May the horse be with you
elegraph the durango
FREE May 2, 2019
Vol. XVIII, No. 18 durangotelegraph.com
inside
T H E
O R I G I N A L
I N D I E
W E E K L Y
L I N E
O N
D U R A N G O
&
B E Y O N D
High times
Here we go again
Not just for pie
Big water, new features mean game on for Animas p8
Merely Players rock the house with ‘Mamma Mia!’ p14
The zestier side of rhubarb is worth getting to know p16
Issue 8 is here!
Wherever you find the Telegraph or at www.gulchmag.com. To find out about advertising opportunities, email steve@gulchmag.com
2 n May 2, 2019
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lineup
8
4 La Vida Local
Ready to rumble How high the Animas goes is anyone’s guess – just be smart out there
4 Thumbin’ It
by Tracy Chamberlin
5 Word on the Street
12-13
6-7 Soapbox
Surf’s up
Locals barely miss a beat as ski season transitions into surf season
Ear to the ground: “At least we are sexy losers.” – Brother and sister discussing the upside of weight loss due to heart breaking life events
All ears
thepole
RegularOccurrences
It’s been nearly a year and a half since President Donald Trump gutted the Bears Ears National Monument, one of the richest – if not the richest – concentration of archaeological sites in the country. Since then, many area residents, as well as Native American tribes that consider the area sacred, worry about threats to the thousands of historic artifacts from oil and gas development, OHV abuse, and vandalism and desecration.
10 Mountain Town News
photos by Stephen Eginoire
12 -13 Day in the Life
14
16 Flash in the Pan
yABBA dABBA do
17 Top Shelf
Earworm alert: Merely Players stages rousing rendition of ‘Mamma Mia!’
18 On the Town
by Zach Hively
16
20 Ask Rachel
Growing like weeds Pairing two plentiful spring greens for a salad like no other
22 Classifieds
by Ari LeVaux
22 Haiku Movie Review
17
On the cover: A kayaker braves the ice cream headache for an afternoon surf sesh in Smelter Rapid on Sunday./ Photo by Stephen Eginoire
Goodbye, Greg Saying goodbye to a great local troubadour, EDM & new beers
by Chris Aaland
boilerplate
EDITORIALISTA: Missy Votel (missy@durangotelegraph.com) ADVERTISING AFICIONADO: Lainie Maxson (lainie@durangotelegraph.com) RESIDENT FORMULA ONE FAN: Tracy Chamberlin (tracy@durangotelegraph.com)
T
he Durango Telegraph publishes every Thursday, come hell, high water, beckoning singletrack or monster powder days. We are wholly owned and operated independently by the Durango Telegraph LLC and
21 Free Will Astrology
STAR-STUDDED CAST: Lainie Maxson, Chris Aaland, Clint Reid, Stephen Eginoire, Jesse Anderson, Zach Hively, Ari LeVaux, Tracy Chamberlin and Shan Wells
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Is there a way to save Bears Ears from, well, ruins? Next Tues., May 7 from 6 – 8:30 p.m., Ute Mountain Ute tribal member Regina LopezWhiteskunk presents “Defending Bears Ears,” a talk on her experience working on the Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition. Formed in 2015, the historic coalition was made up of five area tribes – Ute Mountain, Ute, Hopi, Zuni and Navajo – who helped guide the formation of the original 1.3-million acre-monument, which was declared in 2017 by President Barack Obama. Lopez-Whiteskunk will be joined by fellow council member and former Hopi Vice-Chairman Alfred Lomahquahu. In addition to speaking about their experiences, the two hope to spark a conversation about tribal sovereignty and the use of public lands. The event is hosted by Great Old Broads for Wilderness and Indivisible Durango. For more information, contact Clint McKnight at cmck3240 @gmail.com.
It’s business time Local CPW and the BLM lands are officially open for your riding, running and hiking pleasure. On May 1, wildlife officials lifted the ban that was in place on certain public lands in order to protect wintering herds. Newly opened trails include: Upper Animas Mountain; Upper Twin Buttes; and the Grandview trails, including Sale Barn, Big Canyon, Cowboy, Grandview Ridge, Sidewinder and Skull Rock. In addition, closures for the 416 Fire enacted last summer for the Hermosa Creek area have also been lifted. However, visitors should expect downed trees, hazard trees, erosion and variable conditions. In addition, some Forest Service roads may be treacherous or impassable, the San Juan National Forest warns. Backcountry travelers are urged to exercise patience and heed closures and barricades lest they end up on an unanticipated fourwheeling adventure. "Some closed roads may appear dry at lower elevations. However, a short distance up the hill, snow, mud or washouts keeps the road from being opened fully,” the Forest Service cautions. “Other roads may be opened at lower elevations, but temporarily barricaded where travel becomes hazardous.” May 2, 2019 n
3
opinion
LaVidaLocal The Desert Sometimes you have to step back and take a look at it all. Near the beginning of this decade, I moved to Durango with a dollar and a dream. The economy was crap, I’d just broken up with someone I thought could have been “the one,” and I’d lost the only decent-paying job I ever had. I’m not sure if I’ve ever written about this in the Telegraph, but the opportunity to freelance for this paper was the only real prospect I had when I moved here. I’ve always enjoyed risk taking and following whims, but as anyone knows about those sort of things, sometimes they work out, sometimes they don’t. Most people don’t follow their dreams, and I never wanted to be one of those people who lived with regret. I moved here with the intention of trying to get back to the same lifestyle that I had when I lived in Gunnison and worked a public relations and marketing gig. I vigorously applied and interviewed for jobs in that realm and didn’t get offered a single one. Being broke and jobless can really chip away at one’s self esteem. I was determined to fight for my right to write though. I took the opportunity every morning to write, and eventually started my own publishing company. And, of course, I learned the Durango Tango. I house sat and farm sat for a place to stay. The first way I made money here was mucking horse shit. Then dishwashing, prep cooking, and eventually becoming a manager at a local restaurant, Durango’s beloved Zia Taqueria. Tim Turner, the owner, coached me on forming a business plan in his spare time. I met many, many awesome locals while working there. Customers can be rude and high maintenance in the service industry, and I’m more than grateful for those who sent forth positive energy and good vibes during my days there. Sometime after I completed 10,000 hours of writing, my publishing business finally took off enough that I could stop dancing that Durango Tango and settle into my life’s work. I met “the one” around that time period, too. I was happy that I had I chased my dreams and happy that fate intervened and made me suffer for a while. For we should have to suffer for our dreams. Also around that time, we elected the president that I consider unfit to represent our country. I can’t recall being so angry in my adult life. After the anger subsided, I began to reflect – on the history of our country; the fact that the Democrats didn’t put up a good candidate; and what I could do to be a positive force of change, to do my part to say, “this is not OK, this is not who we are, nor whom we should become.” I searched high and low. I spoke with every leader I could. The answer was resounding. The power that I had was the power of the pen. I had a unique power; the power to inspire; the power to encourage those younger than me, as well as those that are my senior. I’ve directed most of my energy to the Bears Ears National
Monument issue. It was wrong to rescind that designation. Recently, I released a book and a short film on the topic. I had the kick-off for my book tour for The Desert just last week. I also showed the film, “Just a Climber, for Bears Ears.” Just after the book tour kicked off, the film also showed at the 5 Point Film Festival in Carbondale. The book presentation was the type I’ve dreamed about for the last seven years, since I started writing books. There was an energetic crowd of young and old, a line while I signed books, and a sense that I had done something pure and right and was inspiring others (while I made a buck or two.) In two weeks, the book tour will stop in Durango, and that event is the one I am the most excited about. I’ve teamed up with Maria’s Bookshop and Pine Needle and there will be a free presentation at 6:30 p.m. Thurs., May 16, at Pine Needle Dry Goods (aka the Patagonia store) 858 Main Ave. We’ll be showing “Just a Climber,” and shortly after we’ll release that film online along with a fundraiser for the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and Friends of Cedar Mesa – two groups that have sued the federal government over the rescinding of Bears Ears National Monument. I’m grateful that I can report that I’ve followed by dreams and achieved some of them. As a writer, my work will never be done, and the things about dreams is the more you achieve, the more dreams you want to seek out. My writing torch will eventually be passed, perhaps to one of you reading this. Now that I’m settling down in Durango with the one I love, we’re doing what couples do: looking for a house. As everyone knows, it’s expensive here in Durango, and even as two hardworking middle-class people we’ll barely be able to afford something. I’m not complaining – we live where people vacation – but it has me wondering what things are going to be like for people like us in 10 to 20 years. I’ve watched Telluride and Crested Butte get super expensive, and the whole thing makes me a little sick to my stomach. The rich do not bring culture to the mountains; and the culture of the rich is lame. Let me let that one marinate for a bit. I suppose my train of thought is going into this place we call Durango that we love so much. I wonder what we can do to ensure that it is a place for many people, not just the wealthy. I wonder if we could slow down our downtown drag a bit. I wonder if the powers that be will ever announce the entity that started the 416 Fire. I wonder how we can create a diverse community in every way. I wonder how we can further develop our artistic community and also cross paths with the amazing trails and athletes we have here. I wonder how fast this next decade is going to fly by, and I wonder if I have the heart to continue to put energy into the change I want to see. Thanks for reading Durango, and I hope to see you on May 16 and Pine Needle Dry Goods.
– Luke Mehall Luke Mehall is the author of five books including The Desert. More of his work can be found at climbingzine.com.
Sign of the Downfall:
Thumbin’It Closures lifted on Forest Service lands in the Hermosa Creek area that have been in place since last spring due to the 416 Fire
A ski season for the record books, with plentiful snowpack leading to Purgatory extending its season into May for the first time ever and the U.S. ski industry reporting its fourth-best season in history
The New Mexico State Land Commissioner taking steps to protect Chaco Canyon from oil and gas development by placing a moratorium on drilling within 10 miles of state lands
4 n May 2, 2019
The downside to all of this year’s moisture, with the Animas Mosquito Control District warning that this summer’s bug season could also be one for the record books
More woes for the Animas River, with a power glitch at the Aztec water treatment plant causing some 45,000 gallons of raw sewage to spill into the river
Slick roads leading to Wednesday morning’s crash involving a semi-truck and passenger bus near Lizard Head Pass, injuring nine people and closing the roadway
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A-Crock-alypse Now If you’re a nerd, you already know that the world is ending. “End Game” is in theaters, which is the final movie in a 22movie series; “Game of Thrones” is wrapping up on HBO; and “Star Wars” is coming to an end after four decades. But at least nerds can go out in style, because Crocks has released a limitededition pair of their shoes with miniature fanny-packs on the back (the packs are small, but they’re just big enough for your Nickleback tickets).
