Sooner or later, everyone must deal with the side effects of getting older. While some are positive effects like becoming wiser from life’s experiences, others are less so. Slowly but surely, what we once were able to do with ease suddenly becomes painful. Try as we might to overcome it or ignore it, there comes a time when we all must come to terms with it so we can begin the process of reinventing ourselves with grace. That is exactly what Chris Perrett, a.k.a. Dr. Fixit, did when he set aside his tools and spent some time contemplating what our growing mountain community needed. As the lightbulb illuminated over his head and his finger went into the air, he said “AHA! People need a ride!” Thus, Peaceful Rides was born. Emerging on the scene in October of 2017, it was first offered in conjunction with events such as shows at the Caribou Room or Frozen Dead Guy Days. Now half way through his second year, Chris pulls his cell phone away from his ear to tell me that things are going very well. People text him to arrange for rides to and from future shows at Red Rocks, he is already reserved for Dead & Company when they show up later in the year, and he also has been booked for a couple of weddings. He is so busy, in fact, that he has purchased a second van so he can start offering courier services between Nederland and Gilpin County, and down to Boulder from either location. He is also soon to add trips to the airport and is planning on adding an ADA accommodation to one of his vans in the spring. The one thing Chris is emphatic about is the need to text him rather than call him. He explained that many times he will be inside a venue where cell service for phone calls is horrible but he can receive a text. If you want prompt service, always text him at 303-588-9317. With Frozen Dead Guy Days coming up this weekend, Chris is looking to set up a shuttle between Nederland and Mid-Gilpin County. For more information, shoot him a text to find out. One thing is for certain, with all the traffic coming his way, Chris Perret is filling a niche with Peaceful Rides in this growing Front Range area. Turn over your keys and send him a text. Then recline the passenger seat and sail away!
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The Mountain-Ear newspaper covers the news of the peak to peak region from Allenspark to Idaho Springs. Advertising, subscriptions, marketing plans for every business. Local news of the peak to peak region with a strong focus on Allenspark to Idaho Springs. Hyper local to Nederland and Gilpin County. Founded in 1977, The Mountain-Ear has been covering the news of the peak to peak region for over four decades!
Every once in a while, I have great difficulty putting my thoughts into words. Nothing thus far has been more challenging than this one. Not because I had a bad experience but because my experience was beyond remarkable; it’s going to be impossible for words to do it any justice. Nonetheless, I will try. They say that entering the unknown is one of the scariest things humans can do. Yet, it often comes with big rewards. I was reminded of this as I heard Kathy Ott share her life, dreams, and plans as an entrepreneur. This is an introduction to how Ott, a Colorado native, became the owner of not one but two restaurants in Coal Creek Canyon. Ott’s father and grandfather built a cabin in Eldora in the 60s, which became the family vacation getaway. Ott shares, “I have fond childhood memories of hiking into the cabin over the creek in the winter.” Her parents instilled in her a love of the mountains and, “particularly, the love of the little Eldora valley and surrounding mountains.” Ott went to CU undergrad and DU law. With an undergrad degree in molecular biology, Ott planned to attend med school. However, after her children went to elementary school, she couldn’t pass up an opportunity to be involved in science and law. Ott has been a patent attorney for about 15 years, becoming a shareholder at Merchant & Gould in 2017. Ott and her husband, Ted Ott, whom rumors confirm makes incredible sourdough bread, met while they were in college. They’ve been married for nearly 30 years. The couple purchased a cabin in Coal Creek Canyon in 2018. The Otts have two adult sons they are incredibly proud of and who have both graduated from college and are off pursuing careers in aerospace engineering and business. When asked how the family was impacted by the pandemic, Ott responds, “We all sheltered together at the cabin during COVID, which was awesome for me and my husband and less than awesome for the boys!” In January 2020, she lateraled as a partner in a large general practice firm, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath. As a patent prosecutor, Ott’s practice focuses on “obtaining patent protection for her clients’ inventions and offensively and defensively protecting those inventions in the marketplace,” says Ott. After moving to Coal Creek Canyon, Ott discovered a newfound love of the unique community. That love began with Adeline Clairmont, which inspired Ott to purchase the Wondervu Café. Though Ott had never been a business owner, she has worked as a partner at a large law firm down the hill. On October 4, 2021, Ott signed on the dotted line and entered a life of unknowns. Little did she know, she would be changing the lives of the residents in Coal Creek Canyon. The first step in Ott’s plans was to ask the community for feedback. She didn’t just