http://www.timescall.com/ en-us minefeed.com Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10127 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10127 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10126 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10126

Under police escort, former employees exit Gerards Bakery, 4226 WCR 22, Firestone, Thursday morning July 24, 2008 after the company shut its operations and terminated 100 local jobs.

Employees at Gerards Bakery on 4226 Weld County Road 22 say they were told this morning that the company is out of business and they are out of jobs. The plant operates on three shifts, and shift workers who arrived at 8 a.m. say they were told that the plant would be shut down. About 60 workers lingered at the plant until about 10 a.m., when they slowly began to filter out after Frederick and Firestone police were called to the scene. The employees say they were told they would not be paid for their final two weeks of work. Workers identified Donald Ashton as the plant manager, who said this morning he is now the “former plant manager. Right now, I am unemployed just like everybody else.” The plant employed about 100 people, and former workers said they were told the company’s other two facilities — one in California and one in North Carolina — were also shut down. Attempts to get a comment from Gerards’ chief executive officer were unsuccessful.]]> Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10125 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10125



A 52-year-old Maryland man is missing in the Hell’s Canyon area near Estes Park, according to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office. Patrick Higgins was camping in the area with a group from the Men’s Leadership Alliance of Boulder. Fellow campers told the sheriff’s office that Higgins went off for a hike by himself at about noon Tuesday and was due to return at 5 p.m. When he hadn’t returned by Wednesday morning, they reported him missing. Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services and Larimer County Search and Rescue were unable to locate Higgins on Wednesday. About 30 searchers from the two groups, the Civil Air Patrol and Rocky Mountain Rescue of Boulder continue to search for Higgins today. Hell’s Canyon has extremely steep and rocky terrain. Searchers have set up an incident command post at Hermit Park, off U.S. Highway 36 just outside of Estes Park. Members of the public are asked to contact Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center, 970-416-1985, if they have seen or heard from Higgins in the last few days.]]> Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10124 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10124 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10123 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10123

Donna Case, building and planning technician for the city of Dacono, looks through a copy of “Favorites for all Seasons,” a cookbook of local recipes that was released July 18 as part of Dacono’s centennial.

DACONO — In the very near future, you may notice an increase in the smell of fresh-baked cookies or bread right out of the oven wafting through the air as you drive through the city. That’s because the city has released “Favorites for all Seasons,” the Dacono centennial commemorative cookbook. And it’s likely more people than usual will be in the kitchen, trying out new recipes. More than 300 recipes were collected throughout June, representing a variety of Carbon Valley-area residents’ most treasured family dishes, said Valerie Elliott-Lucero, city clerk and member of the centennial committee. The book was released July 18. Contributors include city employees, elected officials and new and longtime residents. “It is really a good cookbook. It has a variety of everything,” Elliott-Lucero said. Response from the community was overwhelming, she said, with hundreds of people submitting their most valued recipes. “We were hoping to get at least 100 recipes but well exceeded that,” Elliott-Lucero said. “I submitted some of my family’s favorite recipes so that they are all in one place instead of having lots of pieces of paper all over the kitchen.” Gil Garcia, a longtime area resident, submitted a batch of his wife Mary’s cookie recipes. Mary was known locally as the “Cookie Lady” before she died in 2002. The cookbook includes seven categories of recipes — appetizers and beverages; soups and salads; breads and rolls; cookies and candy; vegetables and side dishes; main dishes; and desserts. “I’ve already tried a few recipes,” Elliott-Lucero said. “I made a cake for my son’s birthday party and it was excellent. The recipe was in memory of council member Tom McCune’s son who was killed.” The cookbook was compiled and put together in record time. “Six of us (from the centennial committee) took recipes and inputted them into a program,” Elliott-Lucero said. The software program that was used to build and design the book was located online by Angie DeFalco, chairperson of the Centennial Cookbook Committee. After the cookbook crew finished working at their regular day jobs, they worked long hours for about a week to input all of the recipes, DeFalco said. The spiral-bound book was printed by Morris Press Cookbooks in Kearney, Neb. They cost $10 and are available at Dacono City Hall, 512 Cherry St. “We have 200 available and I bought like 10 of them myself,” Elliott-Lucero said. Money from the sale of the cookbook and other centennial items will help fund the city’s various celebrations throughout its centennial year, she said. The next event in honor of Dacono’s centennial is the day-long Summer Celebration on Aug. 9 at Centennial Park, near the blue water tower. For more information, call 303-833-2317. Kimberly Pursel can be reached at 303-684-5326 or kpursel@times-call.com.]]> Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10122 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10122

Erwin Lopez, the head instructor and owner of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Frederick, teaches an adult class on Tuesday. The Academy is open to adults and children of all experience levels.

