Salida, Colorado

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Your Volunteer Efforts Have Great Impact: Kids, Schools, Health, Agriculture

Community support, as with any locally based non-profit, is integral to the success of the programs offered. But, community support, and volunteers in particular, play a wildly significant role in providing Guidestone Colorado with the resources to offer engaging opportunities for youth, families, area visitors, and our local community. 

All of Guidestone’s programs are grounded in hands-on learning opportunities to cultivate exploration, inquiry, direct experience; the Farmhands program, in particular offers children the ability to understand the importance of local, natural agriculture and teaches them the basic agricultural skills to grow healthy, local food for a bountiful future. 

In collaboration with the Salida School District, LiveWell Chaffee County and the Southwest Conservation Corps, Guidestone has developed the Salida School Gardens: Healthy Food, Healthy Growing, Garden to Cafeteria Program, a successful model for food production and education integration. This model is recognized state-wide and can be replicated throughout the Arkansas River Valley and shared with other rural communities throughout the state. Every summer, Guidestone plants, tends and harvests tons (literal tons) of fruits and vegetables from this modest garden, on Holman Avenue near the Salida Soccer Fields, and, as with all of their programs, seeks capable, enthusiastic volunteers. 

Please join Guidestone’s dedicated team of Volunteers by clicking here or visiting their website for more information. 

There are many other awesome programs that Guidestone offers, so if you’re concerned about the physical labor aspect, don’t shy away from letting them know your interests and capabilities. 

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Historic Site Revamping for Craft Beer

Beer industry veteran Sarah Haughey is leaving Denver behind and heading to our very own Buena Vista to launch The Jailhouse, a craft beer bar.

The Jailhouse will be located on East Main Street, neighboring some other awesome local libation makers and lifestyle shakers, including Deerhammer Distillery, House Rock Kitchen, The Lariat bar (and soon-to-be music venue), among others.

Logo courtesy of Brink Messick Art, a Salida artist

The future beer joint is set inside a historic site, a horse stable turned temporary jail and confidential storage space as Buena Vista was splitting off from Lake County to join Chaffee County in the late 1800s. The building was added to the National Register of Historical Buildings in 1979.

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Green Thumbs Unite! Pollenate, Collaborate and Exchange

The 3rd Annual Seed Exchange is Sunday April 3rd

Photo Credit: Scarlet Runner Seed Collective

Although bringing seeds to swap is not necessary, it is highly recommended, as your participation helps other local gardeners, too. Seed swaps, like Scarlet Runner Seed Collective’s annual meeting of growers, helps consumers, too, who, due to increases in the cost of living, wish to grow their own food. 

Seed exchanges are open to the public; growers meet and exchange their excess seeds and participate in a fun, community celebration of springtime in the Rockies. 

Photo Credit: Scarlet Runner Seed Collective

Photo Credit: Scarlet Runner Seed Collective

This year’s meeting of the green thumbs will be held at at the Poncha Springs Town Hall, April 3rd, 10AM-3PM. 

Seed will be available for sale, trade and giveaway; bring your seeds to spread and share and join us in developing seed varieties that are adapted for our high desert intermountain climate. 

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Water Sport Enthusiasts... Even in the Winter

Monarch Ski Area presents another year of Kayaks on Snow

Save the date and join the wildest of locals Saturday, April 9th, at 9 a.m., for Kayaks on Snow at Monarch Mountain!

This annual sign of Spring is upon us and we could not be more thrilled. Monarch Mountain tows the racers up the wide, steep, blue run, Freeway, and creates berms and a giant pond for kayaks to race down and end, serendipitously, with a splash. 

Amazing events like this are Free to spectators and only cost racers $25. 

Click here to register.

Registration: 9 - 10 a.m.Race starts: 11 a.m.

Entry fee: $25 (pay on race day before race start) / Free to watch!

Course route: Freeway

Course details: Banked Slalom 

Bring your own kayak (kayaks are the only accepted watercraft)

Curious about how to get there? Click here!

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Tree Health = Property Health

The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) Salida District will host a free workshop titled “Taking a Tree’s Pulse” on April 5 in Buena Vista. The purpose of the workshop is to help landowners recognize the difference between healthy and stressed trees in either a town or forest setting, and how to help keep their trees in top health.

The workshop will be from 12-1 p.m. in the Buena Vista Public Library meeting room, 131 Linderman Ave. Anyone who wants to learn more about diagnosing the health of individual trees is invited to attend. Participants will learn basic tree “triage” that can be applied to both evergreen and deciduous trees to obtain a health assessment.

