There’s an impressive Alpine Snow Village at Crawford Town Hall. The display features dozens of buildings and tiny characters, all lit with holiday cheer. The village will be available for viewing in the foyer of town hall from now through the end of the year. Crawford Town Hall is open Mond…
Fears regarding a recent finding of lead in Paonia’s two million gallon tank were laid to rest by Town Administrator Corinne Ferguson who provided a brief update during the Nov. 23 meeting.
Paonia trustees faced down a lengthy pre-Thanksgiving Holiday agenda on Nov. 23 by approving the 2022 budget with conditions; passing a controversial water rate hike and appointing a permanent Mayor Pro-tem.
Paonia K-8 completed a canned food drive before Thanksgiving for the local food pantry run by the North Fork Ministerial Alliance. In all, students collected 779 cans of food to help local families in need.
A special Pink Night, breast cancer awareness, volleyball match between the North Fork Lady Miners and the Cedaredge Lady Bruins on Oct. 22 netted a whopping $11,250 donated to Delta Health Oncology Unit.
Due to vacancies on the Board of Trustees the Town is accepting letters of interest to serve on the town council.
They say everything old becomes new again. For centuries our American ancestors chose to bury their beloved dead in simple wooden caskets, lowering the body into holes dug into the earth and letting nature take its course.
The Fruitland Mesa Women’s Club and all its wonderful volunteers are in full swing for the 2021 Crawford Christmas Festival. Beautiful decorated Christmas items for auction will surround the many crafts tables available to vendors, providing a festive atmosphere.
The town of Paonia felt another shock wave Tuesday night as Trustee Michelle Pattison resigned during a special meeting to discuss the draft 2022 budget.
It was a big night for the Hotchkiss Community Chamber of Commerce as it named its annual award winners, elected new officers and enjoyed a fun time of community fellowship.
It was a night of contrasts as the Paonia town council received word of Trustee William “Bill” Bear’s sudden resignation. The sad news was tempered somewhat by a more celebratory moment as a new police officer was added to the town’s skeleton force.
The town of Paonia passed a major milestone as it approved three businesses for marijuana licenses bringing the legal sale of cannabis to the North Fork. The town’s trustees unanimously gave approval for two retail and one dual license following a public hearing on Nov. 9.
Paonia resident Tamie Meck caught this group of Paonia K-8 students building mounds of freshly raked leaves at the Paonia Town Park on Friday, Nov. 12.
The Learning Council (TLC), a local educational nonprofit group, is under contract to purchase a property in downtown Paonia. The group will be relocating to 138 Grand Avenue, current home of Ollie’s Ice Cream, The Refinery and Savvy Sweets.
The North Fork Community Thanksgiving Dinner will be held in-person and also offer take out serve on Thanksgiving Day, according to event organizer Larry Jakubicak.
The town of Paonia continues to hammer out its 2022 budget; however, the process isn’t going as smoothly as Town Finance Officer Cindy Jones would like.
It’s been a mere four months since Scott Green took over the reins of the newly minted Hotchkiss Police Department formerly known as the Hotchkiss Marshal’s Office.
This year’s Dia de Los Muertos event held in Paonia, the day after Halloween, was a somber time yet full of gratitude. The annual event was organized by The Learning Council, the Creative Coalition, The Cirque, and the Western Colorado Migrant and Rural Coalition.
The following students grades sixth-eighth made the first quarter honor roll at Hotchkiss K-8. Denotes Straight A’s
Paonia Film Festival will take place this weekend Nov. 6-7 at the Paradise Theatre in Paonia. The two-day festival will feature a variety of short fiction, documentary, and music videos centered around the program theme of ‘community.’
It’s back to wearing masks at all Paonia town council meetings. The decision requiring all future meeting participants to wear a face covering was made during a packed council meeting on Oct. 26.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) will be in Paonia at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 14 at Sweetgrass Paonia located at 120 Grand Avenue. The public is invited to hear a conversation about social justice issues in Delta County.
The North Fork Seniors Connections is viewing the new folk-art Friendship Quilt pieced by North Fork Senior Connections members Connie Hodges, Linda McCone, Cyndi Landes, Janet Oja and Laura Lee Yates and quilted by Connie Hodges. Visitors are welcome to view the quilt at the Paonia Senior C…
Hotchkiss Marshal Scott Green had the privilege of welcoming three new staff members for the newly named Hotchkiss Police Department. Town trustees unanimously approved the name change during the Oct. 14 meeting following the recommendation of Green.
The US Forest Service released its draft forest plan for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests in August, now the department is initiating a 90-day comment window for members of the public, local municipalities, and other cooperating agencies to provide feedback.
The closure of a veterinarian office a few years ago has left the town of Paonia without a place to kennel or shelter dogs that run afoul of the law.
In recent months the town of Paonia has lost a number of key employees including the Chief of Police, two police officers, the police clerk, a public works employee, and the town treasurer. The town’s attorney plans to leave at the end of the year.
Former Paonia Coach Scott Dale Rienks (57) lost his two year long battle with cancer on Monday, Oct. 4.
Citizens for a Healthy Community (CHC) based in Paonia recently released its greenhouse gas emissions inventory for Delta County. The 20-page study was made possible by a 2019 West Elk Community Fund grant.
A new grassroots coalition seeking to create equity and develop safe spaces for historically excluded and marginalized communities within Delta County is gaining momentum thanks to a number of businesses and organizations.
The newly constructed Paonia River Park Extension Trail is now open to the public, offering access to the Gunnison River near the Paonia K-8 school.
The Paonia in Motion consultant team has revised its timeline for completing the community-based project. According to a recent newsletter, the team has fallen behind schedule on a couple of tasks including the “Current Conditions Inventory” and the “Community Input Summary.”