FREDERICK — Brothers Joer and Erwin Lopez wanted to find a way to help keep area kids from getting into trouble. So they started a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school. The school started out as a small group that met in the Lions Club building in Dacono, but the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy grew quickly and now offers regular classes at its studio, 8105 West Interstate 25 Frontage Road in Frederick. “We wanted to give kids in the Tri-Town area more activities to do, and with a big response from the community we grew out of our school at the Lions Club,” said Joer, who serves as a coach and co-owner. He also works full-time as a Dacono police officer. Since it opened in 2005, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy has grown to include 90 adult and youth students. “We have students from Fort Collins, Northglenn, Boulder, Fort Lupton, Westminster and all over,” Joer said. But what exactly is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? “It was designed for the 102-pound guy who stands about 5 feet tall,” said Erwin, who described it as “the soft, gentle art.” “It’s so that a smaller, weaker man could effectively win in a fight against a bigger, stronger man.” Positioning and leverage — rather than size or strength — are used to take down opponents. “It’s practical, something you could use daily if you needed to,” Joer said. The academy’s motto is “honor, respect, loyalty and courage.” Although the school does not encourage violence, the Lopez brothers teach their students to be prepared for anything. “We won’t teach you how to fight here but how to defend yourself if you need to,” Joer said. “We teach standing to ground self-defense moves so that our students can easily stop an attacker without straining any muscles.” Although their grandfather was a Grand Master martial arts champion in the Philippines, the brothers didn’t become involved in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu until after studying all forms of martial arts. “We studied all of them and we were very good at them, but we realized that none were good enough to defend us against those who were taking Jiu-Jitsu,” said Erwin, who has studied practice for 10 years. Joer has been in the sport for eight years. “We took kung fu, judo, tai chi, karate, tae kwon do and even wrestling, but none of them were as good as Jiu-Jitsu,” Joer said. “Jiu-Jitsu requires little strength. It’s more on form and technique.” In addition to families, the academy instructs law enforcement officers, firefighters and paramedics in the area, as well as federal agents. “We teach gun and knife control, and what they can do in a hostage situation,” Joer said. The brothers hope the academy continues to grow and continue to keep young people off the streets and out of trouble. “We require a weekly evaluation with the students from their school and from their home,” Joer said. “If they are not good, we will implement proper discipline, like taking one of their stripes away on their belt.” The academy hosts a movie-game night every few months, as well as hosting Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournaments. Students also travel to tournaments. “We have a great group of students here,” Erwin said. “We have 19-year-old Sergio Castillo with us who started when he was 17, and he placed third in the world in the Pan American Championship Jiu-Jitsu tournament.” The Lopez brothers offer five free classes to anyone who wants to give the sport a try. Carbon Valley residents also receive a discount. For more information, call 720-261-9224. Kimberly Pursel can be reached at 303-684-5326 or kpursel@times-call.com.]]> Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10121 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10121 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10120 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10120 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10119 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10119 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10118 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10118

Colorado center Daniel Sanders talks with reporters during Big 12 Football Media Days in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday. Sanders, a senior, remembers the pain of CU’s 70-3 loss to Texas in the 2005 Big 12 Championship Game. The Buffs host the Longhorns on Oct. 4 in Boulder.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Time has passed. Pain remains. The Colorado Buffaloes are nearing their first date with Texas since the infamous 70-3 shellacking they suffered to the Longhorns on Dec. 3, 2005, in the Big 12 Championship Game. The loss was Gary Barnett’s final game as CU’s coach. It triggered massive change within the program, including the eventual hire of Dan Hawkins, Barnett’s successor. You could say the program hasn’t been the same since. CU lists 10 seniors on its 2008 roster that were on the active roster that day. Three of them attended Big 12 Media Days this week. Each one had some interesting things to say about the looming rematch. In an era where everyone is supposed to adhere to the age-old cliché about taking them one at a time, that’s not quite the case with Texas, which visits Boulder on Oct. 4 — homecoming at CU and the Big 12 opener for both teams. “We think about that all the time,” center Daniel Sanders said. “We played them two times that year and both times got blown out. We have to come back prepared this year and not let it happen again. “The thing that sticks out in my mind from that (championship) game is they scored 70 points in three quarters, and they didn’t score at all in the fourth quarter. They started running their goal-line package the entire fourth quarter. They didn’t want to run up the score. Basically, that game could’ve been way worse that it was.” Said defensive tackle George Hypolite: “As a football player, 70-3 ... it’s going to sting. I think there was a nasty, nasty gloom hanging over our program for about two years because of the 70-3 loss. “But you still have to take it every game at a time. I can’t worry about Texas right now because I have to beat CSU, and if I don’t beat CSU, what does it matter if I beat Texas or not? “It hurt a lot, but we have to go play football.” Finally, this from safety Ryan Walters: “We played them when they had Vince Young, and they beat us 70-3. That definitely is a taste you want out of your mouth.” As Hypolite suggested, CU can’t devote too many thoughts to the Longhorns without risk. But the build-up should be interesting. The rivalry between the schools heightened last winter thanks to the heated recruitment of running back Darrell Scott. More than two months remain before Oct. 4. Hawkins basically shrugged when asked if placing too much emphasis on a game like Texas is a bad move. “What I try to do always at the start of a season is put the entire schedule in context because that’s important,” he said. “They need to have an underlying foundation for how this whole thing fits together. And then once the season starts, it’s all about who we’re playing this week.” IT’S A SNAP: For the most part, Sanders’ snaps to quarterback Cody Hawkins were fine last season. There were exceptions, though, and they seemed to come at inopportune times. The one on the final drive in the loss to Kansas stands out. Sanders said he and Hawkins work on the shotgun snap every time players assemble for 7-on-7 work this summer. Sanders said that’s “basically every day.” “You just keep practicing on it and stay focused and not worry about it,” Sanders said. “You have to keep it in the back of your head. You have to know you can just do it right and just do it.” QUOTEWORTHY: Dan Hawkins on Sanders, whose known to his teammates as “Girthy”: “Girthy will be one of those guys 20 years down the road where I won’t be able to remember his name, just his nickname.” DON’T CALL IT A RANT: Hawkins’ infamous clip from Signing Day, 2007 — “It’s Division I football!” — remains a topic of discussion. When a reporter asked about it Tuesday, calling it “a rant,” Hawkins balked. “First of all, that wasn’t a rant, let me just tell you that,” Hawkins interjected. “The local (reporters) know that.” As for his enthusiasm, Hawkins attended his 30-year high school reunion last weekend in California, where he said he ran into former “mentors.” “It’s funny because they go, ’It doesn’t surprise me that you’re still in this and still doing it. It’s just funny because you’re the same little pudgy kid we coached in junior high and high school,’ and I’ve just always been that way,” Hawkins said. EIGHT IS ENOUGH: There is some talk about the Big 12 expanding its league schedule to nine games. Hawkins suggested he would not want that. After its annual date with CSU, the Buffs have three more non-conference opportunities, and they usually schedule some marquee opponents — such as West Virginia and Florida State this fall. Hawkins said adding a league game would limit CU. “I think being able to have some flexibility that way allows us to put some other national teams on there, to go to different parts of the country for our fans, for our kids,” he said. Patrick Ridgell can be reached at pridgell@times-call.com.]]> Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10117 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10117

Broncos receiver Rod Smith, who missed last season with a hip injury, is expected to announce his retirement today.

