Small town fun at its best

The Town of Nederland presented its annual Fourth of July Parade, making a route loop through town from Barker Reservoir, on Sunday, July 4, near noon. It was a breezy, slightly cool day in Ned and national flags of all sizes, especially our present-day Old Glory, flew copiously in the breeze. The gray overcast skies actually kept their light sprinkle of rain until the end of the parade.

The United States’ Fourth of July celebrations commemorate the year 1776 when the original 13 Colonies of America successfully declared their independence, claiming their own sovereignty and rejecting allegiance to the Kingdom of Britain. America’s declaration resulted in the war known as the American Revolutionary War or American War of Independence.

The Town’s parade celebrated the quintessential spirit of Nederland and Americana with high-flying displays of the patriotic red-white-and-blue colors in clothing, decorations and make-up on smiling faces. Along with wearing multicolored bandanas, garlands and leashes, numerous parade dogs and at least one goat were safely painted with patriotic colors too.

Over 25 vintage vehicles—including an elegant classic Packard convertible holding Mayor Joe Gierlach and his daughter in the rear rumble seat—were interspersed throughout the parade. Gierlach commented that the celebration “was fabulous” and since Ned’s elected mayor, Sumaya Abu-Haidar was out of town, Mayor Pro-Tem Gierlach presided as mayor for the day. A smiling Gierlach said, “It was great!”

One of the vintage autos, an International Harvester Scout, sported a large beige banner with a coiled rattlesnake and the words “Liberty Or Death” and “Don’t Tread On Me” printed on it. The banner resembled an early U.S. flag first carried in 1775 by the Minutemen of Culpeper, Virginia, in the American Revolutionary War before a national flag was ever decided on.

Nederland and Gilpin County’s Colorado Sierra and High County Fire Departments were all represented with various big fire and rescue trucks. The Ned police did a terrific job of guiding these big boys through a tight intersection of town along the parade route.

One of the highlights of the parade was the best-dressed-in-red Barker Dam Brass Band having a rousing good time pumping out old-timey patriotic songs as it rolled by in a trailer hitched to a Jeep past the crowd.

Following the Band, Smokey the Bear ambled by leading a green U.S. Forest Service fire truck, while a uniformed forest ranger handed out candy to kids on the parade route.

A large crowd of Friends of the Nederland Community Library bearing “Make a Splash, Read!” and “We’re Building a Library” banners strolled along with star-spangled dressed kids on decorated bicycles.

The peaceful parade came about through the coordinated efforts of the Nederland police and its volunteers in directing traffic away from the closed-off streets and also ensuring the crowd’s safety. Town Marshall Ken Robinson remarked on the perfect weather and the fun of the parade with a lot of kids saying, “I like that.”

The celebration set the day-long festive Fourth of July mood approaching the evening’s scheduled Music at Chipeta Park and Nederland Fireworks over Barker Reservoir. Parade-goers stayed on to shop the town’s stores, enjoy fine café and restaurant dining, and savor the embracing ambience of a picturesque mountain community.

Spending a day on a famous “fourteener”

Originally called Mt. Rosa, Mt. Evans was renamed so in 1895 in honor of Colorado’s second Governor of Colorado Territory, John Evans. In 1917 Denver’s Mayor Robert Speer, with the Pike’s Peak road attracting tourists from his town, secured the funding for a new road to the summit of Mt. Evans. Only able to be worked during the summertime, it took ten years to complete and opened on October 4^th 1927. Paved three years later, it remains the highest paved road in the world.

Taking Colorado Scenic Byway Hwy.103 south out of Idaho Springs, one rises 7,000 ft. to the terminus of Hwy. 5 (Mount Evans Scenic Byway), just below the summit of Mt. Evans. Daytime highs at the top only reach sixty degrees – if you are lucky – so it is advisable to bring extra clothing. Snow is a possibility on any day of the year. Mt. Evans Research Station’s caretaker Ralph Reiner has recorded wind-chill temperatures at 198 degrees below zero and wind-speeds of 224 mph. Up to 500 inches of snow fall there every winter. Despite the harsh conditions, a few creatures find the alpine tundra environment to be an ideal habitat.

