Durango Telegraph - July 25, 2019

Giving you dirty fingers since 2002

­elegraph the­­­­durango

FREE July 25, 2019

Vol. XVIII, No. 30 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

Talk of the town

Sealing the deal

Taking center stage

Local producer brings TEDx to Durango p8

DMEA, Tri-State agree on undisclosed buy-out price p10

Durango Playfest returns with top-notch talent p14

2 n July 25, 2019

telegraph

lineup

8

4 La Vida Local

Sounding off TEDx talks come to Durango

4 Thumbin’ It

by Tracy Chamberlin

5 Word on the Street

10

6-7 Soapbox

DMEA, Tri-State reach an undisclosed deal on contract buy-out

11 Mountain Town News

Tr-exit

Ear to the ground “I could watch a documentary on soap and find it fascinating.”

– Observation on the after-effects of a trip to the local dispensary

A lone wolf

thepole

RegularOccurrences

A large black canine photographed north of Walden earlier this month has been confirmed as the first wolf sighting in the state in four years.

The wolf was spotted July 9 by a member of the public as it roamed near the Colorado Forest State Park, not far from the Wyoming border.

Photos of the wolf were sent to wildlife officials who confirmed the male as a “dispersing” gray wolf from Wyoming’s Snake River pack.

by Allen Best

12 - 13 Day in the Life

12

16 Flash in the Pan

Chasing the light You’re only given one sunset and one sunrise a day, make the most of it

17 Top Shelf

photos by Stephen Eginoire

18 On the Town

14

20 Ask Rachel

Unscripted Durango PlayFest takes center stage Aug. 5-10

21 Free Will Astrology

by Zach Hively

22 Classifieds

17

22 Haiku Movie Review

At the helm

On the cover: Phil the dog stops to smell the phlox on Endlich Mesa, above Lemon Reservoir./ Photo by Stephen Eginoire

Leon’s daughter makes a name for herself and the Jimi Hendrix of fiddle

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

STAR-STUDDED CAST: Lainie Maxson, Chris Aaland, Clint Reid, Stephen Eginoire, Jesse Anderson, Ari LeVaux, Allen Best, Tracy Chamberlin, Luke Mehall, Zach Hively and Shan Wells VIRTUAL ADDRESS: www.durangotelegraph.com

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We’re only human. If, by chance, we defame someone’s good name or that of their family, neighbor, best

friend or dog, we will accept full responsibility in a public flogging in the following week’s issue.

Although “free but not easy,” we can be plied with schwag, booze and flattery.

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Although wolves were systemically killed off in Colorado in the 1940s, they have been known to wander into the state from Wyoming over the years. The last credible sightings in Colorado were in 2015. In April of that year, a trail camera near Walden captured images of a wolf. That same month, a hunter near Kremmling mistakenly shot a wolf while coyote hunting.

Gray wolves have been restored in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, Minnesota and Arizona. Under the Endangered Species Act, harming, harassing or killing a gray wolf other than in selfdefense is illegal.

The recent sighting has wolf-reintroduction advocates howling at the moon. “This is great news, because it reaffirms that wolves are trying to come home on their own,” the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project said. “But … one wolf sighting simply isn't enough – wolves are pack animals, and they need to be able to successfully travel together to restore Colorado's population.”

The nonprofit is working to gather 200,000 signatures to bring a wolf-reintroduction initiative to Colorado voters.

Hit send It seems they’re going big in Telluride – maybe a little too big. According to a story in the Telluride Daily Planet, visits to the local ER have spiked since the opening of the resort’s bike park July 5. In the first two weeks following the much-anticipated opening, the town’s clinic saw more than two dozen bike-park related injuries.

Dr. Diana Koelliker told the paper she has seen the whole gamut of injuries, from spinal and head trauma to road rash and busted collarbones.

Koelliker said she consulted with other ski towns with lift-access parks, and so far, injury numbers in Telluride are higher than expected.

This may be due to the fact that the park opened during the height of the busy tourist season.

Telski Director of Mountain Operations Scott Pittenger told the Planet that the resort requires riders to wear helmets, and full face masks, gloves and pads are highly recommended. Pittenger also suggested first-time riders go with an instructor or start slow before getting sendy.

Because, in the words of local bike instructor James Ostrow, “Just like in skiing … it’s not if you will fall, it’s when.”

July 25, 2019 n

3

opinion

LaVidaLocal Housing in Durango: A poop sandwich I’m going to use an old outdoor education exercise for this article: the poop sandwich. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, let me explain. Basically at the end of an outdoor experience you debrief and state a high experience, a low and another high. Now that I explain it, it doesn’t really make sense, but I’ve also been out of that world for a long time. The last time I guided a trip, George W. Bush was president.

Anywho, I thought the poop sandwich would be good because I want to write about my experiences with housing in Durango. As we all know, Durango suffers the woes of many beautiful mountain towns: it’s expensive AF to rent or buy here. And the rent can be so expensive it keeps many of us from saving to buy.

All in all, I have mainly positive experiences here – except for the last year – but we’ll get to the poop here in a minute. I am a self-proclaimed dirtbag, and when I moved to Durango in the midst of the recession circa 2010, I’d just lost the only full-time professional job I’ve ever had. To many that would be a low point, but I was determined to make it high. You see, when a climber has free time and limited funds, it’s really not that bad of a thing. Especially when you’re young, you’ve already got the gear, and all that really matters is the climb and friends.

Back then, I was still in love with big walls: the Black Canyon, Yosemite, Zion. When these places capture your imagination, nothing else matters. Well, until you need a place to lay your weary head. And by the time I moved to Durango, I was in my 30s and knew I didn’t want to sleep every night on the ground or in my car (which was a graffitied up red, white and blue ’88 Mazda compact called the Freedom Mobile). So, I decided I would be a house sitter.

Before I ever wrote for the Telegraph, they were kind enough to let me have some ad space. While I was on a month long climbing trip, I ran an ad saying I was a responsible writer looking for a creative living situation. In Joshua Tree, Calif., over the phone I sealed a deal to house sit a comfortable home in Durango West while the owners were in Mexico. That first winter, I was somewhat lonely, being new to town, but I wrote ferociously while I did my domestic duties for the house my friends called the Dirtbag Mansion.

I kept up with the house – and animal – sitting for a couple years ‘til I found reliable work. Oh, the stories I could tell: learning to milk a goat (while also being on a first date), chasing escaped pigs (and sheep), sometimes trading my services for cannabis, and feeding a rabbit its daily lettuce. Eventually, I grew tired of moving every month and settled into renting, and then eventually when I met my girlfriend, got out of the roommate game and settled into domestic bliss.

Until … that’s right people: the poop. But the poop was a tree.

We had rented a modest half of a duplex, nothing special, but the location was perfect, right by my favorite bouldering and running area, Sailing Hawks.

The first year in this place went fine, and the rent was affordable (for Durango) so we renewed for another year. Then things got interesting. It all started with a door. The screen door for the side of the house wasn’t working properly so we informed the landlords. (Side note: isn’t landlord a weird word? I mean we don’t use lord for anything else – except God. you don’t get a car loan then call that entity your car-lord.) The landlords simply took the door off its hinges and laid it next to the side of the house, where it sat all winter and rotted away, which seemed like a halfhearted (at best) way to deal with the problem.

Then there was the tree. A giant elm that towered above not only our little house but our neighbors. One spring day during a windstorm, a huge branch came crashing down, just 20 feet away from me and would have easily killed me had I been under it. We had already expressed concern the previous spring that the tree might need to be trimmed, but the landlords informed us that it had been trimmed four years ago and was fine. I trusted them in their opinion, but the word “widow-maker” stuck in my mind.

Then last February, we came home after a long weekend to find the elm had once again shedded some limbs after a storm. Two large limbs had crashed down on the house, with other large ones around it. Our hearts sunk as we hoped we’d actually be able to stay at our house that night.

Sure enough, we got lucky, the limbs didn’t take out any windows. The neighbors told us we were lucky we were out of town as a limb landed right where our cars are usually parked.

The landlords refused to acknowledge that the tree needed trimming and weren’t emphatic about the fact that we didn’t feel safe in our own house. That’s when I lost my temper, told them I’d sue them if anything ever happened to us and began to make all my correspondence in the form of writing that I could document in case things got ugly.

Weeks later, I watched a limb fall off the tree right on the front porch of our neighbor’s house, and again it was the size that could have killed a person. Finally, the City got involved and wrote them a citation saying the tree needed to be maintained. But they never got it trimmed, and every time it got windy, I got nervous.

All of that mentioned, I did say I was going to end this on a happy note. We moved out of that unit this summer. We tried to buy a place, but that fell through, and then we ended up with a fabulous rental, from a friend, who is such a kind landlord she brought us house-warming gifts when we moved in. Now, that’s the kind of lord you want!

– Luke Mehall Luke Mehall is the publisher of The Climbing Zine, and has written five books, including The Desert, a dirtbag climbing book.

This Week’s Sign of the Downfall:

Thumbin’It Durango and Bayfield high schools ranking among the top 100 out of 272 Colorado high schools recently rated by the U.S. News and World Report What appears to be a rare bipartisan compromise between the White House and congressional leaders on a deal to lift the debt limit and boost federal spending by about $320 billion to prevent the country from a calamitous debt default and yet another government shut down An 11th hour reprieve for womens reproductive rights in Arkansas, with a federal judge blocking sweeping abortion restrictions from taking effect, including a measure that would likely force the closure of the state’s only surgical abortion clinic

4 n July 25, 2019

Yet another flotilla of ill-prepared tubers taking to the Dolores River, resulting in a harrowing night in the Ponderosa Gorge and a costly search and rescue mission

The recent uptick in graffiti in and around downtown Durango, the removal of which comes as an expense to local taxpayers

The rise of a new superbug, candida auris, a medically resistant fungus deadly to humans whose mutation is believed to be associated with increased global temperatures and climate change

telegraph

Stuffed Irrational As you know, the Teddy Bear was named after Theodore Roosevelt, and it has since become a beloved symbol of our country.

So, of course, Trump is ruining it with the “Trumpy Bear,” which in a stuffed bear wearing a hideous hairpiece and a red tie that you can buy for around $50. There’s even a secret pouch on the back of the bear that contains an “American flag themed blanket” so you can stay warm while you cuddle your abomination. No, this isn’t a joke, and yes, the Trumpy Bear is made in China.

WordontheStreet With the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing, the Telegraph asked, “What would you bring with you to the moon?”

Q

Brian Davis

“My bong.”

Georgeanna Presnell

“A photo of my husband, who trained astronauts how to land the lunar module.”

Logan Howes

“Water.”

Mason Cummings Zeke Ezel

“Plenty of oxygen.”

“Donald Trump and leave him there.”

