The Durango Telegraph Dec. 9, 2021

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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 new New Deal

AirBnB apocalypse

Drop the beat

Infrastructure, Build Back Better a boon for the West p7

With early action, Durango dodges vacation-rental bullet p8

Folkfest to Burning Man, DJ Omega found her groove p11

Get ready to lose yourself.

Issue 18 of The Gulch is out now!

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telegraph

lineup

4

4 La Vida Local

The Creek revisited Replenishing the dirtbag soul with an older, wiser return to the desert

4 Thumbin’ It 5 Word on the Street

by Luke Mehall

6 Soapbox 7 Land Desk

7

8 Top Story

Not a bad deal

10 Local Lowdown

Biden’s Infrastructure and Build Back Better plans a boon for West

10 Between the Beats

by Jonathan Thompson / Land Desk

12-13 Stuff to Do

Ear to the ground: “We do plenty more than steal water!

We have Casa Bonita with a reimagined menu!”

- A Front Ranger justifying its existence to a West Sloper.

We are not alone

thepole

RegularOccurrences

At long last, we have confirmation: Aliens exist, and like most outsiders, they have taken a liking to Colorado.

How do we know? Well, a reputable article in the always truthful New York Post reported that mysterious “UFO” sounds were recorded under a lake in Steamboat Springs earlier this month, setting off wild speculations that we are in fact not alone in the universe.

The New York Post – known for crack coverage of Christina Aguilera’s latest fashion faux pas and deep dives into how bad the New York Jets are at football – also is one for juicy tabloid headlines: “Mysterious sounds heard underneath frozen lake in Colorado spark alien conspiracy theories.”

Well, if we have to send a message out to the rest of the country about what’s going on in Colorado, this maybe isn’t a bad tactic to make the state seem less desirable to move to?

13 Ask Rachel

8

14 Free Will Astrology

A housing win

15 Classifieds

Durango’s early action on vacation rentals a rare bright spot in state

15 Haiku Movie Review

by Jonathan Romeo On the cover: Canadian geese spend a calm early winter day on a pond in the Animas Valley./ Photo by Stephen Eginoire

11

The mea culpa Last week an article featuring Mountain Monk Coffee implied the shop is a “partnership” with Cream Bean Berry.

While there is a wholesale relationship with Cream Bean Berry to supply baked goods to the shop, it is not actually a formal business “partnership,” more of a collaboration.

Dancing queen DJ Omega on her musical route from folk fests to dance floors

by Stephen Sellers

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

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

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

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But anyway, how did this all start? Well, Colorado Parks and Wildlife posted to Twitter on Dec. 2 video of “Star Wars” like sounds coming from the bottom of Steamboat Lake State Park. Was it alien invaders? No. Was it just ice shifting and making creaky sounds? Yes. But of course, that’s if you believe in “ice” and things like “science.” Instead, the video was posted on the website “UFO Sightings Daily,” which is apparently a thing, and the theories got weird.

“The signals point to there being an alien base deep below the lake, which amplifies the sounds below due to it being frozen,” wrote Scott C. Waring, one of the leading minds in whackadoo alien research, who lives in Taiwan. “Alien bases are never small. Most are 3-6 kilometers deep and cover an area of five kilometers.”

It unfortunately goes on: “A loud enough speaker placed in a dug out ice hole at the center of the lake would be sufficient to send them a sonic signal. But… in the wrong hands, it could cause an alien military response.”

Now, we’re no dummies for crackpot theories or QAnon/pizzagate/baby-eating-Democrat plots.

But... what if there are aliens underneath that lake and everyone is just making a big joke out if?

So we asked CPW spokesman John Livingston if any investigations have been launched to just make extra sure. “CPW cannot confirm any presence of alien activity at Steamboat Lake State Park,” he said. “No extraterrestrial creatures have obtained camping permits for any of the park’s beautiful campsites or cabins.”

Hmmm, smells fishy. Or maybe this YouTube commenter on the video has it right.

“That’s the sound the McDonald’s ice cream machine makes to let you know it’s out of order.”

Dec. 9, 2021 n

3

opinion

LaVidaLocal One more Creeksgiving Once upon a time, my crew was wild AF. And that wildness would often come to a climax on Thanksgiving, out in Indian Creek, which is now included in Bears Ears National Monument.

We would call it “Creeksgiving,” one last extended stay out in The Creek, before old man winter came along. We’d have dance-offs, running races, turkeys cooked in dirt pits and copious amounts of substances. It was a blast.

As one could imagine, as I’ve grown older, and into my 40s, my friends are settling down. I feel like I could write a climber version of that country song, “all my rowdy friends have settled down … nobody wants to get drunk and get loud.”

And neither do I. Partying too much affects the physical activities I love like running, biking and climbing. Plus, I’m still at the height of my climbing – biking and running not so much – and I want to see how good I can get before the inevitable decline of mortality that we all face. To give anything less than the best is to sacrifice the gift, right?

But I still like to party, and, even more importantly, I want to keep my community together. The ’rona has really messed up a lot of community-related things I took for granted, and Creeksgiving is one of those things.

I haven’t been out for Creeksgiving for a number of years; a couple years because of family obligations, one year because of a winter storm and last year because of the pandemic. This year, I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do for Thanksgiving, but after a couple friends texted me that they were headed out, I decided to join them.

In the back of my mind, I was worried there would only be a couple of us. Most of my friends have young kids, or don’t want to suffer out in the cold of those chilly November nights in the high desert. I reassured myself that even if there were just a couple of us, we would still have a great time and eat well.

Plus, I was due for a digital detox from staring at my phone and computer; a necessary evil as a writer, podcaster and publisher.

We’ve had many traditions over the years, from silly camp games to hip-hop dance offs, but there is one that holds a very important place in my heart. And that is a run we’ve done for years called the “Turkey Shooter.” It’s an informal half marathon, plus climb of a desert tower, the South Six Shooter, one of the most popular and “easy” towers in the Southwest. Since our crew this year was a small fraction of what it once was, I thought it might be only my buddy Dave and I who would want to do it.

