Durango Telegraph Sept. 24, 2020

We can’t even ...

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FREE Sept. 24, 2020 Vol. XIX, No. 35 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

The third wave

Breaking trail

Pass the chips

Are we doomed to a regrettable repeat of history? p4

Silverton Singletrack Society gets go ahead for new bike park p8

At least we know the end times will have salsa verde p10

WordontheScreen

Q

With campaign-sign season in full swing, the Telegraph asked, “What’s on your yard sign?”

Chet

"Beware of praying mantis."

Seamus

"Don’t blame me, I voted for Kodos."

"Release the Kraken 2020."

Gretchen

“If ya can’t be safe, be smart.

If ya can’t be smart, be quick!

And if you’re gonna be dumb, you better be tough.

Be nice.”

Matt

“Vote the motherclucker out of office!”

Jackie

It’s coming back around ...

Look for Issue 14 in October!

Available wherever you find the Telegraph or at www.gulchmag.com

To find out about advertising opportunities, email: steve@gulchmag.com

2 n Sept. 24, 2020

telegraph

lineup

4

2 Word on the Street

Third wave

4 La Vida Local

The frightening parallels between now and 100 years ago by john van becay

4 Thumbin’ It

7

5-6 Soapbox

On track

7 State News

State makes ballot-tracking app available to all voters

by Andrew Kenney, Colorado Public Radio

8 Local News

11 Ask Rachel

8

12-13 Stuff to Do

Riding high New Silverton trail system gets green light from BLM

14 Free Will Astrology

by Missy Votel

15 Classifieds

10

15 Haiku Movie Review

Totally tomatillos

On the cover: A hiker peers over the edge of one of the countless hoodoos in Bisti Badlands Wilderness, near Farmington./ Photo by Stephen Eginoire

When it comes to these ancient fruits, they just might outlive us all

by Donna Hewett

boilerplate

EDITORIALISTA: Missy Votel (missy@durangotelegraph.com) ADVERTISING AFICIONADO: Lainie Maxson (lainie@durangotelegraph.com) STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Stephen Eginoire (steve@gulchmag.com)

T

he Durango Telegraph publishes every Thursday, come hell, high water, beckoning singletrack or monster powder days. We are wholly owned and operated independently by the Durango Telegraph LLC and

STAR-STUDDED CAST: Lainie Maxson, Donna Hewett, Shan Wells, john van becay and Clint Reid

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distributed in the finest and most discerning locations throughout the greater Durango area.

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

Ear to the ground: “I have to buy flavors my kids won’t drink.”

– Local mom discussing her criteria in buying hard seltzers

The other RBG

thepole

RegularOccurrences

While America mourns the loss of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, outdoor geeks are also marking the passing of another RBG. Robert “Bob” Gore, the inventor of Gore-Tex, passed away Sept. 17 at his home in Earleville, Maryland. He was 83.

Over the course of half a century, Gore’s name became synonymous with the lightweight, waterproof, breathable fabric prized by outdoorsy types and found on mountaintops and Gore in rivers throughout vintage the world. Not Gore-Tex, only did he build a circa name for himself, 2000 he also built a multi-billion-dollar company known for its innovation and democratic treatment of employees.

Born on April 15, 1937, in Salt Lake City, Gore graduated from the University of Delaware and went on to get a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota. Although he received his first patent in 1959 for a ribbon cable used in computing technology, he is best known for his invention that came 10 years later and rocked the outdoor recreation world.

As an employee at his parents' company, W.L. Gore & Associates, he stumbled upon a discovery that a polymer called polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE, commonly used in Teflon, could be stretched into a new substance. This new material, which contained about 9 billion pores per square inch, allowed air, but not water, to pass through, thus solving the age-old conundrum of soggy, clammy waterproof clothing. He dubbed the new wonder fabric "expanded polytetrafluoroethylene” – but it didn’t exactly roll off the tongue and soon was shortened simply to Gore-Tex. W.L. Gore & Associates began licensing GoreTex to manufacturers in 1976 mostly for raincoats and tents. But later the iconic material would be adapted for use in countless products across the medical, defense and aerospace industries as well.

In 1976, Gore took over the family business, instilling a rigorous culture of innovation and employee empowerment. All facilities were limited to about 200 employees, most of whom were given the title of "associate," and many big company decisions were voted on democratically.

“Bob appreciated that innovation can arise from many different places if entrepreneurial spirit is encouraged and fostered,” current Gore CEO Jason Field said. “Innovation as activity, doing things with your hands, experimenting, testing and observing, was instilled in our enterprise consistently and productively throughout Bob’s tenure.”

Today, W.L. Gore & Associates does $3.8 billion in annual sales and employs more than 11,000 people across the globe. Gore himself ran the company until 2000 and continued to serve as chairman of the board until 2018.

Sept. 24, 2020 n

3

opinion

LaVidaLocal The Third Wave

A sampling of the Bayfield Klan membership showed the majority with a “common” education (not graduating from high school.) Farming and labor were the main occupations, and few claimed a strong religious affiliation, which contrasted “When I was growing up, we had a Klu Klux Klan in Bayfield,” my mom said. with the Klan’s avid support of Protestantism.

What???

The Klan was not violent in La Plata County. Threats and intimidation were more “Lots of folks joined. Your grandfather was a member.” its style. Crosses were burned at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and in Italian and In the stunned silence that followed she added, “It was mostly a social club.” I Mexican neighborhoods. Internment services were disfound a list from the Bayfield Klu Klux Klan online. August, rupted by riding horses through the cemetery. Catholic 1926. There was my grandfather’s name. Oh, Grampa. shop keepers were intimidated and their customers haThink racial tension is an urban issue? Both Bayfield and rassed. Threatening letters were sent to targets. At ChristDurango had active chapters of the Klu Klux Klan (*with mas, a large cross was burned on Smelter Mountain. activities in Mancos and members in Cortez) in the 1920s.

In 1925, David C. Stephenson, a national Klan leader in They marched, intimidated, wrote hate mail and burned Indiana, was convicted of the kidnapping, rape, torture and crosses. Their members were hard-working men and murder of a young white woman. The lurid details of his women, mostly Northern European, mostly pioneer stock, imprisonment and assault of his victim along with his subgenerational Americans. Their targets? Their neighbors who sequent outing of many Indiana elected officials that were didn’t happen to be “American” enough. in the Klan’s pocket, turned the Klan narrative of law-abidThe original Klan formed after the Civil War in the ing probity on its head. Repulsed by his crimes and his reveSouth. By the 20th century it had all but disappeared. In lations, Klan membership plummeted. In the wake of the 1915 after release of the racist film, “Birth of a Nation,” the scandal, the Klan across America collapsed.

Klan experienced a resurgence. By the 1920s, Klan chapters La Plata County Klan activities faded into history. In the had spread throughout the United States. They were espe1980s, a box of records from the Bayfield chapter was found cially virulent in Colorado. In 1925 – while disavowing that in a Bayfield business. Much of what we know of its activithey were a political party – the Klan managed to elect the ties were gleaned from these records. These papers are now governor of Colorado, the mayor and the police chief of at the Center for Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College.

Denver, a U.S. Senator and numerous state representatives The records for the Durango Klan have never been found. and judges. This new Klan championed white Protestants Ultimately, the second wave of the Klan in the 1920s who supported “100% Americanism.” Their main targets tapped into a fear of being marginalized, a conviction that were Catholics, Jews and immigrants. Their underlying unwanted change was sweeping through society leaving message was white supremacy. many behind. A longing for the “good old days” and “old In addition to Catholics and Jews, the Klan in La Plata time religion” ran rampant through the Klan. A reaffirmaCounty targeted “Mexicans” (anyone of Latino backtion of long-held beliefs that were vanishing was the ground, no matter how many generations their families bedrock of the movement. Blaming Catholics and Jews as had lived here); bootleggers; the “foreign born;” and lawagents of this change threatening their world seems illogical lessness in general. It was sworn to protect the sanctity of women. The Durango Klansman – the local Klan publication Regrettably, this is an actual poster from an ac- now, but their religions and the fact that they were different tual movie, which was credited with ushering was enough to scapegoat them.

