Durango Telegraph - August 22, 2019

She’s only 17

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FREE Aug. 22, 2019

Vol. XVIII, No. 34 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

Into the fray

Stepping down

The band played on

LPEA joins battle over Tri-State’s quest for federal oversight p8

City Manager retires amid debate over evaluations p10

After 24 years, FolkWest hands festival reins to KSUT p14

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2 n Aug. 22, 2019

telegraph

lineup

8

4 La Vida Local

Renewed debate

Backup Cat

LPEA joins fray in protesting Tri-State’s move to FERC

4 Thumbin’ It

by Tracy Chamberlin

5 Word on the Street

10

6-7 Soapbox

Ch-, ch-, changes

11 Mountain Town News

City Manager Ron LeBlanc to step down in 2020

by Tracy Chamberlin

12-13 Day in the Life

12

16 Flash in the Pan

Tales from the crypt

17 Top Shelf

A trip into the phantasmagorial underground world of caving photos by Stephen Eginoire

18 On the Town

14

20 Ask Rachel

The beat goes on KSUT takes reins of FolkWest festivals after nearly a quarter of a century

21 Free Will Astrology

by Missy Votel

22 Classifieds

17

22 Haiku Movie Review On the cover: Sunflowers and prayer flags brighten up a Main Avenue alley in a quintessentially Durango shot. / Photo

by Stephen Eginoire

It’s a wrap Ditch the carby outer shell, you’ll thank us

by Ari LeVaux

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EDITORIALISTA: Missy Votel (missy@durangotelegraph.com) ADVERTISING AFICIONADO: Lainie Maxson (lainie@durangotelegraph.com) RESIDENT FORMULA ONE FAN: Tracy Chamberlin (tracy@durangotelegraph.com)

T

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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.

telegraph

thepole

RegularOccurrences

It seems the Bobcat may have used up at least one of his nine lives. If you haven’t heard, comedian Bobcat Goldthwait canceled his show at the Community Concert Hall on Sun. Aug. 25, after suffering injuries in a car accident Aug. 15.

According to Rolling Stone, Goldthwait and fellow comedian Dana Gould were involved in an accident outside the Relapse Comedy Theatre, in Atlanta, where they were set to perform that night.

According to reports, the comedians’ driver did not yield while making a left turn, hitting another car. The driver received a citation.

Gould and Goldthwait were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, and the driver of the other car reportedly complained of leg pain but did not seek medical treatment.

The two have since canceled shows in Athens, Ga., and Asheville, N.C. It is unclear when they will return to the tour.

But, as they say in the biz, the show must go on. Goldthwait, who was scheduled as the headline for the Four Corners Comedy Showcase (Aug. 23-25), will be replaced by fellow funny guy Jay Whitecotton. He will be Whitecotton in what joined by other comewe’re pretty sure is his dians tagged as most ironic headshot popular by showcase attendees.

While Whitecotton may not be a household name, his bio is intriguing, to say the least. The Texas-born stand-up is a self-described “product of a clinically diagnosed schizophrenic family of drug addicted Star Trek nerds, who would rage tweak all night while playing Dungeons and Dragons.”

Whitecotton has appeared on FOX and Hulu and performed at Funny or Die’s Oddball Fest, Australia’s Adelaide Fringe Festival and Las Vegas Punk Rock and Bowling. His debut album “Hi, Lonesome!” reached No. 1 on iTunes and his second, “Monster Ballads,” as he explained, helped him afford a night out at Olive Garden.

Patrons with tickets for Goldthwait can receive a refund or exchange the tickets for The Best of the Fest. Best of the Fest tickets are $20 per person at www.durangoconcerts.com.

Pancakes and punk How about some bacon with that mohawk?

This Sat., Aug 24, one of Durango’s beloved but alas short-lived underground traditions of yore returns. Punk Rock Breakfast moshes into J. Bo’s starting at 9 a.m.

The event, which old schoolers may recall from its Storyville and Thirteens heyday, was resurrected by local woman, Ann Potter. This will be the third PRB (not to be confused with PBR, of which many will likely be consumed) she has put on. Proceeds from this Saturday’s rendition will benefit the Cody Project, a local group that works to prevent teen and youth suicide.

Bands include Molly Nixons, Profetic Calaveras, Hardly Cant’s, Timothy Hallow and Q&A. Now if you could just find those leather studded pajamas …

Aug. 22, 2019 n

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opinion

LaVidaLocal The dish pit in the sky

In another lifetime, I was a dishwasher. There’s this quote that I’ll have to paraphrase because I can’t recall it exactly but it went something like this, “there’s always someone who will do a job that most people don’t want to do.”

I was that person for washing dishes, dish diving, dish dogging; whatever you might want to call it. If your dishes needed to be cleaned, I was the best dishwasher on this side of the Mississippi. All I needed was good vibes, good tunes and cannabis.

Recently, I found out that the place where I washed dishes the longest, Donita’s Cantina, in Crested Butte, is closing. That sent me down memory lane, recalling an era in my life when I was often elbows deep in suds, floating with little direction.

At the time I thought I’d be content forever just living to climb. I think many of us climbers think that way. But life has a way of marching forward, and what makes one happy in their twenties will most certainly not work in their forties.

Donita’s was crazy when I first started working there; remnants of the really crazy 1960s and 1970s in Crested Butte, or at least from the stories I heard. Memories from the past are usually unreliable. But I can say for sure that I saw grown men snorting coke at nine in the morning while they prep cooked.

And, that, is crazy.

I’ve never tried cocaine in my life – just not my style – and doing expensive drugs just to have energy to work seemed insane. It was. The kitchen quickly cleaned up, and the high-level druggies were gone, leaving those of us who just dabbled in the smoke and drink; par for the course in any restaurant anywhere. If you’ve never worked in a restaurant, reading some Anthony Bourdain might help for context.

Or you could simply look to Donita’s signature dessert dish: the sopa-penis, which is a penis shaped sopapilla. Sometimes it was my job to make one and—off the record—I was once paid twenty dollars to deliver one to a bachelorette party wearing nothing but an apron.

The restaurant owners I worked for, with one exception, were either alcoholics or recovering alcoholics. I prefer the latter over the former, and the owners of Donita’s, Kay and Heli Mae, were both of that ilk. They were very kind to me. Sometimes I would make them nervous by letting the dishes pile up while I was taking a safety meeting, but I earned their respect when I’d bust those dishes out in no time flat.

After establishing myself as a hard worker – who also liked to test the limits

of coming in late – I began a rigorous routine every summer. I would prep cook in the morning, go bouldering or write in the afternoon, and then wash dishes all night. I’d often sleep in the bed of my truck, parked in the back right next to a dumpster that bears would often frequent, and wake up and do it all over again.

The money was good for the time. If I worked hard enough, I could climb all winter on the dough that I made. Kay and Heli Mae would always take care of me. And, then there was Tom. He was in charge of the kitchen, but it took me a while to figure that out. He was all business when things were busy, but when they slowed down, he opened up. He was a wild man, a product of the ’60s, and among his stories were the tales of camping out in the winter in Crested Butte. I thought I was roughing it, but this guy was the true representation of a hardcore mountain man.

Tom found out I was a writer, and often he would tell me, “Don’t end up as a dishwasher, continue with your writing.” There are things that people you respect tell you over and over again, and then it doesn’t make sense until 10 or 20 years later. Plus, I was born to be an entrepreneur, but I only realized that in the last couple of years.

I enjoyed my time working in restaurants, especially at Donita’s. I loved the camaraderie, and I loved the fact that if I did my job well as a dishwasher no one could mess with me. Though I didn’t see it for years, Tom was right to encourage me to see beyond the dish pit; not because there is anything wrong with working in that industry, but because he knew I had a skill that would make me more money and allow me to self-actualize.

I was in Crested Butte last week, but with a hectic schedule and a book presentation, I didn’t make it into Donita’s. Where Tom is headed now, I don’t know. I know he gave me some direction when I lacked it, and the older I get, the more I appreciate his sentiments and vision. Living in the moment is great for mindfulness, but looking into the future is key to being happy later in life.

It appears as though I’ll never step foot into Donita’s again, but the memories will stay with me forever. I’m grateful for every lesson learned, and most of all for Tom who encouraged me to not only work hard, but to look ahead, and dream bigger and brighter.

– Luke Mehall Mehall is the author of five books including The Desert, a dirtbag climber book. You can read more of his work at climbingzine.com.

This Week’s Sign of the Downfall:

Thumbin’It

4 n Aug. 22, 2019

Is that a vape pen in your pocket?

A banner June in downtown Durango, with the Central Business District boasting the best sales tax report ever, with receipts up 9 percent over last June and up 5.5 percent compared to June 2017

A fire believed to have been started by the D&SNG train that broke out alongside a residential street Monday and had to be put out by passersby and a neighbor’s garden hose

Durango School District 9-R announcing a campaign to up its standards and reach 100 percent competency among students across the district

The sudden emergence of a mysterious lung disease linked with tainted e-cigarette vaping juice from China, with cases being reported in the Midwest, California and, most recently, New Mexico

Dozens of environmental groups taking a stand against the Trump administration and filing suit over his gutting of the Endangered Species Act, which would bring many of the Earth’s imperiled species that much closer to extinction

Bleak news on the climate front for the Four Corners, with the latest map of the United States, compiled using scientific date from NOAA, showing the greatest warming taking place over southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah

telegraph

The Food and Drug Administration recently issued a warning about the e-cigarette company “HelloCig” because their e-juice was found to contain sildenafil, which is the active ingredient in drugs such as Viagra.

Sure, that might sound like fun, but the FDA is concerned because these additives lower blood pressure to dangerous levels which can cause fainting, and because vaping is popular amongst younger Americans (the last thing we need is a bunch of passed-out millennials in the streets with pitched tents).

WordontheStreet

Q

With the San Juan Brewfest this Saturday, the Telegraph asked, “What fills your cup?”

Autumn Von Flotow

“Gin and soda water.”

Ethan Joshuikk

“Love.”

Joshua Adams

“Sam Adams on draft.”

Julie Oskard

“Joy.”

