Longmont—while maybe not too surprising but definitely in contrast to last election—saw a major partisan flip flop (whoever says municipal politics isn’t partisan has never been to Longmont) with fewer than 17,000 residents voting. The liberal alliance on council, which has garnered criticism from many conservatives and bloggers, lost its queen bee when incumbent Karen Benker was beat out by Katie Witt, an up-and-coming republican who unsuccessfully ran for state senate last year. Incumbent Gabe Santos, the oft outsider on the current council who was voted in during a special election in early 2008, will now be joined by Alex Sammoury, an enthusiastic business and community leader who put Twin Peaks Mall redevelopment at the top of his priorities for the coming years. Bryan Baum beat out incumbent Roger Lange after telling this reporter and others that he could not think of one thing council had done recently that made him proud to be a resident. In running, he was looking to bring a new kind of leadership to council. But his election will not just mean new leadership, it could mean a U-turn in focus.

For Longmont, it will be incredibly interesting to see how this election impacts the Firestone land disputes and lawsuits. Many of those newly elected councilors focused in their platforms on the needlessness of the litigation… Though, only time and the blogosphere will tell. Speaking of which, the Longmont Advocate, a conservative blog that has probably been second only to the Longmont Times Call as the rain on council’s parade, is jumping for joy at the election results. “All-America Longmont is jumping for joy tonight as Baum, Santos, Witt, and Sammoury overwhelmingly win council seats! A return to responsible city government is at hand!”

I say, congrats to the winners. Make the best of it.

Since an accident took his life on January 30, the people of Lafayette, Louisville and the surrounding communities have been beautifying the site of his death in memory of their fallen friend.
John, known as Jesus to many in town, was known for leaving gifts for friends: small trinkets, candles, tokens of friendship and affection. People gave him gifts in return, and after his passing, they had to leave their gifts lining the roadside where John was struck by a car.
Piles of flowers, teddy bears, framed photos and balloons appeared as dozens of cars filled with mourners lined up along Highway 287. Two bicycles also appeared, one painted white, one gold, representing, as one sign read, John’s “big bicycle in the sky.” The ephemera serve as a physical outpouring of a community’s grief at the passing of one of its most familiar faces.
But the tributes didn’t stop there. Memorials appeared in shop windows all over town as the news spread. Signs hung on fences and from overpasses proclaimed John an angel and told how much he would be missed. People gathered at the Albertsons where John volunteered and at City Hall to share their memories and say goodbye.
In the days following his death, residents’ need to express their feelings about their fallen friend continued to grow. A digital memorial sprang up on Facebook, and in less than a week, more than 4,000 people had joined the group. From there, the memorial “Ride for John” was born, with more than 150 people appearing on the morning of February 1 to ride in honor of their friend’s life. Other digital memorials were established on the Daily Camera website, coloradodaily.com and Flickr.
And the memorials kept growing. According to the Facebook page, more than a dozen area businesses have accepted donations for a permanent memorial to John. T-shirts were printed, photos made available, specials advertised across the area with profits donated to the memorial fund.
Now, the cities of Louisville and Lafayette are taking the memorials to the next level. The cities have proposed to jointly host a spring clean-up event in his honor including a community breakfast and volunteer projects across both cities. Other ideas include turning his bronzed bicycle into a memorial or naming a street or park after him.
But the truest memorial to the man who spent his life giving to others is the organic way in which this outpouring of goodwill has grown: person to person, heart to heart. John’s final act of goodwill was to move his community to reach out to one another, to come together as friends and neighbors, and hopefully to inspire them to live their lives more the way he did: simply, honestly and always a thought toward helping others.

You can view the online tributes to John’s life and learn more about the physical tributes planned at the Facebook Group dedicated to his memory.

[Farming]
The Wrath of Cow
It should have been a milkbath, but instead, one gutsy pet cow held her own and lived to boast about chasing off a big, bad, wild black bear. The interspecies cockfight went down in Hygiene when Jack McDonald saw his pet cow, Apple, going “face-to-face” and “nose-to-nose” with a bear. The two adversaries made nice for a few seconds before Apple tapped into her bovine brain and turned tough. Before you could say “milking time,” Apple went from friendly pet to Mike Tyson on hooves. “Apple is protective of her apple tree,” McDonald said. “I don’t think she wanted that bear eating any more of her apples.” No word on whether the bear was ridiculed by his peers.