WordontheStreet With Purgatory announcing its final day this Saturday, the Telegraph asked, “How do you know ski season is finally over?”
Q
YOUR NAME HERE Bill La Grange
"We're back in Durango after wintering in Tucson."
This ad space could be yours.
Brian Freitag
"The season's not over until it's over."
Sawyer
"There's parking at North City Market."
Call Lainie @ 970-259-0133 or email
Cora La Grange
"The valley is green and the river is full."
Jeremy Cockroft
“Rafting.”
lainie@durangotelegraph.com
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May 2, 2019 n 5
SoapBox
ReTooned/by Shan Wells
Medicare for All is not radical idea To the editor, Can you really keep your health insurance? A frequent message in the media is that people don’t want to give up their employer-sponsored health insurance. Is this industry spin or a reality? Let’s look at the facts. Based on an analysis from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 66 million people lose their job each year through quitting, firing, lay-offs or life circumstances. That is almost half of the population (44 percent of workers). When they lose their jobs, they often lose their health insurance. On top of that, this study from the University of Michigan finds that changing insurance each year is common in the United States. In other words, people “lose” their health insurance commonly. Some end up uninsured. Others scramble to find a job that offers benefits or a plan they can afford. For people with ongoing health conditions, this can be very disruptive to their care. Would people be willing to “give up” their health insurance for national improved Medicare for All, knowing they would have it for the rest of their lives? The Fox News Town Hall recently provides insight into that answer. There was a resoundingly positive response from Republicans, Democrats, independents and conservatives. Medicare for All is not a radical idea. Thirty other industrialized countries have been using some form of this for over 60 years. The U.S. is radical in that we have 30 million Americans without any health insurance and 41 million who have insurance but can’t afford their deductibles. – Cyndi Ortman, Durango
Come check out our bouquet of flowers.
Variety of Strains • Hash/Concentrates • Edibles • Tinctures • ATM on site Recreational: 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM Medical: 9:00 AM - 6:45 PM 72 Suttle Street, Units F/G , 970.259.3674
6 n May 2, 2019
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Recreational Adult Use Only: 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM 37 CR 232, 970.426.4381
A healthier outlook for Colorado To the editor, The multi-faceted issue of health care in Colorado is questioned frequently as I tour District 59, repeated often in the calls and letters I receive. I am the first to admit it is not my specialty, but here are some bipartisan bills wending their way through the Legislature now: • HB19-001 requires hospitals to report their annual spending under a transparency law, including payrolls, inpatient, outpatient and emergency visits and capital expenditures. The results will show why those insured by private carriers are paying more when public funds to help cover uncompensated hospital care have grown. The Governor has signed this bill. • HB19-1168 will help lower insurance premiums on the Western Slope; which pays some of the highest premiums in the nation. It puts people who use their insurance frequently into a separate category so their high costs do not raise the average of lower-need patients. This bill has passed through the House and is now in the Senate. • SB19-004 authorizes health care cooperatives to incorporate consumer protections and collective rate negotiations. Consolidating consumer purchasing power adds competition, which will reduce costs. It is an innovative way to provide health insurance and is already working in several parts of the country. School districts, local government entities and other groups could join the cooperative. SB19-004 has passed through the Senate, and is now starting in the House. • HB19-1176 creates a task force to analyze health care financing in the state. The task force will assess three models and evaluate each approach: the current health care system; a publicly and privately funded multi-payer universal health care system; and a publicly financed, privately delivered universal health care system. Legislators can make decisions about what will work best. The bill is almost through the House, then will head to the Senate.
• HB19-1004 addresses the lack of insurance competition in Colorado, which makes health care unaffordable for many. The bill asks for a state option that builds on existing state infrastructure. Costs could be more closely contained, and funding opportunities could be maximized. The bill has passed through the House, and is now in the Senate. • SB19-079 lets practitioners to only prescribe opioid medication electronically, with a few specific exceptions. With opioid abuse rampant, especially in rural Colorado, this prevents prescriptions from getting into the wrong hands. The Governor has signed the bill. • HB19-1287 increases access to treatment for opioid & other drug addiction problems by establishing a web-based tracking system. It will provide information on treatment at behavioral health facilities, medical detox centers & programs for medication-assisted treatments. This will help patients, caregivers and medical professionals find immediate help. The bill also increases the capacity for treatment in rural and underserved areas. This bill is still in the House. • HB19-1216 will reduce the price of insulin in Colorado. The cost of insulin rose by 45 percent between 201417, and by more than 700 percent over the last 20 years. The actual insulin has not changed significantly since 1996. People are rationing or not taking their dosages, putting their lives in danger. The Attorney General will be instructed to investigate. The bill should be out of the House soon, then move to the Senate. • HB19-1131 requires drug manufacturers to provide, in writing, the wholesale cost of a prescription drug to a prescriber, as well as give the names and wholesale costs of at least three generic drugs, if they exist. This will help prescribers see the transparency of prescription costs, which can be shared with the consumer. This has passed the House and Senate. • HB19-1241 provides scholarships to students who commit to practicing medicine in rural areas. This bill is in the House Appropriations Committee. • The Joint Budget Committee set aside a $13.9 million
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increase for services for people with intellectual developmental disabilities. It also gave $46.2 million for a 1 percent rate increase for community providers; $1 million to expand the Colorado Family Planning Program; $5 million for additional inpatient psychiatric treatment at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo; and $15.6 million for staff retention at the Veterans Community Living Center and Youth Services Facility. Several mental health bills are also moving through the House and Senate, including funding for youth suicide prevention and behavioral & mental health services in schools. For more information on the bills’ status, visit http://leg.colorado.gov. – Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango
Save Shan, vote for Trump
To the editor, I’m deeply concerned that if President Trump is not reelected next year, Shan Wells will no longer be employed by the Telegraph. With 80 percent to 90 percent of his editorial cartoons expressing his hatred for Trump, there will no longer be a purpose for his cartoons if a progressive is elected. Save Shan’s job by voting for Trump next year! – Dennis Pierce, Durango
“We’ll print damned-near anything” The Telegraph prides itself on a liberal letters policy. We offer this forum to the public to settle differences, air opinions & undertake healthy discourse. We have only three requests: limit letters to 750 words, letters must be signed by the writer; and thank-you lists and libelous, personal attacks are unwelcome. Send your insights by Tuesday at noon to: PO Box 332, Durango, 81302 or e-mail your profundities to: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com. Let the games begin ...
May 2, 2019 n 7
TopStory
Smelter Rapid and many of the features above the Whitewater Park south of downtown Durango have changed in the past few years. Not just from natural erosion – particularly along the western banks pictured above – but from construction work near the city’s water intake just above the rapid./Photo by Stephen Eginoire
In the flow How high the river gets is anyone’s guess – but one thing’s for sure, leave the flip flops at home by Tracy Chamberlin
R
afting season is already under way on the Animas River, which has been flowing at near record levels and almost double the average rate for this time of year. It’s no surprise to residents who look back on the epic snowfall from the past winter. What many are wondering, however, is just what does the record snowpack mean for boaters? Particularly those attempting to run the city’s Whitewater Park south of town? The latest round of construction on the park began in 2014, and the new and improved play features have been mostly lauded by boaters. But, the stretch of water has also had its share of hiccups. On the river’s edge Smelter Rapid and many of the features above the Whitewater Park have changed in the past few years. Not just from natural erosion – particularly along the western banks of the park – but from construction work near the city’s water intake just above the rapid. Over the last several years, the river above Smelter Rapid has naturally been cutting into Smelter Mountain on the western side of the river. The more the river has eroded the western bank, the lower the river’s elevation has dropped.
8 n May 2, 2019
Animas River Days n Kick-off Event is the Reel Paddling Film Festival on May 30 with screenings at 5 and 6:30 p.m. at the Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Ave. n River Days is June 1 at Santa Rita Park, starting off with the Kayak and Canoe Slalom from 8:30-10:30 a.m. Events run throughout the day – including the SUP race, raft slalom, junior events, floatie rodeo, boatercross and more – ending with the River Parade and Viewing Party from 6-7:30 p.m. For more info, check out www.animasriverdays.com.
