Travel: Georgetown preps for 50th Christmas Market

Posted on November 3, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Georgetown's youngsters have always been a huge part of the town's Christmas Market, and that won't change during this year's 50th edition of the popular festival.

Annual  festivities show the heart and soul of the town, as young and old pitch in to create a holiday wonderland.

This year’s market will be held Dec. 4 -5 and Dec. 11-12, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on 6th street. Click here for more details.

By Summit Voice

GEORGETOWN — In 1960 Georgetown was a different place. There was no Interstate 70, virtually no homes north of 11th Street and  the town’s population was 400 people — yet a boom was starting.

In the 1950s, Georgetown residents and merchants had combined to form the Georgetown Civic Association to promote what is now called heritage tourism. The town was attracting a growing number of on-the-road travelers, and  some among those, from very foreign places, chose to stay.

Astrid and Stig Gusterman came from Sweden via New York and Denver to make their home in Georgetown. Annette Holmes came from Germany; others from around the country, including Holmes’ husband Bill, as well as Odette and Wally Baehler, all from from Chicago. The newcomers became Georgetown merchants: Silversmiths, artists, creative clothing designers and restaurateurs establishing the Red Ram.

In 1960, the entrepreneurs decided they would try to attract more winter business. Astrid and Stig recalled the Christmases of their childhood in Sweden, when communities gathered to celebrate and sell their wares in a Christmas Market. With the help of Odie and Annette, they launched the first Georgetown Christmas Market. In the early years, there were no booths or entertainment, but from the start, chestnuts roasted. The Santa Lucia wore her crown of lights and Buff’s horse-drawn sleigh carried carolers around the town.  (more…)

Filed under: Summit County Colorado, Travel | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

CDOW grant helps improve trout habitat in Clear Creek

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

The Colorado Division of Wildlife's Fishing is Fun grant program has helped fund numerous projects around the state, including recent improvements to trout habitat in Clear Creek.

‘Fishing is Fun’ grant is part of a larger stream restoration effort in Idaho Springs

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — An $8,000 grant from the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s Fishing is Fun program has helped pay for boulder clusters, pools and other features in Clear Creek to improve trout habitat in the stream.

The work is part of a larger stream recovery project in Idaho Springs, where mining runoff, inadequate sewage treatment and channelization all contributed to water quality impacts.

But in recent years, a broad coalition including the city, county, major businesses and environmental groups have made significant investments to help mitigate and reverse the damage. The result has been a dramatic improvement of Clear Creek with benefits that will ripple well beyond Idaho Springs. (more…)

Filed under: Environment, rivers, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

High-tech rescue device gone awry

Posted on January 27, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Personal locator beacons can be a valuable tool for search and rescue missions — if used properly.

‘Operator error” leads to several  false alarms for Clear Creek search and rescue teams

SUMMIIT COUNTY — A rogue personal locator beacon that was activated nine times between mid-December and early January has gone silent, leading search and rescue experts to believe that the owner has finally learned how to use it properly.

The beacon was switched on and off eight times near Berthoud Pass and once near Crested Butte, leading officials to believe that the owner might have thought it was an avalanche beacon, according to a report in the Colorado Mountain Journal.

The first few times the beacon was activated, search and rescue teams were alerted, but eventually, officials realized that the owner was not using the device properly. The beacon was never registered after purchase, so the owner couldn’t be reached by phone. Authorities focused on trying to determine who owned the PLB, and on getting the word out to the public that there was a problem, Dougald MacDonald reported in the Colorado Mountain Journal.

Paul “Woody” Woodward, president of the Alpine Rescue Team,said the take-home message for PLB users is they need to learn how to use these devices to prevent false alarms, and they need to register them so a simple phone call might prevent inadvertent SAR-team call-outs.

Read the full story on Colorado Mountain Journal here.

Filed under: recreation, search and rescue | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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