The Durango Telegraph, June 20, 2024

Dust to dust

A love letter to the fleeting season of summer and desire by Kirbie Bennett

Ear to the ground:

“They’re sort of like the scooters of the river.”

– Local kayaker explaining the craft hierarchy of the river, which puts kayaks at the top, small inflatables lower down

Heigh ho, Ranger

The City of Durango’s park rangers have a new toy, er, tool in the rangering arsenal: a spiffed-up razer ATV.

The other side

Collapse of Teton Pass commuter road exposes geographic, societal rift by Molly Absolon / writers on the Range

8 Play time

PlayFest brings award-winning, emerging playwrights to town by Missy Votel

Southwest sounds

Dinè producer/DJ Kino Benally turns to nature for musical inspiration by Stephen Sellers 5

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The golden hour arrives on an alpine trail near Mancos./ Photo by Alex Krebs

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“It’s the vehicle used by our new park rangers Tosh Black and Craig Beauchamp,” City spokesman Tom Sluis said in an email. “We have a video about to be released describing the vehicle. We’re just not sure if we should go with the ‘Bat-ATV’ or ‘Knight Rider-Kitt’ approach.”

While we anxiously await final word on the vehicle’s name and promo video, which we hope has a cameo from David Hasselhoff, here’s what we know about the City’s ranger program. The City Parks and Recreation Department started an educational and stewardship program around 2005 with staff being referred to as “rangers.” These individuals did not have law enforcement capacity, and their patrols focused on high-use areas where tasks were predominantly trash pickup and Leave No Trace education.

However, as Durango’s population and open space acquisitions grew, so did the need for enforcement. As a result, in May 2023, the City created an Open Space and Parks Ranger (OSR) program under the umbrella of the Police Department. Meanwhile, Parks and Recreation renamed its rangers as “stewards,” who now focus on land maintenance. While the two programs touch on similar duties, the new iteration of Park Ranger have the ability to cite for code violations, i.e. issue tickets to scofflaws. The program plans to employ four rangers by this summer.

Durango has more than 3,000 acres of City-owned parks and open space, 100 miles of natural surface trails and management of the 1,900-acre Lake Nighthorse Rec Area.

“With all of that, there is a great opportunity to educate the public,” the City’s OSR team wrote on the Rocky Mountain Ranger Association website, of which it is a member. “We also have a challenge with a growing homeless population. The threat of fire along the wildland urban interface is also very real, further necessitating enforcement.”

LaVidaLocal

Notes on summer and desire

Dear summer, dear friend and lover, you have once again captured my heart in your hands. The sun is wrenching sweat out of me when I go on a daily run along the river trail. I am helpless and basking in the daylight. And I consider it a blessing to feel those love notes dripping down my skin. Dear summer, I go outside, and I fall in love, and I don’t know who is to blame: your sunsets or my hopeless heart? I have embraced your arrival, and once again you have me thinking about desire. Around this time of year, I spend my days trying to describe the feeling of longing, I spend nights drenched in desperation trying to describe all the colors on the wings of butterflies fluttering in my chest. And speaking of desire in the threshold of your season, dear summer, my friend and lover, I’m here with a question: have you read “Ask the Dust” by John Fante? I think this messy novel uniquely captures the aching joy of broken hearts melting together in the summer.

Released in 1939, “Ask the Dust” was written by Fante, an Italian-American born in Boulder who later journeyed to Los Angeles, hoping to break through as a writer. Much of Fante’s fiction traces his own life through his alter ego, Arturo Bandini. We meet Arturo in the pages of “Ask the Dust,” where he is dreaming big in L.A. during the Great Depression. Arturo lives in squalor, subsisting on oranges in a run-down hotel on Bunker Hill. And maybe worst of all, he has a bad case of writer’s block. One summer night, Arturo spends his last nickel at a bar, “an old style place with sawdust on the floor, crudely drawn nudes smeared across the walls, where the past remains unaltered.” He orders a cup of coffee from a Mexican waitress named Camilla Lopez. The coffee is terrible but Camilla intrigues him. Arturo’s arrogance and insecurity make for several bad first impressions, but eventually he and Camilla find themselves in a cathartic, messy on/off relationship.

Throughout the novel, dust keeps returning. In Arturo’s narration, he points out the dust of the city, the dust of the desert, the dust of mortality waiting for us: “The world was dust, and dust it would become.” But there’s one semi-sweet scene between Arturo and Camilla that stands out. The two go out for a drive, and Camilla takes him to the Pacific Palisades. “From below rose the roar of the

Let the dinking begin. Pickleballers flocked in droves to the opening of Durango’s first outdoor pickleball courts Tuesday because, apparently, nobody works in this town.

A more empathetic approach to policing, with the LPCSO implementing a program with Axis Health that pairs behavioral health workers with deputies. The Durango Police implemented a similar program in 2021.

A win for renewable energy on the West Slope, with Delta-Montrose Electric receiving $72M in federal loans/ grants for a solar array and battery storage that will provide reliable, clean energy source for about 7,000 homes.

sea. Far out fogbanks crept toward the land, an army of ghosts crawling on their bellies,” he observes. “The air was so clean. We breathed in gratefully. There was no dust here.” In this place of no dust in the dead of night, the two go for a swim; they share a blanket on the beach, then they share a kiss. As morning approaches Camilla considers following Arturo back to his room, but he points out that the hotel doesn’t allow Mexicans. After a goodnight kiss, Camilla says something strange and significant. “This was such a beautiful night. It won’t ever happen again,” she tells Arturo Bandini. The lovesick writer retreats to his solitary room, on fire with sadness and desire.

