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Cookies, all kinds of holiday cookies

Pete FowlerGlenwood Springs, CO Colorado
Pete Fowler Post Independent
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GLENWOOD SPRINGS – Banks are used to monetary exchanges, but last week it was cookies and holiday spirit that changed hands at U.S. Bank.All kinds of cookies – from handmade thumbprint cookies to store-bought Pepperidge Farms Milanos – were shared between customers at U.S. Bank’s monthly senior lunch.

Milt Roth and his buddy Jack Simenc were about the only ones who opted to buy the cookies from the store.”We don’t bake,” Roth joked. “And you maybe wouldn’t want to eat them if we did.”The senior lunches for customers are held on the third Thursday of the month. They’re a place for seniors to meet up, socialize and learn something interesting. There’s usually around 20 people or more. “They’re old-timers,” branch manager Susan Barrena said. “People who have been around for more than a couple weeks. … It’s kind of nice because it gives everyone a chance to visit.”In recent months, there have been an aromatherapy demonstration, tango dancing lessons, and talks on things ranging from body mechanics to estate planning.

Dee Blue said of the talk on estate planning, “I thought it was very interesting – very informative.”Barrena has organized the event and cooked for it for about a year, since U.S. Bank acquired the former WestStar property.She was born and raised in the area and said her family’s local history dates back to mining days in Aspen. She enjoys the people and the social interaction.”I know all these people, so it’s selfish,” she said. “We wanted to do something because we had this nice conference room.”The room is named the Vanderhoof room in honor of previous bank owner.



The Vanderhoof family started Glenwood Industrial Bank. That turned into Glenwood Independent Bank, which sold to WestStar around 1998 and then to U.S. Bank about a year ago.”Industrial Bank is a thing of the past,” Don Vanderhoof said. “It was pretty much a step between finance companies and commercial banks.”He said the switch was made when a number of banks failed in the early 1980s after putting money into the stock market. Glenwood Industrial Bank was one of 13 to get Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in Colorado at the time and then made the switch to Glenwood Independent Bank, he added.But the cookies and conversation took precedence over the bank’s history last week.”This month since it was going to be Christmas we decided on a Christmas cookie exchange,” Barrena said. “Everyone needs more cookies.”Contact Pete Fowler: 384-9121pfowler@postindependent.com


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