– reported that on the June 6, 1925, presentation of DuThe Klan’s beliefs in the 1920s form striking parallels in the second wave of the KKK in the 1920s. rango’s local charter, hundreds of flag-bearing Klansmen with the 2020 political climate. Today’s radical Right has and Klanswoman, proud Americans, stood among “three huge fiery crosses” in reverential silence. No evidence of “thugs and lawbreakers” could been characterized as predominately white males, under educated and blue collar who see their way of life being threatened by “others,” be they immigrants, blacks be found. An onlooker “would not have seen a slinking foreign-born bootlegger, gamor liberals. Changes in social mores such as those in the LGBTQ movement threaten bler, wop or redneck in the crowd.” long-held beliefs. Charges of police brutality rock their sense of security. In a rapidly The Klan in rural communities represented an opportunity for social interaction.

Members cast themselves as a fraternal organization and sponsored, picnics, rodeos, car changing world, they are falling further behind, which is the fear that drives all the others. The Klan feared change in the 1920s. Today, the Right has coopted that fear races and holiday events. But along with the fun came the Klan’s message. The increasand magnified it. ing urbanization of America along with the collapse of the family farm, the flaunting The Klu Klux Klan still operates in Colorado though it has returned to targeting of Prohibition and the liberalization of society – especially the roles of women as perminorities as the root of society’s ills instead of Catholics and Jews. Nineteen other sonified by the “flapper” – was threatening rural residents. The Klan portrayed cities as hate groups have been identified in Colorado as well. With armed demonstrators cesspools of Romanism, lawlessness and immorality. They held themselves to be the clashing with peaceful protesters, the denial of equal rights championed by Black one true way back to some Golden Past, when everything was better. This divisiveness Lives Matter and the ongoing fear of Latino immigration, it is hard to not see today played well among rural Americans who saw their way of life eroding. as a Third Wave of Klan-inspired intolerance and fear. America is land of the free for As the Klan grew, it promoted doing business only with other Klan members. Secret some. For others, the struggle continues. signs were employed to signify Klan membership. One was putting thumb and little – john van becay finger in a pocket leaving the 3 middle fingers exposed, which stood for “KKK.”

Thumbin’It

Sign of the Downfall: Fancy. Unnecessary. Maple.

The Durango Drive-In offering locals a fun, throwback way to get out of the house and socialize distantly (complete with local popcorn!)

A report from the U.S. Census showing that 95.4 percent of Colorado households have been counted so far in the 2020 Census County commissioners at long last passing the outdated and historically contentious land use code, streamlining the development process and guiding future growth in the county

4 n Sept. 24, 2020

The mysterious mass die-off of migratory songbirds in the Southwest, with birds literally falling out of the sky over the last few weeks The crushing loss of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a huge equal rights champion for women, LGBTQ and other marginalized populations The worse-case scenario playing out downtown, with a drunk driver plowing into a Main Avenue bump out last week, injuring diners and destroying property

telegraph

For $30, you can now buy a “FUM,” which is an “aroma therapy device” that you fill with essential oils and then breath through like a cigarette. There’s even an umlaut above the U, and these things are made in Canada out of maple, so you know they’re uber-fancy. The company never explains on their website why these things are called “FUM,” but it’s probably because “pretentious wooden pacifier for millennials that tastes like peppermint” was way too long.

SoapBox

ReTooned/by Shan Wells

Restore character to White House To the editor, The November election is about leadership. This year confronts the nation, communities, families and individuals with unprecedented crises. The COVID-19 pandemic ravages health, undermines the economy and inspires fear. The unconscionable police murder of George Floyd, yet another Black American, laid bare the unhealed wound of racism in America. So, the Black Lives Matter movement has joined the tense national conversation, even as we celebrate the centennial of women’s suffrage.

We need a leader to bring all Americans together: people of every color and heritage; women and men; LGBTQ and straight. Joe Biden is that leader. He has long experience in public service, 36 years in the Senate and eight years at the side of President Obama in the White House.

He manifests compassion learned from the loss of family members and from publicly helping to lead the nation through economic recovery from the Great Recession. His selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate exhibits commitment to gender and racial equality, as well as to the needs of public safety.

The contrast with the sitting President is stark. President Harry Truman famously said, “The buck stops here.”

The man in today’s White House instead lays blame everywhere but on himself, his policies, his actions, or his incessant self-serving words.

The most egregious example is the pandemic. Simulations that sought to prepare leaders for it did not conceive a scenario in which the U.S. President would marginalize medical scientists and promote untested remedies. He ignored months of warnings about COVID19, denied the threat, refused to lead a national response and broadcast divisiveness to the nation instead of unification. Measured by the world average COVID-19 death

rate, his words and his actions – or lack of them – have already cost close to 200,000 American lives.

The differences go deeper: integrity vs. corruption, truth vs. lies, policy knowledge vs. seat-of-the-pants ignorance – in short, character. Of course, there also are deep differ-

ences over such issues as climate change, growing economic inequality and the role of America in the world.

America needs regime change. Vote Biden-Harris.

– Dick White, Durango

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Sept. 24, 2020 n 5

SoapBox from p. 5

Jack thinks bigger, better

To the editor, I met Jack Turner when I was on the Board of Governors for the ABC Network and served as GM for the Salt Lake City affiliate. We were tasked by then-Gov. Bangerter to bring the Olympic Winter Games to Utah – a feat that should have been impossible because Anchorage, AK, was already the U.S. Nominee.

It was Jack who conceived a unique plan to win the Olympic nomination. He convinced everyone on the Organizing Committee that traditional bid tactics would never work. Instead, he created a three-prong approach that would appeal to local communities, athletes and the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Central to the plan was organizing the largest, most diverse, winters sports festival of the time, the Utah Winter Games. Jack was named the first executive director and built it from the ground up. He convinced hundreds of volunteers to host events for athletes of all ages and abilities in all the winter Olympic sports. World Cup competitors, nationally ranked athletes, kids, seniors and Paralympic athletes were all included. It was the largest, most diverse event of its time.

Towns, cities and resorts across the Wasatch Front participated. Jack brought us together and brought out the best in everyone. His organizational and management skills were a key factor in Salt Lake City’s success in hosting the 2002 Games. Most important, however, is that success was achieved through the encouragement of others and dogged perseverance.

Jack Turner made us think big and be better. He’ll do the same as a La Plata County Commissioner.

– David Woodcock, Puerta Vallarta, Mexico

Marsha brings the skills

To the editor, We are pleased to endorse Marsha Porter-Norton for La Plata County commissioner. With deep roots in rural Southwest Colorado and a range of meaningful leadership experiences in La Plata County, Marsha is uniquely qualified to serve as our commissioner.

As long-term residents, we know the impact a skilled county commission can have. Now, as we work to live through and beyond the profound challenges to our health and economic wellbeing stemming from COVID-19, we will rely upon strong leadership to help guide our efforts.

Fortunately, we have a candidate in Marsha who can draw upon recent-relevant-hands-on leadership experience. A review of Marsha’s work highlights both the breadth of her involvement across a range of issues as well as the depth of her engagement in the details of successful initiatives aimed at improving health, promoting

6 n Sept. 24, 2020

economic development and addressing environmental concerns. Perhaps most significantly, Marsha has demonstrated her skills in organizing diverse groups of people with different and often conflicting points of view and facilitating their work towards achieving durable solutions.

We encourage you to join with us and vote for Marsha Porter-Norton.

– Carol and Scott Wallace, Durango

Deserving of the endorsements To the editor, When Marsha Porter-Norton decided to run for county commissioner, there was not one individual with knowledge of her work who was not excited by the possibility of her serving. That knowledge immediately translated to firm support; which sadly has been disparaged by her opponent who continues to call into question the number and timing of endorsements she has received. He shouldn’t; she is quite deserving.

No candidate for the office has had better preparation for what the office will demand than Marsha. Her local roots run deep, and her experience as a mediator bringing disparate groups together to forge sound agreements which address the concerns of all parties is the perfect background to bring to such a job.

