The Aspen Times

September 30, 1936 – July 31, 2026 Born on September 30, 1936, in New York City, Joel Gilbert always had a spark of mischief in his eye and lived what the ancient Greeks called a eudaimonic life — full of purpose, learning, and love. He lived in many places including Miami (worked as a radiologist), NYC, and London, but the Aspen Valley was home for close to 50 years.

One hundred and fifty years ago, and after four failed attempts, Colorado entered the Union as the 38th state. The sesquicentennial is the perfect time to brush up on the state’s history, so The Aspen Times asked six independent bookstores in the High Country to give their top book recommendations to satiate a variety of reading preferences.

The new Redstone Bridge will officially open Tuesday, Aug. 11, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7 p.m. The early completion of the project means the contractor, Myers and Sons, will receive the full early completion incentive offered for up to 25 days early at $2,000 a day, for a total for $50,000. The target date for project completion was Sept. 4.

The Snowmass Creek Trailhead Improvements project will begin construction Aug. 17, effectively reducing parking capacity from upward of 80 vehicles to 26 vehicles during the work.

The Giving Network has granted $887,850 to 34 local nonprofits with the aim of addressing gaps in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valley communities. The Giving Foundation’s mission is to give a collaborative forum, hosted by Aspen Community Foundation, for philanthropists to understand critical community needs, talk about opportunities and, through pooled funds, financially support nonprofits from Aspen to Parachute, according to a press release.

The town of Basalt is offering the community a chance to hear more about the proposed Public Services Facility project. The project will combine the Police and Public Works departments into one building to focus on safety, efficiency and long-term service to the community. The project is currently in the planning stage. There will be a public open house of the present police facility on Monday, Aug.

A free ticketed concert series, “Traffic Jams in The Vault,” presented by the Wheeler Opera House in partnership with the city of Aspen’s Transportation Department, began Aug. 3 and will run 4:30 to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays through Aug. 13 at 320 E. Hyman Ave. The lineup brings Colorado-based outlaw country rock band Drunken Hearts to Aspen for their first residency. Led by singer-songwriter Andrew McConathy, the band began its run Aug.

The other afternoon, I was at a local playground with a child I was caring for when a visiting mom struck up a conversation with me. Within minutes, our casual chat turned into a confession. She was road-tripping through Colorado from California with her husband and three children, ages 2, 4 and 6. She had planned every hour on a spreadsheet, but missed connections and unexpected delays had already thrown everything off. Now, the family was constantly racing against the clock.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife killed an uncollared male wolf belonging to the One Ear Pack on Aug. 4 in Grand County. The state wildlife agency said in a Wednesday news release that the wolf was killed after it was tied to four attacks on calves from June 29 to Aug. 1 in Jackson and Grand counties. The authority to kill wolves in Colorado, despite their federally protected status, is granted by its special 10j rule with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The life of our faithful and playful friend Kathy Gibbard will be celebrated from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Crown Mountain Park Clubhouse in El Jebel. It will be hot, so bring light fare to share. Drinks will be provided. In her long career as a nurse and then as infection control manager at Aspen Valley Hospital, she ruled sternly and with disciplined requirements for the whole hospital.