Best of Moffat County 2012
Glynis Verrazzano, of Mancos, works on her wood carving during the 2012 Whittle the Wood Rendezvous, hosted June 13 through 16 at Loudy-Simpson Park. Craig Daily Press readers voted the annual festival the best event in Moffat County in this year’s Best of Moffat County contest. Awards for best carvings are given in people’s choice, artists’ choice and judges’ choice categories. Dave Pike, Craig Parks and Recreation Department director, estimated at least 2,500 people turned out for the final concert of the event, presented by “Alter Eagles: The Definitive Eagles Tribute,” on June 16. Roughly twice that many people came to the park throughout the day, he said.
Loudy-Simpson Park, 500 S. Ranney St., edged out other outdoor destinations like Black Mountain and Browns Park to take the titles of best recreation spot and best place overall in Moffat County in the 2012 Best of Moffat County contest. The park offers a playground, soccer fields, four baseball and softball fields, fishing spots, and jogging and walking trails. It also is home to Moffat County Ice Arena, which is open to skaters as well as hockey competitions. This year, for the first time, the park hosted the annual Whittle the Wood Rendezvous, one of the city’s biggest events.
Bob Satterwhite poses for a photo inside Brothers Custom Processing, 383 E. First St., a business he owns with his brother, Dave Satterwhite. Above him hangs awards Dave won in meat processing conventions and other competitions. Since they opened the business 10 years ago, they expanded their services to include domestic livestock processing, including cows, pigs and sheep, and added retail items, Bob Satterwhite said. Their most popular items include jerky, bacon, ham, lunch meats and sausage products. Bob Satterwhite, 50, has lived in Craig since 1989, and enjoys being part of the community. “The people have welcomed us since we’ve lived here,” he said.
MJK Sales & Feed ACE Hardware received a grand slam of Best of Moffat County contest awards. The business, located at 290 Ranney St., earned reader distinctions for best customer service, hardware store, home and garden center, and paint store.
Vallarta’s Mexican Restaurant, inside Centennial Mall at 1111 W. Victory Way, took the titles of best margarita and best Mexican food in the 2012 Best of Moffat County competition. The restaurant is known for its fajitas and its Cadillac, Vallarta and agave margaritas, employee Rogelio Nunez said. Staff members have built a rapport with the community since the business opened in December 2008. “Our customers become our friends,” Nunez said.
Brett Etzler tosses a pizza crust recently at Carelli’s Pizzeria and Pasta, 465 Yampa Ave., which he co-owns with his fiancée, Stephanie Perez. The restaurant won best Italian food and best pizza in the 2012 Best of Moffat County contest. Etzler and Perez have added dishes like pork marsala and chicken piccata to the dinner menu, and “people are responding well to it,” he said. Running a restaurant is a change of pace from his former occupation — running a golf course — but Etzler, 40, enjoys working around people and appreciates living in Craig. “It’s a great place to raise my two boys,” Connor, 11, and Tanner, 10, he said.
Julie Baker, pictured here in her office at Ridgeview Elementary School, has more than 15 years of experience in the Moffat County School District, including three years as assistant principal and athletic director at Moffat County High School and 11 years as Ridgeview Elementary principal. Baker, who will step in as Craig Middle School interim principal in the 2012-13 school year, was chosen as the best school administrator in the 2012 Best of Moffat County contest. “I am forever grateful for the community and citizens of Moffat County because we are such a friendly and giving and caring community, which creates a safe and happy place to live,” she said. “When people feel that good about where they live, it just makes for a great community.” Baker has three sons: Collin Jackson, 21, Casey Jackson, 19, and Nathan Baker, 12.
Sandra Mansfield, left, and Kandee Dilldine, KS Kreations Craft Store & Bakery co-owners, pose for a photo in the store at 523 Yampa Ave., where they have been in business together for 10 years. KS Kreations took the top spot in the craft/quilting store category in the 2012 Best of Moffat County contest. Yarn, beads and paint are among the store’s top-selling items, Mansfield said. She and Dilldine are Moffat County natives who enjoy Craig’s small-town atmosphere, they said. The most enjoyable aspect of running a craft store is seeing “the finished projects that people bring in and show us,” Mansfield said.