The primary skill of a good mediator is listening. After listening, being able to critically analyze what has been said and how to make sense of different takes on the same subject and be able to offer sound advice or solutions is critical. The third skill is putting forth sound recommendations and establishing favorable outcomes based on the information received. These are rare skills that few I have known actually possess. Marsha has the entire skill set and they are sharply honed. Marsha’s commitment to fairness in mediation has resulted in agreements all have felt met the needs of their organizations.

This is the type of leadership that translates well to being a member of the BOCC. Running for office is difficult, and we should thank both Jack Turner and Marsha Porter-Norton for giving us a choice. But in making that selection, a strong local record of accomplishment should be the foundation. In this race, the strongest record of accomplishment in the public sphere is Marsha, without question!

It is clear. Marsha Porter–Norton is the better choice for District 2 La Plata County Commissioner. Please join me in marking the ballot for Marsha!

Ballots and blue books will be distributed in the next few weeks. Study the blue books and don’t let your ballot sit on your counter; fill it out and return it to a ballot pick-up box as soon as you get it. There is too much risk in not making certain your ballot is cast and counted!

After you return it, you can check and see if your ballot was received.

And if you believe that the Republicans deserve the same fate as the Whigs, vote blue!

– David Black, Bayfield

telegraph

Prop 115 another abortion ban To the editor, The “No on 115” campaign has launched to fight another abortion ban that Colorado voters will have to decide on this November. As our state continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, this is no time to throw roadblocks in the way for hard-working families on the Western Slope and throughout the state – but that’s exactly what Proposition 115 will do.

Proposition 115 is a one-size-fits-all ban on abortion later in pregnancy that leaves absolutely no room for the complexities of pregnancy or personal health-care needs.

There are no exceptions for rape and incest or if there is a lethal fetal diagnosis. This is unfair and impossibly cruel.

Families in Colorado deserve more. They deserve to have access to all of their medical options, especially if something goes wrong.

As voters, we’ve already weighed in on this issue and have decided over and over again that the government shouldn’t play a role in these personal decisions. We have already said “no” to three abortion bans in Colorado: in 2008, 2010 and 2014.

Coloradans have enough on their hands right now. We do not need politicians getting in the way of our health care and the ability to choose what is best for ourselves and our families. Abortion should be accessible to all, no matter who they are, what they look like, or how much money they make.

– Olivia DiNucci, Durango

Jack cares for the community To the editor, With the 2020 election upon us, I wanted to write about one of our candidates for county commissioner, Jack Turner. Growing up in Durango, I have been able to experience Jacks’ kindness first hand. When I was young, my family started the Durango BMX track in town, but unfortunately their health declined pretty quickly after. My dad is now in a nursing home and can’t do as much as he used to, but Jack saw this as an opportunity to change someone’s life by spearheading a campaign to make June 21st “Danny & Sandy Myers BMX Day in Durango.” He ended up pulling together an event to show appreciation for them and even got an official proclamation from the mayor.

I can’t begin to tell you how thankful I am to Jack for doing this for my parents, but I also can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve seen my parents’ eyes light up like that. He brought so much joy into our lives and gave us a memory that we will never forget. Jack received nothing for this and no one told him to do it. He did it out of the kindness of his heart, because he felt it was the right thing to do. This is why he would make a great county commissioner. We want someone who looks out for our community, not because it is their job, but because they actually care for the people in it. Jack is that person.

– Dakota Myers, Durango

StateNews

On track State offers ballot tracking to all voters, settles mailer lawsuit with USPS

by Andrew Kenney & Paolo Zialcita Colorado Public Radio

The agreement comes after the state sued in response to election mailers that the Postal Service recently delivered nationwide. Coloters across Colorado will orado officials called them receive text messages and inaccurate and misleading. emails to keep them upEarlier this week, Griswold dated on the status of their mailed said she would ask the Postal ballot in the upcoming election Service to pay for a new election Previously, only about a quarmailer that outlines the state's ter of the state’s counties offered specific guidelines. Instead, she automatic ballot tracking. Instead, dropped that request in favor of voters in most counties had to log the ability to review materials beonto a state website to check on fore they're sent out nationwide. their ballot.

“I am pleased with the settleThe expansion of the Ballotment we reached with the U.S. Trax system makes Colorado one Postal Service,” Griswold said in of five states with a statewide noa press release. “Voters deserve tification program, according to accurate election information. the National Vote At Home InstiThe terms of the settlement tute. Colorado Secretary of State mandate that all reasonable efJena Griswold announced the new fort be taken to remove all unstatewide program last week. delivered misleading mailers “Being able to track our ballot from the mail stream, and it reis something that’s really imporquires collaboration between tant for voters, to give them conthe Colorado Department of fidence and security,” Pam State and the USPS to make sure Anderson, executive director of all future Postal Service commuthe Colorado County Clerks Assonication includes correct inforciation, said. “I think it gives votmation.” ers a great deal of control and The Postal Service also agreed information about the process.” to collect and destroy the massThe state plans to send texts produced election mailers that and emails to people who have Danielle Piscatelli works a ballot-sorting machine at Denver Elections Division headquarters on primary have yet to be distributed in Colbeen automatically added to the night, June 30, 2020. The state expanded its ballot tracking capabilities to all voters, who will receive orado. Gregory Graves, a vice system. Voters can ensure they’re text and email alerts on the status of their ballot in the upcoming election. The software, which was president of operations for USPS, enrolled at colorado.ballottrax.net developed by a Denver firm, will also remind voters to turn in their ballots. /Photo by Hart Van Denburg said 75 percent of the mailers – or they can opt out. were already delivered to houseThe system will notify people holds in the state. tional Vote at Home Institute. when their ballot has been mailed, when it arrives at the Griswold and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser People who used ballot tracking tended to vote at county clerk’s office and when it has been processed. Some slightly higher rates, she said. That may be because Denver said the flyers contained two pieces of misinformation that counties will offer additional information through Intelli- used its system to send out reminders to voters who hadn’t could confuse Colorado voters. gent Mail Barcodes, which allows them to track ballots yet turned in their ballot.

“The first is that they urge Coloradans to request a mail within the U.S. Postal Service system.

“It becomes this whole communication engine that is ballot or an absentee ballot 15 days before election,” GrisDenver launched the state’s first ballot notification sys- really good for voters,” McReynolds said. wold recently told Colorado Matters. “You don't have to do tem in 2009. Since then, 12 other counties have adopted The state government paid $70,000 of federal grant that in Colorado. You just have to register to vote and similar systems. Those 12 counties are already using the money to cover the cost of the expansion. The state will you're sent a mail ballot. The second piece of misinformasoftware that will now be expanded statewide, while Den- cover the cost of the program going forward, according to tion had to do with when Coloradans had to return the balver is staying on its own Ballot Trace system.

Griswold’s office. BallotTrax is operated by the Denver- lot through the mail. The USPS suggested seven days before Real-time ballot tracking could boost people’s confi- based tech company i3Logix.

Election Day, and the state of Colorado actually suggests dence in mail ballots while they're under scrutiny. President Meanwhile, Colorado has reached an agreement with eight days before Election Day.” Donald Trump has attacked mail ballots as insecure, the United States Postal Service following a lawsuit filed last This isn’t Colorado’s only court victory over the USPS. though elections experts say that hasn’t been true in mail- week over election flyers.

Last week, a federal judge allowed the state to grant a navoting states like Colorado, while Democrats have said that The settlement allows Colorado election officials to re- tionwide injunction to the Postal Service, that would force mail slowdowns could affect ballot delivery. view any USPS materials related to voting, including TV, it to immediately “halt and reverse its drastic operational In Denver, the ballot tracking system may even have radio and online outreach. If the state determines the ma- changes.” n boosted voter turnout, according to Amber McReynolds, terials could confuse Coloradans, it has the right to temFor more from Colorado Public Radio, go to www.cpr.org. the county’s former elections director and CEO of the Na- porarily block their release and request a court review.

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telegraph

Sept. 24 2020 n 7

TopStory

In an effort to diversify the local economy and bring more recreational options to Silverton, the Silverton Singletrack Society proposed 30 miles of new trails on this hillside overlooking town, known as Baker’s Park. The trail system was approved this week by the BLM, which manages the land, and construction on phase one of the trails is expected to begin next summer./ Courtesy photo

Breaking trail BLM gives OK for new singletrack system in Silverton

by Missy Votel

T

he wait is over. After years of an uphill battle to bring more user-friendly riding to Silverton, mountain bikers have gotten their wish.

