25 things to watch in 2025

PAGE 8 WEEKLY REGISTER-CALL PAGE 9 WEEKLY REGISTER-CALLFebruary 13, 2025 February 13, 2025

Enchanting evening at

Daddy-Daughter Dance & Dive

Strong bonds and memo-

ries are made between fa-

thers and daughters during

the Gilpin County Daddy-

Daughter Dance & Dive.

On Feb. 8, with “Princess”

as the theme, fathers and

daughters brought their

dancing shoes, swimsuits

and towels.

According to event co-

ordinator Krystal Meyer,

“This year we had 63

daughters registered, mak-

ing it an expected 110 [in

attendance]. About 90 dads

and daughters showed up.

We were able to bring back

the pool this year. Some

of the Gilpin Archwood

4-H youth volunteered to

help set up, run crafts and

clean up the event. Some

Friends of the Gilpin Com-

munity Center [also] came

to help…. We purchased

cupcakes from local baker

Pandas Pastries and Pies.”

Daughter dance has be-

come a tradition in Gilpin

County, strengthening the

bond between fathers and

daughters. This reporter

2010.

The third part of the evening was, of course, being able to take a Daddy-Daughter Dip in the

Community Center swimming pool Feb. 8.

Food, crafts and dancing

were displayed in the

gymnasium.

a dip (top) from her

dance, while another

(left).

Central City’s Visitor Center is moving from one

end of Main Street to the other. However, city of-

ficials haven’t pinpointed a precise date for when

the new location will open.

The Belvidere Theater will house the Visitor’s

Center and have free parking at the Big T lot for

those traveling down Nevada Street on the Central

City Parkway. To comply with the Americans With

Disabilities Act, it will also have a ramp for easier

access and a public restroom – something the

existing visitors’ center does not.

Peter Droege, president of the Belvidere Founda-

tion, said the move will provide greater visibility

to those arriving in town. “This new location will

significantly enhance the visibility of the Visitors’

Center and provide visitors with easy access to parking

off the Central City Parkway. We are confident that this

move will allow Mike Keeler and his team to increase

foot traffic to local businesses and attractions, further

strengthening the city’s economy and vibrancy.”

When guests arrive, they can pick up a wealth

of information about Central City and sur-

rounding areas. They can learn where historic

buildings are located and offer information

ers.

dine in the area. The center also offers a variety of bro-

chures and magazines on things to do in the region.

Because of its location at the intersection of Eureka,

Lawrence and Main Streets, the current Visitors’ Cen-

ter has become a regular neighborhood stopping point

for residents’ daily walks or visits to other local busi-

nesses. Some say the place is reminiscent of Cheers,

where nearly everyone knows each other and stops to

catch up on the latest buzz about town. There’s even a

coffee maker in one corner brewing a fresh pot.

Once the Visitors’ Center moves to the other end

of town, it might not attract as much local walk-in

traffic. However, Droege and other city officials hope

the anticipated higher visibility for the new visitors’

center will generate additional walk-ins from out-of-

towners.

“When [City Manager] Daniel Miera approached our

board of directors about relocating the Visitors Center to the

ground floor of the newly restored Shoofly portion of the

building, we immediately saw the potential. It was a perfect

fit, and we were proud to approve the move,” noted Droege.

“The Visitors’ Center will serve as the gateway to Central

City’s many historic and cultural attractions—treasures that

might otherwise go overlooked without the knowledge and

dedication of Mike Keeler and his team of ambassadors.

Their passion for welcoming visitors and sharing the rich

history of our city is invaluable.”

According to Miera, Central City pays about $75,000 an-

nually to operate the Visitors’ Center. The estimated figure

includes utilities, supplies and pay for those who staff the

facility seven days a week throughout the year. After the

move, the city council is expected to discuss what it will do

with the existing visitors’ center at 103 Eureka. Among the

ideas is to lease it to a potential business owner who also

wants to live in the apartment above on the second floor or

perhaps offer it as lodging for a city employee.

The city owns the existing

Visitors’ Center and the Belvidere

Theater. It has a long-term lease

with the Belvidere Foundation

to oversee the current renova-

tion project and to operate the

building once construction work

is completed. The Visitors’ Center

will occupy the lower floor of

the Shoofly Bar section – the

side closest to city hall – in the

Belvidere.

“Receiving the certificate of

occupancy for the Shoofly will

mark the successful completion

of Phase One in our efforts to

restore the Belvidere,” according

to Droege. With fundraising for

Phase Two already underway, we

remain committed to revitalizing

the theater and tenant spaces

below. We are deeply grateful to

the city, our donors, and everyone

who has supported this effort—

we look forward to continuing

this important work together.”

The work on the new Visitors’ Center in the Belvidere is nearly

completed. City employees with help from others will coordinate

the move of the operation from Eureka to Nevada Street in the

days and weeks ahead.

