NEW BUSINESS TO SERVE Custer County
Greenstreet Plumbing Services

by Fred Hernandez

Plumbing is simply the transportation of water, liquids from one place to another. Truly, necessity is the mother of invention. Thousands of years ago man created the beginnings of plumbing as we know it today. We can trace its history back to the ancient civilizations of the Greeks, the Romans, Egyptians, Persians and Chinese to name a few. Egyptians for example were among the first to utilize irrigation in farming. They also began drainage systems and even invented the water wheel.
The Minoan Palace in Crete which dates back to 4,000 BCE is the oldest known structure which used conical-shaped terracotta pipes to distribute water. The Greeks were arguably the first to devise the system for hot and cold running water for the benefit of their athletes. Romans built aqueducts to transport water from the mountains to the cities to provide potable water and for their public baths. Mesopotamians used clay pipes four thousand years ago. The root word from which plumbing is derived is plumbum the Latin word for lead from which much of the ancient pipes were made. Plumbing is one of the oldest professions of man. A most important cornerstone of any civilized society.
Here in our county we have the benefit of having one of the most experienced professionals in the industry, Chris Greenstreet, who comes from a long, long line of professional plumbers. While his company was officially formalized not too long ago, Chris, as the owner/ operator, has a lifetime of extensive training and experience. Born in Salida in 1981 he was the oldest of three children to a coal miner who worked the mines in Leadville. After his time at the mines his father worked for a big plumbing company based in Denver. Later he started his own successful company and the family moved to Cañon. Chris attended the high school in Westcliffe and graduated from Custer County High School.
After that his training and work experience can only be described as boundless. Starting with his apprenticeship application with U.S. Engineering at which his test scores ranked him number two but unfortunately 9/11 happened at the time and he was unable to pursue that opportunity. One who is not easily deterred he applied in several other big companies but was only able to snag a job as a tinner which is one who fabricates sheet metal. This talent served him well later in his career. He was the fastest worker in the company and outdistanced everyone on any job needed. Over the years he went on to work for big companies including R.K Mechanical and Cobb Mechanical which had contracts with the State building large prisons. In fact it was in one of those huge projects that he got his AHA! moment. It was in 2009, and the project was a prison in Cañon City. He was with the foreman, and they were waiting for the superintendent to go over the blueprints. Chris read the prints and did all the measurements on a four thousand square foot project before the supervisor came in and at that moment, he realized he was way ahead of the game and all his training had paid off. Some of the other big jobs included Fort Carson and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo where he worked on the elephant and lion exhibits. After a time working with the big companies his father needed some help so he went to work for his Dad. After his father passed away Chris went on his own. Today with a Masters License, Bonded and fully insured Chris is in business to serve his community. He is a patient man who listens carefully to his clients. In fact he treats clients like old friends. A critical thinker, he takes the time to explain in detail so the client is fully informed of the work at hand. This is my community Chris says, and I am not motivated solely by money but by the good service I can provide to ensure the full satisfaction of my clients. His intention is to create long-term relationships. A professional like Chris is most welcome in any community.
Chris can be reached at (719) 783- 2800 or email him at Greenstreetplumbing@gmail.com

Friends of the Library
Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair

December 5, 2 to 5 p.m. & December 6 & 7, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair to benefit the West Custer County Library@ Hope Lutheran Lange Hall, 312 South 3rd Street Westcliffe.

Christmas Benefit Concert for Lighthouse Pregnancy Center— December 6th

Press Release:
Hillside Events is excited to announce a special Christmas concert benefiting the Lighthouse Pregnancy and Family Resources Center on Friday, December 6,  6 p.m. at the historic Hillside Hall in beautiful Hillside, CO, featuring the Valley’s own Sons & Brothers!
The Lighthouse Pregnancy Center exists to help families through material, emotional and spiritual support. They uphold the value of life from conception on and they strive to serve our community with love, humility and wisdom as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. The pregnancy center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and relies on donations from the community to continue the essential work they do in providing support for women, children and men in Custer County. Examples
of the services Lighthouse Pregnancy Center provides include pregnancy testing, on-site ultrasounds, baby food, clothing, diapers, accessories/equipment, scholarships for high school students and many more. The center also plans to bring nurses services and new programs/groups for parents and families very soon! Pregnancy centers like the Lighthouse are an indispensable asset to communities all over the country and we hope you join us in supporting their amazing work!
Sons & Brothers are Mike, Aaron, and Joe Wolking, along with Rob Paulin on drums and guitar. The boys have been delighting audiences with their unique blend of American musical styles for more than 25 years. Now the band is focusing on bringing the
Gospel message to people through music and stories. In addition to the Sons & Brothers, the 2024 Christmas concert will also
feature special guests, so don’t miss out on the musical magic that is sure to ensue!
Drinks and light refreshments will be provided. Admission is free; however, due to very limited seating, tickets are required for entry. We strongly recommend reserving your tickets in advance. To request tickets, please call 719-207-3289, 719-371-7711, or email lighthousehelp1@gmail.com. You can also visit www.townofhillside.com or www.sonsandbrothers.com for more information. We look forward to seeing you there!