Mt. Evans has always been one of my favorite and most productive locations to view wildlife. I saw my first mountain goat at Mt. Evans. Introduced in 1947, they may be displacing native bighorn sheep who also reside in the area. As I wind up the road past the Nature Center, the ancient bristlecone pine trees start to thin. Some of them have been around for over 2,000 years! On my right is a hillside where I have fond memories of an hour I spent with two white-tailed ptarmigans several years ago. It is also where I observed a long-tailed weasel checking each rock crevice for a potential meal. Unfortunately, I don’t see any ptarmigan or weasels today and I keep motoring. Along the way daredevil yellow-bellied marmots sun themselves at the edge, and sometimes even in the road. Potholes are the entrances to their dens which can reach 23 ft. in depth. A marmot barks its shrill alarm call a few times and ducks into its hole. Loosely translated it means: “Car tire! Car tire!” At a bend with a breathtaking view of an emerald-colored lake, bighorn sheep approach visitors for handouts (which are strictly prohibited to protect the sheep). One year I informed a woman that she was not supposed to feed them, but when my head was turned she slipped the bighorn a couple of Cheetos and drove off. Even with their adorable big brown eyes, today the habituated sheep get only salt from the sweaty hands of enchanted tourists and the roadway.

Ten miles up the Mt. Evans road approaching Summit Lake, the permafrost has buckled the pavement. Beyond, I notice a small furry creature scurrying on a talus slope. Similar in size to a golden-mantled ground squirrel, it is a pika or “whistling hare.” Often seen before heard, this one is busily gathering plant matter and setting it out to dry in the sun. After it has cured, he will stash the bounty in his burrow. The summer season is short and only the most industrious will survive.

The endless vista of Denver and the Great Plains is fronted in shades of blue from nearby mountain ridges. It is said that you can see for 100 miles from the top. Working my way in that direction, the treeless terrain becomes otherworldly. Moonscape rocks jut toward the azure sky. Several of the stones resemble marmots as I do double-takes in search of photography subjects. I spot a herd of seven mountain goats in the distance. Making a slow serpentine approach, I sit down in fairly close proximity to them. Unperturbed by my presence they go about their business of grazing and tending their young. The nannies eat while two kids bound about in play. Two sub-adults and a billy, whose strands of wooly white fur gently drift in the breeze, round out the group. They slide closer as they feed, at one point coming within six feet of me!

At road’s end lie the stone ruins of the Crest House, which burned down because of a propane explosion in 1979. It used to house a gift shop/snack bar, but now is a rustic windbreak from which to view the surrounding peaks. For those wanting to bag a “fourteener” (one of Colorado’s 54 peaks over 14,000 ft.), the summit of 14,264 ft. Mount Evans is only a short trail and 116 ft. of elevation away. I elect to head down as I don’t want to climb another fifty three.

Central City Opera Review

A very enthusiastic full house was most appreciative of Saturday’s Central City Opera opening night performance of an often performed opera, Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. And well the audience should have been enthusiastic. It was a strong and triumphant performance. The most repeated remark as the audience filed out was “Wasn’t that great?”

The opera is a bittersweet tale of love and betrayal that reminds us of “the ugly Americans.” The American Naval Lt. B. F. Pinkerton arranges a marriage to a beautiful Japanese girl while he is stationed in Japan, although he has no intention of it being a permanent one. His plan is to have a “real” marriage with an American woman one day. Cio-Cio-San aka Butterfly, on the other hand, gives up family and religion to marry this man she truly loves. Pinkerton is warned by Sharpless, the American Consul, that this is a mistake but Pinkerton doesn’t listen.

Pinkerton, played by tenor Chad Shelton is elegant. He is a more than the usual bastard most tenors make him out as. You cannot like him from the start. He is arrogant and overbearing. This said, however, Shelton is a striking figure with a wonderful tenor voice that rings throughout the hall. His presence on stage is, if a little wooden, a compelling and demanding one. He expects to get his way and does. You almost believe his grief in the last scene where is tormented by what he has done, but not quite, because his grief focuses back on how hard this is on him, and not what he has done to others

Shelton has been highly acclaimed both nationally and internationally as a having a rich high tenor which he uses with confidence, and with excellent diction, and this was certainly the case on opening night.