DENVER — Broncos receiver Rod Smith is planning to hold a news conference today amid published reports that he will retire. Smith’s agent, Jack Mills, confirmed the event but declined to give details. The Broncos said they were aware of the reports but didn’t know about a news conference. Smith, 38, has been on the reserve/retired list since February and has had two hip operations in the last year and a half. He’s the franchise’s career leader in every major receiving category. In June, Smith paid a visit to the Broncos’ team camp and passed out pointers to the younger receivers as they ran their routes. He said at the time that he wasn’t sure if he was ready to walk away from football. However, he admitted that if he had caught his last pass, he was at peace with the decision. “You knew it eventually was going to end,” Smith said in June. “When it’s time to close the door, trust me, I’m going to close it and wish the Broncos the best, no matter what.” Smith holds franchise records for career receptions (849), receiving yards (11,389), touchdown catches (68), touchdowns (71) and 100-yard games (31). The Missouri Southern product also leads all undrafted players in every major receiving category. Smith joined the team’s practice squad in 1994 and played on the Broncos’ 1998 and 1999 Super Bowl championship teams. The Broncos made bolstering their depth at receiver an offseason priority, bringing in Keary Colbert, Samie Parker and Darrell Jackson after severing ties with Javon Walker. The team reports to training camp today and begin formal workouts Friday at Dove Valley.]]> Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10116 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10116 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10115 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10115

The only overall champion the 7-year-old Octogenarian Open has ever known, Bink Young, center, did it again Wednesday, capturing the crown with a 7-over-par 41 over nine holes at Sunset Golf Course.

LONGMONT — The annual Longmont Octogenarian Open golf tournament might have a new name in its future. “They’re beginning to call it the Bink Young Invitational,” said event director Bill Veach. Of course, Veach is kidding. But after Young’s performance Wednesday at Sunset Golf Course, it is easy to see why people are starting to think that way. The 90-year-old Young shot a 41 on the par-34, nine-hole course to win his seventh straight Octogenarian Open. He’s the only golfer to win the tournament (for golfers 80 years or older) since its inception in 2002. “Nobody has been able to beat me,” Young said. “I play this course at least three times a week.” Last year, Young had to survive a one-hole playoff against Bill Manion to retain his title. No extra holes were needed on Wednesday, however. The tournament was divided into three flights: Silver (ages 80-84), Gold (85-89) and Platinum (90-99). With his 41, Young was the overall champion, while Lyle Gehringer fired a 43 to place second overall and first in the Silver Flight. Walt Kruger’s 51 earned him the top prize in the Gold Flight. “This is a tournament that everyone looks forward to,” said Veach, adding there was a record 26 golfers who teed it up Wednesday. Even though he was hurting from bad knees, a bum left shoulder and discomfort in his clavicle, the tournament once again belonged to Young. “I got through it,” said Young, who is retired from the post office after spending 24 years as a driver and mail clerk. Young got things started by parring the par-4 first hole and then carried that momentum into the final eight holes. His only other par came on the par-4 No. 7 when his third shot landed within 10 feet of the cup. “The first hole gets to me sometimes, although I parred it today. It was the first time in a couple of weeks that I did that (at Sunset),” Young said. “Today I was kind of frustrated after the first three holes.” Young said the reason he was irritated was the ineffectiveness of his putting — part of his game he takes great pride in. “If I pay attention to what I’m doing, I can putt pretty good,” said Young, who has been playing golf since his high schools days at Wellington High School in 1932. “I’m a pretty consistent player, let’s put it that way.” His competition had no trouble finding that out, either. “Playing with Bink, I wasn’t that nervous, but that guy is so good and so consistent,” said 80-year-old Oral Beckmann, who was in Young’s threesome. “His shots are straight and he’s very good at putting.” Added 80-year-old Tony DiGiallonardo, who shot a 46: “You can’t beat Bink — no, no. He’s too good. He’s a good man. He’s been playing this for years and years. He’s just too good.” Young, who has lived in Longmont off and on for 40 years, totaled just 13 putts on the morning and finished out with a bogey on No. 9. “We’re going to change his name to Tiger Young,” joked Veach afterward. Meanwhile, Beckmann shot a 51 at his first Octogenarian Open. Playing alongside Young was something the former president of St. Vrain Valley Bank enjoyed. “I really have a lot of respect for him,” Beckmann said of Young. “I’ve known him for years, but this was actually the first time I’ve been able to play with him in the same group.” Beckmann, who plays at Sunset at least twice a week, said he normally shoots around a 41 at the course. But he admitted teaming up with Young added some extra pressure. “When I play, I normally get one or two pars, or even three,” said Beckmann, who failed to tally a par but did have three bogeys to his credit. “But today I just felt a lot of pressure. It’s probably lack of talent, though.” As the only winner of the growing Longmont tradition, Young doesn’t plan on relinquishing his title anytime soon. After all, it’s the main reason he keeps coming back every year. “I want to win as many as I can,” he said. “I live for golf. It’s all I do now. There’s nothing else to do.” NOTES: Helen Esposito was the only female to partake in the event. She shot a 73 in the Silver Flight. … The Beylah Wood Flight, for those 100 or older, didn’t have any participants in it. … The trophy awarded to Young is a traveling trophy, similar to the Stanley Cup.]]> Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10114 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10114 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10113 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10113

New Mexico Tech professor Penny Boston crawls through the Mud Turtle Passage on the way to the Snowy River formation during an expedition in Fort Stanton Cave, N.M. Boston is among the scientists studying previously undiscovered microbes found along with black manganese deposits on the cave walls.

