Erma Bombeck Remembered: New year a good time to remember Erma’s philosophy

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I received this from a friend and subscriber in Kansas. Al-

though the author is unknown—me “Geezer.”

Read this, and if you are in fact a “Geezer,” be proud! If you

do not qualify, hope that one day you too will be a “Geezer.”

“Geezers” are easy to spot; this is slang for an old

man. But at sporting events, during the playing of the

National Anthem, they had their caps over their hearts

and sang without embarrassment. They knew the words

and believed in them. They remember the Depression,

World War II, Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Normandy

and Hitler. They remember the Atomic Age, the Korean

War, the Cold War, the Jet Age and the Moon landing,

not to mention Vietnam.

If you bump into a “Geezer” on the sidewalk he’ll apol-

ogize, pass a Geezer on the street, he’ll nod or tip his cap

to a lady. “Geezers” trust strangers and are courteous to

women. They hold the door for the next person and al-

ways when walking, make sure the lady is on the inside

for protection. “Geezers” get embarrassed if someone

curses in front of women and children, and they don’t

like violence and filth on TV and in movies.

Geezers have moral courage. Geezers seldom brag

unless its about the grandchildren in Little League or

music recitals.

This country needs “Geezers” with their decent values and

common sense. We need them now more than ever. It’s the

Geezers who know our great is protected, not by politicians

or police, by the young men and women in the military ser-

vice their country in foreign lands, just as they did, without a

thought except to do a good job, the best you can and get home

to loved ones.

Thank God for “Geezers.”

do whatever it needs to do to raise money.

They need to bring the charm that the city had

before gaming back to the city.”

The historical society has faced difficult times

over the past decade as annual visitors have

declined. Last November, to help it remain

financially afloat, the society sold the historic

Coeur d’Alene Gold Mine on Academy Street.

Central City Opera patrons will also receive

the five percent admission fee. The opera’s

season, which runs from June 28 through Aug.

3, will feature The Barber of Seville, The Knock,

and Once Upon a Mattress.

Central City Opera CEO Scott Finlay and oth-

ers involved protested the admission fee when

the Central City Council discussed it in Febru-

ary and March. The opera eventually conceded

to charge the admission fee, although it has

noted explicitly on its website that the city is

responsible for the overall higher ticket price.

According to the opera website, “The Central

City Council has passed an ordinance that a 5

percent Admissions Fee must be added to all

ticketed entertainment events. Central City

Opera will now be required to add this fee to

the price of all ticket purchases [for] events

in Central City. For online purchases, you will

see the total cost of your tickets, including a

single line displaying total fees, before pay-

ment online. For phone purchases, our Box

Office will always confirm your final cost with

you [before] finalizing your order. This manda-

tory fee is separate from our ticket price and is

remitted in full to the Central City government,

where it will fund equipment, improvements

and services that support public health, safety

and welfare at entertainment events.

“Rest assured, Central City Opera is commit-

ted to maintaining ticket price accessibility and

transparency. Your support helps us continue

to deliver world-class productions in Colorado,

nurture the next generation of talent, and

maintain the excellence of our programs for

years to come. We look forward to welcoming

you to our upcoming 2025 festival season!”

An opera spokesperson told the Weekly

Register-Call, “Inflation in live-event pricing is a

real crisis for customers everywhere, and [the]

Central City Opera is committed to both afford-

ability and transparency in our ticket pricing.”

The opera’s website indicated that the Cen-

tral admission fee will be added to the opera’s

other ticket fees (6.5 percent on mainstage

tickets, 5 percent on select festival extras).

Since the opera offers various ticket price

ranges — $24 for regular subscribers to $78.05

for other tickets – the total amount it will col-

lect for Central is currently unknown.

Also feeling the impact of the city’s new toll

is the Central City Business Improvement

District, which annually hosts the “Stills in the

Hills” and “Great Central City Beer Festival” on

Main Street each summer. The BID sells ad-

vance tickets online but charges higher prices

to those who purchase them on the days of the

event.

BID Executive Director Joe Behm said the

websites for this summer’s events will reflect

the final ticket price and including a line item

for the city’s 5 percent admission toll. Stills in

the Hills is scheduled for Saturday, June 28,

while the beer festival is planned for Saturday,

Aug. 23.

Last year, advance-order Stills tickets were

$80 for VIP admission and $50 for general

admission, with higher rates for those who

showed up on the days of the events. Depend-

ing on which ticket is purchased and when, the

BID will collect between $2.50 and $4 on every

ticket for the city admission fee.

