Inside Longmont The Magazine - December 2014

insideLONGMONT.com December 2014

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insideLONGMONTTHE MAGAZINE

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Brian T. Wolf

WRITING & PHOTOGRAPHYBrian T. Wolf

Mari Wolf

MARKETING & ADVERTISINGMari Wolf

[email protected]

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COVER PHOTO: Longmont Christmas Tree Photo by Mari Wolf, Edited by Brian T. Wolf

insideLONGMONT The Magazine is published monthly by Inside Longmont, LLC.

Copyright 2014 by Inside Longmont, LLC. All rights reserved. The entire contents of insideLONGMONT The Magazine are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the express written consent of the publisher. Inside Longmont, LLC is not responsible for unsolicited materials.



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Contents

Business Profile: Larry’s Guitar Shop

Non Profit Spotlight: Mountain States Children’s Home

In the Community: Night Lights

Music: Kevin Dooley

Arts & Entertainment: Longmont Dance Theatre’s “The Nutcracker”

Theatre: “HOPSCOTCH! The Musical”

Family Corner: Non-Toy Gifts for the Holiday Season

Kids Krafts: Family Handprint Christmas Tree

Happening In Longmont

iL Business Network

iL Non Profit Community

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From the Editor

July is turning out to be a month of pretty big accomplishments for Mari and me here at Inside Longmont. In addition to all the work that went into bringing this issue of the magazine to you, we spent a couple of weeks creating a brand new website that launched earlier this month. This new website will allow us to publish fresh new stories about the awesome things happening in Longmont on a regular basis, not just once each month, so it will be a great compliment to this magazine. Now you won’t have to wait a whole month between issues to get updates on what is happening in our community.

The new website also features an improved Calendar of Events, pages for both our Business Network and Non Profit Community members, and pages for our Longmont Insiders (including a complete list of the current Inside Deals). Best of all, you can now find every issue of Inside Longmont The Magazine on our website, with the current issue available right on the home page. Of course, this is the just the start for the new website and we will be adding plenty of new features in the weeks and months ahead.

So, I invite you to please take a moment to visit the new home for Inside Longmont at www.insidelongmont.com and let us know what you think!

Brian T. Wolf Editor-in-Chief



There is no question that Longmont is a music town. It’s getting to be so that you can’t swing a stick without hitting a local singer-songwriter on the rise, and with the growing number of local breweries and eateries around town there are plenty of fun venues to hear these great artists perform. Longmont also boasts several different music stores, many offering a variety of services ranging from instrument sales to music lessons. And in the heart of downtown Longmont you will find one of the more recent additions to the music community, Larry’s Guitar Shop.

Whether it’s selling or repairing guitars, offering private lessons, hosting weekly in-store concerts, or playing in a local band, Larry’s Guitar Shop and its owner Larry Gruber have become deeply involved in all aspects of the music scene in town. And while the shop may have first opened its doors just four years ago, both Larry and the building itself have a long history tied to music in Longmont.

Larry grew up and went to high school here in Longmont before heading off to Boulder for college. Following a career in the ski business for many years, Larry opened a music store in Glenwood Springs which he ran for nearly 15 years, before finally making the return to Longmont in 2010 to be closer to his parents. While in Glenwood Springs, his store was a full-service music store for all instruments, but since coming to Longmont Larry has focused exclusively on guitars and stringed instruments. “I really like acoustic guitars a lot and all the acoustic instruments,” Larry said.

Business Profile


Larry’s Guitar Shop carries a number of quali-ty new instruments from makers like Breedlove, Walden Guitars, and Gold Tone Banjos. They also have small-bodied guitars for kids and a full line of accessories. And you will even find an assort-ment of the more unique stringed instruments like the dulcimer, ukulele, violin, and mandolin. In addition to new instruments, Larry’s has an amazing selection of used guitars that you simply won’t find anywhere outside of Denver. “I guess since I’m old and vintage, I’m kind of attracted to those things,” Larry joked. Stop by the shop and you may be surprised by the quality of vintage in-struments from the turn of the century through the 20s and 30s. Larry seems to have a knack for bringing in these hard-to-find items.

In addition to selling new and used guitars, Lar-ry’s Guitar Shop also repairs and refurbishes old or damaged instruments. “Mark Nikkel in our shop in the back is a wonderful luthier,” Lar-ry told us. Together with his own repair skills, which Larry has been honing for 20 years, the two of them are able to cover just about any-thing, including regular maintenance work. Yes, like changing the oil in your car, guitars should be serviced, too. Whether it needs to have the strings changed and the neck adjusted or to have the action corrected or just oiled and buffed, they can do that. If a guitar has been damaged, they can tear it down and completely rebuild it. Larry’s provides on-site repair with a fast turnaround time and even offers a free es-timate. In the end, it’s all about preventing old-er instruments from being discarded. As Larry

says, “We like to save things from the dumpsters.”