Summer, I’m sure you have seen these romantics before: misfit boys and girls in America whose lives intersect for only a moment, and it feels dreamlike: the small talk that turns into long nights, the look of longing in their eyes, the sound of leaving in their voice. Summer, do you notice the way people start to feel like characters in their favorite novels? I’m sure you have witnessed the way two people step away from the crowd, desiring a magical night of human connection while sharing a cigarette. It’s only you and the moon witnessing the silence, while the couple exhale smoke from pursed lips. Their starry eyes stare up toward a starry night on a street corner between forever and fleeting.

I believe the most beautiful things begin and end in the desert. And “Ask the Dust” ends in the Mojave Desert. Arturo has released his first novel, which in a metafictional twist is a version of “Ask the Dust.” He wants to give Camilla a copy but he cannot find her. This sends him into the desert, trying to retrace her wandering steps, but as far as Arturo knows, she has vanished. And all he can do is throw a copy of his debut novel into the desert, leaving it for the hungry lonely ghosts.

Dear summer, around this time of year, I hear minor chords in the twilight, and I’m haunted by this novel full of lost people, driftless with desire. I adore Arturo and Camilla, because they are anti-heroes and iron-willed fuck-ups, aching for redemption. The two are fictional but they are so human in their flaws and desires. Maybe what Camilla said earlier is true: those beautiful nights won’t ever happen again. But, dear summer, when you return with roses, your sunsets say maybe beauty can happen again, tonight or tomorrow.

– Kirbie Bennett

The passing of a legend this week, with baseball’s Willie Mays – considered by many as the GOAT – dead at 93.

A horrific wildfire season is rearing its head just to our south, with two fastmoving wildfires in N.M. forcing evacuations and scorching more than 20,000 acres, prompting Gov. Lujan to declare a state of emergency. C‘mon monsoons.

The Animas may have peaked, but rivers in the rest of the state are pumping, the product of a heat wave and a coordinated release for fish habitat on the Colorado. Since March, there have been nine deaths on state rivers. Be careful out there – tubing season is still a ways off.

Crocitalism

It’s been scientifically proven that Crocs are the devil’s work, and their only purpose is to herald omens of the apocalypse via new designs. The first augury came in 2020 when Crocs released their collaboration with KFC in the form of a Croc decorated with fried chicken. At $59 per pair, they sold out in days (presumably to people looking for permanent birth control) and now, they cost over $500 on eBay. The 7Eleven and Taco Bell collabs also sold out quickly, but the McDonalds Crocs were just released if you’re looking to “invest.” However, nothing beats KFC Crocs because the fried-chicken look pairs nicely with fire and brimstone.

WritersontheRange

Epic failure

Teton Pass road collapse exposes more than just geographic divide

by Molly Absolon

Ilive in Victor, Idaho – one of Jackson, Wyo.’s, bedroom communities. Every day, roughly 3,400 Idaho residents drive over Teton Pass to work in Jackson. Only about 11,000 of us live on this side of the pass – 2,000 in Victor –so commuters make up a significant portion of our population.

Commuters include nurses, teachers, police, waiters, cooks, motel housekeepers, construction workers, landscapers, fishing and mountain guides, and salespeople. All are Jackson Hole’s economic lifeline.

On June 8, the highway over Teton Pass failed catastrophically, part of it collapsing into an impassable cliff of rubble. The failure made national news, and now you can spend hours on Facebook reading everyone’s opinions about what should be done. Calls for building a tunnel through the mountain are resurfacing, although the tunnel that was previously proposed would not have bypassed the section of road that failed.

The Teton Pass highway is vital to Jackson functioning as a tourist mecca. In good conditions, driving the 24 miles from Victor to Jackson over Teton Pass takes about 35 minutes. Now, a detour means that workers have to drive roughly 85 miles to get to their jobs, adding about two hours to the daily commute.

Jackson town councilor and economist Jonathan Schechter estimates the road closure is costing the local economy roughly $600,000 a day, and he says that’s a conservative figure. Using IRS numbers for mileage reimbursement, the cost for drivers is $88 a day, while the mean hourly wage in Jackson is $40. Not

only has the commute become nearly four times longer, but workers also have to put in an extra two hours to cover the cost of that drive time.

Jackson residents have responded to the crisis with compassion and financial aid. Homeowners have opened their houses in Jackson, and many are allowing people to pitch tents in their yards. Businesses are offering parking lot space for RVs. Teton County, Wyo., eased its temporary shelter regulations, and the daily commuter bus altered its schedule and waived its fees until June 30 to accommodate riders. The Teton Valley Community Foundation set up a fund that accepts donations for affected workers. I am sure there are many other services and resources as well.

But camping in Jackson means you aren’t going home after work. It means you may not see your children, partner or friends for days on end. It means you need to get someone to feed your dog or check in on your cat, horses, gardens or plants. It means you cannot enjoy the natural world – why most of us live here – because you’re driving a car.

Most of us have a love-hate relationship with Teton Pass. There’s an Instagram page called TetonPassholes, dedicated to showing people doing stupid things on the road. Most of the time it’s video clips of truckers ignoring the winter trailer ban; sometimes it’s pictures of people driving recklessly. We snarl and complain, but we still drive the road, because it gets us where we need to go.

The average list price for a singlefamily home in Jackson reached $7.6 million at the end of 2022, according to the Jackson Hole Report. In the first

months of 2024, 56 homes were on the market, with only three listed for less than $2 million.

