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Tailgate for a college education

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College In Colorado will be at the Rifle/Coal Ridge football game on Friday, Aug. 30 to award $1,000 in college or career training scholarships and help students and families plan, apply and pay for education and career training after high school.

During the game, College In Colorado will give away $2 concession state vouchers, while they last. Fans can enter a drawing for a chance to win one of two $500 scholarships for college or career training.

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Landfill closed on Monday

The Garfield County Landfill will be closed Monday, Sept. 2, for the Labor Day holiday. The landfill will reopen Tuesday, Sept. 3, with regular hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tutor an adult

Literacy Outreach needs help teaching basic reading, writing and math to adult native English speakers and oral English skills to non-native speakers. Volunteers do not need to speak a foreign language or have prior teaching experience, just a desire to help, the ability to read and speak English and three hours of time per week. Twenty-five adult students in Rifle and nine students in Silt are waiting for tutors.

Interested volunteers can find out more about the requirements and rewards at a volunteer informational session, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, at the Silt Branch Library, 680 Home Ave. Call 945-5282 for more information.

Centennial Concerts reflection of community

Looking back to when this year’s Centennial Concert Series and Market started on June 23, it seems those nine weeks have gone by pretty darn quick. Every year, I am so touched by the support shown from not only the series sponsors, but our community and the bands, and I am so thankful to the sponsors, businesses and community members that recognize the benefit of community events like the Centennial Concert Series and Market.

Thank you to the merchants of the Centennial Market for continually coming out, setting up rain or shine, supporting and helping to make this event better every year. A special thank-you to Gary Miller and Kevin Carlson: Gary has attended nearly every concert since its beginning and has been an invaluable volunteer and supporting community member; Kevin has been my market assistant for the past three years and a priceless asset. It is the people of our communities that keep these events alive and growing, and I feel blessed to be part of such a community and have the opportunity to bring free, community events to our city.

A big, sincere thank-you to the sponsors of the 2013 Centennial Concert Series and Market: Alpine Bank, who has been the series sponsor since the beginning three years ago; media sponsor KMTS has generously contributed a lot of airtime the past two years in promoting the series and each band that plays through the summer; contributing sponsors Rifle Visitor Improvement Fund, Rifle Area Chamber of Commerce, Grand River Health, WingNutz Bar and Grill, Mulligan’s Irish Pub and Eatery, Hampton Inn and Suites and the Independent Order of the Odd Fellows for sponsoring the last night of the concert series with their barbecue cook-off last Sunday.

Blair Bracken

special events coordinator

Rifle Parks & Recreation

Small business seminars

The Roaring Fork Business Resource Center and Colorado Mountain College will present an informative business seminar series this fall.

Five seminars will be held at Colorado Mountain College campus in Rifle, Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, and Aspen. Each seminar is $40, or participants can sign up for all five at a discounted price of $175.

The seminars are designed to provide small business owners and entrepreneurs with the resources and tools they need to successfully run their organizations. Seminar topics include: How to Start a Business (Thursday, Sept. 12, in Rifle), Understanding and Troubleshooting the Bookkeeping Process (Wednesday, Sept. 25, in Carbondale), Crowdfunding for Small Businesses (Thursday, Sept. 26, in Glenwood Springs), Successful Retail is in the Detail (Thursday, Oct. 3, in Aspen) and Public Relations Techniques and Practices (Thursday, Oct. 10, in Glenwood Springs).

For full seminar descriptions, visit rfbrc.org. Advanced registration is recommended and may be done online or by calling 945-5158.

GED candidates urged to complete exam

Colorado Mountain College encourages all students and community members working toward a GED to complete the existing exam by Dec. 31, before the new, strictly computerized test is put into place across the country.

Completing the exam before Jan. 1, 2014, is especially important to anyone who has already passed a section, or more, of the current test. Those who do not pass every section before the end of 2013 will have to start over from scratch in January, since sections passed before 2014 cannot be counted toward completion of the new exam.

For any learner seeking support to complete the current GED test, or planning to take the new one, CMC offers tutoring and guidance at campuses across north-central Colorado. The fall semester at Colorado Mountain College began the week of Aug. 26, but some classes start later. To find out more, visit coloradomtn.edu/web/classes/ged or call your local campus.

To learn about the upcoming changes in the GED test, or to take a practice test, log in at gedtestingservice.com.