Linda Jiminis

“Coronas.”

telegraph

Aug. 22, 2019 n 5

SoapBox E-bikes need to be properly vetted To the editor, Your recent story (“Dirty Talk,” Aug. 15) on the Trump Administration’s efforts to motorize the backcountry by allowing e-bikes on nonmotorized trails missed the mark on a number of key points and raises a lot of questions.

Let’s be clear, e-bikes are motorized vehicles. “Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, pedal-assist,” this is all simply industry jargon designed to obfuscate the truth at the center of this debate. These bikes have motors. Opening nonmotorized trails to e-bikes is opening nonmotorized trails to motors.

The conservation community welcomes e-bike use on federal public lands. There are already thousands of miles of world-famous motorized roads and trails on federal public lands open for e-bike use. For example, our own Hermosa Creek trail offers great opportunities for e-bikes.

Furthermore, your article was correct that e-bikes are a great climate- and family friendly way to get around town. They are also a great way to get older folks and the disabled outdoors on bikes. The conservation community fully supports these uses. However, that’s not what is being debated here.

For generations, we’ve agreed that there should be some wild places on public lands left free from motorization. Places where people and wildlife can find refuge from the speed and chaos of the modern world. Allowing e-bikes on nonmotorized trails will undermine those important values and essentially motorize the majority of our remaining wild lands.

If the e-bike industry and their lobby engine want access to trails that are currently designated as nonmotorized trails, they should go through a public process, where other trail users like hikers, horse packers and

GettingBuzzed: Shan Wells is on a much-needed vacation this week but will return to his regularly scheduled spot next week. In the meantime, enjoy this nice hummer./Photo by Stephen Eginoire sportsmen have an opportunity to evaluate the impacts ebikes have on their trail experiences. Sadly, we understand that e-bike industry and lobby groups have met

secretly with agency officials and pushed the Trump Administration to ignore the rules and pretend that e-bikes aren’t motorized.4

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6 n Aug. 22, 2019

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E-bikes are motorized vehicles and should be managed accordingly. They should be welcomed on our public lands, but through a public and deliberative process that determines when and where they are appropriate.

– Michael Carroll, Senior Director - People Outdoors Program, The Wilderness Society, Durango

America’s health-care tsunami To the editor, Joe Biden recently announced his plan for America’s health care, which was to enhance the Affordable Care Act, his signature achievement.

I appreciate the herculean effort and the seemingly endless compromises needed to make the ACA the law of the land. The goals were worthy: expanding coverage, improving value and lowering health-care costs. It made sense to build on the current system while minimizing disruption and patching holes. No longer punishing those with pre-existing conditions made for good policy, along with free preventive care and raising the maximum payout for coverage.

Unfortunately, the Affordable Care Act is neither caring nor affordable. It has failed with run-away provider and hospital costs, exorbitant premiums and unnecessarily steep prescription drug prices. In 2017, average ACA premium rates soared by 37 percent nationally. Rates grew worse in Colorado, with premiums up more than 60 percent between 2008-18.

Meanwhile, insurance and pharmaceutical companies have seen unprecedented profits. The eight largest health insurers netted more than $21 billion during the first nine months of 2018. Health industry CEOs took home a whopping $2.6 billion in compensation last year. Those billions could have, and should have, been spent on patient care.

Biden’s health-care plan includes increasing financial assistance and making it more available to more people. On the surface, that sounds laudable. But financial

assistance, subsidies, reinsurance and tax credits are all different ways of saying, “taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars” going to for-profit health insurers to lower our premiums. Hard-working Americans are stuffing the coffers of insanely profitable health insurers. The government (read: us) paid $55 billion to insurers in 2018.

Why not just redirect all those tax dollars to heal Americans?

Corporate health care currently offers no motivation for insurers to actually heal people. Instead, they hire “denial management specialists” – often nurses and physicians as administrators, medical directors and those whose purpose is to deny submitted claims. If we no longer had private insurers, these medical practitioners could return to the professions for which they trained. This would lessen provider shortages nationally, especially in rural areas.

Health insurance companies also employ a tactic called “Benefit Buy-Down,” which means that year after year your health insurance is less valuable, but you’re paying more for it. They charge more for their policies and offer less coverage for the price.

I’m sure you’ve heard that 71 percent of Americans like their employer-based private health insurance. But you don’t hear about the 40 percent with employerbased insurance who struggle to pay premiums, medical bills or out-of-pocket medical costs.

Americans making $75,000 - $100,000 a year are forced to make difficult sacrifices to pay medical bills. One-third of GoFundMe pages are families begging for life-saving care – and most have health insurance.

Biden and others say that improved Medicare for All would be too disruptive. Yet they say nothing about the disruption our current health-care system has wrought for decades, including destabilizing millions of Americans lives. We’ve been forced to pay high deductibles, rendering plans unaffordable. Jacked-up premiums have made it impossible for businesses to afford to offer employee benefits.

Exorbitant health-care premiums are why wages have stayed flat for decades. Expensive health-care costs is one of the reasons big businesses move overseas. All the while, access to care shrinks due to continuous narrowing of in-network plans for providers and hospitals.

Simply put, the murky world in which health insurance, pharmaceutical and hospital companies swirl has become a tsunami-sized disruption to the U.S. economy.

Ask yourself if you are more worried about the health of corporations or Americans – namely aging parents, friends, siblings and our growing children and grandchildren.

You’ve heard the adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Well, our health-care system is broke and needs massive fixing. The proposed National Improved Medicare for All isn’t the same as the popular and effective Canadian model. It’s more comprehensive – a uniquely American model. Understand the facts, don’t simply react to the fear behind deceptive sound bites.

– Jan Phillips, Durango

Cardboard Cory coming to town

To the editor, Have you been wondering where the heck your U.S. Senator Cory Gardner is? Why does he never come visit?

Well, it’s been more than 600 days since he’s held ANY town hall, anywhere in Colorado. On Fri., Aug. 23, Cardboard Cory, a fictional U.S. senator from our great state, will be on his statewide bus tour to hear your concerns and listen to your questions. Come on, be heard – and be ready to vote come 2020!

Join members of @IndivisibleDurango for this event. @CardboardCory will be in Durango at Buckley Park at 11 a.m. Friday the 23rd. Join us! Tell Cory that we’ve missed him. #SinceUBeenGone!

– Anne Markward, Durango

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telegraph

Aug. 22, 2019 n 7

TopStory

LPEA would like to add more locally produced renewables, like solar, to its mix but is limited by its contract with wholesale supplier TriState. The local coop is currently tyring to work out a deal with Tri-State but is concerned a recent move by the wholesaler that would place it under federal, instead of state, jurisdiction, could jeopardize plans./ File Photo

Into the fray LPEA looks to join state in battle over Tri-State’s bid for federal oversight

by Tracy Chamberlin

I

t’s not something that happens every day, or every year, or even every 10 years. In fact, it’s been about 25 years since the Colorado Public Utilities Commission has been involved with a case before federal regulators.

But, this is no ordinary situation.

When to walk away Over the past several years, rural electric cooperatives like La Plata Electric Association, which are also members of Tri-State Generation and Transmission, have been looking for ways to increase the amount of renewable energy they can produce locally.

However, under their contracts with Tri-State, that local energy production has been limited to just 5 percent of the total power they use. This has caused some rural coops to consider other options.

Kit Carson Electric, of Taos, was the first to walk away from Tri-State. Kit Carson paid the wholesale power provider $37 million to break its contract and ventured out into the open energy marketplace. The coop has plans to build solar arrays in its territory that would produce 35 MW of power and has contracted with Guzman Energy, a wholesale power provider that both supplies and trades power across the continent, to procure the rest.

Delta Montrose Electric Association followed suit not

8 n Aug. 22, 2019

long after. Frustrated by Tri-State’s attempts to keep renewables capped at just 5 percent – or pay the price with higher rates by going over – Delta Montrose asked TriState last summer exactly how much it would cost to break its contract.

After about a year of battling over a buyout, Delta Montrose and Tri-State finally settled on a number in late July.

The catch was the coop was not allowed to help others, like LPEA, do the same.

And, LPEA might have wanted the advice. Less than a month before the settlement was announced, LPEA had also asked Tri-State how much it would cost to buyout its contract.

It turns out, though, watching its list of members dwindle isn’t the only thing on Tri-State’s plate.

agency with the final say. In order to even qualify for FERC regulation, though, Tri-State has to check off certain boxes.

For example, it cannot have a membership made up entirely of small, rural electric cooperatives like LPEA. However, it does.

“Tri-State would already be FERC rate regulated but for a narrow exception in the law,” Lee Boughey, senior manager of communications and public affairs for Tri-State, said in an email. “With the addition of a member that is not a small electric cooperative, we will no longer be exempted from FERC rate regulation.”

Tri-State has already done the legwork on this by officially adding language to its bylaws that would allow for a new type of member. But no announcement’s been made on exactly who this new member will be.

Changing of the guard

By the rules

Over the past several months – in the midst of all these buyout debates – the wholesale power provider has been taking the final steps toward changing which agency regulates its rates and settles disputes with its members.

In the past, the home states for each of its 43 members – Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska and Colorado – have essentially taken the lead. But Tri-State wants to change that.

On July 23, the power provider formally asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, to be the

At the same time Tri-State was putting together its bid to be regulated by the feds, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission was on the eve of rolling out a new set of proposed rules regulating wholesale providers like Tri-State.

This spring, the Colorado Legislature passed Senate Bill 236, which – among other things – tasked the commission with creating requirements that wholesale providers submit an electric resource plan to be approved by the PUC. The plan needs to detail a host of things, including projected carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and 4

telegraph

mercury emissions and the cost of those emissions.

Tri-State contends that regardless of which agency oversees its rates, it plans to comply with the state’s new rules.

“Rate regulation by FERC does not change compliance with other state requirements, including resource planning, compliance with renewable portfolio standards, state carbon reduction plans, the building of new facilities and the retirement of existing facilities,” Boughey explained. “We are committed to working with the Governor, the Legislature and the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to implement the state’s energy goals.”

Tri-State’s attempt to move under the federal umbrella in the midst of the rollout, however, still raised red flags on the Commission. The PUC filed an official protest and request to get involved with Tri-State’s application process Aug. 13 – a move it hasn’t made in decades.

“The PUC took this step because the state has a responsibility to protect its jurisdiction,” Terry Bote, external affairs manager for the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, said in an email. “There are matters yet to be resolved before the PUC that are pertinent to Tri-State’s filing, and such resolution needs to precede FERC action.”

