Gratitude expressed for ditch picnic supporters and attendees

Editor:
A big thank you goes out to all who attended, hosted, and funded the free Gunnison Ditch Picnic: Celebration and Blessing of the Return of the Waters held at Legion Park on Saturday, May 16.
Supporters include the City of Gunnison, the Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan, Safeway, Walmart, Four Seasons Apartments, and Western Lumber.
Speakers and performers included Jonathan Houck (County Commissioner), Loren Ahonen (City Council), Brooke Zanetell (WCU assistant professor), Julian Klingsmith (musician), Philip Handmaker (musician), and countless children and high school students whose creative works of ditch art and poetry were displayed.

Hosts of education and activity tables included: Camren Hovey on Backyard Birds, Bees, and Trees; Zoe Keith and Steve Ogden on Ditch History and Preservation; Pete Rice, Public Works Director, on the Gunnison Ditch System and Water Projects; Lyda Hardy and Vickie Roach with Voter Registration Information provided by the League of Women Voters; Max Sawyer and Jamie Wells of the Producers’ Guild with Tips on Growing Food with Ditch Water; and Teri Pearce, Judy Gazzoli, and Ella Skokan of The Origami Sisters demonstrated how to fold fish from origami paper and sold cards that benefited the Gunnison Food Pantry. Card sales at the event raised $117 for the Food Pantry!
Blessings and a message of unity and working together during this time of drought were facilitated by Keira Noble (WCU) and Lucia Handmaker (GHS) and given by Reverend Laura Osborne (Church of the Good Samaritan), Pastor Ian Wrisley (Gunnison Congregational Church), Greg Kruthaupt (educator and rancher), and Matt Neufeld (B’nai Butte member).
Free lunch was provided with support from sponsors and donations from the Food Pantry with help from Kristiana Fowlkes, WCU student.
Lastly, thank you to all who came and made this event a huge success. Community leaders and water champions joined together with high school and college students, children, residents, and families to celebrate the gifts of Gunnison River water to our community.
Lastly, thank you to Chris Coady for the use of his song A River Runs Through Us which we sang together at the event: “A river runs through us, I see it everywhere. Such beauty given to us, love her and treat her with care.”

Elisa Elsberry, Camren Hovey, Zoe Keith, Race Lessar and Brooke Zanetell (Western Colorado University students/alumni/faculty)
Ditch Picnic event hosts and organizers