Tin Cup Grill, located inside the clubhouse at Yampa Valley Golf Course, seats about 70 people inside and has a patio capable of hosting around 40 or more. The restaurant was named the best locale for dinner in Moffat County by Craig Daily Press readers. It has a full menu that caters to lunch and dinner, but is best known for its steak and seafood options, hostess Brenda Powell said. “We’re grateful to have this honor and hope people come out and try the food all summer,” Powell said.
Craig Daily Press readers voted Village Inn as the best restaurant and best breakfast restaurant in Moffat County in the 2012 Best of Moffat County contest. The Craig restaurant has been in operation for nearly 35 years, and the restaurant’s Free Pie Wednesday promotion is popular with local diners, district manager Lacy Packard said. The restaurant also is a gathering place for locals. “Always, somebody knows somebody in the restaurant,” Packard said. “It feels really homey.”
Corrie Ponikvar, pictured here at the Moffat County United Way office, was voted Moffat County's best volunteer. Ponikvar, executive director of Moffat County United Way, said she believes “very strongly if you live in a community to contribute back to it,” and she has been heavily involved with volunteering around Craig. A community impact project dedicated to aiding parent education and involvement has been a major project through United Way in the past year, as has Ponikvar’s involvement with the Connections 4 Kids early childhood council. Connections 4 Kids seeks to provide strong early childhood systems for education, health and social and emotional well-being. She was happy to get involved with Connections 4 Kids because she said she had done less work with young children than other age groups. “I’m humbled and honored that people would support me in this. I feel like there’s a lot of other people in the community that do a lot of wonderful work and are deserving of this award as well,” she said.
Craig Mayor Terry Carwile poses for a photo at his business, Downtown Books at 543 Yampa Ave. Craig Daily Press readers voted the 64-year-old the best elected official in Moffat County in the 2012 Best of Moffat County contest. Carwile served on the Craig City Council for six years before being elected to the mayor’s position in April 2011. “I like the municipal government, where the rubber meets the road,” he said. Carwile has lived in Moffat County since he came to the area in the mid-1970s to help build Tri-State Generation & Transmission’s Craig station. He is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys rafting, cycling and other kinds of recreation, and he was drawn to the region by its “stunning outdoor environment,” he said.
Dr. Craig Rummel, owner and operator of Rummel Chiropractic Center, 333 E. Victory Way, in Craig, was named Best Chiropractor in Moffat County by Craig Daily Press readers. He said the recognition is an honor and validation of the treatment he provides for his patients. “I want to thank all my current and former patients for voting for me,” he said.
Rich Sadvar, who Craig Daily Press readers voted top physical therapist in the 2012 Best of Moffat County competition, poses for a photo recently at Craig Physical Therapy. Sadvar, a Craig native, opened the business at 535 Yampa Ave.,12 years ago after returning to the area. Sadvar, 42, believes his roots in Moffat County help him build a relationship with his clients. “It makes it easy to treat people you can understand and they can understand you,” said Sadvar, who also has two children, Austin, 20, and Annie, 17.
Local photographer Carrie Hertzog poses for a photo recently in her studio at 11 W. Victory Way. The 32-year-old has done photography for about 12 years and recently began taking photos full time with her business, Carrie Hertzog Photography. “I love to do senior portraits,” she said. “I think that they’re fun as long as the senior is into it as well.” She specializes in sports photography for local youth sports teams and also enjoys photographing weddings, family portraits and “any portraiture, really,” she said. “It’s all fun.”
Craig Daily Press readers voted Subway Sandwiches & Salads as the best sandwich in Moffat County in 2012. The restaurant, located at 1420 W. Victory Way, sells more than 200 sandwiches a day on average, Assistant Manager Kassie Vesely said. “Right now, it’s avocado season, so the chicken bacon avocado (sandwich) is really popular,” she said. “But, normally … all the sandwiches are pretty much equal” in popularity.
