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Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, w…
Humans have always h…
Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, was often interpreted as displeasure on behalf of those same beings—a punishment for failing to observe proper rituals. It doesn’t take a history scholar to understand this impulse. Weather, now as then, is both an enemy and ally. On one hand, it provides everything from the raw material for food—sunlight driving photosynthesis, wind the primary method of plants spreading their seeds—to …
Sometimes, writing about art and theater feels a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole as I try to find the angle to write about wandering through a haunted-theater immersive experience, ge…
Sometimes, writing a…
Sometimes, writing about art and theater feels a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole as I try to find the angle to write about wandering through a haunted-theater immersive experience, getting splashed in a Halloween horror show in the basement of a spaghetti emporium, sweating through a DIY D&D in a comic shop, savoring (har har!) Sweeney Todd’s enraged high notes, and trying to quiet my howling dog in a public house. I’ve found myself in some odd and awkward scenarios. To update the metaphor, writing this column is a lot like drunk-clicking through an endless algorithm o…
Jessie Hanson
January 8, 2020
The area between Broadway, Folsom, Iris, and Edgewood/Balsam streets is now commonly called the Old North Boulder neighborhood. Before the land was developed beyond Norwood, this area was North Boulde…
The area between Bro…
The area between Broadway, Folsom, Iris, and Edgewood/Balsam streets is now commonly called the Old North Boulder neighborhood. Before the land was developed beyond Norwood, this area was North Boulder. Now with development stretching to the far reaches of the Dakota Ridge neighborhood, the Old North Boulder neighborhood is really in central Boulder. This neighborhood is serviced by a hospital, offices, and two small shopping centers. Originally, the Ideal Market center was named the Drive-In Ideal Market and was built in 1958 - named as such for the novelty of having a parking lot in front…
Kirsten Rae Erkfritz
January 1, 2022
Hello my fellow Boulderites and beyond. I have some pretty exciting news for you! As you may know, the upcoming election will bring ballot measure 2A to us. This measure has everything to do with th…
Hello my fellow Boul…
Hello my fellow Boulderites and beyond. I have some pretty exciting news for you! As you may know, the upcoming election will bring ballot measure 2A to us. This measure has everything to do with the Boulder History Museum’s revival and a new space created for us and our kids, to explore what Boulder is all about and offers us. Is it a new short-term – 3 year – tax that supports Boulder’s Cultural Master Plan. This is very exciting to me because the new building includes not only the Boulder History Museum, but also a History Role Playing and Tinkering space, a Maker Space, a …
Kirsten Rae Erkfritz
January 22, 2021
As many of you know, Google has brought 1200+ new employees’ to Boulder, all making over $100,000 per year. This means that prices for housing will continue to go up, because more people that move h…
As many of you know,…
As many of you know, Google has brought 1200+ new employees’ to Boulder, all making over $100,000 per year. This means that prices for housing will continue to go up, because more people that move here can afford to pay that much. That is good for sellers who want to leave Boulder, but not so much for buyers who are having a hard time financially meeting the high prices. So middle income folks are moving out to Gunbarrel, Lafayette, Louisville, Niwot, Superior and other outlying Boulder communities. Many Boulderites don’t really consider Gunbarrel apart of Boulder, even though the neighbor…
Kirsten Rae Erkfritz
June 9, 2020
Who likes to hike in Boulder? Who likes to climb in Boulder? Who likes to bike in Boulder? Well, that’s good, because you and every Boulder resident since 1898 has paid and supported our quality of …
Who likes to hike in…
Who likes to hike in Boulder? Who likes to climb in Boulder? Who likes to bike in Boulder? Well, that’s good, because you and every Boulder resident since 1898 has paid and supported our quality of life here. Land preservation and recreational space has been a top priority in Boulder since 1898 when residents purchased the alfalfa fields and apple orchards of the Bachelder Ranch, the home of Chautauqua Park that was paid for with a bond issue. In 1907, we obtained a federal grant to purchase 1,600 acres of land on Flagstaff Mountain. In 1912, Boulder citizens purchased another 1,200 acres of…
