Herald HRH 8.1.13
Highlands Ranch
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 26, Issue 37
August 1, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourhighlandsranchnews.com
County reaches out to seniors Listening tour, survey focus on needs, resources By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com
Phyllis Danenhauer, left, walks with her daughter, Kari Larese, during the Survivors Lap at the 2013 Highlands Ranch/Lone Tree Relay for Life event July 27 at Cresthill Middle School. Hundreds of people spent the night at the school, walking the track all night long to symbolize that cancer never sleeps.
Highlands Ranch goes extra mile Photos by Ryan boldRey
The 15th annual Highlands Ranch/Lone Tree Relay for Life event brought nearly 400 people together July 27-28 at Cresthill Middle School as 34 teams raised $58,889 for the American Cancer Society and participants walked the track all night, symbolizing that cancer
never sleeps. There were many activities during the event, from Zumba to a Misster Relay Contest, movies, a karate demonstration and more, keeping spirits up while emotional moments such as the Luminaria Ceremony and Survivors Lap reminded people why they were there.
As Douglas County prepares for a quarter of its population to be over the age of 60 by 2030, county officials are beginning to discuss the needs of today’s senior population from Deckers to Parker and everywhere in between. The Partnership of Douglas County Governments is putting forth a collaborative effort between all the towns, cities and special districts within the county, along with the school and library districts, to learn exactly what needs are out there and to what extent individuals and families in the county are aware of current available resources. As part of that process, community leaders and elected officials will have a listening tour lasting a month and a half, starting Aug. 2 in Deckers. The tour has two scheduled stops each in Castle Rock and Parker and will also pass through Roxborough, Larkspur, Castle Pines, Highlands Ranch, Louviers and Lone Tree. The listening tour is being organized to give residents the opportunity to share their own visions for the community and address with county officials where there are gaps in current services. According to county spokeswoman Wendy Holmes, Douglas County is the only member of the Denver Regional Council of Governments that is addressing such a situation in this manner. Part of the reason behind the county’s actions, said Commissioner Jack Hilbert, Seniors continues on Page 7
2013 Mountain Vista High School graduate Craig Carlson, left, and senior Brendan Parsa both raised extra money July 27 during the Highlands Ranch/Lone Tree Relay for Life as part of the Misster Relay Contest, in which guys dress like girls.
Nobody had more fun participating in Zumba than Leonard Leyba, second from right. Zumba was one of many activities that kept people awake and active throughout the 12-hour Highlands Ranch/Lone Tree Relay for Life event July 27-28 at Cresthill Middle School in Highlands Ranch.
douglas County fair bigger, better Plenty to do, plenty to see at annual event in Castle Rock By Virginia Grantier
vgrantier@ourcoloradonews.com
“It’s Been Awhile,” a quarter horse from Texas, was at the Douglas County Fairgrounds recently for competition in a hunter-under-saddle class. Photo by Virginia Grantier
It’s not just a spectator sport, this year’s annual Douglas County Fair: In addition to watching livestock competitions and rodeos, there are free pancakes, pie-eating contests, dances, carnival rides, hands-on ageducation opportunities — and, of course, the cricket races. The fair is Aug. 8-11, but many of the preliminary events are already underway. The fourth annual cricket races for a couple hundred kids and crickets will take place at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 9, and racers are reminded not to bring their own crickets. It’s not because race organizers are worried about seeing super crickets with suspiciously large muscle-bound insect bodies. They want to spare young cricket-handlers from perhaps losing their cricket pet, says Maryjo Woodrick, an event coordinator for the Douglas County Extension Office.
Apparently, there have been times when the cricket handlers get so excited during the race that instead of encouraging the cricket to move faster by patting the ground behind the cricket, they pat the cricket, Woodrick said. And there have been times when the winning cricket handler, so excited about the win, has jumped up and down where they wished they hadn’t. So, the extension office provides the crickets, about 300 of them bought from a local pet store. Most crickets make it through OK, and kids can take them home as pets, with special instructions from Joe Julian, Douglas County’s extension director, on how to care for them. The fair, located at Douglas County Fairgrounds, 500 Fairgrounds Drive in Castle Rock, actually started July 27 with a junior division dog show and continues through Aug. 11 with 4-H and open competitions — everything from floriculture to goats to quilts. The biggest days, with major events, will be the two weekends in the stretch from Fair continues on Page 10
The Partnership of Douglas County Governments has launched a collaborative effort with all of the county’s municipalities, the school district and the library district to gather information on the current and future quality of life needs of those 60 and older living in the county. Transportation, health services, and affordable housing are all primary areas of study. File photo
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