Get to know a funny, inspirational champion for people recovering from trauma or other setbacks. Joi Towner suffered a stroke at age 31, beginning a journey that inspired her to help others. After 6 weeks in the hospital, she went on to establish a nonprofit foundation, develop a comedy routine, launch a podcast and write a book. “You’re not handicapped, you’re handi-capable,” she tells us.

She provides counseling, a support group, and inspirational speaking. She also advocates for accessibility. Her book, Fight Lives in the Heart of a Survivor, is a story of strength and determination through the odds of adversity. It’s a stroke survivor's guide to hope, encouragement, and inspiration. She provides details on an upcoming event, King of Kings, on June 7, honoring the amazing men in our lives who are often overlooked.

Also discussed:

Penny Arcade in Manitou Springs purchased by John Weiss

Colorado Springs corners the market on expired vehicle registrations

Where do those registration fees go?

Dave’s 25 parking tickets story

LINKS:

Fight Lives in the Heart of a Survivor – by Joi Towner

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78710970-fight-lives-in-the-heart-of-a-survivor

Audio Book On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fight-Lives-Heart-Survivor-Strength-ebook/dp/B0B4VC3HK4/

Strength in You Foundation: https://www.strengthinyou.org/

Strength in You podcast: https://blog.pod.link/1673153175

Strength in You YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thestrengthinyou

King of Kings June 7 at Peak31, 7 to 10 p.m.: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/king-of-kings-tickets-1344807799329

MENTIONED:

Thubthumping, by Chumbawamba: https://youtu.be/2H5uWRjFsGc?si=nPh_pPoJYS-s12Wy

Ivywild School: https://www.ivywildschool.com/

Willie CROW the Comedian: https://www.facebook.com/groups/452103915749254/

UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central

Spokes Fighting Strokes: https://www.spokesfightingstrokes.org/

Penny Arcade in Manitou: https://manitouspringsarcade.com/

Skee-Ball: https://skeeball.com/

Dig Dug: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dig_Dug

Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest.

Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they'll...

We reflect on the changes the Colorado Springs Independent has gone through in recent years, especially it’s sale in April to Dirk Hobbs’ Colorado Media Group. We also assess the state of local news media in general, and its future.

At the Table:

• Carrie Simison, co-host of this podcast, who worked for the Indy for 20 years, most recently as publisher.
• Dave Gardner, co-host of this podcast, who worked for the Indy briefly as executive producer of podcasts, and served on the board of the non-profit that acquired the Indy from John Weiss in 2023.
• Al Brody, co-host of this podcast, one-time city council candidate, long-time VERY engaged local citizen
• Corey Hutchins, who oversees the Colorado College Journalism Institute, advises Colorado Media Project, and writes the weekly Inside the News in Colorado newsletter.
• Matt Schniper, who served as editor of the Indy 2016-2019, served as its Food & Drink Editor for 19 years, and now publishes Side Dish with Schniper and co-hosts the Tap & Table podcast.

MENTIONED:

Pikes Peak Media

J.W. Roth

Kevin O’Neil

John Weiss

Colorado Springs Business Journal

Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

North Magazine

Cannon Taylor

Springs Magazine

Pikes Peak Bulletin

Pam Zubeck

Substack

Craigslist

Facebook Marketplace

719 Daily Dose

Stompin’ Groundz

Next Door

In-Box Journalism

Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum

LINKS:

Colorado Springs Independent: https://csindy.com/

Side Dish with Schniper: https://www.sidedishschniper.com/

tap & table podcast: https://pod.link/1725345176

Inside the News in Colorado: https://coloradomedia.substack.com/

Colorado Springs Indy Lays Off Staff and Transfers Ownership Amid Shock Statement – Corey Hutchins’ report: https://coloradomedia.substack.com/p/colorado-springs-indy-lays-off-staff

