This newspaper hits the stands on April Foolsí Day. Now, you might think we would participate in the ìfake newsî craze, but once upon a time, we did; and we learned a lesson. (Fake news is not news at all, by the way ó itís called lying.) Anyway, in 2006, we decided to play an April Foolsí joke on our readers, with some front page stories that were nothing but lies!Here are some actual excerpts.We had written a story about Colorado College expanding to the Falcon area.Colorado Springsí main claim to the political left ó Colorado College, which is based in downtown Springs, has leased a building at Meadow Lake Airport to expand its educational programs to the eastern plains.”We realize there are more liberal-minded people living in Falcon than anywhere else in the county, and we would like to accommodate the families who want to send their kids to a liberal arts institute of higher learning,” said Dick Celeste, president of the college.Celeste, former governor of Ohio and ambassador to India under the Clinton era, said the extension program and the facilities will be ready for students by the 2006 fall semester.Degrees available for young (and old) Falconites will be focused on international studies, sociology, journalism, literature and art.Some administrative offices will be moved to Falcon as well.The biggest hint of that lie: the statement about ìmore liberal-minded people living in Falcon.î Well, someone from the administration of CC called our editor and complained about our little joke. Of course, we had posted an ìApril Foolsî declaration related to the front page toward the back of the NFH. We ran an apology in the May issue!Wells Fargo was also the target of our April Foolsí Day joke.Duncan Bremer, former county commissioner, has been itching for months to tell someone about a secret development project planned in Falcon. Sources close to Bremer say ìitís all unbelievable!î But John McCarty, director of the El Paso County Transportation Department, confirmed rumors that the Wells Fargo Tower, located on Cascade Avenue in Colorado Springs, is going to be moved to Falcon sometime in April.ìI canít wait to sink my teeth into this project,î McCarty said. ìNuclear-powered jacks are being imported from France so we can lift the building from its foundation. An elaborate system, consisting of 350 wheels, will be placed under the building and three massive mining trucks will …”A public relations person at Capital Pacific thought our lie about them was funny.†Paul Makarechian, president of Capital Pacific, owners of the Banning Lewis Ranch, said Capital Pacific is moving its headquarters to Falcon, Colo., because its current headquarters in Newport Beach, Calif.,î is so five minutes ago.” The company purchased a five-acre lot at 11410 Owl Place in Falcon for $5.5 million, and construction on their new headquarters is expected to begin this summer. “We picked the lot because it has many large trees and a great view,” Makarechian said.I will say we had great fun at the editorial meeting that year planning the April Foolsí joke. I thought the writers were ingenious.The closest we get to April Foolsí Day this month is an article about April Foolsí origins and maybe something unusual in one of our regular features ó you can probably guess the ìjokeî when you read it.Besides April Foolsí Day, the other big day this month is Easter. The churches have a page for all of their planned Easter activities, so if you are inclined, you have plenty of options. Whether itís a religious holiday for you or a celebration of the Easter Bunny, enjoy! (And be sure to read Jeff Bowles article about why you donít want a real Easter Bunny.)See you in May!– Michelle
