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Kudos and Kindness

A great day for science in Aspen

If you missed the Science Street Fair in Paepcke Park on Aug. 10, well, I’m terribly sorry. It only comes around once a year, and it’s truly phenomenal!

Maggy DeWolf and the Nick DeWolf Foundation make it possible to bring in world-class science stage shows along with presenters from as far as Caltech’s Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory in Louisiana and as local as the beautiful hawk from Aspen Center for Environmental Studies and the fusion reactor built by local boy Tanner Oates. Our staff and volunteer crew (many from Rocky Mountain Institute) helped entertained the huge crowd that filled the park during the all-day event. It was wow! Other supporters included Mike and Becky Murry, the Thrift Shop of Aspen, the city of Aspen and continual support from our national Science Council. Frias Property helped with housing some of our mad scientists — I hope they kept the flaming bubbles outside! The Limelight helped with our kickoff party, and Johnny’s helped with lunch — thanks!



I hope all the exhibitors and my staff and volunteers realize how grateful I am for their presence during this event. I hope my board realizes how much I appreciate their wives (and them, too). We had a great day!

Jackie Francis




Executive director, Aspen Science Center

Race organizers give thanks

We would like to thank all of the volunteers and sponsors of this year’s Aspen Valley Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K. It would have been impossible to have an outstanding event without your dedicated help. We are truly grateful for your friendly, smiling faces. You are all remarkable.

Thanks go to: The Aspen Clinic and TAC Fit, the town of Basalt, the city of Aspen, Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, David Bach “Always Mountain Time,” Challenge Aspen, the Aspen Hope Center, Clark’s Market, RFTA, Rocky Mountain Leaf Co., City Market, Fitzgerald Landscaping, Smuggler Finishes, Aspen 82, Conundrum Catering, Zeal Optics, Basalt Mini Storage, Taranaki Electric, Iceni Construction, Aspen Brewing Co., US Bank, Colorado Center for Hyperbaric Medicine, 1211 Fitness, Roaring Fork CrossFit, High Country CrossFit, Aspen CrossFit, Defiance Strength and Conditioning, Ute Mountaineer, Independence Run and Hike, Ace Hardware, iOmounts, Zapazoo Inkworks, Bugjam, New York Pizza, Basalt High School, the Wyly Community Art Center, Regen Aspen, Aimee Boyle, Aithan Schneider, Alexis DeVito, Alycia Gillis, Amanda Wagner, Amity Brereton Preis, Andrea Forbes, Armando Ruiz, Audra Schmidt, Audrey Glatz, Austin Weiss, Betsy Hales, Bob Wade, Bryan Bennett, Carol Hughes, Catherine Rohrstaff, Chrissie Mulvanny, Christine Follin, Cindy Bartell, Cody Stover, Dan Blankenship, Dan Bosko, Dana Higbie, David Bach, Deb Hancock, Dee Dee Kieber, Donna Wilcox, Elder Peugnet, Elder Reilly, Emily Knutson, Emma Casson, Houston Cowan, James Lindt, Jami De Bold, Janet Gordon, Janice Cowan, Jeff Wertz, Jenni Petersen, Jerry Hales, Jesse Williams, Jessica Palen, Jocelyn Twight, John Armstrong, John Baker, Josh Bartell, Josh Hall, Kathy Fry, Kathy Haber, Kathy Sydoryk, Katie Parker, Kayla Hall, Kristen Heath, Krysia Schneider, Kyle Piorowsky, Libby Pettit, Linda Spada Magill, Mary Cote, Maurice Fitzgerald, Melanie Hmielowski, Michael Kraemer, Michaela Idehammar, Michelle, Braden and Christopher Muething, Mike Bartell, Mike Bower, Miranda Pingree, Nadia Sanchez, Nancy Pearce, Natalie Ehrlich, Ned Sullivan, Nick Ketpura, Pablo Hanrahan, Pam Mulleavy, Paris DeWind, Paul Muldoon, Peter D’Andrea, PJ Wallace, Rachel Daily, Rafeal Chavez, Randy Christensen,Raphael Chavez, Rebecca Weiss, Renee Mackie, Rob Skillman, Roger Patterson, Roscoe Hancock, Sam Barg, Sam Louras, Sandy Hoelsken, Seton Hall, Sheldon Hoelsken, Sophia Trettenero, Theresa Fritz-Endres and Thompson Bishop.

