YourHub is coming to your driveways and newsstands on May 10.
On that day, subscribers from the west side to Victor, and anywhere in between, around or near those areas, can experience the print edition of The Gazette's community newspaper.
It marks the first YourHub, which evolved from The Slice, has added a print edition in five years. The reason: a print edition is desperately needed to serve the fine communities of Western El Paso and Teller Counties.
I am extremely excited about the venture. I am the web host of four Hubs - Old Colorado City, Manitou Springs/Ute Pass, Woodland Park and Cripple Creek/Teller County.
I used to live in Woodland Park and love the area. I spend a lot of time in all of my Hubs and have made many fine friends. The best part of my job is that I am always learning and discovering new and wonderful places.
If you visit the neighborhoods in my Hubs you will meet many fascinating people. There's retired Colonel Dave Hughes in Old Colorado City, Rocky the artist in Manitou Springs, Woodland Park Chamber executive assistant Susan Griswold, and Victor city clerk and treasurer Daniel Delaney.
There's arguable more interesting places to see and visit in my Hubs than just about anywhere in the state. Check out the Victor Hotel and its 100-year-old birdcage elevator. Stroll into the Hotel St. Nicholas in Cripple Creek and experience life in an 1898 Mountain Inn. Among the guests at The Cliff House in Manitou Springs were President Theodore Roosevelt and inventor Thomas Edison.
There are museums galore in my Hubs: Old Colorado City History Center, Ute Pass Historical Society and Pikes Peak Museum in Woodland Park, Cripple Creek District Museum, Old Homestead in Cripple Creek, Miramont Castle in Manitou Springs, and Rock Ledge Ranch.
The area comes alive with the Gold Belt Tour. Cruise Teller County and see the land where 100,000 people lived in Cripple Creek at the turn of the 20 th century and another 12,000 resided in nearby Victor. The Gold Rush history includes the likes of Bob Womack and Winfield Scott Stratton, as well as brothers William, Harry and Frank Woods. Visit the City Hall in Victor and be sure to stroll into the room where World Heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey once trained. The Butte Opera House puts on some of the finest plays in Colorado.
The open spaces of Divide, Florissant, Lake George offer amazing views of Pikes Peak. Darlene Kobobal's Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center in Divide is fantastic. Mueller State Park along Highway 67 is breathtaking. Manitou Lake west of Woodland Park is a fine retreat.
Woodland Park is in the heart of the mountain community. It is 18 miles from Colorado Springs, 25 miles from Victor, and a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Glen Eyrie is where Civil War General William Palmer resided. Palmer founded Colorado Springs in 1869. His castle is among the most visited buildings in the area.
Nearby Garden of the Gods is filled with natural beauty. I am fortunate to enough to drive by the Garden of the Gods several days a week and experience the Kissing Camels.
A little further to the south is Historic Old Colorado City. It was there where Bob Ford, the assassin of outlaw Jesse James resided and tended bar in 1891. Down the street on Colorado Avenue is Benny's Bar, where the late New York Yankees manager Billy Martin frequented throughout his life. It was also on the west side where silent movie star Lon Chaney developed his skills as "The Man of a Thousand Faces."
But there's more.
A trip to my Hubs also includes The Flying W Ranch, Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Pikes Peak Cog Railway and Pikes Peak, Ghost Town Wild West Museum, Cave of the Winds, Manitou Springs Mineral Fountains, and the Manitou Art Theater.
Please take the time to write about your cities and towns. Take time to get to know your neighbors. Your stories are interesting to more people than you realize.