Kirsten Rae Erkfritz
January 17, 2015
Did you take the Polar Bear Plunge at Boulder Reservoir? With temperatures in the teens? Yikes! I did not. But between 400 – 600 other folks went out to break the ice and plunge into the freezing co…
Did you take the Pol…
Did you take the Polar Bear Plunge at Boulder Reservoir? With temperatures in the teens? Yikes! I did not. But between 400 – 600 other folks went out to break the ice and plunge into the freezing cold water. Quite a different story from last years 37 degree New Years Day. But I’m sure the water is just as cold. Boulder Daily Camera/ Mark Leffingwell For video and more photos, go to www.dailycamera.com Boulder’s Polar Bear Club New Year's Day Ice Plunge has been held each year since 1983 at the city's reservoir. The numbers are staying the same, 2004 showed 600 dippers, and in 2005 …
Kirsten Rae Erkfritz
January 3, 2015
Merry Christmas Boulder! It’s a few days before Christmas now and I’m sure all of you have gotten your gifts in order and mailed. I’ve noticed driving around town that things are changing, long …
Merry Christmas Boul…
Merry Christmas Boulder! It’s a few days before Christmas now and I’m sure all of you have gotten your gifts in order and mailed. I’ve noticed driving around town that things are changing, long time businesses are closing doors, and a newer Boulder is being born. Did you know that Eads Smokeshop, formerly on the corner of Canyon and 28th , a business that had been in Boulder 100 years, closed sometime this last year, and the hotel behind it, also the Eldora shop behind it. Granted, no one smokes here anymore, at least not tobacco, and I can’t even remember the name of the hotel, bu…
Kirsten Rae Erkfritz
December 20, 2014
The history of Boulder in inextricably intertwined with the story of American Buddhism, specifically the teachings of Naropa’s founder, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I sat down with Naropa’s Director …
The history of Bould…
The history of Boulder in inextricably intertwined with the story of American Buddhism, specifically the teachings of Naropa’s founder, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I sat down with Naropa’s Director of University Relations, Bill Rigler, for a very informative inquiry into how Naropa University’s influence has shaped Boulder. The story goes that by the summer of 1974, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche had amassed a following of students in Boulder and nationwide. That summer, they gathered in a bus depot in downtown Boulder in the location that is now known as Alfalfa’s Market, and explored mind…
Kirsten Rae Erkfritz
December 13, 2014
For those of you who have lived here for the last 20 years, we have all watched housing prices skyrocket whereas now Boulder is unaffordable to live in. Today, the median housing price is $477,200 in …
For those of you who…
For those of you who have lived here for the last 20 years, we have all watched housing prices skyrocket whereas now Boulder is unaffordable to live in. Today, the median housing price is $477,200 in Boulder. It is a 57% increase since I moved here in 2000 when a house was $272,200. Now this is a problem because the median income in Boulder is $56,274, a modest middle class income anywhere in the country and only up about 20% from 2000 when it was $44,748. The minimum wage in Boulder is $8.00/hr, as it is everywhere in the state, but according to MIT professor Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier the minim…
Kirsten Rae Erkfritz
December 6, 2014
For those of you out there wild enough to dress up like Santa and enjoy the community event Boulder SantaCon ( this year is year 9!) SantaCon is a mass gathering of people dressed in Santa Claus co…
For those of you out…
For those of you out there wild enough to dress up like Santa and enjoy the community event Boulder SantaCon ( this year is year 9!) SantaCon is a mass gathering of people dressed in Santa Claus costumes parading publicly on streets and in bars in cities around the world. The focus is on spontaneity and creativity, while having a good time and spreading cheer and goodwill. Well folks, it was pretty darn fun! But that is adult time, and I know a lot of you have kids, so today is less of a history lesson and more of a traditional holiday to do list in Boulder this lovely season. Today is S…
Kirsten Rae Erkfritz
November 29, 2014
I’m volunteering as an aide this weekend at the Shambhala Center for Shambhala Training Level 2 – Birth of the Warrior. The director opened her evening talk asking us what we remembered from Level…
I’m volunteering a…