Grant Youngblood, a CCO favorite appearing for a fourth straight year here was the Consul, Sharpless. His is a great baritone voice that gave body to his role and his acting was truly believable as he found himself caught up in this dilemma that he had tried to stop in the first place.

Kudos go also to mezzo-soprano Mika Shigematsu who returned as Suzuki after her performance in that role in the 2005 CCO presentation. Suzuki is Butterfly’s faithful maid, friend, and companion. She is very real in her emotions throughout the evening and although she has a limited amount of singing, her voice is rich, very pleasing, and blends well with Butterfly.

But the night belongs to Madama Butterfly portrayed by nationally and internationally acclaimed soprano, Yunah Lee. Hers is a magnificent performance in which she matures before our eyes from a love struck fifteen year old through the three years after she is abandoned by Pinkerton (who returns to the U.S. and marries) into a woman, destitute, having lost her honor, and reason for living. In the end, with her father’s sword, Butterfly commits hari-kari rather than live without the love of her life and in dishonor, begging on the streets to provide for the beautiful son she dearly loves, born a Pinkerton after he leaves.

Ms. Lee is a soprano of amazing talent that allows compelling quiet and beautiful moments to sooth the soul but also to bring out in the concert listener the feeling of rage and despair that comes to the fore when betrayed. She pays close attention to detail in making her character real.

The patience of Madison Ana Anderle as Dolore, Butterfly’s son, really has to be noted.  It was a non-singing, non-speaking part in which there seemed to be perfect calm no matter how much cuddling and loud singing into the face there was. This was much to ask of a small child.

There were other commendable supporting roles that went into making this a very emotional and satisfying performance. Among these were Joseph Gaines as the Marriage Broker, and Nicholas Nelson as The Bong.

Matthew Halls returned as Conductor leading an excellent orchestra which initially at times from where we sitting seemed a little loud. In the first act the orchestra played loudly, which made the singers to have to sing a little louder to be heard. Lee and Shelton were equal to the task, but it was somewhat overwhelming. The balance in the 2^nd half of the opera seemed to be better.

The chorus has little to do in this opera, but it did it well. The famous “humming chorus” performed off stage was really beautiful. The chorus master this year is Andrew Altenbach.

Director Catherine Malfitano put together a drama that made the most of the passion of this opera. The interaction of the lovers was beautifully staged. On the other hand much use was made of having characters creep onto the stage, which got a little old. Good use was made of parasols, and the lighting of the central characters with the rest of the stage muted was good. Dany Lyne was responsible for both costume and set design. The set was very well contained in one house that showed the shoji screens of a typical home in Japan at the beginning, but for some reason or another disappeared to leave an open stage as the interior of the home.

In other productions, we do not remember ever seeing much of the American flag, but in this one, it was a bit overdone, draped obviously here and there, held up by Butterfly and Suzuki at one point near the end as a backdrop for her son to stand in front of, worn by her on occasion, and even draped over her and her son as she committed hari-kari. Perhaps a bit overdone without adding that much to the opera.

Overall, Madama Butterfly is a very dramatic and emotional success. A must see event! Next on the list of openings is Orpheus in the Underworld by Jacques Offenbach.

In Nederland

Nederland has the knack for holding hugely successful town fairs—such as Frozen Dead Guy Days in March and Ned Fest in August–and over this past weekend that tradition was superbly carried on by the 10th High Peaks Art Festival. The Festival took place in Nederland’s Town Square on Saturday and Sunday, June 26 and 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. The Nederland Chamber of Commerce sponsored the event and it was coordinated by Cathy Stiers.

Features of the Festival included a juried art show, live music by local musicians such as Blackdog and Fat Rabbit, and a children’s art area. Ned restaurants Blue Moon Bakery, Blue Owl, Kathmandu, and Savory Café provided fabulous food for Festival visitors. Tungsten Toffee, a local favorite, offered free samples of their terrific toffee that no one could resist when walking by their booth. The aroma of freshly roasted nut mixes filled the air and was a winner in attracting hungry people to the Nuts to You booth.

