Postcards From Palisade
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© Lisa McNamara
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Welcome to the podcast where we hear from the people who are shaping our slice of western Colorado. Wonder what cool and interesting things your neighbors in Palisade are up to? Listen for hyperlocal stories about Palisade, to learn about fun things to do, and to find out how you can help make your own backyard great. Visit postcardsfrompalisade.com for more.
32 Episodes
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Wake up your wanderlust with this episode featuring Sarah Steele, travel advisor with Find Your Why Travel: Wine Edition. Sarah grew up in Palisade and after living around the world, found her way back to the western slope and to Colorado wine.
Sarah and I chat about why she loves to bring Colorado wine to France and how you can take part in that kind of adventure, why travel agents/advisors are still very necessary, why group wine trips are so much fun, and why no wine or wine making style is bad (especially when you’re on vacation). Sarah also shares some of the cool things she’s learned about winemaking techniques in places like Georgia (the country) and Croatia and why some of her best travel experiences happened when she faced her fears.
For more about Sarah and Find Your Why Travel: Wine Edition, email her at sarah@findyourwhytravel.com or go to wineadventureswithsarah.com.
Theme Music: Riverbend by Geoff Roper.
Today I’m joined by Richard McDonald. Richard and his wife, Aly McDonald, own Colorado Vintners and Cliff Dweller Wine. Their newest venture, Grand Valley Enology, is an on-site wine lab that provides juice and wine chemistry analysis to grape growers and winemakers in the Grand Valley. Richard’s goal is to provide lab services for everyone, from commercial wineries to home winemakers, to improve the overall quality of wine coming out of the Grand Valley and to save everyone some money along the way.
Richard has had an expansive career in the wine industry, working all over the world in some of the top wineries and vineyards. We chat about his experiences working around the globe, why he and Aly decided to open a winery and lab in Palisade after all that, and the best things about owning a winery in a relatively young wine region.
Richard also expands on why he wanted to start a wine lab, why it’s important to have a local lab resource, and what he and Aly are getting into next.
More about Richard and Aly’s projects at coloradovintners.com Email them at lab@vincollect.com
Theme Music: Riverbend by Geoff Roper
Join JoAnn Rasmussen, Chair of the Palisade Historical Society, and me on a fun journey through Palisade’s past, present, and future and catch her contagious love of history in general and Palisade history in particular.
We chat about the Palisade Historical Society’s project to digitize the entire archive of the Palisade Tribune and what you can learn from old newspapers, the historic houses of Palisade, and what the town of Palisade did before it had an ambulance.
Learn all about who put the flagpole on the cliffs above Palisade and who changes the flag now, the first pickleball court in Mesa County, the best obituary in the Palisade Tribune, whether we believe in ghosts, and what people are going to be talking about in Palisade 100 years from today.
More about the Palisade Historical Society: LINKMore about the historic issues of the Palisade Tribune: LINKMore about the Palisade History Museum: LINK
Theme Music: Riverbend by Geoff Roper.
You may have seen the signs posted in your favorite businesses around town or come across the messages while scrolling through Instagram. The eye catching block lettered logo: Do Palisade Right, the kind of photos you might take when you’re out enjoying a fun day around town, and six tips with cheerful graphics.
But where did Do Palisade Right come from, and what’s it all about?
Hilary Lewkowitz, Director of Destination Development & Sustainability at the Colorado Tourism Office, joins me to talk about the Do Colorado Right campaign (a statewide campaign that Do Palisade Right is part of), how her team works with cities and towns to capture their unique voice, what campaigns like this are intended to do, how visitors can explore Colorado responsibly and respectfully, and how residents can do right by visitors.
More about the Colorado Tourism Office: LINKMore about Do Palisade Right: LINK
Music: Riverbend by Geoff Roper.
What did the Colorado riverfront used to look like in the Grand Valley? What are the One Riverfront Commission and the Grand Valley River Corridor Initiative why do they matter to Palisade residents? When will Palisade finally get that riverfront trail connection?