Tom Mathers, left, and Tommy Mathers serve drinks at Mathers’ Bar, 420 Yampa Ave. Craig Daily Press readers named the more than 60-year-old establishment best bar as part of the 2012 Best of Moffat County contest. “We’re honored that locals voted for us and we appreciate their support,” said Mike Mathers, who co-owns the bar with Tom. “We’re very customer service oriented and I think this contest proves how hard we work to take care of our customers.”
Julie Nalty, store manager at City Market, says she is honored that Craig Daily Press readers selected her store as Best Grocery Store and Bakery in Moffat County. “We would like to thank the community for voting us the best,” she said. “It’s an honor and we thank everyone for shopping with us.”
Julie Nalty, store manager at City Market, says she is honored that Craig Daily Press readers selected her store as Best Grocery Store and Bakery in Moffat County. “We would like to thank the community for voting us the best,” she said. “It’s an honor and we thank everyone for shopping with us.”
mary austin/m2 Craig Daily Press Readers voted Los Jilbertos, 915 W. Victory Way, as the best breakfast burrito in Moffat County. Assistant manager Mario Ayala, above, said being selected is “great and we want to thank everyone who voted.” The restaurant is improving each day, he added, and the staff continues to strive for the best.
Danny Griffith, owner of JW Snacks Bar & Grill, 210 E. Victory Way, said he's excited his restaurant was named by Craig Daily Press readers as having the best chicken wings in Moffat County for the second year in a row. “We’ve only been open for seven years," he said. "It didn’t take us long to become a player in the business in this town.”
Craig Daily Press readers voted The OP Bar & Grill, 534 E. Victory Way, as the best hamburger in Moffat County in 2012. Waitress Christina Osentoski serves up one of the restaurant's more popular hamburgers, the bacon cheddar burger. Manager Diana Knez said she thanks "all of Moffat County who voted us best burger.”
Dr. Troy Phillips, who Craig Daily Press readers voted as the best doctor in Moffat County in the 2012 Best of Moffat County contest, holds a stethoscope recently in an examining room at The Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic. Since 2009, the 34-year-old family practitioner has lived and worked in Craig, which also is home to his wife, Molly, 34, and their three sons, Avery Mac, 6; Cole Henry, 3; and Casey David, 1. “I like the diversity of the practice,” Phillips said of being a family practitioner. “I like seeing newborns all the way to grandparents and great-grandparents. … It’s very rewarding to see people in all phases of life and to care for a whole family.”
Dr. Dushan Voyich, pictured here in his office at 200 W. Victory Way, was recently voted the best dentist in the Craig Daily Press’ Best of Moffat County contest. Voyich, who has been practicing in Craig since 1989, said he likes using the latest in oral health technology to help keep his patients healthy.
Readers voted Dean Brosious, of LPL Financial Services at 101 W. Victory Way, the best financial advisor in the Craig Daily Press’ Best of Moffat County contest. Brosious said the best part of his job is helping area residents plan and achieve their dreams through finances.
Jim and Barb Gregoire pose for a photo together recently at Trapper Fitness Center, the business they co-own. Fitness and exercise also play a pivotal role in their life outside of work. Health is “our passion,” said Jim, 65.
Craig Daily Press readers named Corey Electric as best electrician as part of the 2012 Best of Moffat County contest. Above, members of the family-operated business pause for a photo before traveling to a job in Wyoming. From left are Grant, Dave, Jr., Roger and Dave Corey. Not pictured: Janet Corey.
Justin Jenison, of Jenison Custom Builders, cuts wood for a patio project at Tim Kjera’s home in Craig’s Ridgeview subdivision. Kjera said Jenison was highly recommended by everyone he spoke to when he began shopping for a construction contractor. Craig Daily Press readers earmarked Jenison Custom Builders as best builder and construction company as part of the 2012 Best of Moffat County contest.
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