Rigby Meet

Whengrief occurs, animals can provide a level of comfort beyond spoken words.

That’s why we have Rigby.

Rigby is a bright, handsome goldendoodle that joined our team at Brown’s Cremation & Funeral Service. At just five months old, Rigby has an uncanny ability to sense when families are grieving and need some extra attention. He greets everyone who walks in with a kind and loving demeanor, bringing a smile to every face he encounters. Sometimes these smiles produce more tears, but families are often comforted by his attention and affection during their visits to our funeral home.

Rigby’s role as our Grief Support Animal will involve visiting with the deceased’s family and loved ones at viewings and memorials, and assisting in comforting children and young people. Although he’s still in training, Rigby loves his position and enjoys being paid in hugs, kisses and treats.

Petting a therapy dog increases serotonin and dopamine levels in our brains. That chemical reaction is sometimes the one thing that can make a person feel normal, even if it’s only for a moment. It is our hope and intention that Rigby will improve an already difficult situation for the families we serve.

Stop by and say hello to Rigby (and our staff) at any time. Rigby will happily take you on a guided tour of our facilities if you find yourself preplanning for the future.

his friend Franco slides over and whispers, “What’d you get?”

“Four months’ vacation and five good leads.”

PREGNANT AT 61?

Submitted by Salvatore Curry

A woman went to the doctor’s office where she was seen by one of the younger doctors. After about four minutes in the examination room, she burst out screaming and ran down the hall. An older doctor stopped her and asked what the problem was, and she told him her story.

After listening, he had her sit down and relax in another room. The older doctor marched down the hallway back to where the young doctor was writing on his clipboard.

“What’s the matter with you?” the older doctor demanded. “Mrs. Terry is 61 years old, has four grown children and seven grandchildren, and you told her she was pregnant?”

The younger doctor continued writing and without looking up said, “Does she still have the hiccups?”

We strive to do more for our families than just disposition.

Better Hearing

Submitted by Jane Diamond

A man needed to purchase a hearing aid, but he was unwilling to spend much money.

“How much do they run?” he asked the clerk.

“They run anywhere from $2 to $2,000,” the clerk responded.

“Let’s see the $2 model,” the customer said.

The clerk put the device around the man’s neck.

“You just stick this button in your ear and run this string down to your pocket,” he instructed.

“How does it work?” the customer asked.

“For $2 it doesn’t work,” the salesman replied. “But people talk louder after seeing the string.”

With Age Comes Wisdom

Submitted by David Warner

A 71-year-old was fishing from his boat one day when he heard a voice say, “Pick me up.”

He looked around and couldn’t see anyone. He thought he was dreaming. Again he heard the voice say, “Pick me up.”

He looked in the water and there, floating on the top, was a frog.

The man said, “Are you talking to me?”

The frog said, “Yes, I’m talking to you. Pick me up, kiss me and then I’ll turn into the most beautiful woman you have ever seen. I’ll make sure that all your friends are envious because I will be your bride!”

The man looked at the frog for a short time, reached over, picked it up carefully and placed it in his front breast pocket.

Then the frog said, “What, are you nuts? Didn’t you hear what I said? I said kiss me and I will be your beautiful bride!”

He opened his pocket, looked at the frog and said, “Nah. At my age, I’d rather have a talking frog.”

Older Than Dirt Quiz

Submitted by Martha Burns

Count all the ones that you remember, not the ones you were just told about and calculate your results below:

1.Blackjack chewing gum

2.Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water

3.Candy cigarettes

4.Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles

5.Coffee shops or diners with tableside juke boxes

6.Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers

7.Party lines on the telephone

8.Newsreels before the movie

9.P.F. Flyers

10.Butch wax

11.TV test patterns that came on at night after the last show and were there until TV shows started again in the morning. (There were only 3 channels -if you were fortunate.)

12.Peashooters

13.Howdy Doody

14.45 RPM records

15.S & H green stamps

16.Hi-fis

17.Metal ice trays with levers

18.Mimeograph paper

19.Blue flashbulbs

20.Packards

21.Roller skate keys

22.Cork popguns

23.Drive-ins

24.Studebakers

25.Washtub wringers

If you remembered:

0-5 = You’re still young

6-10 = You are getting older 11-15

= Don’t tell your age

16-25 = You’re older than dirt! ■

Send

By Colleen M. Story

Wherecan you see a nuisance polar bear, a man walking a highline between two hot air balloons, and a senior Colorado woman who’s made a boat you can fit in your backpack —all at the same event?

