Photo of the Week

Please continue submitting photos of yourself/ the Western Slope. I have gotten so much good feedback about this section. Let’s see those beautiful Spring pics!

In this edition:

• New! Homeowner Tip of the Week

• Western Slope Documentary

• Great Year for Fruit Production

• Delta County Vape Disposal Program

Housing

🏠 Homeowner Tip of the Week:
🌿 Lawn Care Tip of the Week: Mow High for a Healthier Lawn

Want a greener, thicker lawn this season? Raise your mower blade! Keeping your grass at 3 to 4 inches helps:

• Shade out weeds

• Retain soil moisture

• Encourage deeper root growth

Short cuts might look tidy, but taller grass builds long-term lawn health. Mow regularly, but never remove more than one-third of the grass height at a time.

Market Stats:

Average Sales Price: 

T12 (last 12 months): $462,833 (+$3k from last week)

YTD (since Jan 1st 2025): $452,577 (+$2k from last week)

Median Sales Price: $400,000 (no change from last week)

Inventory Levels:

Number of New Listings: 92 (+19 from last week) 

Average Days on Market: 77 (no change from last week)

Total Active Listings: 608 (+27 from last week)

_{Source: Skyler Kraai with Coldwell Banker Distinctive Properties}

News

Local filmmakers create documentary on mental health in Western Colorado

The Invisible Patient made its debut on the big screen.

Local filmmakers hosted a screening of their new documentary “The Invisible Patient” at Asteria Theater on Thursday. The film follows the mental health crisis that is affecting the entire world but specifically is localized to Western Colorado. It focused on problems directly impacting Mesa and Eagle County.

“It’s about the lack of resources, the flawed care model that we deal with every day and trying to fight against stigma,” Jaden Quan, the co-director said.

The Colorado Mesa University graduate said he thinks there is power in numbers and that small communities often have a lot of support.

“I think having community support and structure can go an extremely long way, especially in a place like this,” Quan said.

He thinks the film has been well received by viewers so far.

“A lot of people feel very enriched seeing a story like this told about our community and really focused to Colorado,” Quan said. “These invisible patients, they go unseen. They go unheard. And people don’t really like talking about this kind of thing, but it’s a really necessary thing to talk about.”

He feels it is just as important to talk about mental health as it is to talk about physical health. The goal of the film was to fight against stigma around the topic.

“Mental health is health, and that’s a really key aspect that a lot of people have a hard time talking about,” Quan said. “I’m hoping this will create conversations, start a dialogue and get people to be more comfortable talking about this.”

Local producers say it is a good year for fruit production

The Grand Valley is known for many things but two of the most famous are peaches and wineries.

Most orchards and vineyards made it through winter without too much frost damage. Local producers say it is a good year for fruit production.

“The peaches bloom first and they’re the most critical for me. And we’ve got almost a full crop of peaches. Then the apples are doing well too,” Phil Patton, the owner The Peachfork said.

Some producers are expecting to get around an 85% crop of peaches, 80% of apples and a full crop of grapes.

“Each variety has a different time frame that it harvests even though they bloom about the same time. We will start seeing the first varieties coming off in early July and the last varieties will be coming off in late September,” Charlie Talbott of Talbott Farms said.

Spring is a very busy time for orchards and vineyards. Many workers are thinning and pruning.

“By hand we go through every branch of every tree and select and spread the fruit out and select just what we’re going to bring into harvest,” Talbot said.

The Peachfork only has four employees who handle all of the manual labor in the vineyards and orchards.

Talbot Farms has a larger operation and has used the H-2A program for around 15 years.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “The H-2A temporary agricultural program allows agricultural employers who anticipate a shortage of domestic workers to bring nonimmigrant foreign workers to the U.S. to perform agricultural labor or services of a temporary or seasonal nature.”

Talbott Farms is fully staffed, and they are not being impacted by immigration laws.

Patton said there are many benefits to shopping locally for produce. He said that local producers wait until the fruit is almost completely ripe to pick it, so it tastes better. He also thinks shopping locally can help children.

“The children can learn where their fruit comes from. They think their fruit comes from the grocery store,” he said. But by visiting an orchard he said “they can see the trees and they just have a wonderful time.“

Business Highlight

Seasonally open garden center offering a wide selection of plants, including perennials, shrubs, and fruit trees, as well as bird feeders.

3162 F Rd, Grand Junction, CO 81504

Local Community

Delta County starting vape disposal program

Delta County Public Health is starting a new vape disposal program. 

DCPH’s State Tobacco Education Prevention Partnership plans to put 15 vape disposal boxes around the county, with one in each municipality, so they’re available to a large portion of the community. 

The boxes will be available for locals to throw away their disposable vapes and E-cigarettes. While they might be labeled disposable, the lithium batteries and hazardous chemicals inside them can have negative effects on the environment if thrown away. 

“On the western slope, we are such an outdoor community. I think it’s really important that we protect our outdoor community from things like waste, hazardous chemicals, and trash,” said Shirley Tatto, the STEPP coordinator for DCPH. 