Clementine Art Studio, an education partner of Open Arts Boulder, offered four free art project stations in the children’s art area where children could draw, make hanging collages, do printmaking, or create recycled materials sculpture. (The sponsors for the free art projects were Wild Mountain Smokehouse & Brewery and Peak Wine & Spirits.)

The juried art show featured some outstanding pieces, reflecting a high degree of creativity and originality. Stiers carefully selected participates for the show who exhibited high standards in their artwork. More than 50 participants were in the juried art show with a good showing by local Nederland artists. Ribbons, cash awards and gift certificates were generously donated by sponsors to the show winners. The results were:

- BEST OF SHOW:  “The Iron Gallery,” Handmade Ironwork by Gary Russell of Rifle, $250 award sponsored by Roche Colorado Corporation

- BEST OF BOULDER COUNTY:  “Green Collar Guy,” Sculptural Gardenware by David Jessup of Nederland, $160 gift certificate sponsored by Delance Chapman of Salon 1313 in Boulder

- BEST OF CERAMICS:  Tania Corvalan of Nederland, gift certificate for one free night at the Best Western Lodge in Nederland

- BEST OF FIBER:  Peg Wood of Norwood, $50 gift certificate to Baby Doe’s Clothing in Golden

- BEST OF FINE ART: Painting by Stephen Koury of Lakeland, Florida, $75 award sponsored by First Tracks Consulting

- BEST OF FINE CRAFT:  “Smith Market Gallery,” Baskets and Gourds by Byron Williams of Saguache, $75 award sponsored by Century 21 Peak Performance Group

- BEST OF GLASS:  “Eye Candy,” Claudia Ariss of Nederland, $50 award sponsored by Janet Masters

- BEST OF JEWELRY:  “Sidhe Designs,” Michele Conn of Lyons, $50 award sponsored by Mutual of Omaha

- BEST OF MIXED MEDIA: “Trees Everlasting,” Woodworking by Bill Mattor of Ft. Collins, $50 award sponsored by Lindy Bolt and Cathy Stiers

- BEST OF PAINTING: Bruce White of Aurora, $50 gift certificate to Meininger in Boulder

- BEST OF PHOTOGRAPHY: “Treeline Photos,” John Marino of Lakewood, $50 award sponsored by Peak to Peak Counseling

- PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD: “Eye Candy,” Stained Glass, Claudia Ariss of Nederland, $50 gift certificate sponsored by Wild Mountain Smokehouse & Brewery

In conjunction with the Festival, Nederland’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA) held a sidewalk celebration with a free Sidewalk Art Contest in honor of the town’s brand new sidewalks stretching along its main thoroughfare of Highway 119. DDA supplied small buckets of pastel sidewalk chalk to any and all artists who wanted to decorate a sidewalk parcel–over 30 artists answered the challenge to their artistic creativity. One artist observed about her work next to a traffic intersection “that it was going fast with the sand, walkers and wind.” DDA’s Chair Teresa Warren reported that the winners were:

- ADULT DIVISION: Kris Deckley & Eva Franzova of California, $100 award

- YOUTH DIVISION:  Bat Busters of Texas, $100 award

- UNDER 11 DIVISION:  Emma Curcio & Emily Creek, $30 award

Six third place ribbons were also awarded in the contest.

Hands down, four lively Alpacas, courtesy of the Alpaca Store and More in Ned, were the most popular walking attraction at the Festival as they freely roamed the area with their handlers. The Alpacas were the indisputable belles of the ball as inquisitive people besieged them, wanting to stroke their enjoyable soft wool coats. Adorable (2 years old), Lovey (8 months old), Raven (3 years old), and Sparkler (3 years old) were all for the petting and graciously nibbled grain from held out hands. Sparkler has attained a special status as she was the model for the carved wood alpaca on Ned’s Carousel of Happiness.

Stiers was delighted with this year’s Festival as it continues to successfully expand with each coming year. Cash awards and gift certificates for this year’s art show increased by over 33%. Stiers’s commitment is to continue presenting a “classy, high-quality show in Ned,” emphasizing buying local and buying handmade goods. The feedback she has received from her artists is that they like the feeling of the show and will continue to come. Stiers pointed out that with the addition of the Festival’s children’s art tent activities for all age groups were now available.