For those looking to become better musicians, Larry’s Guitar Shop also offers music lessons taught by a variety of wonderful instructors. Be-ginner to intermediate players can learn acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, violin, or viola from teachers Candy Carpenter, Mike Tolle, Alexandra Eddy, Mike Nikkel, and Kevin Dooley for as little as $25 per session. As many longtime Longmont residents may remember, this building has been a music store dating back to the 50s when Larry himself went to high school here and some customers who come in today remember taking lessons there back in the 50s and 60s. It’s great to see that Larry and the instructors are keeping this history going. It only takes a few minutes talking with Larry to see that the guitar has clearly been a life-long pas-

Larry playing bass with the Tim Hill Combo.



sion for him. Before he was even old enough to play a real guitar he would walk around with a fake one just to pretend. “Ricky Nelson was who I really wanted to be, back in the late 50s,” Larry admitted. When he was in 9th grade his parents finally bought him a 12-string guitar and he immediately began playing with a buddy in town. Together, the two of them went on to win the 9th Grade Talent Show at Longmont Junior High.

Over the past 30 years, Larry has played in several bands, including Big Daddy Lee and the Kingbees, a house band in Aspen. As the band’s bassist, he would perform with them every Friday night, often getting to play with celebrities like Vince Gill, Elvis Costello, and Gloria Estefan. “That was a lot of fun,” Larry said. These days you can find him playing electric bass local-ly with the Tim Hill Combo, a rockabilly-blues-coun-try band. He does like playing acoustic guitar and singing, but usually ends up on bass guitar with the bands. “The bass is a fun role in the band,” Larry told us, “so I enjoy that position.” The members of the Tim Hill Combo get together every week to rehearse and usually perform about once a month. And you are pretty much guaranteed to find them playing in front of Larry’s shop during each of the ArtWalk festivals over the summer.

His passion for music has also led him to host Live @ Larry’s at his shop in downtown Longmont. Every Thursday night, he transforms his showroom floor into an intimate listening room where the audience can enjoy live music performed by local musicians. To date, he has hosted over 180 shows featuring talent-

ed artists like Danny Shafer, Nick O’Connor, and The Prairie Scholars. “That’s given us a great opportunity to feature a lot of our customers and to attract new customers,” Larry said. “New musicians find us want-ing to play here in the shop as well.” With no shortage of talent available, Larry tries to have a good rotation of artists throughout the year with a wide variety of music to entertain the audience. It’s not just guitar-ists and singer-songwriters who play Live @ Larry’s. In fact, some of Larry’s favorite performances include a jazz trombonist, a Flamenco guitarist paired with a 7-foot marimba player, and banjo players. For anyone who enjoys live music, Live @ Larry’s is the place to be on a Thursday evening.

With plenty of great lines of new instruments and an awesome selection of used guitars, Larry’s Guitar Shop offers more than a new set of strings. “We’re interest-ed in finding the right guitar for people and assisting them in their musical knowledge,” Larry said. “We try to make a comfortable environment so people can come in and feel welcome and feel like they can learn something while they are here to help them along their musical path.”

“We are musicians helping musicians.”

So if you’ve been inclined to start down your own mu-sical path and pick up a guitar, why not stop by Larry’s Guitar Shop and let him help you find the right one. Who knows, you just might find yourself playing Live @ Larry’s one Thursday night in the future!

Mike Nikkel working on a guitar.


Since 1960, Mountain States Children’s Home has been striving to fulfill their mission to extend Chris-tian services to wounded children in an effort to meet their physical needs, heal their emotional hurts, challenge their minds, and teach them moral principles all in order to reach the goals of reuniting them with their families or preparing them for independence. In that time, hundreds of children have been helped through their efforts, and yet many in our community do not fully understand just what MSCH really is and how they help the youth they serve.

Mountain States Children’s Home is like no other organization in the state of Colorado. Their facility sits on 155 acres of land that provides plenty of space for the children to live, attend school, raise live-stock, maintain horses, grow gardens, and experience a stable and well-balanced life, in many cases for the very first time. The initial purchase of the property was funded by selling bonds and second mort-gages being taken on the homes of the founders, and to this day MSCH continues to be privately funded with no government money. And they are the only agency in the entire state that takes kids regardless of their parents’ income or ability to pay.

