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by
As always a hearty welcome
to you all. I’d like to begin this week by thanking all
of you who put me one step closer to funding my daughter’s
future education by gambling on the Super Bowl last weekend.
I’m starting to think Sara will be able to go to a school
with the word “state” in its name.
This week, of course, finds us in the midst of that yearly
extravaganza called Snowdown. Or as I like to call it, Yet Another
Excuse to Party in Durango. With so much happening this week,
I thought I’d sift through it all and suggest some of
what I think are the highlights.
Oddly enough, the game of golf figures highly in this winter
shindig. First there is the Disc Golf Tournament on Saturday
morning hosted by KDUR. If you love to play the disc golf, a
game I must insist is nowhere near as challenging as its namesake,
then this is your chance to play and win prizes for your lovely
costume. The tournament starts at 10 a.m. Call 247-7452 for
more information.
If being indoors and less participation is more your speed,
you might want to check out the Miniature Golf Tournament happening
at various bars and restaurants around town Saturday. It is
way too late to get a team together, but you can be in the gallery
at any of the 13 downtown establishments that are hosting holes.
My recommendation is to sit in on the last few holes of the
course as participants will be in their finest of forms by then.
And finally, there is the Golden Tee Golf Tournament at El
Rancho, also Saturday. Ah, Golden Tee, the video game so physically
and mentally taxing that it was recently featured in a Nike
commercial along with cyclists, marathon runners and long distance
swimmers. Anyone who’s logged a number of hours on a Golden
Tee machine knows exactly why the game was in that ad. The Golden
Tee tourney Starts at 11 a.m., but I won’t be involved
as I recently switched to playing only video games that I can
play while sitting on my ass.
 Also
on Saturday is the Feline Fashion Show, which takes place in
the parking lot of McDonald’s. This is your chance to
watch your neighbors and fellow townspeople parade around a
fast food parking lot with their dressed-up cats. This may well
be your last chance to see these folks before the nice men in
white jackets come to take them away. The lunacy begins at 1
p.m.
At 9 p.m. Friday, one can take part in what’s called
a “Hash House Run,” which seems to work like this:
A bunch of people follow one person (who is leaving a trail)
over all of God’s creation to a finish spot where refreshing
libations await. Now this sounds like fun ... gather up a team
of folks, you need not be speedy, and attempt to follow the
trail to the goodies. There will even be a softy run for guys
like me and my friends. The run begins at Steamworks; sign up
by 8:30 p.m.
The Summit has cooked up some cool live music for your Snowdown
festivities. On Saturday the first, Arizona ska favorites Warsaw
will be back in town. Always a fun show, Warsaw is guaranteed
to pack the house and make everyone dance.
It goes without saying, but this is simply a small sample of
the goings on this week, but my guess is if you happen across
half of the things on this Snowdown lowdown, then you’ll
have had a great time.
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Farewell Cher? The woman of many
hair-dos says good-bye to Albuquerque
fans next week. |
This Week’s Sign That Everything May
be OK After All: On Wednesday, Feb. 5, antique diva Cher
will pay a visit to Albuquerque’s Tingley Coliseum on
what is said to be her farewell tour. Now, I realize that the
term “farewell” is often pulled out simply to revive
sagging ticket sales, but in this instance I am left with the
hope that we may never again hear 50-something Cher attempt
a teen-age pop hit. Now if I could do something about that image
of her dancing around naked on a battleship full of 20-year-old
sailors 85 “if I could tuurn back tiiime.”
This Week’s Most Worthwhile Album: No matter his current
incarnation, Will Oldham has always sounded a little sickly
or whiny to me. The latest Bonnie “Prince” Billy
(one of Oldham’s many monikers) album is no exception.
“Master and Everyone” is a great record but casual
listeners will be turned off by the utter lack of any attempt
to draw them in. Much like one of those early Gillian Welch
albums, this one begins shyly and never really opens up after.
With work, though, one finds the beauty in this record –
the sarcastic “Ain’t You Wealthy, Ain’t You
Wise” is soon followed by the haunting duet “Lessons
From What’s Poor,” wherein Oldham claims “wealth
is death, of that I am sure.” Connections such as this
are all over this record and available to anyone willing to
dig deep enough to find them. I have heard this record more
than 20 times, and I keep hearing new sounds or thoughts. That
says a lot of a record that is mostly guitar and vocals. You
can find Bonnie Prince Billy records, plus any of the others
from the Oldham stables, at palacerecords.com
Can I hitch a ride to Cher?
mpsheahan@yahoo.com
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