Ear to the ground:

“Everyone thinks we’re from the EPA.”
– Two visiting Denver businessmen discussing the pitfalls of wearing suits in Durango

Roll Out the Barrel

Beer won’t be the only local offering at this weekend’s Oktoberfest. In addition to serving up the finest in handcrafted brews from all six Durango breweries, the two-day event will also offer up local party fare as well. 

This year, the folks at Local First took on the challenge of offering all local foods at Oktoberfest for the first time ever. While not every ingredient was able to be sourced locally, an amazing amount was.

Easiest to find: cabbage for the sauerkraut. Other locally sourced sustenance to help soak up the suds includes:

- Roasted mini-pumpkins soup bowls (roasting courtesy Homeslice Pizza)
- Beer bratwurst
- Beer mustard (using Durango Bootleggers’ beers)
- Fall squash soup
- Chicken enchiladas
- Squash, beet and potato fries
- Chili sauce with local spices, by Mariana’s Authentic Cuisine
- Potatoes au gratin
- Kale salad with roasted apple vinaigrette & pumpkin seeds
- Apple streusel from New Hat Baking
- Pumpkin bars from Earth Girls

All ingredients used in the above list came from a variety of nearby farms and producers, including: 550 Farms; Adobe House; Dayspring Farms; Doug Sutton; Food for All Farm; James Ranch; Mountain Roots Produce; Sunnyside; Southwest Farm Fresh Cooperative; Tierra Vida Farms; Twin Buttes; and Wild Mesa Farm.

Oktoberfest takes place 11 a.m – 4 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Sunday in Buckley Park. Highlights include a beer hall and oompah music.

Let it flow

Local residents wanting to spill about the Animas River mishap now have a chance to do so – and have their story archived for future generations.

The junior class of Animas High School will be hosting  “Lives Streaming: Voices From the Animas” from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. tonight (Thurs., Oct. 8) at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. Described as a “community listening and empowerment project,” the event is open to community members interested in listening to others or giving their own stories about the disaster.

Interviews will be recorded and archived at the Library of Congress as part of the StoryCorps initiative, which NPR listeners should be familiar with as a regular Morning Edition occurrence. The nonprofit StoryCorps started in Grand Central Station in 2003 with the mission to preserve the oral histories of everyday Americans.

For more information, contact Animas humanities teacher Jessica McCallum at jessica.mccallum@animashighschool.com.

or 970-903-4865.

– XXX