But what truly stands out about MSCH is their use of the family model of care that establishes a struc-ture that includes a father and mother who guide, nurture, and care for the children on a daily basis. The property currently has four houses that are each home to house parents, their own children, and

Non Profit Spotlight


up to 6 placed children from the program. Often, these children come from chaotic situations and this family model provides the structure that they need to bring stability back into their lives. “We try to show them what family is,” said Phil Crews, Development Coordinator. Each day the kids get up in the morning, do chores, go to school, have study time, and help prepare supper. They learn responsibility by having time commitments and this daily routine helps them find peace in their lives. “We want the kids to know that no matter what has happened in your life, you can find that peace,” Phil said.

Many of the children who come to MSCH are struggling with trauma from a variety of sources. They may have been in multiple homes or expe-rienced abuse. They may not have known where their next meal was going to come from or where they were going to spend the next night. Multi-ple traumatic situations can lead to a lack of trust, with the youths raising their defenses and going into survival mode to protect themselves. By us-ing the family model of care along with profes-sional counselors and teachers, MSCH is able to help these children build consistency and under-standing, which helps them lower their defenses and ultimately leads them to becoming kids again.

Mountain States Children’s Home offers a place to heal for both boys and girls, ages 11-18, with as many as 25 children per year, depending on their length of stay. Any parent or guardian can place their child with them without any govern-ment involvement and still maintain control over their child during their stay. “We want to be a re-

source,” said Randy Schow, Executive Director. “We want to prevent the child from getting into social services. If we can get to them before the rights of the parent are terminated or before they get in trouble with the law, we can help address the issues before that happens.” In fact, not only do they work with kids, but also with the parents in order to help resolve those underlying issues that may be contributing to the traumatic situa-tion. Ultimately, the desire to reunite these fami-lies is their goal and is embedded in their mission statement. “We want to make our community strong,” Randy told us.

Education is another important factor in healing the lives of these children. Because of the instabil-ity in their lives, many of the children who come to Mountain States Children’s Home are behind in school and need additional help getting back on track. That is why the facility also houses an on-campus school where teachers can work with the kids to help them get caught up and to help them develop organizational and study skills. The

The kids had the unique opportunity to inscribe messages of encouragement for future residents on the foundation beems of the new cottage.


goal of their school is to then be able to transition the children back into public school once they are ready.

In addition to all of the other existing facilities, earlier this spring MSCH broke ground on a new construction project, their first new cottage on the property since 1976. This new home will bring their total to five and will allow them to bring more youths in need to their program. This new cottage will also set a new standard of design for their homes, one that that better fits their unique needs. It will feature a more open floor plan with clear visibility throughout the house. It will have have six individual rooms for the kids placed there, each with his or her own bathroom, so they will have their own space and their own time to themselves without having to share a room. Con-struction is projected to be completed by spring of 2015.

Like all nonprofits, Mountain States Children’s Home has a need for operational funding and in more than 50 years of existence Mountain States Children’s Home has drawn many faithful sup-porters. They are primarily made up of individual donors, many of whom contribute small amounts like $10 or $25 at a time. In fact, as much as 70% of their funding comes from individuals with local businesses, civic groups, churches, foundations, and organizations making up the balance. Be-cause MSCH takes no government money, all of their much-needed support comes from private

sources. It’s important to re-member that ev-eryone can help and even small-er donations add up. In addition to the financial donations, there are over 400 volunteers who contribute their time and talents working on var-ious activities throughout the year. Currently,

there is a special need for volunteers who can help work on the construction of the new cottage on Fridays and Saturdays. The skills needed are gen-eral and all ability levels are welcome. To find out how you can help, send an email to [email protected].

One more way that you can support Mountain States Children’s Home is by shopping at their recently-opened Thrift Store at 233 Main Street. This month they celebrated their one-year anni-versary and, thanks to the support from the com-munity, they are going strong. Like most thrift stores, they carry a variety of items like children’s books, furniture, clothing, games and puzzles, and kitchen appliances. They have an electronics testing area to make sure that donated items are working properly before reselling. And if there are any furniture items that need repair, like a wobbly chair, there is a volunteer who comes in to make sure they are in the best condition pos-sible. Not only do they have the physical store it-self, but they also have an Ebay store for selling online. This is an additional way for them to sell higher-end items that have found their way into the store. They have already sold items all across the world, from Mongolia to Brazil.

If you have items you would like to donate to sup-port Mountain States Children’s Home, you can drop them off anytime during business hours. 100% of the proceeds raised at the Thrift Store benefit Mountain States Children’s Home. An-other way to help is to volunteer your time to work at the store as a cashier, organizing counters and shelves, or simply sorting through all of the items that have been donated. “The people here in Longmont are so generous,” Store Manager Richard Patton told us. “Without them this store wouldn’t be as successful as it is.”