The “Turkey Shooter” is especially important to us, because it is a tribute to our friend Adam Lawton, who died in an avalanche almost a decade ago. The last mo-

ments I spent with him were in 2011, the second year we did “The Shooter.” It was the only year he did the run, but he was overcome with excitement and stoke, so much so that he said, “this is America’s greatest footrace!”

So in 2012 and every time we’ve done the run since, it’s been dedicated to Adam.

This year, even if it was just me and Dave, we were committed to at least some sort of run to the South Six Shooter, to pay proper tribute to our dear friend, who I still cry tears for. He was just that kind of person, one you miss for the rest of your life.

The morning of Thanksgiving, I woke up at our favorite campsite, miles down a dirt road, away from the crowds, and I missed my friends; the ones who are usually there but weren’t this time. There was a feeling of sadness, but right behind that feeling was something else. In addition to the few longtime friends who made it, there were many other casual acquaintances – most of them from Telluride – and several of them wanted to do the run. We decided to do it not as a race, but a group run.

We started off, questing on the soft sand, moving with intention, and a few miles in, that old reliable runners’ high kicked in. I took a break midway, as I had my dog Hope with me and didn’t want her to run too much that day.

(Fortunately, Hope’s favorite place in the world is also mine.)

Later, reunited with my fellow runners, we found ourselves at the base of the tower. We didn’t climb it this year, and with all the other climbers who were on it, we were content to just tag the tower and run back to camp.

Adam Lawton was always the connector, always trying to mix new friends with old. The older you get, the harder that becomes. I’m committed to it, though. I’m committed to continuing to build our community that is centered around a deep love and commitment to the outdoors.

We ran back to camp as a group – just six of us, but six people that shared a journey. Back at camp, more folks from the Telluride crew had shown up. Some asked about the tradition of the run, and we told them about Adam and all the others who contributed to the tradition in the past. That night, we had the best feast I’ve eaten in years, and we all got to know each other a little better around the campfire and the croquet set.

I’ve spent as much time in The Creek this year as ever before. And at the end, I had a nagging finger injury and felt like I’d given everything I had to the place. I left it all on the court, as they say. I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

And as I drove out later that weekend, my eyes filled with tears – not just for what is gone, but for how much is still here in this land of Bears Ears National Monument.

– Luke Mehall is the publisher of The Climbing Zine and host of the Dirtbag State of Mind podcast. Find more of his work at climbingzine.com

Sign of the Downfall:

Thumbin’It The city of Durango announcing the “Great Resignation” will likely affect snow plowing this winter. Well, we’re sure all the area’s totally capable and deft drivers can handle this, right?

Dolly Parton’s global book-giving program, Imagination Library, has expanded to all 64 Colorado counties. It’s unclear when/if La Plata County will join, but we can dream of a grand opening ceremony and concert, can’t we?

Cold War déjà vu after tensions between the U.S. and Russia escalated this week over the possible invasion of Ukraine – because a war with Russia sounds like something we all need right now.

Charlottesville’s plans to melt a recently taken down statue of Robert E. Lee to turn into public art. Now that, if you ask us, is truly an Arc of History.

4 n Dec. 9, 2021

Sad, Butt True

A mountaineer on France’s Mont Blanc was allowed to keep a trove of jewels he found while climbing, worth about $170,000.

And all we’ve ever gotten is a bad case of the flappers and cheese-grates.

A new study that showed the American West could experience years of no snow in 35 to 60 years because of climate change. But… what about skiing? Rafting? And basically being able to live here?

telegraph

The English A.E.O. D.T. (Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team) was dispatched recently to the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital because a patient had been admitted to the E.R. (easy removal?) for having a WWII-era explosive stuck in his rectum. The man reportedly “slipped and fell” onto the huge anti-tank artillery gun round, which is absolute B.S. (butt stuff). The A.E.O.D.T. confirmed afterward that the round wasn’t live, meaning it was an S.B.D. (sensational butt dud), which was lucky for everyone. When one fictitious doctor was asked if the operation nearly killed him, he said, “no, but it nearly wrecked him…”

WordontheStreet With holiday music inescapable these days, The Telegraph asked: “What Christmas song drives you nuts?”

Q

“‘Baby It’s Cold Outside.’

It’s a good song, but it’s also kinda rapey.”

Casey

“When my son sings a parody of ‘Jingle Bells’ that’s pretty graphically vulgar.”

Bonnie

Tiffany

“Most of them. No, actually, all of them.”

Monica

“Where do I start? I guess I can’t stand bad remakes of ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.’”

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“‘Frosty the Snowman.’

But really, they’re all lame.”

George

Dec. 9, 2021 n 5

SoapBox

D-Tooned/by Rob Pudim

Expand the Supreme Court This is a scary moment. This term, the 6-3 hyper-partisan supermajority on the Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments on some of the most consequential cases of our lifetime. These cases open the door to gutting gun safety laws, further rolling back a woman’s right to choose and undermining clean air protections.

Our fundamental rights hang in the balance. But there’s a way to fight back, which is why I’m urging Congress to pass the Judiciary Act of 2021.

The Judiciary Act would rebalance the Supreme Court by adding four new seats, giving us 13 judges in total. It’s just what we need to move away from extremely partisan rulings and make the court a more unbiased institution – and its been done before. In fact, Congress has changed the size of the Supreme Court seven times already in our nation’s history.

It’s time for Congress to get on board with this crucial bill before it’s too late.

– Donald Wiseman, Bayfield

Learning not to divide Listening to a recent episode of “The Engines of Our Ingenuity,” author Andrew Boyd gave a historical look at our coinage in the U.S. and how it represents our culture.

He wrote: “Liberty. Out of many, one. In God we trust.”

U.S. coins offer a fascinating perspective on American culture. U.S. citizens are free to act as they choose – members of a republic founded on individual liberty. Yet, e pluribus unum recognizes that the many must band together as one for the common good. And though the nation strives toward the highest ideals, it constantly grapples with conflicting principles. “In God we trust” is a foundational belief for most Americans, but for some, it violates the separation of church and state. Yet there it appears on one of the great symbols of American power.

