#MountainTownGoodNews Dispatch 3

Well, it has been over 40 days and 40 Nights of Social Distancing and Staying at Home. We have been watching the curve flatten and feel more confident about the days ahead. We hope you are feeling well and family, friends and your co-workers are healthy too!

It is so easy to dwell in a dark place. I can certainly say I have had days of fear, worry and depression. Staying positive is not easy but necessary. We created this 3rd #MountainTownGoodNews post so all of us can look on the brighter side.

Here is a fantastic story from the NWCOG about – 41 North in Steamboat Springs:

NLF client, 41North, is all about growing. Growing organic greens, growing clients, growing its capacity, growing employees. But what happens when growth comes to a hard stop and 100% of your clients are no longer buying? Well, if you are Jay Hirschfeld, co-founder of 41North and his team, you panic – but just for a moment. Then you pivot.
Jay and his partner Todd Chapman created a most amazing aquaponics greenhouse in Hayden where the freshest greens and microgreens are grown in a totally enclosed system that allows for organic greens to be farm-to-table delivered to the best restaurants in the Yampa Valley – all year round. They were thriving and the residents in and around Steamboat Springs enjoyed their products whenever they dined out. According to Hirschfeld they were “…sold out all the time.” But that all changed – practically overnight. Within the blink of an eye, all restaurants shut their doors. No one was buying fresh produce, and 41North- like many other businesses in the country – came to a grinding halt.
The partners, having built their business model on serving restaurant clients only, were momentarily stymied – worried they would have to lay off employees, close the business and hunker down. Then the shareholders got together and created a plan. They pivoted to a new business model – that of selling subscription farm shares to local Yampa Valley residents. Jay, who has a digital marketing background, created a website selling shares to folks who wanted farm-fresh produce, delivered to their doorstep, twice a week – even in the winter. Using the power of social media, and a few strategically placed posts by a power influencer, they sold 100% of the shares they could handle at the time, and now have a waiting list of people eager to be included.
According to Jay, they have needed to hire additional employees to plant the facility to maximum capacity. They’ve ramped up the tools necessary to determine the highest value crops, and they are contemplating expanding their services.
Jay remarked in a recent interview, “We’re really excited with our new model. It allows us to continue to give back to the community with bigger, better, fresher produce; we’re hiring people, we’ve got a great team, and we’re doing what we love to do. Growing food, growing our team, and growing our community.”
The NLF is proud to have played a role with an expansion loan to 41North, and we are delighted they continue to grow and hire new employees – especially in these challenging times. If you’d like more information about the Northwest Load Fund, contact Anita Cameron here or check out the website here.

The Town Of Silverthorne Announces Virtual First Friday –

On Friday, May 1 the Town of Silverthorne will host a virtual version of its signature First Friday event.

“Though the festivities look a bit different, the goal of celebrating the vibrant community of Silverthorne remains, with special emphasis on supporting local businesses and creating connections between residents during this challenging time,” said Joanne Cook, recreation and culture director for the Town of Silverthorne.

To participate, locals are invited to spread community love and appreciation as well as support local businesses via artwork, local music and radio giveaways, and a social media contest.

“We’ve known since well before this pandemic started that Silverthorne is a special community made up of remarkable individuals. In normal times and in tough ones, this community steps up and takes care of one another, and this virtual First Friday is a way to celebrate that,” said Ryan Hyland, town manager for the Town of Silverthorne. “Silverthorne’s Got Heart, and together, we will get through this.”

