By Eden Elderberry The Food Bank painting party on Saturday, Oct. 21 brought in 11 volunteers to repair and paint the walls of its new location on County Road T. The new space—adjacent to the Baca Grande Library—will serve as the Crestone Food Bank. A few more improvements are needed before it can open.  Volunteer Joe Eskew, who led the party, plans on finishing the job by the end of the month or sooner. After the...

By Eden Elderberry The Firewood Project, led by Donovan Spitzman, continues to expand and provide firewood for residents each year. This year, thanks to the partnership of the Crestone Energy Exchange and Neighbors helping Neighbors, the project held its fourth annual Firewood Fiesta.  The Firewood Fiesta is an event open to the community, providing chainsaw education, a potluck, and a chance to give back to the community. After Spitzman learned that Neighbors Helping Neighbors was spending...

By Anya Kaats Crestone conducted a special meeting on short notice to approve a new “Welcome to Crestone” sign that would feature Crestone’s designation as an International Dark Sky community.  Crestone Board of Trustees, on Thursday Oct. 19, posted the notice of a special meeting for the following Monday, Oct. 23. The meeting included a discussion concerning a proposed Welcome to Crestone sign that would feature Crestone’s designation as an International Dark Sky community.  According to Mayor...

By Daniel S. Johnson, Saguache County Firewise Program. Do we save the greenbelts from fire or from fire mitigation? Firstly, I want to state that I am not working on the Baca Fire Department’s greenbelt or common lands mitigation, nor am I a spokesperson for them. My Firewise Program focuses on private lands to reduce wildfire threats to homes. But fighting wildfires has been my career for 49 years and I still do, so...

By Ameille Warner Although Lisa Palma was born and raised in Center, Colorado, her childhood was greatly shaped by the visits she took to her father’s home country of Mexico. There she saw street vendors selling freshly made tortillas; these memories left a deep impression on her.  When Lisa was older, she wondered if offering tortillas made fresh every day might be something she could do for a living, something that would benefit her community. In...