Colorado Springs Independent Staff Fired; Paper Sold for Second Time in Less Than Two Years – CPR news story: https://www.cpr.org/2025/04/25/colorado-springs-independent-business-journal-sold-to-new-owners/

New Ownership, Direction for The Indy and the Colorado Springs Business Journal – Gazette news story: https://gazette.com/news/local/new-ownership-new-direction-for-the-indy-and-the-colorado-springs-business-journal/article_18bcc019-7898-46c9-af1c-58a5e9f67798.html

Colorado Springs Independent and Business Journal Again Change Hands – Gazette news story: https://gazette.com/business/colorado-springs-independent-and-business-journal-again-change-hands/article_0dd5339d-542f-48e3-a4f1-4af704fd4fc3.html

Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado...

Every Monday, folks experiencing houselessness are treated like valuable human beings, served a food truck hot lunch and provided supplies to make living on the street a little easier. Meet the local hero who makes this happen (with help), Tracey Porter, and learn about the nonprofit she founded, Food Trucks Against Homelessness.

Tracey, several volunteers, and a food truck, feed about 85 people in the Westside CARES parking lot, where they cultivate friendships and also distribute underwear, socks, coats, gloves, scarves, blankets, etc. Their mission is to partner with businesses & individuals to provide meals, resources & human connection to our houseless community.

Also:

• Get acquainted with our new co-host, Carrie Simison, a local hero in her own right.
• More about food trucks in general
• Everyone’s favorite tacos – including broccoli tacos and cricket tacos

Mentioned:

The Indy

Cerberus Brewing

Downtown Colorado Springs

Focus on the Beer

Westside Cares

Kristy Milligan

These Girls Got Beef

Smokin’ Joe’s Barbecue

Mateo’s

Dutch Heritage Gardens

Prime 25

MeadowGrass Music Festival

The Taco Trail in downtown Colorado Springs

Acquire Homes Real Estate Pros

LINKS:

Food Trucks Against Homelessness: https://ftahcos.com

Annual Fundraiser Food Trucks Against Homelessness: https://fb.me/e/7Awk1NnOR

Dutch Heritage Gardens – Spring Open House: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AS7DDcRkS/

Westside CARES: https://www.westsidecares.org/

The Taco Trail in downtown Colorado Springs – download a pass and enter to win a gift card

https://downtowncs.com/taco

Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest.

Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they'll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at https://studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

Ensuring that downtown Colorado Springs is a safe, welcoming, and prosperous destination is the goal of the Experience Downtown Master Plan, being updated this year. Downtown Partnership COO Chelsea Gondeck shares details with us, and tells us how we can provide input. Community participation is critical.

This lively conversation touches on downtown’s valued features, as well as challenges and opportunities.

On May 8th, 2025, the project team will host two open house events to discuss the draft catalytic opportunities, assets, opportunities, and challenges with the community. The community will also have opportunities to review and provide input on the vision, goals, and action steps.

Some of the topics that come up:

• Public safety
• Parking
• Vacancy rates
• Local, independent businesses
• Loud motor vehicles
• Turning Tejon into a pedestrian mall
• Current Tejon Revitalization project
• Right turns on red downtown
• The Exchange
• The 27-story high-rise – OneVela - proposed downtown
• Should Colorado Springs be more like Denver?
• Mountain Metro news:
• Ride the bus free all summer
• e-Buses

May 8 Public Events:

• 7:30 to 9:30 am - Coffee and Chat, southern lawn of the Pioneers Museum - In case of inclement weather, the Coffee and Chat will be hosted in the Pioneer Museum’s Family Fun Space.
• 5:00 to 7:00 pm - Walk and Talk - to learn about the update, visit some relevant and potentially catalytic sites, and share their own experiences and wishes for Downtown in a candid and casual setting. The group will leave from UCCS Downtown. In case of inclement weather, the second community event will take place inside the UCCS Downtown offices.

Late Summer - open house - to review existing master plan priorities and add additional ones.