Next year’s 11th High Peaks Art Festival will be held on June 25 and 26, Saturday and Sunday. Artists interested in exhibiting at the festival may contact the show coordinator, Cathy Stiers, at 303-748-2053 or view the Festival’s website at www.nederlandchamber.org. Applications for the 2011 High Peaks Art Festival will be available in January 2011.

In case you missed this art festival, many of the artists will be showcasing their work at the Downtown Boulder Art Fair on the Pearl Street Mall during the weekend of July 17 and 18.

Brass Bed Racing – one of America’s most unique events!

Some local residents didn’t even bother getting out of bed on Saturday, June 19th. The 36^th annual Madame Lou Bunch Day and Brass Bed Race hosted a few bed heads who “hit the sack” and raced, by bed, through the streets of Historic Central City.

After the 12 teams completed, the Bed Race and Costume Winners were announced at 5 pm. The “Money Off the Ceiling” party then commenced at Easy Street Casino’s Gold Coin Saloon from 5-8 pm where karaoke singing and bar top dancing entertained the guests.

Madams and Miners Ball continued the celebration at 8 pm across the street and upstairs at Doc

Holiday’s Casino. There were prizes for the best “Dandy Dan,” “Madame” and “Sporting House Girl” costumes, and they were eligible to win $50 for their category.

Don’t bother getting out of bed on Saturday, June 19. The 36th annual Madame Lou Bunch Day and Brass Bed Race will host a few bed heads who will “hit the sack” and race, by bed, through the streets of Historic Central City.

- Music and Entertainment starts at 12 Noon

- Team Check-in at 1:15 p.m.

- Race Begins at 3 p.m.

-  Bed Race and Costume Winners announced at 5 pm

- “Money Off the Ceiling” party at the Gold Coin Saloon from 5-8 pm

- Madams and Miners Ball at 8 pm at the Central City Elk’s Lodge, 113 Main Street

Come up in your best “Dandy Dan,” “Madame” or “Sporting House Girl” costume, and you’ll be eligible to win $50 for your category.

Need a primer on the cast of characters? Grab your bowler hat, pocket watch and three-piece suit for dapper Dandy Dan. Don’t forget your feathers, peek-a-boo bustier and full skirt for the Sporting House Girl. And, let loose with the lace, satin and your best bustle for the Madame look.

Go to www.centralcity.com to find out more about registering your Brass Bed Race team.

64^th Annual Show opens

The gallery of the Gilpin County Arts Association (GCAA) is once again open for the summer.  Gallery Manager Sandy Early tallied more than a hundred guests at the June 5^th opening night celebration. This exhibit, the 64th annual, showcases the work of more than 80 individual artists with 198 pieces encompassing two-dimensional fine art (paintings/drawings in oil, watercolor, acrylic, color pencil, pastel, batik and mixed media); three-dimensional fine art/craft (fiber, glass, jewelry, raku, polymer clay, porcelain, acrylic on clay, marble, wood and metal); and photography. Prices of the exhibited works range from $45 into the thousands.

GCAA is a non-profit organization begun in 1947 with an exhibit of 35 paintings. A lot of behind-the-scenes work goes into getting this show open every year. The gallery is housed in the historic Central City Hall/Washington Hall building on Eureka Street. The cool space of the old jail room entrance will be much appreciated by visitors on summer afternoons, but after being closed up all winter, it’s a cold job opening and cleaning the unheated building each May. Once that’s done, the artists begin bringing their work (and bringing their work, and bringing their work). The gallery fills with pieces in the process of being checked-in. Then come hours of arranging, hanging, placing; rearranging, re-hanging and replacing. Finally, the paintings and photographs have been dispersed, the muted woolens and bright silks hangered or draped, the clay and glass works pedestaled, the jewelry encased and, out in the pocket garden, GCAA has created live art in a scene of lush foliage, cheerful flowers and a sculpture fountain.

There are five rooms, 3,600 square feet, of unique display space. Most of it is on the second floor, the old Miner’s Court and in the area that was once a stable. The space has been opened up, revealing and incorporating the structure of the building for display purposes. The Sluice-Room, designed by Central City artist Angelo diBenedetto, has always surprised and delighted visitors with its water feature. This year another feature, uniquely diBenedetto, has been added. GCAA acquired the hand-crafted bronze-clad door of the artist’s studio (donated by the City of Arvada) and has mounted it at the room’s entrance as a permanent exhibit. Other than the building itself, diBenedetto’s door is GCAA’s most sizable example of form meeting function, but visitors will find objects both beautiful and useful throughout the gallery.

