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Ongoing Upcoming

Solar energy efforts showcased
Durango struts its mutts
Durango Cowboy Gathering returns

Submit items for On the Town to: 534 Main Ave., Durango, CO, 81301; fax: ( 970) 259-0448; e-mail: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com ; or fill out this form

Durango Motorless Transit sponsors a group trail run for all levels on the Hogsback Trails. Interested runners should meet at the Leyden St. trailhead at 6 p.m. 382-8005 for details.

Ultimate Frisbee takes place at the Miller Middle School football field at 6 p.m. 375-7313 for details.

The Wild Horse Saloon, 601 E. Second Ave., hosts salsa dancing, including free dance lessons from 7-8 p.m., and a DJ spinning tunes until 10 p.m. 375-2568 for details.

Lisa Blue and Brant Leeper play jazz in the Sidecar Jazz Lounge at Scoot ‘n Blues, 900 Main Ave., at 8 p.m. 259-1400 for details.

Vic spins a club mix at the Lost Dog, 1150 Main Ave., for Service Industry Night at 8 p.m. 259-0430 for details.

The Porchlights, a guitar duo, perform at the Columbine Bar in Mancos at 8 p.m. 533-7397 for details.

Durango Joe’s, 732 E. College, presents Open Mic Night from 8: 30-11 p.m. Sign-ups for music and poetry begin at 8:30 p.m. 375-2121 for details.

Black Pegasus plays live hip-hop for a CD release show at Steamworks, 801 E. Second Ave., at 10 p.m. 259-9200 for details.

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The Southwest Colorado Peace and Justice Coalition holds a peace vigil from 5 to 6 p.m. at the corner of Main Ave. and 11th St. Signs available or bring your own. 259-4185 for details.

Chimney Rock hosts its Full Moon Program, featuring archaeo-astronomy theories, area geology, and Native American flute melodies by Charles Martinez, with the gate open from 5 to 5:30 p.m. 883-5359 for details.

Rhythm Fish plays at Scoot ‘n Blues, 900 Main Ave., with shows at 5:30 & 8: 30 p.m. Tom Maynard and the Animas Jazz Quartet play downstairs in the Sidecar Jazz Lounge at 8 p.m. 259-1400 for details.

Durango Nature Studies naturalist Becky Gillette leads “Hiking the Harvest Moon” from 6-8 p.m. at Purgatory Flats. Gillette will discuss astronomy, botany, area wildlife and nighttime senses. 382-9244 to register.

Steamworks, 801 E. Second Ave., hosts BLU Friday beginning with a 6 p.m. keg giveaway and DJ Link spinning music for a Poetry Slam at 10:30 p.m. 259-9200.

Gary Walker plays favorite jazz standards at the Mahogany Grille, 699 Main Ave., from 6-9 p.m. 247-4433.

This Soul Food Forum explores “The Yin and Yang of the Four Seasons” at 6 p.m. at the Cortez Public Library. 749-4084 for details.

The Jeff Strahan Band plays its “Red Dirt” music at the Westside Bar & Café, 117 W. College, beginning at 6 p.m. 247-9151 for details.

The Durango International Folkdancers meet from 6:30-9:30 p.m. in the Wild Sage Yoga Studio at the Smiley Building, 1309 E. Third Ave. The event includes line, circle and couples dances from many countries. 259-6445.

Irish supergroup Lúnasa takes the stage at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College at 7 p.m. With its intricate, groove-driven acoustic sound, Lúnasa has been called the “hottest Irish acoustic band on the planet.” Visit www.durangoconcerts.com for details.

The 8^th Avenue Surprise Blend plays at the 8^th Ave. Tavern, 509 E. 8^th Ave., at 8 p.m. 259-8801.

DJ Mowgli spins a club mix at The Lost Dog, 1150 Main Ave., at 9 p.m. 259-0430 for details.

The Val Lindsay Trio, alt-country from Santa Fe, plays at the Billy Goat Saloon, located in off Hwy. 160 in Gem Village, at 9 p.m. 884-9155 for details.