As I heard this, I thought about the recent news coverage of Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert who publicly insulted Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Muslim, saying she was part of the “Jihad squad.” What an amazing holiday gift it would be for Boebert to reject the divisive, acrimonious, threatening, accusation-filled rhetoric of the far right, and

6 n Dec. 9, 2021

think about the common good.

E pluribus unum, a republic that stands or falls as one.

All the pseudo-patriotism I see represented by gun-toting, flag-flying “patriots” espousing freedom (but not for anyone with a differing opinion, religion or color) pales in comparison with the real patriotism of someone who can work for the common good by trying to bring us together. Those coins we hold in our hands represent diver-

telegraph

sity and liberty and union. We will struggle, as Boyd notes, with conflicting principles, but we must keep the highest ideal – the common good. Try walking your talk Congresswoman Boebert, and when you talk about “this great nation,” try not to tear down what others before you have sacrificed so much to build up.

– Tim Thomas, Durango

LandDesk

New ‘New Deal’ a pretty good deal Infrastructure and Build Back Better a boon for the West, no matter what Boebert says

by Jonathan Thompson THE NEWS: Rep. Lauren Boebert, who represents Colorado’s Third Congressional District, derides the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (signed into law this month) and the Build Back Better Act (passed by the House and awaiting a Senate vote) as “socialist wish lists.”

THE CONTEXT: Boebert, meet Marriner S. Eccles, who served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve under Franklin D. Roosevelt and was one of the New Deal’s biggest boosters.

In February 1933, at a Senate Finance Committee hearing examining causes of and possible solutions to the Great Depression, Eccles took the stand. The root cause of the nation’s woes, he said, had nothing to do with debt, laziness, extravagance or God and everything to do with maldistribution of wealth: The richest 1% of Americans had amassed 25% of the nation’s cash, leaving one-third of the nation out of work, impoverished and unable to fuel the economy.

Eccles then laid out a plan for getting the nation out of the mire, which included spending billions on public works programs and millions more on a social safety net. He also proposed refinancing farm mortgages and cancelling interallied debts. To pay for it – and further the goal of redistributing the wealth – the top marginal tax rate would be increased substantially. It was every bit as “socialist” as today’s aforementioned bills.

And yet, Eccles was neither a Marxist, socialist, nor even a Democrat. In fact, the Utah Republican was about as capitalist as they come. He was one of the West’s most prominent businessmen, heading up a conglomerate of banks, a three-state dairy company, a major lumber company and Utah Construction Co., which was involved in the building of Hoover Dam. Economic inequality, to him, was less a moral failure than bad for business: If the ultra-rich hoarded all the money, then the masses couldn’t purchase goods, bringing the wheels of capitalism to a screeching halt. Only government could save the economy – and, for that matter, capitalism itself.

And so, the New Deal was enacted later that year with a second phase in 1939. It combined federal spending with financial reform, new regulations and major social programs – many of which endure and which Boebert and her ilk surely would mock if proposed by Democrats today.

The New Deal did just as Eccles had hoped: With the help of a top marginal tax rate as high as 94%, wealth was redistributed and the middle class grew, leading to decades

of American prosperity. And by specifically targeting rural areas, many of them in the West, for public works projects and poverty alleviation, the New Deal helped narrow the urban-rural divide. For better or worse, capitalism was rescued by what some might call socialist programs.

Fast forward to 2021. The U.S. is not in a depression – at least not an economic one – but the gap between rich and poor has yawned beyond pre-Great Depression proportions, politics are pathologically polarized, the populace has been ravaged by a pandemic, and the economy has been thrown off balance by COVID-related restrictions, supply chain snarls and inflation. To address these ills, on Nov. 5, Congress finally ripped a page out of Eccles’ playbook and passed the $1.2 trillion, New Deal-esque Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and now the Senate is poised to

vote on the even bigger Build Back Better Act. At over 2,000 pages long each, the bills are intimidating. But if Boebert were to actually read them, she would find plenty of goodies for the Western U.S. and her constituents in western Colorado. The following list is just a small sampling: • $4.7 billion to plug and reclaim orphaned oil and gas wells.

• $11.3 billion for the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund and another $3 billion to clean up abandoned hardrock mines.

• $350 million for wildlife crossing infrastructure.

•$3.37 billion for wildfire prevention, detection and suppression. And, wildland firefighters will get a pay raise, and 1,000 seasonal firefighters will be converted to permanent, year-round federal employees.

• $2.4 billion for water projects around the West, plus another $300 million to implement the Colorado River Basin Drought Contingency Plan.

Included in the Build Back Better Act: •$1 billion for the Rural Partnership Program to fund rural development.

• $3.05 billion for affordable housing.

• $480 million for energy transition communities, plus $5 billion to enable low-carbon reinvestments.

• $551 billion for clean energy and climate investments.

• Expansion of the child tax credit and free pre-school to every 3- and 4-year-old.

• Expansion of the earned income tax credit to childless low-wage workers, which would amount to a tax cut for thousands of folks in Boebert’s district.

By now, you might be wondering how the heck the government is going to pay for all of this (a question conservatives didn’t ask about the Trump tax cuts for the wealthy, which ended up costing the government –and all of us other non-wealthy taxpayers – trillions of dollars). Instead, it will try to close some loopholes by giving the IRS resources to pursue tax evaders and raising the royalty rate on oil, gas and coal, among other things.

Is this new New Deal perfect? Hell no. A lot of good measures, such as paid parental leave, were stripped out, not by Republicans, but by Democrats. Still it has the potential to transform America in the same way the New Deal did.

Jonathan Thompson is a fourth-generation Durangoan who runs the Land Desk, a thrice-weekly newsletter: visit www.landdesk.org. He is also the author of River of Lost Souls, Behind the Slickrock Curtain and Sagebrush Empire.

We put the “win” into “winter.”