Latest on the Dolores n The latest from the Dolores Water Conservancy District, is a likely boating release is in late May or early June on the Dolores River. For the latest, go to www.doloreswater.com. n The Dolores River Festival happens on June 1 in Joe Rowell Park from 10 a.m. to dark. The event features live music from Afrobeatniks, Elder Grown and more. For more on the festival, check out www.doloresriverfestival.org. This has meant more water flowing away from the city’s intake on the eastern side – where water runs directly into
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the City treatment plant to be processed and used by city residents. This became a bigger problem in 2016 when planned maintenance to Lemon Reservoir turned the Florida River – which the city gets about 90 percent of its water supply from – into a trickle. For the winter of 2016-17, the city needed to get its entire supply from the Animas and the intake had no pump. So, something had to change. In late 2016, a project separate from the Whitewater Park construction downstream built rock weirs, or low-head dams, spanning the river above Smelter to help direct the flow back to the intake. In addition, the western bank along Smelter Mountain was raised up in an attempt to change the elevation and force the river back onto the eastern side near the treatment plant. These new drops have caused boaters to get hung up above the rapid, with some rafts going for an extended, unplanned and often un-manned surf. For some, navigating the changes is merely a new challenge. For others caught unprepared, though, it could mean a long, cold swim. “There’s still some work that’s needed in that stretch of river,” local boater John Brennan, who’s been on the Animas River for more than 40 years, explained. 4
AnimasRiver from p. 8 Reaching higher Although it’s been a winter filled with plenty of snow, it won’t necessarily translate into record flows or flooding on the Animas. According to Brennan, who was also involved with the Whitewater Park design as part of the Animas River Task Force, this year’s boating season, so far, is shaping up to be an average one. “It’s a normal year,” Brennan explained. “It’s just that we haven’t had a normal year in quite a few years.” In the winter of 1974-75, for example, Purgatory Resort enjoyed more than 460 inches of snowfall as compared to 359 this year. Yet, by spring of 1975, river flow measured just 910 cfs on May 1. Even when the peak of the spring runoff season hit – which typically happens in the beginning of June – records weren’t being broken. That year, according to data from the United States Geological Survey, the peak runoff occurred June 16 with 7,400 cfs and ranked the 23rd highest going back to 1898. So, how will this winter’s snowpack translate into water in the Animas? Well, despite common belief, it’s not snow that makes for really high flows. It’s rain. According to Brennan and others, flooding is far more common in the fall following heavy rain events, often the product of hurricane remnants. The river’s record high flow was set Oct. 5, 1911, at 25,000 cfs after nearly 3 feet of
When the Animas River is flowing fast and high, it can bring debris with it. Not just from the 416 Fire – which burned more 54,000 acres in the Hermosa Creek area last summer – but also avalanches. Trees and other debris gets caught up in the city’s water intake just above Smelter Rapid./Photo by Stephen Eginoire rain fell in a short period of time. In addition to rainfall affecting the flows and flooding, temperatures have the biggest impact on snowmelt. If temperatures stay moderate and rainfall steady throughout the spring, the snowpack will translate into a long, gradual and enjoyable boating season. “What everyone’s hoping for is a very long runoff,” Brennan said. “All the way into late July.”
Changing times Alex Mickel, president of Mild to Wild Rafting and Jeep Tours, said it’s important, especially this year, for boaters to familiarize themselves with Smelter Rapid. Even if they’ve run it before. Depending on temperatures, rainfall and other factors, conditions could change quickly. Mickel’s advice was, “When in doubt, scout.”
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He also suggested taking a boatman’s or swiftwater rescue class. “Don’t be afraid to get out and get trained,” he added. “We’re going to have a prolonged period of high water, which is fun, but people do need to be prudent and prepared.” Mickel said boaters need to have warm layers and be prepared for a possible swim – a life jacket and pair of jeans won’t do it. “The effects of cold water cannot be underestimated,” he added. Water temperatures on the Animas tend to hover around 40 degrees in the spring due to the melting snowpack, and it can take less than a minute to affect someone’s ability to function. “Give yourself a fighting chance,” Brennan explained. “Because you’ll only last about 30 seconds in the water.” When the river is flowing fast and high, he said, it also can bring debris with it. Not just from the 416 Fire – which burned more 54,000 acres in the Hermosa Creek area last summer – but also avalanches. The heavy snowfall this winter came with a record number of slides, including one that closed Highway 550 between Ouray and Silverton for almost three weeks. According to Brennan, it’s likely to mean lumber coming down the Animas River. He added that after several low-water years, there are a lot of unstable cottonwoods along the banks. Fast-moving and high flows could wash those out and send them downstream as well. “Once you have the preparation, you can enjoy this amazing playground that runs right through our town,” Mickel said. n
May 2, 2019 n
9
MountainTownNews Shelter-in-place one option in Squaw $, ()0 )!! +$("
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TRUCKEE, Calif. – Potential for wildfire has become a focal point as officials consider whether to allow the real estate development proposed at the base of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. The proposal would add 1,500 bedrooms and additional retail and resort amenities to the Olympic Valley during the next 25 years. The resort lies between Truckee and Lake Tahoe. Developers have acknowledged that wildfire could burn through the valley faster than people could evacuate. Approvals by Placer County are being challenged in court. Benjamin Spillman of the Associated Press talked with a resident, retired flight attendant Laura Haneveld, who fears being trapped. The fire at Paradise, Calif., which killed 85 people last November, and other fires in California in recent years cause her to worry even more about having too many people trying to flee down a twisting, curvy two-mile-road to a highway that itself is only two lanes and is also curvy. Truckee and Interstate 80 are about 10 miles away. Under some circumstances, say Squaw Valley developers and government officials, thousands of people might have to take refuge at the resort. Allen Riley, chief of the Squaw Valley Fire Department, said the acres of bare pavement and village area would be sufficient harbor for people to survive a quick-moving fire, although evacuation would be the first choice. He cites communities in Australia, the Rancho Santa Fe development north of San Diego, and Pepperdine University, between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, as places where shelter-in-place strategies have worked. California state legislators have been considering laws that would toughen the requirements of local governments for approving housing developments in high-risk areas, according to another AP report.
Mountain towns high in health rankings JACKSON, Wyo. – Teton County, which is roughly synonymous with Jackson Hole, was ranked No. 6 in the nation for healthy communities in a data analysis conducted by Aetna with U.S. News and World Report. Colorado’s Chaffee County, home to the river towns of Salida and Buena Vista, ranked No. 11 in the same study, while Utah’s Morgan County (just north of Park City) was 12th; Colorado’s Routt County (Steamboat) was 14th; San Miguel County (Telluride) 17th; and Pitkin County (Aspen) 19th. Tops in the country was Colorado’s Douglas County, a high-income area just south of Denver. Teton County led rural counties. The magazine’s website noted that “access to care and transportation barriers can pose challenges, but residents of rural communities with high-performing economies typically live in healthier natural environments and fare better in terms of housing than their urban counterparts.”
Study seeks arts role in Aspen’s economy ASPEN – A study that seeks to measure the economic impact of the arts and culture sector in Aspen will soon begin. “Collectively, to be able to tell a fuller narrative of the importance of arts and culture to our community is really important,” Sarah Roy, director of the Red Brick Center for the Arts, said. The center is among the organizations pitching in to cover the $63,000 cost of the study. The Aspen Chamber Resort Association and the City of Aspen are together paying $53,000. Boulder-based RRC Associates will define many metrics: number of jobs associated with the arts; secondary impact to local businesses; and attendance at art, music and other venues. Second-home owners will be surveyed as to how much the arts and cultural scene influenced their decisions to buy in the Aspen-Snowmass area. “Our perspective is that the arts are probably the most undervalued sector in Aspen,” Heidi Zuckerman, director of the Aspen Art Museum, told City Council members. “The economic impact is huge, and I actually think it should be a number that anyone sitting on your side of the table should be able to cite.”
CB considers urban avalanche regulation CRESTED BUTTE – In March, one man died in the Crested Butte area and another nearly perished after being buried under an avalanche of snow from roofs.
10 n May 2, 2019
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That has the Crested Butte Town Council considering regulations intended to forecast such urban avalanches from roofs onto public rights-of-ways. The Crested Butte News explains that certain buildings within the town have been known to shed snow during winter, damaging cars when they do. Other roofs haven’t slid but certainly looked like they might after the series of heavy snowfalls this winter. Six buildings have been identified, including the Town Hall itself. The council leans toward an ordinance that would require owners or tenants to remove the snow once it becomes an obvious danger. It wasn’t clear from the report how town officials intend to define an obvious danger.
Jackson resort fined in workers’ deaths JACKSON, Wyo. – A resort in Jackson Hole has been fined $10,832 by the State of Wyoming for workplace failures that led to the deaths of two laborers at a construction site. The two men were working in a 12-foot deep trench at a house under construction when the trench collapsed. The men, one aged 42 and the other 56, died of asphyxiation, the Jackson Hole News&Guide reports. A Wyoming state official told the News& Guide that the fines aren’t a reflection of the severity of the consequences. “If the exact same violations existed at a job site but nobody was killed or injured, the fines would be more or less the same,” Ty Stockton, communications manager for the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, said. The role of the fines, he said, is to “hopefully change behavior.” The citation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a federal agency administered by the state, found that “no support systems, shield systems or other protective systems” were in place. A wrongful death civil lawsuit against the developer is in the works.
GOP sees tilt to school ceiling tile art HAILEY, Idaho – If you look at the ceiling in a hallway at Wood River High School, which has students from the Ketchum and Sun Valley area, you will see some imaginative artwork. Some of that artwork obviously has a low regard for U.S. President Donald Trump. One of those ceiling tiles has a representation of Barack Obama’s “Hope” campaign poster alongside a painting of Trump reading “Nope” in the same style. There are more ceiling tiles that might offend fervid Donald Trump supporters, reports the Idaho Mountain Express. One lampoons Trump’s proposed wall on the Mexican border. Another notes Trump’s efforts to deport children. All the tiles were done by advanced-placement students, and to an outraged Republican candidate in Idaho, the messages represent clear evidence of indoctrination by educators. Educators say there’s more nuance. For example, a cartoon on one ceiling tile shows inflation pilfering money from an unsuspecting wallet. Another cited the banking industry for its role in the economic downturn of 2008. The school district superintendent explained that the students who choose to paint a tile pick a subject based on what they’d learned the past year. “The students have to justify why their topic resonated with them,” explained Gwen Carol Holmes. She pointed to other tiles, one a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and another pro-Trump political cartoon showing the president freeing a balloon labeled “business” from sandbags of “regulation.”
Affordable housing construction begins ASPEN – Construction has begun on 45 affordable rental units in Aspen. Rental prices will start at $632 per month for a one bedroom. These units will be only rentals and will not have a workforce history requirement, explains the Aspen Daily News. That contrasts sharply with most of Aspen’s affordable housing, which consists of for-purchase units available only to those who have been employed within Pitkin County for four years. The land for the project was purchased by the city in 2007.
