Lyons 2013 flood commemoration events begin this week
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Sep. 5—Lyons will host commemorative events this week to recognize the 10 year anniversary of the 2013 flood. The events will kick off Tuesday and culminate on Sunday with Gov. Jared Polis and Rep. Joe Neguse in attendance, according to Lyons spokeswoman Kim Mitchell.
The events will recognize the three-day flood that resulted in 120 homes in Lyons being destroyed and mandatory evacuations that lasted nearly six weeks, according to a Lyons news release. The flood created multiple small islands throughout the town. which cut residents off from one another and resulted in a loss of basic services such as electricity, water, sewage, road access and telephone communication.
"The people of Lyons, Colorado, found ways to band together nearly instantly as flood waters rapidly ravaged our homes, businesses and streets," Mayor Hollie Rogin said in the release. "From staffing the evacuation shelter at Lyons Elementary School to checking on friends and neighbors to coordinating and sharing temporary housing opportunities, this community showed the world how facing adversity is done ... with grit, grace and gratitude."
The series of events has been named Ten Years of Grit, Grace and Gratitude: A Remembrance of the 2013 Flood.
Tuesday
From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., the Lyons Library Community Room will be open for a public viewing of the documentary "Fundamentals of the Flood" by Cat Russell.
Saturday
From 6 to 7:30 p.m., the Moxie Bread Company will host an open mic night which will involve sharing flood stories, poems and songs.
Sunday
From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., an official flood remembrance ceremony will take place in Sandstone Park. The event will include local, state and federal elected officials including Polis and Neguse.
From 12:30 to 4 p.m., members of the public will be able to attend a flood presentation at Town Hall, interviews at Redstone Museum and a tour of the Lyons Valley Townhomes affordable housing development. Additionally, attendees may view memorabilia at Lyons Library and the Visitor Center, a permanent display at the museum, and the Gerald Boland bench and stone at Lyons Elementary School.
Boland was a longtime Lyons resident and former local elementary teacher who died in the floodwaters, according to the release.
At the same time, members of the public can meet at Sandstone Park for the Silver Linings Tour. The tour is a one-hour guided golf cart tour of flood recovery projects around Lyons and will leave Sandstone Park every 10 to 15 minutes.
From 3 to 7 p.m., a community picnic with live music and dance will be held in the LaVern Johnson Park at 600 Park Drive.
Monday
From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., a candlelight vigil will be held at Confluence Circle at Fourth Avenue and Prospect Street. The vigil will include a ceremony with music, according to the Lyons website.
