Today on a Thanksgiving special of Colorado Edition: a look back at some of our favorite stories KUNC told this past year. We'll bring you pieces that explore storytelling through the arts, and we'll examine the history of how an iconic high-altitude race came to be. Plus, one reporter goes looking for animals, and a Fort Collins man has an animal come looking for him.
Colorado's Annual Tarantula Migration
The Oklahoma brown tarantula is commonly found across the southern U.S. and is also referred to as the Texas, or the Missouri brown tarantula.
Credit Dallas Krentzel/CC BY 2.0
Each year, as summer comes to a close and the nights cool, tarantulas in southeastern Colorado emerge for a few short hours at dusk to search for a mate. KUNC's Esther Honig traveled south, hoping to catch a glimpse of the spiders in their annual migration.
Fort Collins Man Fights Off Mountain Lion
A mountain lion attacked Fort Collins resident Travis Kauffman while he was on a trail run at Horsetooth Open Space on Feb. 4, 2019.
Credit Luke Runyon / KUNC
Esther went looking for an animal, but what happens when an animal comes looking for you?
In February, a Colorado man fought for his life in the foothills outside Fort Collins. With nothing more than rocks and his bare hands, he killed a mountain lion that sprang an ambush attack on a popular running trail. KUNC's Luke Runyon caught up with the man, and brings us his story.
How The Leadville 100 Was Founded
Over the holiday season you may be running to burn off some extra calories. Hopefully nothing as eventful as Travis Kaufman's run back in February.
And, perhaps not as extreme as training for a 100-mile race, held at a location that's more than 10,000 feet above sea level.
That's what runners of the Leadville Trail 100 do every summer. We spoke with race founder Ken Chlouber on the eve of this year's race, and he told us the story of how the race came to be.
Arts Initiative Lets Prisoners Become Performers
Inmates from the Sterling Correctional Facility perform the play 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' at the Denver Women's Correctional Facility.
Credit STEPHANIE DANIEL / KUNC
Now we're going to look at how the arts are helping people across Colorado tell stories.
Earlier this year, KUNC's Stephanie Daniel attended a play. But this play didn't feature professional actors — it was performed by inmates, and it's part of the University of Denver's new Prison Arts Initiative.
Postcards Show State's History
John Meissner looks through a box of postcards at a Greeley antique shop. Meissner travels throughout the state and country looking for postcards shot by Harold Sanborn.
Credit Stacy Nick / KUNC
For our last story, we're going to look back at the history of our state through a unique lens. For years, a postcard was kind of the "text" of the communication world, a way to send a few quick lines to someone with a photo or artwork on the front to brighten their day.
But for one Estes Park archivist, the search for one specific kind of postcard has turned into a decade-long quest. KUNC's Stacy Nick reports.
Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you!
Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs.
Colorado Edition is hosted by Erin O'Toole (@ErinOtoole1) and Henry Zimmerman (@HWZimmerman), and produced by Lily Tyson. The web was edited by digital editor Jackie Hai. Managing editor Brian Larson contributed to this episode.
KUNC's Colorado Edition is a daily news magazine taking an in-depth look at the issues and culture of Northern Colorado. It's available on our website, as well as on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can hear the show on KUNC's air, Monday through Thursday at 6:30 p.m.