The Staboola McPet Quintet plays Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz for a 9:30 p.m. show at the Summit, 600 Main Ave. 247-2324 for details.

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The Durango Farmers Market meets in the First National Bank of Durango parking lot, 259 W. Ninth St., from 9 a.m.-1p.m. www.durangofarmersmarket.org

A Comprehensive Plan Update takes place in Durango City Council Chambers, 949 E. Second Ave., from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. This workshop for residents is a chance to focus on five specific growth issues raised during the update process. Visit www.durangocomp plan2006.org 4

Tara Mandala Retreat Center, located near Pagosa Springs, hosts Meditation Day, an introduction to Buddhist meditation practice, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 731-3711 for details.

The Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College hosts Roald Dahl’s “Willy Wonka,” a children’s theater performance, at noon. The production is presented by The Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration® On Tour. Visit www.durangoconcerts.com for details.

The monthly Contra Dance meets at the VFW Hall, 1550 Main Ave., with dancing from 7:30-10:30 p.m. and live music from the Flagstaff band, Roaring Jelly. A workshop on Hambo, or Scandanavian couples dancing, will also take place from 3:30-5:30 p.m. 259-6820.

Jeff Sweet plays favorite jazz standards at the Mahogany Grille, 699 Main Ave., from 6-9 p.m. 247-4433.

The Jeff Strahan Band plays its “Red Dirt” music at the Westside Bar & Café, 117 W. College, beginning at 6 p.m. 247-9151 for details.

Rhythm Fish plays a second night at Scoot ‘n Blues, 900 Main Ave., at 8:30 p.m. Tom Maynard and the Animas Jazz Quartet return to the Sidecar Jazz Lounge at 8 p.m. 259-1400 for details.

DJ Mowgli spins a club mix at The Lost Dog, 1150 Main Ave., at 9 p.m. 259-0430 for details.

Steamworks, 801 E. Second Ave., hosts Ladies Night with DJs spinning the music of the 70s and 80s at 9:30 p.m. 259-9200 for details.

One Time, countrifunkified roots rock from Winter Park, plays at the Summit, 600 Main Ave., at 9:30 p.m. 247-2324 for details.

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Designated Day of Rest

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The Durango DEVO Team’s junior program, mountain biking for riders from second to fifth grade, meets from 3:30-5:30 p.m. 247-8355 or stescher@yahoo.com for details.

The Youth Ultimate Frisbee Program meets from 4-6 p.m. at the La Plata County Fairgrounds’ north baseball field. 375-7313 for details.

A doing your own divorce and/or custody seminar takes place at 6 p.m. at Colorado Legal Services, 1474 Main Ave., Suite 200. 247-0266 for details.

An open-level Latin/Salsa Dance Party takes place at 8:30 p.m. at the Durango Recreation Center, 2700 Main Ave. No partner necessary. 903-9402 for details.

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The Durango DEVO Team’s junior program, mountain biking for riders from second to fifth grade, meets from 3:30-5:30 p.m. 247-8355 or stescher@yahoo.com.

Braided River Mediation Center, a nonprofit providing free or low-cost conflict resolution and mediation services in La Plata County, offers a volunteer training session from 5-9 p.m. 247-0982, ext. 174.

Alternative Horizons, 46 Suttle St., hosts this month’s Business Women’s Network at 5:30 p.m. The evening includes informal networking, refreshments, and a facilitated discussion. 247-1242.

Ultimate Frisbee takes place at Miller Middle School football field at 6 p.m. 375-7313 for details.

The League of Women Voters of La Plata hosts a 6:30 p.m. public forum at Durango City Hall, 949 E. Second Ave., to help voters come to conclusions before Election Day. Presenters will read and explain each of the 16 initiatives on the ballot and then state pros and cons.

The Abbey Theatre, 128 E. College, screens “Ski Porn!,” the latest film from Poor Boyz Productions, at 7 & 9 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the Adaptive Sports Association. Visit www.poorboyz.com for details.