To join in and help celebrate community unity, while supporting local businesses during this time, locals are invited to participate in the virtual May First Friday in the following ways:

Artwork for the community: A full page coloring sheet will run in the Summit Daily News on Friday, May 1. Community members can color the sheet at home and display it in their windows to show community support. You can also download a PDF version of the coloring sheet and print at home.
Support Local Businesses: Order takeout from a participating Silverthorne restaurant. Businesses will display their own decorated coloring sheet in their window to identify their participation in First Friday.
“Live” Music: From 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, May 1, Krystal 93 will air one song each from nine local bands. Every time a local band is featured, listeners will have an opportunity to call in and win a gift certificate to a Silverthorne business.
Social Media Contest: Community members can post on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #silverthornesgotheart to show how they are celebrating First Friday at home. The Town hopes to see photos of people coloring the Summit Daily News coloring page, ordering takeout from participating businesses, drinking out of their First Friday cup, listening to Krystal 93 and more! The Town staff will choose favorite photos to receive gift certificates to Silverthorne businesses.

Participating businesses in May’s Virtual First Friday include:

The Town of Silverthorne’s First Friday event series makes the first Friday of every month a reason for residents and visitors alike to get together and celebrate what’s special about this vibrant community.

“While now is not the time to physically gather or visit Silverthorne, we invite everyone to virtually celebrate with us, until we can safely open our doors again,” said Hyland.

From arts and food to music and fun, First Fridays is an extension of Silverthorne’s strategic vision to further establish the town as a cultural hub for the county. For more information, visit www.silverthorne.org.

Buena Vista’s CKS Paddlefest is now Virtual!

To kick-off the summer CKS Paddlefest is celebrating with a virtual event in lieu of gathering in person this season.

CKS Paddlefest for many is the start to a fun filled season of outdoor adventures and playful community events and they want to help keep that stoke high!

CKS Paddlefest will continue to be a fundraising event and the proceeds will go towards supporting elevateHer and the Chaffee County Community Foundation!

They are in the beginning stages of planning this virtual event, but stay tuned for the latest developments as they put together an interactive weekend of live workshops, clinics, adventure film screenings, raffles and athlete challenges!
elevateHER
elevateHER is deeply saddened that Paddlefest will not be happening this year but understands that our community’s health must come first. To learn more about them click the link to our story: h ttps://mountainwomenmagazine.com/2020/02/19/elevateher/

Slifer Smith & Frampton in Vail and Summit County has some Good News we wanted to share!

Vail Valley

In the Vail Valley, Brent Rimel and Tina Vardaman have been working with outdoor clothing company, Melanzana, to transport material to make PPE masks for Vail Health. They were on top of this before many of us dug out our sewing machines! From haircuts, to food and beer, and everything in between, many of SSF’s brokers have bought gift certificates to local businesses to help them through this rough time. As a company, SSF is donating to Eagle County Community Fund to help with the nonprofit’s efforts to distribute groceries to families and community members who are having financial trouble due to layoffs. SSF is also sponsoring the “One Valley Voice” campaign, which is a Facebook page created by Eagle County to share accurate and reliable information to the community.

Summit County

As a group SSF Brokers, have been making sandwiches and packed produce bags through Smart Bellies to feed more than 550 community members. They’ve delivered boxes of perishable food to people in need. They’ve also supported local businesses of all types by buying gift certificates to redeem when doors are re-opened. They are also donating dollars to both the Summit Foundation and FIRC to help with their efforts to support families and community members in need.

The 24th Annual Colorado Brewers Rendezvous in Salida has not been canceled but moved to Fall!

The Colorado Brewers Guild (CBG) and the Salida Chamber of Commerce have made the difficult decision to postpone the Colorado Brewers Rendezvous beer fest originally slated for July 11. The festival organizers have the support of the City of Salida, as well as the County, to push the event to the shoulder season, with a tentative reschedule date of October 3, 2020.

Ticket sales for the 24th Annual Colorado Brewers Rendezvous will be announced on social media and on the organizations’ websites. Additional information, including participating breweries, will be announced at a later time.

The 45th Colorado 500 Has Not Been Cancelled!

This annual fundraising Invitational motorcycle dirt, street and adventure bike ride event remain scheduled for August 16 -21st. To date, 82 scholarships (totaling more than $600,000) have been awarded and over $2,000,000 has been distributed to community organizations, shelters, and trail projects. These monies will be greatly appreciated by our communities hit by health and economic difficulties from Covid-19.