Viewers get the opportunity when the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival comes to Delta’s Egyptian Theater on February 23 and Grand Junction’s Avalon Theatre on February 24-25.

“It’s not all skiing films,” said Barb Bowman, addressing a common myth about the festival. “You get to travel to remote places and be inspired not only by the scenery, but by what these films are talking about. Maybe you can’t slackline between two hot air balloons, but after watching, we can feel like getting out and moving again.”

All films are relatively short, the longest being 40 minutes. There’s one about the gorillas in Uganda and how a woman ranger protects them from poachers. Another is about a woman called “North Shore Betty” who started mountain biking when she was in her 50s and is still doing it today in her 70s.

This year’s lineup also includes a farmer who discovers the joy of climbing in the crystalline limestone sinkholes of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, and Nouria Newman, the most gifted kayaker of her generation.

Home In Historic Venues

Operating the top adventure film festival in the world, Canada’s Banff Centre in Alberta has been an industry leader in the celebration of “mountain culture”—promoting appreciation of the world’s mountain places by creating opportunities for people to share and find inspiration. The film festival travels to over 400 global destinations.

Despite being surrounded by mountains, it took Bowman 18 months to convince the powers that be at Banff to add Grand Junction to their list of tour locations over seven years ago.

“They said they had it in Aspen and Telluride,” she said, as if that were enough.

She told them to look at a map of the area. “We’re not going to travel two-to-three hours over the mountains to watch a film festival,” she told them.

Organizers still weren’t convinced, so Bowman sent them news about the historic Avalon Theatre (which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year). They fell in love with the location and agreed to hold the first tour stop there in 2017. The event has been held at the Avalon every year since, except for when it was hosted virtually in 2020 because of COVID-19.

For the first time ever, the Banff Film Festival will be held for one night at the Egyptian Theater, 452 Main St. in Delta.

“It took Banff an hour as opposed to 18 months to say yes to Delta!” said Bowman.

That’s in part because of theater’s history. Inspired by the discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922, the Delta Egyptian Theater opened in 1928 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

Just months after Kelly An- derson, executive director of the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, created the nonprofit that later purchased the theater with plans to renovate it, the Egyptian will be hosting the Banff Film Festival for one night with an exciting slate of films all its own.

BANFF BENEFITS LOCAL

Those who support the film festival this year can feel good knowing that their money is going to a worthy cause. Generous sponsorships cover the expenses to bring in the film festival, so the rest of the money (minus a small deposit for future films) goes to four local organizations.

“Each year we distribute between $35,000¬ to $40,000 to our beneficiaries,” said Bowman, a Rotarian who pulls together the event with help from the Grand Junction Rotary Club.

That money has helped pay, in part, for the new film in the Colorado Monument’s Visitor Center and for the renovation of the amphitheater.

Banff-generated funds have also helped to expand the CMU International Student Program, with some of the students working as ushers at the festival. Colorado Canyons Association and Western Colorado Conservation Corps are the two remaining beneficiaries.

To get your tickets to this year’s festival in Grand Junction, visit banffgj.com, avalontheatregj.com or stop by the Avalon Box Office, 645 Main St. To see Thursday night’s event in Delta, go to deltaegyptian.org.

All seating is reserved, so buy tickets in advance. Each of the benefiting organizations will be present, which means you can visit with representatives beforehand or during intermission. Both theaters will have concessions available.

“It’s mid-winter and we’ve been holed up so it’s nice to get out and go to something so inspiring and exhilarating!” said Bowman. ■

Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour

February 23 • 7-9 p.m.

Delta Egyptian Theater

542 Main St., Delta Tickets: $15 (Donations are welcome!) deltaegyptian.org

Ready to be inspired?

“North Shore Betty” at Banff Berry Birrell picked up mountain biking at age 45 in the misty forests above North Vancouver after a career as a mountaineer and professional windsurfer. Three decades later, she’s proof that you’re never too old to send.

February 24 & 25 • 7 p.m.

Avalon Theater

645 Main St., Grand Junction Tickets: $25 each night; $45 for both nights avalontheatregj.com