Restoration project shines new light on Paonia church

Tamie Meck

Published on Wednesday, 16 March 2011 01:00

Earlana Sims, who is leading the effort to restore the Paonia Fellow Christian Church’s 100-year-old stained glass windows, looks at one of the windows as she recalls some of her memories of the church. Her mother first took her to a service at the church, then the First Christian Church, when she was 2 weeks old.

One of Paonia's century-old churches is gaining attention lately, both from its congregation members, and from historical preservation entities that could help protect and restore the building for the next 100 years.

Thanks largely to the efforts of Paonia Christian Fellowship member Earlana "Lana" Sims, the church was placed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties on Feb. 24.

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Fulfilling a promise

Verna Barr

Published on Wednesday, 02 March 2011 00:00

John Schmidt’s display at the craft sale in Cedaredge proved to be quite lucrative in sales, exposure, and provided consignment sources for the future. It was also an opportunity to make arrangements for this story on the Back Page.

John Schmidt started drawing and painting when he was six years old. Both of his grandmothers were artists.

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More than a house

Hank Lohmeyer

Published on Thursday, 17 February 2011 12:36

With light from a typically gorgeous Delta County sunset reflecting in the entryway windows, the Redlands Mesa home of Jim Wetzel and Nancy Wood conveys the sense of inviting comfort and wise energy efficient construction that was designed into its every feature from the ground up.

When Jim Wetzel and Nancy Wood head home in the evening and pull into the driveway leading to their home, they experience something very special.

That's because the unique structure they live in on Redlands Mesa represents something more than the years of dreams and planning, and three years of work so far that has gone into it.

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Vintage is in vogue

Pat Sunderland

Published on Wednesday, 09 February 2011 00:00

THESE THREE dresses are part of Rose Marie Prince’s vintage clothing collection. The peach gown on the left is a reproduction made by a friend for a Victorian gathering in Leadville. In the center is the dress Rose Marie’s grandmother wore when she was married in 1895. Rose Marie has used the lace dress on the right for many different events. She changes the color of the sash and the slip to suit the occasion.

Rose Marie Prince loves antiques of all kinds, but there's a special place in her heart for vintage clothing — perhaps because of two very special dresses, her grandmother's wedding gown and the beaded dress in which her mother was married.

While those two gowns are the genesis of Rose Marie's vintage clothing collection, she has other authentic garments from days gone by as well as some reproductions.

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Pioneering spirit

Verna Barr

Published on Thursday, 27 January 2011 16:06

Martha Jane (Workman) Peterson, front center, is surrounded by her nine children. In back is Martin, Eugene, Ben, Archie and Vern, while in front are Ada, Otto C., Evie and Nina. Martha Jane was born July 27, 1856, in Salt Lake City, Utah, and married Otto A. Peterson on Dec. 4, 1876. The couple homesteaded in Delta County in 1881

Buckley Peterson and his cousin Betty (Peterson) Kendrick tell the stories of their great-grandfather Otto August Peterson, born in 1854 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was about two years old, the youngest of five children, when they and their widowed mother Sophia traveled to this country from Denmark.

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Klondike Mike’s unexpected adventure

Bob Borchardt

Published on Thursday, 20 January 2011 16:25

Mike Folkerth fuels the Cessna 206 he was piloting when he found himself in a “life changing” experience. Forgetting to retract the landing gear, Folkerth found himself and the plane upside down in a remote lake in Alaska while landing to pick up a party of fishermen. He escaped, but the lessons of that day have stayed with him.

Born in Dunkirk Ind., Cedaredge resident Mike Folkerth is one of three sons born to Ed and Jessie Folkerth. He graduated from Dunkirk High School in 1964; attended Bellevue Community College (Bellevue, Wash.); and served in the U.S. Navy before meeting his wife-to-be, Cathy Lemon, in Delta.

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One heck of a hunt

Hank Lohmeyer

Published on Thursday, 13 January 2011 14:36

Once the truck was parked, the down-to-business part of the elk hunt began with a hike with loaded packs through trailless oak brush. The terrain became more severe before giving way to ridgetop exploration routes for the last leg of the three-hour-long trek for two hunters last fall.

Blizzard, rugged and remote terrain, bears and big bulls make for one memorable elk hunt!

Photos by Blum

As any big game hunter knows, there's a difference between hunting elk and finding elk.

The recent elk season in western Colorado saw many hunters returning home empty handed.

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Carving in the shadow of Grand Mesa

Pat Sunderland

Published on Thursday, 06 January 2011 14:38

THIS SIMPLE, YET USEFUL, scribe was made by Buck Taylor of Grand Junction. In this photo, woodcarver John Gilbert uses the scribe to align the arms on a “chain saw” bear. It’s also useful for positioning the eyes on any wooden character.

When storm clouds drape themselves over Grand Mesa and the cold settles into the low-lying areas of Delta County, John Gilbert settles comfortably into the enclosed patio in the rear of his home on Redlands Mesa. With a sharp knife in hand, he transforms a block of wood into an adorable character, glancing up occasionally to watch the deer migrate through his yard.

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A vision for better habitat

Tami Meck

Published on Thursday, 30 December 2010 13:58

Kevin Parks describes how his wetland and island creation project will improve wildlife habitat on a 36-acre parcel of land on the North Fork River that he and wife Jackie own. Parks is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish & Wildlife program to improve wildlife habitat on the land in hopes of attracting game and migratory birds and a host of other wildlife.

Kevin Parks has many wonderful memories of growing up along the North Fork of the Gunnison. He enjoys recalling a time when game and migratory birds could be found all along the river corridor, and, in particular, on one piece of river-front property that has remained in his family for generations.

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