In Victor, Idaho, the median price for homes was $537,000, an asking price that’s not reasonable for most working people. Housing is in short supply in Victor, too.

For years, affordable housing has been a hot-button topic on both sides of the pass, as well as an hour south of Jackson in booming Star Valley. Now that the funnel that allows Jackson to prosper has been blocked, we can see more clearly than ever that our current model – housing the rich in one town, workers in another – is not sustainable.

Wyoming Department of Transportation has indicated that it hopes to open a temporary bypass around the landslide in as little as two weeks. A long-term solution will undoubtedly take months, if not years.

In the meantime, I hope our community leaders take this as a wake-up call and address the absolute need for workforce housing. A temporary patch will not address the crisis that this road failure has dramatized.

Molly Absolon is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit spurring lively conversation about the West. She lives in Idaho. ■

The collapsed road over Teton Pass creating problems for Jackson, Wyo., commuters./Courtesy photo

The blurring lines between church & state

Is there a separation between church and state? It’s not in the Constitution, but it is in the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” This is known as the establishment clause, the opening lines of the First Amendment. Yet “In God We Trust” is minted on our coins, and prayers to God are invoked by political figures. So I feel it’s safe to say we accept some gray in separation of church and state. No one is trying to say it’s “their God” that we’re referring to, after all. Or are they? Let me introduce you to Christian nationalism. Their tenets, beliefs and actions most definitely take aim at undoing the separation of church and state in the name of Christianity.

A group named the Public Religion Research Institute, or PRRI, is an American nonprofit, nonpartisan research and education group that studies groups like Christian nationalists. To measure Christian nationalism, PRRI used a battery of five questions about the relationship between Christianity, American

identity and the U.S. government. The questions were first developed for the PRRI/Brookings Christian Nationalism Survey, which was based on data collected in late 2022 and released in a major report in February 2023. Respondents in PRRI’s American Values Atlas were asked whether they completely agree, mostly agree, mostly disagree, or completely disagree with each of the following statements:

• The U.S. government should declare America a Christian nation.

• U.S. laws should be based on Christian values.

• If the U.S. moves away from our Christian foundations, we will not have a country anymore.

• Being Christian is an important part of being truly American.

• God has called Christians to exercise dominion over all areas of American society.

Based on their answers to these five questions, each of the 5,000 respondents were given a composite score on the Christian nationalism scale (with a range of zero to one) and then assigned to one of four groups:

• The Christian Nationalism Adher-

ents (score .75-1) make up 10% of Americans.

• The Christian Nationalism Sympathizers (score .50 - .74) includes 20% of

The other two groups, Skeptics & Re jectors, make up the remaining approximately 60% of Americans. PRRI further

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reports that Republicans (55% of respondents) are more than two times as likely as Democrats (16% of the study) to hold Christian nationalist views. Of those with favorable views of Trump, 55% qualify as Christian Nationalists, as opposed to 15% who approve of Biden.

And Christian nationalists are more likely than others in America to see political struggles through the apocalyptic lens of revolution and to support political violence.

Commentators say that Christian-associated support for Right Wing politicians and social policies, such as legislation related to immigration, gun control and poverty, is best understood as Christian nationalism, rather than evangelicalism per se. Some current politicians who either identify or support Christian nationalism are Majorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and Ron DeSantis.

In the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the term “Christian nationalism” has become synonymous with white Christian identity politics, a belief system that asserts itself as an integral part of American identity overall. And many Christian nationalist groups support the “seven mountains of culture or prayer,” which are business, arts/entertainment, media, government, family, education and religion. Groups that have had significant influence in these areas include Moms for Liberty, the Utah Parents Coalition and groups that evolved from pandemic “parental rights” groups into book-banning organizations. Examples of these include US Parents Involved in Education (50 chapters), No Left Turn in Education (25) and Parents’ Rights in Education (12).

So pay attention to upcoming elections and candidates’ religious beliefs. Because the separation between church and state is a First Amendment right but is getting thinner by the day. Please vote.

– Tim Thomas, Durango

Hold Trump accountable

Donald Trump was found guilty of all 34 felony counts of falsifying his company’s business records to keep information from voters that he knew would harm his 2016 presidential campaign. Lying on official business filings is a serious criminal offense and another clear example of Trump’s pattern doing anything to gain or stay in power. No one is above the law, and any other American would be punished if they committed the same crime.

Despite the guilty verdict, Trump is still very much running for president. If he is elected to a second term, our democracy would be in serious peril. Don’t just take my word for it: Trump has pledged to weaponize the Department of Justice to seek revenge against his political opponents, pardon himself and his allies for crimes they commit, and deploy the military against demonstrators exercising their First Amendment rights—all while purging the federal government of anyone who doesn’t agree with him.

There’s too much at stake to let Trump return to the Oval Office. It’s up to us to make sure we hold Trump accountable at the ballot box in November.

– Lori Bryan, Durango

Sound Gear Rentals

Ode to the Silhouette

(For Laurel)

Sometimes I just observe my wife from afar, That distant profile, an outline, a silhouette.

Light imbues beauty,

From ancient marble to the present!

More than ever, there is an urgency to recognize

Beautification, to promote harmony and civility.

Think for a moment:

The patriarchs burned villages, not the women,

The patriarchs slaughtered the innocent, not the women,

The patriarchs denuded the lands, not the women. Women are the creators, life bearers, not the destroyers.