Bote explained the matters yet to be resolved include both the recently proposed rules on electric resource planning and

could affect LPEA’s bid to increase local renewable energy production – which is still the key driver behind all of this.

LPEA’s strategy is to keep its options open. LPEA CEO Eyes on the prize Just one day after the Commission filed its request to get Jessica Matlock said the coop plans to work with Tri-State involved – also called a “Motion to Intervene” – LPEA fol- to expand the 5 percent cap. The coop is also looking into lowed suit. On Aug. 14, the local coop asked the federal Tri-State’s policy allowing for a partial contract. Matlock said this means LPEA could get a portion of its energy from Tri-State but not the 95 percent required under the current contract.

Thirdly, LPEA is still considering a full contract buyout, which means severing ties with Tri-State.

According to Matlock, Tri-State is working on a buyout formula that could apply to all of its members. It could mean a longer wait for LPEA to get a response on its buyout cost, but she explained the power supplier wants to be consistent and avoid any future settlements.

– Terry Bote, Colorado Public Utilities Commission spokesman Matlock said the mission for LPEA is the same it’s always been – providing safe, reliable, agency if it could also be involved with Tri-State’s request. affordable electricity while keeping environmental responBoth have yet to receive an official response from the feds. sibility in mind.

Boughey said Tri-State shares that mission. “Our memAlthough responses are typically given within 60 days, the bership’s new vision for Tri-State is closely aligned with federal agency does have the authority to extend that.

At this point, it’s unknown if FERC will accept Tri-State LPEA’s goals for clean, affordable power and the flexibility and what it would mean. It’s also unknown how all of this for more local renewable energy,” he added. n the possibility of Tri-State adding an unknown new member.

So far, Tri-State has not responded to the filing.

“The state has a responsibility to protect its jurisdiction. There are matters yet to be resolved ... and such resolution needs to precede FERC action.”

City Council moves forward with renewable energy, reduced-emissions goals The Durango City Council approved renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions goals Tuesday night, laying the groundwork for the city to go 100 percent renewable by 2050.

The interim goal is 50 percent renewable by 2030. The greenhouse gas emissions goals are an 80 percent reduction from 2016 levels by 2050, and an interim goal of 30 percent reduction by 2030.

In addition to setting these goals, the Council asked city staff to draft a letter to the Department of Local Affairs in a bid to apply for the Renewable and Clean Energy Challenge grant funds that could be used to achieve those goals, like adding solar panels to city buildings.

On Aug. 6, residents came to the City Council meeting to express their concerns with climate change and ask the Council to take the lead on the issue. Several of those who spoke that evening returned Tuesday to applaud the Council’s decision to take action.

For many, however, these goals are just the beginning.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Monique

More electric vehicle charging stations could be a piece of the puzzle with the City’s newly adopted greenhosue gas emissions goals. The city is striving to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 2016 levels by 2050./ File Photo

AUTUMN

DiGiorgio, director for Local First, said.

Now, the community and leaders need to figure out exactly how to get to those goals, she explained. “I think it’s a missed opportunity if we don’t dig into the details.”

In addition to serving as the head of Local First, DiGiorgio co-owns Table to Farm, a local composting service.

Table to Farm essentially takes food scraps, combines them with wood shavings and creates a nutrient-rich soil that can be used to grow new foods. It’s not just an important piece of the food system cycle, DiGiorgio explained, it’s also a way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

When food and yard waste is put into a landfill it creates methane, which is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Keeping those scraps and waste out of the landfill is just one of the positives of composting.

DiGiorgio applauded the fact that the Council’s goals included both emissions reductions and renewable energy.

“The greenhouse gas emissions piece sometimes gets lost,” she said.

– Tracy Chamberlin

2019

Sustainability is in our DNA.

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Aug. 22, 2019 n

9

LocalNews

City Manager Ron LeBlanc announced his retirement on Tuesday at City Hall, pictured above.

Unexpected City Manager retires amid debate over evaluation changes

by Tracy Chamberlin

A

fter almost 12 years, Durango City Manager Ron LeBlanc announced his retirement at the end of the City Council meeting Tuesday night.

It came as a surprise to everyone. Perhaps even LeBlanc.

He went into the 4 p.m. meeting with his retirement notice typed out, but also optimistic that it might not be read.

“I was hopeful that we would have had a more productive discussion,” LeBlanc said.

What he was hoping for was a more cooperative talk about the City Council’s current effort to change the process for appointee eval- Ron LeBlanc uations. Appointees of the Council include three positions: City Attorney, Municipal Judge and City Manager.

The City Manager evaluation is unique in that it is the only one that requires public notice and an opportunity for the public to comment. Over the past 11 years, however, the City Manager has received only one comment.

Durango Mayor Melissa Youssef said something seemed amiss when the Council

10 n Aug. 22, 2019

learned there had only been one comment submitted over LeBlanc’s 11-plus year tenure. For her, it signaled that the public was not fully aware of their opportunity to comment on the City Manager’s performance.

With that in mind, the Council began working on an update of the evaluation process in July.

“I think past practices can always be improved,” LeBlanc said of the update.

“The desire to make things better is a good practice, but it could have been done in a more cooperative approach. I think the results would have been more meaningful.”

During Tuesday’s meeting, LeBlanc submitted questions and comments on the Council’s proposed evaluation update, including possible open records issues, concerns with the legitimacy of comment collections, how to know if comments apply to the evaluation time period and much more.

However, those questions and comments were not fully discussed during the Tuesday meeting.

“I spent a lot of time responding to their draft, and I don’t feel they listened,” he said.

Youssef said she felt LeBlanc did have a chance to provide input and was heard.

“We will further discuss some of the questions he brought up at the next (meeting),” she added.

According to Youssef, the evaluation process is not set in stone. The current plan is to continue the discussion, including the details on the public input portion, during the Council’s next meeting Aug. 27.

Youssef also said she was caught off guard by LeBlanc’s unexpected announcement. But, after having some time to process, she’s looking at it as an opportunity. “We have a rare opportunity to set this new direction,” she added.

As for LeBlanc, he has offered to help City Council with a smooth transition to the next city manager, as well as with the continued development of the evaluation process.

“I will do whatever they find helpful because I really do like Durango,” he added. “I have made an impact here and I think I have a good finger on the pulse of the community.”

LeBlanc said what he’ll miss the most are the people he works with every day.

But, he also hopes to stay in contact with them.

As for what’s next for LeBlanc, he’s going to take some time to think about it.

“Even though I’m retiring from here, I would not consider myself to be retired,” he said. n

telegraph

MountainTownNews Ouray, Telluride are warming rapidly OURAY – Climbers gather here each January in the shadows of the San Juan Mountains to test their skills on giant columns of ice.

But it’s not as cold here as it used to be. Data assembled by The Washington Post show Ouray County as one of the places with the most rapid rise in temperatures in the lower 48 since the late 19th century.

Average temperatures have increased 4.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Other counties in western Colorado and eastern Utah have warmed significantly. Utah’s Grand County, where Moab is located, and Colorado’s San Miguel County, both had a 4 degree rise.

The Washington Post drew on statistics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Division between 18951918. It found uneven warming across the United States, with some areas of the South actually cooling a bit. Rhode Island and New Jersey stand out for their heating, as did Los Angeles.

The biggest blob of red and burgundy, representing the greatest warming, on the Washington Post’s map was in the mountains and deserts of western Colorado and eastern Utah. The newspaper noted that the area altogether has exceeded the 3.6 degrees (2 degree C) that scientists have identified as the critical threshold for global warming.

The newspaper’s work echoes that of a 2014 report, “Climate Change in Colorado,” which also found spiked warming in western Colorado through 2012. Every year since then, with the exception of 2013, has been much warmer than the 20th century average.

Russ Schumacher, Colorado’s state climatologist, says he’s not sure why that portion of Colorado has been warming disproportionately. “This ‘forcing’ is quite well understood; the physics of it have been known for over a century,” he told the Telluride Daily Planet. “How it plays out in, say, Telluride can be trickier. It involves local factors – land-use changes and the terrain in general.”

Broadly speaking, the higher latitudes will warm (and are warming) more than the tropics. Alaska has had an outsized warming streak, but Costa Rica, not so much.

But effects of warming at higher elevation is still an area of active research, in part because there isn’t a lot of reliable data above 10,000 feet, Schumacher said.

Studies in recent years have identified rising temperatures as playing a large role in declining flows of the Colorado River. About 92 percent of the river’s flows originate upstream of the Grand Canyon, much of it in western Colorado. Flows since 2000 have declined 19 percent from the 20th century average.

Brad Udall, a scientist with the Colorado Water Institute, told the House of Representatives in February that 2018 was the hottest and driest year in the Four Corners since records were first kept in 1895. A study that he and two other researchers published in 2018 found 50 percent of flow reductions in the first 14 years of the century were due to higher temperatures. The other half were due to shifting precipitation patterns.

“It is clear the Colorado River, and the entire Southwest, has shifted to a new hotter and drier climate and, equally important, will continue to shift to a hotter and drier climate for several decades after we stop emitting greenhouse gases,” he said.

Aspen Skiing minimum pay now $15/hr.

ASPEN – The Aspen Skiing Co. last year boosted its minimum wage from $12 per hour to $13.50 per hour. This year, it’s booting the minimum again, to $15 per hour.

Caleb Sample, the company’s director of talent acquisition, told The Aspen Times that he hopes the wage boost will make Aspen more appealing as it sets out to fill its nearly 1,500 seasonal openings.

The obvious comparison is against Vail Resorts, which last year boosted its hourly minimum to $12.25 per hour. Vail has not announced a new minimum for this coming ski season.

Colorado’s minimum wage is $11.10 per hour. However, a new law gives municipalities and counties the authority to set their own minimum wages beginning in 2021.

More on rare wolf attack on campers LAKE LOUISE, Alberta – A necropsy confirmed that the wolf that attacked campers near Lake Louise recently was in poor health, although not suffering from rabies.

The wolf was shot soon after it started sniffing around a tent containing Matt Rispoli and his wife and three children. Unsure of what it was, Matt pushed on the fabric of the tent to try and scare the an-

imal away. The wolf then broke through the tent and bit him.

