Ear to the ground:

“It’s like Burning Man on the water.”
– Out-of-towner’s take on the Telegraph’s Animas River Days Parade photos

The final frame

After 15 years, the Open Shutter Gallery will be putting the lens cap on its downtown operations.

On Wednesday, the popular Main Avenue exhibit, retail and gathering space, owned by Margy Dudley, announced it will indeed be closing its shutters Nov. 30.

In an email, the gallery said it will be “going in a new direction” and will continue doing business online at www.openshuttergallery.com and by appointment.

Since opening, the gallery has featured images from such internationally known heavy hitters as Alfred Steiglitz, Annie Leibowitz, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Luis Gonzales Palma. While often featuring classic black and white shots, Open Shutter also showcased modern works and concepts, such as an Instagram show.

Despite its impending closure, the Open Shutter will continue to offer exhibits throughout the summer and fall including: Beth Moon,  July 15 – Sept. 14; and Holly Roberts, Sept. 16 – Nov. 30. The Red Room Gallery will feature the works of local artists Jeremy Wade Shockley, Paul Boyer, Ilze Aviks and Dudley.

Hot on the trail

Things may be heating up in town, but up north, the San Juans are just shrugging off the last of their winter coat. To celebrate the unofficial kick-off to the high country summer season – and all the hiking, biking, camping, climbing and trail running that goes with it –  Backcountry Experience will be hosting its first-ever  Colorado Trail Days, June 24-26. The three-day event will feature free demos and educational clinics such as “Tips & Tricks From a Thru-Hiker,” “Leave No Trace,” “Wilderness First Aid” and “Map and Compass Skills.” The festivities will also include Backcountry’s annual Tent City as well as presentations from various CT thru-hikers. 

But Colorado Trail Days isn’t just for those who have completed or have aspirations to complete the 498-mile trek. The clinics and demos will be targeted toward beginner and expert backpackers alike. 

“It will be a celebration of the summer hiking and backpacking season in Colorado for the whole family,” Backcountry spokeswoman Margaret Hederman said. “We’re trying to bring in as many local businesses and non-profits as we can to help put this on.”

In addition to the events, there will be free schwag and prize drawings for even better schwag. Proceeds from sales of prize tickets will go to the Colorado Trail Foundation.

Other sponsors include MSR, Osprey and Outdoor Research. For more information or a list of events go to www.bcexp.com/traildays.