Friendly skies, First Night and Carlton Pride

by Chris Aaland

The Grinch stole Christmas this year. In my case, he came in the form of a bad back, preventing me from a week of pheasant hunting in Kansas. In fact, he put me into the emergency room Christmas morning due to odd swelling on my rib cage that resembled a tumor (thankfully, it wasn’t). Santa’s gift to me? Twenty-two Lortabs and a $100 E.R. deductible.

In the case of my wife and son, the Grinch came in the form of United Airlines. Shelly and Otto had planned a trip to see family in New Jersey. Unfortunately, Mother Nature shut down the East Coast for a few days. (Oddly, her storm was a run-of-the-mill two-footer that we get several times per winter out here, but that’s another story.) Shelly began calling United on Sunday to see if she could reschedule; they said no, that her flight was on time. On Monday’s check-in at the La Plata County Airport, she again asked about a reschedule. The gentleman working at the check-in agreed and made several electronic inquiries. But again, Shelly was told that she had to get on the plane to Denver or face penalties. So my wife – four months pregnant – and 3-year-old son boarded the flight to Denver. Upon arrival at DIA, they were again informed that their flight to Newark was still scheduled. Ten minutes prior to boarding, though, the inevitable bad news came: the flight was cancelled. Shelly and Otto then spent two hours waiting in line to re-book. The earliest they could depart for Newark was Sunday – meaning six nights in a Denver motel at their own expense. The worst part? United refused to reimburse Shelly for the round trip flight to and from Durango, even though she and Otto boarded against their better judgment. Common sense, apparently, is lacking in the airline industry.

If she wants to use the Denver-to-Newark portion of the tickets, she’ll either have to buy new round trip tickets from Durango to Denver or find another way up to DIA.

The Friendly Skies, my big, round ass.

So I picked Shelly and Otto up at the La Plata County Airport at 9:15 p.m. Monday night, 12 hours after I dropped them off for their ill-fated journey. We’ll spend New Year’s here in Durango. A silver lining, indeed.

Ring in the New Year with First Night Durango, an icy street festival that includes performances by the Salt Fire Circus and Mataholla Moon Belly Dancers, a DMR and Inferno snowboard competition, local food and drink, fire spinners, jugglers and more. The whole shebang kicks off at 7 p.m. New Year’s Eve and continues until 1 a.m. on Main Ave. between 10th and 11th. It’s free, although some perks require you to bust out your wallet. Entry to warming tents, for example, will set you back a five-spot. Drop $50 (or $75/couple) and gain entrance to Bubbly, where you can sample sparkling wines and cupcakes all night long, watch festivities from a cozy VIP area and have access to appetizers and a cash bar. If, like me, you’re a peasant scraping for acorns out in the cold, you can catch the first-ever Grand Snowflake Drop from the Durango Office Suites Building on 11th at 10 p.m. (the family drop) and at midnight (the real deal).

New Year’s Eve also marks the unveiling of the latest Lawn Chair Kings lineup – one that now allows them to charge Rolling Stones-like ticket prices. Erik, Dan and Steve are joined by Jeff Moorehead, a string wizard who adds pedal steel, lap steel, dobro and banjo, plus electric, acoustic and slide guitars, to their suburban assault of country and rock … a good thing because the further the Nord can be led away from his Morrissey roots, the better. The Kings hold court at the Abbey on New Year’s Eve, with music beginning at 9 p.m. There’s a $20 ticket charge and a $100 VIP pass (which includes dinner catered by Jerry Martinez of CJ’s Diner and two drinks). All proceeds benefit Del Alma, a local nonprofit focused on positive youth development.

The Durango Arts Center hosts a New Year’s celebration starting at 8 p.m. and ending at 1 a.m., featuring live entertainment, dance lessons, Las Vegas/Rat Pack-style music, food, cash bar, champagne and child care.

Come in from the First Night cold to Carvers and enjoy hot beverages, late-night soups and the bluegrass stylings of Old North State from 9:30 p.m. until well past midnight.

Carlton Pride & the Mighty Zion plays two nights at the Summit, beginning New Year’s Eve. The son of country music legend Charley Pride, Carlton and his crew are the first reggae band to have graced the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. They’ve also performed with the likes of the Wailers, Yellowman, Black Uhuru and the String Cheese Incident. A Dub Rock Band opens, and Rasta Stevie serves as DJ and emcee. Friday’s gig includes complementary appetizers and a champagne toast.

If your New Year’s hangover lasts two days, then join Jackson Tallmadge and the bad boys in the A-Men for a bluegrass and country-tinged gospel brunch from 1-3 p.m. Sunday at the Diamond Belle Saloon. I know, brunch is typically consumed in late morning. But if your band’s timekeeper is LJM, then your watch is set to its own time zone. At least nobody will question your morality if you’re having a whiskey drink at 2:30 in the afternoon.

This week’s Starlight slate includes Salsa Night with DJ Caliente Thursday, New Year’s Eve with DJ Double D on Friday, Smiley Coyote’s Power Hour on Saturday and Musica del Mundo on Sunday.

Also of note: The last Ska-B-Q of 2010 features the acoustic rock of Jason Polk tonight (Thursday, Dec. 30); RedEyedJinn plays the Summit tonight; and DJ Double D hosts the weekly karaoke/Gong Show at the Summit Wednesday.

This week’s Top Shelf list is a short wish-list for 2011:

I hope United Airlines either learns customer service or finally gets taken off the Fed’s life support. We forget these guys went bankrupt in 2002 and George W. Bush and his cronies bailed them out. If not, as Gordon Gano sang in the ‘80s, they can simply “kiss off.” ï®

Silver wings, shining in the sunlight? Email me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.