Women at heart, are not the oppressors or conquerors. Sometime I just observe my wife from afar, When light reflects the silhouette, When light profiles the beauty,

When light crowns the nature of the feminine

And the meaning of our existence still prevails In that silhouette!

“We’ll

print damn near anything”

The Telegraph prides itself on a liberal letters policy. We have only three requests: limit letters to 500 words; letters must be signed by the writer; and thank-you lists and libelous, personal attacks are unwelcome. Send your profundities by Monday at noon to telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

– Burt Baldwin, Bayfield

LocalNews

Playing in Durango

PlayFest brings cutting-edge works to local audiences

by Missy Votel

There’s no doubt the Durango PlayFest is onto something good. Now in its 6th year, this year’s event, which takes place June 25-30, drew an astonishing 230 entries, an exponential leap from the 19 entries submitted in 2023.

“This is the largest PlayFest so far, with nine readings of four plays,” PlayFest Managing Director Mandy Mikulencak said.

Started in 2018 by a group of “very arts-minded friends,” the idea was to bring well-known and emerging playwrights, directors and actors to Durango to incubate new plays, hold free community events and stage readings for local audiences.

“We wanted to bring a play-development festival to Durango. There are several prestigious ones around the country,” Mikulencak explained. “The first one was thrown together in five months, and we’ve grown every year since.”

Plays can be submitted throughout the year, then it is up to the selection committee, headed up by Felicia Lansbury Meyer, associate professor of the Fort Lewis College Theatre Department, to whittle it down.

“We’re looking for a mix of comedy, drama and timely topics that appeal to a wide audience,” Mikulencak said. “We are also looking for plays that represent diversity in race and age.”

always to employ as many youth as possible,” Mikulencak said.

Aside from the actors and directors, Mikulencak said the audience also plays a key role in the festival. “Audience members give feedback to the playwrights, directors and actors following each reading,” she said. “Sometimes, PlayFest is the first time a playwright has heard their words spoken out loud.”

In addition to the staged readings, which will all be held at the Durango Arts Center, there will be a free “Meet the Playwrights” talk for the public at 5 p.m., Wed., June 26, at Blue Rain Gallery .

“It will be a panel discussion, and people can ask questions,” Mikulencak said. “It’s going to be really casual. We find it’s a really popular event.”

A brief rundown of the plays follows:

• “All that Remains,” by Richard Dresser - A couple living on a small island off the coast of Maine invites the neurotic husband's college roommate and his conservative trophy wife for a weekend visit – only to discover that long-buried secrets unmoor both couples and the "good old days" may not have been so good after all.

She said perhaps one reason the festival has grown is that each year, playwrights want to return the next season. “Once they’re here, they want to come back,” she said.

This year’s festival features both awardwinning and up-and-coming playwrights, along with Hollywood and Broadway actors including: PlayFest alum Ray Abruzzo (“The Sopranos,” “Transparent”); Jane

Kaczmarek “(Malcolm in the Middle,” “The Simpsons”); and Pulitzer-Prize-nominated playwright Kathleen Cahill.

The festival also features two local actors, Siena Widen and Conor Sheehan, as well as several FLC students working as interns in various capacities. “Our goal is

Dresser’s plays have been produced in New York, regional theater and Europe. They include the widely produced “Rounding Third,” “Below the Belt” and “Gun-Shy.” He has also worked extensively in film and television, and teaches screenwriting at Columbia University.

• “Circle Forward,” by Deb Hiett - Seventeen years after the loss of her young husband from cancer, Mia meets a teenager who believes he is the reincarna-

Actors Dan Lauria and Jodi Long in a past PlayFest reading for Lauria's play "Just Another Day," which currently has a two-month run production off Broadway./ Photo by Jennaye Derge

tion of her late husband. When the teen and his mom come to Mia's house for lunch, his uncanny memories force Mia to face her doubts, her past and the whole truth.

Hiett is a playwright, actor and musician from Los Angeles. “Circle Forward” was a 2024 finalist in Boulder’s Local Theatre Co. New Play Festival and a semifinalist for the 2023-24 Princess Grace Award in Playwriting. Her new musical, “The Sunny Survival Caravan,” had its first reading as part of the 2023 “First Peek” Series in Los Angeles.

• “Hop tha A,”

James Anthony Tyler - During his late-night commute on the A train, Harlem native Tyrone tries to impress Niesha, his coworker at a nightclub, who just wants to read her book and pass the ride in silence. But as they travel uptown, the two forge an unlikely connection that extends beyond the confines of the subway car.

Tyler is a playwright and screenwriter

from New York City and a rising star in American theatre. He received the Horton Foote Playwriting Award in 2018 and the Theatre Masters Visionary Playwrights Award in 2016. He is one of the inaugural playwrights to receive a commission from Audible’s emerging playwrights fund. He was a staff writer for the OWN Network’s “Cherish the Day” and currently is writing for a new Apple TV+ drama series.

•“Mrs. Einstein,” Kathleen Cahill – A young Albert Einstein meets the brilliant Mileva Maric when they are physics students at Zurich Polytechnic. Their deep emotional, intellectual and physical connection results in a ground-breaking scientific theory – but only one of them gets the credit. We know what becomes of him. This is a play about her.