– Allen Best
MurderInk
On the money Marcie Rendon creates one unforgettable heroine in Cash Blackbear by Jeffrey Mannix
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e’ll be under the radar with today’s “Murder Ink” book. But I’m counting on loyal readers to delight in finding the undiscovered treasure all adventurers know is waiting in plain sight, where few find themselves or are too snow-blind to see. Girl Gone Missing is the unworthy title of an absolutely stunning book of a sensible 224 pages written by Marcie Rendon about a young woman very much on her own in Fargo, N.D. She drinks Budweiser, smokes Marlboros, plays eight-ball and drives a beet truck when her freshman class schedule at Moorhead State College, across the Red River, permits. Her name is Cash Blackbear, and she is a 19-year-old Anishinabe Indian from the White Earth Reservation, where contemptible U.S. policy took infants from their families and remanded them into foster care with dubious white families. The misguided notion was the children would assimilate and lose their heathen ways. And how did that work out, you have to ask? Most children became indentured farm hands, many abused as slaves, and all cast adrift to live pitiably and die young of alcohol poisoning and the cognitive violence of disenfranchisement. You might say that Cash got less unlucky in life. Sheriff Wheaton, of Norman County, pulled her from her mother’s wrecked car when she was 3 years old. She navigated foster care, and at 13 was working the beet fields,
driving trucks and excelling at schoolwork. Although her real name is Renee, she made her way by working for cash, playing pool for cash and paying with cash – thus the Cash nickname. Despite her diminutive stature at 5’2,” she isn’t anyone’s fool and doesn’t have patience for surface runners. She handles the bars, fields and big diesels like the old-timers, who in turn respect her grit. Cash is stoical from living the life of a castoff child grown early to womanhood. In a different setting, she’d be prom queen, a trophy wife or tough lawyer, doctor or journalist. But here, she’s adrift by design gone rogue, with no plans beyond calling the eight ball in the corner pocket, choosing her pleasures and taking it as it comes. Rendon is a natural storyteller and a consummate writer, and we’re indebted to Cinco Puntos Press in El Paso for bringing the unforgettable Cash Blackbear to life. There isn’t a protagonist in recent fiction with the bearing of Rendon’s creation, and we’re the better for knowing her. I don’t need to say anything more to support reading this book; you will be poorer for
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not having met Cash. Now a few words about the cutting-edge story that’s as wrenching today as some hundred years ago. A story that creates this wonderful character of Cash Blackbear. One of Cash’s classmates, a seductive blonde, goes missing. Then another. Cash’s estranged brother shows up from a stint in the Army and cracks through Cash’s carefully constructed barriers. He spreads out like the flu, talks jive and scares Cash with his American mime. These two grow ever so slightly into their shared genes, but Rendon makes him appear less then trustful, and we worry. He hears about the missing girls while Cash and Sheriff Wheaton are searching for clues in their jurisdiction. He knows, or says he knows, what happened. The girls have been lured into the sex trade. Outrageous, yes, but he says he knows because he served overseas, and he’s hip to that racket. The meat of the story begins here, but the heart of the story is Cash Blackbear. It’s a $16 book, and with Maria’s Murder Ink 15 percent discount at Maria’s Bookshop, it’s the cost of a sandwich and coffee. The book releases May 14; order it now. n
May 2, 2019 n 11
dayinthelife
A
s mid-elevation snow melt how refreshing it is to see a f making its journey south to
Andrew Charnock surfs it up on the paddle board.
Ben Cross takes a traditional fun-board approach to Corner Pocket.
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Surf’s Up! by Stephen Eginoire
ts its way into the Animas River, to imagine the real chaos when the high mountains unleash their few thousand CFS of turbid water winter’s bounty. In the meantime, here’s a look at some soul surfing o New Mexico. And how exciting on buffed-out waves during the “calm before the storm.”
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Playboaters and surfers shared waves and slapped high-fives all afternoon.
Cross carves on the heelside.
May 2, 2019 n 13
thesecondsection
OnStage
Glitter and sparkles reign supreme during Merely Players’ rehearsal Tuesday night for “Mamma Mia!” at the Durango Arts Center, where the play opens Friday for a three-weekend run. The show is sold out, but if you show up to the DAC before the show and get your name on a waiting list, there’s a chance you still could be a dancing queen./Photo by Stephen Eginoire
Here we go again! Merely Players bring down the house with ‘Mamma Mia!’ by Zach Hively
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urango denizens might be forgiven for any sudden uptick in singing Swedish pop songs on the streets in the next few weeks, because Merely Players is staging the regional premiere of the hit production “Mamma Mia!” The jukebox musical features the imminently catchy music of ABBA, and for the next three weekends at the Durango Arts Center, our local semi-professional theater company is set to rABBA-rouse every earworm in town. In case you’re one of the three or four people living under some obscenely large rock, here’s how co-director Mona Wood-Patterson summarizes the show: “It’s an excuse to sing ABBA songs.” Yet that’s all it takes to have a good time for an evening, as the show’s worldwide success demonstrates. “Mamma Mia!” is the seventh-longest running show in London’s West End history, and at 14 years, it enjoyed one of the top 10 runs ever on Broadway. Now that it’s finally been released to nonprofessional theaters, Wood-Patterson and co-director Theresa Carson leaped at the opportunity to bring it to life.
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JusttheFacts What: “Mamma Mia!” regional premiere Who: Merely Players When: 7 p.m. May 3-4, 9-11, 16-18; and 1 p.m. May 12, 18 & 19 Where: Durango Arts Center, 802 E. Second Ave. Tickets: $28 (sold out – but hopeful attendees can show up at the DAC an hour and a half before showtime to get on waitlist.) While Wood-Patterson acknowledges the show is centered around the music more than it is around the story, the musical still lays a fABBAlous plot as tricky as a game of Mouse Trap. Twenty-year-old Sophie is getting married in Greece, but her dad can’t walk her down the aisle because she doesn’t know who her dad is. She discovers three possible candidates, so she invites them all to the island for the ceremony, unbeknownst to her mother. ABBAcadabra! Hijinks ensue. “Then they sing every cool ABBA song they can as they try to figure out the problem,” Wood-Patterson said. It’s not about the plot, gang. It is about the
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iconic songs, Suzy DiSanto’s amazing choreography, Tom Kyser directing music, JoAnn Nevils’ costumes, and Charles Ford’s fun take on what a Greek villa looks like on the Durango Arts Center stage, WoodPatterson said. “Everybody learns from each other,” she added. “I would venture to say that even our professional actors … learn a great deal from the other people on stage. That’s the joy of collaborative art.” Another joy of collaborative art is, of course, that the audience gets to experience the results. (And no, you probably won’t be the only one signing along to “Dancing Queen” during the big finale – after all, the reprise of that song, as well as “Mamma Mia!” and “Waterloo” have karaoke lyrics projected on the wall.) There are two sets of leads in this production, each taking a share of the performances. This reviewer watched the performances of Mandy Gardner as Donna Sheridan, the mother of the bride; Siena Widen as daughter Sophie; and Stephen M. Bowers as Sam Carmichael, one of the prospective fathers. However, the whole cast stole the show, as they say. Gardner has an undeniable presence on stage 4
as Donna, the one-time pop singer who now runs the island taverna where the entire musical takes place. She’s not largerthan-life or any kind of caricature, yet she fills the room the way all cool moms do. Not only does she own the taverna, but she owns the stage when she’s on it. One of the great things about “Mamma Mia!” is its liberated approach to women’s sexuality and marriage (or “committing matrimony”), which is not seen as the be-all end-all. Never does anyone attempt to shame Donna for sleeping with three men in close succession or not knowing who the father of her child is. Gardner fills that role with a confidence befitting the uptempo vibe of the whole show and a tenderness befitting a parent grappling with what her daughter is feeling (as much as there is any introspection in this show, of course). Plus, her voice is one of the rocks of this cast. Widen, a senior at Durango High School, fills Sophie’s beach shoes with an entirely different power. She’s the spark in this performance, a wily blend of mischief and innocence who believably tangles herself in knots of her own tying. She’s one of the vets of this cast, with experience in numerous DHS plays and other DAC performances. The ensemble is full of other gems, as well. Of course, Dallas Padoven and Conor Sheehan shine as Sky the fiancé and Pepper the bartender – as they should. In Merely Players’ tradition, Padoven and Sheehan are homegrown
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actors who have gone on to successful professional careers of their own, invited back to Durango to perform. Many others stand out, as well. Those include Donna’s friend Rosie (Jenny Fitts Reynolds), who really lets loose her pipes on the number “Take a Chance on Me,” and Jeff Graves’ lovable headbanging reminiscences as Englishman Harry Bright. And Suzy DiSanto’s choreography is worth paying special attention to – note that just because some dancers are in the back row, doesn’t mean they’re not worth watching for high entertainment value. Part of what makes a production like this so special is that the audience will be blown away by the talent hidden behind faces they recognize from the grocery store. The 53 members of the cast and crew include people of every decade of life from their teens to their 70s. “It’s exciting to get that meld,” WoodPatterson said. “You never see that in other venues.” Merely Players used to be one of the best-kept secrets in town. Not any more – the company, Wood-Patterson said, has sold out every performance but one over the last four years. And “Mamma Mia!” is already sold out even before opening its run. (Sorry.) But there is still a way to nABBA ticket. Hopeful attendees can go to the DAC an hour and a half before showtime to get their names on the waiting list. If someone calls to cancel their ticket (and if you can’t go, please do call and cancel),
Siena Widen, center, a senior at Durango High School, fills the beach shoes of the character Sophie in the Merely Players’ production of “Mamma Mia!” She’s one of the vets of this cast, with experience in numerous DHS plays and Durango Arts Center performances./Photo by Stephen Eginoire then the seat goes to the next person on the list. If you’re disappointed that you might miss out on one heck of an ABBA workout, Wood-Patterson encourages you to become a season subscriber to Merely Players. Subscribers get first shot at tickets for upcoming shows, in addition to the
heartwarming satisfaction of supporting local theater. “Upping the bar is what Merely Players is about,” Wood-Patterson said. “We’re going to have nearly 1,800 come and see this, and get to move their feet and heads to ABBA presented in a great way. It’s so fun to collaborate.” n
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FlashinthePan
Don’t rue the barb by Ari LeVaux
D
uring the heyday of the Silk Road, dried rhubarb root was at times more expensive than cinnamon or opium, and Marco Polo went searching in northwest China for specimens that could thrive in Europe. A powerful laxative, rhubarb was a medicine long before it was a food. Half a century after Polo, the Spanish ambassador to present day Uzbekistan placed rhubarb in the most esteemed of company. His 1405 report to King Henry III notes, “The best of all merchandise coming to Samarkand was from China: especially silks, satins, musk, rubies, diamonds, pearls and rhubarb.” Perhaps the ambassador’s appreciation for rhubarb was rooted in some digestive ailment. At the very least, we know he was probably not making pie. It wasn’t until the 1800s, when the price of sugar began to drop, that Europeans began eating rhubarb stems (the leaves are poisonous) as a food. Since then, the sour flavor of rhubarb has been countered with sugar and perhaps other fruit. To this day, rhubarb sometimes goes by the name “pieplant” and remains synonymous with dessert. If you can name a rhubarb dish that contains less than a cup of sugar, you are a statistical anomaly. But there is no reason why it can’t be used in all kinds of savory dishes – in place of other acidic ingredients like vinegar, tamarind or lime juice – whenever you need a touch of tang. I’ve made hummus by simmering the garbanzo beans with rhubarb and skipping the lemon juice, and ended up with the best batch of hummus I’ve ever made. Nutty and creamy, it made the control batch taste overly lemony in a side-by-side comparison. I’ve prepared yellow curry with coconut, spinach and choice of proteins, with floating chunks of freshly-sliced rhubarb giving a
sour, exotic flavor to the curry. This time of year, when the rhubarb is still young, we have the opportunity to enjoy it raw and unsweetened, a serving suggestion that’s obvious yet rarely employed. Eating raw rhubarb is an intimidating proposition. It’s a
strong flavor. And if it were in any other salad it might not work. The rhubarb plant awakens from the ground like a giant toadstool in early spring, its broad, poisonous leaves unfurling to shade the red, tender stems beneath. This early emergence, along with its laxative properties, made rhubarb a popular ingredient in many recipes for “spring tonic,” a folksy cocktail of early season shoots and roots, either made as a tea or chomped down. People consumed spring tonic to recharge their bodies with vitamins and fiber after a winter’s worth of starch and cabin fever.