This week, the Bureau of Land Management gave its blessing to 30 new miles of singletrack on land it manages just north of the small town. Known as Baker’s Park, the trails are part of the newly updated Silverton Travel Management Plan, which represents years in the making.

“We are pretty dang stoked,” Klemens Branner said Tuesday from Silverton. Branner is the president of the Silverton Singletrack Society, which spearheaded the effort to get more – and better – riding options around Silverton. “It’s been a long road to get to this point,” he said.

According to Branner, currently there are only about 10 miles of rideable (for mere mortals, that is) singletrack around the town, which, as we all know, is surrounded by prime riding terrain.

8 n Sept. 24, 2020

“We have awesome mountain biking in Silverton, but it’s rugged, rough around the edges, extreme and not very well maintained,” said Branner. “If you’re an expert, it’s a great place to be. But if you’re like me – not an expert – there’s not much.”

That’s where the Silverton Singletrack Society, or SSS, got its start in 2014. The idea was to offer some opportunities to explore the area on two wheels (*and without a throttle, but more on that in a minute) while also revving the local economy.

“We wanted to cater to everybody – including ourselves – and to help with the economy and get a different segment of tourists,” he said.

That latter part of the equation has become particularly poignant with the shutdown of the town’s summer lifeblood, the D&SNGRR, first in 2018 due to the 416 Fire and then again this summer because of COVID. The idea for more biking options in Silverton got a fortuitous break when the BLM announced it was updating its

telegraph

travel management plan for the area a few years ago. With the help of the International Mountain Biking Association, the SSS drew up a concept for trails on a hillside on the outskirts of town known as Boulder or Storm mountain. And, as it just so happened (after all, it is a small town) Branner’s wife, Lisa, worked for the town and helped arrange community meetings to gauge interest and sentiment. Soon, with the approval of both San Juan County and the Town of Silverton, the plan was brought to the BLM in 2019 for final public scoping and, eventually, sign-off.

“It all just worked out really well, our plan was part of a larger plan,” Branner said.

Although the Baker Park plan did find broad support, it was not without its detractors, with some residents expressing concerns over impacts to the already fragile tundra as well as wildlife, including the threatened Canada lynx.

Branner said steps were made to limit impacts, and one trail above treeline was not approved by the BLM due to wildlife concerns. 4

“You can’t have it all, we get it,” said Branner.

The 30 miles of trails, which will cover everything from easy “greens” to technical double-blacks, will be built in phases at an estimated total cost of $1.4 million, Branner said. The trails will be open to Class 1 e-bikes (pedal assist) as per the BLM’s edict last summer, and almost all of the trails will be open to foot traffic as well.

The main priority for next summer will be to build what Branner calls a “big blue loop,” which is made up of trails 1, 2, 3a, 3b, 12 and 4c (which hopefully will receive catchier names by then.) He expects the easier trails to be built with the help of professional trail builders and youth corps members, while the burlier black trails will have to be hand-dug by group members and volunteers.

Speaking of which, if you’ve been sitting on the fence about joining the SSS, now’s the time. Branner said there are about 50 full-fledged members, from Silverton, Durango and nearby places, but he has more than 1,000 on his e-mail list.

“Hopefully they’ll turn into full-on members now that we’ve gotten approval,” he said.

In addition to the 30 miles of trails in Baker’s Park, the newly updated Travel Management Plan officially incorporated 12 miles of existing routes and also added a new 1.6-mile dirt bike connector in Minnie Gulch.

The latter, which will connect dirt bikers to an extensive Forest Service network, allowing them to make a loop, was perhaps the most contentious part of the plan. The Minnie

Gulch area is prized for its solitude, wildlife habitat and is home to the Minnie Gulch Ute Trail, home to prehistoric cultural sites important to area tribes.

The BLM said it agreed on mitigation measures with the Southern Ute Tribe to reroute the new dirt bike trail away from the Ute Trail and to install interpretive signage along the Ute Trail, which will be open to foot traffic only.

In addition, the Ute Trail will be monitored for abuses, and enforcement stepped up, if necessary. The dirt bike trail will also be closed seasonally every year for wildlife until July 1 or the first snowmelt, whichever comes later.

Overall, the BLM said the plan reflects its overarching goal to meet the increased recreational demand on public lands.

“This decision responds to requests from the Town of Silverton and recreational user groups for more trails in the area,” BLM Gunnison Field Manager Elijah Waters said in his record of decision. “The roads and trails authorSilverton ized by this decision will enhance the recreational offerings and access to public lands in the area for residents and visitors alike.” n For more info on the SSS, go to: www.silvertonsingletracksoci ety.org. For more on the Silverton Travel Management Plan, go to: https://go.usa.gov/xmMab.

Writing off into the sunset: Esper’s retirement instigates ownership change for Standard This Wednesday marked the last time Mark Esper will ever put the Silverton Standard to bed.

Next week, the 145-year-old paper will change hands, yet again, and Esper, who was editor for 13 years, will retire for health reasons.

“A few weeks ago, I urged them to find a replacement,” said Esper, 62.

“Them” is the San Juan County Historical Society, which took over the ailing paper in 2009. Prior to then, it had been owned by a newspaper chain out of Telluride, with Esper at the helm. The Historical Society stepped in when the Telluride owners threatened to shutter the unprofitable paper. Founded in 1875, the Silverton Standard and Miner is the longest continually operated newspaper and business on the Western Slope and has been designated a National Historic Site.

Last week, the Historical Society announced it had sold the paper to a group of Silverton locals, headed up by Aaron Brill, owner of Silverton Mountain. Although Brill

did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment, Esper said Silverton schoolteacher Megan Davenport will take over editorial responsibilities.

Esper, who just bought a house (the old Walker Hotel) in Silverton, said he plans to stick around to help Davenport learn the ropes. But he said the paper is in good hands.

Esper “I think she’ll do a great job.

She’s really smart,” he said.

Although he reportedly has not had a vacation in 13 years, Esper said his departure is bittersweet.

“It’s rough when the phone rings and you’re trying to write a story,” he said. “It’s been a blast, but it’s not all fun and games.”

He also said he would miss the casual, often sleepy pace

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of Silverton goings on. Although he has covered such huge events as the Gold King Mine Spill and apocalyptic avalanche cycles, more often than not, “news” constitutes more pedestrian moose sightings, Victorian picnics and scofflaw OHVers. “It doesn’t take much to make page 1 around here,” he laughed.

Esper, who’s originally from Flint, Mich., has also worked at papers in Traverse City, Mich., Montrose and at the Farmington Daily Times. However, he said he considers Silverton his home now.

“It’s a great town,” he said.

And it’s a town he feels may be on the cusp of big changes – for better or worse.

“I get the drift that Silverton is about to take off,” he said, adding a few unminced words of editorial caution.

“I just hope we don’t get ‘Telluridden.’ I do worry Silverton is headed in that direction.”

– Missy Votel

Sept. 24, 2020 n

9

GoodEats

Pass the chips Tomatillos just may outlive the apocalypse – and make it taste a whole lot better

by Donna Hewett

L

aura and Tom are the kind of keto-friendly couple we all admire. Hard workers, annoyingly thin and fit, cheerful, literally on the go nonstop, even in the midst of a pandemic. This pair is especially busy now, mid-September, with their town garden literally tumbling to the ground with a myriad of matured fruits and veggies.

Tom’s what you might call meticulous. He began the garden late last winter, starting all the vegetables by seed. (This is a man who knows a 3year-old beet seed is better to plant than last years.’) A self-taught mastergrower, he produces hundreds pounds of his own food every year.

Laura, the harvester and knower of all things ripe, grew up in the land of the home-canned (Minnesota). It’s a process as natural to her as making a pot of coffee. Only this year, with all the “victory gardens” being toiled across the country, wide-mouth canning jars and lids are as rare as, well, toilet paper was last spring. Online, $70 will buy you a dozen, with no mail-by date guarantee.