Cahill is an opera librettist, lyricist and Pulitzer-nominated playwright for her play “Charm.” Another of her plays, “The

Persian Quarter,” was nominated for a Steinberg Award. She is the recipient of a Rockefeller Grant and a National Endowment for the Arts New American Works

Grant, among many others. Although estival passes are no longer available individual tickets can be bought online. For schedule and info, go to: durangoplayfest.org.■

Actors Dylan Baker, Emily Althaus and Patrick Murney in Richard Dresser's "Our Shrinking, Shrinking World," at the 2022 festival. Dresser is back this year with his play, "All That Remains." / Photo by Jennaye Derge

PlayFest audiences play a role, too, giving feedback to playwrights./ Photo by Jennaye Derge

BetweentheBeats

Wind, earth and sky

Diné producer, DJ draws upon sounds of the Southwest for inspiration

by Stephen Sellers

Greetings, dear readers! For this week’s “Between the Beats,” I sat down with prolific Diné producer and one of my favorite DJs, Kino Benally (aka DJ Béeso.) Kino is an incredibly kind, generous being whose love and deep admiration for all things music, sound and soul are infectious. Drawing on his familial roots in Shiprock, travels to Brazil and love for dance music, Benally’s work has been featured on Seattle indie rock station KEXP, CBC and PBS, to name a few of the heavy-hitting national and international outlets promoting his work. His latest album, “Nihimá Nahasdzáán” is a soulful, electronic-leaning quest to honor and explore the place and spirit of the Southwest through sound. Find Kino’s work on Bandcamp or your favorite streaming platform or go buy the vinyl. See you on the dance floor!

SS: How did you come to discover dance music?

KB: My father is an artist and a DJ, so he had a massive record collection and did shows. I was always helping him out, plugging in speakers, carrying amplifiers, but also when he would get shipments of records, it would always be fun for me to listen to them, too. Before the internet was really big, that’s how I discovered music.

SS: What kind of music did he play?

KB: It was all over the place. There was a time when he was really into techno, and a time when he was really into house. Then, he got really into DJing for B-Boys, so there was a lot of break dance music that he discovered. A lot of funk and disco. Then, he got really into doing shows for punks. So, just lots

of shades of music.

SS: When did you start dabbling with music and production?

KB: I had some beltdriven turntables around the age of 13 or 14. On the other hand, my uncle was a person who was really into computers. He was constantly upgrading his computer. There came a point where there were enough pieces for me to make my own computer. I remember putting that together and thinking, “4 Gigabytes! I’m never going to be able to fill all of that space!”

SS: What did it feel like landing in Durango from Shiprock and finding your place as an artist?

KB: I was living in a house that had members of Liver Down the River. So, I was learning about music they liked in the Bluegrass world. So, it was like, “OK, I can play some interesting Grateful Dead songs that verge on disco and play something that merges more into something I’m interested in.” I played a lot at the Starlight, so I played a lot of hip hop, connecting with the Native crowd. So, just playing music that was everything around electronic music. I was learning how to rock a party and how to play music to get people on your side. Some DJs have certain rules about what they play. I just wanted to play whatever worked.

SS: Let’s talk a little bit about your latest album “Nihimá Nahasdzáán.”

KB: Nihi means “our,” “má” is mother and “nahasdzáán” means “earth” but also inside of that meaning is also “woman.” So, it is definitely Mother Earth.

SS: Where did you get that concept?

KB: I started with the question of “What does the Southwest sound like?” I wanted to make a record for the

Kino Benally

Southwest but not make it sound traditional or commercial or Native. I wanted something that felt very honest to me. So, what does the Southwest sound like? There’s a lot of wind and a lot of dirt. And I was like, “That sounds like an experience of being on the earth.” So, I jumped off from there. “What does it sound like to be on the Earth in the Southwest?” Most of it was recorded in Sweetwater, Ariz., a little spot going toward Kayenta. It was during COVID, and I was doing things to pass the time. I had been wanting to work on a record for some time. The person who produced the record was from Salt Lake and owned a label called Fountain AVM. They offered to press it to vinyl, and so all I had to do was make the music and they took care of everything else. They had a vision and believed in me.

SS: What was the influence of the Navajo language on the album?

KB: All the songs have Navajo names, and they are all different things that you experience on the earth. I was taking a Navajo language course as well as taking a poetry class, so really just getting into the beauty of words and thinking of things that could help weave the production together. The language is

actually mirroring the sounds in each song.

SS: And you’re currently working on the follow up to this album. Tell us more.

KB: The concept around this new album is going to be rainbows and crystals. The idea started to come from sand paintings. There’s usually a rainbow cloud that’s around the whole image. I started to think about the diffusion of light and how whenever there is a storm a rainbow shows up at the end. I want to do something colorful and look to the sky.

SS: And you’re currently working on a film score, as well?

KB: Yes, for a film called “Remaining Native.” It’s an all-female-led production. Somehow they decided they like my music (laughs.) I’m almost done with that.

SS: Last question, Kino. What does music mean to you?

KB: A lot of it is healing. I come from a line of medicine men. The word for song is also the same word for prayer. I believe music’s purpose is to bring and restore harmony. I think that’s what my music is intended for. To bring balance back to people’s lives. To help them have a bigger, more beautiful experience. ■

Thursday20

Live music by the Black Velvet duo with Nina Sasaki and Larry Carver, 5 p.m., Balcony Bar & Grill, 600 Main Ave., Suite 210

Ska-B-Q with music by Tyler Reed Smith, 5-7 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

Live music by Leah Orlikowski, 5-8 p.m., El Rancho Tavern, 975 Main Ave.

Live music by Pete Giuliani & Guy Ewing, 5:30-8 p.m., James Ranch Grill, 33846 HWY 550

Live music by Terry Rickard, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Public House 701, 701 E. 2nd Ave.