FORT STANTON CAVE, N.M. — Hundreds of feet beneath Earth’s surface, a small group of seasoned cave explorers venture where no human ever has set foot. With each careful step they take, their headlamps illuminate walls covered with mud, gypsum crystals and mineral deposits left behind by microscopic organisms eating through fractured rocks. The real attraction, though, is under their shoes. A quick pass of a headlamp over the cave floor reveals a massive formation that resembles a white river flowing between the cave’s banks. As the light shines more intensely on the odd and seemingly endless formation, an intricate crust of tiny calcite crystals comes into focus. They’ve reached Snowy River — already the longest-known continuous cave formation in the world, with no end to it yet in sight. “I think Snowy River is one of the primo places underground in the world and there’s still so much left that we haven’t discovered ... We don’t even know how big it is,” says Jim Goodbar, the senior cave and karst specialist for the Bureau of Land Management. The survey expedition by members of the Fort Stanton Cave Study Project in early July added several thousand feet of known terrain to the spectacular formation, which now measures four-miles long. The best part, the cavers say, is that the passage they’ve been following under the rolling hills of southeastern New Mexico is getting larger and the air flow is strong, suggesting there’s still more of Snowy River to be discovered. The select few who have walked on the formation say there appears to be nothing else like it. Early studies of Snowy River also point to its unusual nature: already, some three dozen species of microbes previously unknown to science have been uncovered. The potential scientific advancements that might be gleaned from the place, as well as the formation’s unusual nature, have prompted New Mexico’s two U.S. senators to push for Fort Stanton Cave and Snowy River to be designated as a national conservation area. Such a designation would protect the cave and the surface above, and could lead to research funding for scientists who have myriad questions about the cave and its connection to everything from hydrology and microbiology to the search for life on other planets. “It’s certainly a national treasure and very well worth protecting in its own right, even without Snowy River. With Snowy River, it puts it in the class of world class caves,” says John McLean, a retired hydrologist and member of the cave study group. “It’s a beautiful anomaly,” says Penny Boston, a New Mexico Tech professor and associate director of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute. Boston says extreme environments like Snowy River provide scientists an opportunity to explore life on the fringes. She has collected microorganisms that she believes are responsible for the manganese crust that covers much of the walls in the Snowy River passage. Once thought to be ancient and inactive, the microbes are busy in Boston’s lab, breaking down materials and producing mineral compounds. Boston and other scientists plan to take core samples of Snowy River to look for either microbes that have been entombed in the calcite layer or fossil evidence of past microscopic life. “The idea is that we’re practicing to go to Mars, we’re practicing to go to Europa and all of these other places,” she says, adjusting her headlamp to get a better look at the cave walls. “It’s very difficult to even prove some of the things we’ve studied here on this planet are alive. Imagine how much harder that is when you translate that to a robotic mission millions of miles from Earth.” Elsewhere in the cave, Boston points to tiny yellow blotches and large patches of shimmering material, both examples of bacteria native to the underground habitat. Like microbes on the surface, Boston says those in Fort Stanton Cave could prove useful in the development of antibiotics or products for cleaning up contaminated sites. Other scientists are looking to the cave to learn more about the region’s geology and how water makes its way through the arid environment. Last summer, cavers were surprised to arrive at Snowy River and find it flowing with water. It had been dry when first discovered in 2001 and during trips in 2003 and 2005. It took several months for Snowy River to dry out, leaving scientists with another set of questions about where the water came from and where it went so quickly. “We think we have years of questions that need to be answered, years of opportunities for scientists,” New Mexico BLM director Linda Rundell says. The problem, Boston says, is scientists are “stuck at the starting gate” with only limited funding to unlock the cave’s potential. Core samples, water sampling and DNA analysis of the microbes can cost big bucks. “There’s not enough money,” she says. “It’s very unclear where the national leadership is going in terms of science so it’s one of the toughest environments for getting the funding that I’ve experienced in a 30-year career.” Boston and her colleagues are writing three or four times more research proposals a year than they used to and are getting fewer responses in return. “It’s a tough time to really be trying to do this, even for something as amazing as the Snowy River find,” she says. “... It’s a heartbreaking game.” Another challenge is deciding how to best manage the cave to preserve its pristine nature while allowing for research. Areas of Fort Stanton Cave are open to cavers who get permits from the BLM, but Snowy River — deep in the cave behind locked metal gates — is off-limits. “I think that these special places that we have, we should really step up and take notice of,” Goodbar says. “The world is changing ... and so the more we can take these areas and have them protected I think the better off we’ll be by having some places that are still sacred.”]]> Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10112 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10112 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10110 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10110 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10109 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10109 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10108 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10108 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10107 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10107 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10106 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10106 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10105 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10105 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10104 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10104 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10103 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10103 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10102 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10102



