Ear to the

ground

“Did you guys know your paper’s not on the street?”

– The most amusing of nearly 100 phone calls following last week’s press problems and the resulting delayed delivery

Flocking to Durango

Durangoans can give their buddies the bird – or several of them – in coming weeks. “Flocking,” an unusual and innovative fund-raiser is under way, and it benefits Durango High School’s Destination ImagiNation team.

In exchange for $25, the DI team will place a flock of plastic flamingos, decked out in beads, hats and feather boas, on the lawn of the boss, boyfriend or arch-nemesis of your choice. A $15 donation buys insurance that the flock will never land in your front yard. And those plastic perverts in the community can call the flock into their own yards for $25. The funds will help the Durango team get to the Destination ImagiNation Global Finals.

Destination ImagiNation offers tournament-style creative problem solving competitions, where student teams all over the world face off to solve the challenges. Durango’s DI team includes seven students and has been creatively solving problems for three years. Two weeks ago, the local thinkers took on all of Colorado and won the state championships. To take the honor, the students designed machines to tear down the Berlin Wall and reunite an estranged family.

Durango DI is off to the Global Finals on May 19 to compete against teams from across the United States and many foreign countries. Durangoans can help offset the $9,000 travel bill by ordering up the Flamingo Flock. The fund-raiser runs through May 17, and you can dial 247-9251 or 749-5540 to call in the birds.

Tuning into TelluRide

Telluride is taking over Nasheville in fairly bizarre fashion. A new country boy band has formed in Music City and is calling itself TelluRide.

The band came together to “create a new brand of country music, rooted in harmonies, musicianship and high-energy stage shows.” They drew their inspiration from the ski town. “The small ski town of Telluride, Colo., represents hard work, excitement and passion,” the band’s publicity states.

A Tim McGraw song of the same name also boosted the band. “The song ‘Telluride’ is about a poor kid moving up to the mountains and working ski lodges,” said lead singer Adam Craig. “We really identified with the song growing up in the mountains in Washington.”