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July 25, 2019 n 5

SoapBox

ReTooned/by Shan Wells

Debunking insurance propaganda To the editor, Recently, Big Pharma, insurance companies and private hospitals formed a nonprofit called Partnership for America’s Health Care Future (PAHCF) to oppose Medicare for All. They spent $143 million lobbying legislators in this effort. They also produced their first of many misleading online ads for the American public. They put a lot of money behind this ad to confuse the public for the next few weeks. Here’s a breakdown of what the ad says, (in italics): • “Today over 180 million Americans with employer-based coverage have access to affordable and quality health care.”

It’s true that 180 million Americans, just under half the country, get health insurance from their employer. But, employee contributions to their plans have gone up an average of 21 percent over the past five years, far outstripping average wage growth. Flat wages and greater share of premium payments makes health care much less “affordable.”

And, it’s clear that the quality is not great. If you look at comparable wealthy countries, we have a lower life expectancy, higher rates of infant mortality, the highest rates of hospitalization for preventable diseases, and the highest rates of death from medical conditions. In 2019, the U.S. embarrassingly ranked 35th in quality outcomes for health, according to the World Health Organization.

• “Some people are proposing we start over and eliminate employer-provided insurance.”

Technically, Medicare for All eliminates commercial for-profit insurance. The key is that under Medicare for All, you won’t need employer-provided insurance with all its waste, complexity, narrow networks and costs.

• “Whether it’s called Medicare for All, single-payer or a public option.”4

6 n July 25, 2019

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Two out of three isn’t bad, but pretending that Medicare for All is a public option is an intentionally confusing lie.

Public options keep commercial insurers in place and allow them to “cherry pick” the healthiest patients, thus maintaining their profits while moving the least healthy, high-risk patients onto government insurance. It would be an improvement over what we have now, but public options won’t help control costs. Medicare for All will control spiraling health-care costs.

• “A one-size fits all health-care program means that Americans would have less choice and less control over their doctors, treatments and coverage.”

This one is a bald-faced lie. Right now, if you have the luxury of being able to afford to go to a doctor, you are restricted to “in-network” doctors and receive treatments that your insurance company approves. Under Medicare for All, you’d have the ability to go to almost any doctor of your choosing and would eliminate the profit incentive that insurance companies have.

• “It will also mean trillions of dollars in higher taxes for hardworking families, lower quality of care and longer wait times for patients.”

We already mentioned how our quality of care is actually much worse than single-payer countries. It’s true there would be new taxes to fund the improved system. But a single-payer system would save us trillions of dollars over the next 10 years in the total amount we spend for health care, and as a result, the vast majority of workers and employers would be paying significantly less than they currently pay. Perhaps employers could actually offer higher wages.

Now let’s address “wait times,” a favorite talking point.

There’s no evidence that improved Medicare for All would lead to longer wait times. Americans already wait longer than almost all industrialized countries in the world. Most Americans with private insurance have such high deductibles, they often put off seeing a doctor.

• “Health-care decisions would be shifted from patients and

their doctors to politicians and bureaucrats.”

Right now, when your doctor decides you need medical attention, you have to hope that your insurance company will pay for it. Since the insurance company’s only responsibility is to its shareholders, it will look for any way to deny the claim. If we take the profit motive away, doctors will be able to provide the treatment you need, and you won’t have to worry about drowning in medical debt. One-third of GoFundMe pages are filled with people begging for life-saving care. And most of them have health insurance. Real people, with real diseases should not have to beg, borrow or steal to control their disease.

• “America could work to improve what’s working.”

What we have now is absolutely NOT working. It’s the most expensive and bureaucratic system in the world. Nearly 30 million people are uninsured, and we have the worst health-care results of industrialized countries.

Please be aware we will keep being barraged with these propaganda-filled ads, as national improved Medicare for All gains traction with frustrated, angry and bankrupt Americans.

– Jan Phillips, Durango

Using RoundUp is irresponsible To the editor, Can anyone explain why so many of our local stores are still stocking RoundUp weed killer on their shelves, often with highly visible promotions, which must mean that locals are still purchasing it in spite of its widely publicized carcinogenic properties??

Ignorance and indifference are no excuse for continuing to expose us all to Monsanto/Bayers most toxic product ever. There are now over 13,000 lawsuits against both companies by victims of this weed killer, which contains glyphosate, linked to a proven increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Glyphosates don’t dis-

appear but stay in the environment, endangering us all.

One couple has already been awarded over $2 billion, other lawsuits are resulting in multimillion-dollar awards. Will it take bankruptcy for these companies to stop production?

Monsanto and Bayer are putting profits before public safety, and anyone who sells or uses it is equally guilty. A few weeds in one’s yard mean nothing compared to a cancer diagnosis due to unnecessary and irresponsible exposure.

– Katherine A. Reynolds, Durango

Moonwalk, 1969 My father took long walks at night under the stars he learned to know and name and depend upon when navigating in the navy.

I went with him on a full moon night less than a week after Neil and Buzz and Michael parachuted into the sea.

I could do that, I told him, one day when I grow up.

I could go too and walk on the moon…

Well, he said and stopped and looked up to study the bright gorgeous orb in the sky, I suppose you could at that.

But to tell the truth my boy I have to say that I think I liked it better before the footprints

– Gregory Moore, Heperus

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telegraph

July 25, 2019 n 7

TopStory

TEDxDurango organizers will host the event for innovative ideas worth sharing on Nov.3 at Fort Lewis College./ Photo Illustration

Something to talk about Local producer brings TEDx Program to Durango

by Tracy Chamberlin

I

t’s all talk – and, that’s the point. When the first TED conference was held in 1984, the goal was to talk about the emerging nexus of technology, entertainment and design.

Although the event included groundbreaking ideas, like the e-book and compact disc, it wasn’t a money-maker. It would take another six years before organizers tried again.

By focusing on the mission of sharing – as the tagline goes – ideas worth spreading, the TED brand has grown over the decades into an internationally renowned platform with a fellowship program, podcasts, nonprofit foundation, annual conferences, TED Talks videos, the TEDx program and more.

The key difference between the famous TED Talks and TEDx is the “x,” which stands for independently organized.

Speakers at TEDx events aren’t approved by the parent TED nonprofit group. It doesn’t fund the event, nor do any of its

8 n July 25, 2019

Calling all ideas If you have a thought-provoking idea you think is worth sharing, contact the TEDxDurango team at kristi@tedxdurango.com or tedxdurango2019@gmail.com.

The deadline to apply to be a speaker is Mon., July 29.

Organizers are looking for 12-15 speakers, and the talks should be about 12-15 minutes long. Applicants need to fill out an online form, answer some questions and submit a sample of the proposed talk.

If you’re not interested in taking the stage, there are other ways to get involved. The team is also looking for volunteers, entertainers, an emcee and business partners. To apply to be a speaker or to find out more, check out the website at www.tedxdurango.com.

telegraph

leaders help put it on.

Those hosting TEDx events are officially licensed and required to play by the brand’s rules, but it is all produced, organized and presented by a volunteer team of locals.

“I think Durango has amazing, innovative people. I want to connect people to that, and I want to connect people in Durango to the outside world,” Kristi Dean, the force behind TEDxDurango, said. “TEDx is the way to make that happen.”

Dean first came across the TEDx Program while researching another project for her company, Let It Out Productions.

She immediately knew this was an idea worth spreading, and applied to host the event in Durango.

Not long after her application was accepted, Dean headed to Denver to attend TEDxMileHigh. It was an opportunity to learn more about the program, how other communities put it on, and how to improve the event in Durango.

Although, as Dean explained, the 4

experience and the talks were amazing, it was the audience that stuck with her.

What actually stood out the most, she said, was seeing thousands of people who wanted to listen, learn and exchange ideas.

“It’s cool to see people who want to change, look for ways to find the change and be the change,” she said of the event. “I think that’s really inspiring.

Every TEDx event, and even TED conference, has a specific theme.

It needs to be broad enough to allow for a wide range of ideas, but inclusive enough to link those ideas to a common platform.

As part of the application process Dean was required to come up with one for the Durango event. What she settled on was laughter.

“If I’m going to spend three hours in a conference,” she joked, “I definitely want to laugh.”

Dean said laughter brings levity – especially when taking on tougher topics.

Some subjects are difficult to share, she added, and difficult to talk about. By finding the humor and the laughter in these situations, it can lift the listener – and even the speaker – up for a moment and give them some breathing room to keep listening.

“I think laughter is important in all situations,” she added. “Even in the most difficult moments and through the most difficult challenges, the thing that can bring light is humor. It can open up the heart to hear more.”

So, the official theme of the event is “Find the Humor.”

This doesn’t mean TEDxDurango is a comedy special, or a venue for stand-up routines and comedians. The

talks need to be about interesting, thought-provoking and innovative ideas. Topics that can get people talking.

Finding the humor in those topics brings a cohesiveness to the event, according to TEDxDurango’s executive producer Elaine Chick, and reminds the audience that laughter is a common human thread.

“If you can make people laugh, you can create a greater connection with them,” she said.

“It’s so interesting to see the amazing people that are on the planet ... It also allows communities to see what kind of amazing people are right in your back yard.”

– Elaine Chick, executive producer for TEDxDurango Chick explained that anyone looking to apply to be a speaker – the deadline to apply is Monday, July 29 – needs to know how to make a presentation and talk to a crowd.

But the event isn’t for professional speakers; nor is it just for speakers from the Southwest.

Anyone from anywhere with an idea worth spreading

can qualify – as long as they find the humor in it.

She said the event – which comes to Durango on Nov. 3 at Fort Lewis College – is both an opportunity to spotlight the quality and caliber of individuals in the Durango area, as well as bring ideas to Durango from other areas.

“We’ve got some locals whose ideas are worth spreading and we want more – because we know they’re out there,” Dean added.

So far, the TEDxDurango team has received several submissions for talks from residents in the Four Corners area, other parts of the country and even New Zealand.

“It’s so interesting to see the amazing people that are on the planet,” Chick said. “It also allows communities to see what kind of amazing people are right in your back yard.”

This isn’t actually the first time TEDx has come to this corner of Colorado. The program first found its way to Durango in 2014 and returned in 2016, but only the youth branch of TEDx. Local charter school Mountain Middle, School hosted student speakers for TEDxMountainMiddleSchool. Many of the videos are still available on YouTube – which is another way the TEDx program continues to share innovative ideas.

Talks presented for these independently-organized events are posted on the TEDx YouTube channel. The videos can be watched again by those who enjoyed them in person, or viewed by people all over the world.

“The entire reason behind TEDx is to build collaboration and community,” Dean explained. “It’s an opportunity for us to come out of our perfect little world and see there’s change to be had.” n

Talking TEDx: How to get involved It takes a village to host a TEDx event. In addition to partners. Since the TEDx events are independently organspeakers, TEDxDurango needs volunteers, entertainers, an ized, businesses looking to get involved aren’t just sponsors. emcee and business partners to make it all happen.

They are a part of the team.