“Often people think their trees are healthy simply because the foliage is green,” says Kathryn Hardgrave, assistant district forester on the CSFS Salida District. “Green foliage means the tree is alive, but not necessarily healthy.” She says that truly healthy trees grow faster and are more resilient to diseases and insects.

Attendees are welcome to bring their lunch, and light refreshments will be provided. 

Please register for the workshop by April 1 at [email protected] or by calling 719-539-2579. csfs.colostate.edu

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Buena Vista Town Party

Save the Date! Friday, May 27 at 4 PM - 10 PM

Celebrate the beginning of summertime fun here in Buena Vista with your friends and family at the BV Town Party, Friday May 27 from 4-10 pm. You have worked hard all year, lets honor our accomplishments together. 

Come down to The Beach at South Main and relax with a cold beverage from Colorado's top libation producers, eat great local food, let your kids play in the bouncy house and watch the best athletes in the world compete at the BV Pro/AM on the Arkansas River - Friday evening. AKA The BV Town Party!

As with any good party, all proceeds raised will benefit Chaffee County Search and Rescue North & Optimist Clubs so come one, come all……

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Big Bands in our Little Valley

August 5-7, 2016, a new, 20,000-person capacity summer music festival will take place August 5-7, 2016, on a ranch outside Buena Vista, put on by Madison House Presents and AEG Live. Vertex Festival. 

Organizers' lips have been tight on details about the festival, whose permit was approved by Chaffee County Board of Commissioners recently, but there are a few big, awesome confirmed acts: recent Grammy winners Alabama Shakes and the Trey Anastasio Band have been tapped to headline the lineup of over 30 established and emerging acts. As the Vertex acts are announced, almost daily, you can check out their official website. Additional artists are expected to be added to the lineup in the weeks and months to come.

Wondering where Buena Vista will house 20,000 festival goers? Wonder no more! Cottonwood Meadows is a ranch a mile from downtown Buena Vista, just up river from Salida and downriver from Leadville. 

Vertex event grounds nestle along the banks of Cottonwood Creek, enjoying a prime location among hundreds of acres that also include an eight year old organic farm. The natural landscape provides groves of tall cottonwoods, as well as views of the snowcapped Collegiate Range.

Parks surround the area, and all are invited to spend their days by the creek or dancing at The Village in Base Camp, rafting the Arkansas river, visiting downtown Buena Vista, or just sleeping in with one of the Tree Line VIP tent rental packages.

Organizers say the event promises "something for everybody" and that more details will be released soon.  

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A Cinematic Exploration Across 4 Continents

The widow of Jerry Garcia, Deborah Koons Garcia will be at the SteamPlant for this incredible showing of the film she directed, Symphony of the Soil. 

Symphony of the Soil is a 104-minute documentary feature film that explores the complexity and mystery of soil. Filmed on four continents and sharing the voices of some of the world’s most esteemed soil scientists, farmers and activists, the film portrays soil as a protagonist of our planetary story. Using a captivating mix of art and science, the film shows that soil is a complex living organism, the foundation of life on earth. Yet most people are soil-blind and “treat soil like dirt.” 

Through the knowledge and wisdom revealed in this film, we can come to respect, even revere, this miraculous substance, and appreciate that treating the soil right can help solve some of our most pressing environmental problems. In addition to the feature film, there are several short films, Sonatas of the Soil, that delve deeply into soil-related topics, and several short clips, Grace Notes, that are available to stream on the film’s website.

Friday April 22nd, film begins @ 7:00 p.m., with the doors opening @ 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $12/each in advance and $15 the day of the event. Advance tickets are available at the SteamPlant Box Office.

April 22nd is also Earth Day - celebrate Earth Day in Salida and Chaffee County by enjoying the tonic of fresh mountain air, having contact with the soil by walking along the mighty Arkansas River or in the mountains surrounding us, and reform your companionship with nature. Walk through the woods in search of emerging wildflowers and green moss. Go outside, no matter what the weather. 

Earth Day in Salida and the Arkansas River Valley is truly a sight to behold; then, end the day in celebration at the Salida Steamplant to watch the Symphony of Soil. 

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Uncovering WWII History

The large corner building on 2nd St. and F St. in historic downtown Salida just became a landmark for uncovering Americana and WWII era history. 

Larry and Louise Kachadourian bought the historic building that long housed a pharmacy. As the couple began to chisel away at the stucco on the building, they were pleasantly surprised to reveal the names of men and women who served in World War II.