Donna Gisle has been a volunteer at the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center for more than 20 years. She has helped with everything from fundraising and development of the therapeutic horse riding program to cleaning stalls. During a class, Gisle sometimes walks alongside the horse, giving verbal and physical support to the rider. She also acts as leader, in charge of the horse unless the rider is able to ride off-lead. She is a member of the Barn Team, giving extra attention and TLC to two of the horses each week, making sure that they have what they need. It is no coincidence that these horses are two of the happiest, best-behaved and longest-lasting horses in the program. It is only from talking to others who work with her that you can appreciate how helpful Gisle is to the program. According to barn manager Carol Bright, “Donna is a priceless gift to our organization … a true team player, an ideal volunteer. I can’t think of anyone more devoted to horses and people.” For information about volunteering with the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center or other agencies, call Volunteer Connection at 303-444-4904 or visit www.volunteer connection.net. Volunteer Opportunities To learn more about these Longmont-area volunteer opportunities, call 303-444-4904 or search the interactive database at www.volunteerconnection.net. • Latina community health specialist needed to provide assistance to Tobacco Education and Prevention Partnership in a pilot project aimed at reducing exposure to second-hand smoke. Must be proficient in Spanish and feel comfortable working with staff in beauty salons. Help with collection of data, report updates and evaluation of the pilot project. • Caribou Ranch fence removal — Aug. 3 and 10. Register by Aug. 1 and 8. This project runs from 9 a.m. to noon. Work with a wildlife biologist while helping to remove an old fence that litters the forest and endangers wildlife. Expect to hike up to 2 miles off trail to area normally closed to the public. • Buffalo Bicycle Classic — Sept. 7. Help with registration, set-up, clean-up, cheering, food prep and assistance; direct traffic and parking; help with security and first aid; or serve as a course marshal. Help raise funds for CU-Boulder’s College of Arts and Sciences scholarships. • Elderly companion respite care. Next training: July 31 in Boulder. Be matched with an older adult who lives alone or with a family caregiver. Provide weekly two-hour visits and give the caregiver a break. No medical caretaking is required. Both male and female volunteers needed throughout the county. Trainings occur approximately every six or seven weeks at alternating locations. • Drivers needed to deliver groceries to homebound individuals in Longmont. Two hours required at about noon the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month (a total of less than four hours a month). • 23rd Annual Boulder County CROP Walk — Oct. 26. Register now and sign up your church, synagogue or organization to participate in this walk and raise funds in support of local agencies fighting hunger. • Commit two or three evenings a month for one year to help in support groups for diverse youth throughout Boulder County. Sensitive, supportive and nonjudgmental people of color, LGBTIQ, bilingual and people with disabilities encouraged to apply. • Greet all clients and visitors, hand out information on services and monitor the dining area and parking lot.]]> Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10101 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10101

Tim Ellis, owner of French Quarter Photography and Art Gallery, hangs work before the Second Fridays rush on July 11. Ellis says that without advertising the artists in his gallery, he can see at least 75 people flow through his place during the event.

LONGMONT — It’s been a grassroots movement for years. On the second Friday of every month, a smattering of businesses along Longmont’s Main Street stay open late to display art inside their businesses, attracting a modest group of art enthusiasts and curious passers-by. Despite a lack of formal organization, the Second Fridays art shows have been a staple in Longmont for four years. Dave Iannazzo, owner of the Great Frame Up at 430 Main St., said Second Fridays was the brainchild of several local businesses in September 2004. “It was just really a way to get out the word that Longmont has a lot of great artists,” he said. One of the founding members and a monthly participant, Iannazzo said even four years later, they’re “still trying to get a little more cohesive.” Over the years, local businesses have toyed with the concept of Second Fridays. Some are married to a show every month, and others occasionally flirt with the idea. Iannazzo estimated that between five and 12 businesses participate in Second Fridays any given month. About a month ago, the Longmont Downtown Development Authority presented Second Fridays with the equivalent of an engagement ring — the promise of future support. “It’s something that’s been happening, and it’s not getting the full attention that it deserves,” LDDA communication and events coordinator Sarah Walter said. She said the LDDA will finance unifying banners, provide brochures listing the participants and contribute to advertising for the event. Walter said she hopes to have the event organized by early fall. Carlos Smith wants the LDDA’s involvement to increase awareness about Second Fridays. “I hope it turns into something people can look forward to each month,” he said. Carlos’ Healing Art Gallery-Studio at 665 Fourth Ave. has been open for two months. Smith has participated in one Second Friday and said he plans to continue his involvement. For Tim Ellis, “art is about the experience,” and Second Fridays can be a vehicle for that message. After he was forced from Louisiana by Hurricane Katrina, Ellis relocated to Longmont and opened French Quarter Photography Studio & Gallery at 522 Fourth Ave. He has been displaying art during Second Fridays for about two years. Attendance ranges from 50 to 300 people, but Ellis’ concern is that many people don’t know about the event. “I get people in here, even on a Second Friday, who say, ‘What’s going on here?’” he said, adding that there’s a massive untapped market in Longmont. Diane Wood — an artist and the director of the exhibits at the Muse Gallery, located at 356 Main St. — said the key to Second Fridays is to “create a pattern” for people every month. The Muse Art Gallery has been a part of Second Fridays since the event was created. Lynn Brown, executive director of the Old Firehouse Art Center at 667 Fourth Ave., said Second Fridays has survived “because it’s basically a cooperative effort” that includes both nonprofit organizations and businesses. The center participates in Second Fridays during the odd months, and Brown estimates that between 250 and 300 people stop by. For others, Second Fridays is more about getting people to simply come to downtown Longmont. “We don’t expect to sell out,” said Judi Supplee, the co-owner of Encore Home Styles at 439 Main St. “We just want people to come downtown and see what’s going on.” Encore Home Styles has displayed art for Second Fridays during the spring and summer months since November 2006. But Supplee said the problem is that people don’t know about the other venues participating, so there’s limited interaction among businesses. Walter said she hopes the LDDA’s involvement will unifying the participants. “It runs from 6 to 9. Stores aren’t open past 5 o’clock, so anybody that’s open after that is probably participating,” Walter said. As part of the preparation for Second Fridays, the LDDA has forged a partnership with Labor Source, a service provider under Imagine, to employ individuals with cognitive and physical disabilities to clean Main Street. Beginning in April, the three-people crews have cleaned Main Street between Third and Eighth Avenues during the week of Second Fridays, paying attention to details like flower pots, gum on the sidewalks and park benches. “The important thing is that they’re contributing to the community, and they feel they’re a part of the community. At the same time, they’re performing a needed job,” said Jim Nelson, coordinator of Labor Source Vocational Program at Imagine. Participating businesses echoed that Second Fridays enrich the entire Longmont community. “If a community doesn’t have a Main Street, it doesn’t really have a heart,” said Tom McCoy, the vice president of the Board of Directors for the Old Firehouse Art Center. “And we want to keep this a beating heart.” Magdalena Wegrzyn can be reached at 303-684-5224 or tcreporter5@times-call.com.]]> Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10100 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10100 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10099 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10099

JD Crowe, who first played RockyGrass 30 years ago, will perform at the bluegrass festival this weekend. Tickets for the annual three-day event sold out in May.