First off, the team is looking for someone to emcee the To find out more about how to get involved, check out event. Since the theme is “Find the Humor,” they’ll need www.tedxdurango.com. someone who can keep the the auAs for being in the audience, dience engaged, connected and there are only a handful of tickJusttheFacts feeling funny. ets still available, and they’re What: TEDxDurango As for volunteers, TEDxDurango When: all day event, Sunday, Nov. 3 going fast. Tickets can be purhas postitions available to assist Where: Roshong Recital Hall, Fort Lewis College chased on the website. with production, marketing, enter- More info.: www.tedxdurango.com If you do miss out, though, tainment, help out on the day of don’t worry. Organizers plan to the event, work backstage and simulcast the talks, and tickets more. for the simulcast will include lunch and other related events.

They’re also looking for entertainers - which is the “E” in For the latest on the simulcast, speaker list, related events TED. They plan to have entertainment during lunch, on and any upcoming deadlines, check out the website or folstage, and at related events. From dancers to musicians, low TEDxDurango on Facebook (www.facebook.com/TEDx anyone is welcome to apply.

DurangoCO), Twitter (@TEDxDurango), and Instagram The other key player, according to organizers, is business (tedxdurango).

Into the woods and out of the sun beat the heat with a mountain chick outfit

telegraph

July 25, 2019 n

9

RegionalNews

Delta-Montrose reaches Tr-exit deal Cost of co-op’s Tri-State contract buy-out to be kept under wraps until next year

by Allen Best

Water from the Gunnison River tumbles through the South Canal, east of Montrose. The small hydropower project forced Delta-Montrose to hit its 5 percent renewable limit under TriState and helped serve as the impetus for the coop’s exit from its Tri-State contract./ Photo by Allen Best

T

ri-State Generation and Transmission and one of its 43 member co-operatives, Delta-Montrose Electric Association, have come to terms. Delta-Montrose will be leaving the “family,” as Tri-State members are sometimes called, on about May 1, 2020.

What it cost Delta-Montrose to exit its contract with TriState, however, will remain a secret until then. The figure was redacted in the settlement agreement filed with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission on Fri., July 19. The figure can become public after the split occurs next year, according to Virginia Harman, chief operating officer for Delta-Montrose.

Delta-Montrose will then be supplied by Guzman Energy, although the power purchase agreement has yet to be completed, Harman said. Guzman also supplies energy to Kit Carson Electrical, based in Taos, as well as the town of Aztec.

In May, Guzman also revealed it had offered to buy several of Tri-State’s coal plants, close them down and replace the lost generation from other sources.

The split reflects a fundamental disagreement over the future of electrical generation and the pace of change that has festered for about 15 years. Those different visions became apparent around 2005 as Tri-State sought to build a major new coal plant near Holcomb, Kan. When Tri-State finally got a permit for the coal plant in 2017, it had spent nearly $100 million with nothing to show.

Meanwhile, the electrical world had turned upside down. Wind had replaced coal as cheap energy and was being integrated into power supplies effectively. Even solar was becoming cost competitive.

Alone among Tri-State’s 44 member cooperatives, only Kit Carson and Delta-Montrose had refused a 10-year contract extensions to 2050 that Tri-State had wanted to satisfy long-term loans. Their contracts remained at 2040.

Kit Carson was the first to get out of its, however. In 2016, assisted by Guzman, it paid the $37 million exit fee required by Tri-State and set out to develop solar farms in dispersed parts of its service territory. It aims to have 100 percent solar capability by the end of 2022.

In November 2016, Delta-Montrose informed Tri-State it also wanted out of its contract. Negotiations did not yield an acceptable buy-out price, and in December, Delta-Montrose asked the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to arbitrate. The PUC agreed over protests by Tri-State. A week was set aside in June, later delayed until Aug. 12.

Of course, that is a moot point now. Although no figures

have been revealed by Tri-State or Delta-Montrose, a court document filed in early July reported that Tri-State’s price had been reduced 40 percent.

Meanwhile, Tri-State got approval from its members to have its rates regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which could have moved jurisdiction over the Delta-Montrose exit to Washington.

Delta-Montrose and Guzman have not completed plans for how the co-op will develop its local energy resources.

The co-op had reached Tri-State’s 5 percent allowance for local generation by harnessing nearby hydropower.

For Tri-State’s new chief executive, Duane Highley, the task at hand now may be discouraging more exits by other members. Tri-State has argued that it moved slowly but is now is in a position to realize much lower prices for renewable energy. It is moving forward on both wind and solar projects in eastern Colorado.

Delta-Montrose, with 33,000 members, is among the larger co-ops in Tri-State. But co-ops representing nearly half the electrical load supplied by Tri-State have all expressed dissatisfaction with its slow movement away from coal, and locally, La Plata Electric Association recently asked for an exit figure, too.

Along the Front Range, United Power, by far the largest co-op, with 91,000 members, has wanted more renewable energy and greater ability to develop its own resources.

Poudre Valley has adopted a 100 percent clean energy goal.

The settlement agreement filed with the PUC says DMEA “shall not assist any other Tri-State member in pursuing withdrawal from Tri-State.” The agreement also says DMEA and Tri-State agree to not disparage each other.

More than 30 percent of Tri-State’s generation comes from renewables, mostly hydropower. This is little different from Xcel Energy. But in 2017, Xcel announced plans to close two of its aging coal plants, leaving it at 55 percent renewable generation in Colorado.

Tri-State, too, is closing coal plants. A coal plant at Nucla will close early next year, several years earlier than scheduled. However, it’s small by coal plant standards, with a capacity of 104 megawatts and operates only part time.

A larger reduction is scheduled to occur by 2025, when one of three coal units in Craig will be retired. But a TriState official, speaking at a conference in Denver last June, suggested a second plant could also be retired early. That second unit is co-owned with other utilities, all of whom have indicated plans to hasten their retreats from coal.n

Looks good coming and going ...

Issue 9 of the Gulch is now out !

Wherever you find the Telegraph or at www.gulchmag.com.

To find out about advertising opportunities, email: steve@gulchmag.com 10 n July 25, 2019

telegraph

MountainTownNews Vice president passes the hat in Aspen

ASPEN – The Aspen Times found out about the planned Republican fundraiser featuring Vice President Michael Pence in a very round-about way.

The executive chef of the Caribou Club had been arrested and charged with assaulting his female friend. She said he choked and punched her in the face. In his advisement before a district court judge last Friday, the chef said he needed to show up Monday to cook for the vice president and hence needed to stay out of jail.

His request was approved after he posted a $2,500 cash or surety bond.

Political fundraisers are not unusual in Aspen, even those on behalf of Republicans. This is despite the more liberal bent of the community. But Pitkin did give almost 25 percent of its votes for the Trump-Pence ticket in 2016 and, of course, it does have some high rollers.

Bob Jenkins, vice chair of the Pitkin County Republicans, said he expected about 25 couples to attend the $35,000-per-couple VIP reception. Of $875,000 collected, $62,500 will go directly to the Trump campaign and the rest to the Republican National Committee.

The Aspen Daily News further identified one local couple, Tatnall and Roberta Hillman, who were expected to be there. He had contributed more than $1 million to Republican causes in 2018.

The event was held at the Caribou Club, which is owned by two gay men. Pence, both in Congress and as a governor of Indiana, repeatedly opposed efforts to legalize gay marriage and other measures meant to improve the lives of gays and lesbians.

Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo estimated it would cost the county $10,000 - $20,000 to provide security. If officials such as Pence meet the general public, there is no charge for the security.

Pence did not. In most cases, DiSalvo told the Times, campaigns agree to pay the costs.

Whitefish woman wins in neo-Nazi case WHITEFISH, Mont. – Aided by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a woman in Whitefish has received a $14 million judgment against the publisher of a neo-Nazi website.

Andrew Anglin’s Daily Stormer had published 30 articles urging his followers to launch a “troll storm” against Tanya Gersh, who, along with husband and then 12-year-old son received more than 700 harassing messages in a five-month span in 2016. Gersh continues to get harassing and threatening messages even now, 2½ years later.

The campaign escalated in early 2017 when Anglin planned an armed march that would end at Gersh’s home. In promoting the march, he superimposed a photo of Gersh and several others on the front gate of the Auschwitz concentration camp, according to a press release issued by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The march never happened.

The Whitefish Pilot reported that Gersh issued a statement: “This lawsuit has always been about stopping others from enduring the terror I continue to live through at the hands of a neo-Nazi and his followers, and I wanted to make sure that this never happens to anyone else.”

How stoned is too stoned to drive?

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS – More than five years into what former Gov. John Hickenlooper, now a presidential candidate, called the “great experiment,” Colorado is still trying to figure out parts of its marijuana legalization.

For example, when is a driver stoned? “Much uncertainty remains about how the drug impairs the body and at what point someone becomes too high to drive,” points out the Steamboat Pilot.

Colorado law says that driving when blood contains more than 5 nanograms of active THC, the psycho-active agent in cannabis, is sufficient to be prosecuted for driving under the influence.

Does that amount really impair a driver? Marijuana users, particularly those who partake for medicinal purposes, worry that their blood will exceed the limit even when they are not impaired.

But what is clear evidence of impairment?

Cory Christensen, the police chief in Steamboat, tells the Pilot that sobriety tests for alcohol have been researched and standardized over the decades. The tests have been honed such that recent studies find an accuracy rate of 91-94 percent.

Much less research has been done in regard to effects of cannabis. There is the blood test, which can determine if the driver has crossed the limit. The state’s highway patrol has drug recognition experts. Many of the criteria they use seem similar to alcohol, such as the one-leg-stand test.

It doesn’t all add up. “There is no go-to tool that is considered reliable across the board,” Matt Karzen, the district attorney for northwestern Colorado, says. “Right now, we’re stuck with body camera footage and an officer’s assessment.”

In most cases, prosecutors seek a plea of driving while ability impaired, or DWAI, which typically results in a fine and revoked driving privileges for 90 days. A DUI is a criminal offense with a stiffer sentence.

Many people suspected of driving under the influence of marijuana also have an illegal amount of alcohol in their systems, Karzen tells the Steamboat Pilot. If that is the case, prosecutors typically pursue a DUI, because jurors feel better versed at recognizing when someone is drunk.

Environmental groups protest e-bikes BANFF, Alberta – Parks Canada has decided to allow pedal-assisted e-bikes on some of the trails open to other bicycles in Banff National Park. At least two environmental organizations are unhappy.

They say the greater speed, range and relative silence of the ebikes will likely lead to increased visitor and wildlife conflicts, but also degradation of wilderness values.

“The new policy will allow motorized bicycles in the backcountry capable of going faster than the current speed limit on Banff Avenue,” the Bow Valley Naturalists and Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society says. Banff Avenue, the town’s main street, has a 30-km/h speed limit (about 19 mph).

Jasper National Park announced it would allow e-bikes on some trails as part of a pilot project. The same has occurred in the Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay unit of Parks Canada.