“It’s outrageous,” she spouts.

But back to the garden.

Fat cabbages and pumpkins, watermelons and cantaloupes peek out here and there between fennel blossoms, squash and peppers, onions, parsley and cilantro. Tri-colored grapes wrap around a grayed wooden fence, while the very heavy Spanish pear tree trembles above it all.

Without much thought, Tom planted a couple tomatillo seedlings a few years back and ever since, with their graceful shape and tiny yellow flowers, they have dominated, displaying pretty papery green husks split open with fruit ready to pick. It’s a no-fuss, nobrainer annual, re-seeding itself in any sunny, acrid spot.

But the challenge, according to Laura, is that they’re not exactly petite.

“I just canned 18 pints of salsa verde with them, and it’s already time to pick again.”

A single tomatillo plant can easily produce 10-15 pounds of fruit. And being an “indeterminate,” they’ll continue production well into the chilly fall weather.

“Honestly, I wish they’d just give me a break this year,” she says with a lovely, exhausted smile.

A neat package of seed is left to blow far and wide if the husks aren’t all picked up, which is how the tomatillo has survived well beyond a millennia. According to the journal Science, a 52-million-year-old fossilized tomatillo was recently discovered in the Patagonia region of Argentina. Was it the food of dinosaurs?

It’s a tough, tart fruit that originated in Mexico and was then domesticated by the Aztec, who dried and ground the berries to produce a meal used for bread-mak-

10 n Sept. 24, 2020

ing. It was a cardinal food crop for them, as well as for Native Americans, who boiled the fruits with a small amount of water and ground it into a mortar with raw onions, chilies and coriander.

The lower moisture content of their dried seed increased the chance of being carbonized in fire. Thus, charred tomatillo seeds dating from as early as AD 298 have been found as nearby as the Yellow Jacket pueblo site in Cortez, the Salmon Ruins in Farmington and just west of Albuquerque, at Caja Mesa.

These days, it’s a very common plant that’s wildly ignored, and sometimes even delineated as a pestering weed. Despite their edibility, anything not wanted in one’s garden can be thought of as such. Take my friend, Missy, a small-town, easy-going newspaper editor (of the one you’re reading). She considers them as an invasive flora with savage intent.

“I swear those things will outlast the apocalypse,” she says. After ripping up their entire lot (where the plants had gone nuts) during a renovation, one single tomatillo

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plant was found the next year struggling (surviving) within all the rubble. “It was like the Charlie Brown X-mas tree of tomatillos. It even bore a fruit or two, the scappy effer.”

The fruit’s name is a bit of a misnomer. In Spanish, tomatillo means “little tomato.” They are distant cousins, but largely the now forgotten ones of the nightshade family.

Which is a shame. Not only are tomatilllos an easy way to add a “new” and unusual edible to your kitchen garden (you may want to keep them caged), they’re also bursting with a long list of antioxidants that contain lots of anti-cancer potential.

But the genuine question is, how do they taste?

A bit sour and sweet, like a green apple or an unripe strawberry, with bright citrus notes and a dense, dry, seedy texture. Eaten raw, they can have a bracing acidity that’s nearly effervescent. Dried (to me) they taste like a raisin tossed with cranberry sauce. Both ways, they’re a curious fibrous component, especially for vinegary autumn salads.

It comes as a surprise when the ping-pong ball-sized fruit, hard as stone and Cimmerian green, melts so quickly into a slightly sweet, mellow, frothy tasting broth over heat, and fades yellow to light green in color. A keystone of Mexican cuisine, tomatillos are traditionally combined with chili peppers; their coolness balancing out the former’s spice.

Which brings us back to Laura and her award-winning salsa verde.

She’s knee-deep in prep today. I touch a tomatillo readied for slicing.

Shiny but still rather tacky, which nutritionally is a dandy thing – a tidbit most people don’t know. Her little kitchen very well might smell of an ancient Mayan’s dwelling. Fruity. Earthy. Good.

Miss Laura cooks nothing in half-measures. She’s got three good-sized sheet pans of tomatillos roasting, two in the oven, one outside on the grill. They’re heaped along with cherry tomatoes, habañero and jalapeño peppers, a sprinkling of fresh oregano, cilantro, purple basil, and plenty of garlic and onion. After everything caramelizes, she simmers it for a short time in a large bath of fresh lime juice. Before this gets buzzed up in the blender, and while it cools, she adds her secret ingredient (monk fruit).

Then it’s off to the canning station, i.e. the long dining room table where, come January, the salsa will be happily gobbled up.

We sample the chunky bad-assness warm, with Tom’s nicely seasoned, dehydrated zucchini chips. For them, this batch is a fleck too spicy. Not for me. It’s juuust right.

The greenish condiment produces a nice, slow burn that’s as welcomed as our recent cool weather. And suddenly, I’m back in love with fall (endlessly). n

AskRachel

Stay-at-home mom, crisis hotline and sale plants Interesting fact: Seems like folks might need to hear this right now: there are people out there to listen to you.

Like the Colorado Crisis Services. 1-844-493-8255. (Stick that in your wallet right now.)

Dear Rachel, I’m a full-fledged grownup, at least in legal status, but I still feel like I owe my parents certain deference because they brought me into this world. It results in things like my mother overstaying her weekend visit. Trying to be a good child, I afford her that luxury. But then I forgot all my Monday responsibilities, buried under the demands of hosting the one person who critiques the cleanliness of my stovetop. What’s the statute of limitations on motherly guilt and offspring obligation?

– Grown-Ass Adult Dear Circle of Life, Remember when you turned 18 and suddenly you were free to go wherever you wanted and do whatever you pleased? Your parents were thrilled to get you out of the house. Bad news: parents age in reverse from children. They were free, but then they start to show up for you to do their laundry and feed them dinner. Then they move into the spare room. Then they’re there at all hours of the day, and you’re limiting their screentime and monitoring their friends. Just wait for the diaper age.

– The ciiiirrrrrrrrrrcle, Rachel

Dear Rachel, Have you heard of the mass die-off of migratory birds happening the last few weeks in the Southwest? As if this year hadn’t thrown enough crap at us already. I know you like to make light of things, but this is serious business. I know I can’t do anything about the birds. But I need to do something for my own sanity, to feel like I’m making the world a slightly better place. I’m too overwhelmed to start. Help?

– Losing It Dear Lost, This goes for you and everyone else feeling the way you are: If you’re on the edge, call someone. A friend you can trust. A crisis line that feels good. (They all have their numbers online.) A mental health professional. It’s so important to take care of ourselves with seriously everything imaginable going on. And all of that is serious. No making light. But now for a joke: What do grapes and an elephant have in common? They’re both purple! Except for the elephant.

– I’m here every week, Rachel Dear Rachel, I just bought a bunch of garden plants on clearance. The cashier made certain to tell me that sale plants had no warranty. Fine. Worth it for 75 percent off. But I got to thinking. How does one warranty a plant? Do you bring it back to the nursery for replacement parts? Does it cover regular wear and tear? How about extreme

Email Rachel at telegraph@durango telegraph.com neglect and Acts of God? I just don’t understand how to warranty a living thing.

– Green Thumbin’ It Dear Cheap Gardener, Have you ever in your entire life had something break or work wrong and thought, “Good thing this is under warranty?” I guarantee you have not. No one keeps receipts and paperwork. No one thinks it’s worth digging up a dead, root-rotted, fungus-infested failed garden experiment and driving ALL THE WAY back to the store just to get a replacement on a $12.99 plant. No one, that is, except elderly parents with nothing better to do. Best put them to work managing your warranties in exchange for their free rent.

– Free returns for 90 days, Rachel

Business up front, socially distanced party in back?

Ads in the Telegraph let your customers know you’re open for business!

Call Lainie to mullet over: 970-259-0133 or lainie@durango telegraph.com

telegraph

Sept. 24, 2020 n 11

StufftoDo

Thursday24

Facemasks required. www.durangofarmersmarket.com.

Virtual Durango Green Drinks, featuring The Good Food Collective and Environmental Center at Fort Lewis College, 5:15 p.m. Sponsored by the Sustainability Alliance of SW Colorado. For info, visit Durango Green Drinks on FB.