Historic photos, dating back to Central City’s origins in the 1860s, fill the walls at the current Central City

Visitors’ Center on Eureka Street.

Longtime center worker Mike Keeler shares photos and stories about Central City’s past and attrac-

tions at the current visitors’ center location, 103 Eureka St.

Central City-branded caps, T-shirts and sweatshirts are among the

souvenirs available for purchase in the Visitors’ Center. The offerings

include short and long-sleeved versions in a variety of styles.

There are postcards, bumper stickers and

other Central City-labeled keepsakes that

are on sale, along with small bottles of “gold-

looking” flakes.

When it reopens, the Visitors’ Center will be on the first floor of the Shoofly Bar section (left

side of photo) of the Belvidere Theater on Nevada Street.

Photos by Don Ireland

consecutive wins recently,

improving their overall re-

cord to 12-4, including a 7-1

mark in the Class 3A/2A/1A

Mile High League.

Following a non-con-

ference loss at St. Mary’s

Academy on Jan. 25, Gilpin

bounced back to defeat

Bellview Christian and

Denver Christian Academy

on the road and secured

a home game win against

Flatirons Academy. Last

week concluded with a 56-7

win at Clear Creek (0-15) on

Saturday, Feb. 8.

Thursday, Feb. 12—High

school basketball at Lyons.

Girls’ varsity at 5:30 p.m.,

followed by boys’ varsity at 7.

The game will be Lyons’ senior

night.

Middle school girls’ basketball

tournament at home, 11 a.m.

Additional details will be an-

nounced soon. Teams from

Clear Creek, Estes Park, Stras-

burg, Summit and Fitzsim-

mons have been invited to

participate.

Tuesday, Feb. 18—High

school basketball at Front

Range Christian. Girls’ varsity

begins at 5 p.m., followed by

boys’ varsity at 6:30. Middle

school wresting at Clear Creek,

4 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 20—Mid-

dle school wresting at Summit

Middle School in Frisco. Time

TB A.

Friday, Feb. 21—High

school basketball hosts Daw-

son. Girls’ varsity begins at 5

p.m., followed by boys’ varsity

at 6:30 p.m. Senior recognition

will be held between games.

Week of Feb. 24-March 1

Monday, Feb. 24—Middle

school girls’ basketball at Ben-

nett. The C-Team plays at 4

p.m., followed by the B and A

games.

Tuesday, Feb. 25—High

school girls’ and boys’ bas-

ketball will play away games.

Opponent and times to be

announced.

Middle school girls’ basketball

hosts Clear Creek. The C-Team

takes to the court at 4:15 p.m.,

followed by B game at 5 and

the A-team at 6 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 27—High

school boys’ and girls’ bas-

ketball teams will be away.

Opponent and times TBA.

Students who participate in the

Gifted and Talented program

will take a trip to the University

of Colorado for an event.

High school girls’ basketball

at Bishop Machebeuf (league

tournament). Time TBA. High

school boys’ basketball at Sky-

view Academy. Time TBA.

NOTE—Schedules are tenta-

tive and may change due to a

variety of factors, including

weather.

Gilpin school activities

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In recognition of Presi –

dents’ Day, Gilpin County

offices – including the

Community Center – will be

closed on Monday, Feb. 17.

The Transfer Station will be

closed on Sunday, Feb. 16.

City offices in Black Hawk

and Central also will be

closed on Presidents’ Day.

Central’s Belvidere Foun –

dation will hold a Valen –

tine’s Dance beginning at 7

p.m. tomorrow (Friday,

Feb. 14), at the Central

City Elks Lodge No. 557,

113 Main St.

or admission charges,

although donations to

the Belvidere Founda –

tion are appreciated. Eric

Chinn will be the deejay

for the event. Singles are

welcome and encouraged

to attend, too.

Coal Creek Canyon Im-

provement Association will

hold its Valentine Pancake

Breakfast event from 7 to 11

a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15,

at the CCCIA Hall, 31528

Highway 72 in Coal Creek

Canyon.

Admission is $11 for

members, $13 for non-

members and $6 for chil –

dren. Proceeds from the

event will go toward the

Coal Creek Canyon scholar –

ship fund.

For information, visit

CoalCreekCanyon.org or

email CCCIA80403@gmail.

com.

Black Hawk’s Maryland

Mountain Hidden Treasure

Trailhead will be closed

Feb. 24-25 and March 3-5

for maintenance activity oc –

curring in the park.

Gilpin Community Center

will hold its next “Parents’

Night Out” from 4 to 8:30

p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28.

There will be dinner, crafts

and activities as part of the

rec center event. Children

can bring a swimsuit and

wear pajamas. The cost is

$25 per child for those ages

5-12. If the child is enrolled

in Friday Camp, the admis –

sion is $15.

Friends of Gilpin Com –

munity Center also has

scholarships available to

assist families wishing to

participate in the activity.

