Steamboat Pilot & Today

KIDD RECEIVES 'SPIRIT OF SKIING AWARD'

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS Steamboat Director of Skiing Billy Kidd will always be among the most recognizable figures in American skiing. But his stature increased in Aspen Thursday when he received "The Spirit of Skiing Award," joining famous skiers and personalities like Stein Eriksen, Franz Klammer, Dick Durrance and Klaus Obermeyer.

The Bertolucci-Spirit of Skiing Award is presented to a person who has been a driving force in advancing the sport, and who embodies the "spirit" of skiing, according to the award's creator, Kiki Cutter. Cutter is herself a five-time World Cup champion. She founded a weekend-long event in Aspen called the Oldsmobile Bravada The Spirit of Skiing 2001. The "star-studded" event centers on skiing, music and fund-raising, Cutter said. The proceeds of the event benefit The Cancer Research Institute's Prostate Cancer Initiative and The Roaring Fork Conservancy.

Kidd was one of the first two U.S. male skiers to win an Olympic medal in alpine skiing (silver in 1964) and the first American man to win the World Championships combined gold medal (1970).

STRINGS GETS GRANT FOR SUMMER

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS Strings in the Mountains recently received a grant for $15,000 for the 2001 summer season. The grant is a 50-percent increase over last year and the money will be used for general support of artists and administration.

Because Strings in the Mountains hosts 80 events during the summer and only 22 percent of its budget is paid for in ticket sales, Betse Grassby, executive director for Strings, said the extra funding will help immensely.

"This 50-percent increase is really important because Strings keeps growing and the funding is always a challenge," Grassby said.

Although the grant for Strings only is for the summer, the organization works all year providing holiday concerts and educational outreach programs. Artists will give a lesson on the history of instruments in April to students in Steamboat, Hayden, Craig and Meeker.

HAYDEN TO JOIN IN ECONOMIC ALLIANCE

HAYDEN The Hayden Town Board is interested in joining an alliance being formed to promote economic development specifically for rural communities in Western Colorado.

To join the organization spearheaded by the governor's Office of Economic Development, the town must pay $2,500.

The alliance is being formed because the state office believes for too long Western Colorado has not been promoted in the right way.

The alliance would provide economic development leads for rural Western Slope communities. The alliance would go out and find potential businesses that match a community's work force and infrastructure.

The alliance will target manufacturing businesses for Western Colorado communities that deal with telecommunications, agriculture and forestry products, mining and electronics.