As the rhubarb awakens, the dandelions also emerge. These two unrelated plants are kindred spirits, both able to survive like outlaws in the shadows of human settlements, growing where they can. And each has its own outsized flavor. A dandelion is at the far edge of the bitter spectrum, while rhubarb is at the extreme end of sour. Eaten together in my salad, the bitter dandelion never tasted so mild-mannered. The mouth-twisting sour crunch of rhubarb, meanwhile, suddenly tastes sweet, thanks to the bitter dandelion leaves. Raw rhubarb is a recipe rarity. Most rhubarb salad recipes call for sweetening and cooking the stalk, and understandably so. Left to its devices, rhubarb can overwhelm a dish. In rhubarb dandelion salad, little pieces of rhubarb behave brilliantly, acting like chunks of early-season tomato, sharing acids with the vinaigrette, getting tangled in the spring greens. Resist the urge to add sweet things to this little salad. Hold the strawberries. Skip the honey mustard. Leave the rhubarb alone with the dandelion, and let flavor take its course. Rhubarb Dandelion Salad 4 cups coarsely chopped dandelion greens ¼-½ cup thinly sliced rhubarb 1 clove garlic, pressed, mashed or minced ¼ cup thinly-sliced onion Dressing: ¼ cup olive oil 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar Mix the dressing. Toss the greens, garlic, onions and rhubarb in the dressing, fully coating each leaf and dragging each chunk of rhubarb through the dressing. Make sure each bite contains both bitter greens and rhubarb. n
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TopShelf
Goodbye to Greg, Pretty Lights spin-off & Derby Day by Chris Aaland
Celebrate the 145th Kentucky Derby in style at the Powerhouse Science Center from 1-6 p.m. Saturday. Don your finest he guitar gently weeps in Durango, as local icon Greg hats, spring outfits and suits, and trot down to the Powerhouse Ryder died in a head-on collision last week. A regular perfor the Durango Derby – an afternoon of horse races, gamformer at the Strater for decades, bling, prizes, yard games and, of course, Ryder’s warm voice, friendly smile and mint juleps. Grab a drink, place your bets omnipresence in front of a microphone and watch the Run for the Roses on the made him a favorite of thousands of fans big screen. Ticket price includes a free and countless local musicians. A week drink and $5 gambling chips. Prizes will later, we’re still coming to grips with this be awarded for Best Hat & Best Dressed. loss. His is a voice silenced far too soon, Nationally touring songwriter Marc but Greg would want the proverbial Berger performs at 7 p.m. Friday at show to go on. Seek out his music on Mancos Brewing. Based out of New York CDBaby. City, Berger is touring in support of his Former Pretty Lights member Michal latest album, “RIDE,” which details his Menert brings hip-hop, jazz and elecfascination with the American West. He’s tronic music to the Animas City Theatre performed at SxSW, the Kerrville Folk at 9:30 p.m. Saturday (doors at 8:30). For Festival and has opened for Bob Dylan. more than 15 years, Menert has revolved If disco is more your thing, Merely near the center of Colorado’s EDM scene, Players presents the ABBA-solutely fabucoproducing Pretty Lights’ 2005 debut, lous musical “Mamma Mia!” the next “Taking Up Your Precious Time” while three weeks at the Durango Arts Center. releasing several solo records. Born in Shows are slated for 7 p.m. May 3-4, 9-11 Poland, his family immigrated to Loveand 16-18, with 1 p.m. matinees on May land in 1987, where he attended school 12, 18 and 19. and immersed himself into skater culMore than 100 wineries will pour at ture. Fueled by an interest in hip-hop, the 2019 Durango Wine Experience, funk and punk, Menert started playing which takes place today (Thurs., May 2) guitar and keyboards and dropped out of through Saturday at various downtown college to work as an engineer in a Fort locations. The shindig culminates with Collins recording studio. His life hasn’t the Grand Tasting at 3 p.m. Saturday on always been easy – he was stabbed in a the Smiley Building lawn, which will feadrug deal gone bad in 2007, arrested for ture hundreds of wines, beers and spirits dealing shortly afterwards and served as as well as local restaurants. Other festivihis father’s caregiver when the elder ties include Friday’s Walk About from 4-7 Menert fought cancer. The son emerged p.m., wine dinners and seminars. The late Greg Ryder stronger for it, focusing on music. He The San Juan Symphony hosts a and his band, the Pretty Fantastics, has Cinco de Mayo gala at 5 p.m. Sunday at reassembled in Southern California, the Sow’s Ear. The event includes a Mexiwhere Menert released his poetic album, can dinner served family style, oyster “From the Sea,” last year. bar, wine reception, silent auction, Beer drinkers should not feel left out desserts, coffee and a flamenco performthis week. Ska hosts the third and fourth ance by Spanish Broom. release in its Barrel-Aged Series from 5-7 I don’t mention events that take place p.m. Friday. The brand-new Nefarious outside the San Juan Mountains very on Laws and Skamalgam Ale will be often in these pages, but an event that poured alongside two other Ska brews takes place on Monday, Sept. 2 certainly and paired with hand-crafted bites. Atwarrants special attention. That’s when tendees will also meet the folks who Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Sting is set to crafted the ales and learn more about perform at Kit Carson Park in Taos. Tickets them. Cost is $24.99 to reserve your botgo on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at tles to take home for later consumption Michal Menert, of Pretty Lights fame, and taos.org/sting. “Sting: My Songs” will be a and a seat at the event. I attended the rollicking, dynamic show focusing on the ExMag come to the ACT Saturday night. first of two of these tastings and it most beloved songs of the 16-time opened my eyes to the interaction between beer and food. I’m Grammy winner’s prolific career, with the Police and as a solo artist. not sure if I’ll ever be able to drink a barleywine that isn’t paired Fans can expect to hear “Englishmen in New York,” “Fields of with Stilton cheese and candied nuts. Email Gold,” “Every Breath You Take,” “Message in a Bottle” and many kira@skabrewing.com for reservations. more. Sting will be accompanied by an electric rock ensemble. Steamworks’ May firkin ushers in warmer weather with the Elsewhere: The Great Contention plays this week’s Ska-B-Q fruity blend Pineapple Express, which will be tapped at 3 p.m. from 5-7 tonight at the World Headquarters in Bodo Park; Brap Friday. The brewers started with a base of the Steamworks Sultan the Goat rocks the Starlight at 9 p.m. tonight; Space Between of Stoke, which is the brewery’s New England style or juicy IPA. Shadows plays a 6 p.m. FAC at the Starlight, followed by DJ “These IPAs are known for their low perceived bitterness and are Hakan at 9 p.m. Friday; Sunny & the Whiskey Machine rebig on flavor and aromas of tropical fruit,” head brewer Ken Marturns to Durango Craft Spirits at 7 p.m. Friday; and DJ Affex tin said. “We added a pineapple puree to the firkin, which should spins at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Starlight. complement those flavors nicely. Jimmy Buffett would be singing See the love there that’s sleeping? Email me at chrisa@gobrain about this one. We invite him to come have a pint on us.” storm.net.n
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onthetown
Thursday02
thor of The Desert: A Dirtbag Climbing Book, 6:30 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave. www.mariasbook shop.com.
Durango Wine Experience, May 2-4, downtown Durango. www.durangowine.com. “Yoga for Good,” proceeds go to a different local charity each week, 8 a.m., Pine Needle Dry Goods, 858 Main Ave.
“She Kills Monsters,” presented by DHS Theatre Troupe 1096, 7 p.m., show also runs May 3, Durango Public Library. durangohighschooltroupe1096.thunder tix.com/.
Baby Meetup with Durango Café au Play, 9:30-11:30 a.m., 2307 Columbine. 749-9607.
Kirtan with Blue Lotus Feet, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Yoga Durango.
“Pray for America: Love One Another,” celebration of National Day of Prayer, noon-12:45 p.m., Rotary Park.
Open Mic & Stand-Up, 8 p.m., El Rancho Tavern, 975 Main Ave. Karaoke, 8 p.m.-close, Wild Horse Saloon, 601 E. 2nd Ave.