In Whistler, the municipal council has agreed to permit Class 1 pedal-assist e-bikes with top speeds of 32-km/h, similar to those being permitted in Banff, on the paved Valley Trail network. They will also be allowed on most, but not all, off-road, nonmotorized recreational trails.

E-bikes capable of higher speeds or those that require no human effort will not be allowed on the trails. Pique Newsmagazine explains that they are considered motorized vehicles, as are low-speed motorcycles, powered skateboards, stand-up scooters, Segways and Hoverboards.

Good luck with enforcement, noted a council member, Cathy Jewett, a patroller with Whistler Blackcomb. “In my winter time work dealing with enforcement of slow zones with skiers, I know how important the education portion is, as well as signage,” she said.

Whistler had a significant contingent of people who wanted no e-bikes on any of the bike trails anywhere. But Linda McGaw, writing in a letter, points out that for some people, pedal-assisted ebikes have been an absolute godsend.

“I speak of the disabled or semi-disabled riders who thought they had enjoyed their last ever bike ride, and then this wonderful invention came along and they are able to get out and about on two wheels again,” she says.

That includes her husband, who rode the trails of Whistler for 30 years before a serious and progressive neurological disease forced him to resign himself to never riding his beloved bike again.

“I may even purchase one myself (my ancient and battered old knees, one with a metal plate in it, being my main excuse) so that I can accompany him and know he is safe,” she said.

Some neighbors object to solar farm ASPEN – What’s not to like about a proposed newcomer to the Aspen neighborhood? It would create no noise, water or air pollution, nor would it disrupt wildlife, sponsors say. Furthermore, it would move onto a former industrial site, 35 of the 55 acres that had previously been used to spread biosolids from a sewage treatment plant.

But in fact, some people who live near the proposed solar farm outside Aspen don’t want to see it there. The Aspen Times reports one speaker at a recent planning commission meeting called the 18,000-solar panels a “monstrosity.”

– Allen Best

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it lasts longer.

Some of the amazing photos you see in the Telegraph are now available to purchase online, in digital or print. (*for personal enjoyment and use only.)

To find out more, go to durangotelegraph.com and click on “shop” and “buy photos.”

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July 25, 2019

teleg

Light is Right

by Stephen Eginoire

y, Galen Rowell, said that “You week has provided daily opportunities for which to experience first and et a day, and you only get so last light in all of its glory. As monsoons provide dramatic conditions, t perspective in mind, this past don’t forget to keep your lightning radar on high alert. Here’s a look:

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July 25, 2019 n 13

thesecondsection

OnStage

Durango on the mainstage PlayFest brings top-notch thespian talent to town

by Zach Hively

ences but the professional actors invited to participate in the PlayFest, as well. Carla ll the world’s a stage – but from Aug. Gallo hasn’t stepped foot on a stage in 20 5-10, all of Durango is a stage, and years. In that time, she’s appeared in sevyou don’t need to go any farther to eral television series (including “Californiwatch world-class actors, directors and playcation,” “Mad Men” and “Bones”) and wrights in action. The second Durango feature films (including “Forgetting Sarah PlayFest features five different plays-inMarshall,” “Neighbors” and “Superbad”), progress, as well as a series of free workshops but her only involvement in the theater is and events in various venues around town. in her anxiety dreams.

“We bring nationally recognized and “I’m backstage at a play, and I realize emerging playwrights, actors and directors that I don’t know the lines, and I’m scramto Durango to develop new plays,” exbling,” she said. “I’m like, who has the plained festival director Felicia Lansbury script,and can I look through it? I’m about Carla Gallo Meyer. “And we also work hard to engage Dan Lauria to go on.”

Wendie Malick our community with these artists.”

The good news about the PlayFest, she The PlayFest works especially hard to connect students says, is that the play will be right in front of her. “In TV JusttheFacts and educators with the professionals participating in the and film, if you get a four-page scene, you’re like, ‘oh What: Durango PlayFest festival, she said, but opportunities abound for everyone my god, I have a huge scene today,’” she says “I don’t When: Aug. 5-10 in the community to hobnob with the pros and learn even remember how I ever memorized a play. I feel like, Where: Various venues around town some things about the business of staging plays. with PlayFest, I’m taking baby steps back into the idea Tickets: www.durangoplayfest.org. Events and workFor instance, actor Dan Lauria will present on acting of theater.” shops are free, however, please reserve online. at the DAC on the 5th; Second City alumna Mary Quinn Gallo will be appearing in Stephen Nathan’s “The is conducting an improv workshop at Fort Lewis College Ways of Necessity.” The two know each other from their on the 7th; and playwright Meg Miroshnik (whose play they have the chance to rewrite and revise their work (or work on “Bones,” and Nathan invited her to participate “My Ántonia” debuts during the week) is holding a dis- bang their head against the wall – whatever works) before in the production. Gallo said that this opportunity is a working the fresh pages again the next day. cussion on the 9th at Animas Chocolate Co. soft launch of sorts for her return to the stage, and that At the end of the week, when the plays are staged, the format of PlayFest offers her the rare chance to focus Then, of course, there’s the plays themselves. This year’s festival features five original plays – “Two Han- they are still not finished productions with extensive on just being an actor for an entire week. (A mother of der,” “A Shift in Gravity,” “The Ways of Necessity,” “My blocking, painted sets and complete costumes. Rather, two, Gallo noted that she is ready to “take a break from Ántonia” and “Ceely.” Yet even the plays are not your audiences are treated to dramatic readings of the works ponytails and lunches and diapers.”) standard theater fare. Yes, the performances star actors as they stand that day.

The intimate setting for PlayFest and the chance to “In these staged readings at the end of the week, the work with a play still finding shape both excite Gallo. who have found success in film and on television alongside actors from the Durango community. But the audience is seeing fresh work,” Meyer said. “They’re see- She’s curious to see how the process goes for her as an ing something that was just created in that week and had actor. “Stephen Nathan said, ‘I want your input and I plays are works in various stages of progress.

The PlayFest, after all, exists in large part to nurture the input of the whole team. Then the audience has the want you to help make the character rich,’” she explaywrights, according to Meyer. The authors behind chance, through the talkback after the reading, to ask plained. “But the other part of me feels like, you created these five plays get to rehearse these scripts each morning questions and get involved and make comments.” it and I just want to deliver for you what you created. I The experience is a change of pace not just for audi- want to do right by the playwright and, essentially, 4 throughout the week with their casts. Each afternoon,

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Meet the playrights

Playwrights Emily Dendinger, Lee Blessing and Stephen Nathan at Durango PlayFest 2018./ Courtesy photo take it off the page and have it come alive.”

Each playwright and director has their own process, Meyer noted, and they’ve certainly got the talent to pull off whatever they desire. Other featured talent in this year’s PlayFest includes: Jon Tenney (“Tombstone”); Andrew Leeds (“Veep”); Austin Cauldwell (“Switched at Birth”); Emily Swallow (“Supernatural”); Matthew Sullivan (“JAG”); Brett Dalton (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”); Tatiana Wechsler (“Oklahoma!”); and Kim Brockington (“Guiding Light”).

Furthermore, the festival welcomes back the two actors who gave birth to the idea behind the PlayFest: Lauria (known for “The Wonder Years”) and Wendie Malick (of “Just Shoot Me” fame).

Malick has enjoyed Durango for many years. She brought along her friend Lauria one time to show off the city; along with Christina Erteszek (now the co-chair of the festival) and her husband, they discussed how Durango’s beauty and character offered an ideal creative space for a theater festival. Years passed, and Malick and Lauria returned to town several times for leisure and work (and, one presumes, many times

where the twain did meet). Several years later, the idea for the festival came to fruition.

Theater festivals with similar formats exist all over the country, but Durango was ripe for its own. “We have so much great theater here already,” Meyer said. “A lot of good community theater, some mix of community and professional. … We’re a professional-level festival, but we’re still involving community members, which is great.”

Ultimately, the Durango PlayFest is quickly becoming an institution, even though it’s in only its second iteration. It’s bringing big-city theater experiences to town, where they can thrive in an environment that’s clearly lacking in the metropolises of the world. And there’s more to it than the chance to see accomplished actors and talented creators in action – events such as this highlight the inspiration and abilities already inherent in our corner of the world’s stage.

“I think for Durango to become a voice in American theater is a great prospect,” Meyer said. “We want to be a part of that process.” n

n “My Ántonia,” by Meg Miroshnik - In this new adaptation of Willa Cather’s 1918 classic, immigrant Ántonia and orphan Jim Burden strive to make lives for themselves on the Nebraska prairie. Bursting with music, adventure and emotion, this coming-of-age tale wrestles with the notion of what it means to be an American. “My Ántonia” asks urgent questions that still resonate today about assimilation, the American experiment, and if we can ever tell someone else’s story. n “The Ways of Necessity,” by Meg Miroshnik Stephen Nathan - Richard is a successful accountant who feels life couldn’t be better. He has a wonderful, somewhat neurotic family and a thriving practice that he shares with his son. All is well until he receives devastating news. He has a fast moving cancer that will overtake him within the next couple of months. The family tries to rally, but Richard has been their rock and each member struggles to deal with the coming loss.

Stephen Nathan This is compounded when Richard reveals a secret he has kept from them, one that will alter their lives as much as his upcoming death. Watch as the family is tested and learns what love is in the face of adversity. n “A Shift in Gravity,” by Kathleen McGhee-Anderson - What happens when two best friends, female authors, one black, one white, living and working on Martha’s Vineyard, when success is imminent for one and the other usurps it, aided and abetted by a handsome male journalist who has dreams of his own? n “Two Hander,” by Barry Kathleen McGhee- Kleinbort and Lois Walden - Explore the seesawing relationship beAnderson tween Ned Harper, an off-Broadway playwright now teaching at the New School in New York City, Berry Kleinbort and his star pupil, Sheila Lawrence, a bright but unhappy housewife who has enrolled in his beginning playwriting course. Sheila convinces Ned to collaborate with her on a “two hander” (a play with only two characters) and they embark on a literary adventure that quickly evolves into a heated love tryst. Over the play’s 20-year time span, watch these two ride the waves of Broadway success, hard won independence, heartbreak and, at the final curtain, mutual understanding. n “Ceely,” by Lee Blessing - Part comedy, part family drama, we meet Ceely, born and raised in a classic mafia family, she’s been haunted by Lois Walden the one gift you wouldn’t want: clairvoyance. The head of the family, aware of her ability, exiles her to the countryside. But she’s only as safe as she is silent, and she longs to see her family again. Her brother Beeno, assigned to keep an eye on hergrows nervous as Ceely starts talking to a young journalism student. This is not the kind of family that grants do-overs.