Review and Approval Schedule:

• Downtown Development Authority (October)
• Downtown Review Board (November)
• Planning Commission (November)
• City Council (November/December)

To learn more about the downtown plan update, or sign up for email updates, visit https://downtowncs.com and click on the Experience Downtown Master Plan banner: https://downtowncs.com/experience-downtown-plan-update/

Social media links:

• https://www.facebook.com/DowntownColoradoSprings
• https://www.instagram.com/downtown_cs/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-downtown-partnership-of-colorado-springs/

Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest.

Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they'll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them.

Listen

A popular and pleasant rite of Spring in the Pikes Peak region is the MeadowGrass Music Festival on Memorial Day Weekend. Music director Steve Harris and Rocky Mountain Highway Music Collaborative Executive Director Jessica Barney preview some of the artists we’ll hear this year, as they share all the details for anyone considering music under the sun, moon and stars May 23-25, 2025 in the Black Forest outside Colorado Springs.

We hear music samples from:

The Mother Hips - https://www.motherhips.com/

The Reverend Shawn Amos - https://www.shawnamos.com/

Have Gun, Will Travel - https://hgwtmusic.bandcamp.com/

Alysha Brilla - https://www.alyshabrilla.com/

Here is an update on the times of these events:

Jessica Patterson yoga classes set to live music -Saturday and Sunday 9-10:15am

Sound bath - 10:30-11:30

Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas - Saturday and Sundays 9am -11am

Don’t forget to join us at the pre-fest party:

April 26, 3 to 5

Jeremy Facknitz and David Siegel performing

Goat Patch Brewing Company, back patio - https://www.goatpatchbrewing.com/lincoln-center

LINKS:

Tickets and Info - https://meadowgrass.org

Tax Day Discount: Use Promo Code TAXDAY before May 1 for a $20 discount on each ticket

Rocky Mountain Highway Music Collaborative

• Instagram - @meadowgrassfest
• Facebook - @RMHMC
• Web - https://meadowgrass.org

Mentioned:

Jeremy Facknitz

David Siegel

Patty Jewett Bar and Grill

Lulu’s Downtown

Songbird Orchids

Earl Nelson & the Company

Distillery 291

Apple Valley Cider

Jessica Patterson, Root Center for Yoga & Sacred Studies

Jo Joy Breedlove (sound baths)

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Venetucci Farm

Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest.

Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they'll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at https://studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

If you’re over 50 and living in the Springs, the chances are good you have wheels on your recliner. We discuss the many opportunities for an active lifestyle with Rhonda Wray, managing editor of Beacon Senior News.

To inquire about joining us as a co-host, send an email to lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

Mentioned in This Episode:

Beacon Senior News: https://www.beaconseniornews.com/

Monarch Mountain: https://skimonarch.com/

Skate City: https://www.skatecitycolorado.com/

Cottonwood Creek Park: https://coloradosprings.gov/parks/page/cottonwood-creek-park

El Pomar Youth Sports Park: https://www.csyouthsports.net/

Pickleball:

City Courts: https://coloradosprings.gov/parks/page/tennis-and-pickleball

Pikes Peak Pickleball Association: https://pppa.wildapricot.org/where-to-play

Roller Derby: https://pikespeakrollerderby.org/

Four Old Broads On the High Seas – Funky Little Theater Co.

https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/funky-little-theater-company/677f7c726f865e1d15dccf16

Wood Avenue

Pikes Peak Library District: https://ppld.org/

Third Space Coffee: https://www.thirdspacecoffee.com/

Colorado Springs Independent: https://csindy.com/

‘He is … until he isn’t’ The dysfunctional legacy of Dave Donelson - J.W. Roth Editorial:

https://csindy.com/opinion-he-is-until-he-isnt-the-dysfunctional-legacy-of-dave-donelson/

Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest.

Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they'll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at https://studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com

Candid observations about candidates for city council in the April 1 Colorado Springs election are shared by former city councilors Jill Gaebler and Jan Martin, with hosts Al Brody and Dave Gardner. Local voters will be making critical decisions about 6 of our 9 council positions. The city mailed ballots over a week ago. Marked ballots must be received by the city prior to 7 p.m. on April 1.

We also tap Jill and Jan’s knowledge and experience on a number of other topics.

Jan is currently chair of the Garden of the Gods Foundation, and president of Pikes Peak Waterways. Jill is currently executive director of Pikes Peak Housing Network. Al and Dave both previously ran for city council.

Discussed or Mentioned:

Colorado Springs City Council Candidates – April 1, 2025 Election

Voter Information: coloradosprings.gov/election

Candidate Forums hosted by League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region (and co-sponsored by Studio 809 Podcasts - https://lwvppr.org

The wisdom or folly of our strong-mayor form of government

Southern Delivery System (the city’s water supply)

Banning-Lewis Ranch

Annexations – Amara, Karman Line, Banning-Lewis Ranch

North Nevada Revitalization study by Urban Land Institute - https://www.yahoo.com/news/recommendations-nevada-ave-improvements-made-014453694.html

Navajo Hogan - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navajo_Hogan

Roman Villa - https://romanvillaonline.weebly.com/

University Village - https://www.uvcshopping.com/

COSCreek Plan - https://coscreekplan.org/

Pikes Peak Waterways - https://ppwaterways.org/

COS Creek Plan: Dramatic Changes for Monument and Fountain Creeks – episode of Peak Environment - https://studio809podcasts.com/cos-creek-plan/

Pikes Peak Housing Network - https://pphousingnetwork.org/

2024 State of Housing Report - https://pphousingnetwork.org/2024-PPHN-State-of-Housing-Report-1.pdf

Garden of the Gods Foundation - https://gardenofgods.com/foundation/

Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum - https://www.cspm.org/

Palmer Park - https://www.trailsandopenspaces.org/trails/palmer-park/

Spacious Skies (ppcf) - https://www.ourspaciousskies.org/

Peak Cities

Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest.

Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts,...

Maréa Janae is a “sustainable wedding planner” focused on “celebrating love and bringing a community together” in ways that are light on the planet. A young outdoorswoman in love with Colorado Springs, Maréa is busy finding ways to eliminate the 400 to 600 pounds of landfill waste resulting from the average wedding – while creating beautiful and unique events.

“I think that it is really cool to get to do business in a capitalistic society – in which profit is king – to try to flip that script and figure out how to make a successful and profitable business that is actually focused on making the world a better place.”

Also: We provide an update on February 11 city council action on E-Bikes policy for parks and trails in Colorado Springs, including a brief interview with John Weiss of Together for Colorado Springs.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Dream Catcher Weddings - https://www.dreamcatcherwed.com/

Venetucci Farm - https://www.venetuccifarm.org/

Gather Mountain Blooms- https://www.gathermountainblooms.com/

Pikes Peak Community Foundation - https://www.ppcf.org/

Growing Gurus - https://www.ghostprint.org/

Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum - https://www.cspm.org/

The Story of Plastic - https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/the-story-of-plastic-documentary-film/

Epoch Moment - https://epochmoment.com/

Loving the Springs celebrates the best of Colorado Springs and elevates the rest.

Plug into what’s happening in the Pikes Peak region, learn about awesome people, places and happenings, and explore opportunities to make life here even better. Local gadflies Al Brody and Dave Gardner love our two springs – Colorado and Manitou, so they give them the mic in this twice-monthly podcast. Nothing’s off the table – recreation, the arts, government, business, politics – if it touches your life, they'll talk about it. We’ll invite the movers and shakers, conspiracy theorists, NIMBYs, YIMBYs, yaysayers and naysayers to join them.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and give us feedback and suggestions via comments at https://studio809podcasts.com/loving-the-springs or lovingthespringspodcast at gmail.com