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.

Will Grosscup: Coping With Change Through Working Out

Aspen Public Radio | By Ryer Gardenswartz

Published July 16, 2020 at 3:32 PM MDT

The three most important aspects of Will Grosscup’s life all changed due to the pandemic. He, like many others, had to adjust to a new academic, social and work life.

Grosscup struggled to find motivation once school was cancelled. After navigating online Advanced Placement tests and wondering how a cancelled SAT test would impact his future, he turned to working out and a new diet to help his mental state.

“I changed my diet, started eating a lot of protein, cut down on sugar, so I think that helped me cope with the boredom and with the inability of being able to leave my house,” he said.

Even though school was no longer in session, Grosscup was still working at Target, where one of his co-workers was diagnosed with COVID-19. Being so close to others and seeing people react to the pandemic was eye-opening for him.

“Through working there, [I] saw the thoughtlessness and the hoarding,” he said. “Buying these precious materials that they didn’t need and would definitely benefit other people more than it would benefit them, such as toilet paper and disinfectant wipes.”