Lee Blessing

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FlashinthePan

The fungus among us

by Ari LeVaux

W

ith the melting of snows and falling of rains, edible mushrooms are poking through the soil and hanging off logs, adding magic to the forest and glory to the dinner plate. These rot-eating beings reside mostly within the decaying materials they consume, in the form of tangles of thin fibers of fungal cells called mycelia. The colorful array of mushrooms that grow from the world’s mycelia are reproductive organs, also known as fruiting bodies. They appear and release their spores when the mycelia decide it’s time. And foragers are ready to pounce.

We love wild mushrooms for their lusty vibes and meaty, earthy flavors. Cultivated mushrooms like buttons and criminis have these qualities too, but in much smaller doses. Morels, porcinis, chanterelles and other celebrated wild mushrooms, meanwhile, are every bit as savage as a hunk of hunted elk, and their flavors carry the essences of the wild places where they were gathered.

Oyster mushrooms, both cultivated and wild, are rich sources of glutathione and ergothioneine. Glutathione is one of the most powerful known dietary antioxidants, while ergothioneine, also an antioxidant, is an amino acid made exclusively by fungus. Laboratory evidence suggests ergo, as it’s called, can protect cells from multiple toxins, and researchers have recently discovered that mammals have a specific transporter molecule that pulls ergo into red blood cells, which transport it elsewhere in the body. Ergo and glutathione are present in all mushrooms, although the white button variety have the lowest concentrations, while oysters have among the highest.

Button mushrooms may be more dilute sources of flavor and healthfulness, but they are also much cheaper than wild ones, so you can eat more of them for the money. Buttons are one of the very few mushroom species that you can eat raw, and while they lack the excitement and musk of the outdoors, that kind of puffy white domesticated fruiting body still has a place.

When wild mushrooms are on the menu, you can get

16 n July 25, 2019

extra mileage combining them with buttons, which will absorb and carry the wild flavors from their outdoorsy cousins and come to taste like their counterparts. It’s like buying buttons at home, waving a magic wand over them, and turning them into morels, porcinis or whatever you cook them with.

Here is a recipe that works with all wild mushrooms, including combinations of multiple wild and cultivated types. Slice and sauté them in butter with roughly equal parts chopped onions.

Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Deglaze with sherry once or twice.

Serve as is, or add cream and a squeeze of lemon.

The other day I went hunting for oyster mushrooms. The rains had come and gone, and I fully expected to get armpit-deep in fungus but came up empty.

Mushrooms, it turns out, are better at knowing where they ought to be than I am. But I had a lovely walk among the woodpeckers and cottonwoods in a certain creek-side habitat.

(Don’t forage for wild mushrooms unless you know what you’re doing, btw.)

A few days later, at the farmers market, I was buying cucumbers and noticed farmer Mike had oyster mushrooms for sale. I bought a sack and went fishing for recipes.

Mike, who has long white hair and a weathered face, wore a shirt that said “Gardening is cheaper than therapy, and you get tomatoes.”

“I’m pretty boring,” he demurred. “I’ll throw some mushrooms on the grill with some meat or fish, and steam some broccoli, and that’s about it.”

“Why are they called oyster mushrooms?” I asked.

“I don’t know, he said. “A lot of people think they know, but they don’t. Some say it looks like an oyster or tastes like an oyster. I’m like really? How does it look like an oyster? How does it taste like an oyster? I think it looks and tastes like a mushroom. Which is good because I don’t like oysters.”

“Have you ever tried making chowder,” I asked?

“Actually, yeah,” he said, his face brightening. “I have an oyster mushroom chowder that I kind of invented. I went through my cookbooks – I’ve got like 100 cook-

telegraph

books – and read the clam chowder recipes, and kind of put one together with some of my own touches.

“It’s mine,” he added. “I’m kind of proud of it.”

I’ve made Mike’s chowder a few times now, and I don’t blame him for being proud. It’s rich and creamy and chowder-ry with strong fungal presence, hitting gentle notes that are at once luxurious and untamed, with a quiet, rich soulfulness. Being who I am, I had to tweak, adding thyme and sherry, and slow-fried oyster mushrooms and parsley as garnish. In one batch, I tried clam stock instead of chicken, in honor of clam chowder, but it was a resounding dud. Chicken stock is the one to use with mushrooms.

This dish can also be made without the cream, for a lighter-yet-earthier version. If skipping cream, skip the red pepper too.

Mike’s Oyster Chowder Serves 4 3 pieces bacon, chopped, or about 3 tablespoons olive oil (if bacon isn’t fatty enough, supplement with oil) 1 onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 3 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon flour 1½ cups diced potatoes 5 cups stock 1 bay leaf 1 sprig fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried) ½ teaspoon white pepper, more to taste Salt to taste (depends on salt quantities in bacon and stock) 3 cups oyster mushrooms or oysters mixed with other mushrooms; slice buttons into quarters and separate oyster mushrooms into individual florets ¼ cup sherry Parsley or other green garnish Optional: 3/4 cup heavy cream & ¼ cup diced red pepper Optional: a few extra oyster mushrooms and butter in which to fry them Fry bacon until crispy on medium heat. Add onions and celery. When the onions are translucent, add flour and butter, stirring often into a gently brown roux. Add the potatoes and stock, stir thoroughly and simmer for about 30 minutes, until potatoes are cooked. While it simmers, fry some oyster mushrooms in butter very slowly, so they get deliciously crispy.

Season the soup with salt and white pepper to taste.

Add mushrooms and simmer for 10 more minutes. Add cream and red peppers, if using, and simmer an extra five minutes on low. Garnish with parsley and fried mushrooms, and serve.n

TopShelf

Daughter of Leon & the Jimi Hendrix of fiddle

by Chris Aaland

ples by Patsy Cline, Peggy Lee, Billy Holliday and Judy Garland. A multi-course dinner and live & silent auctions precede the music. ummer 2019 won’t be fondly remembered in the history of The whole shebang closes down with “A Night at the New Orleans music. Instead, it will be noted that the CresOpera” at the Community Concert Hall at 5:30 p.m. Sunday. cent City lost Dr. John, Dave Bartholomew and, this past Guillermo Figueroa leads the festival orchestra through selections Monday, Art Neville, the keyboard player who helped found

by Strauss, Mozart and others, with soloists Carelle Flores, Drea both the Meters and Neville Brothers. He died peacefully in his Pressley, Andreas Tischauser and Adrian Smith spotlighted. home at age 81, after declining health. Neville announced his rePosh Josh and Techmonkey bring house, electronic and tirement from performing last December. groove to the Animas City Theatre at 10 p.m. Saturday. Posh Josh I had the pleasure of seeing Art perform with both the Neville cooks up disco, funk, jazz, electronic and hip-hop into a dirty Brothers and the Meters. The first time I saw him was at Fiddler’s house roux. Techmonkey’s music rises out of dust, love and humGreen in Denver when the ming bass. brothers opened for Jimmy Seeing the Bar D WranBuffett. Parrotheads aren’t glers at the Bar D Chuckthe most attentive audience, wagon is a highlight to my as they treat opening bands summer each year. One thing as an excuse to get margarita I’ve never done, though, is drunk while awaiting their see the Wranglers open for Fonzie and his delivery of some of their musical heroes the standard Greatest Hits at their own venue. On Monset. Hell, they don’t even like day and Tuesday, they open it when he strays into new for Riders in the Sky. music. But Art and company Chief Wrangler Gary Cook, whipped the crowd into a who just celebrated his 30th dance frenzy. anniversary as a member of In later years, I began to the quartet, recorded an exrealize Art’s legacy, how the cellent album with Ranger Meters were essentially Allen Doug of Riders in the Sky a Toussaint’s house band on few years ago. One could excountless NOLA classics in pect some collaborations onthe ’60s before they all but stage this week. Dinner is invented funk by the end of served at 7:30 p.m. sharp, Amy Helm, backed by the Restless Age, will stroll through the Amer- with the show starting somethe decade. Art Neville will ican roots music canon at the Henry Strater Theatre this Friday. be missed. time between 8:15 and 8:30.

KSUT’s summer concert As always, you get your series continues at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Henry Strater Theatre choice of roast beef, chicken or rib eye steak. with a musical legacy. Amy Helm may be best known as the Snazzy Licks, a duo comprised of Brandon Clark and Sam daughter of the Band’s singing drummer, Levon Helm, but she’s Kelly – two members of Elder Grown, plays this week’s Industry been forging her own path for decades. She first came onto my Night at the ACT. Music starts at 9:30. radar as a member of Ollabelle, a retro Americana group that The Cyprus Café announced its music listings for the rest of played Telluride Bluegrass back in the mid-2000s. She was also the summer, through Labor Day. Chad MacCluskey plays jazz a longtime member of Levon’s Midnight Ramble Band, singing guitar from 6-9 p.m. each Monday; Alison Dance croons jazz and playing along on multiple instruments as her father tackwith keyboard, bass and trumpet accompaniment from 6-9 each led rock, R&B and country fare. In 2015, Amy stepped into the Tuesday night; the Jeff Solon Duo plays jazz with sax and keyspotlight to record the first of two critically acclaimed albums, boards from 6-9 Wednesdays; and Lee Bartley tickles the ivories “Didn’t it Rain.” She followed that up with “This Too Shall on solo jazz piano from 6-9 Thursdays.

Light” last summer.

This week’s free Concert @ the Park gets bluesy and soulful I saw Amy’s solo performance at last fall’s Four Corners Folk with Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal from 5:30-7:30 p.m. tonight Festival on Reservoir Hill. From the first note, I was hooked. After (Thurs., July 25). Hoyer and co. are considered a real “working the set, the KSUT staff converged upon her at the autograph tent. band,” playing music for the people, by the people. The Nebraska I promised Amy I’d get her booked into Durango. This spring, group is inspired by the sounds of Stax, Motown, Muscle Shoals, KSUT Executive Director Tami Graham made that happen. What New Orleans, Philly and San Francisco, crossing musical boundfans can expect is a mix of gospel, R&B, blues, soul and Ameriaries in both style and era. cana, as Amy, backed by the Restless Age, stroll through the Elsewhere: the Pete Giuliani Band tips back some pints at American roots music canon. And, yes, you might even hear one tonight’s Ska-B-Q, which starts at 5 p.m. at the World Headquaror two that her old man sang. ters; Kirk James plays solo blues on the patio at Serious Texas Music in the Mountains wraps up its 34th season this year South from 5-8 p.m. Friday, before tackling a pair of band gigs on with a bang. First, legendary Celtic fiddler Eileen Ivers brings Saturday (the Rusty Shovel’s RockFest at 3 p.m. and the Balcony her band to the Community Concert Hall at 7 p.m. Friday. Befrom 6-10 p.m.; Blue Grouse brings bluegrass to Durango Craft tween MITM and FolkWest festivals, it seems Ivers comes to the Spirits at 7 p.m. Friday; DJ Hakan spins at the Starlight at 9 p.m. region every year – and for good reason. Her energetic style of Friday; Carute Roma does gypsy jazz at Fenceline Cidery in Celtic is a riotous affair, which one would expect from someone Mancos from 7-9 Saturday night; Brap the Goat spins at the who has been dubbed “the Jimi Hendrix of fiddle” by the New Starlight at 8 p.m. Saturday; and the Black Velvet trio rocks York Times. the 11th Street Station at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

MITM’s annual Pops Night benefit dinner and concert brings vocalist Helen Welch to the Sky Ute Event Center in Ignacio at Join the Chief with the Zulu gang? Email me at chrisa@gobrain 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The pops orchestra will lead her through stastorm.net. n

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onthetown

Thursday25 Baby Meetup with Durango Café au Play, 9:30-11:30 a.m., 2307 Columbine. 749-9607.