What happened next was revealed by his wife, Elisa Rispoli, in a Facebook posting transcribed by the Rocky Mountain Outlook.

“It was like something out of a horror movie. Matt literally threw his body in front of me and the boys, and fought the wolf as it ripped apart our tent and his arms and hands. We were screaming for help as he was fighting it and trying to save us, for what felt like an eternity (but I think it was anywhere from one to three minutes)” wrote Elisa. “I laid my body on top of the kids and Matt pinned the wolf to the ground and opened its jaw with his hands, and the wolf started to drag Matt away, while I was pulling on his legs trying to get him back. I cannot and don’t think I’ll ever be able to properly describe the terror.”

The wolf left after a neighboring camper threw a huge rock at it, and the family was able to get inside a car.

It was the first-ever reported attack by a wolf in a Canadian national park. Two attacks have been reported in provincial parks.

Carpenter’s 100-mile record still stands LEADVILLE – It’s been 14 years since Matt Carpenter set a stunning time on the Trail 100 among the peaks of the Sawatch Range west of Leadville. Carpenter, a one-time maintenance worker at a Vail hotel, completed the 100-mile course in 15 hours, 42 minutes. That was a full hour and a half better than the best time delivered before.

The Leadville Herald-Democrat recalled Carpenter’s feat was so extraordinary that when he crossed the finish line, only his wife, Yvonne, and race course officials were there to recognize the accomplishment. The course is mostly higher than 10,000 feet in elevation, topping out at more than 12,500 feet.

This year’s male winner, Ryan Smith, finished in 16 hours and 33 minutes. The female winner, Magdalena Boulet, won in 20 hours, 18 minutes.

How Trump’s tariffs may affect Aspen ASPEN – The Aspen Daily News tried to get at what impact President Donald Trump’s tariffs on China will have on businesses based in Aspen with manufacturing in East Asia.

One company, High Society Freeride Co., has its skis and snowboards produced in Denver. But its paddleboards are made in China.

“We haven’t found a place domestically yet that can build the high quality that we look for in paddleboards, so we do it in China, because that is where we can get the best products,” the company’s founder Reggie Charles said.

Another company, Strafe Outerwear, manufacturers its goods in Vietnam. The company’s chief operating officer, Carl Walker, reported talks of new tariffs there, too.

“That’d be devastating,” he told the Daily News. “The type of tariffs that exist in China right now are large enough that our entire margin would be eaten by that. This could crush companies in certain industries.”

But there could be a ricochet effect, even if new tariffs are not added to goods produced in Vietnam.

“We’ve had really strong relationships with manufacturers in Vietnam. For five years we’ve been working with the same people,” Walker said. “My worry is that some bigger company will be leaving China because of the tariffs, and we could get squeezed out of a good relationship. I hope that doesn’t happen.”

Linking trash with a robust economy JACKSON, Wyo. – One way to measure the robustness of an economy is the amount of trash that gets generated. By that simple measure, the economy of Jackson Hole hasn’t been this lively since 2008.

In July, Teton County broke the 2008 record for the most waste generated in a single month, surpassing the old record by 15 percent.

Much of the new trash comes from construction and demolition waste. The volume of floors, walls, carpets and other debris from scrapped homes and other buildings rose nearly 60 percent this year.

Just how much trash can a community with a full-time population of 24,000 people and a few hundred thousand visitors during the summer generate?

The Jackson Hole News&Guide points to the town square in Jackson, the block famed for its elk-antlered arches. Trash during the month of July was enough to bury that square block 16 feet deep.

– Allen Best

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idden beneath subalpine meadows in Co terranean wonderland, the true extent o area’s numerous caverns, Groaning Cave

teleg

Rolling in the deep

by Stephen Eginoire

olorado’s Flattop Mountains lies a subof which has yet to be realized. Of the e stands alone as the crown jewel, con-

graph

taining over 15 miles of explored passages to date. Each season, Groaning’s footprint grows, as explorers map and document uncharted terrain. Perhaps more impressive than its unknown vastness is the absurd beauty found within the cave’s maze. Here’s a look:

Aug. 22, 2019 n 13

thesecondsection

And the band played on KSUT takes festival reins from FolkWest

Festivarians get thier dance on under perfect summer skies at a past Four Corners Folk Festival. After 24 years, festival founders Crista Munro and Dan Appenzeller are stepping down and handing the festival over to KSUT./Courtesy photo by Michael Pierce

by Missy Votel

L

ocal festivarians can breathe a sigh of relief and pack up the camp chairs, cooler, instruments and hula hoops. Two of the area’s most beloved music festivals will play on.

Last week, KSUT Public Radio announced it will be taking over the Four Corners Folk and Pagosa Folk ‘N Bluegrass festivals starting next spring from longtime owners Crista Munro and Dan Appenzeller. The husband and wife duo make up FolkWest, a nonprofit that started the Labor Day Weekend Four Corners Folk Festival in 1996 and added its sister Memorial Day Weekend Folk ’N Bluegrass Festival in 2006.

“It’s really exciting, people have been very receptive to the news,” Munro said Tuesday from her new home in Sisters, Ore. The couple moved to the small town about 15 minutes from Bend, Ore., in July after Munro took a job as director of the Sisters Folk Festival (which incidentally takes place the week after the Four Corners Folk Festival.)

“It’s really similar to Pagosa Springs, it’s eerie,”

JusttheFacts What: 24th annual Four Corners Folk Festival When: Aug. 30 - Sept. 1 Where: Reservoir Hill, Pagosa Springs Tickets: Prices range from around $55 for single-day passes to $160 for 3-day passes with camping. Buy in advance at www.folkwest.com Munro said of her new and former hometowns.

She and Appenzeller will put on the upcoming Four Corners Folk Festival over Labor Day weekend and then gradually transition out over the next two years, remaining in consulting roles. Appenzeller will continue to do the booking while KSUT begins the search for a full-time festival director.

While the news may come as a surprise to some, the couple actually has slowly been transitioning over the last several years. Appenzeller went through cancer treatment several years ago, and the couple moved to the lower confines of Eugene, Ore., in 2011 for his health.

Since then, they have put on the FolkWest festivals from afar, with Munro taking on an increasingly larger role due to Appenzeller’s health. Eventually, she decided letting go of the Pagosa festivals and moving on was in everyone’s best interest.

“It’s hard to maintain relationships with sponsors and the community when you’re living 1,200 miles away and only there one month out of the year,” said Munro. “I finally said ‘I can’t keep doing this.’ We always said we wanted to keep it going, but when we thought it was hurting the quality of the festival, we began to think, ‘Who could take this over?’”

Last spring Munro reached out to friend (and Telegraph music columnist) Chris Aaland, a rabid festival goer who also is the development director at KSUT, about taking over the festivals. He ran the idea by his boss, Executive Director Tami Graham, and, well, it struck a chord.

“We wanted to find another nonprofit and KSUT was at the top of our list,” said Munro. “But we didn’t expect such an emphatic ‘yes!’”

Graham said when she brought the idea to the 4

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KSUT board, it was 100 percent in support of it. “We’re just thrilled” she said.

Munro said the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

When she reached out to KSUT, the station was toying with the idea of starting its own festival.

“It was almost like kismet – all the pieces starting falling into place,” she said.

Graham agreed.

“KSUT and FolkWest have had a very good relationship,” she said. “It just made total sense.

The next natural step is for us to take these on and run with them.”

She said FolkWest is basically donating the festival and all its assets to KSUT – an acquisition valued at $600,000.

“We are deeply grateful to Dan and Crista,” Graham said. The Wood Brothers watch Los Lobos play in the laid-back setting that has be“They could have sold to the come the hallmark of FolkWest’s festivals./Courtesy photo by Michael Pierce highest bidder, but they knew “The goal always was shoulder season development,” that wasn’t what they wanted to do.”

Of course, Graham herself has some serious chops when she said. “Tourism at that time didn’t ramp up until the it comes to putting on concerts. Before her latest gig at Fourth of July.”

The first Four Corners Folk Festival was a wild success, KSUT, she put on countless shows across the area through her company, Tami Graham Presents. At KSUT, she is re- selling 600 tickets and drawing such big names as John sponsible for orchestrating the annual Party in the Park McEuen and Nickel Creek (mere babes back then.)

“We had a pretty good line-up for not knowing what we (which drew 1,100 people last weekend) as well as KSUT’s were doing,” Munro said. other concerts.

She said the festival experienced “meteoric growth” dur“Tami is so involved and is such a community builder,” said Munro. “She’s so connected and that’s going to be ing its first 10 years. However, after droughts, rain and fires hampered a few of the festivals, they decided to hedge their good for the festival.”

And much to the relief of the thousands of people who bets with a spring festival as well.

“We felt like we were putting all our eggs in one basket, attend each festival, KSUT has no plans to radically change so we decided to have two festivals to bookend the sumthe mix, said Graham. “There’s nothing broke,” she said.

“There’s a reason it’s been going for all these years. They’re mer,” she said.

And while the festivals continue to grow, it is at a somedoing a great job.”

For its part, KSUT can also bring something to the table: what slower pace. “Now there’s a lot of competition,” she namely more strength in landing sponsors and grant said, referring to the assortment of other music festival that money for the festival. In turn, the festival will also help have popped up over the years. “The struggle is getting the numbers to grow and keeping people coming back year bolster KSUT’s fund-raising efforts.

In other words, win-win. Albeit a bittersweet one for after year.”

Keeping the festival low key – a “festivarian’s festival,” Munro and Appenzeller.

When Munro moved to the area with two dogs fresh out as Aaland once put it – has been at least one secret to their of Penn State in 1994, she said she had no plans of starting success.

“We provide a different experience; we’re the mom and a music festival. Instead, she started a graphic design business that also made copies, sort of like a Pagosa Springs pop festival,” Munro said. “When you call the phone number, you get me or Dan picking up. We do so much in Kinko’s.

“Then one day, a guy came in to make copies of a flyer house, it’s really like an extended family. You don’t get that experience at Coachella or Bonnaroo.” for his bluegrass radio show, and it was Dan,” she said.

In fact, some would say it’s the anti-Coachella or BonThe two got talking about bluegrass music – and lack naroo, which is just the way fans like it. thereof – and the rest, of course, is local musical history.