Gifts from your kitchen workshop

Colorado State University Extension master food safety advisors will provide valuable knowledge and useful tips on the best possible results of preparing gifts from your kitchen during a workshop in Rifle.

Learn current research-based recommendations to safely make and give a gift from your kitchen this holiday season. The workshop is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7 at the United Methodist Presbyterian Church, 200 E. 4th St. (the Lovell Building). Pre-registration is required by Tuesday, Sept. 3. Cost is $35. Attendees are asked to bring an apron, sack lunch and beverages.

Contact the Garfield County Extension office at 625-3969 to register.

True heroes

I’d like to beg your indulgence for an observation during a recent brief visit to the Grand River Hospital and Medical Center. (I’m alright.) The staff there deserve all the praise and positive adjectives within the boundaries of my limited skills. For their professionalism and diligent treatment under quite taxing circumstances – at best – were very impressive, at least.

They deserve nothing less than all the praise and appreciation I can willfully offer,without provocation. The staff at Grand River Medical can take due pride in their skills that they cheerfully provide to those truly in need. Those people actually ran up and down the hall – understaffed – to care for the patients. In all my vast experience in emergency rooms, I’ve never experienced such diligence.

Even though this was not a false alarm, but a warning to me, they took the time they couldn’t really spare and explained in simple vernacular what my immediate, as well as long-term, needs were.

They weren’t no “dog & pony show!” Thank you, Grand River staff members.

Joe Lewis

Silt

Learn how to have healthy land

If you’re new to managing land that’s 100 acres or less, a Colorado Master Steward program will be offered in Garfield County. This short course will show you how to implement proper stewardship to keep your property healthy. Participants will write their own management plan to help maintain healthy pastures with fewer weeds, understand ways to reduce soil erosion, promote healthier water quality in rivers due to less runoff and leaching, manage livestock more effectively, recognize what is needed to maintain defensible space from potential wildfires and more.

This program, provided by Colorado State University Extension, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, area conservation districts and other agencies, are offered 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, beginning Sept. 10. Registration is $100 per property owner and to register or get more information contact John Rizza, john.rizza@colostate.edu, (970) 241-5068, ext. 128, or online at ext.colostate.edu/sam/ms.

Let’s go bowling

Starting at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, and every Saturday night, Rifle Fireside Lanes offers 9 Pin No Tap bowling. New bowlers are welcome. Guidelines: $150 buy in, three games, must use a handicap (or establish one) for a chance to win a strike pot, high game or high series. This is not a league, so there is no commitment.

Also, 2013-2014 fall leagues start the week of Sept. 17: Tuesday night men’s, Wednesday night mixed and Thursday night mixed, all at 7 p.m. League meetings will be held Tueday-Thursday, Sept. 10-12, at 7 p.m. Call 625-2231 to join a league.

Parade winners announced

The Rifle Area Chamber of Commerce and Alpine Bank would like to announce the 2013 Garfield County Fair Parade winners.

The Best of Parade went to Alpine Bank with their draft horses and cart, while the grand marshal float by the Garfield County Commissioners and Dalby-Wendland took honorable mention.

First place in the float division was Sol De Mexico, second place went to the Colorado State Veterans Nursing Home, and third place went to Cub Scouts Pack #220 from Silt.

First place in the vehicle division went to Garfield County administration, second place went to ANB Bank and third place went to Shooter’s Grill.

First place in the classic auto division went to Sonic, second place was Cecil Waldron and third place went to Randy Winkler.

First place in the marching units went to Grand River Health, second place was the Salvation Army and third place went to the Rifle Parks and Recreation Department.

First place in the horse division went to Alpine Bank, second went to the Rifle United Methodist-Presbyterian Church and third was MacKenzie Shires.

The Rifle Area Chamber of Commerce and Alpine Bank would like to thank all of our volunteers and parade judges for coming out and making this event happen.

Volunteers were Joy Wentzel with Alpine Bank, Brenda and Frank Ladd with the chamber, Zoe Reece, Kevin Long and Glen Lund.

Parade judges were Gary Miller with Miller’s Dry Goods, Cheryl Chandler with Cheryl & Co. Real Estate, Dee McCown with State Farm Insurance, Jim Voorheis, Lynn Churchill, Nita and Jimmy Smith with NLS Business Solutions, Scott Minturn with Master Automotive, Katie Harris with Hampton Inn & Suites and Deb Street with A Stitch in Time.

Thank you all for making this year’s parade special. We look forward to next year’s fair week.

Gina Reece-Long

Event coordinator