History: ‘Keep Snowmass Beautiful’

“Snowmass stresses natural beauty,” The Aspen Times wrote on May 10, 1979. “No one in his right mind would say that Snowmass is ugly. It’s a beautiful resort by any standards, and a group of Snowmass residents want to keep it that way. In fact, they’d even like to improve the area’s inherent beauty. The newly formed committee to ‘Keep Snowmass Beautiful’ hopes to call attention to the value of making residential and commercial property in Snowmass more attractive through landscaping. The new committee is spearheaded by Ben Rawlins, a retired commercial photographer and advertising art director from Chicago, who now lives in Snowmass. His love for gardening and landscaping goes back many years. ‘I’m sort of a Johnny Appleseed at heart,’ Rawlins confessed. He said one of the main functions of the beautification committee is to help stimulate an interest in the beautification of homes and common areas in Snowmass. The committee plans to approach its goal from an educational standpoint, operating without any police or review powers from the town council. Rawlins would like to see more trees on the golf course area and at the entrance to Snowmass. ‘We could go for years without anyone attempting to dress up those areas,’ he said.”