Drop-in Tennis, 4 p.m., Needham Elementary School, 2425 W. 3rd Ave. “Satan & Adam” screening, 4 and 6 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.animascitytheatre.com. “Doc Swords,” PTSD Social Club for Veterans, 4-6 p.m., VFW, 1550 Main Ave.
Submit “On the Town” items by Monday at noon to: calendar@durangotelegraph.com
Durango Early Bird Toastmasters, 7-8:30 a.m., LPEA, 45 Stewart St. 769-7615.
Zumba Gold, 9:30-10:15 a.m., La Plata Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave.
Tim Sullivan performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Firkin Fridays featuring “Pineapple Express” on tap, 3 p.m., Steamworks Brewing, 801 E. 2nd Ave. 2599200. “The River and The Wall” screening, 3:30 and 6 p.m., documentary also plays May 4-16, Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.animascitytheatre.com.
Sitting Meditation, 5:30-6:15 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave. Deconstructing Equity: Exploring the World of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with Nita Mosby Tyler, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Student Union Ballroom at Fort Lewis College. 335-2084. Open Mic Night, 6 p.m., Eno Wine Bar, 723 E. 2nd Ave. Rob Webster performs, 6 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.
STEAM Lab: LEGO Club, for ages 5-12, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Durango Public Library. Spanish Speaking Parents & Littles Fridays, 4-6 p.m., Durango Café au Play, 1309 E. 3rd Ave., Room 201. durangocafeauplay.org.
Rob Webster performs, 7 p.m., Billy Goat Saloon in Gem Village. Marc Berger performs, 7 p.m., Mancos Brewing Co. “Mamma Mia!” presented by Merely Players, opening night, 7 p.m., also runs May 4, 9-11, 16-18 and 1 p.m., May 12, 18-19, Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. www.durangoarts.org or www.merelyplayers.us. Karaoke, 7 p.m.-close, VFW, 1550 Main Ave. Missy Andersen performs, 7:30 p.m., Sunflower Theatre in Cortez. www.sunflowertheatre.org. Blue Lotus Feet Kirtan, 7:30-9:30 p.m., YogaDurango, Florida Road.
Saturday04 “Introduction to Colorado Wildflowers,” hosted by the Colorado Native Plant Society, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., FLC Berndt Hall, Room 440. Henry Stoy performs, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Jean-Pierre Restaurant & Wine Bar, 601 Main Ave. VFW Indoor Flea Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 1550 Main Ave. 247-0384. Monoprinting with Ilze Aviks, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Southern Ute Museum. Register at 563-2980. The North Main Event, four blocks of food, live music and family activities, 26th to 31st streets, 11 a.m. 3 p.m. themaineventdurango.com The Durango Derby, 1-6 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio. www.durangoderby.com.
“The Wild Within,” wildlife paintings of Edward Aldrich, opening reception, 5-7 p.m., Sorrel Sky Gallery, 828 Main Ave. 247-3555.
Joel Racheff performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Tim Sullivan performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Stan the One Man Band performs, 7-9 p.m., Fenceline Ciders in Mancos.
Andrew Shuman performs, 6 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.
Comedy Cocktail open mic stand up, 8 p.m., Eno Wine Bar, 723 E. 2nd Ave. 4
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“She Kills Monsters,” presented by DHS Theatre Troupe 1096, 7 p.m., Durango High School. durango highschooltroupe1096.thundertix.com/.
Free yoga, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Lively Boutique, 809 Main .
The Great Contention performs, 5-7 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.
DURANGO COMMUNITY RADIO AT FORT LEWIS COLLEGE
Space Between Shadows performs, 6-9 p.m., DJ Hakan, 9 p.m.-close, Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
Drop-in Tennis, 9 a.m., Durango High School.
LPEA annual meeting, featuring election results, music from the Stillhouse Junkies and more, registration begins 5 p.m., meeting begins 6:30 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. www.lpea.coop.
Meet the Author event featuring Luke Mehall, au-
Friday03 Narrow Gauge Day, free hot dogs, live music and more, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. www.durangotrain.com.
Trails 2000 Trailwork, 4:30-7 p.m., Spurline Trailhead in Three Springs. www.trails2000.org.
Southwest Colorado Multiple Sclerosis Society annual meeting, free dinner and inspiring outdoor sports presentation, 6 p.m., Double Tree Hotel, 501 Camino del Rio. www.swcmss.org.
Plursday featuring Brap the Goat, 9 p.m.-close, Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
Opening Reception: Artist Kiley Tate Smith, 6-8 p.m., Fenceline Ciders in Mancos.
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DJ Affex performs, 9 p.m.-close, Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
Building walls – and breaking them down
Michal Menert & Exmag perform, 9:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 College Dr. www.animascitytheatre.com.
What: “The River and The Wall” adventure documentary When: 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. most days starting Fri., May 3 Where: Animas City Theatre, 128 College Dr. Tickets: $11 at door or at www.animascitytheatre.com With whitewater on the brains of most locals, the Animas City Theatre brings a river adventure film of a different sort. “The River and the Wall” follows five adventurers as they travel along the Rio Grande, assessing the ecological and social impact of Trump’s proposed border wall. The visually stunning documentary follows the friends on their borderland adventure, as they travel 1,200 miles through the wilds of south Texas borderlands to the Gulf of Mexico via horse, mountain bike and canoes. The film was shot by conservation filmmaker Ben Masters, who saw the urgency in capturing the last remaining wilderness in Texas as the threat of border wall looms. Filling out the cast is National Geographic Explorer Filipe DeAndrade; biologist Heather Mackey; river guide Austin Alvarado; and conservationist Jay Kleberg. Setting out to explore the potential impacts of a wall on the natural environment, over the course of the 2½-month journey, they also come face-to-face with the human side of the immigration debate and enter uncharted emotional waters. Masters grew up in west Texas and spent four years working on a ranch near the border town of Laredo. He is best known for “Unbranded,” a Netflix documentary in which he and three friends adopted 16 wild mustangs, trained them and rode 3,000 miles from Mexico to Canada. He is a published author; a National Geographic photographer, cinematographer and writer; and his work has received dozens of national and international awards including at the Banff and Telluride Mountainfilm festivals.
Sunday05 Veterans Breakfast, 9-11 a.m., Elks Club, 901 E. 2nd Ave. 946-4831. Henry Stoy performs, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Jean-Pierre Restaurant & Wine Bar, 601 Main Ave. Free Books, hosted by Durango Book Rescue, noon-4 p.m., 923 Narrow Gauge Ave. Traditional Irish Music Jam, 12:30-4 p.m., Irish Embassy, 900 Main Ave. Writers’ Workshop, 2 p.m., Ignacio Library. Cinco de Mayo: A community celebration, 2-5 p.m., Rochester Secret Garden, 726 E. 2nd Ave. San Juan Symphony Annual Gala, 5 p.m., Sow’s Ear. Cinco de Mancos, food and music with the Afrobeatniks, 5-8 p.m., Fenceline Ciders, Mancos. Blue Moon Ramblers, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Joel Racheff performs, 6 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.
Monday06 Yoga Storytime, 9:30-10:45 a.m., Smiley Building Studio 10, 1309 E. 3rd Ave.
Tuesday07 Zumba, 9:30 a.m., La Plata Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave.
Watch Your Step class, 10:15 a.m., Durango Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave. 8th annual J.I.V.E. Fair, formerly the Youth Expo, hosted by the City of Durango Mayor’s Youth Advisory Commission, 1-4 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds. www.durangogov.org/youthexpo.
“Cyber Conflicts and Geopolitics,” part of the Great Decisions International Affairs Discussion Program, 11:45 a.m.-1:45 p.m., Durango Public Library. www.fpa.org. May Luncheon with Morgan Carrol, noon-1 p.m., Double Tree Hotel. theclubdems@gmail.com.
Joel Racheff performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Drop-in Tennis, 4 p.m., Needham Elementary School. Terry Rickard performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Trivia Night, 7 p.m., Blondies in Cortez. Rob Webster performs, 6 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.
Tidy Up Your Life Class, 5:30 p.m., Ignacio Library.
Contiki Party with the Aussies, 9 p.m.-close, Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
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Rotary Club of Durango, presentation by Scott Wallace from the Community Health Action Coalition, 6 p.m., Strater Hotel. 385-7899.
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Super Ted’s Super Trivia, 6:12 p.m., Henry Strater Theatre, 699 Main Ave. Trivia Factory, hosted by Ben Bernstein, 6:30-8:30 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr. DJ Crazy Charlie, 6:30-10:30 p.m., Billy Goat Saloon. Leah Orlikowski performs, 6 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave. “Defending Bears Ears” with Regina LopezWhiteskunk, 7 p.m., Durango Public Library. Latin Social Nights, 8-11 p.m., Wild Horse Saloon, 601 E. 2nd Ave. 375-2568. Open Mic Night, 8 p.m.-close, Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
More “On the Town” on page 204
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Need a fun spring dress for the Wine Experience?