Henry Stoy plays piano, 9 a.m.- 12 p.m., Jean Pierre Wine Bar, College Drive and Main.

Free Shakespeare in the Park: “Much Ado About Nothing,” a socially distanced, abbreviated, giddy version of the classic comedy presented by Merely Players, 6 p.m.; Also 6 p.m. Sept. 25-26 and 2 p.m. Sept.

26-27. Jenkins Ranch Park, Skyridge. Masks required, firstcome, first-seated. More info. at www.mereyplayers.us.

Jose Villareal plays, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

13th annual Fall Blaze and Cycling Celebration, 9 a.m. Riders of all abilities are invited to choose from road, mountain, gravel, BMX, tandem, e-bike, townie, Peloton, or any other cycling mode, and head out on an any-distance ride. Riders can compete for most miles ridden, most vertical gained and most vertical lost by joining the Durango Fall Blaze Strava Club. Register at www.durangofallblaze.com.

Proceeds go to FLC Cycling.

DJ Calvin spins, 5-8 p.m., 11th Street Station, Main Ave. and 11th St.

Mountain Marmot Trail Run, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Purgatory Resort. www.purgatoryresort.com

Powerhouse Trivia Night on the plaza, Thursdays through September, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Socially distanced tables, masks required. No groups larger than 8. $5 suggested team donations.

County commissioner candidate Marhsa PorterNorma meet/greet in Breen, 4-5:30 p.m., Breen Community Building, 15300 Highway 140. Event will be COVID safe. For info: MarshaPorterNorton@gmail.com

Friday25

Derek Abt plays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 11th Street Station, Main Ave. and 11th St.

23rd annual Manhattan Short Film Festival kicks off, thru Oct. 1, Allen Stadium 9 Theatre. Also thru Oct. 31 in the Butch Cassidy Train Car inside the D&SNG Museum. Tickets: durangofilm.org Alex Forsthoff and Friends play, 4-9 p.m., the Nugget Bar, south of Purg.

Deadline for “Stuff to Do” submissions is Monday at noon. To submit an item, email: calendar@durangotelegraph.com

Free bokken (sword) and jo (staff) lessons, 9-10 a.m., Claire Viles Park. Masks required. www.durangoaikido.com

Eat Local Month Harvest Dinner, Fridays thru Oct. 16, 5-7 p.m. Each week, pick up a gourmet take-out dinner from a participating restaurant, farm or local purveyor. $75 ticket includes three courses, an alcoholic beverage and a special gift. Proceeds benefit Local First and local food businesses. Tickets at: local-first.org/eatlocalmonth.

Dustin Burley plays, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Robby Overfield plays, 6-9 p.m., Fox Fire Farms, 513 CR 321, Ignacio.

Free Shakespeare in the Park: “Much Ado About Nothing,” a socially distanced, abbreviated, giddy version of the classic comedy presented by Merely Players, 6 p.m.; Also 6 p.m. Sept. 26 and 2 p.m. Sept. 2627. Jenkins Ranch Park, Skyridge. Masks required, firstcome, first-seated. More info. at www.mereyplayers.us.

Lavalanche plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th Street Station, Main Ave. and 11th St.

Saturday26 National Public Lands Day, volunteer opportunities on Ice Lakes Trail, Missionary Ridge and Cutthroat Trail, near Purg. For info., contact Partnership Coordinator Lorena Williams at 970-422-2939 or by email at lorena.williams@usda.gov.

Durango Farmers Market, Saturdays, 8 a.m.-12 noon, in TBK Parking Lot, across from the Transit Center.

12 n Sept. 24, 2020

Rock Out at the River, all-day rock and roll and Southern music fest and fireworks, Tico Time Resort, across from the State Line gas station.

Free Shakespeare in the Park: “Much Ado About Nothing,” a socially distanced, abbreviated, giddy version of the classic comedy presented by Merely Players, 2 & 6 p.m.; also 2 p.m. Sept. 27. Jenkins Ranch Park, Skyridge. Masks required, first-come, first-seated.

More info. at www.mereyplayers.us.

Drive-in Concert Series, 1-4 p.m., La Plata Senior Center parking lot. $50/vehicles. Proceeds benefit a different local nonprofit each week.

Devin Scott plays everything from R. Kelly to Patsy Cline on ukulele, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. The Assortment plays, 6-9 p.m., Wines of the San Juan, Blanco, New Mexico, (505) 632-0879.

A Swinging Jazz Night with Tommy Gearhart and his band play, 4-9 p.m., the Nugget Bar, south of Purg.

Gary B. Walker plays jazz accordion, 6-8 p.m., Dandelion Café, 725 E. 2nd Ave. Middle Ground plays bluegrass, 6-9 p.m., 11th Street Station, Main Ave. and 11th St.

Sunday27 Colorado State BMX Championships, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Cundiff Park, BMX track.

Henry Stoy plays piano, 9 a.m.- 12 p.m., Jean Pierre Wine Bar, College Drive and Main.

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Alex Forsthoff plays, 12-3 p.m., 11th Street Station, Main Ave. and 11th St. Free Shakespeare in the Park: “Much Ado About Nothing,” a socially distanced, abbreviated, giddy version of the classic comedy presented by Merely Players, 2 p.m. Jenkins Ranch Park, Skyridge. Masks required, first-come, first-seated. More info. at www.mereyplayers.us.

Blue Moon Ramblers play Americana/bluegrass, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Joel Racheff plays, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Monday28 Meditation and Dharma Talk with Bill Ball, 5:30- 7 p.m. online at www.durangodharmacenter.org/ Rob Webster plays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Ed Bolster plays live on the patio, 6-8 p.m., PRIMI Pasta & Wine Bar, 1201 Main Ave.

Tuesday29 E-Commerce Online Workshop Series, 8:30-10 a.m. Tuesdays. Presented by the SW Colorado Small Business Development Center. $10/workshop or $50/series of six. Register at: https://tinyurl.com/y57v7xd9 Navajo Supply Drive, food, clothing and pet food drive for the Navajo Nation, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., parking lot across from Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 254 E. Fifth Ave. There will also be drop-offs Wed., Sept. 30 10 a.m.noon. Arrangements for pick up can also be made by calling Judy at 970-749-6707.

Sean O’Brien plays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Zoom with La Plata County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee Parker, presented by Rotary Club of Durango, 6 p.m. Email: mtnman16@gmail.com.

Alison and Friends play, 6-8 p.m., Dandelion Café, 725 E. Second Ave.

Wednesday30 Wednesday Wine Workshop, “Sicilian Wines” with sommelier Tracy, 4-5 p.m., PRIMI Pasta & Wine Bar, 1201 Main Ave. Reserve your spot at www.primidurango.com Backyard fruit harvesting with the Good Food Collective, Wednesdays, 5-7 p.m. Meet at Manna Soup Kitchen. Bring water bottle, face mask and boxes/bags for any fruit you want to take home. Info at: www.goodfoodcollective.org/get-involved Free bokken (sword) and jo (staff) lessons, 5-6 p.m., Claire Viles Park. Masks required. www.durango aikido.com 4

“Silverton Gold” virtual film screening, 5:30 p.m. via Zoom. Hosted by the Center of Southwest Studies and History Live! Register: cswsexhibitappointments.as.me/Silver tonGold Terry Rickard plays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Carute Roma plays, part of the Animas City Passeggiata, 6-8 p.m., outside 81301 Coffee Roasters, 31st & Main.

Free circuit workout, every Wednesday, 6 p.m. lead by physical therapist Andre Botha. Masks required. Ohana Physical Therapy, 130 Rock Point Drive, Unit C in the Tech Center. RSVP at: 970-247-7895.

Ongoing Fort Lewis College 2020 Faculty Biennial exhibit, viewing every Wednesday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and by appt. thru Nov. 19. For info: www.fortlewis.edu/art-design/artgallery.

Durango Playfest presents “Actor’s Journal,” free recordings of original works, essays, poems, remembrances by various actors. Six new actors featured every month. www.durangoplayfest.org/actors-journal After-School Theatre Classes for third- to 12 graders, beginning Sept. 23, Durango Arts Center. Class sizes limited to 10 students. www.durangoarts.org.