A COOL Website! The Happy Arc is chatting up Good News Too!

A Husband and Wife Team in Canada has produced this refreshing site to give a worldview of good news: https://thehappyarc.com/

The Crested Butte Music Festival is Hosting Virtual Concerts:

CBMF ♫ A Socially Distant Soirée with Michael & Shannon is being held Wednesday, April 29th on Facebook live! Enjoy some distanced sounds close to home here: https://www.facebook.com/events/3090894520972980/?notif_t=plan_user_invited&notif_id=1587742991801017

Building Hope Presents: Joy of Reading

Joy of Reading: A Journey to a Better You Through Self-Help Books.
Addressing life’s challenges can be uniquely personal, but sharing those challenges can alleviate fears. Reading provides perspective about the commonality human dilemmas. Self-Help books can guide new approaches in problem solving, rejuvenation, and self-care time. Join Sara Broughton, of Pathways Recovery Coaching, for a cozy night sampling great books in a book club-style event with discussion and reading suggestions https://buildinghopesummit.org/events

Vail Health

For over eighteen days, Vail Health hasn’t had a COVID-19 patient on a ventilator. For five days, Vail Health hasn’t had a COVID-19 patient in the ICU. As Vail Health successfully combats the coronavirus in our community, it is also sending some of our nurses down to Denver to help out hospitals in Colorado’s Front Range.

5 Points Film Festival

Carbondales 5 Points Film Festival is virtual and there is still plenty of 5Point inspiration headed your way! Register to watch parts 2 and 3, LIVE this Friday 4/24 @7pm MT, and Sunday 4/26 @3pm MT (runtime aprox 90min each)

AND, if you miss a show, you can still watch each of our programs online after they air on our YouTube channel.

This is our gift to you. There is no charge to enjoy the programs, and if you are inspired or inclined to help 5Point with a donation, we are most grateful.

To register click here http://5pointfilm.org/events/unlocked/

LASTLY!!!!

The Colorado Governor has issued a step down in our Pandemic Guidelines: Safer At Home

When the stay-at-home order ends April 26, Sunday, the main difference will be that Coloradans will be urged, rather than ordered, to stay in.

The goal of the Safer-at-Home phase is to maintain 60-65% physical distancing. This means:

Vulnerable populations and older adults must stay home unless absolutely necessary.
No group gatherings of more than 10 people.
Critical businesses will remain open with strict precautions (social distancing, masks for all employees, more frequent cleanings, etc.)
Retail businesses may open for curbside delivery and phased-in public opening with strict precautions.
Nightclubs, gyms and spas will remain closed.
Elective medical and dental procedures begin, with strict precautions to ensure adequate personal protective equipment and the ability to meet critical care needs.
Personal services (salons, tattoo parlors, dog grooming, personal training, etc.) will open with strict precautions.
K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions will continue to suspend normal in-person instruction for the 2019-2020 school year.
Telecommuting continues for offices. Starting on May 4, up to 50% of staff can work in person (with social distancing in place).
The state is not changing requirements for nursing homes and other senior care facilities. There will continue to be restrictions on visiting residents.

The Safer-at-Home phase is not:

A free-for-all
An opportunity to leave the house as much as possible and spread the virus to others
An excuse to not wear a facial covering, or begin giving hugs or handshakes
Going to the mountains to spend the weekend
Conducting unnecessary travel
Having parties or get togethers
Playing in pick up sports games

Sending you all Joy for the coming week! We hope you, your family, friends and coworkers are all healthy.

~Holly Battista-Resignolo

Featured Photo: Elaine Collins

Read the #MountainTownGoodNewsDispatch 2: https://mtntownmagazine.com/mountaintowngoodnews-dispatch-2/

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#MountainTownGoodNews Dispatch