Briefs | Fireworks bad, safety good

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Fireworks bad, safety good

Officials from the city of Boulder and the University of Colorado are reminding local residents that all fireworks are illegal within city limits, including sparklers, snaps, snakes, bottle rockets, Roman candles and smoke bombs.

Celebrants are encouraged instead to attend the annual professional fireworks show, Ralphie’s Independence Day Blast, on July 4 at Folsom Field. Gates open at 8 p.m., and the program begins at 8:30 p.m. Details can be found at www.boulder4thofjuly.com.

Boulder police will be on extra patrol over the Fourth of July weekend, enforcing the city’s fireworks ban, which has been in effect since 1985.

Penalties can include fines, courts costs, property loss, arson charges and jail time. For CU students, penalties also can include sanctions from CU’s Office of Judicial Affairs.

Unused fireworks can be brought to any Boulder fire station. To report fireworks violations, residents should call the non-emergency dispatch line at 303-441-3333.

‘Dream’ golf tourney coming

The “I Have a Dream” Foundation of Boulder County’s eighth annual golf tournament is scheduled for July 22 at the Colorado National Golf Club in Erie. Proceeds from the fundraiser, which will be held from 6:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., go back into the community via the “I Have a Dream” drop-out prevention program for low-income youth. Funds raised will go toward the programming and scholarships that help “Dreamers” stay in school and go on to attend college.

This year’s event features prizes, a sleeve of balls for each golfer and a chance to win a six-night stay in a beautiful Cabo San Lucas condo.

The event will also feature a silent auction, prize giveaways, breakfast from Santiago’s and lunch from Noodles & Company. Reggie Rivers, former Denver Bronco and CBS Channel 4 sportscaster, will emcee the awards luncheon after the tournament.

For more information, contact Lisa McAlister at 303-485-7209 or lisamcalister@comcast.net.

Erie hosting softball tourney

This week, the Ballpark at Erie is hosting the Colorado Sparkler, one of the largest girls’ fast-pitch softball tournaments in the world.

The tournament, which started on June 29 and concludes on July 3, features 45 teams and more than 12,000 players, coaches and parents from 19 states. Games will be held on Thursday, July 1, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Coast to Coast Softball is expected to recruit 25 of the top players from the Sparkler tournament to go to Australia or New Zealand to play on their national teams Visit www.erieparksandrec.com for a schedule and to view photos from the tournament.

Big Wheel Rally returns

The “Almost Annual Matt Armbruster Memorial Big Wheel Rally” returns to the Pearl Street Mall on July 10. This year, it benefits the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Fund at the Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation.

The 29-year-old event, which starts at the Walrus at 5 p.m., involves people riding plastic Big Wheels from pub to pub, announcing their arrival with power slides and spin-outs.

Proceeds will go toward capital needs, continuing education for NICU staff at St. Joseph’s and special needs for the babies or families of the NICU.

For more information or to register, visit www.bigwheelrally.com

Pull for Colorado

Volunteers are being sought for “Pulling For Colorado,” a statewide event being held July 10 to educate residents about the impacts that noxious weeds are having on natural, agricultural and recreational lands.

Participants will learn about diffuse knapweed and the problems it causes, and then work together to pull and dig up that weed near the Walker Ranch Loop trailhead.

The project runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Kids as young as 12 are welcome, with adult supervision. To register, e-mail WildWorkVolunteers@ BoulderCounty.org, or call 303-678- 6216 by July 7.

BGBG hosts seminars

The Boulder Green Building Guild has started hosting Building On-Site Seminars that include a tour of a facility by builders and installers, a gourmet dinner, an in-depth analysis by a panel of building science professionals, opportunities for questions and networking.

Upcoming BOSS events include tours of the ZED-2 house and the Balsam Project Home.

A variety of packages are available, including early-bird rates. Registration is required and space is limited.

Register at www.bgbg.org.

For more information, contact Heather Braithwaite at 303-704-5057 or heather@bgbg.org.

Arts festival returns

The 3rd Annual Boulder Festival of the Arts on the Twenty Ninth Street mall will be held July 24–25, featuring both national and local artistic talent.

The event, hosted by Howard Alan, runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days and is free and open to the public.

Artistic media will include paintings, life-size sculptures, photography, glass, wood, jewelry, collage and ceramics. The artists, juried by an independent panel of expert judges, are handselected from hundreds of applicants based on quality and diversity. All of their artwork is original and handmade in America. Prices range from $25 for hand-designed earrings to $20,000 for metal sculptures.

For more information, see www.art festival.com, or call 954-472-3755.

Louisville library gets $130K

A bequest of $130,000 from a longtime children’s librarian and cataloger has resulted in the largest gift ever bestowed on the Louisville Public Library.

Marian Madison, who died in March, was a Louisville resident who frequently used the library and held a master’s degree in library science from the University of Denver. The Madison Endowment, which will be managed by the Louisville Public Library Foundation, will be used primarily to fund programming and service efforts that are otherwise beyond the scope of the current library budget.

A reception to honor Marian Madison and her family will be held on Sunday, Aug. 1, at 4 p.m. at the library. The public is invited.

For more information, contact Louisville Public Library Foundation President Phil Barton at 303-664-1050.

Duck race winner announced

Ally Cumella of Boulder was the winner of the 23rd annual EXPAND Duck Race held on Memorial Day.

She gets $1,500 cash and a $500 gift card to Fisher Honda/KIA.

This year, 7,000 rubber ducks raced down Boulder Creek, and Cumella’s duck was the first one across the finish line. Ducks could be sponsored for $5 each, netting $23,000 for Boulder

Parks and Recreation Department’s EXPAND program, which provides services to people with disabilities.

For more information, visit www.BoulderParks-Rec.org

WhiteWave wins fundraiser

Sixteen local corporations in Boulder and Broomfield counties recently participated in the 15th annual “Compete to Beat Hunger” Corporate Challenge to benefit Community Food Share. Over a twoweek period, there was a friendly competition between the companies to see which could raise the most dollars and pounds of food for the food bank. After the conclusion of challenge, awards were presented to the “winners” of the competition on June 15, based on a point system.

WhiteWave Foods won first place in both categories, most total points and most points per employee. Cable Television Laboratories won second place in both categories, while Rally Software won third place for total points, and McKesson won third place for points per employee.

The companies donated more than $160,000 and 1,100 pounds of food, which will allow Community Food Share to distribute more than 641,000 nutritious meals.

Free chiropractic for vets

Boulder chiropractor Jason Orowitz of Peak Vitality Chiropractic is offering a year of free treatments to up to 10 military veterans who have returned recently from combat service in Iraq or Afghanistan. The offer expires at the end of September.

Orowitz says he is extending the offer because he has wanted to help this under-cared-for population ever since working with veterans during his schooling at Veterans’ Administration Hospital in Rochester, N.Y.

For more information, call 303- 746-7494, or e-mail PeakVitality Chiropractic@gmail.com.

English classes offered

Intercambio de Comunidades, a nonprofit organization, starts a new semester of English classes for adults on July 6 in Boulder and July 7 in Lafayette. Classes are held twice a week in the evening for nine weeks, and the cost is $35 for registration and books (scholarships are available).

Intercambio also offers resource workshops and intercultural social events. Intercambio´s services are available for any adults interested in improving their English skills. Contact Maria Velasco at 303-996-0275, ext. 3, or Jenny Desmond at 303-996-0275, ext. 7, for more information.

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