An Environmental and Community Issues Candidate Forum takes place from 7-9 p.m. at Fort Lewis College’s Center for Southwest Studies Lyceum. The forum will feature Colorado State House of Representatives and La Plata County Commissioner candidates. 903-1472 for details.

The Summit, 600 Main Ave., presents open mic night from 7 p.m.-midnight. 247-2324 for details.

Singer-songwriter Nina Sasaki plays an 8 p.m. show at Scoot ‘n Blues, 900 Main Ave. 259-1400 for details.

The Columbine Bar in Mancos hosts its Tuesday 4

Night Jam at 8 p.m. 533-7397 for details.

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The Green Business Roundtable meets at noon at the Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave., to discuss “Greener Hospitality and Events.” 259-3583 to RSVP.

The Durango Independent Film Festival presents “Street Fight” at 2 & 7 p.m. at the Abbey Theatre, 128 E. College. Winner of awards at the Tribeca Film Festival and four other festivals, the film follows the turbulent campaign of Cory Booker, a 32-year-old running for mayor of Newark, N.J. Visit www.durangofilm.org for details.

The Youth Ultimate Frisbee Program meets from 4-6 p.m. at the La Plata County Fairgrounds’ north baseball field. 375-7313 for details.

The Women’s Resource Center Reading Circle meets at 5:30 p.m. at the Rochester Hotel, 723 E. Second Ave. Anyone interested in discussing The Ghost of Hannah Mendes  is encouraged to attend. 247-1242 for details.

The Carver Brewing Co., 1022 Main Ave., hosts the Powerhouse Pizza Party, a benefit for the Durango Discovery Museum/Children’s Museum, from 6-9 p.m. The event includes all-you-can-eat and a silent auction. 422-2034 for details.

The 12^th annual Pink Ribbon Affair takes place at 6:30 p.m. at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. The event benefits women in breast cancer treatment and includes a survivors’ style show, live and silent auctions, dinner and a surprise speaker. 247-0278 for details.

An open-level Swing Dance Party takes place at 8:30 p.m. at the Durango Recreation Center. No partner necessary. 903-9402 for details.

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The Mountain Studies Institute together with Fort Lewis College hosts the conference, “Climate Variability & Change in the San Juan Mountains: A Stakeholder – Scientist Dialogue,” from Oct. 11-12 in the FLC Ballroom and on Oct. 13 in Silverton. The conference is designed to encourage the development of a “stakeholder-driven climate research, outreach and partnership program” called the San Juan Mountain Climate Initiative. Scientists and local stakeholders will have the opportunity to meet and discuss the implications of climate variability and change in the San Juans. Visit www.mountainstudies.org/conference for details.

Durango Lively Arts Company presents “Wiley and the Hairy Man,” a play by Suzan Zeder, on Oct. 6-7 and 13-14 at 7:30 p.m. and on Oct. 7 and 14 at 1:30 p.m. at the Durango Arts Center, 802 E. Second Ave. In the play, a young boy name Wiley takes his dog into a swamp and is accosted by a very hairy man. His Mammy tells him he can keep away the Hairy Man by tricking him three times. So Wiley uses some magical tricks and confronts the Hairy Man. 259-2606 for details.

The Durango Arts Center, 802 E. Second Ave., shows “The Heart of the Cowboy” exhibit through Oct. 15. The gallery will show works by Will James, historic Western writer, painter, sculptor and screenwriter, Jim Bramlett, well known Western artist and author, and cowboy fineries and necessities from Lisa Skyhorse. 259-2606 for details.

The ICON Sacred Arts Festival runs Oct. 6 - Nov. 3 at St. Mark’s Church. The festival provides a venue for the display of sacred art from artists of all ages and religious backgrounds and encourages artists to express their sense of the sacred. 247-1129 for details.