Historic Beckwith Ranch

Press Release
Soon the lights at Historic Beckwith Ranch will be turned on for the Christmas Season.
Saturday, December 7th, Friends of Beckwith Ranch, Inc. will celebrate the final event of the year, the Beckwith  Traditional Christmas.
The event begins on Saturday at 11 a.m. Bring the family out to see the festively decorated rooms of the old Beckwith Mansion and vote for your favorite. The Celtic High Mountain Strings will be there playing great Celtic music. Bring the kids for photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Then the kids can make their own original Christmas Ornaments to take home for their tree. Refreshments will be offered for everyone and the Beckwith Gift Shop will be open for gift shopping.
Sunday, December 8th, Carolers will be on hand to sing our favorite traditional Christmas songs. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be there again for the kids and photos. Tour the rooms and vote on your favorite. The winners of the room decorations will be announced at 4 p.m.
And throughout the day, refreshments will be served and the Gift Shop open for shopping.
This event marks the end of the 2024 year for the ranch. It is your last chance for a guided tour and a fun day at Historic Beckwith Ranch. At the end of the day, we will announce the newest inductees into our Hall of Fame. Keeping Beckwith alive for another year is our mission and you can help with a generous donation.

Santa and Mrs Claus in Silver Cliff

December 7, 2-4 p.m.
Santa & Mrs. Claus @ Silver Cliff Town Shop
1011 Butler St.   Goody bag, hot dogs and more.

PARADE DOWNTOWN

Christmas Parade “Magical Musical Christmas”
on Silver Cliff and Westcliffe Main Streets at 4:30 p.m.
For more information or to register see ValleyStrong.us
Tree Lighting at dusk, followed by a reading of “A Christmas Carol” at the Historic Jones Theater.

Festival of Cheer

Custer County Elementary Festival of Cheer, formerly known as the Festival of Trees, will take place Friday, December
6th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, December 7th, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The event will be held at Hanssen Hall at 218 Main Street. The entrance is to the right of Hayden Outdoors Realty, and the space is a fantastic open area right in the heart of Downtown Westcliffe.
All members of the community are invited to
attend!
This year, festival-goers will have the opportunity
to bid on auction items such as student-decorated
trees and wreaths, gift baskets, and other holiday items. We are also excited to introduce the NEW “Buy This Item Now” feature, allowing attendees to take home their desired items immediately!
Additionally, there will be a special KIDS ONLY TABLE with items priced for children’s wallets and purses. Refreshments and carolers will also be part of this special event!

Wet Mountain Valley Community Chorale
 Lessons and Carols
Sunday, December 8th

Season’s greetings, everyone!
Yes, it is that festive time of year again and the Wet Mountain Valley Community Chorale welcomes you to join us for a concert performance of “Lessons and Carols”.
This year’s event is being held at the First Baptist Church in Westcliffe on Sunday, December 8th, with performances at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. We are so pleased to be led once again by our wonderful Sarah Peachey, director, and amazing Cheryl Pinnella, accompanist.
The WMVCC is a non-profit organization and the concert is free to attend. Free will donations to support the chorale will be happily accepted. All funds are used to support the expenses of the chorale, including providing child care so that young parents are able to participate. We so appreciate your generous past support of us, our love of music, and our desire to add to the joy of the Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We look forward to seeing you all there, friends and neighbors!
FBC is located at 410 S 6th St, Westcliffe.

