Quarantine Stories: Recording History

People from around the Roaring Fork Valley have all been impacted in some way by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now many are sharing their experiences to collect and memorialize the valley’s COVID-19 pandemic history.“Quarantine Stories: Recording History" is a community oral history project from Aspen Public Radio and Aspen Historical Society, featuring self-recorded interviews from individuals and families during these historic times.You can participate by interviewing your family or telling us your story. What are you feeling and seeing? What motivates you? What scares you? What is the day like outside your window?00000176-6d2a-dc2f-ad76-6d2a4f990001Record and send in an audio clip to be preserved in perpetuity in the Aspen Historical Society archive. The future may be uncertain, but together we can capture history happening in real time.There are two easy ways to submit your recording:1. Record it as voice memo on your smartphone and email it to aspenpublicradio@gmail.com.2. Call 970-812-3726 and leave your story as a voicemail00000176-6d2a-dc2f-ad76-6d2a4f9b0000Support for “Quarantine Stories: Recording History" comes from Aspen Center for Environmental Studies educating for environmental responsibility since 1968.*By submitting your story, you agree to it being aired on Aspen Public Radio and archived for future use by Aspen Historical Society for educational and archival purposes as set forth here.

Mercedes Lott: 'There Is Light At The End of The Tunnel'

Aspen Public Radio | By Ryer Gardenswartz

Published July 16, 2020 at 3:34 PM MDT

Mercedes Lott, a 17-year-old junior at Glenwood Springs High School, said she was thankful that she and her family have stayed healthy but is aware of how quickly things can change.

“None of my family or myself have personally been infected by the COVID virus, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen,” he said.

While being cooped up away from friends has been challenging, she enjoyed the extra time to herself and the ability to focus on schoolwork. However, she misses the normalcy of life before the pandemic, even going to school.

“Homeschooling was tough,” she said. “I definitely had no motivation. It was hard. It’s hard for me to learn online through a computer and not being around all my friends to motivate me.”

Lott does see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“In our valley, I think things are going to go completely back to normal. I don’t think there’s

really gonna be any change.”

Except for one thing.

“I do think we’re going to be more clean. We see so many more places having so many more rules and sanitizing,” she said.