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Dec. 9, 2021 n 7

TopStory

Years ago, the city of Durango planned for the coming popularity of short-term vacation rentals by putting a cap on the number allowed in town, and where they could be located. Now, only a small portion of Durango homes are offered on sites like AirBnB and VRBO./ Photo by Jonathan Romeo

The AirBnB apocalypse Believe it or not, Durango has a housing success story

by Jonathan Romeo

A

s communities across Colorado grapple with an onslaught of short-term vacation rentals through sites like AirBnB and VRBO, the city of Durango, oddly enough, is far ahead of the game when it comes to keeping the popular rentals in check.

Years ago, Durango city officials had the foresight to guess that short-term vacation rentals were going to be the next big thing. And as a result, a years-long, collaborative planning effort reached a compromise on regulations that put a rather strict cap on the number of short-term rentals allowed in town and areas in which the units could be located.

That’s not to say the housing situation in Durango isn’t a nightmare, because it is. According to the latest data, the median home price is $650,000 in the town of Durango and $538,000 in La Plata County, both up about 20% from this time last year. Increasingly, longtime locals are being

pushed out, essential workers like teachers and doctors can’t find housing and, ya know, it’s all kind of altering the character of the town.

But the good news is that Durango avoided even worse problems by reining in short-term rentals before the situation got out of hand, which is happening in so many mountain towns.

Around 2007, the city of Durango began a larger effort to update its land-use code, and with short-term rentals splashing onto the scene, city officials decided to nip the problem in the bud. At the time, Estes Park, for example, had seen almost half its housing stock disappear into vacation rentals.

“To see these horrors going on in other communities, we said, ‘We really don’t want to see that happen in Durango,’” Dick White, a city councilor at the time, said.

The idea, essentially, was to cap the number of shortterm vacation rentals in town but also limit where in town the rentals could be located. Keith Brant was a city coun-

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cilor at the time, but he also owned Durango Premier Vacation Rentals, so he had a stake in both sides. But even though his business is predicated on vacation rentals, Brant said, ultimately, the city landed on a good compromise and healthy balance of available units.

“I think we did a good job saying, ‘We don’t want every home in town to be a vacation rental and we want to protect our neighborhoods,’” Brant said. “And we did that.

We’re never going to have more vacation rentals in Durango than we have now.”

So quickly, here’s how it works. A short-term vacation rental is defined as a unit rented out for one to 29 days at a time. Then, short-term rentals are allowed in only two residential zones in Durango – basically the downtown grid as well as neighborhoods around West Second and Third avenues. In areas like Riverview, Animas City and Crestview, AirBnBs and VRBOs are not allowed.

The regulations, finalized in 2014, set the cap at about 2-3% of the total homes in the neighborhood. So, in all,

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8 n Dec. 9, 2021

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there’s about 120 active vacation rentals in Durango. But, because of the codes, only 40 or so are in residential neighborhoods, about one per block face, which prevents a high concentration in one specific area. The vast majority are located in mixed-use buildings like the Jarvis condos at 10th & Main Ave. If you want to buy a house and turn it into a short-term vacation rental, there’s a waitlist, but available permits don’t turn over very often – only one or two units a year will give up a permit, which is then available for the next in line. The city of Durango also closely inspects to make sure people are operating legally. In 2020, for example, the city found 11 units not permitted and sent warning letters.

In the past four years, only one instance required court action and a fine.

This process, according to Dan Armentano, a planner in the city’s community development department, has been wildly successful in limiting the number of short-term vacation rentals in Durango, therefore keeping those units available for people to live in or rent long term. It also stops someone from coming in and buying up a swath of homes for profit. And, through the permitting process, the units can be taxed properly.

“In Durango, we have this issue well under wraps,” Armentano said.

In fact, Armentano fields calls on a regular basis from other communities in Colorado and across the West on how the regulations work. In Steamboat Springs, for instance, about 40% of units are short-term rentals, compared to just 1-2% in Durango.

“We get a lot of inquiries from other communities dealing with this issue to get some information on how they can emulate our model or at least how we approached it,” Armentano said. “It’s indicative of how effective our regulations have been to this point.”

Indeed, communities across Colorado are struggling hard to reign in short-term rentals, especially as the units become even more popular amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused many people to prefer the privacy of a short-

term rental through AirBnB or VRBO to a hotel.

In Frisco, the town was receiving about 10 license requests a week for new short-term rentals. Residents started a petition to ban some short-term rentals to help ease the housing crunch. While the petition failed, Frisco’s Town Council is considering a cap on new units and likely to vote this April to create a new tax. If passed, it would generate about $1.8 million a year, some of which could be used for affordable housing projects.

In Telluride, which has 790 short-term units, a citizenled effort sought to reduce that number to 400 and create a lottery for permits. Ultimately, the town voted this fall for a two-year moratorium on new rentals. “It has reached a crisis level,” San Miguel County Commissioner Hilary Cooper said at a state task force meeting in October. “Shortterm rental regulation is not going to solve this problem, but it’s one of the approaches we need.”

In an interview with The Durango Telegraph, Crested Butte Mayor Ian Billick said his town put a moratorium on new short-term rentals while a task force reviews its options for regulatory changes, all part of the town declaring a housing crisis this spring.

“Housing was a problem before the pandemic, but obviously, it became worse,” Billick said. “Everyone agrees it’s a housing crisis for our community. We need the essential workforce taken care of, and at this point, it’s a question of how most effectively to do that.”

So yes, Durango’s housing situation is scary for most normal people – prices continue to rise and most new homes being built are luxury estates. But hey, imagine how much worse it would be with an AirBnB/VRBO free for all.

“With all the issues impacting our housing shortage, this isn’t one of them, because the town had the forethought in 2014,” Armentano said. “But yes, we do still have a significant housing shortage.”

And La Plata County itself still has to tackle short-term rentals. The county currently doesn’t have regulations but plans to start drafting codes next year, especially because some units are not being taxed, said spokesman Ted

Whereas Durango got an early jump on controlling vacation rentals, many other resort towns, such as Telluride, struggle with their proliferation. This fall, the town voted for a moratorium on short-term rentals, of which there are close to 800 in the town./ Shutterstock Holteen. One estimate showed there are around 800 units in the county. “The commissioners have this issue on their radar for 2022,” he said.