Poetry Open Mic Nite, 6 p.m., Sustainable Goods,1259 Main Ave.

Live music by Jeff Solon Jazz, 6-8 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave.

Live music by Adam Swanson, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Live music by Andrew Schuhmann, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Live music by Rob Webster, 6-9 p.m., Durango Hot Springs, 6475 CR 203

Concert Hall at the Park featuring Leon Timbo and His Family Band, 6-10 p.m., Buckley Park

Trivia Night, 6:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1330 Camino del Rio

Drag Trivia Night, 7:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Friday21

Bike Night, 4-8 p.m., Durango Harley-Davidson, 750 S. Camino Del Rio

Live music by Leah Orlikowski, 5-8 p.m., El Rancho Tavern, 975 Main Ave.

Live music by Tracy Wiebeck, 5-8 p.m., Serious Texas BBQ South, 650 S. Camino Del Rio

Live music by Yes No Maybe, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Public House 701, 701 E. 2nd Ave.

Live music by Adam Swanson, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Friday Nights at Fox Fire, 6-9 p.m., Fox Fire

Farms Winery, 5513 CR 321, Ignacio

Live music by The Black Velvet duo with Nina Sasaki and Larry Carver, 6-9 p.m., Derailed Pour House, 725 Main Ave.

Live music by Dustin Burley, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Family Game Night, 7 p.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave., Ste. F

Live Music and DJ, 8-close, Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Aria’s Pizza Party, 8:30-9:30 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave.

Saturday22

Durango Farmers Market, 8 a.m.-12 noon, TBK Bank parking lot, 259 W. 9th St.

Mesa Verde Back Country Horsemen Poker Ride, 8:30 a.m. check-in, Hamlin Reservoir, Mancos, www.mesaverdehorsemen.com

Durango Botanic Gardens’ Annual Gardens on Tour, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., around Durango, gardensontour.org

ELHI Community Center Craft Fair & Meet the Trucks Extravaganza, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., ELHI Community Center, 115 Ute St., Ignacio

Nordfest, featuring music by The Lawn Chair Kings, Afrobeatniks, Nathan Schmidt and more, 3 p.m., Mancos Brewing, Mancos

Live music by Gary Watkins, 5-8 p.m., Cliffside Bar and Grill, 314 Tamarron Dr.

Live music by Dustin Burley, 5-8 p.m., Serious Texas BBQ South, 650 S. Camino Del Rio

Live music by Ben Gibson, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Public House 701, 701 E. 2nd Ave.

Live music by Blue Moon Ramblers, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Live music by Matt Rupnow, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Sunday23

Revolution Enduro mountain bike race series, 9 a.m., Purgatory Resort

Now introducing:

Veterans 7th Annual River Trip & Picnic, free raft trips for veterans and families, 10:30 a.m., VFW, 1550 Main Ave.

Durango Food Not Bombs mutual aid and potluck, 2-4 p.m., Buckley Park

Live music by Alison Dance Duet, 12-2 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave.

Board Game Sundays, 2 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave.

Durango Palestine Solidarity Rally, 4 p.m., Buckley Park, 12th St. and Main Ave.

Sunday Funday, 6 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Live music by Gary Watkins, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Blue Moon Ramblers, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Monday24

Happy Hour Yoga, 5:30 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

Adaptive Sports Association Community Cruise, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Animas River Trail, 2500 Main

Live music by Adam Swanson, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Live music by Leah Orlikowski, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Comedy Showcase, 7:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Tuesday25

Twin Buttes Tuesday, weekly community mountain bike ride for intermediate riders and above, 5:30 p.m., meet at Twin Buttes parking lot.

“Undivide Us” free movie screening, 5:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. Third Ave.

Singo with Devin Scott, 6 p.m., Grassburger south, 360 S. Camino Del Rio, Ste. 300

Live music with The Black Velvet duo with Nina Sasaki and Larry Carver, 6-8 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave.

AskRachel Jugs, passive aggressive texts and losing streaks

Interesting fact: Algae water is potentially toxic and does NOT grant superpowers, so do not go drinking it. How about, don’t listen to most things I say. This is a good general rule of thumb.

Dear Rachel, You know those water cooler jugs? I just learned that you have to clean them. This sounds obvious NOW but for ages I’ve just thought, clean water in, nothing else ever touches the inside, we good. Until I realized this gradual discoloration of the plastic was actually algae. I’ve been drinking algae water for (can I admit this?) years now. Years! This is one part PSA and one part, if algae water gave me superpowers, what would mine be?

– Algae Girl

Dear Not the Brightest Green Lantern, I have yet to see a commercial kitchen without black mold in it somewhere, so you probably just have normal human levels of contamination. But a photosynthetic superpower has me intrigued. Seems obvious that you’d be able to breathe underwater. Maybe produce some sort of anti-crime slime on command. You’d definitely have a future gig in a local government-funded PSA campaign. Not to mention so much potential wordplay on cleaning your jugs. – Gettin’ juggy, Rachel

Live music by Randy Crumbaugh, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Open Mic Night, 7 p.m., Starlight, 937 Main Ave.

Wednesday26

Clean Commute Day, 7-9 a.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave.

Great Garden Series: Fire Adapted and Livable Landscapes, 4:30-6 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

Durango PlayFest: Meet the Playwrights, 5-6 p.m., Blue Rain Gallery, 934 Main Ave., B

Community Concert Series featuring Lavalanche benefiting The Boys + Girls Club of La Plata County, 5 p.m., The Powerhouse, 1333 Camino Del Rio

Animas City Night Bazaar “The River Pirates,” 5-9 p.m., Memorial Park, 2901 E. 3rd Ave

Pride Kickoff, sponsored by Pettyone Productions, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave.