Central City’s new regulation says the admis-

sion fee must be added to ticket prices for such

events as motion pictures, stage shows, plays,

concerts, operas, or other “manifestation of the

performing arts,” sporting or athletic contests

– either amateur or professional, lectures,

rallies, speeches, or dissertations, art exhibits

or exhibitions including plants or live animals,

including insects or fish, plus any business that

requires the public to pay a cover charge, door

charge, or any similarly-worded entry fees.

The city could face its first encounter with

“cover charges” this summer when RCI Hos-

pitality Holdings’ Rick’s Cabaret opens on

Main Street, because many adult clubs require

patrons to pay a fee before they venture inside

to watch female entertainers.

Central City’s rule will also require organiza-

tions and companies to charge an admission

fee if they offer subscriptions that include tickets

to events.

Spencer introduced the idea of an admission

fee, stating that the city has provided too many

“free services” to groups, which costs Central

money to pay for public works crews to con-

duct set-up and tear-down work for many of

the events that occur. The fee will help Central

recover some of its costs because the event pa-

trons, not the organizations sponsoring them,

will pay the admission fee.

Central City leaders, who have seen declin-

ing casino tax revenues over the past two years,

say the financial outlook

for the city’s future is

dimming. However, the

city annually contributes

$25,000 to the opera,

historical society and Gil-

pin Arts Society as these

groups try to attract more

visitors to Central during

the summer tourism sea-

son. Last fall, the council

considered eliminating

the $25,000 donations

but later abandoned the

idea.

As owner of the Denver

West-Central City KOA

campground overlook-

ing the downtown area,

Spencer stated that he

ran for council and joined

other organizations to

help improve the public

perception of the Main

Street area, which has de-

teriorating sidewalks and

a road surface, along with

many vacant storefronts.

officials that some of his

campground guests go

into the downtown Main

Street area and return,

asking, “What’s wrong

Despite Crawford’s sup-

port for what Spencer and

the city council are trying

to do, he has doubts. “It

is hard to keep a business

alive in a city with almost

no people visiting,” he

commented.

Central City: it’s not a tax

Central leaders join

others opposing iGaming

Central City Council unanimously reaf-

firmed its commitment against legalized

online slot-machine gambling – called

iGaming – by signing a multi-jurisdiction-

al resolution during its meeting Tuesday

night (May 6).

The joint resolution, created by neighbor-

ing Black Hawk, asked leaders of the five

host gaming jurisdictions – Gilpin and Tell-

er Counties and the cities of Central, Cripple

Creek, and Black Hawk — to unite and

inform state leaders that they oppose any

effort to legalize iGaming in Colorado. The

resolution was created to serve as a “show of

force” to protest any new form of app-based,

internet slot games that are nearly identical

to those found in the state’s 33 casinos.

Although no formal iGaming legisla-

tion was introduced at the state legislature

before its adjournment on May 7, groups

opposed to iGaming are concerned that

such a measure could be proposed when

lawmakers convene in January 2026. All

five host gaming jurisdictions could po-

tentially lose millions of dollars in gaming

taxes annually for their respective budgets

if iGaming is sanctioned by the state.

Currently, Gilpin County is the only

one of the five jurisdictions that hasn’t

approved the joint resolution. The Gil-

pin Board of County Commissioners is

expected to discuss the subject at their

meeting on May 13.

In the past two months, all five gaming

jurisdictions voted separately to join the

National Association Against iGaming

(NAAiG). Founded in January, the organi-

zation initiated a nationwide effort against

states considering bills that would legalize

iGaming.

NAAiG, which includes casinos, labor

unions and others, stated that seven states

which have approved iGaming are current-

ly facing unintended consequences such as

increased gambling addiction, substance

abuse, domestic violence, and other social

issues. NAAiG argues that by limiting slots

gaming to brick-and-mortar casinos in the

three Colorado mountain cities, it will help

prevent a rise in social problems linked

with iGaming.

Last year, state-collected casino taxes

provided more than $35.421 million to

Gilpin and Teller Counties, as well as to

the cities of Black Hawk, Central City, and

Cripple Creek. Property taxes collected by

the five host gaming jurisdictions also con-

tributed to the coffers of the two counties

and three casino cities. According to the

Colorado Department of Revenue, gaming-

related taxes included $16.62 million

to Gilpin County, $2.7 million to Teller

County, $12.78 million to Black Hawk,

$2.251 million to Cripple Creek, and $1.07

million to Central City during the state’s

2023-24 fiscal year, which ended on July

31, 2024.

Erma Bombeck Remembered: New year a good time to remember Erma’s philosophy

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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