So, give Durango a pat on the back for taking care of the short-term rental problem. Now, about those second and third and fourth homeowners…

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Dec. 9, 2021 n

9

Shop Local for the Holidays!

'Tis the season to supporting our community by looking local for all of your holida ay gifts and goodies. goodies

It’s that time of year again; inboxes piling up with discount codes, promotional flyers on our doorsteps, commercials highlighting the latest gadgets we never thought we’d need—all enticing us to spend our money with online giants and big-box stores this holiday season.

It’s a campaign designed with intention—offering price cuts so severe, only huge conglomerates, and in many cases retail monopolies, can compete. However, after a strenuous and disruptive year for independent businesses across industry lines, it is important now now mor more than ever to “look local first” this holiday season.

“Shopping locally is critical to the local economy, especially in rural Colorado,” says Eric Eicher, President of Alpine Bank and title sponsor of Local First’s holiday shopping campaign. “By shopping local, we help small business owners put food on their table and continue to create jobs in Southwest Colorado.” Compared to national chain stores and online giants, for every $100 spent at a locally owned business, nearly half goes back into the community and our tax base. For every $100 spent at a chain store, less than 15% is recirculated.

Join us in coming together as a community to ensure that our independent businesses have strong end-of-the-year sales by shopping with them early and often this holiday season. Feel extra prepared to support your favorite local businesses, and discover new ones along the way, by visiting local-first.org/ local-for-the-holidays. There you will find local shopping guides packed with holiday products, promotions, and events from your favorite local businesses and learn your impact impact frfrom shopping local this holiday season!

Local First’s Shop Local for the Holidays campaign has been made possible thanks to the support of our friends at Alpine Bank, Code of the West Real Estate, Wells Group, Durango Land & Homes, 1st Southwest Bank, and Durango’s Downtown Business Improvement District.

SHOP LOCAL, for the Holidays! ppr ented

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We support local and hope you will too!

Treat yourself or someone you love to some fabulous New Eyewear this holiday season!

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First SouthWest Bank is Durango’s locally owned independent communit y bank working to improve the social and economic landscape of rural Colorado. We put loan and deposit customer dollars to work in the Southwest Colorado communities we ser ve.

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Live Creative Studio's Sustainable Business Guide is here to help you spend consciously!

Make a pet's wish come true this holiday season!

Purchase an item from our holiday wish list or trees located at Pet Haus & Creature Comforts. Your gift provides our pets comfort and joy while they wait for their forever homes.

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LA PLATA COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY LPCHumaneSociety.org

10 n Dec. 9, 2021

LIVE CREA ATIVE STUDIO LiveCreativeStudio.com/durango-sustainable-business-guide

telegraph

Durango Farmer's Market 2021 Holiday Market: December 11, 9am - 2pm, at La Plata County Fairgrounds Featuring Local Farmers Bringing their Best Organic Produce, Fruit, Honey, Meat, Mushrooms and Dairy and Lots of Artisans with Beautiful Handmade Local Jewelry, Skin Products, Wall Hangings, Candles, Gifts, Clothing, Pottery and Woodworks.

DURANGO FARMERS MARKET durangofarmersmarket.com

BetweentheBeats

Drop the beat Bluegrass to Burning Man, the musical journey of DJ Omega

by Stephen Sellers

P

ound for pound, Durango offers an amazing acoustic musical punch. On any given night, you can see venues filled with acoustic guitars, upright basses and if you’re lucky (or unlucky to some), the Lord God King Daddy of Twang: the fivestring resonator banjo, belting fringe and standard music sourced from “the hills.” Of Appalachia? Of East Gem Village? No one knows for certain.

What you might not know, is that Durango is also host to a diverse and eclectic underground dance music scene. Techno, house or bass music – chances are on any weekend you can find a public or private event to scoot your electric boot to after hanging out with your family at the bluegrass show.

Thanks in no small part to local promoter Eugene Salaaz, names like Posh Josh, nOOnz, Codestar, Mtn Menace, Ras Daws and Durango wunderkind, Omega, splash across the marquee of the Animas City Theatre regularly. I recently sat down with Del Marie, aka DJ Omega, to learn about her journey into dance music and her excitement for its future in Durango.

Where did you grow up? How did you become interested in art and music?

I grew up in Pagosa Springs. I came to Durango to pursue art and graphic design as a student at Fort Lewis College. I grew up in a very musical and artistically nurturing family. My mom plays ukulele, my dad plays mandolin and my sister plays several instruments. Everyone plays instruments except for me. I was doodling, drawing, and my parents were really supportive of that from a young age, paying for me to go to things like oil painting classes.

Tell me a bit about some of your earliest musical experiences.

Well, my first CD was Sublime! [laughs] I grew up listening to a lot of alternative music and hip-hop: Tupac, Biggie, Deltron, Andre 3000. My parents were into a lot of different kinds of music. My friends and I were always going to the folk festivals in Pagosa, and we were always up there dancing with all of the adults. We just loved dancing so much and didn’t give a damn. My senior year is when I discovered Daft Punk and I was like, “This is it! This is what I love!” And I began to follow my passion for that, seeing all the dance music shows I could.

What was it about dance music that captured you?

There’s such a spirit of unity in the dance music community.

You can find that in a lot of other musical genres, too, but it feels really special in the dance music community. Just total acceptance of people who are all vibing to the same energy and on a dance floor. It’s really special. There’s nothing like the feeling of being on a dance floor at 4 a.m. and just being in the middle of it all.

When did you get more serious about pursuing dance music as both a participant and creator?

Really what changed everything for me was going to a bunch of shows, seeking this music out and finally going to Burning Man. You could be walking around there and see some famous DJ playing for like 50 people or find some anonymous DJ from a small town, like me, playing for hundreds of people.

It just didn’t matter. I love that about dance music. The music is what’s important, not the names or personalities. After that trip, I knew I wanted to pursue DJing, so I talked with my dad about it. He was like, “I think you should totally do this.” I wasn’t sure because I was starting in my late 20s, kind of late, you know. For Christmas that year, he bought me my first mixer and I haven’t looked back. And, now I’m glad I didn’t start till later because if I had started in my early twenties, I would have been playing terrible music! It takes time to build a collection and I’m honestly still working on it.