Trump Wins! There Is Hope
Epp, Vogelsong Cruise to Commish Wins
Mt. Lion Hunting Ban Shot Down

by George Gramlich,
News and Commentary

(Unofficial ballot numbers from 11/6/24))

Some real good news statewide with the Ranked Voting and Mt. Lion Hunting Ban ballot measures being defeated. Locally, the two big races were for the two County Commissioner slots with Lucas Epp and Paul Vogelsong easily defeating their opponents Epp beat his opponent with 2,465 votes to 1,235. Vogelsong vanquished incumbent Commissioner Kevin Day by 2,053 to 1,205. (Some thought that the write in candidate, Attebury, would pull enough votes away from Vogelsong to let Day slide in, but that didn’t happen. Attebury only got 378 votes.)
Jeff Lindsey ran uncontested for our 11th Judicial District District Attorney. He got 2,788 votes in Custer County.
Of note, all the judges up for retention were voted down in Custer County except one, Court of Appeals Judge Gilbert Roman, who barely won a “Yes” by just nine votes (locally.)
Stephanie Luck, won her District 60 State Representative position against Dem Kathryn Green, In Custer County, Luck got 2,596 votes to Green’s 1,102.

At the Federal level, our hero, Donald Trump, won the monumental President of the United States battle against Kamala Harris. In a landslide predicted by only a very few. He won in the electoral college vote and the national popular vote. In Custer County, The Donald received 2,560 votes to Harris’s 1,171. For the entire state of Colorado, Harris got 1,345,023 votes to Trump’s 1,052,320.

In the U.S. Congress District 7 House race, Democrat Brittany Pettersen won, but in Custer County her opponent, Sergei Matveyuk, whooped her bad getting 2,435 votes to Pettersen’s 1,168.

The Colorado ballot measures results were generally good:
Amendment G: Expand Veteran Property Tax Exemption won easily (72.4% to 27.6%).
Amendment H: Create an Independent Judicial Board passed (72.7% to 27.3%).
Amendment I: No Bail for First Degree Murder passed (69.4 % to 30.5%).
Amendment J: Remove the Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriages passed (63.8% to 36.2%).
Amendment K: Earlier Election Filing Deadlines lost
(55.3% to 44.7%).
Amendment 79: Constitutional Right to Abortion passed
(61.5% to 38.5%).
Amendment 80: School Choice K-12 failed
(52.2% to 47.9%).
Proposition JJ: Keep Sporting Betting Tax Revenue was ok’d
(75.9% to 24.3%).
Proposition KK: Tax on Firearms and Ammunition passed
(54.2% to 45.8%).
Proposition 127: Prohibit Big Cat Hunting was defeated
(55.5% to 44.5%).
Proposition 128 Change Parole for Violent Crimes passed
(62.4% to 37.6%).
Proposition 129: Create New Veterinary Positions passed
(52.4% to 47.8%).
Proposition 130: The Law Enforcement Support Fund passed
(53.1% to 46.9%).
Proposition 131: Ranked Choice Voting was defeated
(55.2% to 44.8%).

UPDATE:  Service POSTPONED until Spring.

Joseph A. Fawcett died at 7:41 p.m. on October 5, 2024, at the University of Colorado Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado with friends at his bedside.  He received last rites from a Catholic Priest.  His death was preceded by his parents,, Peter and Rita Fawcett of Racine, Wisconsin, and brothers, Paul and Anthony Fawcett.  He is survived by siblings, John, James, Teresita, and Catherine Fawcett.   He had been life-flighted from his home in Westcliffe, Colorado to the hospital for a blockage in his digestive system and underwent a successful surgery, but only hours later a complication in the form of a blood clot in his leg ultimately caused his demise.

Joe was a 1978 graduate of Saint Charles Preparatory High School in Columbus, Ohio.  Having retired from the Floral Industry and his work as a designer and talented artist, Joe resided in Westcliffe, Colorado, situated between the Wet Mountains to the East and the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range to the west.  He spent most days sitting in his wheelchair smoking his pipe with his dog, Dusty, by his side and overlooking the small lake at Bluff & Summit Park near his home.  Joe had become an amputee as a result of damage caused through radiation treatment for cancer in the mid-2000’s.

Per his wishes, his body was cremated and his family will spread his ashes in a private ceremony in the future.

There is a Memorial Service scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 10, 2024 at the Smokey Jack Observatory at the Bluff and Summit Park in Westcliffe, Colorado with a reception at the Vista Celesta Apartments common room (109 South Adams Blvd.), where friends and family will visit and some of Joe’s Artwork will be available for viewing.  The reception location will also act as the Memorial Gathering location in case of inclement weather.

As Joe in his final years practiced the faith of Messianic Judaism and was strongly supported, in lieu of flowers, any acknowledgment of Joe’s passing can be made through donations to:
“Shammash Ariel Synagogue” and delivered to 2612 South Prairie Avenue, Pueblo, Colorado 81005.  Please note:   “In Memory of Joseph Fawcett”.