We truly are lucky to have an organization like Mountain States Children’s Home in our commu-nity because the work they do is simply amazing. If you would like to learn more about how you can help MSCH, or if you know a youth who may be in need of their help, you can visit them online at www.msch.org or call them at 303-776-6841.Executive Director

Randy Schow


Mountain States Children’s HomeThrift Store

233 Main Street Longmont, CO 80501

303-834-9510

Open Mon - Sat9:30am - 5:00pm


In the Community

Night Lights

Scenes from an evening stroll through Longmont’s Roosevelt Park featuring the magical lights and colors currently on display.





One of the first words that comes to mind when describing Kevin Dooley is “authentic.” Whether he is performing at a local coffee shop, an intimate setting, or music festival, his unique blend of Americana, blues, folk, and traditional Irish sounds will make you nod in agreement to the stories he is telling. It is easy to believe Kevin Dooley, whether he is singing the blues or playing a more traditional Irish melody. “I’m a performer and a songwriter,” he describes himself. “I’m trying to wear both of those hats.” And he wears them well.

Kevin has spent over 20 years working in music and taking part in Colorado’s singer-songwriter scene. This working musician has been able to take his earlier influences of blues and Motown and merge them with his strong Irish roots to create a sound that is completely original, yet familiar enough to draw in even first-time listeners. Often called the “acoustic road warrior,” Kevin spent 15 years travel-ling the country in his Dodge cargo van, playing everywhere from Nashville to Austin and throughout the Midwest. With more than a dozen CDs under his belt, several of them compilation albums with other artists, Kevin Dooley has more than established himself as veteran songman.

These days you would be hard pressed to find him not behind an acoustic guitar, but his music career actually didn’t start out that way. He began playing drums at 10 years old and soon after became the drummer in a band with two members of the marching band, a trombone player and a cornet player. “Playing drums gave me this great sense of rhythm and it also gave me an inclusion in things,” Kevin

Music

KevinDooley


told us. He even had his first “professional” gig at the age by the age of 12 when they played for a fraternity in Michigan. But it didn’t take long for Kevin to dis-cover the guitar, taking his sister’s old acoustic guitar and locking himself away in his room to teach himself to play. After graduating from college, Kevin moved to Colorado where he worked and played music on the weekends for fun. But it wasn’t until a tragic event occurred that Kevin fully committed to his music.

“For me, the crystallizing moment was when my mom passed away,” he said. The experience made Kevin realize that it was time for him to finally move forward with his songwriting and take his music career seri-ously. It was essentially now or never.

Almost immediately, he set to work writing and re-cording his first album, appropriately titled Kevin Dooley. Many local musicians joined him on this first record, including Steve Mullins, Brock Edwards, Julie Hoest, Drew Emmitt and Mark Vann. The album also featured songs that were written for his mother. With the release of this first CD in 1994, Kevin would then begin touring on a regular basis, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Following the success of Kevin Dooley, he went on to release seven more of his own albums and has been part of a variety of compilation albums, includ-ing Colorado Blues Society Vol. 1, American Streets and Cafes Vol. 2, Benefit for OUR House, and more. His most recent album, Moonlight Highway, was re-leased in 2011.

In addition to recording, Kevin spends a great deal of time touring and playing live, honing his craft and performing in a variety of venues. He has played large events such as Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, Mem-phis in May, Fort Collins Celtic Fest, Telluride Blues Festival, and The Colorado Irish Festival. He has opened for musical legends like Bo Diddley and Leon Russell and shared the stage with artists like Marc Cohn and Los Lobos.

But when music is your passion, the venue is not al-ways as important as creating a joyful experience. One of the things that he has begun doing in the last few years is “busking”, or street performing, at the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. It originally started as a way for him to get out and play in the moment, but over time he found that it has helped him develop a unique tuning style on the guitar that is very much his


own and adds to his distinctive sound.

Kevin also plays for several different benefits each year and can frequently be found sharing his love for mu-sic at assisted living facilities and hospitals. “I’m at a place in my life where I can do the things that I want.”

His influence is not limited to just recording and performing, though. Kevin has also been very involved working with aspiring musicians and doing his part to help bring up the next generation of singer-songwrit-ers. For several years he has been invited to be on the teaching staff at The Rocky Mountain Folks Festival “Song School” and here in Longmont he teaches guitar and songwriting at Larry’s Guitar Shop.