LYONS — Jeez! What do you have to do to get a ticket to RockyGrass? Planet Bluegrass, the organizer of the annual three-day festival that’s famous for good music and good karma, sold out of its roughly 3,500 tickets in May. Since then, fans of the festival — which begins today — have scrambled to find after-market avenues onto the festival grounds. The Planet’s Web site features a ticket-exchange page, and earlier this month, one “answerguru” — the lucky owner of three three-day passes to the festival — offered the tickets at face value through a haiku contest. There were plenty of entries, including the suggestive, if slightly desperate, “Sirens song we sing/Two hot babes with lust for strings .../Will share sleeping bag?” What do you have to do to get a ticket to RockyGrass? The ticket-exchange page has been full of offers and requests. They also can be found on Craigslist. With all this inter-fan buying and selling, a community etiquette has developed. Enthusiasts of shows from Planet Bluegrass, which also presents the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and the Folks Festival, have adopted the Rasta-tinged group moniker “Festivarians” and are serious about maintaining irie vibes in their community. Markups by scalpers infuriate them. “That community does a really good job of preventing that from happening,” said Brian Eyster, the Planet’s marketing director. Someone named “Bevin” last month posted on the Planet Web site what amounted to an etiquette manual for ticket sellers. The No. 1 rule: “Festivarians expect that sellers aren’t going to profit from the re-sale of a Planet Bluegrass ticket,” Bevin wrote. “This tight-knit community scouts all likely places for ticket re-sale ... and some folks will flame those who try to make a profit.” Peace and love, to a point. A glance at the lineup explains what all the fuss is about: Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy, Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Psychograss and JD Crowe, who first played RockyGrass 30 years ago, all will appear. This is a festival that the father of bluegrass himself, Bill Monroe, helped found, and he personally booked acts for the festival’s first years in the 1970s. This legacy has helped ensure that RockyGrass shows are bound to tradition. But that doesn’t mean more progressive artists are excluded, particularly this year. “It’s a little more of a diverse lineup than in the past,” Eyster said. Abigail Washburn, one of this year’s artists, sometimes sings in Chinese. It will never be known whether the late Monroe would have approved of Washburn’s innovations. But also uncertain is whether he could have secured a ticket to see her perform. Quentin Young can be reached at 303-684-5319 or qyoung@times-call.com.]]> Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10098 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10098

Mary Zweck sits with five of her children in this portrait taken around 1900. Top row, from left: Rose, Gussie and John. Bottom row, from left: Hub, Mary and Jeane.

LONGMONT — In 1863, George and Mary Zweck arrived in what is now Longmont and settled on a homestead straddling the St. Vrain River. The property would become a farm not unlike many others around it. But today it is unusual, first because, 145 years later, it is still owned by members of the Zweck family, and because it is still a working farm. The farm is the subject of the latest exhibit at the Longmont Museum & Cultural Center, which features photographs taken over two years at the farm by Longmont resident Jane Gabrilove. Gayle Zweck lives on the northern portion of the property in a structure that includes what she described as the original hut the first Zwecks built in the 1860s. George and Mary’s legacy also has a psychological dimension. “They had a big impact on the family,” said the 78-year-old Gayle Zweck, who married George and Mary’s grandson Russell. “I think they’re all very thrifty, very hard-working, very moral.” Mary, known in the family as “Grammie,” especially is remembered for her standards of “honesty, spirituality and love of the land,” according to Gayle. “I can hardly cut down a tree, because I think Mary wouldn’t like it,” she said. Two of Gayle’s children, John and Tom, live and farm portions of the roughly 230 total acres of the property, the fourth generation of Zwecks to do so. Tom and his wife, Connie, own their own section of the farm, which they’ve developed into a certified organic operation, complete with a produce stand that is open to the public. They grow more than 90 varieties of vegetables and flowers, and they sell Zweck-grown sweet corn that is not certified organic. They sell produce wholesale to Whole Foods, which is sponsoring the Longmont Museum exhibit, and Vitamin Cottage, Connie said. To pull off Airport Road onto the Zweck property is to escape much of what modernity has brought to Longmont. Rows of vegetables and flowers grow in neat lines behind the produce stand. Down the driveway is Tom and Connie’s home, a trim wooden structure girdled by meticulous yet rustic landscaping of lawn and flowers. Beyond the home are pastures and more crops, and to the north the St. Vrain River winds quietly through trees. To the west, the view of farmland merges into the Front Range mountainscape, with few signs of the more recent suburban growth that has arisen between the Zwecks and the foothills. Tom and Connie’s farm is shielded from Airport Road by a tall rampart of old trees. But, standing at the produce stand, gusts of vehicles are constantly audible, reminders that the farm is a “remarkable oasis,” as the Longmont Museum describes it, a bubble of serenity in the soup of modern life. Gabrilove’s photographs give viewers a look inside the bubble. She said she first approached the Zwecks about photographing their farm as a way to get closer to food where it’s grown. “I grew up in suburbia, and I just had a very deep feeling of not being connected to food,” she said. Gabrilove, a student of a contemplative monastery in California, also treated her sessions at the property as a form of meditation. She did not intend her work to be exhibited for the public until about halfway through her time on the farm, when she realized it could be valuable for others to view. “I felt the community of Longmont and Boulder County just needed to see them,” she said. Gabrilove wanted members of the community to see that they had a vibrant, working farm in their midst, and she hopes her work inspires local viewers to contemplate the value of local food production. In the photos, she focused on Tom and Connie’s portion of the farm and captured close-up studies of produce; shots of Tom, Connie and other workers tending to crops; and images of the farm at rest. One of her best pictures is a portrait of a cat on the farm, “Smarty Jones,” in which shades of brown blend nicely throughout the picture and set off the blue eyes of the cat as it gazes directly at the viewer. In this series, Gabrilove was not out to blaze trails in perspective, composition or color. Neither was it her goal to expose the personal lives of the Zwecks themselves. She said she wished to share her appreciation of what she experienced at the property, and indeed, for most viewers, the exhibit will stand primarily as a celebration of a chunk of land that sits only a few miles to the west of the gallery. The exhibit also features three tractors made by Gibson, a Longmont manufacturer active for only about six years after World War II. When Tom and Connie first moved to their portion of the farm in 1973, Airport Road — once a dirt lane — dead-ended south of the property at Nelson Road. Now it’s paved, with two lanes running in both directions, and those “improvements” meant big changes on the Zweck farm. On one hand, it meant more traffic noise. On the other, the traffic brought more customers to the produce stand. Gayle Zweck noted that with Vance Brand Municipal Airport nearby, the volume of planes — not just cars — has increased. “It’s just a noisier world,” she said, though she added she has met “some very nice people” who over the years have moved into the new homes sprouting around her. She said she feels responsible for the Zweck land, a sense of stewardship for a property members of her family have farmed for almost a century and a half. Though the land beyond the borders of her property is transformed, she expects her farm to be preserved for many years to come, because it is protected as open space. She said that “fairly frequently” someone approaches her about buying parts of her property. But, she said, “I’d rather have it open space than houses.” Quentin Young can be reached at 303-684-5319 or qyoung@times-call.com.]]> Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10097 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10097 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10096 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10096