“To uncover the greatest generation after 50 years, I had no idea this was here, people who have lived here for 50 years didn’t know it was here,” said mural restoration volunteer Rick Shovald.

“I moved here in 1949, that’s the first thing I saw. I worked in the Safeway store right across the street and I don’t think I missed a day looking at this wall,” said Johnson to CBS Denver News. 

To see full coverage of this inspiring story, click here. 

Hundreds of local donors have given generously to the restoration of the names on the World War II Chaffee County Honor Roll wall at F Street Five & Dime downtown. At this time we need a little over $10,000 to complete the restoration. The restoration work should start sometime this spring, weather permitting. They hope to complete the restoration by July 4, in order to afford that amount of precision work and detailing, they are asking for more donations. 

Donations, of any amount, can be dropped off at F Street Five & Dime, may be mailed to either 1) Salida Elks Lodge No. 808, P.O. Box 967, Salida, CO 81201, or to 2) Dan Johnson, 5375 E. U.S. 50, Salida, CO 81201.

Please make checks payable to: WWII Chaffee County Honor Roll. Your community thanks you!

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March 1st - Super Tuesday  - the Colorado Caucus

Caucuses are fundamentally neighborhood meetings, but instead of leaving the caucus with a schedule of upcoming events on your block, you help decide each political party’s Presidential Nominee. 

So, yea, it’s kind of a big deal. 

A few rules to remember: 1) You’ve got to be a “party member”: only members of the political parties are allowed to participate in their respective caucuses. The deadline to affiliate as a Democrat or Republican for the caucus was Jan. 4. 2) You’ve got to be a neighbor: party members must live in their current precinct at least 30 days before the caucus to be eligible. 3) One representative for each candidate: at Democratic caucuses, the party will conduct a preference poll vote for the presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. A representative for each candidate can make a brief pitch to convince voters to their side. The Republican Party decided to not hold a straw poll vote this year. 4) Be patient: you won’t know the definitive answer to the caucus at the end of the night. On the Republican side, no delegates selected are bound to candidates and it will prove incredibly difficult to quantify which candidate wins the most delegates among the thousands selected at the precinct level.The Democratic presidential straw poll will showcase which candidate is most popular among the party activists, but it is merely a snapshot in time. 

In Chaffee County: - the Democratic caucuses will begin today at 7 p.m. with a 6 p.m. sign-in at Salida Middle School, 520 Milford St. in Salida, and at the lunch room of Buena Vista High School, at Railroad Street and Marquette Avenue in Buena Vista. - the Republican caucus takes place at 7 p.m. with a 6 p.m. check-in at Darren Patterson Christian Academy, 518 S. San Juan Ave. in Buena Vista.

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1st Ever Snow Bike Race at Monarch!

Monarch Mountain knows that there are many ways to enjoy the snow and especially groomed trails - now, we get to celebrate 7 miles and 2,000 feet of climbing on snow bikes! 

Saturday, March 19th, at 6:30am, is the first ever Great Divide Grinder, Monarch's first ever fat bike race!

Race start: 6:30 a.m.

Entry fee: $20 (please plan to pay on race day before race start)

Course length: 7 miles

Elevation gain: 2,000 feet

Need a bike? Absolute Bikes, in downtown Salida, Colorado, offers Fat Bike rentals! Limited quantity available - book yours today for your Spring Break Fat Bike Race!

Plan for cold temperatures but remember you’ll warm up quick riding up hill at 10,000 feet, stop by Absolute Bikes for recommendations on gear, food and preparing for this awesome endeavor. 

To register, Click Here and Email your forms to: [email protected].  All entry fees will be donated to Salida Mountain Trails.

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Meet Jeff Post

Jeff Post is a proud, fifth generation Salidan. After graduating from the University of Wyoming with a degree in business Jeff returned to live and work in the place he loves best. He and his wife Katy have family in the area as well as two lovely and lively sixth generation daughters. As residents and parents they both appreciate and care deeply about the high quality of life in Salida and Chaffee County.

An entrepreneur since his college years, a top-producing Realtor since 2000, and Broker/Owner of First Colorado Land Office since 2006, Jeff is a highly respected community leader with a deep commitment toward making a difference. He is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get involved and it shows in everything he does. Jeff combines his knowledge and experience in commercial real estate with his desire to help Chaffee County attract new business and works to enhance growth opportunities for existing businesses. He was on the Chaffee County Board of Realtors in 2008 and voted Realtor Of The Year that same year, past President of the Salida Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year in 2009, as well as past President of the Chaffee County Board of Realtors. In 2010 he became a founding member and Chair of the Chaffee County Economic Development Corp and is currently a board member of the Realtors of Central Colorado. Jeff is a devoted family man and enjoys fishing, golf, and many of Chaffee County’s magnificent recreational opportunities.