There is no question that music has come a long way for Kevin Dooley, from being something he did on the weekends to becoming a complete way of life. An early riser, Kevin makes a point to write music every day, usually first thing in the morning, and he takes the process seriously like a true professional. “You’ve got three minutes to make a connection with people,” Kevin said, “so you’ve got to be really specific and say the right thing.”

Recently, Kevin has also been working diligently in his home studio recording his 9th album. This new CD will feature ten original songs, eight of which are already completely tracked with two more having been started and the guitar tracks placed. This time around, he is working closely with bass player Eric Drobny from Golden, who will be providing vocal harmonies on the songs. And once again, Kevin will be inviting plenty of awesome local talent like Alex Johnstone, Steve Mullins, and Bret Billings to contribute to the new album. Be on the lookout for this CD next year and we will try to keep you posted on the progress.

If you would like to hear some of Kevin’s music, you can listen to a number of his songs online at his page www.reverbnation.com/kevindooleymusic. You can also find his calendar with upcoming performances here, so be sure to catch Kevin Dooley live the next time you can!



Arts & Entertainment

LONGMONT DANCE THEATRE’S

THE NUTCRACKERWe’ve been looking forward to this for several months, and now the weekend has finally arrived! Starting on December 19th, the Longmont Dance Theatre will be bringing their annual performance of “The Nutcracker” to the stage, and we can hardly wait to see it.

During their final days of rehearsal, we had the opportunity to visit LDT’s studio and see first hand just how much hard work all of the dancers have put into their preparation for the show. Needless to say, we were more than impressed and had to bring you this gallery of photos. As you look through the following images, just remember: If they look this good in the studio, imagine how fantastic this performance will be on the stage!






The dancers at LDT Academy may still be students, ages 5-18, but this is a going to be an amazing, professional-level production with full lights, sets, and costumes. Three professional male dancers will be performing alongside the members of LDT. And the music of Tchiakovsky will be performed live by the Flatirons Community Orchestra un-der the baton of Conductor Arturo Gonzalez. This is definitely a performance of “The Nutcracker” that should not be missed, and fortunately you will have four chances to see it!

Longmont Dance Theatre Academy will perform “The Nutcracker” at the Niwot High School Auditorium on December 19th at 7pm, December 20th at 2pm and 7pm, and December 21st at 1pm. Shows are reserved seating only, so visit www.ldtacademy.com for ticket information or call 303-772-1335.

“The Nutcracker” is a holiday tradition that the entire family can enjoy, so come out and see this fantastic production!




Theatre

It is hard to believe that we are now less than one month away from the premiere of HOPSCOTCH! The Musical. Over the course of the past several issues, we have been bringing you stories about what is going to happen on stage, so we thought this month it was finally time to introduce you to some of the people who are working hard behind the scenes to make sure the production is a well-oiled machine by the time the curtain goes up.

Just as it was with the story and the music, the design of set for the production of HOPSCOTCH! was ini-tially formed through playwright Robbie Kudla’s experiences. Even as the scenes were being written, she had an idea on how they should appear on stage. “Because I knew the characters,” said Robbie, who based many of the characters in the story on people she met during her time as a counselor, “it was very real to me. I knew what I wanted it all to look like.” She also knew that having simple and mobile sets would be an im-portant goal from the beginning. “I wanted to design a stage where we had easy movement of props, I could have everything on the stage, and we could move from office to home easily because I knew we would be a traveling company. I never had an intention that we would be sitting in one theater doing the show once.”

Throughout the long process of bringing HOPSCOTCH! to the stage, each time Robbie has reached the point where she has needed help in a specific area, the right person would suddenly appear. And that is exactly what happened with Stage Manager Sharkey Steib. After touring theaters to begin booking venues, Robbie realized that she would be needing a technical crew and stage manager. At the same time, Sharkey had just arrived in Longmont and was eager to connect with the theater community. When she saw a posting

HOPSCOTCH! The MusicalSharkey, Steven, and Dave taking a look at the constructed jail cell bars!


on Craigslist about the show, she immediately emailed to see if there was any need for backstage help. Hav-ing worked with a professional dance company for 10 years in stage management and later at The Rialto in Tucson, Sharkey offered the technical experience Rob-bie needed. As soon as they met, the two realized it was a perfect fit and Sharkey was quickly brought on to oversee the progress and coordination of the pro-duction, which is a challenge considering the size and scale of the show. “This is the biggest production I’ve ever worked on,” Sharkey told us. “It’s going to be con-tinually changing and shifting as it moves from venue to venue. From actors to sets to lighting to sound, it’s going to be a different show every time.”