Casseroles are the perfect item for hosting a successful potluck. They’re easy and quick to make and always a hit with guests.

Potluck parties are a great way to have a party and keep work to a minimum. When everyone brings their favorite dish, it is a wonderful way to taste each other’s much-loved recipes. And if you use a recipe with a quick prep time, you’ll be all set. Cindy Ayers, vice president of Campbell’s Kitchen, has spent more than 30 years in the culinary world and operated her own restaurant and catering company. Ayers has a few quick tips for hosting a successful potluck party. As the host, provide the main dish and beverages, and guests can supply all the extras. For a menu with variety, assign every guest a type of dish to bring. Keep things simple by choosing a recipe that can be made with ingredients you can frequently find in your pantry and fridge. Quick heat-and-serve dishes are best and require little last-minute fussing. Make sure that there are plenty of plates, cups and utensils — the non-cooks in your crowd will be happy to bring some. Ask your guests to each bring 10 copies of their recipe to share with others at the party. For more potluck recipes, visit www.campbellskitchen.com. Hearty Chicken and Noodle Casserole 1 10 3/4-ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup — regular, 98 percent fat free or 25 percent less sodium 1/2 cup milk 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables 2 cups cubed cooked chicken 2 cups medium egg noodles, cooked and drained 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese — about 2 ounces Stir soup, milk, black pepper, vegetables, chicken, noodles and Parmesan cheese in 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir. Top with cheddar cheese. For Golden Onion Chicken and Noodle Casserole, substitute 1/2 cup crushed French-fried onions for cheddar cheese. For Hearty Chicken Casserole with a Twist, substitute 2 cups cooked corkscrew-shaped pasta for egg noodles. Country Chicken Casserole 1 10 3/4-ounce can condensed cream of celery soup — regular, 98 percent fat free or 25 percent less sodium 1 10 3/4-ounce can condensed cream of potato soup 1 cup milk 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 4 cups cooked, cut-up vegetables — combination of green beans and carrots 2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey 4 cups prepared herb-seasoned stuffing Stir soups, milk, thyme, black pepper, vegetables and chicken in 3-quart shallow baking dish. Top with stuffing. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until stuffing is golden brown. Hearty Sausage and Rice Casserole 1 pound bulk pork sausage 1 8-ounce package sliced mushrooms 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped — about 1 cup 1 large red pepper, coarsely chopped — about 1 cup 1 large onion, coarsely chopped — about 1 cup 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves, crushed 1 3/4 cups chicken broth 1 10 3/4-ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 6-ounce box seasoned long-grain and wild rice mix 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese — about 4 ounces Cook sausage in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until sausage is well browned, stirring often. Pour off any fat. Add mushrooms, celery, pepper, onion, thyme, marjoram and seasoning packet from rice blend to skillet and cook until vegetables are tender-crisp. Stir sausage mixture, broth, soup, rice blend and 1/2 cup cheese in 13-by-9-by-2-inch shallow baking dish. Cover baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until rice is tender. Stir rice mixture before serving. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. For a special touch, substitute 1 8-ounce package baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced, for sliced mushrooms.]]> Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10095 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10095

Tigers roam in a field at the wildlife sanctuary in Keenesburg. Daylight Donuts is offering residents a chance to see the big cats and other wildlife at the sanctuary during a bus trip on Saturday.