Bluegrass guitar phenom Billy Strings

Going out with a bang: 2019 promises best line-up yet Although this will be the last year Crista Munro and Dan Appenzeller put on the festival they founded 24 years ago, the two are leaving on a high note.

“Our line-up is the best we’ve ever put together, and I don’t say that lightly,” said Munro.

This year, the annual Labor Day Weekend Four Corners Folk Festival is featuring several Four Corners favorites, such as Amy Helm, Darrel Scott, Molly Tuttle, Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, and Jerry Douglas, who played the second festival back in 1997.

“We’re going back to our roots this year, and that feels really good,” Munro said.

The festival is also featuring several young up-andcomers with names like Lindsay Lou, Wild Rivers, Arcadian Wild, the East Pointers and the Mammals.

And speaking of names, perhaps the artist Munro is most excited about has a name perfectly suited for his profession: Billy Strings.

“I saw him play in a hotel at a Folk Alliance conference when he was 17 or 18 and he was just phenomenal,” she said.

Originally from Michigan, the 27-year-old guitarist now calls Nashville home, where he is highly regarded as one of the best young bluegrass guitarists. His new album, “Turmoil & Tinfoil,” taps into a deep vein of psychedelia in Americana, referencing everything from the Dead to Sturgill Simpson.

“He’s on an epic rise right now,” she said. “Next year, he’ll be headlining Red Rocks.”

To see him closer to home – and at a much friendlier price – visit www.folkwest.com.

“We want people to be rest assured that the festival will continue to be produced at the high quality they expect,” said Graham. “And to Dan and Crista, I just wanted to say thanks. It’s in good hands.”

Now please, take a well-deserved bow. n

Through the years: A look back at the FolkWest archives

A baby-faced Chris Thile, circa 1996.

A conga line during John Hartford, 1996. (Hi, Pammy!)

Crista and Dan, taking a rare break (and sporting some fine 1997 attire.)

telegraph

Fiddle master Tim O-Brien in 1997, also as a young pup.

Aug. 22, 2019 n 15

FlashinthePan

All wrapped up

by Ari LeVaux

W

hen I was a teen-age prep cook, I created a dish that never made it onto the menu, even as a special, even though it was called the Ari Special. It was a favorite among the staff, and everyone, from the absent manager to the Austrian baker, the waitress I was crushing on to the waiter who was on cocaine.

It consisted of an 8-inch baguette end stuffed with chopped deli turkey, onions, tomatoes, parsley and mayo.

The mix mingled with the spongy bready insides, while the browned exterior stayed dry.

That was decades before this kind of dish would rocket to popularity under the name “wrap,” the universal architecture that holds different ingredients together so they can be chewed together, like a sandwich, only tighter.

Whether it’s a tortilla-clad burrito or a spring roll held together by chewy rice paper, everyone loves a wrap.

A wrap’s character is mostly determined by its filling.

At least it should be. The wrapper’s job is to contain the filling, and carby wrappers like tortillas and rice paper make supple, forgiving, leak-proof shells. The Ari Special, with its no-leak, tapered end, was ahead of its time.

In addition to its one job of holding the insides where they belong, a wrapper can also contribute to the culinary experience. A quality sourdough baguette or a warm corn tortilla can elevate a wrap, but many wrappers trade healthfulness for convenience or performance. Whole grain, multigrain, sprouted grain, spelt grain, grainy-grain and the likes don’t do it for me. They may pack fiber, protein and other nutrients, but they are boring to eat, if not dry or gobby, especially when cold.

When the wrapper is made out of lettuce, there are no empty calories. There is not a single diet on Earth, from the Mediterranean to South Beach, that would shun a lettuce wrap. The only problem is that lettuce wraps, technically speaking, barely exist. At least the durable, tubular, burrito-like variety. Most recipes for lettuce wraps are for boats, often overloaded, getting soggier by the minute.

Under the right conditions, a lettuce wrap will persist briefly on a serving plate, like an unstable subatomic particle. But if you stare with even a hint of desire, the contents

get restless, knowing their chance at freedom is nigh.

Other leaves, like chard, cabbage, grape leaf or collard greens, make superior wrappers to lettuce, but only if they are steamed, which increases their flexibility and prevents cracking. Plunge the leaves in an ice bath after no more than 30 seconds of steam. Once dried, these

leaves have a durable elasticity that can hold a wrap together in a firm grip, with or without an under layer of lettuce. It can even be folded at the bottom to prevent drip, for a truly burrito-like performance.

But I prefer my leaves raw. And I’ve always been more of a taco guy, if not a corn chip guy. I prefer my food in smaller units, because smaller units are easier to micromanage into perfect mouthfuls of just the right amount of each ingredient. Boats, it turns out, are on the right track.

My initiation into the small wrapper society came at Saigon Restaurant in Albuquerque. I thought I had just ordered a fried fish. It came with a pile of leaves and salad bar’s worth of chopped veggies, herbs and sauces.

The trick, we quickly realized, is to not overload the

wrapper – a universal truth in the world of wraps. Along those lines, my wife has been wrapping pieces of feta in black kale, from time to time, and popping them in her mouth. A friend of mine likes to take the ingredients for wraps on outings: “For us it allows on-the-fly construction, so no smashed sandwiches, lettuce stays crisp. Plus no bloaty carb. Just meat and vegetables.”

Loading lettuce leaves is an intuitive and fun way to eat. To help get you started, I’ll share a deconstructed version of the Ari Special, heavily influenced by the late NPR commenter and food writer Kim Williams. Her recipe for a corn-stuffed tomato was not only a contemporary of the Ari Special, but similar.

Alas, a tomato isn’t much of a wrapper compared to a baguette end or tortilla, but Williams’ corn, basil, tomato filling is spot on. Adding chopped deli turkey brings it closer to old-school Ari Special territory, but protein is optional.

The core of this dish is learning how to eat it. Leaf loading is a new world, with its own language and customs. Each type of leaf, and even leaves from different parts of the head, will have different structure and flexibility. Let this architecture guide you as you load and fold.

Lettuce Wraps Serves 4 1 head’s worth of raw lettuce leaves, cleaned and organized on a platter or large plate ½ cup chopped sweet onions 1 ear’s worth raw corn kernels 2 tablespoons mayo 1 bunch of basil leaves 1 pound of tomatoes, cut into ½-inch chunks ½ pound protein, chopped coarsely (deli meat like turkey, ham or fake) ½ teaspoon salt Mix the corn with the salt. Arrange the ingredients on a platter, in little piles or in little bowls, and serve.

To eat, load a leaf with a modest amount of filling.

Aim for pieces of 1 ½ bites each. You don’t want the pressure of having to get the whole thing in your mouth. Just take a nice bite, and you leave relatively few remains in your fingertips for a follow-up. And that’s a wrap. n

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TopShelf

Rusty Razors, 5-ounce tasters and Shamarr

by Chris Aaland

bass for Open Road, Mollie O’Brien, the Matt Flinner Trio and Bonnie Paine, among others. Blues/jazz drummer Larry Bridges ou know summer is drawing to a close when Lawn Chair completes the trio.

Kings make their final stop at The Balcony (6-10 p.m. FriYou’ll be tanked by the end of the afternoon, so arrange for a day). It’s one last chance to sit in the company of Kings designated driver or safe transportation. Johnny Law will be cirwhile sipping Mexican Loggers and enjoying a summer breeze. If cling area streets and highways like sharks, and justifiably so. The you’re lucky, you can watch tourists confounded by the one-way City of Durango has partnered with Ride Responsible to offer free 500 block of Main.

Durango Transit service Saturday. All What makes Friday extra special is routes will be free throughout the day, that drummer Patrick Dressen will operating on normal schedules from 7 have 63 birthday candles to blow out. a.m. - 8:30 p.m.

I’ve known Sir Patrick the longest of More rules: leave your children and any of my local musician friends, havpets at home. More than 2,500 adults ing first seen him with the Marmot cram into the park for this event; Junior Mudflaps in the early ’90s. My love for and Fido will just get in the way. And that high-and-lonesome sound is all try to get along. Beerfest might not be his fault. Through the years, he’s the best venue to make a social stateplayed guitar, mandolin and drums ment, as patrons represent all sides of with a host of local groups, including the political spectrum. Drunks are the Badly Bent, Heart & Soul and othknown to get angry and throw down ers. on occasion. Let’s just drink in peace, if The last time I saw LCK was at the only for a few hours.

Durango Meltdown, when they played The Big Easy comes to Durango at as a five-piece bluegrass outfit. The 8:15 p.m. tonight (Thurs., Aug. 22) Kings dusted off one from Dressen’s when Galactic’s Shamarr Allen perdays in the Rusty Razor Band called forms at the Animas City Theatre with “Can’t Go Home Again.” I first fell in his group, the Underdawgs. The trumlove with it when the “Durangatpeter steps into the forefront to handle wangs” compilation was released on lead vocals in his funk/rock/hip-hop cassette in 1989. The Rusty Razor Band outfit, which has several albums under featured Dressen along with Jack Talltheir belts, including the latest, “True madge, Kyle Bauman and Larry Boyce.

Orleans.” No title for a record could be A few years later, he reprised the song more apt, as Allen was born and raised with Heart & Soul on their “Kindred in the Lower Ninth Ward. He has abSpirits” CD. You can imagine my astonsorbed all of the musical styles of his ishment when bassist Dan Leek introhometown, including jazz, blues, funk, duced the number last spring at hip-hop, rock and even country.

Meltdown.

Through the years, he’s recorded and If you find “Durangatwangs” at a toured with many iconic musicians, inthrift store, buy it … it’s local music Galactic’s Shamarr Allen performs at the Animas cluding Willie Nelson, Patti LaBelle, history. Many of the folks on the tape City Theatre with his group, the Underdawgs, Lenny Kravitz and Harry Connick, Jr. are still around, including Kirk James, The Durango Latin trio Profetic Calavtonight (Thurs., Aug. 22) at 8:15 p.m.

Peter Neds, Gary Watkins and sounderas opens. man Doug Eagle.