New Cider Release Party, noon-1 p.m., Fenceline Cider in Mancos.

Tween Time: Galaxy Painting, for ages 11-17, 1-2 p.m., Durango Public Library.

“The Echo Canyon” documentary screening, 3:30 and 5 p.m., film also screens July 26-Aug. 1, Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.animascitytheatre.com.

Drop-in Tennis, 4 p.m., Durango High School, 2390 Main Ave. Thursday Afternoon Social Club for veterans, their spouses and supporters, 4-6 p.m., VFW, 1550 Main.

Farmer’s Market, 4:30 p.m. till dusk, event runs each Thursday, downtown Farmington. 505-599-8442.

Submit “On the Town” items by Monday at noon to: calendar@durangotelegraph.com

Trails 2000 Trailwork Party, 4:30-7 p.m., SkyRaider Trail. www.trails2000.org.

Bayfield Farmers Market, featuring local farmers, bakers, craftsmen, live music, dancing and more, 4:30-7 p.m., Joe Stephenson Park in Bayfield. www.bayfield downtownfarmersmarket.org.

Rob Webster performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave. Loki Moon performs, 7-9 p.m., Fenceline Cider in Mancos.

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” presented by the Animas Rooted Theatre Co., 7:30 p.m., show also runs July 26-27, Roshong Recital Hall at Fort Lewis College.

Open Mic & Stand-Up, 8 p.m., El Rancho Tavern, 975 Main Ave. Karaoke, 8 p.m., Wild Horse Saloon, 601 E. 2nd Ave. Plursday featuring DJ Zirk, 9 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Friday26 Durango Early Bird Toastmasters, 7-8:30 a.m., LPEA, 45 Stewart St. 769-7615.

The Animas Jazz Trio performs, 6-9 p.m., JeanPierre Restaurant & Wine Bar, 601 Main Ave. Powerhouse Trivia Night, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio. www.powsci.org.

Kirk James performs, 5-8 p.m., patio at Serious Texas BBQ South.

Bill Edwards performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Meet the Author and Book Signing with Margaret Ledford, author of Fursey the Famous at the Farm, 5:30-7 p.m., Absolute Physical Therapy and Wellness, 277 E 8th Ave.

Rob Webster performs, 7-11 p.m., Billy Goat Saloon in Gem Village.

Karaoke, 7 p.m.-close, VFW, 1550 Main Ave. Amy Helm performs, 7:30 p.m., Henry Strater Theatre, 699 Main Ave. www.henrystratertheatre.com.

Durango Farmers Market, featuring music from Pete Giuliani, 8 a.m.-noon, TBK Bank parking lot, W. 8th Street. www.durangofarmersmarket.com.

Drop-in Tennis, 9 a.m., Durango High School, 2390 Main Ave. Trails 2000 Trailwork Party, 9 a.m.-noon, Vallecito Lake Trail. www.trails2000.org.

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.

BMX Friday Night Races, 6 p.m., Cundiff Park. 3757331.

XRock Fest, presented by The Rusty Shovel and XRock 105, featuring live music on two stages from the Kirk James Blues Band, Morbid Justice, Signal 99 and more, noon-10 p.m., Rusty Shovel Saloon, 760 S. Camino del Rio. durangorockfest.wixsite.com/duran gorockfest.

Friday Nights at Fox Fire Farms, featuring music from Terry Rickard, 6-9 p.m., Fox Fire Farms in Ignacio. foxfirefarms.com.

Summer Picker’s Circle by the River, musicians of all levels welcome, 3-5 p.m., Saturdays thru August, White Rabbit Books & Curiosities, 128 W. 14th St. 259-2213.

Sunny & The Whisky Machine performs, 6-9 p.m.,

Don’t let a small space stop you from a successful harvest!

18 n July 25, 2019

State 38 performs, 7 p.m., Mancos Brewing Co.

Saturday27

Ignacio Farmers & Artisans Market, 4-8 p.m., runs Fridays thru Oct. 4, ELHI Community Center in Ignacio. 563-4600.

Open Mic Night, 6 p.m., Eno Wine Bar, 723 E. 2nd Ave.

Eileen Ivers Band, part of Music in the Mountains, 7 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. www.musicinthemountains.com.

Kids’ LEGO Club, for ages 5-12, 1-2 p.m., Durango Public Library.

The Pete Giuliani Band performs, 5-7 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal performs for Concerts @ the Park, sponsored by the Community Concert Hall and Alpine Bank, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Buckley Park. www.du rangoconcerts.com.

Robin Davis performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.

Zumba Gold, 9:30-10:15 a.m., La Plata Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave.

Free yoga, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Lively Boutique, 809 Main.

Spanish Speaking Parents & Littles Fridays, 4-6 p.m., Durango Café au Play, 1309 E. 3rd Ave., Room 201. durangocafeauplay.org.

Sitting Meditation, 5:30-6:15 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave.

Disco Night, 6:30-9 p.m., Chapman Hill Skating Rink.

375-7395.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), originally written for The Reduced Shakespeare Co. and updated for the Sunflower Theatre Troupe, 7:30 p.m., show also runs July 27 and 2 p.m. July 28, Sunflower Theatre in Cortez. www.sunflowertheatre.org.

Durango Green Drinks, hosted by Thrive! Living Wage Coalition and the Durango Farmers Market, 5-6:45 p.m., Carver Brewing Co., 1022 Main Ave.

Bill Edwards performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

DJ Hakan, 9 p.m.-close, Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

telegraph

National Improved Medicare for All, presented4

by Guinn Unger of Health Care Durango, 3-5 p.m., Durango Public Library. 759-2497 or healthcaredurango@gmail.com.

Water under the bridge: Looking back at the Gold King spill What:

Free viewing of “Acid Mine Nation Ep. 1: My Journey to the Gold King Mine Spill” When: 7 p.m., Tues., July 30 Where: The Animas City Theatre What started out as a “little story” on how Silverton and San Juan County were grappling with possible Superfund status blew up – or in this case out – on Aug. 5, 2015. That was the day the Gold King Mine above Silverton unleashed a torrent of 3 million gallons of acidic mine wastewater into the Animas River.

The ensuing environmental not to mention public relations disaster, as well as the decades of events leading up to it, are the subject of a new documentary by former Silverton and Durango resident Tom Schilaci. The 55-minute video, “Acid Mine Nation Episode 1: My Journey to the Gold King Mine Spill” will have its local premiere next Tues., July 30, at the Animas City Theatre.

Schillaci, who now lives in Grand Junction, said he plans to do free, public screenings in towns all along the watershed, from Ouray to Shiprock. The film had its premier earlier this month in Silverton. The film talks about geology, past spills, environmental law and 10 things from 1906 -

Book signing and discussion with Ed Lehner, author of The Awakening of Russell Henderson, 4:30 p.m., White Rabbit Books & Curiosities Garden, 128 W. 14th St. 259-2213.

Bill Edwards performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Light Show Public Skate, 6:30-9 p.m., Chapman Hill.

375-7395.

Mike Testa performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave. Dave Mensch performs, 7 p.m., Mancos Brewing Company.

Carute Roma performs, 7-9 p.m., Fenceline Cider in Mancos.

Comedy Cocktail Open Mic Stand Up, 8 p.m., Eno Wine Bar, 723 E. 2nd Ave. DJ Brap the Goat, 9 p.m.-close, Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave. CONNECT: Posh Josh and Techmonkey, 10 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.animascitythe atre.com.

2015 people should know, he said.

Schillaci’s involvement with mine cleanup began in 2001 after he read an article in the Denver Post about the Mountain Studies Institute in Silverton. Recently laid off from his job in Denver, Schillaci contacted MSI founder Rob Blair, offering his photography and videography skills. It was Blair who urged Schillaci to attend the Mountain Film Festival in Telluride, which proved to be a pivotal moment in Schillaci’s life. “Blown away,” he returned to Denver on Monday, bought a video camera on Wednesday and was in Silverton by Friday shooting video on the Animas River Stakeholders Group.

With almost 20 years of footage, Schillaci said viewers of “Acid Mine Nation” will see increasing pressure by the Environmental Protection Agency on San Juan County and the town of Silverton to pursue Superfund status. Part 2 of “Acid Mine Nation,” which will deal with the aftermath of the spill, is due in September.

If you can’t make the free viewing but would still like to see the video, check it out at: vimeo.com/339439159/7db102ca43

Sunday28 Durango Flea Market, 8:30 a.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds.

Henry Stoy performs, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Jean-Pierre Restaurant & Wine Bar, 601 Main Ave.

Monday29 Yoga Storytime, 9:30-10:45 a.m., Smiley Building Studio 10, 1309 E. 3rd Ave. Watch Your Step class, 10:15 a.m., Durango Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave.

Traditional Irish Music Jam, 12:30-4 p.m., Irish Embassy, 900 Main Ave.

Bill Edwards performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Silent Sundays with Swanson, featuring silent films with live music from Adam Swanson, 2 p.m., Henry Strater Theatre, 699 Main Ave. www.henrystratertheatre.com.

Rob Webster performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.

Live Music on the Lawn, featuring Cook and Special Guest, 2-5 p.m., Sundays thru Aug. 4, Trimble Hot Springs, 6475 CR 203. 247-0111.

Trivia Night, 7 p.m., Blondies in Cortez.

Adult Coloring, 3-5 p.m., Sundays thru Aug. 25, White Rabbit Books & Curiosities Garden, 128 W. 14th St. 2592213.

Industry Nights, featuring music and throwback movies each Monday thru summer for those working in restaurants, retail or tourism-related fields, featuring live music from Snazzy Licks, 9:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.animascitytheatre.com.

Fetz X-Tet performs for Music in the Shade Summer Series, 4-7 p.m., Wines of the San Juan in Blanco, N.M.

Contiki Party with the Aussies, 9 p.m.-close, Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

The Aloha Club performs, 5-7 p.m., Fenceline Cider in Mancos.

Tuesday30 Zumba Gold, 9:30-10:15 a.m., La Plata Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave.

Blue Moon Ramblers, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Sweet ‘Shine performs, 6:30-8:30 p.m., River Bend Ranch, 27846 Highway 550.

Guided Nature Tours, 9:45 a.m.-noon, Tuesdays and Thursdays thru Aug. 15, meet inside Purgatory Ticket Office. sjma.org.