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May 2, 2019 n 19
AskRachel Interesting fact: The release of the first “Avengers” movie ignited outrage abroad because it was promoted with the tagline “Hey Japan, this is a movie.” It was probably an innocent translation mistake, like all the kanji tattoos ever bestowed on white people.
racket. I gather they were training for search and rescue or something like that, but really, couldn’t they go train somewhere, you know, where people actually get lost? - Yield to Hikers
Dear Rachel, OK, now that the “Avengers” series has more installments than “Rocky” and “The Land Before Time” combined, yet it’s still not going straight-to-DVD, I’m wondering if I should start watching it. This seems like perhaps the defining cinematic achievement of this generation. Either that, or it’s a pure cash grab masquerading, as it were, as something noble. Worth it? Or nah? – Caped Crusader
Dear John Muir, If you want peace and quiet, go hiking far from town, where you can’t hear the train whistle or the hum of 550 traffic. Go high into the rugged wilderness country we have in such abundance. And go soon, before the search and rescue folks finish getting trained to find chuckleheads like you. – The mountains are calling, Rachel
Dear Non-Nerd, You probably just kicked off the next great Ask Rachel Fan Debate of 2019 by signing off a Marvel question with a DC-comics pseudonym. This is a publishing rivalry unlike any other. I mean, I chill in book-geek circles, and no one sets up Random House versus Harper Collins camps. No one refuses to read a Penguin book because they’re a Simon & Schuster loyalist. Though I’m thinking that would make for a more entertaining world. – Read a book, Rachel
Dear Rachel, I have a new neighbor. He lives in the ADU next door to my ADU. He’s gorrrr-geous, and he doesn’t even know it, which makes him only more swoon-worthy. We’ve had two good conversations now, where I pretended to know something about mountain biking (I don’t) and he pretended that my job isn’t boring (it is). Seems like the start of sparks, right? But maybe dating the next-door neighbor is a little too daring. Should I go for it? – Too Close to Home
Dear Rachel, I was hiking this weekend near town to get some peace and quiet, but everywhere I went, I encountered groups of people with walkie talkies and wheeled apparatuses making quite a
Dear Personal Space, What happens in that post-coital moment when you realize you want to go home because you have cashew butter in your fridge and that sounds really good with
chocolate chips right about now, and then you want to get into your own bed where you know how recently the pillowcases were laundered? Can you pull that off when your beau suggests you come right back? Or, what happens when he sees that by “work early in the morning” you meant “watch ‘Avengers’ movies in your pajamas all morning?” Not saying this isn’t workable. Just saying, maybe you should invest in some good window blinds. – The girl next door, Rachel
Ongoing
“Taking Control of Your Health Care” with Christy Deem, 6:30 p.m., May 15, Durango Public Library.
OntheTown from p. 19
Durango Diaries Season 3: Group Organizations, featuring Daryl Hinderer, Scott Gibbs and Gloria Macht, 6-7 p.m., Durango Public Library. Durango Bird Club talk on “Birding El Triunfo, Chiapas, Mexico,” 6 p.m., FLC Education Business Hall, Room 108. Terry Rickard performs, 6 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave. Loki Moon – Raw Experiments, 6-8 p.m., Eno Wine Bar, 723 E. 2nd Ave. Gary B. Walker performs, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Jean-Pierre Restaurant & Wine Bar, 601 Main Ave. San Juan Basin Archaeological Society meets, social time, 6:30 p.m., meeting begins, 7 p.m., presentation by Laurie Webster and Chuck LaRue on “Ancient Woodworking, Animal Use, and Hunting Practices in southeastern Utah: New Research from the Cedar Mesa Perishables Project,” Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College. sjbas.org. Pete Neds performs, 7-8:30 p.m., VFW, 1550 Main Ave. Amy Coffman performs, 7-9 p.m., Fenceline Ciders in Mancos.
“Inside Out: Visions from the Artist’s Mind,” exhibit runs thru April 2020, Southern Ute Museum, 503 Ouray Dr. www.southernutemuseum.org. After-school program, 4:15-5:15 p.m. Wednesdays, Mancos Library. Karaoke, 8 p.m., Thur-Sun, 8th Ave. Tavern, 509 E 8th Ave.
Upcoming “Mountain Lions Among Us” with wildlife conservationist David Neils, presented by Bear Smart Durango, 6:308 p.m., May 9, Durango Public Library. Register at mountainlionsamongus.eventbrite.com. Women’s Idea Exchange, noon-1 p.m., May 10, Thrive Chiropractic Studio, 202 W. 22nd St. www.womensideaex change.com. Free Legal Clinic, 4-5 p.m., May 10, Ignacio Library. PJ Moon and the Swappers perform with J-Calvin, 9:30 p.m., May 10, The Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.animascitytheatre.com. Durango Farmers Market Opening Day, 8 a.m.noon, May 11, TBK Bank parking lot, W. 8th Street. www.du rangofarmersmarket.com.
Open Mic Night, 7:30 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr. Karaoke, 8 p.m., Blondies in Cortez. Karaoke with Crazy Charlie, 8 p.m.-close, Wild Horse Saloon, 601 E. 2nd Ave.
20 n May 2, 2019
“Dialogues des Carmélites,” presented by the Met: Live in HD, 10:55 a.m., May 11, Student Union at FLC. www.durangoconcerts.com. 2nd annual Farm Field Day, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., May 13, Old Fort in Hesperus. 560-0781 or 385-4574.
telegraph
Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com
Iris DeMent performs, 7:30 p.m., May 16, Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. www.durangoconcerts.com. Kirtan, 6-8 p.m., May 18, Studio 10, Smiley Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave. Laugh Therapy Comedy Showcase, 8 p.m., May 18, Irish Embassy, 900 Main Ave. Pepper with Katastro perform with special guests, 7:30 p.m., May 22, Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.animascitytheatre.com. ASA Canoe/Kayak Volunteer Training, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., May 23-30, Adaptive Sports Association office, 125 E. 32nd St. Register at 259-0374 or program@asadurango.com. Take Me Home: The Music of John Denver starring Jim Curry, 7:30 p.m., May 23, Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. www.durangoconcerts.com.
Deadline for “On the Town” submissions is Monday at noon. To submit an item, email: calendar@durango telegraph.com
FreeWillAstrology by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): “How prompt we are to satisfy the hunger and thirst of our bodies,” wrote Henry David Thoreau. “How slow to satisfy the hunger and thirst of our souls!” Your first assignment in the coming days, Aries, is to devote yourself to quenching the hunger and thirst of your soul with the same relentless passion that you normally spend on giving your body the food and drink it craves. This could be challenging. You may be less knowledgeable about what your soul thrives on than what your body loves. So your second assignment is to do extensive research to determine what your soul needs to thrive. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I invite you to explore the frontiers of what’s possible for you to experience and accomplish. One exercise that might help: visualize specific future adventures that excite you. Examples? Picture yourself parasailing over the Mediterranean Sea near Barcelona, or working to help endangered sea turtles in Costa Rica, or giving a speech to a crowded auditorium on a subject you will someday be an expert in. The more specific your fantasies, the better. Your homework is to generate at least five of these visions. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “We must choose between the pain of having to transcend oppressive circumstances, or the pain of perpetual unfulfillment within those oppressive circumstances,” writes mental health strategist Paul John Moscatello. We must opt for “the pain of growth or the pain of decay,” he continues. We must either “embrace the tribulations of realizing our potential, or consent to the slow suicide in complacency.” That’s a bit melodramatic, in my opinion. Most of us do both; we may be successful for a while in transcending oppressive circumstances but then temporarily lapse back into the pain of unfulfillment. However, there are times when it makes sense to think melodramatically. And I believe now is one of those times for you. In the coming weeks, I hope you will set in motion plans to transcend at least 30 percent of your oppressive circumstances. CANCER (June 21-July 22): You Cancerians can benefit from always having a fertility symbol somewhere in your environment: an icon or image that reminds you to continually refresh your relationship with your own abundant creativity; an inspiring talisman or toy that keeps you alert to the key role your fecund imagination can and should play in nourishing your quest to live a meaningful life; a provocative work of art that spurs you to always ask for more help and guidance from the primal source code
that drives you to reinvent yourself. So if you don’t have such a fertility symbol, I invite you to get one. If you do, enhance it with a new accessory. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In my horoscopes, I often speak to you about your personal struggle for liberation and your efforts to express your soul’s code with ever-more ingenuity and completeness. It’s less common that I address your sacred obligation to give back to life for all that life has given to you. I only infrequently discuss how you might engage in activities to help your community or work for the benefit of those less fortunate than you. But now is one of those times when I feel moved to speak of these matters. You are in a phase of your astrological cycle when it’s crucial to perform specific work on behalf of a greater good. Why crucial? Because your personal well-being in the immediate future depends in part on your efforts to intensify your practical compassion. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “We are whiplashed between an arrogant overestimation of ourselves and a servile underestimation of ourselves,” educator Parker Palmer writes. That’s the bad news, Virgo. The good news is that you are in prime position to escape from the whiplash. Cosmic forces are conspiring with your eternal soul to coalesce a wellbalanced vision of your true value that’s free of both vain misapprehensions and self-deprecating delusions. Congrats! You’re empowered to understand yourself with a tender objectivity that could at least partially heal lingering wounds. See yourself truly! LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The country of Poland awards medals to couples that have stayed married for 50 years. It also gives out medals to members of the armed forces who have served for at least 30 years. But the marriage medal is of higher rank and more prestigious. In that spirit, I’d love for you to get a shiny badge or prize to acknowledge your devoted commitment to a sacred task – whether that commitment is to an intimate alliance, a noble quest or a promise to yourself. It’s time to reward yourself for how hard you’ve worked and how much you’ve given. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio poet Sylvia Plath wrote, “I admit I desire, / Occasionally, some backtalk / From the mute sky.” You’ll be wise to borrow the spirit of that mischievous declaration. Now is a good time to solicit input from the sky, as well as from your allies and friends and favorite animals, and from every other source that might provide you with interesting feedback. I invite you to regard the whole world as your mirror, your counselor, your informant.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): In January 1493, the notorious pirate and kidnapper Christopher Columbus was sailing his ship near the land we now call the Dominican Republic. He spotted three creatures he assumed were mermaids. Later he wrote in his log that they were “not half as beautiful as they are painted (by artists).” We know now that the “mermaids” were actually manatees, aquatic mammals with flippers and paddleshaped tails. They are in fact quite beautiful in their own way, and would only be judged homely by a person comparing them to mythical enchantresses. I trust you won’t make a similar mistake, Sagittarius. Evaluate everything and everyone on their own merits, without comparing them to something they’re not. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “I want what we all want,” novelist Jonathan Lethem writes. “To move certain parts of the interior of myself into the exterior world, to see if they can be embraced.” Even if you haven’t passionately wanted that lately, Capricorn, I’m guessing you will soon. That’s a good thing, because life will be conspiring with you to accomplish it. Your ability to express yourself in ways that are meaningful to you and interesting to other people will be at a peak. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Using algorithms to analyze 300 million facts, a British scientist concluded that April 11, 1954, was the most boring day in history. A Turkish man who would later become a noteworthy engineer was born that day, and Belgium staged a national election. But that’s all. With this noneventful day as your inspiration, I encourage you to have fun reminiscing about the most boring times in your own past. I think you need a prolonged respite from the stimulating frenzy of your daily rhythm. It’s time to rest and relax in the sweet luxury of nothingness and emptiness. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The Blue Room is a famous Picasso painting from 1901. Saturated with blue hues, it depicts a naked woman taking a bath. More than a century after its creation, scientists used Xrays to discover that there was an earlier painting beneath The Blue Room and obscured by it. It shows a man leaning his head against his right hand. Piscean poet Jane Hirshfield says that there are some people who are “like a painting hidden beneath another painting.” More of you Pisceans fit that description than any other sign of the zodiac. You may even be like a painting beneath a painting beneath a painting – to a depth of five or more paintings. Is that a problem? Not necessarily. But it is important to be fully aware of the existence of all the layers. Now is a good time to have a check-in.