Open Mic, 6:30 p.m., EsoTerra Ciderworks, 558 Main

True Western Roundup, 6:30-9:30 p.m., La Plata

Dear Rachel, Apparently, using final periods on text messages is seen as passive aggressive by everyone Everyone except me that is because I believe in the aesthetics of punctuation Don’t use them fine I don’t care but don’t judge me for using them Not using them makes everyone sound like my mother who uses voice text and whose entire life is a run-on sentence What is your take on using periods, Rachel?

– Full Stop

Dear Insignificant Speck, I see you, I hear you, I validate you, and I think you went overboard in your performance art. Periods within a text message have to be A-OK. It’s just putting them at the end that’s unnecessary and outdated. Like putting two spaces between sentences. Now if we could stop sending just “Sure” or just the letter “K” I’d be pleased. This is why God invented the thumbsup reaction, which has led to the healthiest communication my parents and I have ever experienced.

– Left unread, Rachel

Dear Rachel, I’m about to go multi-night camping for the first time in four years. It’s gonna feel real good to unplug. Except in those four years, I’ve built up all these impressive streaks. Snapstreaks, Duolingo streaks. They’re all

County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.

Trivia Night, 7 p.m., Bottom Shelf Brewery, 118 Mill St., Bayfield

Durango Playfest reading “Hop Tha A,” 7-9:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

Geeks Who Drink Trivia, 8 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr.

Karaoke Roulette, 8 p.m., Starlight, 937 Main Ave.

Ongoing

“Duality,” Solo Exhibit & Augmented Reality Experience by artist Tad Smith, thru Jun 29, Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

“Floating in the San Juans” art by Marley Seifert, thru June, Studio & The Recess Gallery, 1027 Main Ave.

“The Return of the Force,” art exhibit exploring the influence of “Star Wars” on Native artists, FLC’s Center for Southwest Studies. Thru August 2024

Upcoming

Durango Playfest, June 25-30, Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. www.durangoplayfest.org

Email Rachel at

gonna get broken. How can I find peace while also keeping my numbers active?

– Going Streaking

Dear Skids,

This is precisely why you need the detox time. What matters more, a number on an app, or your mental and emotional wellbeing? I suspect breaking the streak will free you, body and mind, to go roll in meadows, climb trees and drink fresh mountain water. After boiling it and purifying the heck out of it, of course. We can’t all be superheroes.

– Go wild, Rachel

Palestine Solidarity Summer Film Series, hosted by Durango Palestine Solidarity Coalition, Thurs., June 27, 5:30-8 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

Pride Lip Sync and Trivia, sponsored by Pettyone Productions, Thurs., June 27, 7-11 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

GA-20 with special guest The Crags, Thurs., June 27, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.

Pride Talent Show, sponsored by Pettyone Productions, Fri., June 28, 7 p.m., EsoTerra Ciderworks, 556 Main Ave.

Petty One Drag Show, Sat., June 29, 8:30 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

Pride Skate, sponsored by Pettyone Productions, Sun., June 30, 1-4 p.m., Chapman Hill

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

• Date and time of event

• Location of event

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

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I love being logical and reasonable! The scientific method is one of my favorite ways to understand how the world works. I am a big fan of trying to ascertain the objective facts about any situation I am in. However, I also love being intuitive and open to mystical perceptions. I don’t trust every one of my feelings as an infallible source of truth, but I rely on them to guide my decisions. I also believe that it’s sometimes impossible to figure out the objective facts. In the coming weeks, I suggest you give more weight than usual to the second set of perspectives I described. Don’t be crazily illogical but proceed as if logic alone won’t provide the insights you need most.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In their book “Your Symphony of Selves,” Jordan Gruber and James Fadiman propose a refreshing theory about human nature. They say that each of us is a community of multiple selves. It’s perfectly natural and healthy for us to be an amalgam of various voices, each with distinctive needs and forms of expression. We should celebrate our multifaceted identity and honor the richness it affords. The coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to exult in your own symphony of selves and make it a central feature of your selfunderstanding.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the second half of 2012 and the first half of 2013, you launched a journey that will culminate soon. What a long, strange and interesting trip it has been! The innovations you activated during that time have mostly ripened, though not entirely. The hopes that arose have brought mixed results, but the predominant themes have been entertaining lessons and soulful success. I hope you will give yourself a congratulatory gift and luxuriate in a ritual celebration to commemorate your epic journey. The process hasn’t been perfect, but even the imperfections have been magical additions to your life story.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I suspect you may have metaphorical resemblances to a lightning rod in the coming weeks. Just in case I’m right, I urge you not to stroll across open fields during thunderstorms. On the other hand, I recommend you be fully available to receive bolts of inspiration and insight. Put yourself in the presence of fascinating events, intriguing people and stirring art. Make yourself ready and eager for the marvelous.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “It’s hard to get lost if you don’t know where you’re going,” filmmaker Jim Jarmusch said. He’s implying that there’s value in getting lost. Unexpected discoveries might arrive that contribute to the creative process. But that will only happen if you first have a clear vision of where you’re headed. Jarmusch’s movies benefit from this approach. They’re fun for me to watch, because he knows exactly what he wants to create but is also willing to get lost and wander in search of serendipitous inspirations. This is the approach I recommend for you in the coming weeks.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Does any person or institution own a part of you? Has anyone stolen some of your power? Does anyone insist that only they can give you what you need? If there are people who fit those descriptions, Virgo, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to fix the problems. According to my understanding of life’s rhythms, you can summon the ingenuity and strength to reclaim what rightfully belongs to you. You can recover any sovereignty and authority you may have surrendered or lost.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In ancient Greek myth, Sisyphus was a forlorn character punished by the gods. He was required to push a boulder to the top of a hill. But each time he neared the peak, the big rock, which had been enchanted by the crabby god Zeus, slipped away and rolled back down. The story says that Sisyphus had to do this for all eternity. If there have been even minor similarities between you and him, Libra, that will change in the coming months. I predict you will finally succeed in finishing a task or project that has, up until now, been frustrating.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Is it possible to reap spiritual epiphanies while having sex? Can intense physical pleasure be a meditation that provokes enlightened awareness? Can joy and bliss bring learning experiences as valuable as teachings that arise from suffering? Here are my answers to those three questions, Scorpio, especially during the next four weeks: yes, yes and yes. My astrological ruminations tell me that you are primed to harvest divine favors as you quest for delight.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Your animal magnetism and charisma could be potent in coming weeks. I’m worried that as a result, you may be susceptible to narcissistic feelings of entitlement. You will