Art classes for third- to 12 graders, homeschool learners and after-school, Durango Arts Center. Class sizes limited to 10 students. www.durangoarts.org.

What the heck is going on in this picture? To find out, join actor Charlie Grice, above, and the rest of the Merely Players for their giddy open air (and FREE) rendition of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” The socially distanced play takes place Thursday - Sunday at Jenkins Ranch Park in Skyridge. For details, go to www.merelyplayers.us.

Durango Public Library Weekly Activity Kits available for curbside pickup every Tuesday. Kits include supplies for one project for preschool, elementary and teen-age students. A new kit is released every Tuesday while supplies last.

To request, email reference@DurangoGov.org or call (970) 375-3380.

Upcoming:

PIVOT: Skateboard Deck Art exhibit, over 100 skateboard decks painted by 30 different Native American artists, on view by appointment through spring 2021, Center of Southwest Studies, Fort Lewis College. swcenter.fortlewis.edu/

Laugh Therapy Open Mic, Oct. 1, comic sign-up at 7 p.m., show starts at 8, Union Social House, 3062 Main.

Show up early for seating.

Meet the authors: local comic book creators Kayla Shaggy and Keith Jim, free Zoom presentation, Oct. 1, 6:30 p.m. Sponsored by Maria’s Bookshop. More info at: www.mariasbookshop.com

Telluride’s Original Thinkers Virtual Festival, Oct. 1-11, www.originalthinkers.com

“Gridiron Glory: The Best of the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” exhibit on the history of 200 items from the Football Hall of Fame, Farmington Museum. Open Sun., noon-5 p.m.; Mon., Thurs., Fri. and Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For info go to FarmingtonMuseum.org or call (505) 599-1174.

Chapman Hill Ice Rink opens for the season Oct. 2, public skating 3:30-5:30 p.m.; outdoor gear swap 3:30-6:30 p.m. Skate and hockey passes will be for sale for discounted prices.

“Inside Out: An Exhibit on Womens Fashion,” from the first bras to Lady Gaga’s boots, outfits from fashion icons throughout American history, Farmington Museum. Sun., noon-5 p.m.; Mon., Thurs., Fri. and Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For info go to FarmingtonMuseum.org.

Women’s Beginner Swiftwater Rescue Course, taught by women, for women, Oct. 2-3, on the Colorado River in Moab, Hosted by Alpacka Raft, 4Corners Riversports, Artemis Sportswomen and OARS. Register at: https://tinyurl.com/y4aus44x

Adam Swanson plays ragtime piano, Mon.-Sat., 5:308:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main.

“Dinosaur Discoveries: Ancient Fossils, New Ideas,” a traveling exhibition from the American Museum of Natural History opens Oct. 3, Powerhouse Science Center.

Lacey Black/Dale Elliott play ragtime and honky-tonk piano, 12 noon – 2:30ish, daily at the Grand Imperial Hotel’s Lone Spur Cafe in Silverton

Carute Roma plays Mancos Brewing Co’s anniversary party, Oct. 3, 4-7 p.m., Mancos Brewing.

Virtual Road Apple Rally 40th annual MTB race, Oct. 3-17, use Strava or MTB Project to track and record times on the course. Register online by noon Oct. 17 or download registration form at www.RoadAppleRally.com and mail by Oct. 2. Send screenshot of your results by Oct. 18.

Powerhouse Plazapalooza, Oct. 4, 2-5 p.m., music, food and cash bar. Social distancing practiced. Pay what you wish, with suggested donation to support STEM education.

Rocky Mountain Ukefest Online Jam, Oct. 5 & 19, 6 p.m., denise@rockymountainukefest.com Zoom with public defender Justin Bogan, presented

by Rotary Club of Durango, Oct. 6, 6 p.m. Email: mtnman16@gmail.com.

Meet the author and climate change discussion with Laura Paskus, author of At the Precipice: New Mexico’s Changing Climate, and Mountain Studies Institute, free Zoom presentation, Oct. 6, 6:30 p.m. Sponsored by Maria’s Bookshop. More info at: www.mariasbookshop.com

Deadline to submit items for “Stuff to Do” is Monday at noon.

E-mail your stuff to: calendar@durangotelegraph.com

REAL radio, REAL people DURANGO COMMUNITY RADIO AT FORT LEWIS COLLEGE

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91.9 93.9

KDUR.ORG

Sept. 24, 2020 n 13

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): “It takes a lot of courage to be the same person on the outside that you are on the inside.” Author Barbara De Angelis made that observation. I offer it up to you as a fun challenge. During the coming weeks, you may be strongly tempted to be different on the outside than you are on the inside. On the other hand, you’ll have the necessary insight and valor to remain unified. In fact, you may ultimately create more congruence between your inside and outside than you have in a long time.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “People who deny the existence of dragons are often eaten by dragons. From within.” Fantasy author Ursula K. Le Guin made that observation, and now I’m conveying it to you just in time for the season when you’ll need it most.

Please note that I am not predicting you’ll be devoured by dragons from within. In offering you this oracle, my hope is that you will: 1. acknowledge the existence of metaphorical dragons; 2. locate where they hang out in your inner realms; 3. study them and get to know them better; 4. devise a strategy for dealing with them safely.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Don’t let them tame you,” flamboyant Gemini dancer Isadora Duncan advised. Who did she mean by “them?” The mainstream critics, who might have wished she cultivated a less maverick style? Her managers and handlers, who may have wanted her to tone herself down so she could earn maximum amounts of money? Her friends, who cringed when she did things like dancing on a table wearing an evening dress at a party? In accordance with astrological omens, Gemini, I invite you to take a survey of what influences might wish you were more docile, mild or manageable.

And then meditate on how you could consistently express the healthiest kind of wildness.

!

14 n Sept. 24, 2020

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In the Yoruba religion of Ifà, the English word “heart” has two different meanings and words. So says Yoruba priest Awó Falokun Fatunmbi. The first heart is the organ that pumps blood through our bodies. It’s called okàn. Within the okàn is the second heart: a power center that regulates the flow of emotions. It’s called ègbè. I believe your ègbè will be exceptionally strong and clear and generous in the coming weeks, Cancerian. Your capacity to feel deeply and truly will be a gift to all those with whom you share it. It will also have the potential to enhance your appreciation for your own mysterious life.

Wield your ègbè with glee and panache!

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Ancient Greek philosopher Plato observed, “Do not train children to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.” The same principle applies to all of us adults who are committed to the goal of life-long learning. And according to my astrological analysis, it will be especially useful for you Leos to keep in mind during the coming weeks. It’s time to energize your education! And here’s the best way to gather the new teachings that are important for you to know: Follow what amuses your mind.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Christian author Frederick Buechner writes, “We are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves, and I believe that to love ourselves means to extend to those various selves that we have been along the way the same degree of compassion and concern that we would extend to anyone else.” Let’s make his thought your keynote for the next two weeks. Now is an excellent time to take a journey through your past to visit all the other people you have been. As you do attend to this poignant work, be generous with each of your old selves. Forgive them for their errors and praise their beauty. Tell them how much you love them. Thank them for how they have made possible the life you’re living now.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Seventy-nine-year-old Libran poet Robert Pinsky has had a triumphant life. He has published 19 books, including his own poems and essays, as well as translations of Italian and Polish poetry. For four years he served as the United States Poet Laureate. To what factors does he attribute his success? Here’s one: “Whatever makes a child want to glue macaroni on paper has always been strong in me,” he testifies. He’s referring to the primitive artsand-crafts projects he enjoyed while growing up. In accordance with astrological omens, I encourage you, too, to get in touch and commune with the primal roots of the things you love to do. Reconnect with the original expressions of your passion for life.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “A single ego is an absurdly narrow vantage point from which to view the world,” occultist Aleister Crowley wrote.

Author Gore Vidal agreed, saying, “Since no one can ever know for certain whether or not his own view of life is the correct one, it is absolutely impossible for him to know if someone else’s is the wrong one.”

All of us can perpetually benefit from this counsel. And it will be especially healthy for you to heed during the next four weeks. Humility will be a superpower.

