Snapshots of Our Community

Susan Miner book signing, Jan. 21
Palmer Lake Outdoor Classic, Jan. 6
John Howe at Silver Key, Jan. 9
Waters: Young Marine of the Year
Author Kevin Anderson at TLCA, Jan. 14
Gary Weston’s science fiction art at TLCA, Jan. 14
Kim Richey at TLCA, Jan. 21
New wells coming to Monument

Susan Miner book signing, Jan. 21

**Above**: Susan Miner of Palmer Lake signed copies of her first novel, Jewels of Kidron on Jan. 21 at Covered Treasures Bookstore in Monument. More than two dozen people showed up, including Vivian Cobb seen in photo, to have their copies signed. It took Miner five years to write the novel. She’s now working on a sequel. Miner has been active in the community for many years and is currently a member of the Palmer Lake Planning Commission and a former member of the Palmer Lake Board of Trustees. Photos by Michael Weinfeld.

Palmer Lake Outdoor Classic, Jan. 6

Above: The Annual Palmer Lake Outdoor Classic took place on Jan. 6 on a frozen Palmer Lake. Lewis-Palmer, Pine Creek, Cheyenne Mountain, and Chaparral high schools competed in the event. Chaparral’s Wolverines defeated Cheyenne Mountain 4-3 and then beat the Lewis-Palmer Rangers (pictured below) 5-4 to win the Classic. Photos by Creighton Smith.

John Howe at Silver Key, Jan. 9

**Above**: The Silver Key at Tri-Lakes Senior Center, 66 Jefferson St., Monument, hosted a presentation by John Howe on interpersonal communication titled “I’m talking, are you listening?” on Jan. 9. Howe is a local community leader with college-level presentation skills. In addition to its usual services, Silver Key at Tri-Lakes occasionally sponsors events and presentations like this. Please check the Silver Key website, https://www.silverkey.org/tri-lakes-events/ for scheduled events and activities. Photo by Steve Pate.

Waters: Young Marine of the Year

**Above**: Jackson Waters, 16, of Monument was named Division 4 Young Marine of the Year. Jackson will now compete with five other finalists for the highest honor, National Young Marine of the Year. Previously, Waters was named Unit Young Marine of the Year and earned two Gold Presidential Service Awards. He’s also a public affairs correspondent for the Young Marines program. The Young Marines is a national nonprofit youth education and service program for boys and girls age 8 through high school graduation. The program focuses on teaching the values of leadership, teamwork, and self-discipline. Photo courtesy of the Young Marines.

Author Kevin Anderson at TLCA, Jan. 14

Above and below: International best-selling author Kevin J. Anderson held a book-signing and lecture on Jan. 14 at the Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts (TLCA). Anderson has published over 175 books with 24 million copies in print in 35 languages. Anderson and his wife, Rebecca, are residents of Monument. He described his journey from a small town in Wisconsin where he made regular visits to the “bookmobile” to satiate his thirst for reading, especially science fiction, and later his study of astrophysics augmented his creativity in writing science fiction. He contributed to many Star Wars and other sci-fi odysseys. He signed copies of his books before and after his presentation, and part of the proceeds of book sales went to TLCA. Photos by Steve Pate.

Gary Weston’s science fiction art at TLCA, Jan. 14

Above and below: In conjunction with Kevin J. Anderson’s book-signing and presentation at the Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts on Jan. 14, Gary Weston displayed many of his science fiction-oriented creations made from readily available items. Examples include Voltron the Invincible, Altoid Radiocon Robot, and Nemo’s Robotic Submarine. Photos by Steve Pate.

Kim Richey at TLCA, Jan. 21

**Above**: An enthusiastic audience greeted Grammy-nominated Kim Richey to the Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts (TLCA) stage on Jan. 21. She said, “Connecting with the audience, the back and forth is what makes performing and the audience experience special.” And connect she did during her two-set concert with songs that stretched the breadth of her nearly 30-year music career. Richey introduced each song with a little bit of background starting with her eight-hour journey from Durango over Wolf Pass to reach Colorado Springs. She related how she finds inspiration for each song, from a snowy walk on a London evening, to an Ian Fleming quote about villains, to a one liner from the TV show Hill Street Blues. Beginning with Every River, Richey tapped into all her albums with songs such as Chinese Box, Come Around, Pin A Rose, London Town, and Chase Wild Horses. Photo by David Futey.

New wells coming to Monument

Above and below: The Town of Monument will be drilling three new wells. The site for Well 11 (seen in left and top right photos) is in the open space west of Park Trail Drive near Blizzard Valley Trail. A sound barrier has been built around it to protect neighbors from the noise of 24-hour drilling. Well 12 (bottom right photo) will be off Mitchell and Santa Fe Avenues, and Well 13 will be near Santa Fe Trail and Fourth Street. The town estimates the drilling will take about three weeks to complete. Photos by Michael Weinfeld.