The competitive show was once limited to Colorado artists. Scrapbooks of photographs, clippings and other memorabilia, the “Memory Pages,” are on display (an alternative title might be, “Who’s Who: 50 Years of Colorado Artists”). They are an unbroken thread of history for GCAA, going back to 1948. The juried show remains highly competitive, but has been expanded to include works of the best and finest artists in the Rocky Mountain West (Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming).

GCAA funded awards for the 2010 show of $1,800, all generated from membership contributions, commission art sales, artists’ entry fees and gifts. Jurors Steve Sumner (Two Dimensional Fine art), Andy Cook (Photography) and Bebe Alexander (Three Dimensional Fine art), selected this year’s award winners. Best of Show ribbons were placed on Harv Mastalir’s “Woven Top Table,” Virginia Unseld’s “Aspen Shadows,” and Carol Walker’s “Black & White Stallion.” First, Second and Third Place awards were given in each category as were the Jurors’ Choice awards. Les Schowe’s engraved metal bracelet earned the Josephine Schwartz Award and the photograph entitled “Ground Fog & Hoarfrost” by Charlie Anderson won the Koropp Award.

In addition to the works on display, GCAA’s gift room offers hundreds of binworks and a treasure trove of hand-wrought jewelry, stained glass, silk scarves, ornaments for home and garden, custom cards and other unusual gift items for sale (like a silk silver-keeper reticule). Nearby are the works of Gilpin School students. GCAA exhibits several pieces from every grade level. The show runs through August 19^th. Gallery hours are noon to 6:00 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays (closed Mondays). On Opera nights, the gallery is open until 8:00 p.m. GCAA is also displaying works in the Terrace Room/VIP Room of the Teller House.

This year’s exhibit runs through August 14^th. Then the gallery will close for two weeks while a new show, the “Members Show” is prepared. That exhibit opens August 28^th and will remain open to October 1^st or the first snowfall. After that, GCAA staff would have to wear parkas to work, said Early, knowingly. Until then, however, the gallery will continue to draw visitors up from the metro area and even some return out-of-state shoppers. And, of course, savvy locals.

A soldier’s inspiration comes to life in Nederland on Memorial Day

We cherish too, the poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies

-Moina Michael

In 1868 Memorial Day was first observed at Arlington National Cemetery, when flowers were laid on the graves of fallen Confederate and Union troops. This past Memorial Day weekend Scott Harrison, with the dedication of the Carousel of Happiness, honored two soldiers that he knew, and was close to, during the Vietnam War. Their names were Paul Christmas and Christian Langenfeld. The brave young men sacrificed their lives serving their country, never getting to raise families, or experience all that life can offer – to grow old. The first go-around of the carousel was without any riders, in tribute to those soldiers, and all the others that have died for their country.

Scott Harrison was inspired to build the Carousel of Happiness in 1967, while serving in Vietnam as a machine gun squad leader. A hand-held music box that played Chopin’s “Tristess” served as an escape that would transform Scott to a mountain meadow. A more peaceful and hospitable place, he imagined himself operating a carousel. Forty three years later Scott’s dream of evoking smiles and happiness, while running a carousel, is a reality!

In 1986 Scott purchased a dilapidated, horseless, 1910 Charles Looff carousel from the Utah State Training School. For twenty five years, he has lovingly restored the carousel, while creating the 58 new animals that adorn it today. Scott’s artistry, attention to his craft, and sense of whimsy are immediately apparent, in the designs of the newly finished pieces. A dolphin donning a lei, a giraffe’s neck wrapped with a snake, and a llama on its tiptoes wearing ballet slippers are just a few of the carousel’s new carvings. Each carousel animal is blanketed in vibrant tones, with the paintings and myriad details overwhelming the eyes – which can’t fully register the scene in one sitting. It is impossible to not smile while sitting on one of the carousel’s benches, with a gorilla draping his arm around you. The eclectic menagerie includes: a rabbit, coyote, ostrich, panda, elephant, cheetah, heron, dog, pig, cow, donkey, peacock, lion, kangaroo, deer, bear, fish, cat, camel, seal, sheep, horse, tiger, lynx, moose, dragon, and mermaid. Part of the adventure is selecting the critter with which you will spend the next three minutes.