Leah Orlikowski performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.

Drop-in Tennis, 4 p.m., Durango High School, 2390 Main Ave.

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Bill Edwards performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Purgatory Sports Shop Rides, both coed and ladies’ mountain bike rides, 5:30 p.m., 2615 Main Ave. www.purga toryresort.com.

Rotary Club of Durango, presentation by La Plata County Commissioner Clyde Church, 6 p.m., Henry Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave. 385-7899.

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, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main.

“Acid Mine Nation (Episode 1): My Journey to the Gold King Mine Spill” from producer Tom Schillaci, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.animasc itytheatre.com.

Latin Social Nights, 8-11 p.m., Wild Horse Saloon, 601 E. 2nd Ave. 375-2568.

Open Mic, 8 p.m.-close, Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Wednesday31 Kennebec Market, featuring local farms, baked goods, handmade products and more, 2-6 p.m., event runs each Wednesday, Kennebec Café in Hesperus. 759-7345.

More “On the Town” p. 204

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July 25, 2019 n 19

AskRachel Interesting fact: I was looking up facts about Beyoncé in Austin Powers, when I discovered that Mr. Bigglesworth’s real name is Ted Nude-Gent. Why keep searching from there?

Dear Rachel, Why do I have Beyoncé stuck in my head? I’ve never gone out of my way to listen to her. Nothing against her. Country songs are just more my swing, if you know what I mean. But all day, it’s one Beyoncé hit after another. Bang bang bang.

I’m being pelted with undeniably catchy pop songs. How is this happening to me, and more importantly, what can I do to get set straight (George Strait) again?

- In the Knowled Dear Beyoncéd, You have the greatest living American performer – excepting Willie Nelson, of course – stuck in your head because she is the queen of what she does. Her songs define more than a generation; they define us as a people. Sadly, I don’t know what it is she does, or how it defines us as a people, because Beyoncé is my Gary Oldman. You know, the person about whom you always say, “Wait, that’s Gary Oldman, too?” I had to Google my sign-off, and yeah, I should have known that was the Queen Bey. – Shoulda put a ring on it, Rachel Dear Rachel, My best friend is the only person in the whole wide world that I’m OK with dropping by my

OntheTown from p. 19

Trails 2000 Trailwork Party, 4:30-7 p.m., SkyRaider Trail. www.trails2000.org.

Community Concerts in the Secret Garden, featuring music from Wells & Van Tyn to benefit Wolfwood Refuge, 5-7 p.m., Rochester Hotel, 726 E. 2nd Ave. www.swcommuni tyfoundation.org.

Animas City Night Bazaar, featuring local food, beer, art, music and more, 5-8 p.m., bazaar also runs Aug. 28 and Sept. 25, 3057 Main Ave. www.animascitynightbazaar.com.

Pete Giuliani performs, 5-9 p.m., Animas River Beer Garden at the Doubletree Hotel, 501 Camino del Rio.

Bill Edwards performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Thank the Veterans potluck, 5:30 p.m., Peter Neds performs, 7-8:30 p.m., VFW, 1550 Main Ave. 828-7777.

The Black Velvet Trio performs, 6 p.m., 11th Street Station, 1101 Main Ave.

Loki Moon – Raw Experiments, 6-8 p.m., Eno Wine Bar, 723 E. 2nd Ave.

Jeff Solon Jazz Duo performs, 6-9 p.m., Wednesdays thru Aug. 28, Cyprus Café, 725 E. 2nd Ave. 385-6884.

house without calling first. I actually like when he does it. The thing is, for a lot of months now, he never stays more than 30 seconds. He’ll swing by to say hey, bring something from Bread, act like he’s genuinely happy to be there. Then the next thing I see is smoke from his tires. Am I reading too much into this, or is there a friendship problem here?

- Kwik-E-Friend Dear In-n-Out Amigo, If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that the French fry grease at the bottom of the bag will always transfer itself to my pants. And if I’ve learned another thing in life, it’s that people are way, way, way too preoccupied with themselves to think all the things we think they’re thinking about us. Think you’re overthinking it here. You think?

– Me me me, Rachel

Dear Rachel, I’m getting mixed reports from the internet.

Shocking, I know. Some people are saying that the next James Bond is a black woman. Others are saying the next 007 is a black woman. That’s not two ways of saying the same thing! If she’s 007 but not Bond, then what happened to James? And if she’s Bond, then what will happen to the James? Will she keep the name? Will she still like dry martinis and objectified caricatures of an entire gender?

– The Spy Who Confused Me

Terry Rickard performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main.

Dear Bond, Jamie Bond, All those people who lost their composure when they heard the new little mermaid is a person of color, I wonder what they have to say about this? All I have to say is, now that I know more about Beyoncé as a person, I’m only sorry that she’s not the new Bond. Instead, she got stuck as a badly catchphrased Austin Powers girl. Wait, that was Beyoncé? You bet it was.

– Shazam, Rachel

Veterans Breakfast, 9-11 a.m., Aug. 4, Elks Club, 901 E. 2nd Ave. 946-4831.

Open Mic Night, 7:30 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr. Writers’ Workshop, 2 p.m., Aug. 4, Ignacio Library.

Karaoke, 8 p.m., Blondies in Cortez.

Karaoke with Crazy Charlie, 8 p.m.-close, Wild Horse Saloon, 601 E. 2nd Ave.

Lecture with Norbert Lechner, hosted by Citizens Climate Lobby, 7-8 p.m., Aug. 8, Durango Public Library.

Carve Wars, Aug. 9-11, Purgatory Resort. www.purgato ryresort.com.

Ongoing 83rd annual Fiesta Days, featuring parade, rodeos, cook off, BBQ, street dance and more, thru July 28, La Plata County Fairgrounds.

“Practice,” curated by Maureen May, “Meanderings,” works by Jan Goldman, and “Wild Grace Art,” works by Sarah Sumner, thru Aug. 31, Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. 259-2606.

“Inside Out: Visions from the Artist’s Mind,” thru April 2020, Southern Ute Museum, 503 Ouray Dr. www.southernutemuseum.org.

Karaoke, 8 p.m., Thur-Sun, 8th Ave. Tavern, 509 E 8th Ave.

Upcoming Gingerbomb performs, part of the free Summer Sounds Concert Series, 6-8 p.m., Aug. 1, Three Springs Plaza, 175 Mercado St. 764-6000.

Pub Quiz, 6:30 p.m., Irish Embassy Pub, 900 Main Ave. 403-1200.

Bow Wow Film Festival, benefitting La Plata County Humane Society, 6-9 p.m., Aug. 1-2, Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. lpchumanesociety.org.

True West Rodeo Opening Day, 6:30 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds. www.truewestrodeo.com.

Muck & Mire Adventure Race, Aug. 3, Purgatory Resort. www.purgatoryresort.com.

20 n July 25, 2019

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

telegraph

Free Legal Clinic, 4-5 p.m., Aug. 9, Ignacio Library.

563-9287.

Chevel Sheperd, winner of “The Voice,” performs, Six Dollar String Band opens, part of the La Plata County Fair, gates open, 5:30 p.m., Aug. 9, La Plata County Fairgrounds Rodeo Arena. www.durangoconcerts.com 247-7657.

Outlaws & Renegades Tour featuring Travis Tritt and the Charlie Daniels Band, 7:30 p.m., Aug. 10, Sky Ute Casino in Ignacio. www.skyutecasino.com.

Free Friday Outdoor Movie Night featuring “Captain Marvel,” 9 p.m., Aug. 10, lawn at Durango Rec Center. 375-5067 or www.downtowndurango.org.

The Summer Book Club, featuring Educated by Tara Westover, 5:30-7 p.m., Aug. 14, Reed Library at Fort Lewis College. Register at maalden@fortlewis.edu.

Beatles vs. Elvis – A Musical Showdown, Abbey Road (Beatles tribute band) and Scot Bruce as Elvis, 7:30 p.m., Aug. 14, Farmington Civic Center. 505-599-1148 or www.fmtn.org/civiccenter.

“Robin Hood” by Larry Blamire, opening night, 7 p.m., Aug. 15, Lions Wilderness Park Amphitheater in Farmington. 505-326-2839 or teartsnm@gmail.com.

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): After analyzing unusual animal behavior, magnetic fluctuations, outbreaks of mayhem on Twitter and the position of the moon, a psychic has foretold that a moderate earthquake will rumble through the St. Louis, Mo., area in the coming weeks. I don’t agree with her prophecy.

But I have a prediction of my own. Using data about how cosmic forces are conspiring to amuse and titillate your rapture chakra, I predict a major lovequake for many Aries between now and Aug. 20. I suggest you start preparing immediately.

How? Brainstorm about adventures and breakthroughs that will boost exciting togetherness. Get yourself in the frame of mind to seek out collaborative catharses that evoke both sensory delights and spiritual insights.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Tell me what you pay attention to and I will tell you who you are,” Taurus philosopher José Ortega y Gasset wrote.

You could use that idea to achieve a finer grade of peace and grace in the coming weeks. The navel-gazing phase of your yearly cycle has begun, which means you’ll be in closest alignment with cosmic rhythms if you get to know yourself much better. One of the best ways to do that is to analyze what you pay most attention to. Another excellent way is to expand and refine and tenderize your feelings for what you pay most attention to.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano wrote that in Havana, people refer to their friends as mi sangre, my blood, or mi tierra, my country. In Caracas, he reported, a friend might be called mi llave, my key, or mi pana, my bread.

Since you are in the alliance-boosting phase of your cycle, Gemini, I trust that you will find good reasons to think of your comrades as your blood, your country, your key, or your bread. It’s a favorable time for you to get closer, more personal, and more intimate. The affectionate depths are calling to you.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Your emotional intelligence is so strong right now that I bet you could alleviate the pain of a loved one even as you soothe a long-running ache of your own.

You’re so spiritually alluring, I suspect you could arouse the sacred yearning of a guru, saint or bodhisattva. You’re so interesting, someone might write a poem or story about you. You’re so overflowing with a lust for life that you might lift people out of their ruts just by being in their presence. You’re so smart you could come up with at least a partial solution to a riddle whose solution has evaded you for a long time.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The Queen of North America and Europe called me on the phone. At least that’s how she identified herself. “I have a message for your Leo readers,” she told me. “Why Leo?” I asked. “Because I’m a Leo myself,” she replied, “and I know what my tribe needs to know right now.”

I said, “OK. Give it to me.” “Tell Leos to always keep in mind the difference between healthy pride and debilitating hubris,” she said. “Tell them to be dazzlingly and daringly competent without becoming bossy and egomaniacal. They should disappear their arrogance but nourish their mandate to express leadership and serve as a role model. Be shiny and bright but not glaring and blinding.

Be irresistible but not envy-inducing.”