Blessings will flow your way if you don’t

telegraph

need to be right all the time. As you refrain from regarding your own opinions as God’s holy decrees, you will generate good fortune for yourself.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “It’s a rare gift, to know where you need to be, before you’ve been to all the places you don’t need to be.” Author Ursula K. Le Guin wrote that. I’m passing it on to you because I suspect you now possess the power to claim this rare gift. In the coming days, you don’t have to engage in endless evaluations of the numerous possibilities. You don’t have to risk falling victim to overthinking. Your clear, strong gut hunches will tell you exactly where you need to be and how to get there.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Novelist Henry Miller was in many ways a quintessential Capricorn. He described himself as being “in love with love, always in search of the absolute, always seeking the unattainable.” Feelings like those are why your astrological symbol is the mountain goat that’s always climbing higher, questing toward the next pinnacle.

At your best, you’re determined to keep striving for the brightest, the strongest, the truest. Sometimes you overdo this admirable imperative, but mostly it’s a beautiful quality. You are hereby authorized to express it with maximum wisdom and eagerness in the coming weeks.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “Go catch a falling star,” poet John Donne (1572–1631) wrote in his poem “Song.”

“Tell me who cleft the Devil’s foot,” he went on to say. “Teach me to hear the mermaids singing.” He wasn’t being literal, but rather was indulging in poetic fancy to stretch his readers’ imaginations.

I’m offering you the spirit of Donne’s poem, Aquarius, because you’re ripe to transcend your limited notions about what’s plausible and implausible. If you allow yourself to get extravagant and unruly in your fantasies, you may crack through shrunken expectations and break into a spacious realm of novel possibilities.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I don’t suggest you indulge daringly in sensual pleasures, cathartic exchanges of energy, and intoxicating pursuits of relief and release. The pandemic mandates us to be cautious about engaging in unmitigated bliss – even though the astrological omens suggest that if now were a normal time, such activities would be well worth focusing on. How can you resolve this dilemma? Possibilities: 1. Experiment zestfully with your live-in steady or spouse. 2. Get a COVID-19 test with a potential playmate, and if you both test negative, celebrate boisterously. 2. Round up a dazzler with whom you can generate rapture via Zoom. 3. Fantasize about delightfully gracious debauchery. 4. Go solo.

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 679 E. 2nd Ave., #E2 Approximate office hours: Mon: 9ish - 5ish Tues: 9ish - 5ish Wed: 9ish - 3ish Thurs: On delivery Fri: Gone fishing; call first

Announcements 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.

Lost/Found

Wanted

ForSale

RealEstate

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

Trek Mtn Bike Men's Lg Frame 19.5 For sale, lightly used by older woman Trek XCaliber7 hardtail. $750 Judy 970375-9617

Radon Services Free radon testing and consultation.

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

Services

Recording equipment Rode NT1A complete vocal recording kit with Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB interface, headphones, mic. and stand. $500 Contact Luke at 970-376-3116 or lukemehall@gmail.com

CommunityService

RSE Handyman Service Home repair. Yard work. Odd jobs.

970-903-0449.

Lowest Prices on Storage!

Inside/outside storage near Durango and Bayfield. 10-x-20, $130. Outside spots: $65, with discounts available. 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

Reruns Home urnishings Lots of items to cozy up dorm rooms and apartments. Small patio set with cool vintage iron chairs. Pottery Barn cabinet and mirror, barstools, nightstands and much more. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.Sat. 385-7336.

“It is the right thing to do" Help architect/ draft a petition for a fiduciary breach in Ohio. Requiring humor, big thinking and a pro se attitude of doin it my way. Ohio is friendly to pro se state. It is the right thing to do. key@frontier.net

HaikuMovieReview ‘My Octopus Teacher’ Marvel at the most clever and otherworldly being on the earth – Lainie Maxson

NewspaperOrigami

BodyWork

Missing Dog Named Moki Missing Sunday 9/13/20. Noon. Last location sitting in front of house. 63 Ball Lane. Reward for any information. Contact Paul 970-903-8540 or Jill 970-9031151. Dog has collar with tags and chip.

Or email OlPaul48@Bresnan.net Reward for Return!

Of pair of men's moccasins, rust buff suede with silver concho. Left in vicinity of Memorial Park Phase One by river So. 2nd St. Aug. 20 Kindly call/text 520-2168762 - Thanks!!

HelpWanted Massage Therapists Needed Amaya now hiring Massage Therapist positions Email triciagourley13@gmail .com to apply

massageintervention.life Voted best massage in Durango 201819. Couples, cupping, local CBD. Reviews on FB + Yelp. 970-903-2984

ForRent

Durango Rental House near Bread 800 sq. ft on 3/4 acre with 2 other houses. $850/mo. rent, $250/mo. util (gas, electric, h2o, trash, net). $850 deposit. Mo. to mo. lease. Up to 8 hrs. work @ $20/hr. to offset some rent cost. No cigs, pets maybe. Text 970-903-8540 or email OlPaul48@Bresnan.net

telegraph

Pikachu Sept. 24, 2020 n 15

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 679 E. 2nd Ave., #E2 Approximate office hours: Mon: 9ish - 5ish Tues: 9ish - 5ish Wed: 9ish - 3ish Thurs: On delivery Fri: Gone fishing; call first

Announcements 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.

Lost/Found

Wanted

ForSale

RealEstate

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

Trek Mtn Bike Men's Lg Frame 19.5 For sale, lightly used by older woman Trek XCaliber7 hardtail. $750 Judy 970375-9617

Radon Services Free radon testing and consultation.

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

Services

Recording equipment Rode NT1A complete vocal recording kit with Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB interface, headphones, mic. and stand. $500 Contact Luke at 970-376-3116 or lukemehall@gmail.com

CommunityService

RSE Handyman Service Home repair. Yard work. Odd jobs.

970-903-0449.

Lowest Prices on Storage!

Inside/outside storage near Durango and Bayfield. 10-x-20, $130. Outside spots: $65, with discounts available. 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

Reruns Home urnishings Lots of items to cozy up dorm rooms and apartments. Small patio set with cool vintage iron chairs. Pottery Barn cabinet and mirror, barstools, nightstands and much more. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.Sat. 385-7336.

“It is the right thing to do" Help architect/ draft a petition for a fiduciary breach in Ohio. Requiring humor, big thinking and a pro se attitude of doin it my way. Ohio is friendly to pro se state. It is the right thing to do. key@frontier.net

HaikuMovieReview ‘My Octopus Teacher’ Marvel at the most clever and otherworldly being on the earth – Lainie Maxson

NewspaperOrigami

BodyWork

Missing Dog Named Moki Missing Sunday 9/13/20. Noon. Last location sitting in front of house. 63 Ball Lane. Reward for any information. Contact Paul 970-903-8540 or Jill 970-9031151. Dog has collar with tags and chip.

Or email OlPaul48@Bresnan.net Reward for Return!

Of pair of men's moccasins, rust buff suede with silver concho. Left in vicinity of Memorial Park Phase One by river So. 2nd St. Aug. 20 Kindly call/text 520-2168762 - Thanks!!

HelpWanted Massage Therapists Needed Amaya now hiring Massage Therapist positions Email triciagourley13@gmail .com to apply

massageintervention.life Voted best massage in Durango 201819. Couples, cupping, local CBD. Reviews on FB + Yelp. 970-903-2984

ForRent

Durango Rental House near Bread 800 sq. ft on 3/4 acre with 2 other houses. $850/mo. rent, $250/mo. util (gas, electric, h2o, trash, net). $850 deposit. Mo. to mo. lease. Up to 8 hrs. work @ $20/hr. to offset some rent cost. No cigs, pets maybe. Text 970-903-8540 or email OlPaul48@Bresnan.net

telegraph

Pikachu Sept. 24, 2020 n 15

Need to light your fire?

The Telegraph stocks old issues to burn on the lower racks at many of our locations, including: • Durango Post office • Peerless Tire • Mayer Building, 679 E. 2nd Ave. • Bayfield Post Office • Star Liquors plaza • N. City Market *Just try not to set the night on fire. And please do not take the current issue or leave a big mess.

It makes Jim sad.

16 n Sept. 24, 2020

telegraph