The Lift transit service begins winter operations

Finishing up the summer season with a 17% increase in ridership over 2017, the Lift transit service is fast becoming a valuable resource to the residents of east Grand County. Starting Monday, November 12th, The Lift will begin its 2018-2019 winter schedule, continuing through Sunday, April 21, 2019.

New this season, the Granby Regional Commuter Line, which provides regional service connecting Winter Park, Fraser, Tabernash, and Granby will be available year-round. The Town of Granby has added stops at City Market, Worldmark by Wyndham and Middle Park Medical Center, further improving commuter connectivity between the towns.

Other major service changes include:

  • Black Line: Will be running in both directions through Grand Park with half-hour service.
  • Green Line: An additional vehicle will be operating during busy weekends and on holidays to keep up with demand. A stop has been added in Lakota near Arrow Trail & Reserve Way, so Lakota riders no longer need to call for pick up.
  • Red Line: Will be operating on a half-hour schedule and will no longer be servicing the stop at Grand Park Community Recreation Center. Riders can access the Rec Center from the Black Line.

Lift Rider App

On September 3rd, The Lift launched the new “Lift Rider” app. This new app allows riders to view buses in real-time, see actual estimated arrival times, bookmark their favorite stops, and set up notifications so they know when the bus is just a few minutes away from their stop! Riders also receive messages from dispatch with updates on route detours, delays, and other important notifications. Riders can download the new app from the Apple or Google Play Stores.

Online, you can view routes at: wpgov.com/264/Routes

 

Free admission to Colorado State Parks for Veterans on November 11th

Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) will honor all veterans and active-duty military members with free admission to all 41 Colorado state parks on Veterans Day, November 11.

 

Recent snowfall causes dangerous avalanche conditions

In an advisory published earlier this week, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) cautioned that backcountry avalanche condition are dangerous in the Northern and Central Mountains. According to the Advisory, recent snowfall and strong westerly winds have created potential for large, human-triggered avalanches on steep slopes or gullies near and above treeline. Avalanches have been triggered from a distance or the bottom of slopes.

Backcountry travelers will need to use careful snowpack and terrain evaluation. Cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making are essential for safe backcountry travel. Know before you go (KBYG) by visiting: avalanche.state.co.us

 

Possible hunting accident kills Centennial resident

Grand County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the death of Ernest Ackerly, 43, of Centennial, who was killed early Monday morning. The incident took place off of County Road 41, southwest of Grand Lake. Investigators interviewed several witnesses who were at the scene when the accident occurred, but no further details have been released.

 

Grand County Sheriff’s Thanksgiving Food Drive this weekend

The Grand County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting a Thanksgiving Food Drive to support the Mountain Family Center‘s Thanksgiving Basket Project. Members of the Sheriff’s Department will be at City Market in Granby on Friday, November 9th from 10 am – 6pm; and, Saturday, November 10th from 9 am – 5 pm.  

 

Responsible Alcohol Serving Course Offered

Grand Futures is offering classes in Responsible Alcohol Service Training (RAST) in Winter Park Town Council Chambers (50 Vasquez Road). Classes are $35 per person. All area servers and vendors are encouraged to train with an approved program to reduce liability and learn applicable liquor laws and regulations. Classes are available Monday, November 19 at 2-4pm or 5:30-7:30pm. To register, visit: grandfutures.org.

 

Pioneer Village’s World War I exhibit ends November 11

The World War I exhibit at Pioneer Village will come to an end this Sunday, November 11th.  The display covers topics like the construction and introduction of the gas mask based on the English respirator, images of tanks and trenches, as well as uniforms and custom helmets.  Pioneer Village Museum is open Thursday through Sunday; 10 am – 4 pm. For more information, call (970) 725-3939 or visit grandcountyhistory.org.

 

Annual Lefse Bake and Taste of the Nations Food Event
Join Sons of Norway lodge of Grand County on Saturday afternoon, November 10th, from 1 – 3 pm at the Church of the Eternal Hills in Tabernash for their annual FREE community-wide cooking demonstrations and tasting event. For 10 years, it has been a tradition for folks from the entire Valley to participate in a fun get-together for baking lefse and sampling foods from Scandanavian countries.
Several years ago, it was decided to add foods from around the world to celebrate and share the cultures and heritages of all residents of Grand County. So everyone is invited to enjoy the experience of preparing, cooking, explaining, sharing and tasting their favorite foods and the favorites of others. To make this a truly international event, we invite you to bring a ready-to-eat special food from your cultural background or to demonstrate its preparation and then share it. Come even if you don’t have a favorite food to share; there will be plenty for all to experience.
Remember it’s free and everyone is welcome. For more information and to reserve a demo space, call Diane Molter at (303) 288-6014.

GCHA salutes Military Aviation and Veterans

The Grand County Historical Association is honored to announce its Annual Salute to Military Aviation History & Veterans at Emily Warner Field Aviation Museum on Monday, November 12th. The celebration will be a public open house from 11 am to 1 pm. The Museum is located in the historic Rocky Mountain Airways airline terminal at Emily Warner Field, 1023 County Road 610, Granby.