The iAM music festival continues from 5 – 11 p.m. this Sat., Beer drinkers unite! The San Juan Brewfest takes place Aug. 24 at the 11th Street Station with Jerusafunk, a Phoenixbased psychedelic Klezmer funk band that likely has to be seen to Saturday in Buckley Park, with VIPs admitted at noon and genbe believed. Opening acts include Loki Moon and PJ & the Swaperal admission at 1 p.m. This event has sold out the past five pers. Admission is $10 and goes to benefit iAM’s local musical edyears, so it’s unlikely any tickets will be available at the gate. ucational mission.

More than 50 breweries will participate, including all five DuIt’s safe to say the Stillhouse Junkies have outgrown their rango brewers (Animas, Carver’s, Chainless, Ska and Steamlocal band tag. Their latest national tour kicks off at 9:30 p.m. Friworks), most of your regional favorites (Bottom Shelf, Dolores day at the Animas City Theatre with their buddies Six Dollar River, Fenceline, Main Street, Mancos, Pagosa, Riff Raff and TelString Band opening. After the show, Stillhouse embarks on a luride) and many others. And know that you’ll be drinking for three-week cross-country tour. a cause, with proceeds (nearly $40,000) going to United Way of The 4 Corners Comedy Festival runs today through SunSouthwest Colorado. day at the Henry Strater Theatre with performances, workshops, Let there be music, sweet music! The event’s headliner is parties and more. Comics from all Four Corners states will be repRon Artis II & the Truth. Artis plays an aggressive, funky resented, including headliner Jay Whitecotton, Virginia Gonzaversion of soul and blues that will surely get the crowd jumples, Jason Thornton, Curt Fletcher and Jonathan Gregory, among ing. Artis & company will perform tunes from their latest others. Tickets and details are available at henrystrater album, “Love is Love,” which drops Sept. 9. Opening the festivtheatre.com. ities is Spidercat, a new blues outfit from northern Colorado.

Finally, tonight’s Ska-B-Q takes attendees back to the brewery’s You’re probably familiar with some of the trio’s members. Mike roots as Warsaw Poland Bros. play from 5-7 p.m. Expect Finnders is an award-winning songwriter and longtime frontplenty of vintage ska, reggae, punk and Celtic from the Flagstaffman of bluegrass/Americana outfit FY5 (formerly Finnders & based band.

Youngberg). He trades his trusty acoustic guitar for a Fender He spent his days in the Red Mesa sun? Email me at chrisa@gobrain Stratocaster in Spidercat. Bassist Eric Thorin is one of Colstorm.net.n orado’s most versatile musicians, having slapped the upright

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Aug. 22, 2019 n 17

onthetown

Thursday22

Karaoke, 8 p.m., Wild Horse Saloon, 601 E. 2nd Ave.

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

Shamarr Allen performs with special guest Profetic Calaveras, 8:15 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.animascitytheatre.com.

“Indian Horse” documentary, 3:30 and 5:45 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Drive.

Plursday featuring DJ Brap the Goat, 9 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

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 Ave. Fruit Glean Happy Hour, hosted by Good Food Collective, 4-7 p.m., meet outside the Smiley Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave. info@goodfoodcollective.org.

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

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

Drop-in Tennis, 9 a.m., Durango High School, 2390 Main Ave.

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

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

Terry Hartzel performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

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

Ignacio Farmers & Artisans Market, 4-8 p.m., Fridays thru Oct. 4, ELHI Community Center in Ignacio. 5634600.

Trivia Night, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio. www.powsci.org.

Dustin Burley performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave. Durango Native Stories, featuring presentations from Amador Tucson and Emma Shock, 7 p.m., Henry Strater Theater, 699 Main Ave. 375-7160 or www.durangonative.com.

Open Mic & Stand-Up, 8 p.m., El Rancho Tavern, 975 Main Ave.

Celebrate Smokey Bear’s 75th Birthday, featuring activities, birthday cake and music from San Juan String Band, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Durango Public Library. 3753380.

21st annual San Juan Brewfest, to benefit the United Way of Southwest Colorado, 1-5 p.m., Buckley Park. www.sanjuanbrewfest.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.

“Secret Life of Plants: Exploring the Botanical Connection,” works by Jenn Rawling, opening reception, 5-9 p.m., exhibit runs thru Sept. 1, Studio & Gallery, 1027 Main Ave.

“Capturing the Canyons” hosted by Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance, 5-8 p.m., Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum in Dolores. www.sw cocanyons.org.

Terry Hartzel performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Jerusafunk performs, part of the iAM Music Fest Concert Series, 5p.m.-midnight, 11th Street Station, 1101 Main Ave. www.iammusicfest.com.

Terry Hartzel performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

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

“Robin Hood” presented by Theater Ensemble Arts, 7 p.m., performance also runs Aug. 22-23, Lions Wilderness Park Amphitheater in Farmington. 505-326-2839 or teartsnm@gmail.com.

VFW Indoor Flea Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 1550 Main Ave. 247-0384.

The Assortment performs, 5-9 p.m., Machos North, 1485 Florida Rd.

Kirk James performs, 5:30-9 p.m., Rubio’s in Aztec, N.M.

Laugh Therapy Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, comic sign-up, 7 p.m., show begins, 8 p.m., Irish Embassy, 900 Main Ave.

Saturday24

Float to Work Day, sponsored by the City of Durango, 7 - 9 a.m., put in at 29th Street and take out at Schnieder Park, getarounddurango.com.

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

Gary B. Walker performs, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Jean-Pierre Restaurant & Wine Bar, 601 Main Ave.

Stillhouse Junkies perform, 9:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.animascitytheatre.com.

Friday23

Warsaw Poland Brothers perform, 5-8 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

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

Karaoke, 7 p.m.-close, VFW, 1550 Main Ave.

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

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

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

Jose Villarreal performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.

Bent Fender performs, 6-9 p.m., Serious Texas BBQ South, 650 Camino del Rio. 259-9507.

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

Smelter Mountain Boys perform, 6-9 p.m., Moe’s Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Live music, 6-9 p.m., DJ Hakan, 9 p.m.-close, Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

The Black Velvet Duo performs, 6-10 p.m., Seven Rivers Steakhouse at Sky Ute Casino and Resort in Ignacio.

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

375-7395.

Light Show Public Skate, 6:30-9 p.m., Chapman Hill. 375-7395.4

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

#!

18 n Aug. 22, 2019

&

& $$$

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telegraph

Sean O’Brien performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave. Comedy Cocktail Open Mic Stand Up, 8 p.m., Eno Wine Bar, 723 E. 2nd Ave. DJ Side Affex, 9 p.m.-close, Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Sunday25 Durango Flea Market, 8:30 a.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds.

Punk Rock Breakfast, 9 a.m. with music at 10 a.m., J. Bo’s, 1301 Florida Road. Proceeds benefit the Cody Project.

Henry Stoy, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Jean-Pierre Restaurant & Wine Bar, 601 Main Ave. Durango Coffee Co. Grand Opening, featuring performers with iAM Music, Stillwater Foundation, Loki Moon and more, 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Durango Coffee Co., 740 Main Ave. Traditional Irish Music Jam, 12:30-4 p.m., Irish Embassy, 900 Main Ave. Adult Coloring, 3-5 p.m., Sundays thru Aug. 25, White Rabbit Books & Curiosities Garden, 128 W. 14th St. 2592213.

Pete Giuliani and Brian Aherne performs for Music in the Shade Summer Series, 4-7 p.m., Wines of the San Juan in Blanco, N.M. Smelter Mountain Boys perform, 5-8 p.m., The Nugget Mountain Bar, 48721 Highway 550 North.

Blue Moon Ramblers, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Dustin Burley performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave. “The Best of the Fest” Comedy Showcase featuring Jay Whitecotton, 7:30 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. www.durangoconcerts.com.

Planting seeds: Studio & features ‘Secret Life of Plants’ What: “Secret Life of Plants: Exploring the Botanical Connection,” new works from Jenn Rawling When: Opening reception 5 – 9 p.m., Fri., Aug. 23; exhibit runs through Sept. 1 Where: Studio & Gallery, 1027 Main Ave. One could say local artist Jenn Rawling has a thing for plants – whether found in wild places, alleys, forgotten ditches or thriving feral in our own back yards.

“I’m interested in the connection we have with plants, especially the ones we’ve reached for to cure and heal,” says Rawling, who has studied herbalism for several years. “The longer I learn about plant medicines, the more I want to just watch them grow or find them in their wild places and appreciate their powers to heal in unseen and subtle ways.”

Now she has taken that fascination with nature and the resilience of plants to the viewer with her latest show “Secret Life of Plants.” The show opens this Friday at Studio & and runs through Sept. 1.

Her new series of limited-edition linoleum-reduction botanical prints was inspired by plants growing in her friends’ gardens. She says her process for choosing plant subjects is intuitive and based on attraction. “I like plants that grow in alleys and ditches or against derelict buildings,” she says, admitting to a certain affinity for California poppies.

“This plant promotes a sense of calm, and I suspect we could all use a good dose of that these days,” she says.

Classic Movie Mondays, 6 p.m., Pine River Library in Bayfield.

Rob Webster performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave. Trivia Night, 7 p.m., Blondies in Cortez.

Monday26 Yoga Storytime, 9:30-10:45 a.m., Smiley Building Studio 10, 1309 E. 3rd Ave.

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

Watch Your Step class, 10:15 a.m., Durango Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave.

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 Red Eyed Djinn, 9:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.animascitytheatre.com.

Terry Hartzel performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

In addition to exploring the connection between plants and all living things, the show digs a little deeper, into themes of connection, self-reliance and interdependence.

For Rawling, the connection between human and plants is stronger than we may think. “The human/plant relationship goes all the way back,” she says. “Images of nature resonate with almost everyone because … it’s a part of who we are. We are a piece of the whole, part of the ecology, as imbalanced as things may seem.”

To further the human-plant connection, floral arrangements created

by Lisa Bourey, of Passion Flower Bouquet Farm, will be interspersed with Rawling’s works at the show.

In addition to her print-making, Rawling is also a singer and songwriter. She says she wants to use her art to shift the culture from violent and toxic to something more sustainable and just. And she feels her work is more relevant and urgent now than ever, given the impending impacts of humans on the Earth. “Many plants may be extinct in the next 30 years due to climate change and habitat destruction,” she says.

“That’s a heartbreak that is really hard to take in.”