Jeff Post works hard to bring about positive change in good times and bad, never compromising his sense of integrity and his ability to listen, to care, and to go beyond the norm to manifest the best possible outcome for the needs of his clients, friends and neighbors. Jeff’s strong ties to the area, his leadership skills, impressive marketing and sales record, combined with his friendly style and firm, ethical compass continue to make him and First Colorado Land Office the community’s first choice for all their real estate needs.

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Meet Martin

Salida is lucky to have unique, quirky, wonderful, passionate people call it home. Our very own, Martin Epp, has called Salida home since 1970. He became a Realtor for First Colorado Land Office in 1995 and is currently the senior, full-time associate for the office.  

Martin has long standing and extensive knowledge of the area and believes strongly in providing the his clients with honesty, patience and attention to detail. Martin enjoys many aspects of his work, especially educating and empowering new buyers.

For multiple years in a row, including 2015, Martin was voted “Best Local Band/Performer” and has been voted “Best Salida Realtor” too in the annual Mountain Mail poll. A fabulous guitarist, singer and songwriter, Martin has been entertaining the appreciative residents of the Arkansas River Valley and the Front Range, in several bands and many venues, for many years. A graduate of Salida High School, Martin is a great enthusiast of the area and enjoys camping, fishing, skiing, riding motorcycles and, of course, playing music. He helps local youth find their musical ear through educational opportunities to better our local schools and their funding. 

Martin is an active community member, offering services to the community, and especially projects that involve improving the welfare of children and the improvement of the local schools. 

Martin has wonderful properties, from lots with epic views to the perfect neighborhood for you and your family, just give him a call or stop by to chat about your new place in Salida and the Arkansas River Valley. 

Cell: 719-221-1642  /   Office: 719-539-6682 ext. 33   /    7385 W. Highway 50 Salida, CO 81201    /    Fax: [phone]    /     www.firstcolorado.com      / [email protected]

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Farm to {Cafeteria} Table

Guidestone Colorado is a locally operated, non-profit organization growing a vibrant local food economy in the Arkansas River Valley and throughout Colorado. Guidestone, through education, community building, and partnerships, cultivates an educational environment increasing agricultural awareness, connection, and literacy.

Supporting local and state-wide development of new producers, both large and small scale, and the preservation of active agricultural practices, Guidestone serves everyone from farmers to educators, children and adults alike.

Guidestone’s Farm to School Initiative supports the education and action of growing and eating local, healthy foods in our schools to foster interest and a pallet for local kids. The Farm to School initiative provides Salida School District cafeterias thousands of pounds of food grown in Salida and by Salidans, including elementary, middle and high school students. Fostering educational opportunities and school curriculum connections that correlated to state education standards and healthy living. 

Photo Credit: Guidestone / Salida School Children at the Holman Garden

The Salida School Gardens, including the Holman site garden, managed by Guidestone, which includes just under an acre of production area on Salida School District land that is home to an orchard, raised and in-ground beds, a tool shed, a poly-house and long production rows. The full 4-acre site is fenced and primed and ready for further expansion. 

Just under 3,000 lbs. of garden produce has been incorporated into district meals since the beginning of the program. Produce is also sold through local markets, forming sustainable practices. Additionally, the garden is used as an outdoor classroom for many hands-on, experiential, environmental education-based learning opportunities with the Salida School District and greater community. 

Since 2010, Guidestone has been working with the local school district, LiveWell Chaffee County and the Southwest Conservation Corps to develop the Salida School Gardens: Healthy Food, Healthy Growing, Garden to Cafeteria Program, a model for food production and education integration into the schools that can be replicated throughout the Arkansas River Valley and shared with other rural communities throughout the state.

Photo Credit: Guidestone / Holman Garden Site

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Clean Up / Green Up / Meet Awesome Neighbors

Warmer weather is around the corner and it’s time once again to think about “spring cleaning”. The 25th Annual Arkansas River Cleanup/Greenup (CUGU) will be held on Saturday, May 21st. 

Locals have been at it since 1992, and want to continue to make the CUGU celebration a special event that honors the resources of the upper Arkansas River Valley and the people throughout the years who preserve and protect them.  

In 1992 Colorado Governor Roy Romer declared May 9, 1992 as "Arkansas River Cleanup Day",   This was quite an honor, and we all been staying true to the intent of this Declaration for the past 25 years.  I would like to make our 25th Cleanup this year a "milestone" event.

Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area will be seeking help to assist with advance planning for the event and/or participation on May 21st by registering for clean-up areas or assisting in other ways with the event.  

Since CUGU focuses on not just the Arkansas River but surrounding public lands and areas, we strive to clean up and green up places in need of TLC and helping hands.  

If you have suggested cleanup areas in the Arkansas River valley, need volunteers or have volunteers wanting to participate, please contact AHRA by calling [phone] or stopping by. 

If you are interested in volunteering, volunteer sign-ups will take place the day of the event in Salida and Buena Vista from 8:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. Advance registration for groups and individuals can also be arranged by calling the AHRA office.  

Volunteers will receive trash bags and our collectible CUGU button.  Starting at noon on the 21st we will host our Volunteer Picnic at Riverside Park in Salida with food and fun for all!

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Happy Anniversary, Browns Canyon

This week marks a historic moment in Arkansas River Valley history: the first anniversary of the designation of Browns Canyon as a National Monument. 

On February 19, 2015, President Obama designated 21,586 acres of pristine canyons, rivers and backcountry forest in Colorado as the Browns Canyon National Monument.

“Conservation is a truly American idea,” the President said. “The naturalists and industrialists and politicians who dreamt up our system of public lands and waters did so in the hope that, by keeping these places, these special places in trust – places of incomparable beauty, places where our history was written – then future generations would value those places the same way as we did. It would teach us about ourselves, and keep us grounded and keep us connected to what it means to be American. And it’s one of our responsibilities, as Americans, to protect this inheritance and to strengthen it for the future.”

Photo Credit: Mason Cummings

The President designated the monument using the Antiquities Act of 1906, which grants the President authority to designate national monuments in order to protect “objects of historic or scientific interest.”

Photo Credit: Mason Cummings

Browns Canyon is the most popular whitewater rafting destination in the country, and also provides a slew of other year-round recreation opportunities. The stretch of the Arkansas River that includes Browns Canyon was awarded “Gold Medal” status for having the highest quality cold-water fish habitats accessible to the public. It’s also a great place for hiking, backpacking, hunting, dishing, snowshoeing, birding, climbing and horseback riding.

The national monument designation will provide balanced recreational opportunities by ensuring that visitors have access to roads, vehicle river access, mountain bike trails, ATV trails and dirt bike trails that already exist.

As locals, we are so grateful that Browns Canyon, truly the gem of the Arkansas River, will be protected for generations to come. Browns Canyon is one of the most popular destinations in the nation for whitewater enthusiasts making Browns Canyon National Monument even more important to the economic health of local businesses, river outfitters, and the surrounding communities.

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{Fat} Biking Year Round in the Arkansas River Valley

Photo Credit: SydneySees of her dog between two fat bikes on a snow trail.

Have you heard of this new two-wheel trend? We’re sold! And thanks to Absolute Bikes and Greater Arkansas River Nature Association {GARNA}, you can be, too.  

A fatbike is an off-road bicycle with over-sized tires, typically 4 inch tires designed for low pressure to allow riding on soft unstable terrain, such as snow and sand. Thanks to this updated technology, even in the dead of winter, fat bikes make everyday a perfect day for riding the trails, roads or streets in the Arkansas River Valley! 

Photo Credit: SydneySees of a fat bike rider on Salida Mountain Trails. 

GARNA is partnering with Brett Beasley, recreation and snow ranger with the US Forest Service Salida Ranger District and Shawn Gillis, owner of Absolute Bikes, to deliver a two-part winter biking program. 

Part One: February 17 @ 6:30 pm, join us at the Salida Ranger District at 5575 Cleora Road in Salida, for the educational aspects of winter riding. Our hosts, Shawn and Brett, both skilled outdoorsmen and veteran bike riders, will share the nuances of winter bike riding such as trail etiquette, weather considerations, riding tips, gear/clothing, and options for bike equipment such as fat tire bikes. This event is open to the public free of charge. 

Photo Credit: SydneySees of two fat bike riders climbing winter singletrack.

Pre-register by emailing [email protected]. 

Part Two: Sunday, February 21, those participants interested in a guided fat bike trail ride will have the opportunity to sign up during the initial program. Shawn will expertly lead a guided trail ride exclusively for program participants on Sunday, February 21 to practice riding tips. 

Absolute Bikes is giving discounted rates for fat tire bike rentals for this trail ride on the 21st so you can see for yourself what the buzz is about.

If you are curious about winter riding or about fat tire bikes, this program is for you!