How did you land on your DJ name?

Omega has always been special to me in this metaphysical way.

It’s the name I’ve used for all my art. But, I also wanted to pick something gender neutral.

Yes, you can get your blues and folk fill in Durango. But did you know there’s also a robust DJ scene for those who want to get down? DJ Omega, pictured here, talks to Between the Beat’s Stephen Sellers all about it. /Courtesy photo So, DJ Dodge Ram wasn’t a contender? [laughs] Not even in the slightest.

What niche do you feel like you musically fit into?

I love house music. I love playing techno, but I also want to throw in some f****** Abba in the middle of my set because it’s so good!

I’ve been at one of your shows when you’ve done that – people went off!

That’s what it’s all about. I want to take people on a musical ride and still keep that element of surprise. I just want to play what I think is good music and stuff that I think is interesting. I’d like to start incorporating more hip-hop or things that people wouldn’t necessarily expect from a house or techno DJ. I also think it’s important to have the feminine perspective on this music because most people who DJ around here are…

White dudes like me? [laughs] Well, yeah. But, I mean that is kind of where we live so that’s fine. But I want to feature music that connects with that feminine energy as well as the masculine. Sometimes I think we’re missing that element out here, musically, so that’s why I love to do what I do.

I’ve been down to Meow Wolf in the past, back when it was just this kind of warehouse with a punk vibe. I personally think Durango can offer something like that, but even better and that’s exciting to me as an artist and as a DJ. For me, there’s no competition for DJing in town. I want to help create a collaborative space where people can feel free and confident to share the things they are passionate about. Durango needs that.

For the latest on Del’s performances and art, check out her Instagram @delmarie.

telegraph

Dec. 9, 2021 n 11

StufftoDo

Thursday09 Mesa Verde National Park holiday open house, 4 p.m. featuring music, food and partially illuminated cliff dwellings.

High Altitude Blues play, 5 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, Vallecito.

Live music, 5:30 p.m.., Diamond Belle Saloon and Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Ben Gibson plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Trivia night 6:30-8:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino Del Rio. Beam Me Up Starlight Trivia, weekly 7:30-9:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave. Geeks Who Drink Trivia, 8-10 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr.

Friday10 BID coffee and conversation meeting, 8:30 a.m., TBK Bank, 259 W. 9th St. Fanny Pack Friday, 2 p.m., Nugget Mountain Bar, HWY 550.

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

Free legal clinic, 4-5 p.m., Ignacio Public Library, 470 Goddard Ave. Bingo night, 5 p.m. every Friday, Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Jack Ellis & Larry Carver play, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon and The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Reed and Spencer play, 6-9 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse, 701 E. 2nd Ave. Shorts Fest, 6:30 p.m., documentary films by Fort Lewis College students. Vallecito room in the Student Union Building.

Cycles with Andy and the Gents play, 7 p.m.

Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka Jr., presented by Durango Youth Theatre, 7 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. Show also features “The Hope and Heartache Diner”, a one-act play presented by Animas High School.

State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara’s “Nutcracker,” featuring the San Juan Symphony, 7:30 p.m., Fort Lewis College’s Community Concert Hall.

Saturday11 Snowdown Follies auditions, chorus line audition.

For more info contact snowdownfollies@gmail.com.

Durango Farmers Market holiday market, 9 a.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. Demo Day, 9 a.m., Purgatory Resort.

12 n Dec. 9, 2021

Smiley Holiday Bazaar, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 1309 E. Third Ave. Also features community holiday music jam.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Animas Museum’s Second Saturday seminar series, featuring Dr. John Boyd’s talk on “The Bankers of St. Mark’s,” 1 p.m. Register at the museum’s website at animasmuseum.org/events.html.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Monday13

Winter Artists Market, 2-7 p.m. Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave..

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara’s “Nutcracker,” featuring the San Juan Symphony, 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., FLC Community Concert Hall.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka Jr., presented by Durango Youth Theatre, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. The 7 p.m. show also features “The Hope and Heartache Diner,” a one-act play presented by Animas High School.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon and The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Jack Ellis plays, 6 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse, 701 E. 2nd Ave. Smelter Mountain Boys play, 6-9 p.m., 11th Street Station.

The Kirk James Band plays, 6-9 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, Vallecito.

Second Saturday Series @ The Indigo Room, featuring local songwriters, 7 p.m., iAM Music, 1315 Main Ave. #207.

Astro Zombies (Misfits tribute band) & The Master Debaters, 7:30 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave. $5 suggested donation.

Sunday12 Open Mic, 1 p.m., Mancos Brewery.

Animas Museum’s holiday open house, 1-3 p.m., at the Joy Cabin and Peterson House on museum grounds, 3065 W. 2nd Ave. State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara’s “Nutcracker,” featuring the San Juan Symphony, 2 p.m., Fort Lewis College’s Community Concert Hall.

Meditation and Dharma Talk, 5:30-6:15 p.m.

Online at: www.durangodharmacenter.org

Tuesday14 7 Rivers Farmers Market, 12 noon, La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. Acoustic Music Jam, 5-7 p.m., all instruments and styles welcome, vaccinated players only, 11th St. Station.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Wednesday15 Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Trivia night, 6 p.m., every Wednesday, Mancos Brewery.

Holiday Extravaganza Burlesque show, Dec. 1519, Telluride Theatre. More info at telluridetheatre.org.

Ongoing The Hive Indoor Skate Park is open, offering open skate and skate lessons. Waivers required. For schedule and online waiver, go to www.thehivedgo.org Heartwarming Soup Sale, every other Thursday starting Dec. 9, 5-6:30 p.m., proceeds support local families, Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave.

Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka Jr., presented by Durango Youth Theatre, 2 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. Show also features “The Hope and Heartache Diner,” a-one act play presented by Animas High School.

After School Programs, thru Dec. 16 and starting again in 2022, Sunnyside & Ft. Lewis Mesa libraries. Info at: 375-3816.