But, she adds, amid the destruction, hope sprouts. “In our worst human moments, we disrespect our connections, destroy and over-consume in our greed,” she says. “In our best moments, we are caretaker and steward, understanding and respecting the land as a living being, seeing ourselves in a relationship to be tended for the future.”

Tuesday27 Zumba Gold, 9:30-10:15 a.m., La Plata Senior Center.

Drop-in Tennis, 4 p.m., Durango High School, 2390 Main Ave. Smelter Mountain Boys perform, 5-8 p.m., Chainless Brewing, 3000 Main Ave. Matt Rupnow performs, 5 p.m.-close, event runs each Tuesday, Pura Vida, 160 E. 12th St. Terry Hartzel performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

More “On the Town” p. 204

It s almost that time again...

Back to School is around the corner so hit the halls in style.

telegraph

Aug. 22, 2019 n 19

AskRachel Interesting fact: The University of Michigan has spoofed their rival school by pretending they’re trademarking OF. And people say academia is boring.

Dear Rachel, Apparently, Ohio State University is trademarking the word THE. This is apparently because they don’t want to be confused with another Ohio State University, so they have to be THE Ohio State. And also, why the hell not, they want to own one of the fundamental words in the English language. What does this mean for you? Are you no longer THE Rachel, writing for THE Durango Telegraph? Must we all redact our language, or stop referring to specific nouns?

– I Ask of Thee Dear A/An/Thou, There’s no way their trademark claim will go through.

“The” should be reserved for ominous or monolithic entities, like The Terminator, or me. When your mascot is a mildly toxic nut, you’re far from ominous. Also, this is the perfect time for the rest of us to reclaim a word that, frankly, we take for granted. Wouldn’t everything feel a little more special if it was THE one and only? Try it. Introduce your friends as THE, and see if they don’t pick up a little swagger.

– The one, the only, The Rachel

to another? We dig up dirt and put it somewhere else. We cut down trees to drive lumber from one place to another. On my commute, I pass people who live where I work, and who are driving to work where I live. Yet, we’re not actually moving the earth at all. I’m starting to think all our activities are futile, and life completely meaningless.

– Shuffling on this Mortal Coil Dear Schlepper, Ah, but you are missing the point. The joy is in the action of doing the moving. Life has purpose because we give it purpose! At least that’s what I read on a cup of chamomile once. Personally, I’m with you. No more moving things! Let’s rise against the corporations who are probably the ones making us think we have to spend our life transporting things to give ourselves meaning!

But only if I don’t have to go anywhere to do it.

– Stay, Rachel

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

Dear Rachel, Can you tell me if dog spit has healing properties or not? Maybe this is one of those old tall tales I heard growing up. My dad always said to let the dog lick my scratches to help them heal. I just trusted it, and still let my dog lick every little wound I get. But I’m starting to think about this, and about what else dogs lick. Maybe I don’t want that spit in my mountain bike souvenirs. What do you think?

– Not Dead Yet

Dear Lick of Sense, I’ve just received word that I cannot, in fact, use the word “the” anymore outside its trademarked context. So here goes. When dog licks wounds, spit gets into sore and mostly your immune system fights it off, probably.

But that’s not always case. I’m trying to think of last time I saw a dog with wounds that wouldn’t heal, and I can’t. They always seem to heal just fine. So maybe problem is drug companies, doing research at THE university, who want you to give up natural healing.

– Follow money, Rachel

OntheTown

mental disabilities, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Pine Street House in Cortez. laura@cci-colorado.org or 385-3452.

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

Purgatory Sports Shop Rides, coed and ladies’ mountain bike rides, 5:30 p.m., 2615 Main Ave. www.purgatoryre sort.com.

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

Dr.

Rotary Club of Durango meets, 6 p.m., Henry Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave. 385-7899.

Trails 2000 Trailwork Party, 9 a.m.-noon, SkyRaider Trail. www.trails2000.org.

Durango Devo Inaugural Film Festival, featuring premiere of “Return to Earth,” doors open, 5:30 p.m., show begins, 6:15 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio. www.durangodevo.com.

Community Concerts in the Secret Garden, featuring music from You Knew Me When to benefit The Liberty School, 5-7 p.m., Rochester Hotel, 726 E. 2nd Ave. www.sw communityfoundation.org.

“Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain & Fatigue: Four Keys to Successful Treatment” with David Konikowski of Four Corners Chinese Medicine, 6-7 p.m., Durango Public Library.

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

Trivia Factory, hosted by Ben Bernstein, 6:30-8:30 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr.

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

DJ Crazy Charlie, 6:30-10:30 p.m., Billy Goat Saloon, Gem Village.

Terry Hartzel performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Leah Orlikowski performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 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.

Latin Dance Nights, 8 p.m., Wild Horse Saloon, 601 E. 2nd Ave. salsadancedurango@gmail.com.

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

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

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

Wednesday28

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

“Raising Leaders,” a free class to discover tools to achieve goals and teach children the same skills, 8:30-10:30 a.m., Aug. 29, Durango Public Library. www.facebook.com/DXColorado.

Community Connections Annual Meeting and Community Celebration, to recognize community partners and employers of people with intellectual and develop-

Gary B. Walker performs, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Jean-Pierre Restaurant & Wine Bar, 601 Main Ave.

Great White & Slaughter perform, 8 p.m., Aug. 31, Sky Ute Resort, Ignacio. www.skyutecasino.com.

Dear Rachel, Have you ever noticed how human existence is just a series of moving things from one place

from p. 19

20 n Aug. 22, 2019

telegraph

Open Mic Night, 7:30 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College

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

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

Ongoing “Mechanical and Botanical,” works by Jody Boyer and Russ Nordman, and “Burley Wisehart,” works by Gerald Wells, both exhibits run thru Aug. 31, Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. www.durangoarts.org.

“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

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19) – It’s not cost-efficient to recycle plastic. Sorting and processing the used materials to make them available for fresh stuff is at least as expensive as creating new plastic items from scratch. On the other hand, sending used plastic to a recycling center makes it far less likely that it will end up in the oceans and waterways, harming living creatures. So in this case, the short-term financial argument in favor of recycling is insubstantial, whereas the moral argument is strong. I invite you to apply a similar perspective to your upcoming decisions.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) – African American slaves suffered many horrendous deprivations. For example, it was illegal for them to learn to read. Their oppressors feared that educated slaves would be better equipped to agitate for freedom and took extreme measures to keep them illiterate. Frederick Douglass was one slave who managed to beat the ban. As he secretly mastered the art of reading and writing, he came upon literature that ultimately emboldened him to escape his “owners” and flee to safety. He became one of the 19th century’s most powerful abolitionists, producing reams of influential writing and speeches. I propose that we make Douglass your inspiring role model for the coming months. I think you’re ready to break the hold of a certain curse – and go on to achieve a gritty success that the curse had prevented you from accomplishing.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) – For 25 years, businessman Don Thompson worked for the McDonald’s fast food company, including three years as its CEO. During that time, he oversaw the sale and consumption of millions of hamburgers. But in 2015, he left McDonald’s and became part of Beyond Meat, a company that sells vegan alternatives to meat. I could see you undergoing an equally dramatic shift in the coming months, Gemini: a transition into a new role that resembles but is also very different from a role you’ve been playing. I urge you to step up your fantasies about what that change might entail.

CANCERIAN (June 21-July 22) – “The learning process is something you can incite, literally incite, like a riot,” author Audre Lorde wrote. As an astrologer I would add this nuance: although what Lorde says is true, some phases of your life are more favorable than others to seek deep and rapid education. For example, the coming weeks will bring you especially rich teachings if you incite the learning process now.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) – The American idiom “stay in your lane” has come to mean “mind your own business” and usually has a pejorative sense. But I’d like to expand it and soften it for your use in the coming weeks. Let’s define it as meaning “stick to what you’re good at and know about” or “don’t try to operate outside your area of expertise” or “express yourself in ways that you have earned the right to do.” Author Zadie Smith says that this is good advice for writers. “You have to work out what it is you can’t do, obscure it, and focus on what works,” she attests. Apply that counsel to your own sphere or field, Leo. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) – Yisrael Kristal was a Polish Jew born under the sign of Virgo in 1903. His father was a scholar of the Torah, and he began studying Judaism and learning Hebrew at age three. He lived a long life and had many adventures, working as a candle-maker and a candy-maker. When the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1945, Kristal emerged as one of the survivors. He went on to live to the age of 113. Because of the chaos of World War I, he had never gotten to do his bar mitzvah when he’d turned thirteen. So he did it much later, in his old age. I foresee a comparable event coming up soon in your life, Virgo.

You will claim a reward or observe a milestone or collect a blessing you weren’t able to enjoy earlier.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) – Sailors have used compasses to navigate since the 11th century. But that tool wasn’t enough to guide them. A thorough knowledge of the night sky’s stars was a crucial aid. Skill at reading the everchanging ocean currents always proved valuable. Another helpful trick was to take birds on the ships as collaborators. While at sea, if the birds flew off and returned, the sailors knew there was no land close by. If the birds didn’t return, chances were good that land was near. I bring this to your attention, Libra, because I think it’s an excellent time to gather a number of different navigational tools for your upcoming quest. One won’t be enough.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) – What do you want from the allies who aren’t your lovers?

What feelings do you most enjoy while you’re in the company of your interesting, non-romantic companions? For instance, maybe you like to be respected and appreciated. Or perhaps what’s most important to you is to experience the fun of being challenged and stimulated. Maybe your favorite feeling is the spirit of collaboration and comradeship. Or maybe all of the above. In any case, Scorpio, I urge you to get clear about what you want – and then make it your priority to foster it. In the coming

weeks, you’ll have the power to generate an abundance of your favorite kind of non-sexual togetherness.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21) – As the CEO of the clothes company Zappos, Sagittarius entrepreneur Tony Hsieh is worth almost a billion dollars. If he chose, he could live in a mansion by the sea. Yet his home is a 200-square-foot, $48,000 trailer in Las Vegas, where he also keeps his pet alpaca. To be clear, he owns the entire trailer park, which consists of 30 other trailers, all of which are immaculate hotbeds of high-tech media technology where interesting people live. He loves the community he has created, which is more important to him than status and privilege. “For me, experiences are more meaningful than stuff,” he says. “I have way more experiences here.” I’d love to see you reaffirm your commitment to priorities like his in the coming weeks, Sagittarius.