With Nederland in disarray from its sidewalk project, Scott and all of the carousel’s countless supporters somehow pulled off Saturday’s Grand Opening, with nary a hitch. When I arrived at 9:30 a.m., volunteers were feverishly sweeping off dirt from the recently poured concrete. Clowns, alpacas, Native American dancers, the Wild Okapi Marimba Band, and a face painter, were on hand to ring-in the first twirl of the carousel. Twelve hundred hot dogs and Italian sausages were served at no charge to attendees.

With my ticket in hand, it was time for me to go for a spin. My steed of choice was the zebra, whose tail flowed behind it with the wind. The little girl next to me, riding the frog, had brought her favorite doll along for the journey. Both securely strapped-in, she told me that she would “hold on to the frog’s eyes.” Though the actual 1913 Wurlitzer band organ was behind glass, the carousel band music from a CD began piping out a lively tune, and the carousel slowly began to rotate. Gaining speed, the zebra galloped steadily around the blurred kaleidoscope of colors and lights. People of all ages were aboard with the oldest, at 94 years old, atop a lion! Smiles were seen, and chuckles were heard – from the passengers and onlookers. Gradually grinding to a halt, I dismounted, wondering which animal I should ride next time.

The Carousel of Happiness, located in the Caribou Shopping Center, Nederland, will be open daily from: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. through Labor Day with reduced off-season hours. Tickets are only $1.00 each. The carousel building is available for birthday parties, weddings, and special events. As a non-profit organization, extra proceeds will go towards helping underprivileged children and others in need. To learn more about the Carousel of Happiness, visit their website at www.carouselofhappiness.org.

Library’s popular summer program continues

Watching Andre Mallinger’s fingers working the keys of her “mbira” is like watching a career secretary work a computer keyboard. The action seems to require no thought, to be so natural, it’s automatic. Effortlessly, her hands move over the instrument’s metal strip keys, but rather than letters on a page, her fingers produce notes in the air. They pour out from the “deza” surrounding the mbira, giving it a “buzz” as they pass. The notes follow each other in ordered form passed down for centuries, but rather than marching along, these notes bounce, skipping and hop-dancing to an exotic rhythm. Malinger explained the music she played is from the Shona culture in Africa. It’s very complex, she said, with interlocking parts that produce a whole series of rhythms and melodies. There is brightness in the music. I couldn’t help smiling as I listened and I noticed Mallinger smiling as she played. This unfamiliar music was vibrant, rhythmic, joyous and when she stopped playing-well, I really didn’t want her to.

We were sitting in the atrium of the Community Center where I’d met Mallinger to talk about this summer’s “Musician-in-Residence” program at Gilpin County Public Library. The Friends of the Library have funded “Artist-in-Residence” programs for three summers, now, with a different genre of art featured each time. This year, they’re focusing on the art of music, choosing Mallinger to provide a summer’s worth of programs (free to those attending). As we talked, Mallinger had assembled her instrument, and then offered a spontaneous sample of its abilities. The mbira is a Zimbabwean instrument, a “thumb piano” with a keyboard of metal strips. The deza is the bowl surrounding it, traditionally made from a calabash gourd (Mallinger’s is made of fiberglass) that adds resonance, a vibration that hums beneath the melody. She plans to use this instrument, as well as others, in several workshops for participants to make their own music. But it’s just part of a broader program, a series of workshops that will include discussion, performance and activities-some geared to specific age groups and some suitable for all ages.