Joel Sholtes joins me to talk about all this and lots more fun river facts. Joel teaches civil engineering, specializing in water resources engineering, at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction. Joel also serves on the One Riverfront Commission and the Grand Valley River Corridor Initiative. Join us and think cool river thoughts on this scorching summer day!
More about One Riverfront: https://www.gjcity.org/524/One-Riverfront
More about Grand Valley River Corridor Initiative: https://www.coloradomesa.edu/water-center/grand-valley-river-corridor-initiative.html
Lu Frederick is leading the charge to develop the Palisade Community Garden in downtown Palisade, along with Lehl Chase-Nason. Lu joins me to talk about the history of the garden, what’s been built so far, what’s next, and how you can get involved.
Learn all about how a hard-working team of volunteers is transforming a piece of undevelopable land by the railroad tracks from a weedy gravel lot into a thriving place for community members to gather, learn, and of course, grow!
Follow the Palisade Community Garden on Facebook
Today I have the pleasure of speaking with one of my favorite people in Palisade and beyond, Kristen Seymour. Kristen and I chat about how her two local businesses, Harlow and The Merc, tie into Palisade’s history, what she’d change if she could start over again, whether she was expecting to be honored with both business of the year and person of the year recognition by the Palisade Chamber of Commerce, and her goals and ambitions as a small business owner in Palisade.
Kristen shares the path that brought her to Palisade, how raising kids here is different from the other places her family has lived, what Palisade does right and what could use a little more work, and the awesome power of locals supporting local businesses in the off-season.
More about Harlow and The Merc.
On today’s Postcard from Palisade, we learn all about Palisade High School’s unique fish hatchery program, the fish they raise, and how they are released from the hatchery team. It's a fishy good time!
For more about the hatchery, check out their website.
For more about the podcast: postcardsfrompalisade.com
Music: Riverbend by Geoff Roper.
March marks the one year anniversary of the Postcards from Palisade Podcast! Listen to find out what’s ahead for year two, to celebrate past guests’ favorite things about Palisade, and to hear the debut of the podcast’s new intro music, written and created by a local Palisadian!
For more about the podcast: postcardsfrompalisade.com
Music: Riverbend by Geoff Roper.
Last September, a fire broke out at Mark Williams’ and Sarah Schaeffer’s place when they weren’t home. Their garage, filled with all the implements of Mark’s pedicab business, quickly burnt to the ground, while their house and neighboring structures were damaged. Luckily, trucks from every fire department around the Grand Valley quickly arrived to extinguish the flames before they spread further, but the impact to Mark’s business, Palisade Pedicab, was devastating.
What followed was an incredible outpouring of support from the Palisade community that was wonderful to witness. On today’s Postcard from Palisade, Mark opens up about the fire, his plans for the future of Palisade Pedicab, the unexpected benefits that have come out of this difficult experience, and he shares a heartfelt thank you to the community for their support and encouragement.
To book a pedicab tour: visit palisadepedicab.com or call 970-875-7344.
Have you visited The Milky Way? As of Wednesday, 2/28, Kathy and Scott Gilbert are serving up sweet treats, savory snacks, and tasty drinks from their new shop at 330 Main Street in Palisade!
Wait, wasn’t it supposed to be called something different? We’ll get into that, along with all the yummy treats they’re planning to serve up, the fun surprises in store, and lots more, on today's episode.
Find The Milky Way on Instagram @themilkywaypalisade
Rondo Buecheler is co-owner of Palisade Cycle and Shuttle, Palisade’s local bike and river rental shop.
Rondo and I went on a grand tour of his life, from sleeping under the I-70 bridge and working at the Liv in the late seventies to summers spent in a dory on the Grand Canyon and winters on the slopes at Powderhorn to opening multiple successful businesses across the Grand Valley.