For more information or to

sign up, visit the rec cen –

ter’s website or call 303-

582-1453.

Gilpin County Public

Library will host an indoor

mini-golf event for middle

and high school students on

Saturday, March 1, at 4:30

p.m. It will be followed by a

showing of Adam Sandler’s

iconic golf comedy Happy

Gilmore. Pizza will be pro –

vided.

For information, visit

Gilpinlibrary.org or call

303-582-5777.

Gilpin Community Cen –

ter will host a three-day

lifeguard training course

from March 28-30. The

program includes American

Red Cross-certified training

from 4 to 8 on Friday and 9

a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday

and Sunday. Some of the

classes will be conducted

online, with the remainder

taking place in the pool.

Participants must be

able to swim 300 meters

non-stop, trend water for

two minutes and retrieve

a brick from the bottom of

the pool. The class includes

training in AED, CPR, First

Aid and Lifeguarding.

Those wishing to at –

tend must be 15 (for those

not seeking employment)

and 16 for those seeking

to be hired as lifeguards.

The class fee is $100 for

residents and $120 for non-

residents. The fee will be

reimbursed for those hired.

For information, visit

Gilpin Community Center

online or call 303-582-

1453.

Commissioners approves new CWP Plan

Gilpin County has a new

Community Wildfire Protec-

tion Plan (CWPP), a compre-

hensive 494-page document

that outlines strategies for

planning, responding to, and

recovering from large forest

fires.

The Gilpin Board of County

Commissioners unanimously

approved the plan at their

meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 11.

The document is expected

to be posted on the county’s

website this week.

Jennifer Cook, who leads

CSU’s Extension Service in

Gilpin County, presented the

final version to the commis-

sioners, noting, “We had a

large number of shareholders

involved in creating this.”

Consultants worked with the

county’s leadership, adminis-

tration, and federal and state

authorities to update the new

CWPP from its 2012 version.

The Gilpin County Sheriff’s

Office, Timberline Fire Pro-

tection District, the cities of

Black Hawk and Central and

other agencies also provided

input. During the past year,

several public meetings were

held on the plan, and ad-

ditional input was sought

through an online survey. The

county received a $100,000

grant to help fund the updat-

ed CWPP.

“Most of the county is high

risk [for wildfires], as you

might guess,” said Cook.

BoCC Chair Sandy Hol-

lingsworth said of the report,

“It’s a tremendous amount

of work. Added commis-

sioner Susan Berumen, “A lot

of work was done on this. It

The CWPP examined wa-

tershed conditions, wildfire

risk assessments, mitigation

strategies, agency responses,

monitoring efforts, evacuation

routes, post-wildfire recovery,

and flooding potential along

streams affected by fires.

The document features over

36 maps illustrating various

aspects of the report’s topics

and offers recommendations

to reduce the potential impact

of fires if they occur. It also

outlines possible steps for

county leaders moving for-

ward and identifies potential

grants that may be available.

According to the report,

property owners can take

low-cost actions to help make

their homes less risky if a

neighborhood wildfire occurs.

• Regularly check fire

extinguishers and have a

100-foot hose to wet the

home’s perimeter.

• Maintain defensible space

around the home.

• Collaborate with neigh-

bors to provide adequate

fuel mitigation in the

event of overlapping

property boundaries.

• Ensure that house num-

bers are easily readable

from the street.

• Keep wood perimeter

fences free of combustible

materials. If possible,

non-combustible material

should link the house and

fence.

• Store combustible ma-

terials (propane, grills,

firewood) away from the

house. Remove flammable

material from around

propane tanks.

• Maintain a five-foot pe-

rimeter around the home

clear of any combustible

materials.

• Clear out materials from

under decks and near

structures. Enclose the

area underneath the deck

when feasible.

• Stack firewood at least 30

feet from homes.

• Prioritize your workload

by considering local

weather conditions. First,

consider mitigating haz-

ards on the side of your

property that faces the

prevailing wind direction,

then work around to cover

the entire property.

• Keep gutters free of com-

bustible material. Gut-

ters can act as collection

points for embers.

• Maintain roofs by install-

ing flashing, fixing holes,

replacing shingles, and

closing gaps.

• Purchase or use a NOAA

weather alert radio to

hear fire weather an-

nouncements.

• Residents are also en-

couraged to sign up for

Hyper-Link, a reverse 9-1-

1 telephone notification

system, to be alerted in

an emergency near their

home.

TPFD has been presenting

several free movies related to

wildfires. The next film, The

Fire Problem by Sean O’Brien

and Antonio Torres, will be

shown at 1 p.m. on March 15

at Timberline Fire Station No.

3 (Fritz Peak Observatory).

Reservations are recommend-

ed due to capacity turnout for

recent screenings.

25 things to watch in 2025

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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25 things to watch in 2025

Enchanting evening at

Daddy-Daughter Dance & Dive

Strong bonds and memo-

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