[Impersonation]
Hard Up For Porn
A Longmont sword and blade maker reportedly fashioned a fake badge and played the role of a cop to obtain X-rated DVDs from an adult novelty store. Instead of getting off (no pun intended, scout’s honor), the suspect, Drew Libby, received a trip to the pokey. Longmont cops arrested Libby outside his home on charges of impersonating an officer, possession of an illegal weapon and possession of pot. A search of Libby’s pad turned up a steel badge emblazoned with the words “private security.” “Turns out badges like it can be bought on the Internet. Authorities contend Libby flashed the fake badge and claimed to be a Longmont police officer when he entered an adult store in search of porn. The fake cop told a clerk that he needed an X-rated DVD to verify the age of the porn stars in the production. Surveillance videos from the store were distributed. Tips quickly led to Libby’s arrest.

[Oprah]
Impressive High Road
We may never hear the end of the JonBenet Ramsey saga—you know, the story of the six-year-old beauty queen’s murder a decade ago that has thrown us through more twists than a world-class roller coaster. At least papa Ramsey has forgiven us (us, meaning the rabid media) for assuming that he (or wife Patsy) were the ones who did it. John Ramsey appeared on Oprah last month—his first national TV appearance since prosecutors exonerated his family over the summer—telling the world that it’s water under the bridge. That’s certainly taking the high road, since a majority of us convicted him in the prestigious court of public opinion years ago. “You can’t hold anger,” he said on the show. Ramsey did have some harsh words for the tabloids, however. “It was a rush to judgment, almost a cyberspace lynching,” Ramsey said, taking particular offense to the media labeling his daughter a beauty queen because she won a child beauty pageant. We still think it’s pretty creepy to flaunt a six-year-old on stage. Hasn’t Little Miss Sunshine taught us anything?.

[Education]
Boulder Teens Are Easy
No word yet if Bristol Palin, the unwed and knocked up teen daughter to GOP veep candidate Sarah plans a move to Boulder. But if the 17-year-old soon-to-be mom does, she’ll be in good company. Seems a growing number of Boulder Valley School District kids say they know a thing or two about sex, drugs and booze. A recent survey indicated that 16.7 percent of Boulder Valley freshman have binged on booze. About 18 percent had engaged in sex, an increase of 50 percent since 2005. “Whether we’re talking about sexual intercourse or substance use, one thing is clear, the earlier youths engage in the behavior, the better the chance they have of experiencing long-term negative impacts in their lives,” one school official said in an area news source. Of course that rule does not apply to the offspring of gun-toting, moose-killing hockey moms.

Buried in an industrial neighborhood, Sugarbeet is literally a hidden gem. Chef Seth Witherspoon focuses on local ingredients, including many plucked from a nearby farm he and wife Justine have spent the summer building. We challenged him with sweet corn, suggesting Olathe’s version since its homegrown (Western Slope). He found corn much closer, using a Longmont ear to make a Roasted Sweet Corn, Feta and Risotto Stuffed Anaheim Pepper.

The warm days and cool nights of Colorado make the local sweet corn a little tastier than other growing regions. Count us lucky for the severe temperature shifts when night falls. It’s said to increase the sugar content in corn Western Slope grown Olathe corn gets all the hype, but Seth Witherspoon likes to look even closer to home. So when we challenged the Sugarbeet co-owner and chef with sweet corn, he looked no further than Zweck’s farm in Longmont.

Witherspoon opened Sugarbeet about 18 months ago, adding to the increasingly crowded market of menus featuring local, sustainable and often organic ingredients. We offer a sincere kudos to Witherspoon for keeping it really local, even if it seems like a cliché. Local means fresh. Local means less energy waste transporting the goods. And often, local means better food.

Beyond that, we were quite excited to see what a respected chef could do with the quintessential summer side. Seldom do we veer from enjoying much more than a butter soaked ear fresh off the grill, but this vegetable is so much more versatile.

We arrived for the challenge hungry for a tasty bite 24 hours later, and Witherspoon served a small plate delight: Roasted Sweet Corn, Feta and Risotto Stuffed Anaheim Pepper.

Witherspoon uses the local corn, peppers pulled from the restaurant’s farm and feta from local favorite Haystack to pull off this southwestern-inspired snack.

The feta serves as a cheese similar to the queso frescos traditionally used in Mexican cuisine—it doesn’t melt offering great texture. It is mixed with a perfectly prepared risotto, corn kernels, garlic, cilantro, onions and basil. It’s served atop a bed of arugula, with a savory prickly pear and balsamic reduction. Witherspoon will feature the plate on the happy hour menu, meaning it’s an inexpensive way to taste the kind of fare Sugarbeet offers—and an excuse to head out for a drink after work.

