City Holiday Schedules
Longmont city government observes the New Year holiday on Sunday, January 1, and Monday, January 2. On Sunday, all City facilities will be closed. On Monday, most City facilities will be closed; all Recreation facilities except the St. Vrain Memorial Building will be open regular hours. On Saturday, December 31, the Museum will close at 1 pm, and all Recreation facilities except the Ice Pavilion close at 3 pm. For Recreation schedules visit LongmontColorado.gov/rec. Trash and recycling collection will be one day later than usual during the week.

Ride RTD for Free This Weekend
For the eighth year in a row, the Regional Transportation District (RTD) is partnering with Coors Light and Coors Distributing Company to offer free rides on New Year’s Eve on all regularly-scheduled bus and rail service, as well as Access-a-Ride and SkyRide services. Free service will run from 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 31, to 7 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 1. Passengers have more options this year because of the opening of the Flatiron Flyer service along U.S. 36, the University of Colorado A Line to East Denver and the B Line to Westminster. For fare and schedule information, visit www.rtd-denver.com or call RTD Customer Care at 303-299-6000 or TDD 303-299-6089 from 6 am to 6 pm on New Year’s Eve.

Volunteer to Teach English
Intercambio Uniting Communities is looking for volunteers! They train volunteers to teach English to adult immigrants one-on-one and in groups in and around Longmont. NO teaching experience or Spanish language ability is necessary, and there is an expected commitment of approximately four hours per week. You’re invited to a volunteer information session in Longmont or Boulder to learn more. The next information sessions will from 6 to 7 pm on February 21 and March 1 at the Boulder office. Visit intercambio.org for the schedule of upcoming sessions, or call 303-996-0275 or email volunteer@intercambio.org. 

Holiday Tree Recycling
Through January 8 the City of Longmont provides four Christmas tree drop-off locations: Roosevelt Park – parking lot south of 8th Avenue, Garden Acres Park – west side of parking lot off 18th Avenue, Kanemoto Park – parking lot off of S. Pratt Parkway, and Centennial Park – east parking lot off of Alpine Street. Please remove all holiday decorations and light strands. You also can recycle your tree at the Waste Diversion Center, 140 Martin Street, from 7:30 am to 4:45 pm, Monday through Saturday. For more information visit LongmontColorado.gov/solidwaste or call 303-651-8416.

Power Down? Give LPC a Call
A typical Longmont home can go years between power outages (if it sees them at all), but if the cold and icy winter weather knocks out your power, Longmont Power & Communications wants to get everything back on as quickly as possible. Call LPC’s outage line at 303-776-0011 any time of day or night – even holidays! – so that a crew can come out and help. Customers also can call LPC’s main office number, 303-651-8386, but please do not report an outage by email or Facebook, as these may not be checked until regular business hours. Best wishes for a bright new year!

Children’s Tumbling Classes Begin in January
Recreation Services has partnered with Airborne Gymnastics to offer TUMBLESTARS recreation tumbling classes for children ages 1-6. Participants will develop introductory gymnastics skills while having fun! For those age 3-6 with high energy, the new Active Warrior class provides them the opportunity to run, jump and roll just like their favorite TV ninjas. All classes are held at the St. Vrain Memorial Building, 700 Longs Peak Avenue. The next session of four-week classes begins the week of January 3. To register, visit LongmontColorado.gov/rec or call 303-651-8404.

Mix and Mingle with Creative Crafters
The Longmont Public Library will host a new meet-up for creative crafters from 10 am to noon every first and third Saturday of the month beginning January 7. Adults and older teens who are working on a craft project are invited to bring their knitting, sewing, drawing, crocheting, scrapbooking, or other creative endeavor to the new “Make & Mingle” craft time and enjoy some like-minded company as they create. Crafters and makers are asked to bring whatever they’re working on plus their own supplies. Coffee, tea and snacks will be provided. No registration is necessary.

No Digging, No Problem
Even in the cold-weather months, NextLight construction keeps on going. When freezing temperatures hit, you may notice our installation crews laying fiber conduit on the ground instead of digging into the hard soil to bury it. This is a standard industry practice, and we will be back to put the line underground when the ground thaws out. Meanwhile, remember to watch our NextLight construction map for the latest updates on where we’re working and where service is available. Have a Happy New Year!