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Congrats, Virgo! You are beginning the denouement of your yearly cycle. Anything you do to resolve lingering conflicts and finish up old business will yield fertile rewards. Fate will conspire benevolently in your behalf as you bid final goodbyes to the influences you’ll be smart not to drag along with you into the new cycle that will begin in a few weeks. To inspire your holy work, I give you this poem by Virgo poet Charles Wright: “Knot by knot I untie myself from the past / And let it rise away from me like a balloon. / What a small thing it becomes. / What a bright tweak at the vanishing point, blue on blue.”

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I predict that between now and the end of the year, a Libran genetic engineer will create a new species of animal called a dat. A cross between a cat and a dog, it will have the grace, independence and vigilance of a Persian cat and the geniality, loyalty and ebullient strength of a golden retriever. Its stalking skills will synthesize the cat’s and dog’s different styles of hunting. I also predict that in the coming months, you will achieve greater harmony between the cat and dog aspects of your own nature, thereby acquiring some of the hybrid talents of the dat.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio poet Marianne Moore (1887–1972) won the Pulitzer Prize and several other prestigious awards. She was a rare poet who became a celebrity.

That’s one of the reasons why the Ford car company asked her to dream up interesting names for a new model they were manufacturing. Alas, Ford decided the 43 possibilities she presented were too poetic and rejected all of them. But some of Moore’s names are apt descriptors for the roles you could and should play in the phase you’re beginning, so I’m offering them for your use. Here they are: 1. Anticipator. 2. The Impeccable. 3.

Tonnere Alifère (French term for “winged

thunder”). 4. Tir á l’arc (French term for “bull’s eye”). 5. Regina-Rex (Latin terms for “queen” and “king”).

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): It’s conceivable that in one of your past lives you were a pioneer who made the rough 2,170-mile migration via wagon train from Missouri to Oregon in the 1830s. Or maybe you were a sailor who accompanied the Viking Leif Eriksson in his travels to the New World 500 years before Columbus. Is it possible you were part of the team assembled by Italian diplomat Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, who journeyed from Rome to Mongolia in the 13th century? Here’s why I’m entertaining these thoughts, Sagittarius: I suspect that a similar itch to ramble and explore and seek adventure may rise up in you during the coming weeks. I won’t be surprised if you consider making a foray to the edge of your known world.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): When the dinosaurs died off 65 million years ago, the crocodiles didn’t. They were around for 135 million years before that era, and are still here now. Why? “They are extremely tough and robust,” croc expert James Perran Ross says. Their immune systems “are just incredible.”

Maybe best of all, they “learn quickly and adapt to changes in their situation.” In accordance with the astrological omens, I’m naming the crocodile as your creature teacher for the coming weeks. I suspect you will be able to call on a comparable version of their will to thrive. (Read more about crocs: tinyurl.com/ToughAndRobust.)

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “My only hope is that one day I can love myself as much as I love you.” Poet Mariah Gordon-Dyke wrote that to a lover, and now I’m offering it to you as you begin your Season of Self-Love.

You’ve passed through other Seasons of Self-Love in the past, but none of them has ever had such rich potential to deepen and ripen your self-love. I bet you’ll discover new secrets about how to love yourself with the same intensity you have loved your most treasured allies.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “Poems can bring comfort,” Piscean poet Jane Hirshfield writes. “They let us know … that we are not alone – but they also unseat us and make us more susceptible, larger, elastic. They foment revolutions of awareness and allow the complex, uncertain, actual world to enter.” According to my understanding of upcoming astrological omens, Pisces, life itself will soon be like the poems Hirshfield describes: unruly yet comforting; a source of solace but also a catalyst for transformation; bringing you healing and support but also asking you to rise up and reinvent yourself. Sounds like fun!

telegraph

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July 25, 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

$350 - scholarships available. Register by E-mail - MyahMindfulness@gmail.com or by phone- 970-946-5379. Myah Lee, Certified Mindfulness and MSC Teacher

Approximate office hours: Mon., 9ish - 5ish Tues., 9ish - 5ish Wed., 9ish - 3ish Thurs., On delivery Fri., 10:30ish - 2ish please call ahead: 259-0133.

Embodied Meditation The Reggie Ray Practice Group facilitated by Elisabeth Peterson meets Saturdays, 10-11:30 a.m., 1800 E. 3rd Ave, Suite 109. For more info twinfish@bres nan.net

Announcements TeamUP AmeriCorps Join TeamUP’s AmeriCorps crew in Sept. for a chance to serve a rural Colorado community for 1 year doing meaningful work focused on healthy outcomes for children & families. 11 unique positions from food security to youth development are available! To apply and view full position descriptions, visit teamup-swco.org/americorps.

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 - 5, daily.

Wanted

Children’s House is Hiring!

Children’s House of Durango is hiring multiple positions. Contact Stacy at info@childrenshouseofdurango.com or 970-259-1089 for details. Full-Time Lead Teacher for the 2019/20 school year. We are looking for someone to join our dedicated and caring staff in a nurturing and home-style atmosphere. Must meet CO Lead Teacher Qualifications. Teaching experience in a Montessori environment preferred. Nutritional Specialist to cook balanced lunches, prepare snacks, and other misc. duties at the school. Must have good communication skills and be able to multi-task. Experience in the kitchen and working with young children preferred.

Classes/Workshops

Turn Vehicles, Copper, Alum, Etc. Into Cash! at RJ Metal Recycle, also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970-259-3494.

HelpWanted Seeking Dog Sitter/Ranch Hand to exchange PT work for off grid, private cabin east of Bayfield. Text 970-317-5863

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Hawaiian Hula Dance Come live your Aloha. Experience culture of the Hawai’ian islands through dance & chant. Soothing for the soul, gentle discipline for the body. Hula is the expression of Aloha: living a life of kindness & perseverance. New evening class begins 7/22. Mondays: 6:15 PM, Thursdays: 10:15 AM. 541.944.6859 Tame Your Inner Critic Find Peace Tame Your Inner Critic and Find Peace and Balance: Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Date: 8 Wednesdays: 9/4 - 10/23 time: 5:30 - 8pm sliding scale fee- $250 -

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Piano Lessons for the Fall Lessons for all ages and levels. For more info visit duranpianostudio.com or call (970)710-0469 Mommy and Me Dance Class Come join the fun! Now registering for classes. Call 970-749-6456. mom myandmedance.com.

Services Harmony Organizing and Cleaning Services Home and office 970-403-6192 Marketing Small and Local Businesses Media, social media, website content, SEO, etc. for small, local, independent or startup businesses. Email jnderge@gmail.com 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 Bodywork/Energy Healing Myofascial Release/Quantum Energetic Therapy. This combination can assist in opening energy blockages to allow your body to heal faster and stay in balance the way it was designed to.

Qi-Source.com $60 hr 970 946-9920 Rich Massage “Special” 1 hr. - $50 / 1.5 hrs. - $75 - foot detox$35/ in town Durango/free parking/call or text Nancy R. @ (970) 799-2202

HaikuMovieReview ‘Hereditary’ Dear ladies and gents, here is my new contender for worst film ever – Lainie Maxson Massages by Meg Bush, LMT 30, 60 & 90 min. 970-759-0199 massageintervention.life Voted best massage in Durango 2018.

Couples, cupping, local CBD. Reviews on FB + Yelp. 970-903-2984 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.

RealEstate Build Your Dream Home on a 1.06 acre lot, 2 min from Navajo Lake, Arboles, CO, water/elec incld, $60K. 970-403-9603 Radon Services Free radon testing and consultation.

Call Colorado Radon Abatement and Detection for details. 970- 946-1618.

Garage/YardSale Sat. 9-12 You Store It liquidation, 32nd & Holly, furniture & households

RoommateWanted Male Only, In-Town Clean, quiet. No smokers, pets, partiers. $550 including utilities, plus deposit. 970-759-0551.

ForRent Nicely Maintained 3/2.5 Townhome Great location near Oxbow Park. W/D, 2 car gar. $1975/m + dep, 1-yr lease. No pets, refs reqd. 970-759-2751

ForSale Stuff Sale Fri.-Sun., noon-6 pm. 2007 F250 Lariat 6.0 power stroke diesel, crew cab, air ride rear, A.R.E. shell, $15,500. 7x4, 5x3 windows. Oak drawing table. 4 beading looms. Large bathtub. 2 dressers. 2003 Windstar parts. Coolers, clothes & stuff.

Riverview Storage in Mancos, 970-4039536.

Furniture for Sale Kitchen set for 6 people with buffet table and 83 inch couch. Used for two years, whole package for $1200. Call for details 970-903-7913 Reruns Home Furnishings Storewide sales in both stores! Great summer inventory arriving daily. Cool vintage bench, patio items galore, planters, bistros. New great stuff and daily markdowns. 572 E. 6th Ave. 385-7336.

CommunityService Free Music Lessons and Songwriting Workshop for Vets Soldier Songs and Voices, a nonprofit organization provides free instruments and songwriting lessons to veterans as a form of post-conflict care. The group is hosting free music lessons and a songwriting workshop for veterans on Sunday, July 21, from 4-6

p.m. at VFW Post 4031, 1550 Main Ave. For more info, email info@soldiersongsand voices.com.

NewspaperOrigami

Backpacking Trip for Ages 13-17 Join San Juan Mountains Association on a backpacking trip for ages 13 to 17 on Aug. 7-9. Teens will learn valuable backcountry skills as well as lessons on fly-fishing and fire ecology. We will travel down through the Burro Burn area to a splendid river valley. This trip is designed for all ability levels but participants will need to carry most of their own supplies. There will be side hikes, ecology lessons, and time to splash in the creek. Your guide, MK Gunn, offers 12 years of guiding experience and is a Certified Interpretive Guide. Clay Kampf, fisheries biologist for the San Juan National Forest, will also be with us. Some free rental equipment is available. A mandatory planning meeting will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m., Aug 5.

There is a suggested donation of $75 per participant. For more info 385-1269 or email MK@sjma.org.

Trails 2000 Needs Survey Volunteers for its Trail Intercept Survey. It’s a simple, three-question survey to collect demographic info about trail users, such as gender, age, and hometown, as well as trail use data including trail location, activity, frequency, and date of use. Sign up and details at https://www.trails2000.org/2019/06/pleasevolunteer-to-complete-the-trail-interceptstudy/

We’d give you the shirts off our backs ...

A swan

When words don’t do justice.

(unless we happen to be wearing them.)

Available in a range of sizes & styles (including muscle T)

Cool but understated bike logo

$

20

Now in inkfriendly charcoal to hide the smudges

Add a color photo to your Telegraph classified ad for just $10/week.

$

15

(Just like Craigslist ... but a lot less creepy.)

For more info, email:classifieds@durangotelegraph.com or call 970-259-0133

Hi-tech breathable mesh venting

Get yours today at: www.durangotelegraph.com or stop by our office: 777 Main Ave., Suite 214 telegraph

July 25, 2019 n 23

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 July 25, 2019

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