The Abbey Theatre, 128 E. College, screens “Half Nelson.” The film follows Dan, an idealistic inner-city junior high school teacher with a drug habit and Drey, one of his troubled students, as they stumble into an unexpected friendship. The award-winning picture shows most nights at 4, 6:30 & 9 p.m. “Spirit of the Southwest” continues through the end of September showing nightly at 5:30 p.m. 385-1711 for showtimes.

The Fort Lewis College Art Gallery hosts the David Hunt Annual Ceramics Invitational through Oct. 18. In this fifth annual exhibition and sale by Fort Lewis College alumni and regional artists, 14 new and returning artists utilize varied techniques and materials to create a wide variety of ceramic styles. 247-7167 for details.

The Children’s Museum, 802 E. Second Ave., hosts the new exhibit, “Pushing Your Limits.” The museum explores how people “push their limits” to survive, or just have more fun. Children can crawl into Puebloan dwelling and imagine how it was to live on the edge, wiggle in a full-sized raft, or grind it out on a mountain bike trail. 259-9234 for details.

A new exhibit, “Railroad Boomtown – The San Juan Extension & the Founding of Durango,” is on display at the Animas Museum, 3065 W. Second Ave. The exhibit uses historic photos, maps, newspapers, art and artifacts to commemorate the 125^th anniversary of the founding of Durango and the coming of the Denver & Rio Grande Railway. 259-2402 for details.

Durango BMX hosts races every Sunday (weather permitting) with sign ups from 1 to 2 p.m., and gate practices take place every Tuesday from 5:30 p.m. to dusk. Visit www.durangobmx.com for details.  

The Center of Southwest Studies presents the Mesa Verde Centennial exhibit featuring 11 sections on a variety of themes, including archaeology, rock art (with Hopi interpretation), fire, park ranger life, Navajo stone masonry, pottery (both ancient and contemporary) and tourism bring the story to life. The exhibit will run through late October. 247-7456 for details

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A presentation and question and answer forum on the Durango City Library bonds issue takes place on Oct. 12 at the Durango Recreation Center.

A High Performance Design Training, focusing on sustainable building design, takes place on Oct. 13 at Fort Lewis College. www.colorado.gov/rebuildco for details.

La Plata Electric Association will host an Oct. 13 special “Yard Sale” benefiting the United Way, at its Bodo Park headquarters.

The 3rd Ave Dance Co. presents “Face the Music & Dance” on Oct. 12-14 and 20-21 at the Smiley Theater.

Mesa Verde hosts its Centennial Alumni Reunion Weekend on Oct. 13-15. The event includes three days of music, dancing, tours, lectures and food.

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad will begin service to The Peanuts’ Great Pumpkin Patch on October 14.

Durango Natural Foods will host its 33^rd annual membership meeting at the Durango Recreation Center on Oct. 14.

Singer-songwriter Eliza Gilkyson plays an Oct. 15 Durango Acoustic Music concert at the Durango Arts Center.

The third annual Autumn Brew Banquet and Lavish Live Auction, benefiting the local chapter of the American Red Cross, takes place Oct. 21 at the Durango Arts Center.

The nonprofit Durango Early Learning Center will host its annual Harvest Festival fund-raiser and block party from 2 – 7 p.m. on Oct. 21 at ninth Street and E. Third Ave.

The Center of Southwest Studies is accepting submissions for the 4^th annual Juried Photography Exhibition through Oct. 30. 247-7456 for details.

The 10th annual Durango AIDS Benefit takes place Nov. 4 at the Durango Arts Center and includes dinner, silent auction and dance.

Sherman Alexie, Esther G. Belin, Lisa Lenard-Cook, Steven J. Meyers, William Pitt Root and more will be featured at the Southwest Writers Institute on Nov. 10-11. Visit southwestwritersinstitute.org for details.  