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May 2, 2019 n 21
classifieds
Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon. Ads are a bargain at 10 cents a character with a $5 minimum. Even better, ads can now be placed online: durangotelegraph.com. Prepayment is required via cash, credit card or check. (Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)
Ads can be submitted via: n classifieds@durango telegraph.com n 970-259-0133 n 777 Main Ave., #214 Approximate office hours: Mon., 9ish - 5ish Tues., 9ish - 5ish Wed., 9ish - 3ish Thurs., On delivery Fri., 10:30ish - 2ish please call ahead: 259-0133.
Lost&Found Found: Bike Light In Horse Gulch. Call to identify 7598820.
Announcements Evryman Mens Group Meets from 7-9 pm Thurs at the VFW, 1550 Main Ave. Evryman promotes connecting men more deeply to themselves and their relationships. All men are welcome. Join me for an informative evening. Enter the building on the north (river) side. The meeting is downstairs. Paul Senecal 7597395.
Himalayan Kitchen 992 Main Ave., 970-259-0956, www.himkitchen.com. Bringing you a taste of Nepal, Tibet & India. Try our allyou-can-eat lunch buffet. The dinner menu offers a variety of tempting choices, including yak, lamb, chicken, beef & seafood; extensive veggies; freshly baked bread. Full bar. Get your lunch punch card – 10th lunch free. Hours: Lunch, 11am-2:30 p.m. & dinner, Sun. Thurs., 5-9:30 p.m., Fri. & Sat. ‘til 10 p.m. Closed 2:30 to 5, daily, $$.
tions. The Climbing Zine, The Great American Dirtbags, American Climber, Climbing Out of Bed and Graduating From College Me are available at: Maria’s Bookshop, Pine Needle Mountaineering, the Sky Store, or on the interweb at www.climbingzine.com.
Harmony Organizing and Cleaning Services Home and office 970-403-6192.
Wanted Turn Vehicles, Copper, Alum, Etc. Into Cash! at RJ Metal Recycle, also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970-259-3494.
HelpWanted Director of Faith Formation Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, part-time salary position, 25 hrs per week: https://durangouu.org/employment-opportunity/ Contact: information@duran gouu.org Ranch/Farmhand Looking for self starter with skills used in ranching/farming. No farm animals. Mowing, tree trimming, tractor skills, general cleanup, etc. 30-40 hours per week. Must be able to follow directions. 602-793-8880. Job Openings at The Yellow Carrot! Do you love food? Are you passionate about service? The Yellow Carrot is hiring high energy individuals for our Service Staff and Catering Team, as well as an Administrative Assistant! Apply in person at our new location: 3206 Main Ave., Suite #1. Only serious inquiries, please! Reruns – Sales Associate High energy person needed. Approximately 30hrs/week. Stop by and drop off a resume. 572 E. 6th Ave.
Classes/Workshops Mommy and Me Dance Class Come join the fun! Now registering for classes. Call 970-749-6456. mom myandmedance.com.
Services The Perfect Gift for your favorite dirtbag. Literature from Durango’s own Benighted Publica-
22 n May 2, 2019
Marketing Small and Local Businesses Media, social media, website content, SEO, etc. for small, local, independent or startup businesses. Email jnderge@gmail.com
Low Price on Storage! Inside/outside near Durango, RJ Mini Storage. 970-259-3494
telegraph
Advanced Duct Cleaning Air duct cleaning specializing in dryer vents. Improves indoor air quality; reduces dust and allergens, energy bills and fire risk. 970-247-2462 www.advanced ductcleaninginc.com
BodyWork Mother’s Day Massages 30, 60 & 90 min. Meg Bush, LMT 970759-0199. massageintervention.life Voted best massage in Durango 2018. Couples, sauna, outdoor shower, cupping. Reviews on FB + Yelp. 970-9032984. Massage with Kathryn 20+ years experience offering a fusion of esalen style, deep tissue massage with therapeutic stretching & Acutonics. New clients receive $5 off first session. To schedule appt. call 970-201-3373.
HaikuMovieReview ‘Dumplin’’ Not as good as Drop Dead Gorgeous but the Dolly Parton soundtrack helped – Lainie Maxson
ForRent New Office Space Available inside natural health care office 1 block off main. Perfect for body worker or therapist. Shared waiting area & free pkg. $550/mo Call 970-749-2815.
CommunityService 4 the Children’s Exchange and Parenting Time (SEPT) Program needs Volunteers. The SEPT Program works with children and families involved in divorce, custody, domestic violence, dependency and neglect, and other high-risk court cases. We provide supervised safe exchange and supervised parenting time to both court-ordered and voluntary clients. Our goal is to provide a safe and neutral space for families to reunite in a meaningful way. Tasks include: (1) Supervise safe exchanges and visits (2) Take detailed, objective notes for the court (3) Create a nurturing, safe environment for the child(ren) (4) Attend training monthly to learn new skills and connect with other volunteers. Visit our website at www.4thechild.org.
RealEstate Radon Services Free radon testing and consultation. Call Colorado Radon Abatement and Detection for details. 970- 946-1618.
ForSale Kawasaki Z-125 Motorcycle Super fun, easy park, 100+ mpg. Needs smaller rider. $2,900 cash. Call Sue 970426-6764. Reruns Home Furnishings Great summer inventory arriving daily! Patio items galore, planters, bistros. New great stuff and daily markdowns. 572 E. 6th Ave. 385-7336.
Adaptive Sports Association Volunteer Training ASA Canoe/Kayak Volunteer Training, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., May 23-30; ASA Rafting Volunteer Training, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., May 28-31; ASA Cycling Volunteer Training, 9:45 a.m.-noon, May 24-29. No experience necessary. We will meet at the ASA town office, 125 E. 32nd St. Bring a lunch, sunscreen, water-shoes, clothes you can get wet, and a few warm layers. Register at 2590374 or program@asadurango.com. Volunteer-Powered Program Offers Hope SASO seeks compassionate, caring people to become advocates on its 24-hour crisis hotline. Provide sexual assault survivors with support and resources to promote healing. Call Laura, 259-3074.
EndoftheLine
The highwaymen
L
ast week I received a phone call from my old friend, Greg Stacy. He inquired whether or not I would be willing to do a song for the “Colorado Department of Transportation Remembrance Day.” I told him I hadn’t played much music in the past few years, but I would gladly tune my old Martin up and head over. Greg is the Highway Maintenance Director for CDOT’s Region 5. His crews are responsible for our state highways extending north as far as Buena Vista, south to the New Mexico border, east to La Veta Pass and west to the Utah border. Unfortunately, Region 5 has lost 12 employees on highway-related accidents through the past few decades. The last individual to die was Nolan Olson, from Pagosa, who was just short of three months before his retirement. There are 61 individuals throughout the state that have died while servicing our highways in recent history. Their names are recorded on a marble memorial stone that was dedicated in 2006 and was placed at the CDOT Headquarters in Denver. The Memorial Service Day was established by Dave Fraser in 1995 as a way to commemorate employees who had lost their lives in the line of duty. During the ceremonies of 2006 the services were renamed “Remembrance Day.” As I sat in the corner of the maintenance conference room, I watched as over 70 employees filed into the hall.
They included engineers, office staff, mechanics, road crews and administrators. A burly, friendly fellow sat next to me, shook my hand and introduced himself. We talked a little about his job and the road conditions of this year. He said that this winter, work on all the roads
was pretty treacherous, especially on the passes. “We lost several good men to avalanches in the past,” he nodded. Mike McVaugh, CDOT Transportation Director for Region 5, and Greg addressed the group and emphasized the need for safety on the job. CDOT has one of the highest fatality rates of all employers in the state through no fault of their own. It is just a hazardous work environ-
We’d give you the shirts off our backs ...
ment. Mike brought out the fact that there is an average of almost two deaths a day on the state’s highways. He also emphasized the sobering statistic that the average driver has a one in 33 chance of being in a crash this year. He went on to say that there were 628 traffic fatalities in Colorado last year, and that was 628 too many. He challenged all employees to take the extra step to ensure that they are doing everything they can to protect themselves and coworkers while on the job. He related that to make roadside work safer, CDOT has initiated using cable rails, crash attenuators, rumble strips, sixinch striping and wildlife crossings. The ceremony ended, and as I sat there, I watched the workers quickly grab a few snacks and head back to their jobs. I visited with a few crew members and headed home. I know now, that when I’m held up because of road work, I will wait patiently without complaint, for these men put their lives on the line every day. Lest we not forget that the latest fatality was Eric D. Hill, of Region 3, who died just last month. So my friends, on your journeys, if you happen to pass those highwaymen, give them a thumbs up. They deserve it! The following is a list of our Region’s 12 losses: \Asa Heald, Joseph “Dutch” Krouth, Robert Miller, James Wysong, Terry Kishbaugh, Alfred Burbridge, Eddie Imel, Richard Gorrell, Ernest Finehout, Rodger Bell, David Morris and Nolan Olson.
– Burt Baldwin
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A sombrero telegraph
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Telegraph classified ads can be placed online at www.durangotelegraph.com and cost a mere 10 cents a character. (We don’t know how to put this, but it’s kind of a big deal.) To place them the 1990s way: classifieds@durangotelegraph.com To place them the 1970s way: call 970-259-0133
24 n May 2, 2019
telegraph