hear them either. She listened. The most common recommendation she received was the pricing of food. Working with her team, they consolidated items on their menu, allowing for a 19% drop: A solution almost unheard of in the restaurant business. The good news is that food remains as delicious as when Clairmont owned the cafe. Several months later, a few cosmetic changes began. Ott waved her magic wand, remodeled the bathrooms, painted the walls to accentuate the log cabin feel, and gave the community more reasons to feel at home. “I want people to come for the view, stay for the food, and make plans to return,” shares Ott of her goals. Marinating the creativity and innovation of her staff, guests will soon have additional drinks and dishes to enjoy. The café’s gift shop will transform into a small mountain market where residents can purchase produce, milk, and savory sourdough bread, to name a few. With more renovations planned for the future, I’m sure more and more people will enter and not want to leave. And it’ll be for more reasons than just the view. The Wondervu Café is a place for families to enjoy and bond over Rocky Mountain food. Don’t forget to pick up a jar of Clairmont’s salsa when you visit. Less than two miles from the Wondervu Café is the Last Stand Tavern, soon the Canyon Tavern. One year and two weeks after her first purchase, Ott makes her second Coal Creek Canyon purchase. Like the cafe, the tavern also underwent a few alterations. Though the menu remains the same, one of the most drastic upgrades has been the quality of the food. Plan on staying a while when you visit the tavern. Lots of treats to enjoy, and they start with meals. The Philly Cheesesteak sandwich should be a good starting point, then work through the menu. The house made ranch and blue cheese dressings make the perfect companion for your French fries. When I say housemade, I mean from scratch. As are the chicken tenders and several of the items on the menu. Are you drooling yet? Need more reasons to visit the tavern? Every other Friday, you can partake in tavern karaoke. On Saturdays, you can continue singing with live music. The Canyon Tavern is the gathering place for friends, where regulars claim their barstools, strangers become friends, and Ott “wants people to leave feeling better than when they came in.” Welcome to the Canyon Tavern, what I’m calling the “Cheers” of the Rocky Mountains. Next time you could use a friend, make it a point to visit the Canyon Tavern, where everybody knows your name. If they don’t, they will. The various dishes, entertainment, staff, and ambiance of the restaurants offer something different for everyone. These are more than just a couple of places to eat or drink and Ott isn’t just another restaurant owner. Ott is so dedicated to the progress of these two community staples, she’s starting her own part-time law firm to make more time for the restaurants, her staff, and the Coal Creek Canyon community. I can’t decide what I love more. Ott’s passion for the community, her plans, the new feel of the Wondervu Café and Canyon Tavern, or the fact that she wasn’t just talking about plans; she was taking action in front of my eyes. Perhaps, it’s the sum of all these things that seem to make Ott the perfect person for entrepreneurship. I hope Coal Creek Canyonites realize how lucky they are that Ott purchased these two restaurants and not some random Joe who only cared about money. She cares. She truly does care. Trust me. Give her time. When entrepreneurship comes from the heart, it can be a slow and creative process, especially when you try to get things right the first time. You will see, as I saw, in mere hours, the beauty she has already started to bestow upon your community. From my humble experience, the restaurant business could use more people like Ott. The Wondervu Café is at 33492 Highway 72, Golden, Colorado. The cafe can be reached by phone at 303- 642-7197. To learn more, visit http:// wondervucafe.net/. Find them on social media at https://www.facebook.com/ WondervuCafe. The Canyon Tavern is at 32138 Highway 72, Golden, Colorado. The tavern can be reached by phone at 303-642-3180. Find them on social media at https://www.facebook.com/ Coalcreekcanyontavern.
Catherine has been a licensed Real Estate Broker in Colorado since 2000 and has experience working in a diverse group of markets from single-family residential to multi-family units, condos, investments and to just finding that perfect place to call home. She does business from the mountains to the plains and offers her clients pressure free real estate services and a smooth and well-managed transaction. She also spent seven years managing HOA's and individual rentals in the Boulder area. This background has given her a tremendous amount of working experience for the first-time home buyer, property investor or attached dwelling purchaser. She relocated to the Boulder area in 1991 from San Francisco and has resided in the foothills for the majority of her time spent in Colorado. She currently lives in the Nederland area. In 1999, she graduated from the University of Colorado, Phi Beta Kappa, with a degree in Physical Geography and Biology. Catherine specializes in the Front Range Community from Estes Park to Black Hawk, Longmont, Lafayette, Louisville, Boulder and the surrounding communities. She has a lot of knowledge to share and enjoys helping her clients buy or sell their most important investments!
