Ear to the ground

“As they went to the vet to have the dog put to sleep, he coughed up a pair of women’s underwear.”

-Local woman describing a recent trip to the canine emergency room

Return of the gong

Men in drag, Elvis impersonation and conjoined twins covering Madonna will all make their fabulous return to the Abbey Theatre on Feb. 1. If you’re a man in drag, closet Elvis, half a set of conjoined twins or just a local with a gong fetish, the deadline to sign up for the Snowdown Gong Show is coming up quickly.

This event is in its third year and looking for all kinds of bizarre talents to showcase. Whether you can sing, disco dance, yodel, stack plates, clog or gargle the national anthem, you’re encouraged to throw your hat into the ring. Plus, this is one of the rare Snowdown events that offers cash prizes.

And as last year’s emcee, Ted Holteen, explained, anyone can win. “Even if your act consists of a screaming rendition of ‘Howl’ while beating your cat onstage, you can win,” our colleague explained. “It doesn’t even have to be your cat.”

The first step toward cash and glory is this Saturday’s auditions. If you want to get close to the gong, you must contact Jen by no later than Jan. 23 at 259-0226 or by email at gongshowinfo @bresnan.net.

If you fall into the category of Gong Show audience material, mark your calendar for Feb. 1. Doors open at 7:16 p.m. for drinks and dancing; show begins promptly at 8:34 p.m. Plus, you could be selected at random to sit on our panel of celebrity judges as an audience judge.

The calorie cycle

A couple of big cameras rolled into La Plata County last week. Durango’s Tom Danielson, Discovery Channel Team Member, did a little bit of staged road riding for none other than ESPN. The sequences, which were shot in Durango, will be aired on in a program called Sports Figures 2006 in classrooms around the nation.  

The 30-minute show is part of ESPN’s Cable-in-the-Classroom programming. The segment Danielson took part in is called “The Calorie Cycle” and will help young people learn about the ratio of calories consumed and calories expended.

Filming took place at Mountain Bike Specialists, on Ball Lane, the Exxon Station on College, and at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.