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By Ted Holteen
T hese are the times that try men's
souls." Sharp one, that Thomas Paine. If he were living the hell
that is Durango in mid July of 2004 instead of merely trying to
inspire an army ready to pack up and go home, he may have written
something entirely different: "My God, it's hot, this traffic is
unbearable, these tourists are annoying and dangerous, and why the
hell am I not summering in Montana?" This is the simple life that
so many of us came here seeking? On second thought, maybe so. Paris
Hilton is on the short list of those who wouldn't blink at a 1,000
square foot home for THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS! I'd get off my
soapbox now, but I can probably rent it out for $750 a
month.
Now that I'm good and
hostile, let's talk boxing. Four Corners residents can be divided
into two main groups: Those who have seen live boxing at the Sky
Ute Casino, and those who have not. Get into the first group -
it'll change your life. You'll have the opportunity on Saturday
night, as the Sky Ute
presents Summer  Meltdown. Including ten amateur bouts, it's a
sixteen-fight card. And yes, they have ring girls. And yes, they
serve beer. And of course, many spectators try to emulate what they
see in the ring, much to the chagrin (or secret pleasure?) of the
ample security force. That said, the action on the canvas is
actually quite good. No household names will be on display, but
young fighters out to make a name for themselves put on a great
show. My pick for the evening is the under-under card, which
features forty-or-fifty-something year old Wolf Hatch of Towaoc
fighting a bag of bones from Denver named Barry Basler. Wolf would
fight a wood chipper if he knew there was a purse on the other
side. Jump on this chance to see him fight before the Colorado
Boxing Commission does and pulls his license. For the second
straight week I recommend an event with a caveat of self-interest.
Yours truly, you see, will be the silver-throated ring announcer
for the night. If nothing else, see what becomes of a big dopey
Swede as he butchers a list of Hispanic names, each belonging to
men (and women) who hit harder than the previous
mispronunciation.
Perhaps I was too hard
on our town earlier. Where else can you enjoy blood sport in a tent
one week and chamber music the next? The official start of
Music in the Mountains
is July 24, and we'll
discuss it at length next week. However, many pre-festival events
go on year-round and especially in the weeks and days preceding the
actual concerts. On Tuesday, do your damnedest to catch Avi
Reichert in the tent at Durango Mountain Resort. It's the first of
two warm-up chamber music performances next week before Saturday's
opening night. Reichert is a former Fort Lewis College Artist in
Residence and is really, really good at playing the piano, which is
good because it's his job. (What a cool job.) Take a break from the
bluegrass hippie jam band scene and see some music. More highbrow
condescension to come next week.
So you're not quite
ready to push in that protruding forehead and hop on the homo
sapiens train? That's OK we've got you covered. Avi's competition
on Tuesday night is the rebirth of the Durango Pro Rodeo . Time was, the Rodeo was a Tuesday
and Thursday only event. But now, near as I can tell, it's calf
roping and barrel-something every other night of the God-blessed
summer. Understand, my  cynicism is born of ignorance. It just
seemed like every year that I was growing up, the rodeo for one
reason or another bypassed Philadelphia and went right on to Tulsa.
I don't begrudge anyone's passion or certainly the way a man
chooses to make a living. Glass houses and all that. If a fella
wants to jump off a moving horse onto a sheep and hogtie it, then I
say rumble young man, rumble. It's become clich`E9 to denounce the
cultural traditions upon which our nation was founded. Logging,
smoking, the Indian problem and industrial "by-products" have all
fallen victim to revisionist historians and those pesky social
reformers. And now, rodeo. Is nothing sacred? But hey, at least in
boxing, both guys get to wear the gloves.
It is altogether
possible that before my next column I will be killed either by
professional fighters or cowboys. If not, I'd love to hear from you
ted@ksut.org. I can't make this stuff up by
myself, you
know.
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