Ear to the ground

“I wasn’t going to say anything to your husband, but I saw you soliciting men on the sidewalk last Tuesday.”

-A local woman confronting the Durango Telegraph employee who does the “Word on the Street”

‘Drinking Liberally’ in Durango

Pints and politics are coming together in Durango. A new “Drinking Liberally” club has formed locally. The club’s theme is “Promoting Democracy One Pint at a Time” and hosts its first meeting at 6 p.m. on June 20 at Joel’s.

“Drinking Liberally” clubs are pouring out across the country. They are menat to create welcoming social spaces around progressive politics and bring together activists, newcomers and everyone in between. The meetings are open to everyone willing to engage in open, freewheeling democratic debate, and there are no fees, no membership dues, no endorsements.

“What better way to share your ideas than by sharing a pitcher?” asked Justin Krebs, one of the club’s founders. “Politics shouldn’t be reserved for rooms with fluorescent lighting – we need it in our everyday lives.”

Krebs added that inebriation isn’t the end goal; engagement is. Organizers see these gatherings as an easy first step toward greater political involvement as Liberal Drinkers learn from each other, trade talking points and form bonds that become political fuel during election season. Local elected officials, congressmen, and even governor have been known to drop by these club meetings to hoist a pint and engage in some old-style 18th century bar-room politicking.

Drinking Liberally began with one chapter in 2003 and has since expanded dramatically. Durango’s Drinking Liberally chapter, hosted by the La Plata Dems, will be chapter number 213 when it holds an inaugural meeting on June 20.

Hermosa Creek headlines

The Hermosa Creek Trail got some big ink recently. Papers all over the country have picked up a story by Stephen Trimble, of the Universal Press Syndicate, which describes a Western Spirit bicycle tour between Telluride and Durango.

Opening the story is a discussion of the trip down Hermosa Creek, where Trimble, a mountain biking neophyte, writes, “Most of today’s ‘perfect’ ride consists of this foot-wide, fir-needled path cut into the steep flank of the canyon ... It’s not hard — if you maintain control, take care to stay on the path and make no mistakes.”

Trimble describes Hermosa Creek in detail, while briefly mentioning the riding around Telluride.