Winter Artists Market, 2-7 p.m. Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave. Event takes place weekends in November and December.

Upcoming

Open Mic night, 4 p.m. every Sunday, Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Bar D Wrangler’s Christmas Jubilee, featuring pianist Adam Swanson, Dec. 17, 7:30 p.m., Fort Lewis College’s Community Concert Hall.

Dustin Burley plays, 5 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse, 701 E. 2nd Ave.

DeVotchKa plays, Dec. 21, 7:30 p.m., Fort Lewis College’s Community Concert Hall.

telegraph

AskRachel

Chex-complex, otter therapy & Hanukkah Hollywood Interesting fact: You think octopuses are clever? Otters store their crab-crushing tool-rocks in a loose patch of skin under their armpits.

Dear Rachel, I overcame the supply chain issues this year by buying up all the Chex cereal that I could find, just in case no more came in. Now I am set for making Chex Mix for the winter. But it’s possible I bought more than usual, so now I can get creative with some of it. What suggestions do you have for innovative Chex mix flavors, additions, editions, versions, that I can either share with friends and family or hoard for myself?

– Chex This Out Dear Chexmate, I’m all for experimentation. I mean, come on, you don’t think I spent all that dorm time back in college studying, do you? But some things are not meant to be tampered with. Green chile cheeseburgers. “Hotel California.” Ski bindings. Chex Mix. Leave well enough alone, will ya? But if you must tinker, perhaps I might suggest playing with which pretzel shape absorbs the most seasoning. Or do a blind taste test at your holiday party to determine which brand of peanuts is most crowd-pleasing.

– Wild times, Rachel Dear Rachel, Do you know anything about octopuses? I’ve started watching videos of these cephalopods, and I can’t stop, and now they are crawling their

way into my dreams. I’m not surprised. They can open doors, remove lids from their tanks, climb into other aquariums and reportedly even climb trees. Unlocking the hatch to my subconscious should be easy. But now I’m starting to develop an unhealthy fear. Like they could be around any corner, even in little landlocked Durango? How can I escape these inescapable creatures?

– Night Terrors Dear Octo-Wuss, You know what I’ve started watching? Videos of otters.

They look perpetually pleased. And they hold hands.

While they float! My quality of life has improved tenfold since I started watching otter videos instead of making obligatory phone calls to my parents, or doing laundry, or anything generally less pleasant than otters. So that’s my solution for you.

– I otter know, Rachel Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com Dear Rachel, You talked about Hallmark Christmas movies last week. Which got me wondering, are there Hallmark Hanukkah movies? Turns out there are.

Just a few. And they’re usually Christmas movies with a couple Jewish people in them. Which sounds about right for the real world experiences of my Jewish friends. I obviously have no idea what you celebrate, but hey, what if we made Durango the Hanukkah movie-filming capital of the world? Let’s start a movement!

– Bag the Bags

Dear Bag Lady, Yeah, isn’t Hanukkah basically the Eight Days of PreChristmas? Not in a religious sense, but in a cultural one?

A whole lot of non-Jewish people would throw a sheet-feet if Hanukkah forced itself on them the way Christmas forces itself on everyone else. Which means: I’m all for filming some epic Hanukkah movies here. We could deck the train out with… okay, I don’t know anything nonstereotypical to suggest here. But so long as we can still eat Chex Mix, I’m game for anything.

– A candle for every octopus arm, Rachel

Algorithm free since 2002.

(A good thing on so many levels.)

Giving you the news the old-fashioned way for nearly 20 years.

telegraph

Dec. 9, 2021 n 13

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky (1932–86) was experimental and innovative and influential. His imagery was often dreamlike, and his themes were metaphysical. He felt that the most crucial aspect of his creative process was his faith.

If he could genuinely believe in the work he was doing, he was sure he’d succeed at even the most improbable projects. But that was a challenge for him. “There is nothing more difficult to achieve than a passionate, sincere, quiet faith,” he said.

In accordance with your astrological omens during the next 12 months, Aries, I suggest you draw inspiration from his approach. Cultivating a passionate, sincere, quiet faith will be more attainable than it has ever been.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware,” said philosopher Martin Buber. How true! I would add that the traveler is wise to prepare for the challenges and opportunities of those secret destinations – and be alert for them if they appear – and treat them with welcome and respect, not resistance and avoidance. When travelers follow those protocols, they are far more likely to be delightfully surprised than disappointingly surprised. Everything I just said will apply to you in the coming weeks, Taurus.

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GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini sleight-of-hand artist Apollo Robinson may be the best and most famous pickpocket in the world. Fortunately, he uses his skill for entertainment purposes only. He doesn’t steal strangers’ money and valuables from their pockets and purses and jackets. On one occasion, while in the company of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, he pilfered multiple items from a secret service agent assigned to protect Carter. He gave the items back, of course. It was an amusing and humbling lesson that inspired many law-enforcement officials to seek him out as a consultant. I suspect that in the coming weeks, you may have comparable abilities to trick, fool, beguile and enchant. I hope you will use your superpowers exclusively to carry out good deeds and attract inviting possibilities.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Many sportswriters regard Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player ever. He was the Most Valuable Player five times and had a higher scoring average than anyone else who has ever played.

And yet he confesses, “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life.” He says the keys to his success are his familiarity with bungles and his determination

to keep going despite his bungles. I invite you to meditate on Jordan’s example in the coming days.

uine. If there are no such characters in your life, go looking for them. If there are, deepen your connection.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In his poem “Song of Poplars,” Leo author Aldous Huxley speaks to a stand of poplar trees. He asks them if they are an “agony of undefined desires.” Now I will pose the same question to you, Leo. Are you an agony of undefined desires? Or are you a treasury of well-defined desires? I hope it’s the latter. But if it’s not, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to fix the problem. Learning to be precise about the nature of your longings is your growing edge, your frontier. Find out more about what you want, please.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): A fashion company called Tibi sells a silver mini dress that features thousands of sequins. It’s also available in gold. I wonder if the designers were inspired by poet Mark Doty’s line: “No such thing, the queen said, as too many sequins.” In my astrological estimation, the coming weeks will be a fun time to make this one of your mottos. You will have a poetic license to be flashy, shiny, bold, swanky, glittery, splashy, sparkling and extravagant. If expressing such themes in the way you dress isn’t appealing, embody more metaphorical versions.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Black is your lucky color for the foreseeable future. I invite you to delve further than ever before into its mysteries and meanings and powers. I encourage you to celebrate blackness and honor blackness and nurture blackness in every way you can imagine. For inspiration, meditate on how, in art, black is the presence of all colors. In printing, black is a color needed to produce other colors. In mythology, blackness is the primal source of all life and possibility. In psychology, blackness symbolizes the rich unconscious core from which all vitality emerges.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the first season of the animated TV series “South Park,” its two creators produced an episode called “Make Love, Not Warcraft.” The story lovingly mocked nerds and the culture of online gaming.