be extra attractive, maybe even irresistible! But I hope you will avoid that fate. Instead, you will harness your personal charm to spread blessings everywhere you go. You will activate a generosity of spirit in yourself that awakens and inspires others. Do not underestimate the electrifying energy pouring out of you, Sagittarius. Vow to make it a healing medicine and not a chaotic disruptor.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I’ve had thousands of crucial teachers. There would be no such thing as me without their lifechanging influences. Among that vast array have been 28 teachers whose wisdom has been especially riveting. I feel gratitude for them every day. And among those 28 have been five geniuses who taught me so much, so fast in a short period of time that I am still integrating their lessons. One of those is Capricorn storyteller and mythologist Michael Meade. I offer you these thoughts, because I suspect you are close to getting a major download from a guide who can be for you what Meade has been for me. At the very least, you will engage with an educational source akin to my top 28.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In one of my previous lifetimes, I was a bricoleur –a collector and seller of junk who reused the castaway stuff in new ways. That’s one reason why, during my current destiny, I am a passionate advocate for recycling, renewal and redemption – both in the literal and metaphorical senses. I am tuned in to splendor that might be hidden within decay, treasures that are embedded in trash and bliss that can be retrieved from pain. So I’m excited about your prospects in the coming weeks, Aquarius. If you so desire, you can specialize in my specialties.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Some people imagine that being creative means having nonstop, spontaneous fun. They think it’s primarily exuberant, adventurous and liberating. As a person who prizes imaginative artistry, I can testify that this description is accurate some of the time. But more often, the creative process involves meticulous organization and discipline, periods of trial-and-error, and plenty of doubt and uncertainty. It’s hard work that requires persistence and faith. Having said that, I am happy to say you are in a phase when the freewheeling aspects of creativity will be extra available. You’re more likely than usual to enjoy spontaneous fun while dreaming up novel ideas and fresh approaches. Channel this energy into an art form or simply into the way you live your life.

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 www.durangotelegraph.com

n classifieds@durango telegraph.com

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Mon-Wed: 9ish - 5ish

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Fri: Gone fishing; call first

Announcements

I Have 12 Convicted Felons

Who are my friends after my 34 felony convictions, so won't you be my neighbor? You might be number 13 … Vote for me, Donald.

KDUR is Celebrating 50 years in 2025. Staff is on the hunt for past DJs who have a fond memory, story or even some recorded material! Email Bryant Liggett, Liggett_b @fortlewis.edu.

Classes/Workshops

Dance Classes All Ages!

Classes for all ages from 18 monthsAdult. Check out the full schedule on our website.

Aikido Beginner Boot Camp

Try Japan's youngest martial art. Feel flow vs fight. Experience self-discovery through self-defense, sword/staff, meditation, more. Mondays 6-8pm, 7/15 & 7/29. Registration required at durangoai kido.com. Text/call questions to 970-4265257

Medicinal Plant Walk

Cascade Creek, Sat., June 22. Call 970759-9287.

Lost/Found

Lost: Osprey Daypack

Light blue in color. Left at the Haviland Lake trailhead on Sat., June 15. Please call Keith at (970) 749-3039. Reward.

Found: Womens Chaco Sandal At High Bridge take-out on Sat., June 8. Text to ID/claim: 970-749-2595.

ForRent

Clay Art Studio

Ceramic studio space. Kilns on-site. Intown. david@dupzyk.us

Wanted

Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle. Also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970259-3494.

Books Wanted at White Rabbit Donate/trade/sell (970) 259-2213

ForSale

Reruns Home Furnishings

Beautiful servingware, glassware and baskets. Bistros, chaise lounges and yard art. 572 E. 6th Ave. Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

Services

Boiler Service - Water Heater

Serving Durango over 30 years. Brad, 970-759-2869. Master Plbg Lic #179917

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.

Electric Repair

Roof, gutter cleaning, fence, floors, walls, flood damage, mold, heating service.

HaikuMovieReview

‘The Re-Education of Molly Singer’ Occasionally a movie comes along that makes me want to quit – Lainie Maxson

BodyWork

Massage by Meg Bush LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-759-0199.

Lotus Path Healing Arts

Unique, intuitive fusion of Esalen massage, deep tissue & Acutonics. Kathryn, 970-201-3373.