We dug into the history of the Palisade Plunge trail, exciting updates on other local trails, and why Palisade is such a ridiculously amazing place to live if you love the outdoors. We also talked about the wildest things that have happened to him out on the trail, tourists and biking, his legacy and true passion, and why it is so important to strive to make your own backyard a great place. Listen and get inspired to get out and explore!
Jessica Burford, President & CEO of the Palisade Chamber of Commerce, is one of the biggest boosters of Palisade businesses - and not just because it’s her job. In addition to running a few of the biggest events held in town (um, Peach Fest, anyone?!?), Jessica is working to make the Chamber the go-to place for local businesses and the Palisade community and to be the driver of thoughtful growth in our small town.
As the snow streamed down and my old heater clanked, Jessica and I chatted about the biggest challenges facing the Palisade business community, what types of businesses she’d love to see open up here, why the Chamber’s goals always tie back to the town’s heritage, what the Chamber is doing to help fill the town’s vacant properties with productive businesses, and why she will never not answer a question from a resident or visitor, no matter how wild those questions may bee...
We already have one national monument nearby...what if we had another? Bella Harris of the Colorado Wildlands Project explains why her organization is advocating for the creation of a National Monument for the Dolores River Canyon Country, not only to protect the natural environment, but also to preserve and honor the layers of human history of the area.
Bella explains why land protections for the Dolores have bipartisan support when so little does today. We chat about the most effective ways to change bad outdoors behavior, why no one with water allotments needs to be worried about losing water, and why she’s not concerned about a monument designation “ruining” the area.
Also – listen closely to find out which local winery is extra invested in the effort to protect the Dolores, how you can help, and lots more!
For more about the Colorado Wildlands Project: cowildlands.orgPetition link: https://www.protectthedolores.org/Bella's email: bella@cowildlands.org
What’s a mafia princess doing running a winery in Western Colorado? The name might have started as an inside joke between friends, but the wine is serious business.
Hillary Eales spent six years at Meadery of the Rockies, Talon Winery, and St. Katherine’s Cellars before taking the leap and buying a winery and vineyard that she could make her own, alongside her husband, Casey. And Mafia Princess Wines was born.
Casey takes care of the grapes while working full time, Hillary takes care of the winemaking and tasting room, and they both take care of a couple sweet kids, an adorable dog, a cat that remained unseen, a few sheep, and a bunch of chickens.
Hillary and I tasted some of their Beaujolais Nouveau-style Colorado Nuovo in their cozy tasting room while we chatted about her path to the Grand Valley, how she went from EMT to winemaker, the wines she’s most excited about making, why biodynamic principles are a no-brainer when it comes to vineyard management, and about building an intentional community – making your own family away from family.
And of course, we got into some of those stories that led to her nickname.
For more about Mafia Princess Wines: mafiaprincesswines.com
For more about the podcast: postcardsfrompalisade.com
If you live in the Palisade area, Tammy Craig probably knows what the inside of your house looks like. Twenty years of helping people sell and buy houses will do that to you.
An entrepreneur at heart, when the space next to her brokerage, Fruit & Wine Real Estate, became available, Tammy also added gallery owner to her resume. The Craig Galley recently had their grand re-opening, with a new format, new artists, and new hours.
I caught up with Tammy in her office in downtown Palisade to hear more about her art and the artists who are showing at The Craig Gallery. We also talked about her path back to Palisade, why Palisade is such an unusual place to buy and sell real estate, the surprising reasons that she, as a seller of real estate, isn’t very into subdivisions and VRBOs, and the tensions that long time residents have felt as so-called city people (like yours truly!) have moved into Palisade over the past few years.
For more info on Fruit & Wine Real Estate: fruitandwine.net or The Craig Gallery: craiggallerypalisade.com.
For more info about the podcast, check out our website: postcardsfrompalisade.com.