Mallinger brings more than 30 years of musical study and performance experience to Gilpin. She learned piano as a child then joined the school band and became a percussionist. “I wanted to be a rock ’n roll drummer,” she confessed. At eleven, she learned to play the marimba, dedicated to classical music. As an adult, she discovered the African style of marimba music and loves the rhythms of it. She’s since expanded to other instruments. Her education (M.A., Antrhopology, CU, Boulder) as an ethnomusicologist (a combination of cultural anthropology and music) plays well with her love of travel. A resident of Rollinsville, she’s just returned from a 17 month journey that included time spent in Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, India and Costa Rica. While in India, she studied classical Indian drumming (“I’m a percussionist at heart,” she says) and, in Laos, she played their style of xylophone, the “lanat.” Mallinger has performed in numerous bands and ensembles, incorporating classical, orchestral, Caribbean, jazz, Celtic, and several styles of African music. She’s taught all to marimba, piano and drum students, both privately and in schools, and has worked with all ages, including teaching at elementary and high schools, community colleges and, most recently (2002-2008), Mallinger was an adjunct faculty member at Naropa University in Boulder.

Mallinger has ideas to share many kinds of music in many different ways. Participants in this year’s Musician-in-Residence workshops will likely discover musical styles, forms and concepts that are new to them. Children love workshops tailored for them with rhythm games and physically playing the instruments. Seniors also enjoy playing the simple instruments and might find these workshops changing their way of thinking. Music is primal, Mallinger explained, it doesn’t matter if participants have no music background at all, music is “heart language.” She says she’s excited to learn from the participants and looking forward to getting to know the “greater Gilpin” population. She hopes people will come away from her programs with a new awareness of the concepts, styles and sounds of different types of music. Then they can decide for themselves which they like. Another goal is to help people feel that creative spark and let it take them wherever they want-even if that’s just singing for themselves, she said, “Maybe this will lead them to something new, as well.” Could be. Though you wouldn’t know it when you hear her play, African music was once new to Mallinger. Now it’s her favorite. “It touches my heart,” she says. Participants in these workshops may well find a style of music that touches their hearts, too.

Mallinger and Library Director Larry Grieco are finalizing the program schedule. The workshops will run June – August. Registration information, the schedule and titles of workshops will be published in the Weekly Register-Call as soon as they’re available. Meanwhile, listen to a sample at www.tobatanamarimba.org – the Crestfest links will let you see Mallinger in action. Just try to sit still while you listen.

Gilpin School Play

“The Clumsy Custard Horror Show and Ice Cream Clone Review” was a mirthful comedy presented by the Gilpin County Players at the Gilpin County School Miller-Headrick Auditorium on Thursday and Friday, May 13 and 14, at 7:00 p.m.  The school play was preceded on Thursday by a Montessori sponsored spaghetti dinner as a fundraiser. The Booster Club sponsored a welcome concessions stand during an intermission at both performances.

The time honored matters of love, double identity, kidnapping, bullying by a monster, rescue, and marriage were all covered in the play’s plot – mostly occurring to the main character, Princess Prince, when her father, King Dumb of Zobia, commanded that she select a husband from the knights of the realm.

All was well in the end when Princess Prince, played with aplomb by Erin Brownson, and Swashbuck Valpariso, played in a grand cape-flinging style by Shauna Corsino, were rightfully united. Corsino cheerily remarked about the play, “I’m enjoying it more than any other play I’ve ever done – it’s amazing!”

Other featured cast members and their characters were: Sierra Bedwell as Worfle, Swashbuck’s sidekick; Lee Hudacky as Head; Shaylyn Johnson as Ester; Kaylea Morrison as Alphasia; Jamye Peterson as Dacron; Jonathan Sales as King Dumb; Katie Schimanskey as Malforce; Stephanie Siegrist as Polly; and Tyra Manning as Aretha Boheme. Eryk Lorenz, Dante Nadeau and Zach Schell played Clumsy Custard.

Peggy Miller was the play’s producer and Bev Brownson was the director.

A prominent “Farewell 2010 Seniors” dedicated to graduating cast members Shauna Corsino, Lee Hudacky, Kaylea Morrison, and Katie Schimanskey was featured with cast portraits on captivating lime and fuchsia playbills and posters.  Becca Blondo of capture it, graphic design and print services, provided the playfully stunning print work.

A unique aspect of this play was its audience participation through interaction with the actors. Poor Dacron endured shrill boos and hisses from the audience as they were encouraged in their participation. All present during the two nights of the play were proud to be deemed members of the zany Zobian kingdom!