I’m volunteering as an aide this weekend at the Shambhala Center for Shambhala Training Level 2 – Birth of the Warrior. The director opened her evening talk asking us what we remembered from Level 1 – The Art of Being Human. Sitting in the same room I sat in thirteen years ago, I felt the years rush by, and back finding myself sitting on a pillow, feeling very squirmy and trying to follow my breath. What a wonderful gift I gave my younger self! For those of you who don’t know about the Boulder Buddhist community who practice at the Shambhala Center, it is actually a pretty major par…
Kirsten Rae Erkfritz
November 22, 2014
Many Boulderites were happy to see the snow this week. I ponder how many “well” days were taken on Wednesday and Thursday as the 8 inches of snow on my porch grew hour after hour. I took a "home d…
Many Boulderites wer…
Many Boulderites were happy to see the snow this week. I ponder how many “well” days were taken on Wednesday and Thursday as the 8 inches of snow on my porch grew hour after hour. I took a "home day" myself. Working via computer is an amazing gift to the two wheel drive vehicle owners out there on a day like Wednesday. As I sat in my warm home, drinking tea, I wondered about our precious snow fall, when it comes, and what big storms have hit us. I’ve remembered some big snows in my fifteen years here in Boulder. NOAA's shows over the last ten years the earliest date of first snowfal…
Kirsten Rae Erkfritz
November 15, 2014
Many of us in liberal Boulder ranted on Facebook and cursed the election gods when we received the results of Tuesday’s election. Many pondered if the new marijuana laws allowed to much complacency …
Many of us in libera…
Many of us in liberal Boulder ranted on Facebook and cursed the election gods when we received the results of Tuesday’s election. Many pondered if the new marijuana laws allowed to much complacency in the electorate. Some pondered if anyone actually voted. They were wrong as 90% of Boulder County voters actually voted in the midterm elections. What is true about this last election, is that Colorado is a swing state. I believe most folks in Colorado are generally Libertarians, and they swing to the left or the right depending on the issues of the day and effectiveness of campaigns. But, gener…
Kirsten Rae Erkfritz
November 8, 2014
Is there an Elephant in YOUR room? There might have been in Boulder in 2002 – 2008 when Waylon Lewis was printing Elephant magazine in a garage in North Boulder. You would have found them in Vic's, …
Is there an Elephant…
Is there an Elephant in YOUR room? There might have been in Boulder in 2002 – 2008 when Waylon Lewis was printing Elephant magazine in a garage in North Boulder. You would have found them in Vic's, Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Vitamin Cottage and local Yoga studios, but today you find Elephant Journal online. So how did this charismatic Boulder golden boy go from 24 print issues of Elephant to an online readership of 9.4 million being read in countries all over Asia, growing from 1.5 million in the last 18 months? Elephant magazine initially started in 2002 after transitioning from a single…
Kirsten Rae Erkfritz
November 1, 2014
Hey, has anyone out there wondered about the US 36 expansion project that leaves us sitting in traffic? What the heck are they doing out there? I heard a rumor it was getting turned into a toll road? …
Hey, has anyone out …
Hey, has anyone out there wondered about the US 36 expansion project that leaves us sitting in traffic? What the heck are they doing out there? I heard a rumor it was getting turned into a toll road? While sitting in traffic the other day, in the midst of the major rehab of US 36, I pondered this road I regularly use and decided to research some information about it. In the early 1950, the Denver-Boulder Turnpike was promoted by business and university interests in Boulder because there was no direct route between Denver and Boulder. Initially, it was a 17.3-mile toll road stretching fro…
Kirsten Rae Erkfritz
October 25, 2014
Surprise, surprise! My friend and I went for a bike ride last Wednesday - that lovely day with the warm fall sun and gentle breezes blowing leaves around in tiny dances - yep that Wednesday - down to …
Surprise, surprise! …
Surprise, surprise! My friend and I went for a bike ride last Wednesday - that lovely day with the warm fall sun and gentle breezes blowing leaves around in tiny dances - yep that Wednesday - down to the Boulder’s Farmers Market, and to our disappointment, it wasn’t there. Did you know that the Wednesday Market from 4 – 8 pm only goes until the first Wednesday in October? I was 2 Wednesday’s too late. The good news is it’s not too late to catch the end of the season on Saturday, as it goes until the fourth Saturday in November. This year that is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Nov. …
Kirsten Rae Erkfritz
October 18, 2014
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