted in more than 20 states nationwide and countries across the globe, such as Ireland, Italy and France.

    Currently, only one in six Colorado adults smoke, and in fact, only 15 percent of women in Colorado smoke. Our state now ranks 9th in the nation for the lowest prevalence of adult smoking.

    With emerging results like these, there is no question that the smoke-free law has had a significant and positive health impact on the lives of Coloradoans.

Cement plant concerns

Building inspector suggests a negotiated move out of Northlands to site near prison WALSENBURG — The Walsenburg City Council convened a special meeting Friday, March

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