It’ll be a favorable time to do so.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) – Medical researcher Jonas Salk developed a successful polio vaccine, so he had a strong rational mind. Here’s how he described his relationship with his non-rational way of knowing. He said, “It is always with excitement that I wake up in the morning wondering what my intuition will toss up to me, like gifts from the sea. I work with it and rely on it. It’s my partner.”

I bring this up, Capricorn, because the coming weeks will be a favorable time to celebrate and cultivate your own intuition. You may generate amazing results as you learn to trust it more and figure out how to deepen your relationship with it.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20- Feb. 18) – Aquarian environmentalist Edward Abbey once formulated a concise list of his requirements for living well.

“One must be reasonable in one’s demands on life,” he wrote. “For myself, all that I ask is: 1. accurate information; 2. coherent knowledge; 3. deep understanding; 4. infinite loving wisdom; 5. no more kidney stones, please.” According to my analysis of the astrological omens, now would be an excellent time for you to create your own tally of the Five Crucial Provisions. Be bold and precise as you inform life about your needs.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) – “We may be surprised at whom God sends to answer our prayers,” author Janette Oke wrote. I suspect that observation will apply to you in the coming weeks. If you’re an atheist or agnostic, I’ll rephrase her formulation for you: “We may be surprised at whom Life sends to answer our entreaties.” There’s only one important thing you have to do to cooperate with this experience: set aside your expectations about how help and blessings might appear.

telegraph

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Aug. 22, 2019 n 21

classifieds

Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon.

Ads are a bargain at 10 cents a character with a $5 minimum. Even better, ads can now be placed online: durangotelegraph.com. Prepayment is required via cash, credit card or check.

(Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)

Ads can be submitted via: n classifieds@durango telegraph.com n 970-259-0133 n 777 Main Ave., #214 Approximate office hours: Mon., 9ish - 5ish Tues., 9ish - 5ish Wed., 9ish - 3ish Thurs., On delivery Fri., 10:30ish - 2ish please call ahead: 259-0133.

Lost&Found Found Watch Watch found in Dolores by the river on 8/6. Call and describe. 970-764-7813

Announcements

Wanted Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum, Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle, also Free appliance and other metal drop off. 970-259-3494.

Cleaning Business for Sale 7 clients, call for details 516-480-8343 The Perfect Gift for your favorite dirtbag. Literature from Durango’s own Benighted Publications. The Desert, The Climbing Zine, The Great American Dirtbags, American Climber, Climbing Out of Bed and Graduating From College Me are available at: Maria’s Bookshop, Pine Needle Mountaineering, the Sky Store, or on the interweb at www.climbingzine.com.

22 n Aug. 22, 2019

Services

HaikuMovieReview ‘The Mule’ 90-year-old Clint Eastwood has not one, but two, threesomes in this film

Classes/Workshops

– Lainie Maxson

Is Poor Posture Causing Pain, Stress, Fatigue or Sleep Loss?

Hope Chiropractic and Yoga presents Grace, Gravity and Gaia: Your new paradigm in pain relief and posture correction Sat August 31st 9:30-12:30 Smiley Studio 10. $75 Early bird ends Sat 8/25. Must pre-register. Class size limited. More info Dr Keneen Hope DC 970-305-3239 www.hopechiro yoga.com Understanding the Chakras A workshop with Lynn Wickersham (E-RYT500). Aug. 23-24 at Yogadurango.

Visit http://yogadurango.com/workshops for details.

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.

Mommy and Me Dance Class Come join the fun! Now registering for classes. Call 970-749-6456. mommy andmedance.com.

Healing Through Yoga 5 wk series focused on vulnerability & shame. Starts 9/8 7-9 pm, see www.thriv ingtherapyyoga.com or call Shelley at 970 946 1383 Music Lessons w/ Jeff Solon Sax flute clarinet harmonica beginning piano. Improv on any instrument.

Composition arranging theory special projects all ages, levels, + styles. Returning to your musical passion after a long absence? Let’s talk. jeffsolon.com call/text 970-946-1992 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 $350 - scholarships available. Register by e-mail - MyahMindfulness@gmail.com or by phone- 970-946-5379. Myah Lee, Certified Mindfulness and MSC Teacher Piano Lessons for the Fall Lessons for all ages and levels. For more info visit duranpianostudio.com or call (970)710-0469

telegraph

Harmony House Music Instruction If your instrument has strings and is plucked or picked we teach it. Guitar in all styles is primary, but we are also experienced with mandolin, banjo, and bass.

We bring more than 30 years each as teachers and performing musicians. Our spacious new studios in Bodo Park are perfect for private lessons or small groups.

Contact Harmony House at 570 Turner Dr., Unit C. Richard White (970)749-5864 or Terry Double (970)903-8738 Piano Lessons w/fun, expert teacher. Any level or age.

Lawrence Nass 769-0889

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.

ForRent

Lowest Prices on Storage!

Inside/outside near Durango and Bayfield, RJ Mini Storage. 970-259-3494 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 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 Massages by Meg Bush, LMT 30, 60 & 90 min. 970-759-0199

Great Price on Nicely Maintained 3/2.5 Townhome Great location near Oxbow Park. W/D, 2 car gar. $1775/m + dep, 1-yr lease. No pets, refs reqd. 970-759-2751 Cabin Next to Natl Forest Off-grid, $500/month snowdomeranch @protonmail.com

CommercialForRent Studio to Share Looking for the perfect person to share my massage studio on Main Ave, 970759-0100

RealEstate Price Drop on Fine Starter Home Now only $55,000! Solid mobile home. Ideal for small family or handicapped buyer. By owner. 3 BR, 2 BA. 2

ovens, island, dishwasher, nice fridge. Fine floors. Washer (new), dryer, water softener.

Enclosed sun porch, fenced yard. Swamp cooler & BR conditioner. Good storage. Dgo Regency rent ($658) incl water, trash, snow removal. See on Zillow; call 970-403-3212 Radon Services Free radon testing and consultation. Call Colorado Radon Abatement and Detection for details. 970- 946-1618.

Garage/YardSale Sat. 9-1 You Store It liquidation, 32nd & Holly.

Mattress, furniture, etc.

Fossils Minerals Art, Furn. Sale Rocks, stones from Bobrocks4U jewelry (gem costume) collectables (Disney vintage postcards) art, couches, lamps Weiser pro gym, healing eqip. Aug 23, 24, 25 9am to 3 pm 296 North Rd Rafter J

ForSale Woodworking Business Original cutting board designs, 13” Delta band saw, Delta floor mount drill press, 3 sanders, heavy duty wood vise, shop vac $950. 970-533-7943, calls only please Table Saw/Sauna Craftsman 10” original owner, lightly used, $275. Infrared sauna, cedar $275. 970533-7943, calls only please

Reruns Home Furnishings Storewide sales in both stores! Chest of drawers, entertainment center, Pier One bookcase, and bistros. FLC discount. New great stuff and daily markdowns. 572 E. 6th Ave. 385-7336.

CommunityService Does Your Child Struggle in School?

Does your child struggle in school, have special needs or need more support in school? Would an education advocate be helpful? For free support and information, contact: Russell 970 903 2095; russell @thearcofswco.org Arc: For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

TEDxDurango Needs Volunteers TEDx is coming to town on Nov. 3, uniting bright minds that foster inspiration and wonder to provoke conversations that matter. We are now accepting applications for entertainers, volunteers and an emcee. Find out more and sign up at www.TEDxDurango.com Volunteer-Powered Program Offers Hope SASO seeks compassionate, caring people to become advocates on its 24-hour crisis hotline. Provide sexual assault survivors with support and resources to promote

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

healing. Call Laura, 259-3074, for information about free upcoming training.

Great Old Broads for Wilderness Host Art Quilt Raffle Raffle tickets are on sale for the 2019 Art Quilt Fundraiser. This year’s quilt, entitled “Get into the Wild,” celebrates the conservation organization’s 30th anniversary by commemorating various landscapes they have worked to protect: mountains, waters, forests, and canyon country. Proceeds will support Broads’ work to protect America’s wild public lands and waters. Tickets may be purchased online at www.greatoldbroads.org/2019-art-quilt-raffle/. The drawing will be held in mid-December.

Dancing Spirit Needs Board Members Dancing Spirit is looking for individuals with a strong sense of community and an interest in helping us grow and develop in 2019 and beyond to be a part of our Board of Directors. Board member applications are available at the Dancing Spirit Office inside the ELHI Community Center in Ignacio.

Powerhouse Needs Volunteers Volunteers ages 18 and older are needed at the Powerhouse Science Center for shifts of 2-4 hours between 9 a.m.-4 p.m. No experience necessary, though a background or interest in science, technology, art, engineering and math is helpful. Volunteer tasks include assisting in the exhibit gallery, at the front desk, the garden area and working on general projects that arise. A commitment of at least

once a week is preferred. To learn more, email Kathleen@powsci.org or check www.powsci.org under the “join-us” tab.

4 the Children’s Exchange and Parenting Time (SEPT) Program Needs Volunteers. The SEPT Program works with children and families involved in divorce, custody, domestic violence, dependency and neglect, and other high-risk court cases. We provide supervised safe exchange and supervised parenting time to both courtordered and voluntary clients. Our goal is to provide a safe and neutral space for families to reunite in a meaningful way. Tasks include: (1) Supervise safe exchanges and visits (2) Take detailed, objective notes for the court (3) Create a nurturing, safe environment for the child(ren) (4) Attend training monthly to learn new skills and connect with other volunteers. For additional information, visit our website at www.4thechild.org. If you are interested, please contact (970) 259-0310.

Applications for Advanced Standing MSW Program Students with a bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) are eligible for a one-year Masters of Social Work program through the University of Denver. The program starts summer 2019, and classes are taught in Durango at The Commons Building.

Stipends for child welfare, integrated behavioral health care are available. Native American tuition support to eligible students is also available. Email wanda.ellingson@du.edu or call 247-9773 for more info.

NewspaperOrigami

(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

$

15

Hi-tech breathable mesh venting

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

A bear telegraph

Aug. 22, 2019 n 23

c i t p u re . a y ..

Bu

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.”

24 n Aug. 22, 2019

telegraph