Two of Palisade’s top wine pourers share what really happens behind the scenes at your favorite tasting rooms. Amy DiMarzio and Michael Martin – currently pouring wine at Blue Beryl Winery, formerly at Mesa Park Vineyards – join me over a couple bottles of local red to share their favorite stores and lots of laughs.
Hear all about how Amy and Michael got into the wine industry, their funniest horror stories (Merlot man, anyone?), the best tips they’ve ever gotten, why they absolutely love working in the industry, what the best $13 Amy ever spent in her entire life was spent on, and how a gravel patio almost ended them both.
We also get into how Mesa Park’s closing broke their hearts, how friendly the Palisade wine industry is, who the most pretentious person in the valley is, the only French word Michael knows, used oak, and how they deal with unwanted advances from behind the tasting bar.
Go see Amy and Michael at Blue Beryl Winery: theblueberylwinery.com
For more info about the podcast, check out our website: postcardsfrompalisade.com.
Scott and Jessica Washkowiak own Field to Fork Farm in Palisade, where they’ve been growing organic and biodynamic crops and raising pigs and chickens for eleven years.
Scott and I chatted about the difference between organic and biodynamic farming, how important it is to him to be a first generation farmer, what it’s like to raise a kid on a farm, his top tips for backyard gardeners in Mesa County, the importance of good soil, and what a typical day is like when you get up before the sunrise.
Later, Jessica joined us and we talked about their pizza club, how they satisfy their surfing itch in the high desert, and the terrifying train accident that happened near their property earlier this year: why they’re so, so tired of talking about it, but why we can’t forget about it. Then we lightened things up by figuring out what kind of vegetables we all are.
For more info on Field to Fork Farm, including their farm stand’s hours of operation: fieldtofork-farm.com.
For more info about the podcast, check out our website: postcardsfrompalisade.com.
Laura and Brandon Black were happily settling into life in Denver when they took a trip to Palisade that ended up changing their lives forever. In 2018, after that fateful trip, Laura and Brandon bought a vineyard and winery and moved to Palisade. They had never made wine or grown grapes before, but they were confident they could figure it out. And they did! Very quickly, their Mesa Park Vineyards was producing award-winning wines and attracting a loyal following.
Then, in March 2023, they announced that they were going to shut down the winery to focus on fruit farming. After a collective gasp, followed by an outpouring of support and local panic-buying, Mesa Park Vineyards shut its doors and Mesa Park Fruit Company opened this season. Why did they decide to make this big change and what are they planning to do now? I talked with Laura to find out.
Find out where Mesa Park Fruit Company’s fruit is available at mesaparkfruit.com, instagram.com/mesaparkfruit, or facebook.com/mesaparkfruit
For more info about the podcast, check out our website: postcardsfrompalisade.com.
Wendy Videlock takes us through the rhythms of her life and work in the Grand Valley. Wendy was just named the Western Slope Poet Laureate by the Telluride Institute’s Talking Gourds program. She’s also a widely published and awarded poet, visual artist, teacher, a longtime Grand Valley resident, and the impish poem supplier for Palisade’s street poetry boxes.
Wendy and I chatted about why she doesn’t like to tell people she’s a poet when she first meets them, her goals for her time as the Western Slope’s top poet, why ranchers and barbers have a lot in common with poets, what in the world ekphrasis is, and why poets don’t just “say what they mean” but why you still shouldn’t be intimidated by poetry. We also chatted about how East Coast and Western poets are different in ways you might not expect, the place that drew her back to Palisade, and what her biggest goal is as a poet – and why it’s so related to where we live.
Wendy also brought along a stack of her favorite poems and treated us to a few. Live poems today!
To contact Wendy to arrange a reading, you can email her at coloradawendy@gmail.com. To find some of Wendy’s poems, check out the Poetry Foundation: poetryfoundation.org/poets/wendy-videlock and Wendy’s website: wendy-videlock.constantcontactsites.com
For more info about the podcast, check out our website: postcardsfrompalisade.com. Thanks for listening!
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