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by Ted Holteen
On July 4, 1776, a group of greedy
farmers and lawyers (we'll call them our "Founding Fathers")
announced to the world that the global population of nations had
just increased by one. Seven full years later, Ben Franklin, John
Adams and John Jay signed a peace accord with England in Paris that
established the United States as an independent nation. For some
inexplicable reason, we observe the former date as our Independence
Day. This is not a history lesson, but rather an attempt to put
into context a collective absurdity. As you ask yourself this
weekend (more than once), "What the hell does that have to do with
Independence Day?" remember that Independence Day itself is one of
the great misnomers on the calendar. With that, I give you the
Fourth of July, Durango style, new and improved.
 Our city fathers, and a
mother or two, have planned what can only be termed as an
extravaganza for Sunday's festivities. Apparently, there is some
serious significance attached to a 228th birthday celebration of
which I was not previously aware. Things kick off with a pancake
breakfast in Rotary Park, sponsored, as luck would have it, by the
Rotary Club. (One of them, anyway) Throughout the day, there will
be a fun run/walk (another misnomer), picnic, parade and street
dance featuring Ralph
Dinosaur and his star-spangled Volcanoes . Also, the city is sponsoring a kids'
sale and swap in the Wells Fargo Bank parking lot. Then, at dark,
some sanity returns as the annual fireworks show lights up the
night with some of the finest Chinese craftsmanship on display.
Don't be overwhelmed the whole schedule is in this issue of
the Telegraph and on the city's website
www.durangogov.org.
Harken back to your school days. Remember how difficult it was
to write a book report on a book that you didn't read? I find
myself in a similar situation in trying to review the film "What the #$*! Do We
Know!?," currently
showing at the Abbey Theatre. The analogy fails, however, in that I
have seen the movie, but the puzzling feeling remains. The film is
an attempt to redirect our thinking to align ourselves with the
world of quantum physics. The movie stars Marlee Matlin as a
photographer (perfect job she's deaf, remember) who comes to what
seems to be a revelation as to her consciousness and place in the
world, or something to that effect. It's heady stuff. The problem
that I had with Marlee's revelation is that it revealed nothing to
me. To be sure, this is one of those movies that needs to be seen
more than once to really get it. This film has generated a
tremendous buzz, and you should not let my inability to comprehend
it dissuade you from seeing it. It has been acclaimed by actual
film critics and moviegoers alike. "What the #$*! Do We Know!?"
shows at 6:15 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, with an 8:30 p.m.
screening added on Sunday and weeknights through July 8.
 On Friday night, after
the movie, the Abbey presents Listen . I don't know a thing about Listen
other than its description of itself. I quote: "elements of
hip-hop, dub, drum & bass, indie rock, funk, electronica and
much more they distort musical boundaries while developing a truly
original style." Saturday brings something a bit easier to
grasp. Alex
Maryol and his band
bring their blues-infused rock to the Abbey, and they'll be joined
by the Ken Valdez Approach in what's being billed as the Escape
from Santa Fe Tour. That sounds sort of like escaping from the
Waldorf-Astoria, but Maryol knows his way around a guitar, and it
should be a terrific show.
When I moved to Durango
in 1995, the finishing touches were being put on a former
schoolhouse on the north end of town that transformed the building
into the Animas
Museum . Sadly, many
of the friends and acquaintances that I have known during that time
have never set foot in the place. There is a clich`E9 that says "to
 know our history is to know ourselves." I'd like to think that that
excludes the rich heritage of the Klan in our area, but to see
Durango as it was at the turn of the century (the previous one) is
fascinating. Robert McDaniel and his staff and volunteers have
assembled three floors of photographs, relics and truly interesting
displays that should be required viewing for anyone who lives in
the area, and more so for the hoards that keep coming. The photos
alone are worth the visit. And speaking of worth, admission is only
2 bucks. The museum is open Monday through Saturday during the
summer until 6 p.m. Hop on the newly biodiesel-fueled trolley and
learn something.
Tell me something good.
ted@ksut.org. Wave that flag; wave it wide and high.
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