BOULDER COUNTY – LEAP, the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program, will continue to take applications through April 30.
LEAP assists low-income households with paying winter heating bills. Income criteria and other eligibility factors apply.
For more details or to obtain an application, please contact the State of Colorado LEAP Information Line at 866-HEAT-HELP (866-432-8435). The Boulder County LEAP office is located at 529 Coffman St., Suite 190, in Longmont, and can be reached at 303-678-6097.

LYONS – Lyons Mercantile, 441 Main St., will open on November 19. The new shop, located at the former Ohm Salon + Gallery, will be a consignment/used furniture business. Owner Monica McGuckin said that there will not be a grand opening, but rather a soft opening on November 19.

LYONS – The Upholstery Shop, 401 Main St., will soon have a new business in the front of the shop called the Orchard. Georgia English, shop owner, is about to launch the Orchard on November 12 after she does a little remodeling on her upholstery shop located behind the Art Bank on Fourth Avenue.

The new shop will have handmade leather bags, creams and lotions, throw pillows, towels, handmade jewelry by three different jewelers, some furniture from the Upholstery Shop and some of English’s handmade clothing designs. There will be hats, belt buckles, glassware and many other items. A grand opening for the new shop will be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday Nov. 12.

LYONS – Juli and Kenyon Waugh, Lyons residents, plan to open a new ice cream and dairy shop called Lyons Dairy Bar in the former Dairy Lite space at Lyons Village Central at the east end of Main Street.

Robin Young who owns the shopping center with her partner, Nancy Liquori, the City Chicks, said the Waughs will be renting the former Dairy Lite space along with the unit next to the ice cream shop. “The Waughs are going to do their own ice cream business,” said Young. “I believe that they have some experience in the ice cream and frozen yogurt business. They hope to have it up and running on the weekends in a short time and then a little later expand to week days. By March they want to have the inside seating in place.”

What can you do with your gas hog?

DENVER – The economy continues to struggle and gas prices remain high. The cost to fill up the gas tank in an average car is over $60. If that is breaking your budget, there are two things you can do about it. You can either drive less and improve your gas mileage, or replace your car with a fuel-efficient one.

To improve your car’s gas mileage, make sure your tires are properly inflated. Underinflated tires can cost you up to two miles per gallon. Then, replace your air filter regularly and put in new spark plugs every 30,000 miles. The smoother your car runs, the better its gas mileage. Of course, the ultimate gas saver is to slow down. The faster you drive, the more gas your car will use.

LYONS – Alana Yerman has just begun a local business out of her home with hopes of opening in another location soon. She practices physical therapy, Thai massage and yoga. She has lived in Lyons since May of 2010 and in Colorado since 2008. She also teaches yoga at Mayama Movement Studio on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and works at Lyons Physical Therapy on Tuesdays. Her general approach to healing encompasses various methods that are customized into a treatment plan to meet the unique needs of every patient with influences from both Eastern and Western Medicine healing perspective.