Organizers, Aspen Valley Marathon

Aspen business delivers professional service

My family and I have lived part time in Aspen for 40 years. We all wear glasses but did not have a regular optician. When I sat on my glasses the other night (I know, clumsy), I knew that I had to find someone who could manipulate my progressive trifocals carefully enough that I could look through the correct portion of the lens for the next couple of weeks until I could get back to my regular optician in New York.

On Yelp, Optical Options on East Durant got good comments, so my son and I went over there. While we waited a very short time, the owner, Tim Donovan, helped a gentleman with his own eyeglass emergency and refused to take any payment.

Then it was my turn. Tim looked at my glasses and listened to my speculation that if he couldn’t get the trifocals back to their original orientation perhaps he could transfer my sunglasses’ lenses to another frame. After casually doing some prestidigitation, he said, “Put them on.” The glasses were fixed! As he had done with the previous customer, he charged me nothing for his time and even added with genuine concern that my son and I should be careful about putting on our sunglasses before going outside into the bright sunshine.

This was an extremely positive experience. I highly recommend Tim and Optical Options. His treatment of two eyeglass accidents in a row was gentlemanly and classy!

Betty Wallach

New York City and Aspen

Anonymous donor delights Thrift Shop

On behalf of the Wednesday B volunteers at the Aspen Thrift Shop, I’d like to express our sincere thanks to the anonymous gentleman who brought us a hot lunch and dessert! We were quite surprised and delighted to receive such a wonderful treat. It really made our day more enjoyable and productive. Not having to concern ourselves with going out to get lunch left us with more time to sort and sell donations in order to raise money, which is donated back to our community. Your thoughtful and kind gesture was heartwarming and very much appreciated by all of us!

Joanne Post

Snowmass Village

Snowmass community gives Project 18 a boost

Project 18 at Snowmass Chapel just wrapped up a summer jam-packed with activities for kids in the valley, and it would not have been possible without the generosity of so many! Camp SMashBox hosted 176 campers this summer during four weeks of crazy fun, including two overnight excursions! In addition, we road tripped with a group of 15 high school students to Southern California for “Surf and Serve,” a week of service and volunteering at a variety of locations, and still another group of awesome high schoolers planned and hosted the second annual Kindergarten Readiness Camp for 13 incoming students!

Without the support and generosity of our community, it simply wouldn’t be possible for us to offer these programs. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the town of Snowmass and Related/Snowmass Hospitality for their generous grants, which impacted the lives of more than 200 Roaring Fork Valley kids and beyond. Project 18 helps families raise kids with character and integrity, and we create experiences for kids to lead extraordinary lives. Thank you to all our donors for making this possible!

Charla Belinski and Adam and Kara Gilbert

Project 18, Snowmass Chapel

Basalt rec climbs with Aspen experts

Basalt Recreation recently had the opportunity to show local kids the pleasures of rock climbing. We would like to thank the following people for helping to make our experience a memorable one. Thanks to the Aspen Recreation Center for providing us with a great climbing wall to get used to the experience. Thank you to Jeremy Graham at the Red Brick for letting us monkey around at your amazing bouldering wall.

Thank you to Todd Reeves, Karen Sahn and Dirk Bockelmann at Aspen Expeditions for taking us up the pass to really learn about the techniques and camaraderie of climbing. We live in such a beautiful place, and to have all of these great amenities made it a great experience for all of us.

Dorothy Howard

Basalt Recreation Department