Barbara Lawlor, Nederland. Two decades ago there were many residents who thought putting up a lodge next to Boulder Creek in downtown Nederland was an insult to our mountain way of life.

The man behind the plans was Vance Boeve, who was surprised at the controversy his proposal evoked, but he was determined to go aheadwith the project.

Last Memorial Day was the 20th anniversary of the opening of The Best Western Lodge at Nederland, but Vance was not here for the celebration. He died in his Texas home almost a year ago, on January 26, after four years of battling Alzheimer's Disease. But his wife and son have carried on his Nederland log lodge dream.

Vance spent his childhood in California and then moved to Boulder when he was in junior high school. He attended Baseline Junior High and then Boulder High School. He was an athlete, loved to ski and be in the mountains. His family  owned part of the Best Western Golden Buff on 28th Street in Boulder, but Vance preferred to live in Nederland, wanting to get away from the hubbub of the college town; besides, he liked Nederland. In 1986 he rented a house on Ridge Road.

Pam, Vance's wife, grew up in Upstate New York and moved to Boulder after she graduated from college in 1980 to ski and live in Colorado. She was hired as a manager at the Buff Restaurant and in 1989 she and Vance met; they were married 10 years later.

"Vance thought that Nederland would be a good place to have a business. He was a vibrant, social, jovial man and thought that a top class lodge would make Nederland a better place to visit. But he soon discovered there were issues," says Pam.

When the proposal went to the Nederland Town Board of Trustees, there were many residents who showed up saying they were against  having an affiliation business in town. They didn't believe the plans that said the building would be made of logs, they thought it would be an eyesore. Many town meetings took place with people arguing back and forth on both sides. The wetlands issue was brought up, but Vance came up with answers to all of the opposition.

The application process began in 1991. Bryan Brown was the mayor at the time and the majority of the board was for the project. Dave Felkley and Violet Aandres were proponents of the project and rallied round Vance and Pam.

The plans were solid and they were approved with a few conditions. The building was constructed by American Timber Craftsman; designed and built in Ogden, Utah.

It took two days to set the building which came already built, and less than six months to attach everything. The building had arrived with everything needed to begin.

At first there was mixed feedback. Later, when the business was up and running, some of the original naysayers came in to apologize, saying that the lodge was an asset to the town.

Pam says that their opening day was quiet; at that time not too many people knew that the Lodge at Nederland was open. "We could rollerblade naked down the halls," laughed Vance at the time. They rented five rooms the first night. Now that the building was built, they had to build the business.

"The first couple of years we were somewhat empty," says Pam, "and we wondered if we had done the right thing."  Then they hooked up with Best Western marketing, which put them on lodging lists all over the world.

Sons Patrick and Taylor grew up skiing on the Nederland High School team and working as housekeepers, launderers, and landscapers at the lodge.

Vance did his winter recreation in Ned and also had a house in Texas where he surfed and water-skied. He loved to be outdoors having a good time. He never wanted to be involved in town politics.

The Lodge always did good business in the summer months, but other times it was an economic roller coaster ride. But the Boeves persevered.

People stopped in on their way through town and decided they would come back and stay at the Lodge. As Frozen Dead Guy Days grew in fame, reservations poured in for the weekend, usually a year in advance.

Ski groups filled the lodge during the winter and rooms were filled with families coming in for local weddings or graduations, NedFest, and Miners' Days.

Some of the families have been returning to the Lodge since it opened. Some have summer cabins and they invite relatives to visit and stay at the large log hotel.

Dave Felkley, who recently passed away, worked the front desk, greeting people from all over the world, until the lodge went to computers and he wouldn't have anything to do with them. Local teens were hired to help during the summer and many of them still come back to work. When Ned graduate Jessica Pitzer was married, she and her friends rented rooms in the lodge to prepare for the ceremony.

Pam says, "We introduce people to the town so they have a good experience staying here. We make them feel at home."

The rooms are large and cozy at the same time. The downstairs rooms have gas fireplaces. All the rooms have coffee makers, a fridge, a microwave, and a hair dryer. There is a complimentary breakfast of pancakes and cereal, free wifi, and cookies when you arrive.

In the last month, the Best Western sign has come down and the sign outside the building advertises Magnuson Hotel. Pam said that with the new owners of Best Western, she lost much of her independence as to how her business was run. She approached Magnuson and was pleased with their policies, paying them a percentage for their marketing tie-in to their booking engines.

"It has been 20 years of a great experience," says Pam. "I enjoy the people and have made many friends who stay in contact and keep coming back. Patrick, my son, and his wife Emily help me run the business."

Whether the sign out front says Best Western or Magnuson, the big log building next to Boulder Creek in downtown Nederland will probably always be called The Lodge.