Dear Editor,

This last weekend I, along with company from Wyoming, attended the annual Strawberry Days rodeo. As a 40-year resident of Glenwood Springs, I am very proud of our pretty little town and tend to brag a bit about how wonderful it is here. We all were excited to see the huge crowd, and prepared ourselves for a real wild west show.

I was totally humiliated at the horrible state the grounds were in, and after finding a place to sit that was not falling apart, we began to notice the very poor conditions that were evident every where you looked. The chutes were in such shambles, even the announcer was apologizing for the time frame it was taking to get the animals in and the riders on board. He even announced that they had a welder out there who spent most of the night welding the metal so that it would hold a bull or a bucking horse. My friend from Wyoming who rodeos in several states said that he would not have placed himself or his animals in such conditions.

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I can’t believe that the city fathers would let this go for very long, as it very well could be a liability if someone was to get hurt. I remember many events there that my children and I attended for 4-H, or just to ride, and never was it in such a ransack condition.

I know that Glenwood has lost its western way of life a long time ago, and that there are not that many people that use it for horses or riding events, now that our little city is all grown up.

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Please consider putting a bit of that gas and oil money into that tiny little piece of history. Even though it is used only a few times a year, I as a taxpayer believe that there are a few of us cowboys and cowgirls who remember that place, and would really appreciate a bit of time and energy spent on a soon-to-be dinosaur of Garfield County.

Lori Bennett

Big Piney, Wyoming

Glenwood Springs

Dear Editor,

The Teen Read Summer Reading group from the New Castle Branch Library wants everyone to know what a great lady your photographer Kelley Cox is. She volunteered her time and talent to show us what can be done with a disposable camera. Thank you, Kelley. You’re the best!

Diane Webster, Youth Services

New Castle Branch Library

Garfield County Public Library District

Dear Editor,

Recent headlines: Police seek Latinos after Basalt shooting; Man shot in West Glenwood; Man arresting for stabbing in downtown Glenwood.

In all three cases, the suspects are of Latino decent. All three have happened within two weeks. What is going on? Better yet, what are our police doing about it? Are we allowing some Latinos around here to terrorize our own citizens? Can we actually address the issue without being considered a “racist?”

There is a problem here. Some bad apples are ruining our community and causing us to live in fear. Are our police doing anything about it? Or are they wasting the days giving a hard time to our good citizens? I hear a great deal about DUIs in this town, but you never hear of a crime like this being prevented.

What are you people going to do about it? Waiting until something bad happens to someone we care about? These people are terrorizing our streets, and our citizens are completely helpless. Do something.

John Ross

Glenwood Springs