The stuffed pepper small plate will be on the happy hour menu (4-5:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays) until Sept. 7 and by request during dinner service. For reservations or information on Sugarbeet, 101 Pratt St., Longmont, call 303.651.3330.

What’s Next: We wait for a severe drought, 100-degree temperatures and an “I told you so” from councilwoman Blue.

What’s Next: The council recently voted overwhelmingly to explore a partnership with Panattoni—let’s start dreaming of sidewalk cafés.

Farmfest allows families to step out of suburbia and get just a small taste of farm life because, lets face it, our kids could likely learn a thing or two from a day at the farm. It’ll at least get them away from the Wii for a few hours.

During the self-guided farm tour, kids get to help collect eggs, feed baby animals and climb on the tractors and learn a whole lot about agriculture.

It’s a great way to transition from school life to summertime bliss.

Kid’s Farmfest, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays at The Sunflower Farm, 11150 Prospect Road, Longmont. Admission is $8 for adults and teens, and free for kids 12 and under. Call 303-774-8001 for info.

I didn’t, for example, care much for Scotch whiskey until I tried it in Scotland. There, where I could smell the damp air, walk on the heathered hillsides, meet the Scottish people—only then did I finally “get” Scotch. It tastes like Scotland.

With wine it’s a little different. In this case, “terroir” refers to the ways in which the rainfall, sunlight, altitude and soil work together to create grapes with certain characteristics. It’s what makes Bordeaux cabernet sauvignons different in California or South America: same grape, different styles and different terroir.

Timothy Payne and Melissa Newell chose this term as the name for their new Longmont eatery because they “wish for the community, land, and region around us to affect our food and the ambience created within (our) restaurant.” This means Main Street has a welcome addition to the burgeoning list of those committed to the local, seasonal and organic.

And Terroir’s menu delivers, smattered with the names of local producers like Haystack Mountain Goat Creamery. On the night of our visit, Chef Payne was featuring spring favorites asparagus and snap peas, and we bit left and right.

After settling in with a Gordon’s on draft (a transcendent double IPA from Oskar Blues) and a rich glass of pinot from Argentina’s Alamos label, we eagerly selected our first course from Terroir’s selection of small plates and salads. The ultra-tasty Jumbo Sea Scallop and Corn Cake ($8) was the first and best dish we tried. The enormous but delicate mollusk, seared perfectly, sat atop a housemade sweet-n-spicy corn cake, shoestring jicama and slices of blood orange. Texture, aroma, flavor: This dish was a killer.

The arugula salad ($8), meanwhile, was no slouch. Featuring snappy asparagus, delicious queso de mano cheese, and truffle oil (O, thank you, Great Provider, for the truffle!), the salad was the very definition of “seasonal.” The Polenta Fries ($7), served with lemon aioli, rounded out the trio capably, though the chipotle component was a shade too subtle.

Entrées were joyful—in their selection of ingredients, flavors and presentation. The Black Bean Stuffed Peppers ($16), served with housemade angel hair pasta and delightfully un-messed with snap peas, gave prominence to its creamy sweet corn and black bean filling. The Duck Breast ($25), meanwhile, was succulently pan roasted and served with fingerling potatoes, grilled asparagus and a beggar’s purse filled with duck confit and apple. With a drizzle of pan jus to bring it all together, the plate was magnificent. Our final stanza of vanilla crème brulee, which we spotted on the way in and couldn’t resist despite being full, was superb.

We were hosted graciously, though we were perplexed by the table chosen for us, which, despite the fact that the room was more than half empty, placed us in close proximity to the bus buckets, bathrooms and garish fluorescent light spilling from the kitchen. This didn’t take away from our lovely evening, but it was an odd blip.

Regardless, Terroir is executing its mission. Much like Niwot’s Colterra and Louisville’s Empire, it brings the fancy and the tasty while staying true to its community.
Huh. Sounds like a trend.

Terroir New American Cuisine

303.651.0630
246 Main Street, Longmont
Bottom line: A true destination. Go.

Now Firestone wants LifeBridge—except Longmont has decided to keep a parcel of land east of Union Reservoir that includes a right of way needed to annex the land LifeBridge covets.

What’s Next: Why is it that LifeBridge always seems to get both sides of an issue to dislike one another?

Judging by the haze over the University of Colorado, 4/20 ceremonies weren’t affected.