Dave Hartman’s journey to be-come part of the HOPSCOTCH! family actually began decades ago when he and Robbie used to sing and write music togeth-er. Over the years the two lost touch, but the production has recently brought them back together. As soon as he heard what Robbie was creating, Dave immediately came on board to offer editing assistance and even joined the cast. His extensive background in wood-working and experience as a detail-ori-ented master machinist has also helped tremendously when it came to building the sets. “I’ve been working with wood and precision tools all my life.” And Dave has one unique distinction within the production that no one else can claim: he actually wrote the song, “Head of a Pin,” which is the only song in the entire produc-tion not written or co-written by Robbie!

Since she first began casting the various roles of HOP-SCOTCH!, Robbie has hired actors based more on heart and their ability to connect to the characters than just talent. For the show’s Director, Emily Andrews, working with a cast comprised of mostly non-actors has been exciting because of the genuine nature of the people who have committed to the production. It is a story they want to tell. “With all of the teaching and consulting I’ve done, I know how terrifying it can be to get on stage, so the fact that these people want to be here so badly that they will overcome that fear is amazing,” Emily said. “It makes the characters so genuine.” During rehearsals, Emily is quick to provide

suggestions and guide the actors, encouraging them to move around the props and offering hints as to how to use their movements for dramatic emphasis. With a production this size, it can be difficult keeping it all straight and everything flowing easily. Emily is happy to take on that responsibility, though. “I like to think that the director is more about coordinating all of the creative pieces. Making sure that the lights and the music and the sound and the actors are all coming to-gether to build the best version of the vision possible”.

When you think of musicals, usually the first things that come to mind are the music and singing, but there is something that is just as important to the audi-ence’s experience that often goes unappreciated - the

stage lighting. Whether it is guiding a scene transition, setting the mood, or emphasising a point, the lighting for each scene moves the story along and can even create emotions. Ste-ven Gimbel, the production’s Lighting Director, works closely with everyone on the team to ensure that the light-ing throughout the show has the de-sired effect. After reading the script and receiving notes from Sharkey and Robbie about how they wanted to lights to play out, Steven spends time on the computer setting up the light-ing plots. Lighting plots are used to communicate how each light needs to be hung, focused, colored, and con-nected. Once he makes the plot speci-fications, he sends it off to the specific venue for each show where the techni-cal staff there use the plot to hang the lights as detailed for the performance.

In other words, Steven writes the script for the lights!

It has been marvelous to see first-hand all of the work-ing pieces that go into a theatrical production like HOPSCOTCH! and how they all come together to cre-ate the show. Taking a look behind the curtain has been a wonderful experience for us and will no doubt add to our experience as spectators. Robbie put it best when she said, “I only had a vision, a roadmap, but the crew are the folks who are putting it all together. They are the ones putting all of the sightseeing attractions and directions on that map.”

We encourage you to come out and see this wonderful show when it hits Longmont on January 17th. You will find ticket information on the next page or online at www.hopscotchthemusical.com.

Emily Andrews, Director




Tis the season…

Tis the season of consumerism, toys and the never ending, “Mommy, can I have that for Christmas.” As the Christmas gift list grows ever longer, it is enough to turn this mom into a Scrooge, especially knowing that after one week most of the new toys will be underutilized, underfoot and forgotten! So, this year I have compiled a list of some non-toy gift ideas that focus on local Colorado businesses and also include some online options. I am sharing this with grandparents, aunts and uncles and declaring this the year of NO MORE TOYS! It is my hope that these gifts will bring more year round fun and can even be fun for the whole family!

MembershipsMemberships are great because they can be used by the whole family and usually throughout the year. Depending on your child’s interests, you can choose from Longmont attractions like the Longmont Museum or the Longmont Rec Center; Denver’s Zoo, Museums, and Aquarium; Fort Collins’ Museum of Discovery; or the WOW Museum in Lafayette. If you have a train lover in the family, then a member-ship to the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden would be perfect. Does your kid love rollercoasters? Then consider a Seasons Pass to Elitches or Water World in Denver. These options are great for kids and parents alike. You can have fun as a family while creating new memories!