Soon after sending his handiwork to executive producers, Libran co-creator Trey Parker decided it was a terrible show that would wreck his career. He begged for it to be withheld from broadcast. But the producers ignored his pleas. That turned out to be a lucky break. The episode ultimately won an Emmy Award and became popular with fans. I foresee the possibility of comparable events in your life, Libra. Don’t be too sure you know which of your efforts will work best.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Nobel Prize-winning Scorpio author André Gide (1869– 1951) had an unusual relationship with his wife Madeline Rondeaux. Although married for 43 years, they never had sex. As long as she was alive, he never mentioned her in his extensive writings. But after she died, he wrote a book about their complex relationship. Here’s the best thing he ever said about her: “I believe it was through her that I drew the need for truthfulness and sincerity.” I’d love for you to be lit up by an influence like Rondeaux, Scorpio. I’d be excited for you to cultivate a bond with a person who will inspire your longing to be disarmingly candid and refreshingly gen-

telegraph

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “I have pasts inside me I did not bury properly,” wrote Nigerian poet Ijeoma Umebinyuo. Isn’t that true for each of us? Don’t we all carry around painful memories as if they were still fresh and current? With a little work, we could depotentize at least some of them and consign them to a final resting place where they wouldn’t nag and sting us anymore.

The good news, Capricorn, is that the coming weeks will be an excellent time to do just that: bury any pasts that you have not properly buried before now.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In February 1967, the Beatles recorded their album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in London. A man claiming to be Jesus Christ convinced Paul McCartney to let him weasel his way into the studio. McCartney later said that he was pretty sure it wasn’t the real Jesus. But if by some remote chance it was, he said, he didn’t want to make a big mistake. I bring this to your attention, Aquarius, because I suspect that comparable events may be brewing in your vicinity. My advice: Don’t assume you already know who your teachers and helpers are. Here’s the relevant verse from the Bible: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): According to Professor of Classics Anne Carson, ancient Greek author Homer “suggested we stand in time with our backs to the future, face to the past.”

And why would we do that? To “search for the meaning of the present – scanning history and myth for a precedent.” I bring this to your attention, Pisces, because I think you should avoid such an approach in the coming months. In my view, the next chapter of your life story will be so new, so unpredicted, that it will have no antecedents, no precursory roots that might illuminate its plot and meaning.

Your future is unprecedented.

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 www.durangotelegraph.com 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.

HelpWanted Laundry Customer Service 1-2 very responsible, reliable, friendly, multi-tasking, self-directed team players with strong customer service skills are needed! Responsibilities include doing laundry, helping customers, cleaning, etc. ~20-40 hrs/wk. Training is provided. $12.50+/hr DOQ (plus wash/dry/fold commissions of roughly $1-$2+ per hour, tips and free personal laundry)! Nice facility, customers, co-workers and owners!

Please apply in person at the College Plaza Laundry, 509 E. 8th Ave.

Classes/Workshops Spanish Classes Now accepting students for in-person beginner thru advanced. Call 970-3095966 or visit www.espanolahora.net

(970) 799-2202 or email: nancy@sunlitpathcounseling.com centrally located in Durango, free parking.

Marketing Small and Local Businesses Media, website building and content editing, copywriting and editing, newsletters, blogs, etc. for small, local, independent or startup businesses. www.forward pedal.com or email jnderge@gmail.com RSE Handyman Service Home repair yard work odd jobs 970903-0449.

Harmony Cleaning and Organizing Residential, offices, commercial and vacation rentals, 970-403-6192.

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.

HaikuMovieReview ‘Mister Right’ If you meet a guy who seems charming but too good to be true, just run – Lainie Maxson Registered Australian Shepard Puppies Call 505-258-7894.

Reruns Home Furnishings New inventory including good selection of nightstands and side tables. Bar cart, vintage dresser and lots of vintage glass- and kitchenware … Come in today!

572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

CommunityService SJBPH Vaccine Clinics Free vaccine mobile clinic provided by San Juan Basin Public Health in partnership with Jogan Health. Pfizer (12+), Moderna (18+), and J&J (18+) are available. Contact 970-247-5702 or visit https://sjbpublichealth.org/covid-19-vaccine/ for more information.

NewspaperOrigami

BodyWork Lotus Path Healing Arts Now accepting new clients. Offering a unique, intuitive fusion of Esalen massage, deep tissue & Acutonics, 24 years of experience. To schedule call Kathryn, 970-201-3373.

Massage by Meg Bush LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-759-0199. massageintervention.life Voted best massage in Durango 18/19/20. Couples, cupping, local CBD. Reviews on FB + Yelp. 970-903-2984

ForSale

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

Services Counseling services Experienced private counseling by Nancy Raffaele, MA, NCC, LPCC. Sliding scale fee. Free consultation. Call or text:

Antique Victorian Furniture Forest green loveseat, chair and footstool. Reupholstered, excellent condition. $1100.00. Call/text: Suzi 970-779-1374

telegraph

A wreath Dec. 9, 2021 n 15

Work Where You Play FT & PT Positions Available

Receive a FREE season pass, buddy tickets, access to real deal, on-mountain discounts & more! ‹‹ Scan to view open positions.

16 n Dec. 9, 2021

telegraph