Businesses in Paonia will have another opportunity to receive Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) funds thanks to a second round of grants approved by the town council.
According to Sarah Henderson, executive director of Habitat for Humanity (HFH) of Delta County, Habitat members and other volunteers gathered on Sept. 18 to offer a helping hand to neighbors in Delta and Hotchkiss. The occasion was “Brush with Kindness Day.”
Jon Hickam began playing a lot of chess with his 13-year-old son Elliot as a way to pass the long days of the pandemic. Once the world began to open up, the duo dusted off their chess boards and headed for the weekly Arbol Market.
The Creamery Arts Center in Hotchkiss will host the second art exhibit by up and coming artist Cayden Matuszak during the month of October.
Paonia In Motion is nearing the end of its project for the town of Paonia, according to Matt Farrar of Western Slope Consulting, LLC. The multi-month project funded by a GOCO planning grant started this past January after the holidays and pandemic concerns.
People and their pets are cautioned to avoid contact with water at Crawford Reservoir at Crawford State Park because of a blue-green algae bloom that could be harmful if touched or ingested.
In March, President Joe Biden signed into effect the American Rescue Act Plan of 2021. This plan, a $1.9 trillion package overall, is intended to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, including the public health and economic impacts.
Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) announced on Sept. 16 that Mary Hockenbery of Hotchkiss along with Chrissy Deal, Denver, and Kennedy Pugh, Pueblo, were selected to receive the 2021 Governor’s Creative Leadership Awards.
The Mountain Harvest Festival is set to take place Thursday, Sept. 23, though Sunday, Sept. 26. The following are some events going on during this weekend in the North Fork. Visit mountainharvestfestival.org for more information.
Mountain Harvest Festival returns for its 20th anniversary and brings with it “something for everyone.”
Without music, the Mountain Harvest Festival wouldn’t be what it is. This year is no exception. As the time for the beloved festival draws near, check out the music lineup and plan ahead.
Staff Writer
The North Fork Valley welcomes back the Mountain Harvest Festival for its 20th anniversary. The popular festival typically brings in between 1,000-5,000 people to the town of Paonia and surrounding area every September.
The 20th annual Mountain Harvest Festival gets underway starting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, at the Blue Sage Center Sage Alley and Blue Sage Curtis Hall with the popular Harvest of Voices. This year event organizers want your ears.
Paonia town council recently made a number of interesting decisions including going back to its original policy on public comment, the dismantling of three board committees and flip-flopping on a prior decision to keep the Chief of Police hiring process in house.
Changes will be coming next summer to the main thoroughfare in Hotchkiss. The town council heard a presentation during its Sept. 9 meeting from several Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) team members on the proposed construction.
Paonia Town Council made a significant change to public comments during its notoriously long board meetings. The new change came about during the Aug. 10 meeting when the board agreed to amend the agenda regarding public input for the Aug. 24 meeting.
The defense and prosecutors agreed on a few points Thursday: Matthew Burge, the Paonia man shot last year, was “very lucky” to have survived and the shooter was Henry Russell.
Charter Communications hosted a Spectrum Internet Assist event with the Blue Sage Center for the Arts in Paonia on Sept. 9. During the event, Spectrum presented $2,000 to Blue Sage Center for the Arts for the purchase of technology devices to further their exploration and creativity of digit…
Paonia town council entertained a lengthy discussion on a proposed citizen’s initiative put forth by former trustee Bill Brunner and citizen Constantine Hirchfield.
The 20th annual Mountain Harvest Festival in Paonia scheduled for Sept. 23-26 will be dedicated to the late Rick Stockton and Bill Bishop, two of the popular fall festival founding fathers.
A new mural and bench help to make Paonia’s downtown more inviting. The fantasy themed mural near town hall is one of the latest pieces produced by local Mural Militia artists Nelle Ramsey and Sienna Reese.
Mark your calendar for the 20th annual Mountain Harvest Festival in Paonia Sept. 23-26, 2021.
Paonia’s sprawling Mountain Harvest Festival launches its 20th anniversary celebration with the literary arts event of the season. This year’s “Harvest of Voices” reading is set for Sage Alley, a new venue associated with the nonprofit Blue Sage Center for the Arts. The Blue Sage itself is l…
Yuri Chicovsky is an independent filmmaker, photographer, musician, poet, world traveler, outdoorsman and former golf pro — and he’s good at all of it. But when Yuri teaches memoir for seniors, he declares, “I’m doing the work that was put before me.”
The old Hotchkiss High School continues to transform as eager students fill the hallways of the new North Fork High School in Hotchkiss. New signage is up, dirt work on the stadium is underway and the football team will rock some rad looking helmets. The new score clock will soon be up and r…
Paonia Chief of Police Neil Ferguson resigned his position effective Sept. 17. Ferguson made his public announcement during the Aug. 24 town council meeting.
The Blue Sage Center for the Arts will be hosting the Ivalas Quartet on Friday, Sept. 10.
In the 1980s, the North Fork Ambulance Association purchased some of the first auto extrication tools for local fire districts, including Hotchkiss Fire. Over the last four decades, Hotchkiss firefighters have augmented that initial donation with thousands of hours of extrication training, a…
“I’ve been writing forever,” Mary Bachran says of her writing history. “I wrote my first official (piece) when I was 12 years old.”
As the graduates of 2021 start on their journey to further their education to reach their goals, the Hotchkiss Elks Lodge #1807 would like to announce the recipients of the following individual scholarships through funds provided by Clem Audin Jr. and Evelyn Audin Endowment Fund and the Colo…
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