Classes and CampsMy kids LOVE Legos, but instead of buying another lego set whose pieces will go missing in a few weeks, consider buying a Lego summer camp class. Play-Well TEKnologies offers classes through the Longmont Rec center and they are so much fun for Lego Lovers. The curriculum is designed by engi-neers, building on the math and science skills that students learn throughout the school year. The kids solve real world engineering challenges that explore concepts in physics, architecture and engineering. (playwell.org)

Family Corner

by Elaine Waterman


Another great camp we have attended in the past is Camp Invention. Camp Invention combines FUN, Creative Problem Solving, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) with the skills of local teachers to provide an awesome summer camp experience for kids who love creating with their hands. My son LOVED it and came home with some pretty crazy stuff he made on his own. This one costs a pretty penny, so maybe hand this one off to one of the grandparents. (campinvention.org)

A great option for kids who love to be outdoors is a farm experience at either Sunflower Farms or Ollin Farms. Both farms are wonderful places for the kids to connect with nature and animals, and the teach-ers are kind and knowledgeable. At Ollin Farms you can even turn the experience in a multicultural one by adding Spanish Language Lessons to the fun. (ollinfarms.com and sunflowerfarminfo.com)

Got a kid who loves to “help” in the kitchen? Give them their own set of cooking utensils and sign them up for cooking class at Stir it Up Cooking in Boulder. (stiritupcooking.com)

Is your kid a Katniss or a Merida fan? Buy them a bow and sign them up for a session at High Altitude Archery or Archery in the Wild. (highaltitudearchery.com and archeryinthewild.com) (You might see us there. Shhh...)

Books and Magazine SubscriptionsBooks are great gifts for kids. A tradition that we have at our house is the Twelve Days of Bookmas. We wrap twelve books and then during the twelve days before Christmas we unwrap one each day to read before bedtime. I recycle some of the books so The Polar Express is always in the stack as is How the Grinch Stole Christmas. On the 24th we read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Make sure the books aren’t too long, though, or by the 25th you may not have a voice left for caroling.

Another great option is to share a book from your childhood. This year I picked The Cricket In Times Square as it was one of my favorites when I was growing up.

Magazine subscriptions are also great to create yearlong excitement and boost reading interest. There are subscriptions to the Lego Magazine, Highlights, Zoobooks, American Girl and more. Pick one that works for your child!

Hobbies, Arts and Crafts, Monthly “Boxes”Art projects and STEM projects can keep kids entertained for hours, leaving you a little time to recover from the holidays. From jewelry, fuse beads, and clay to computer coding and robot building, there are different kits for just about every interest. And nowadays you can get them shipped to your door every month!

Kiwi Crate includes all the materials they will need for 2-3 themed creative activities in art, science, games and imaginative play. (kiwicrate.com)

Tinker Crate offers a monthly box shipped with projects that inspire kids to explore and learn about science, engineering and technology. Each month a new crate comes in the mail to help kids develop a tinkering mindset and creative problem solving skills. (tinker.kiwicrate.com) (There is also a Doodle Crate at doodle.kiwicrate.com.)



Loot Crate is a box of mystery themed loot for your “geek” or “gamer” shipped to you monthly. (lootcrate.com)

For a hobby like working with gardening tools and seeds, try www.gardenersworld.com/seed-club.

Want to do arts and crafts OUTSIDE of your home? (I don’t blame you.) Get your child a Crackpots Gift Card or a Discover Days gift card. (www.ecrackpots.com and www.longmontcolorado.gov/muse-um). Or purchase a class pass at Happy Hands Creative Studios or Inspiration Art Academy. (facebook.com/inspirationartacademy or happyhandscreativeartstudio.com)

Other Fun IdeasNothing makes you a cooler mom than gifting your older kid a concert ticket to see their favorite teeny bopper band. Imagine how over the moon you would have been to go see Madonna as a teen. (Am I dating myself here?) Yeah, I know Taylor Swift is no Madonna, but it would still make an AWESOME gift! So much better than toys!!!

You can also try:

- Arcade tokens to Boondocks or Dizzy Family Fun Center in Longmont. (boondocks.com or dizzycolorado.com)

- Movie passes, after all who doesn’t love a night out at the movies? And if you are a rewards member at the theater, you can get money back to use for concessions!

- How about a trip to Disney World?! Now I think just about any kid would trade their holiday toys for a trip to Disney World or Disney Land. So time to plant the thought in grandma’s head, and start planning your trip to the Happiest Place in the World!

Of course, as much as I love these ideas, I am sure there will be a couple toys under the tree. I, myself, am looking forward to getting a Mad UniKitty in my stocking. I just love that cat/unicorn!

Good luck and happy gifting. I hope your Holidays are filled with love, family and the making of happy memories to treasure!!

Elaine Waterman is a Longmont mom and the Head Mess Maker at Discovery Days at the Longmont Museum as well as Paint N’ Party To Go. She has two rambunctious boys, ages 6 and 10 and likes to ex-perience all that Longmont has to offer families. She is also the organizer of the Longmont Area Moms Network, a local moms group that offers playdates for kids and moms. Find them on Facebook and Meetup to connect with other moms and kids.


