30 Jun What Lies Beyond the Office

Hello all,

Opportunities continue to come my way as I connect with more people here in the Denver area. I attended a Heritage Partnerships Program workshop with my supervisor, Vanessa, on the Chautauqua campus in Boulder this past week.  As soon as we stepped out of the vehicle I was at ease in the glowing sunshine of the buzzing campus.  The Chautauqua property was developed with the purpose of providing a place to host educational and cultural events.  It has the facilities to host camps, parties, meetings, concerts and various other events.  The landscaping and architecture are charming, and when combined with the dramatic backdrop of the Flatirons it makes for a beautiful area.

Vanessa and I were at the workshop to inform the Heritage Area leaders of the legislative liaison services the Public Affairs division provides to them.  Basically, Vanessa can help those leaders navigate laws that impact them and help them arrange visits with Congressmen so they can continue to receive support from the government and maintain strong relationships with their representatives.

After several presentations and updates from the Heritage Area leaders, we were able to have lunch as a group. Not only did I get a nice exposure to the number of historical places that are preserved in Colorado, but I also got a chance to capitalize on my desire to visit some small Rocky Mountain towns.  I come from a small town myself (Algona, Iowa ~5,000), and I have always appreciated the way small communities know how to throw down a celebration! I met the representative from South Park City Historic Area and inquired about what Independence Day festivities they could be hosting. He told me about the 5k race Fairplay is hosting on the 4th (perfect for a runner like me), along with the 70th Anniversary Burro Days events going on towards the end of July.  Burro Days includes “burro, llama, dog & outhouse races” along with “a parade, rides, cowboy church, gunfights” and plenty more events.  I love these kinds of things because each small town puts its unique twist on events and there are always funny stories that accompany the reasons behind why the events started in the first place.

Small town communities just know how to make the most of their resources and have a good time 

This week I will be working on a press release and communication plan for the upcoming Westwood Community kids camp on July 16th.  I’ll also be sitting in on conference calls regarding a bill impacting White Sands National Monument, and continuing work on the web page I mentioned last week.  I’m a little scatterbrained at times when I need to delegate different amounts of time to projects, so I’ll continue working on that this week and try to become a better resource for my team here! I have so much respect for all of them.

-Tangy