Mark Cohen: Author, journalist - The Mountain-Ear (themtnear.com)
Full service grocery store located in Nederland, CO. https://www.themtnear.com/articles/bf-mountain-market-taking-care-of-community/
One of Boulder County’s best music venues lives right here in Ned. The Caribou Room’s kitchen is open for dinner on show nights. Read more: The Caribou Room keeps music alive - The Mountain-Ear (themtnear.com)
The Backdoor Theatre is located in the Nederland Community Center. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization created in the year 2000 to bring a wide variety of entertainment to the 206-seat venue. First run movies and more take place most Friday and Saturday evenings. We believe in offering an evening’s entertainment at very reasonable prices – in a comfortable relaxed atmosphere – without the usual assault of advertising on the screen. ($6 adults, $3 kids 12-under, concessions are $1-4.00) We’re always looking for new volunteers! Give us a call or send an email.
Ski Resort in Eldora, Colorado.
Ferrellgas propane company.
Forget-Me-Not opens in new location - The Mountain-Ear (themtnear.com)
Gilpin County Parks & Recreation offers many programs for all ages! Enjoy swimming, fitness classes, ceramics, special events, team sports, youth camp, cardio and weight equipment and so much more!
High Timber: Four decades of logging - The Mountain-Ear (themtnear.com)
Home on the Range Real Estate Inc. Alexandra Armitage, Broker
Ford and Company Real Estate: Family to Family Service Liz Ford, the owner of Ford and Company Real Estate, has over 38 years of real estate service under her belt, and her husband, David Ford, was a custom home builder for 40 years, so their son, Will Ford, was born into real estate and construction and fully understands the dynamics home buyers are looking for. He attended his first closing at 3 weeks old and he’s gathered experience from his parents ever since. With an eye toward quality and affordability, the Fords have created a uniquely personal Real Estate business in the Peak to Peak region specifically, for the last 24 years, and branched out with their own franchise in 2017. They enjoy meeting and serving all of the wonderful people of Nederland and stressed that right now is a special time for both buyers and sellers, as market prices are high and interest rates are low, they are able to accommodate retirees looking for investment properties as well people looking to downsize or upgrade for a growing family. First time homebuyers are encouraged to apply for mortgage loans, as interest rates are historically low and unlikely to stay that way. Sellers can benefit from the booming housing market in the Boulder County area and Ford and Company Realtors are happy to venture beyond the mountain areas to find homes for residents needing or wanting to move down below. Liz Ford brings to the table her extensive knowledge of the housing market and construction options. Will Ford brings his lifelong expertise and fresh outlook, while their other two agents, Tom Commerford and Mary Colas, bring their own individualized and experienced approaches to serving the mountain community, creating a very well-rounded and exceptional mountain business we are lucky to have, serving all of our mountain friends efficiently and individually. Liz Ford can be contacted at lizford7@gmail.com or by phone at 303-517-0351. Please visit their website at fordcorealty.com for further information.
Brightwood Music, a local mountain music gem Want to hook up with the music scene in Nederland, Colorado? You can, at Brightwood Music, a full-service retail music store in beautiful Nederland. Many of our customers are professionally touring musicians, who have spread our reputation far and wide. The store’s staff have access to famous, professional Nederland musicians and offer lessons from musicians including” BlackDog” Jon Ridnell. We specialize in sales, service and repair of musical instruments and accessories. We buy, sell and repair all types of musical instruments including guitars, banjos, basses, mandolins, violins, violas, cellos, ukulele, horns, woodwinds and many others. We also sell PA systems, amplifiers, and specialize in recommending and installing pickup systems in a variety of acoustic instruments for the discerning musician who is looking for interesting and unique selections, prompt and knowledgeable service, good product value and music lessons to further their understanding and enjoyment of our products. Brightwood is dedicated to the local school programs and is proud to partner with educators and students in many ways. Call or come by the store for estimates and other information about these and other services. We are located at 20 E. Lakeview Drive, Unit 109, Nederland. (303)258-8863.
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Read More: Brightwood Music offers instrument repairs, service and a smile