Tatto also thinks the program can help keep local kids safe. “We also won’t have any of our community members finding them, you know, and the young ones, maybe it’s a middle schooler that decides he wants to try it because he found it, and if we can keep those out of their hands, we can keep them safe... a woman shared a story with me of her 10 year old, who she found vaping and she asked him where he got his vapes from and he said he was finding them in the parks so that sparked the idea about putting these vape disposals in parks,” said Tatto. 

The boxes are currently at a few locations. In Delta, they’re at the Public Health Office, Public Library, Confluence Park Pavilion, Cleland Park Pavilion, and Rocky Mountain Vape. In Paonia, they’re located at the Public Library and Paonia Town Park. Boxes are also located at the Public Library in Crawford, Hotchkiss, and Cedaredge. 

“Programs like this are a lot about protection and education, and that’s basically what public health is all about. And so, I’m excited about this program and I’m excited to have us involved into other programs as we continue to strategize and come up with some really good things,” said Tatto.

The rest of the vape disposal boxes are expected to be put out by mid-June. To learn more about DCPH, click here.

Western Slope Sports!

Meet GJ River Hawks first head coach Dustin Timm

The new head coach of the Grand Junction River Hawks is here. Welcome to the Grand Valley Dustin Timm!

 “I’m really excited and thrilled about the opportunity,” Timm told KREX Sports Director Big Will Levenson. “It’s all about putting the player first, everything is about the player — it’s a players-centered approach to coaching, culture and player development.”

For the full 20-minute conversation between Big Will and Coach Timm, view the video above.

Exciting Events!

This section only includes local upcoming events. Feel free to submit yours!

Date Night 🎆

• Line Dancing at Mama Ree’s

  • 664 North Ave, 2310 West Ridges BlvdGrand Junction, CO 81501

  • (970) 200-1234

  • Price: FREE

  • Time: 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM

  • Recurrence: Recurring weekly on Saturday

Family Fun!!

RIVER FEST

River Fest will include the following fun events for the whole family:

Live Local Music- 11:00 am – 4:00 pm:
Bands include- Stray Grass, Schaffer Brothers and Chuck J

Beer Garden – 11:00 am – 4:00 pm:
Save-A-Life-Jacket Program will be hosting a beer garden at the event. All proceeds will go towards this nonprofit organization. Beer sponsors include Trail Life Brewery and other local brewers. The Silent Auction will be back!!

Food Trucks – 11:00 am - 4:00 pm: Mount Garfield, Nomads Bowlz, Hunger Teck, Churros El Bajon and Smokey Bonez BBQ

Community Gear Swap – 11:00 am – 4:00 pm:
Participants wanting to take part of this event must fill out registration form prior to the event. Forms can be found on event website (grandvalleyriverfest.com). This year we are selling booth spaces. Vendor will be responsible for their own payment transactions. Proceeds from this will go towards Save-A-Life-Jacket Program, RiversEdge West and festival start-up cost.

Grand Junction Adventures Discounted Gear (two for price of one) Rentals – 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

SUP Yoga- 9:30 am -10:45 am:
Proceeds from this event will go towards the Orange Door Community Wellness Center. Event cost is $25 with gear rental and $20 with own gear. Pre-registration and waiver form must be filled out prior to event. Grand Junction Adventures will be donating it’s stand up paddle equipment & safety gear for this event.

Paddle Board Jousting – 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm:
Battle Royale on Butterfly Pond, paddle jousting dual between two paddle boarders. Participants will be given a life jacket, helmet, paddle board and double padded jousting paddle. Grand Junction Adventures has donated stand up paddle equipment and safety gear for This is a free event. Pre-registration and waiver form must be filled out prior to event.

Cornhole Tournament - 2:00 - 4:00 pm:
This event will test your strength, focus and accuracy while at the same time raising awareness for water safety. This is a new event at this year's festival. Check the festival website for additional information.

Rubber Ducky Scramble – 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm:
RiversEdge West will be hosting a rubber ducky scramble, and the winner will go home with an NRS Clean paddleboard (worth $995)! Purchase a numbered rubber ducky (or several!) and watch RiversEdge West staff fish the luckiest duck out of the Butterfly Pond. The winner will pay shipping and handling costs if not located in Grand Junction, CO. 1 duck starts at $20 and discounted multiple duckie package discounts. Only 400 ducks will be sold; get yours before they sell out! You do not need to be present to win. Buy tickets in advance or at the event. Online ticket sales will close at noon on May 16th. In-person ticket sales will close on May 17th, the day of the event, at 3 pm. www.RiversEdgeWest.org

Activities for Kids & Adults – 11:00 am – 4:00 pm:
Several booths at the event will be conducting mini-interactive activities for kids and adults. Facepainting, fun balancing obstacles, paddle boarding, new this year hula hooping and inflatable bump-n-jumps.

Habitat for Humanitiy & Mountain Air Roasters Spring Mixer

• 26 N 7th St.Grand Junction, CO 81501

• Price: FREE

• Time: 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM

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