Flooded Colorado town thankful for weekly reunions

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JAMESTOWN, Colo. (AP) — For a few precious hours everySaturday night, Jamestown, in the foothills
of the Rockies, looks morelike it did before the floods.Those who stayed after September’sdevastation and
those who had to leave for rental homes in nearbyBoulder return once a week to the Jamestown Mercantile —
the town’smeeting place for over 100 years — to eat together. Then, they push backthe tables to dance to
live music.And this fall, as the cleanup and rebuilding continue, the gatherings have been a place to give
thanks."Everybodyjust walks through there with the biggest smile on their face," ownerRainbow
Shultz said of "the Merc," which boasts of having served miners,painted ladies and horse thieves
in its early days.The stormdestroyed a fifth of the former mining town’s homes and both bridgesover Little
James Creek. During the week, federal aid workers outnumberresidents and lines of trucks hauling away tons
of debris pass down themain street.Before the flood, finding community was easy in thetown of 300, something
people say made the town more than just anotherscenic spot. Residents never hesitated to ask their neighbors
for help,and it wasn’t hard to run across someone telling an interesting story.KarenZupko, who lost most of
her house to the waters, said parties startedeasily. Whenever she and her neighbor pulled up chairs to a
bridge overthe creek with some cheese, crackers and something to drink, others werebound to join
them.Jamestown’s children were tight too, attending classes in a small schoolhouse.Theflood cut off access
to the school and split those children up. Sixstudents now attend classes in Boulder, where their parents
moved. Butthe community worked to keep the remaining students in Jamestowntogether.For several weeks, 15
students studied in the living anddining room of one student’s home, then moved to a Christian
retreatcenter. A holiday play uniting all the students is one of severalprograms planned to keep them
connected in the coming weeks."Ifeel like they’re growing up with a family of 300 people watching
them,"said Shultz, who has lived in town for 12 years and has two children,aged 3 and 6.Oak Chezar, a
writer, teacher and performanceartist, said she used to socialize in Boulder more before the flood butnow
feels more like staying with people who survived together.Nowadays, residents do what they did back when Joe
Howlett owned the Merc.Howlettwas considered the patriarch of Jamestown, played Santa Claus at theMerc and
he led a marching kazoo band at the town’s annual Fourth ofJuly parade. He died when a mudslide slammed into
his home during theflood and his death has left a big hole in the community.Shultz,who bought the store from
him in 2010, is trying to keep the same spirithe brought to the gatherings at the Merc. She only accepts
donations,saying it wasn’t fair to charge people when they’ve lost so much. She’staken in enough to keep the
place open once a week.Last Saturday,people crowded at the tiny bar and around wooden tables — some
pushedtogether — to eat large plates of Indian food cooked by Shultz. People,including the town’s mayor,
talked, laughed and ate as about a halfdozen kids ran around, some of them playing with takeout boxes.Shultz
and her husband, Adam Burrell, served the food and drinks.Chezar,a former employee who volunteered to bus
tables, is organizing aThanksgiving dinner for over 30 people at the Merc with food provided bya church. She
also hopes she and the residents of about 20 homesstaying through the winter will create a musical about the
town and theflood.Michael Brotherton, a woodworker and musician who has livedin town for 27 years, said lots
of places try but fail to be theauthentic gathering place that the Merc is. "The Merc never tried to
beanything other than a service to this community," he said.Someoneclinked on their glass and then
everyone lifted their glasses to toastShultz shortly before an indie rock band, squeezed into a spot by
thestorefront, started to play.The kids were the first to start dancing.___Slevin can be reached at
http://www.twitter.com/colleenslevinCopyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rightsreserved. This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten orredistributed.

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