October 1-November 17
“Through the Artists Eye’ Fall Showing
The 2017 Fall Showing “Through the Artists Eye” at the Glass Tipi Gallery, 55 Utica St. in Ward, continues on Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 17, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Artists include Scott Lancashire, Carolyn Bradley, Bill Meuser, Carol Jenkins, Marty Brens, Lani Vlaanderen, Nancy Hall, Teresa Vito, Lon Brauer, Patty Andre, Ann Gillis and Sabrina Stiles along with other sculptors, jewelers and more. Visit theglasstipigallery.com or call 303-459-0376 to learn more.

October 6
First Friday Tea School
The Spice and Tea Exchange of Idaho Springs hosts its next two First Friday Tea School events, Oct. 6 and Nov. 3, 5:30-6:30 p.m. The class teaches participants the skills and tools needed to confidently brew a perfect cup of loose leaf tea at home. Herbal, green, and black teas are featured. Students leave with enough tea to make several more cups of each. Reservations are requested, and space is limited. The events, which features different products each time, are $15 per person, or two for $20. Stop by the store to register or e-mail idahosprings@spiceandtea.com.

First Friday Art & Music
New art decorates Salto Coffee Works’ walls while live music from The Snakedogs plays, Oct. 6, 6-8 p.m., during First Friday at The Clock Tower Collective. Salto Coffee Works hosts artist Nancy Patterson’s “Road Trip” showing featuring a compilation of paintings made during a year spent on the road living in a camper. View her layered works reflecting the “ups and downs of life on the road and capture the color, texture, and shape of a multitude of moments spent exploring.” The Snakedogs feature blues guitarist and vocalist Chris Smith and friends. To learn more, visit saltocoffeeworks.com or call 303-258-3537.

Estes Park Mayor’s Chat
Estes Park Mayor Todd Jirsa invites community members to join him for a Mayor’s Chat, Oct. 6, 8 a.m., at Latitude 105 Restaurant at the Ridgeline Hotel Estes Park, 101 South Saint Vrain Ave. The mayor will be joined by Superintendent of Rocky Mountain National Park Darla Sidles to discuss the challenges facing Rocky Mountain National Park, as well as the Town’s ongoing relationship with the park. Visit estes.org to learn more.

October 7
Preparing for Backcountry Emergencies
Join the Alpine Rescue Team, Oct. 7, 9 a.m.-noon, at its headquarters, 28802 Rainbow Hill Road in Evergreen, to learn about and practice with the essentials to help yourself while rescuers are on the way. Participants will discuss and practice with the “11 Essentials,” emergency bivouac and shelters, fire starting, signaling, how to be “searchable” and get found, advantages and disadvantages of electronic devices. Registration is free, but required and limited to 20. For more information, visit http://www.alpinerescueteam.org, e-mail psar@alpinerescueteam.org or call 303-526-2417.

Gilpin County Community Book Club
Join the Gilpin County Community Library Book Club and two other community book clubs, Oct. 7, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. as they come together to discuss bestselling book “Born a Crime” by Trevor Noah. The discussion and accompanying potluck lunch take place in the meeting room. Bring your own book. Visit http://www.gilpinlibrary.org or call 303-582-5777 for more information.

‘Forest & Farm’ Pairing Dinner
Join GB Culinary, Scratch Brewing and Spirit Hound Distillers for “Forest & Farm: Friends at Harvest,” a four-course pairing dinner at the former Ax & Oar, 160 East Main St., in downtown Lyons., Oct. 7, 6-10 p.m. Enjoy cocktails from Lyons-based Spirit Hound and beers from Scratch Brewing paired with food by Chef Grant Buchanan of GB Culinary in Longmont. Proceeds benefit The Berry Center, supporting sustainable agriculture and educating young farmers. Visit gbculinary.com to learn more.

October 8
‘Feast on the Creek’ Fundraiser
Clear Creek Greenway Authority, Idaho Springs and Colorado Mountain Bike Association present the first annual “Feast on The Creek,” Oct. 8, 4-7:30 p.m. at the The Argo Mill & Tunnel, 2350 Riverside Dr. in Idaho Springs. Director of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office Luis Benitez shares updates and award-winning bluegrass band Rapidgrass performs. Enjoy a Colorado-inspired gourmet dinner by Heirloom Catering and an auction featuring outdoor and recreation-themed items. Limited tickets are $75 and benefit the Virginia Canyon Open Space project and the Clear Creek Greenway portion of the Peak to Plains Trail. Visit http://www.ccgreenway.com to learn more.

October 13
‘An Evening at the Museum’ talk
Nederland Mining Museum, 200 N. Bridge St., hosts its final, free “An Evening at the Museum” event of the season, Oct. 13, 7-8 p.m., featuring a special guest speaker along with coffee and dessert. The topic is “Weather or Not?” Discover the science behind extremes of Rocky Mountain weather and climate. Visit http://www.bouldercounty.org or call 303-258-7332 to learn more.