DACONO — Always wanted to visit the wildlife sanctuary in Keenesburg but didn’t want to make the drive? Then Saturday is your lucky day. Not only will someone else do the driving, you’ll get to enjoy some free ice cream upon your return. Linda Allour, co-owner of Daylight Donuts in Dacono, is hiring a bus to take interested residents to visit the lions, tigers, bears, wolves and other animals at the sanctuary. “Everyone is always coming into my shop and saying that they would like to go but haven’t yet,” said Allour, a big fan of the sanctuary who has held several fundraising events over the years to help keep the facility operating. “I decided to rent a 40-passenger coach bus and give them their chance.” For $20, people receive a bus ticket and entry fee into the sanctuary. “They also get a $2 coupon for an ice cream or whatever at Daylight Donuts,” Allour said. The bus leaves Daylight Donuts at 6 p.m., and everyone should be back home by about 9 p.m., Allour said. “I wanted to do an evening trip because there is a better chance that the lions and wolves will be active,” she said. Allour is hoping she can fill the bus. “I have about 20 people but need 20 more,” she said. “People should call the store to get on the list to go. If you show up last minute and there is a seat, I will take your money.” Children 2 and younger get a free ride. “This is just my brain thinking of more ideas to support the wildlife sanctuary,” Allour said. The Keenesburg facility rescues exotic animals that are abandoned or kept illegally as pets. The facility is home to rescued lions, tigers, bears and other species on 240 acres about 25 miles east of Dacono. Visitors can view the animals from a 35-foot observation tower and large decks that span the main portion of the sanctuary. The bus will leave Saturday from Daylight Donuts, 821 Carbondale Drive in Dacono. For more information, call 303-833-2009. Kimberly Pursel can be reached at 303-684-5326 or kpursel@times-call.com.]]> Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10094 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10094

Trevor Williamson, middle, placed third in the Water World Belly Flop contest, earning four free passes to Water World. The other winners were Steve Howard, right, who came in second, and Ron Taylor, the first-place finisher who won a trip to Mexico. The contest raised money for the Firefighter Cancer Foundation.

Trevor Williamson knows how to cool off — even if it’s not in the most glamorous way. With temperatures pushing close to 100 degrees on July 17, the firefighter with the Frederick-Firestone Fire Protection District placed third during the 12th annual Water World Belly Flop contest in Denver. Seventeen Colorado firefighters endured belly-flop burn by participating in the contest, which raised money for the Firefighter Cancer Foundation. The foundation was established to provide international outreach, support and resource assistance programs for firefighters and family members stricken by cancer. “The belly flop actually felt kind of good,” Williamson said. “It was nice to get into the water and cool down.” Contestants stomached dives from two different heights at Water World’s Calypso Cove pool. Everyone began with “dives” from an 8-foot platform. The top eight floppers then moved on to a 16-foot platform. “I got a good launch,” Williamson said. “I just went straight up in the air. The key was to keep your form all the way into the water.” Williamson, who has been with the fire department for more than a year, said he found out about the event from his captain. With little time to practice, he said he was pleased with his third-place finish — which earned him four free passes to Water World. “I knew I had a pretty good belly flop, but I didn’t expect to do as well as I did,” he said. “I just tried not to think about it. It was a lot more fun than anything.” Williamson wasn’t the only member of the Frederick-Firestone Fire District who competed. He was joined by Todd Simpson, Matt Zaffree and Travis Homyak. Ron Taylor of the Westminster Fire Department won the contest with a “double flip, which opened into the belly flop position.” He took home the grand prize of a trip to Mexico, courtesy of Apple Vacations. Steve Howard of the Parker Fire Department came in second. Kimberly Pursel can be reached at 303-684-5326 or kpursel@times-call.com.]]> Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10093 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10093 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10092 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10092 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10091 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10091 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10090 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10090 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10089 http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=10089

University of Colorado coach Dan Hawkins talks Tuesday during Big 12 Media Days in Kansas City, Mo.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Year 3 of his tenure is about to begin, and Dan Hawkins, as he might put it, is totally being Dan Hawkins. The Colorado football coach spent Monday and Tuesday at Big 12 Media Days doing any radio talk show that asked. There were more than a dozen on hand. He worked the hotel lobby, shook lots of hands, talked Machu Picchu. He resorted to colorful ways when talking about the upcoming season. “I’ll know when it’s time to retire, because it just seems like every year my hair starts on fire again,” he said Tuesday. “I’m fired up to be coaching.” The time to retire, or at least a time when Hawkins’ hair isn’t ablaze in the middle of every summer, appears far off. Because the task at hand is here, and it should be especially tall in 2008, which is ample fodder for a guy who craves challenges. “It grinds on you,” Hawkins said. “I took a lot of years off of my life I think in ’06 (when CU went 2-10). There’s not a guy that does this ... that’s not extremely passionate about what they do.” “But I think it’s also, to some degree, why I came to Colorado and why anybody does what they do. I just think there has to be a certain amount of reinvention in a person in being able to put yourself up against it and see what you’re all about. So as my dad told me when I came (to Boulder), he said, ‘You asked for it, buddy, and you got it.’” What Hawkins has in 2008 is a young team that plays a nasty schedule in a tough conference. The Buffs of 2008 have 18 seniors, 14 returning starters and 41 returning letter winners. They will be young again. At the end of spring, 24 of the 48 in CU’s two-deep were freshmen or sophomores. That’s before the incoming freshmen factor in. According to Phil Steele’s College Football preview magazine, CU and Boise State are tied as the nation’s third-youngest teams going into 2008. This year’s schedule might be more stacked than usual. Four of the top 10 in 2007’s final poll await. Each of the four — Missouri, Kansas, Texas and West Virginia — returns its quarterback. Each one is expected to be good again. The tradition CU once boasted has staggered. The Buffs have not played a game ranked in the top 20 since their third one of 2003. They lost, 47-20, to Washington State that week. CU was ranked No. 21 in 2005 in the coaches’ poll after starting 7-2. It has not been ranked since, and won’t be when the first polls come out next month, while at least four opponents will. CU is on the road for games against Florida State, Kansas, Missouri, Texas A&M and Nebraska. It could be the underdog entering all five. Hawkins has maintained the jump from 2-10 in 2006 to 2007’s 6-7 came by the narrowest of margins, and he reiterated that point Tuesday. Is it possible this could be an improved team in 2008, yet end with a similar, or even an inferior, record? “I wouldn’t be happy with the same record,” senior safety Ryan Walters said. “That’s not an improvement to me. Improvement to me is a direct correlation with wins and losses. “Last year, I was disappointed. We improved and went to a bowl game, but there were a lot of games we could’ve and should’ve won. W