This Holiday craft is one where the whole family can contribute, even the pets!

The supplies you will need:

Green construction paper- handprints

Brown Construction Paper- trunk

Red Construction Paper- ornaments

Yellow Contruction Paper- star

Stickers, pom poms, sequins- ornaments

Ink Pad for paw prints (optional)

Directions

1. Trace hands 1-4 times depending on the number of family members and cut out of the green paper. I have two kids, so our tree had four of dad’s handprints at the bottom, then three of mine, then two of the oldest boys, and then one of the youngest at the top.

2. Cut out a rectangle shape from the brown paper for the trunk. Cut out a star for the top of the tree out of yellow paper. If you have pets and want to include them, cut out red circles for ornaments and make paw prints with washable ink pads. Make sure to wipe off all ink before you release Fido or Fifi.

3. After your tree is assembled you can add star stickers, sequins or pom poms as ornaments.

4. Easy peasy and now you have a handprint keepsake for the Holidays! -- Elaine

Kids Krafts

Family HandprintChristmas Tree




TLC Learning Center held their 33rd Annual Christmas Tree Festival on December 6-7. More than 70 Christmas trees were designed and donated by friends and family of the TLC Learning Center. Each tree has its own unique theme and is valued at $125 or more. Attendees purchase raffle tickets which they use to try to win their favorite Christmas tree display. Inside Longmont was proud to be a sponsor of this year’s event and we had a great time photographing these amazing displays.

TLC Learning Center is a wonderful organization within our community. We encourage you to learn more about them at www.LearningWithTLC.org and read their feature story in our September issue.

TLC Christmas Tree Festival





LONGMONT CHRISTMAS HOME TOUROn December 6-7, Longmont Christmas Home Tour celebrated its 49th year in spectacular fashion as four Longmont homes were beautifully decorated for Christmas and opened for visitors. The theme of this year’s event was The Gift of Home and the proceeds raised went to benefit homeless projects throughout the St. Vrain Valley.

Here are just a few scenes from each of the four homes featured on this year’s tour. Congratulations to UCC Longmont and everyone involved on a terrific event this year. We are already looking forward to next year’s tour!

If you would like to learn more about the Longmont Christmas Tour, look for their story featured in our November issue.



Happening In LongmontOn Thanksgiving Day, Old Chicago once again hosted OUR Center’s Spirit of Thanksgiving Dinner. This free event was open to the public and featured a traditional holiday meal of roast turkey and gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, and pie. There was also live music, face painting for the kids, and even a magician. It was certainly heartwarming to see friends and families who otherwise may not have been able to enjoy this holiday get together and celebrate with a delicious meal and fun times!

Thank you to all the volunteers who worked hard to help make this very special day happen!

Spirit of Thanksgiving

Dinner




Earlier this month, the Boulder County Bombers Roller Derby League laced up their skates and strapped on their gear for a Naughty vs. Nice holiday-themed scrimmage.

Your next chance to see the Bombers in action will be on January 10th when the League hosts their first event of 2015, the State Line Roll Out Tournament. There will be one team of all Colorado skaters, one team of all skat-ers from across the border, and one team with a mix of both. All three teams will compete against each other in three separate bouts to declare a winner for TOTAL GEOGRAPHIC DOMINATION!

Check our online Calendar of Events for details and learn more about BCB at www.bouldercountybombers.com.

Boulder County

Bombers


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The Great Businesses In Our Online

Business Network



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The Caring Non Profits In Our Online

Non Profit Community

The Inn Between strives to help families and individuals who are facing homelessness in our community to be self-sufficient and sustainable - to no longer be homeless. By providing housing and critical services, we work with our residents to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence needed for self-sufficient living.

The Family Garden is a resource hub offering education, inspiration and networking for families throughout pregnancy, birth and early childhood. Many different philosophies and approaches to child birth and parenting are presented without judgment or advocacy for a particular view.


The OUR Center helps people move toward self-sufficiency by unifying community resources. The organization provides emergency services to help people through short-term financial crises and also works in partnership with our clients to develop case plans for those needing longer-term assistance.

Mountain States Children’s Home extends Christian services to wounded children in an effort to meet their physical needs, heal their emotional hurts, challenge their minds, and teach them moral principles in order to reach the goals of reuniting them with their families or preparing them for independence.

Longmont Dance Theatre strives to enliven and to elevate the human spirit by means of dance, specifically ballet. A technique of movement born in the courts of kings and queens, ballet has survived to this day to become one of the most elegant, most adaptable, and most powerful means of human communication.


Documents

Inside Longmont The Magazine - December 2014