October 21
Historical Society of Idaho Springs Gala
The Annual Historical Society of Idaho Springs Gala, Oct. 21, 5:30-11 p.m. at the Ameristar Casino Resort and Spa, 111 Richman St. in Black Hawk. The event—featuring hors d’oeuvres, dinner, live and silent auction and dancing to music by BlRose—is dedicated to restoration of the Artium and Chee Chee Bell Memorial Hall at the Heritage Museum. Tickets are $75. For reservations or to contribute to the auctions, call 303-567-4382 or e-mail shelm.historicidahosprings@gmail.com. Visit http://www.historicidahosprings.com for more information.

October 27-28 & 31
Scary Wagon Ride
The Dao House, 6120 Hwy. 7 in Estes Park continues the Halloween tradition of the Scary Wagon Ride, Oct. 27-28 and 31. Make plans to take a ride through the “Haunted Woods” and breathtaking scenery surrounding The Dao House. Yonever know what or who might just pop up. Contact Dao House Stables at 970-577-3448 or stables@daohouse.com for reservations and visit daohouse.com/stables for more information.

October 28
Haunted Park at Lawson Adventure Park
The Haunted Park at Lawson Adventure Park, 3440 Alvarado Road, Oct. 28, is a free family Halloween event. Trick-or-treat at the park, play disc golf, compete for prizes in the human and dog Halloween costume contests, listen to live music and keep warm by the campfire. Visit lawsonadventurepark.com or call 855-372-7238 to learn more.

3rd Annual Senior Living Lasagna Dinner, Silent Auction & Talent Show
The Third Annual Gilpin County Senior Living Lasagna Dinner, Silent Auction and Talent Show, Oct. 28, at Gilpin County School, features dinner and auction at 5:30 p.m. and talent show at 7 p.m. Tickets for both dinner and the show are are $17.50 for adults; $7.50 for children ages 6-12 and free for children under five. Tickets are available in advance by calling 303-582-5562 or at the door. To donate an item to the silent auction or to perform in the talent show, call 303-582-5206.

October 28-November 11
‘Lines into Shapes’ Juried Art Show
Art Center of Estes Park’s 21st Annual “Lines into Shapes,” Oct. 28-Nov. 11, a national juried exhibition, features art from all over the country. A free opening reception takes place, Oct. 28, 5-7 p.m. The national showcase for a diverse collection of the fine artworks includes painting, sculpture, fiber, jewelry, ceramics, printmaking, drawing, pastel, photography, mixed and more. Call 970-586-5882 or visit artcenterofestes.com for complete details

October 29
Creative Colorado TableSetting 2017
The Estes Park Museum Friends and Foundation, Inc. presents the 2nd Annual Creative Colorado Table Setting Contest, a centennial fundraising event for the Friends. This year’s contest features the theme “Happy Birthday Estes Park: 100 Years Past and Present.” The contest is open to the public, Oct. 28 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Oct. 29 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at the Willome Building at the YMCA of the Rockies. Contest registration closes Oct. 23. Entry into the contest is $20 for individuals and $30 for groups or a commercial business. Tickets for contest attendees are $5. Visit estesparkmuseumfriends.org/creative-colorado-tablescapes for more details, guidelines and entry form.

October 31
Estes Park Community Trick-or-Treat
The Town of Estes Park holds its annual, free Community Trick-or-Treat event, Oct. 31, 5-9 p.m. on Elkhorn Avenue between Spruce Drive and East Riverside. Merchants hand out candy to the hundreds of costumed kids and adults. Visit estes.org to learn more.

Donate to help save historic Ward church

WARD
The Colorado Historical Society and the Union Congregational Church of Ward have partnered to help save the Historic Ward Church through historic preservation grants, but they need your help.

Built 120 years ago when Ward was a booming gold-mining town, the church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is an important vestige of mining history in Colorado.

The picturesque Church is one of the most-painted buildings in Colorado. Georgia O’Keeffe even painted “Church Bell, Ward, Colorado” when she stayed in Ward in 1917. Today the church bell still rings to signal fire emergencies or announce births, deaths, weddings, wakes, services and special events.

In 2015, a $10,000 grant from History Colorado was received to assess the church building and to develop a preservation plan. Critical problems with the foundation, back and side walls were identified. The church is again applying to the Colorado Historical Society for partial funding to make the needed repairs and ensure its long-term survival. Through fundraising and contributions, a 25 percent match must be raised to receive new grant money and donations are needed.

“Preserving the Ward Church is of great interest to the community. It represents the strength and resilience of our tiny mountain town”, said Karelle Scharff, Mayor of Ward.

Call Becky Martinek at 303 459-3333 to contribute. For more information, contact Pat Cypher at patcyp@gmail.com or 303-459-0341.

© Originally published in the October 2017 issue of the MMAC Monthly