October 16, 2008
Youth softball/baseball Spaghetti Dinner
by Karen Wallace
The Lyons Recorder
Although youth softball and baseball are several months away, the Lyons Youth Baseball/Softball Association (LYBSA) is gearing for another successful season. The LYBSA is a non-profit organization run by volunteers that serves over 150 children in the Lyons area. The LYBSA board of directors strives to make participation in softball and baseball affordable for all families by keeping the fees low and offering scholarships to families that are unable to pay.
The LYBSA, in conjunction with Wild Bill’s Grill, is holding a fund raising Spaghetti Dinner and bake sale on Friday, Oct. 24, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. Tickets for the event are $6, and can be purchased at the door.
LYBSA Gearing up
for Spring Ball!
On Saturday, Nov. 22, the LYBSA is sponsoring a casino bus trip, leaving from Lyons with round trip service to Fortune Valley in Central City. The cost of the bus trip is $30 for individuals or $50 per couple. The bus trip includes raffles, games and a discount on food at the casino. Participants are invited to bring their own food and beverage on the bus.
The LYBSA strives to give all children wishing to play ball the opportunity to be part of a team where they can learn the fundamentals of softball or baseball, and the life lessons that are learned by both winning and loosing.
LYBSA board member, Desirae Vannorsdel, has a long history with the organization and is passionate about it for many reasons. “The City of Lyons is unique in that it does not have a youth sports program. That’s where the LYBSA comes in,” says Vannorsdel. “We are a non-profit organization that allows more than 150 kids to play baseball and softball in their hometown. I grew up playing in this program. It is up to us to raise money and awareness about our organization so we can continue to offer the kids of Lyons the same great summers I had. We provide scholarships, uniforms and good quality equipment but the real value is in those unforgettable summers. We hope that not only LYBSA families, but the whole community will come support us and make our spaghetti dinner a great success. It’s a reasonably priced dinner and it’s sure to be a fun night out.”
For more information on the fundraisers or getting your child involved in the LYBSA please call Shirley at (303) 823-3000.
Sunday Film series continues
by Staff Writer
The Lyons Recorder
A Month of Sundays, a documentary film series being presented here in Lyons during the month of October, continues this Sunday afternoon, Oct. 19, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Lyons Community Church on Main Street. The four-part program is being presented by Transition Lyons, a new initiative seeking to engage the community in the process of designing a practical pathway to a more self-reliant and sustainable future. Each film and discussion is a stand-alone event, and one doesn’t need to have attended the previous films and discussions to participate.
This week’s documentary is “The Power of Community: How Cuba survived peak oil.” Cuba, an isolated island nation, rebuilt its quality of life following the collapse of cheap oil, supplied by the former Soviet Union. This fascinating and empowering film shows how communities pulled together, created solutions, and ultimately thrived in spite of their decreased dependence on imported energy. Cuba, the only country that has faced such a crisis, is an example of options and hope.
After the film there will be an informal discussion with Dave Wann, author of the books “Reinventing Community” and “Superbia! 31 ways to create sustainable neighborhoods.” There is a $5 suggested donation for the evening’s program. For more information or to arrange childcare, please call Jennifer Murnan, at (303) 823-6336.
Lyons locals core performers at Boulder Theater
by Lizzy Scully
The Lyons Recorder
Though Alicia Dunfee’s character in the Boulder Dinner Theatre’s 2007 production of “Mid Life! The Crisis Musical” wasn’t supposed to sing the song, “Biological Clock,” her husband, Music Director Neal Dunfee, and the rest of the staff thought it appropriate for her to do so.
“She had been burning to have a baby for like 20 years,” said Neal. “It was literally her theme song.” The crazy thing was that during that run, she actually conceived.
One year later, the theatrical/musical couple has a baby girl named Samantha – but who they call Prugh. Sitting in the Stone Cup earlier this week, the couple took turns eating and holding Prugh while sharing the story of their lives with the Berthoud Recorder.
Ali, who is now 38, grew up in Houston, but spent a lot of her childhood playing in Las Vegas’ theaters, where her father worked as a comedian and ventriloquist and her mother a dancer. “I spent every summer in some backstage of a variety of showrooms,” Ali said. She initially danced, but picked up acting and singing in high school, and she attended Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., for a degree in music theater. After graduating, she found her way to Boulder, Colo., where she worked on the production of, “The Will Roger’s Follies.” She’s “pretty much been there ever since,” though she’s also worked for other theaters on the Front Range. She now choreographs most of the Boulder Dinner Theatre’s shows, directs about one show per year and is the assistant to the producer.
“I’ve got plenty to do,” she stated. “And now I get to be a mom, too.”
Neal found his way to the theater soon after graduating from high school. He’s been a core member of the crew since 1989, starting as the pianist and graduating to the music director. As a director, he puts the five- to eight-member bands together for each show and teaches band members the music.
Neal also knew from a young age that he wanted to make a living as an artist. He started playing piano with his five siblings at age six. “There wasn’t anything else I really wanted to do,” he said. He played the clarinet, saxophone and other instruments for his high school’s band, drums for the marching band, and he majored in music at Missouri Western. He then attended graduate school because he thought he wanted to be a band director. However, he realized that he “was more interested in playing” music than teaching it. That’s when he found the ad in the paper for the pianist position at the dinner theater in the mountains he had often visited as a childhood. He got the job and moved to Boulder, then to a cabin with no running water in Nederland. When he met Ali, they moved to a rustic house (but one that had a shower, added Ali) also in Nederland.
After a brief stint in Las Vegas, the couple found a home for rent on the St. Vrain River in Lyons, and moved there in 2001. Lyons, the couple agreed, offers them the perfect mix of safety for their child, access to nature and also proximity to Front Range theaters.
“It’s really fun just to be able to play music every night for a living and live here,” Neal explained. “It’s fairly rare.”
“It all fits,” added Ali, “…where we live, where we work, what we have. We’re just lucky.”
The couple is currently performing in “Mid Life! The Crisis Musical” through Nov. 8, and will start on “The Producers,” through the winter season. For more information, visit: www.theatreinboulder.com.