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Solar energy efforts showcased What: The La Plata County installment of the National Solar Tour  Where: Durango and areas of La Plata County When: Fri., Oct. 6, and Sat., Oct. 7 Alternative energy goes into the spotlight in La Plata County this weekend. The National Solar Tour visits Durango on Oct. 6 & 7. Locals have several opportunities to find out how to trim their energy bills by harnessing the power of the sun. Every October, the American Solar Energy Society sponsors the National Solar Tour so people can see for themselves how solar energy can be affordable, comfortable and practical in all kinds of climates. On Friday and Saturday, the national tour comes to La Plata County, and area residents can see homes and businesses that use active and passive solar energy systems. This year’s tour will feature seven homes, a school and a business, seven of which are showing for the first time. The tour kicks off on Oct. 6 with the free presentation, “An Introduction to Solar Energy and Energy Efficiency,” at 6 p.m. in Fort Lewis College’s Noble Hall 130. A panel of experts will discuss integrating solar energy into the home and answer audience questions. The following day, the self-guided Solar Tour runs from 9 a.m. to noon in Durango and 1-3 p.m. in the Bayfield and Marvel areas. Maps will be available at the free presentation and from 8 a.m.–noon at the Durango Farmers Market. Homes on this year’s tour range from modest to luxurious and feature some of the best examples of current renewable-energy technology. Tour goers will also learn about passive solar design, solar hot water heating systems, and photovoltaic technology that can generate electricity both as stand alone units and as part of the larger electrical grid. For more information, contact 588-3641.

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Durango struts its mutts What: The 6th annual Mutt-Strut and Adopt-a-Thon  Where: Santa Rita Park   When: Sunday, Oct. 8 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. It’s time for Durangoans to get out and strut their mutts. The La Plata County Humane Society Mutt Strut is hosting its 6th annual Mutt-Strut and Adopt-a-thon this Sunday. The event takes place at Santa Rita Park, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The day is an animal-filled/oriented day of strutting, festivities, food, contests, prizes and meeting shelter dogs. The event supports our homeless, four-legged friends of La Plata County, with shelter mutts strutting their stuff in hopes of finding new homes. All animal lovers are encouraged to join the fun, whether they currently have a pet or not. People without their own mutts are encouraged to support the shelter by strutting one of ours. The fund-raising event includes an official “Strut” followed by an afternoon of activities, games, local pet-related vendors and obedience/agility demos. A panel of judges will also give prizes for contests including: Best Trick, Best Owner/Pet Look-Alike, Most Obedient, Best Dressed, Best Singer and Best Treat Catch. Complimentary bandanas for your pet and T-shirts are also available. To register for the Mutt-Strut, just stop by the registration table the day of the event. To pre-register, swing by the Animal Shelter 1111 S. Camino Del Rio, or just drop by the registration table on the day of the event. For more information, call 259-2847.

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Durango Cowboy Gathering returns What: The 18th annual celebration of working ranch people in the West Where: All over Durango When: Oct. 5-8 Stetsons, song and swing are taking over Durango this weekend. On Oct. 5-8, the 18th annual Durango Cowboy Gathering rolls into La Plata County. The gathering features evening performances and daytime theme sessions showcasing entertainers from throughout the country. A wide selection of poets and musicians – both established and newly discovered – will grace stages throughout the weekend. “Closet” cowboy poets and musicians also will have an oppor tunity to perform at the daytime sessions. Headlining this year’s gathering is legendary fiddle player, Johnny Gimble. The Gimbles, the “first family” of Western swing, play a show at 9 p.m. on Oct. 6 at the Wild Horse Saloon. This year’s gathering also arrives on a bit of a somber note. Last week, local hatmaker and the original founder of the Durango Cowboy Gathering, Kevin O’Farrell passed away. As a special tribute to O’Farrell, a riderless horse will lead the Cowboy Parade, which begins at 10 a.m. on Sat., Oct. 7. In conjunction with the gathering, the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo opens on Oct. 6 at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. The expo includes three days of clinics, demonstrations, shopping, food and fun. Popular clinicians Julie Goodnight, Richard Shrake, Mike Ross, Jennifer Nisbet and Karen Scholl will share their expertise throughout the event . For more information on the expo, visit www.rockymountainhorseexpo.com. For details on the Durango Cowboy Gathering, log onto www.durangocowboygathering.org.

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