Visitors to the celebration will enjoy new exhibits about Grand County veterans of the World War I & II, Korea, and Vietnam eras, plus the Museum’s interactive, fun and educational, flight training computer. The museum is Free and family-friendly. Please, no pets.

For information, contact Dr. Penny Hamilton, Museum Manager: (970) 531-0803

 

Winter Park named Top Adventure Town

Elevation Outdoors asked their readers to choose the places that exemplify a dedication to the outdoor lifestyle, the towns with big hearts, full lungs and a dedicated love for the precious lands that surround them.

If you love to go outside and play, you put down roots in a town that makes having fun easy—but also invests in its community and cares for and protects the public lands that support it. But what towns best represent that ethic? The Top Adventure Towns Poll pits the best towns in Colorado against each other to find out what places truly resonate with readers.

Winter Park rose to the top of the pack with readers this year after finishing as a finalist last year. Perhaps it’s the easy access that makes Winter Park so popular with our readers: It’s close to the Front Range (and you don’t have to brave the Eisenhower Tunnel to get here) but it feels like Shangri-La, safe over the other side of Berthoud Pass and surrounded by over 765,000 acres of public lands. The thousand souls who live here truly embrace the Colorado outdoor vibe­­—supposedly they work, many in the ski and bike industries but you are most likely to see them shredding, cycling or casting to fat trout. But maybe the town won readers over because it’s an old-school Colorado tradition.

You can read the full article at: elevationoutdoors.com/the-2018-top-adventure-towns/

 

I-70 corridor evaluating “Hyperloop” High-speed Guideway System

Development Research Partners has been retained by the Collaborative Effort, the I-70 Coalition, and numerous stakeholders to conduct a study to estimate the economic impacts of a high-speed guideway system in the I-70 Mountain Corridor and your input is appreciated. The survey will take just 5-8 minutes to complete.

To take the survey, visit: surveymonkey.com/r/I70_MtnCorridor_Business

For more information, contact Patty Silverstein at (303) 991-0073 or, email: patty@developmentresearch.net

 

Cut-your-own Christmas tree season kicked off November 1st

Days are getting shorter, nights are getting crisper, and the first big snow of the season has blanketed the mountains. While the official holiday season is weeks away, it’s not too early to start making plans to cut your own Christmas tree.

For generations, friends and families throughout Colorado have made cutting their own Christmas Trees on a national forest a treasured holiday tradition. The Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests will offer several different tree cutting opportunities this year at a cost of $20 per tree. This reflects the first price increase in more than 25 years.

“We would like to thank the 660 people who took time to comment and provide feedback on our Christmas tree program,” said Forest Supervisor Monte Williams. “More than 80 percent of comments supported an increase in price to continue providing the enhanced services that make the events safer and more enjoyable for visitors.”

The long-running, ever-popular, cut-your-own tree events will again be staged out of the Elk Creek Cutting Area near Fraser and Winter Park from December 1-8. These events offer easy access to prime tree cutting terrain via plowed roads and parking areas. Staff and volunteers provide maps and safety information to visitors along with portable restrooms and on-site permit sales during weekends. Visitors might even discover warming stations and fire prevention messaging from Smokey Bear on weekends.

For those wishing to trek off on their own, away from the crowds, permits are available for designated national forest areas on the Sulphur Ranger District near Grand Lake, Hot Sulphur Springs, Granby, Fraser and Winter Park. Permits may be purchased in advance for the Elk Creek Cutting Area or the general cutting area through one of our vendors or at the ranger station in Granby starting November 1. On-site permit sales are only available during weekends.

Tree-hunters should be properly equipped with a four-wheel-drive vehicle and snow tires; winter clothing and boots to stay warm and dry; work gloves, eye protection and a handsaw for cutting the tree (no chainsaws); a tarp, rope or sturdy string for loading the tree onto your car; and snacks, water and hot drinks to keep the group full of holiday cheer.

For more information on specific event hours and dates, maps and permit vendor locations, visit: www.fs.usda.gov/goto/arp/xmastrees.

 

Colorado continues discussion on Olympic Bid

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has announced that it is continuing its process to identify a long-term partner to potentially host a future Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2030 or beyond. As a world-class city and one of the world’s most recognized and respected winter sports destinations, Denver and Colorado have been asked to continue dialogue with the USOC and provide information related to this process.

The information provided by Denver and Colorado will primarily come from the content included in the Final Report that the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Exploratory Committee provided to Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock and Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper this past summer. That report is available online at https://www.denver.org/explore-the-games/final-report/. The response to the USOC is being led by Denver Sports as part of its ongoing efforts to help bring high-profile sporting events to Denver and the region.

According to Rob Cohen, Chair, Denver and Colorado’s Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Exploratory Committee, the USOC’s current process allows Denver and Colorado to highlight the Exploratory Committee’s recommendation that Denver and Colorado could, and should, pursue a privately funded Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2030 or beyond – and that any formal bid process should include a statewide vote of the people in the year 2020 or later, depending on which Winter Games the USOC decides to bid on.