Sandbagging since 2002
elegraph the durango
FREE Oct. 22, 2026 Vol. XXV, No. 41 durangotelegraph.com
inside
T H E
O R I G I N A L
I N D I E
W E E K L Y
L I N E
O N
D U R A N G O
&
B E Y O N D
Running on sunshine
Back in the groove
Everyone’s business
Cortez solar project may soon power SWCO ski resorts p8
Ms. Kait returns to stage with soulful Southern sounds p9
In Mancos, spirit of collab keeps things humming p10
2 n Oct. 22, 2026
telegraph
lineup
4 La Vida Local
Get the lead out
4 Sign of the Downfall
Hunters can protect wildlife – and themselves – with nontoxic ammo by Ted Kerasote / Writers on the Range
4 Thumbin’ It 5 Writers on the Range
8
6-7 Soapbox
Running on sunshine
8 Big Pivots
Cortez solar project could power some SWCO ski resorts
9 Between the Beats
by Allen Best / Big Pivots
10 Around SWCO
9
12-13 Stuff to Do
Back in the groove Georgia gospel roots meet jazz and a new musical chapter for Ms. Kait by Stephen Sellers
15 Haiku Movie Review
Better together
On the cover Aspen leaves littering the forest floor signal an end to an autumn that seemed short but sweet this year. / Photo by Missy Votel
Mancos creative collabs strive to keep business humming year round by Betsy Welch / The Colorado Sun
boilerplate
PIT CREW: JENNAYE DERGE jennaye@durangotelegraph.com
STAR-STUDDED CAST: Kirbie Bennett, Allen Best, Stephen Sellers, Lainie Maxson, Jesse Anderson, Rob Brezsny & Clint Reid
T
he Durango Telegraph publishes every Thursday, come hell, high water, tacky singletrack or mon-
14 Free Will Astrology 15 Classifieds
10
EDITORIALISTA: MISSY VOTEL missy@durangotelegraph.com
13 Ask Rachel
DISPLAY ADVERTISING: missy@durangotelegraph.com
VIRTUAL ADDRESS: www.durangotelegraph.com MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 332 Durango, CO 81302
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: www.durangotelegraph.com/ place-a-classified-ad/
LAND LINE: 970-259-0133 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com
MAIL DELIVERY AND SUBSCRIPTIONS: $3.50/issue, $150/year
ster powder days. We are wholly independently owned and operated by the Durango Telegraph LLC and dis-
tributed in the finest and most discerning locations throughout the greater Durango area.
telegraph
Ear to the ground: “I’ve never been asked by so many women for mustache rides.” – One of the unexpected side effects of being Edgar Allan Poe for Halloween
Blanket approach
thepole
5
RegularOccurrences
Always a forerunner in sustainability, Aspen has taken “reduce, reuse, recycle” to new heights. Last spring, after most ski areas said good night to a dismal season, Aspen tucked in its remaining snow, literally. Using space-age insulating blankets made from extruded polystyrene, a common material used for insulation, employees at Snowmass and Buttermilk moved some of the remaining snow into large piles. They then covered them with 82-foot by 32-foot interlinking mats, or “blankets,” made by Finnish company Snow Secure. The goal was to preserve the snow until the following season, thus bolstering snow and reducing the need for snowmaking. And, despite this sounding like something out of Austin Powers meets Warren Miller, the experiment worked! Despite the summer heat, 85% of the snow volume under the blankets remained intact by October, according to Chris Miller, senior vice president of Sustainability, Community & Advocacy for Aspen One, the parent company of Aspen Skiing Co. “This technology allows us to have more confidence and predictability that we’ll be in a place to have the kinds of conditions we want to have when we want to open, while at the same time reducing energy and water use from early season snowmaking,” Miller told Tiney Ricciardi at the Denver Post. “We have purchased additional blankets and the intent is to expand the program.” And turns out, Aspen may be onto something. A recent study predicted that Colorado’s ski season could be shortened by 23-34 days by 2050 due to greenhouse gas emissions. Last winter was a stark reminder of this. Coincidentally, Miller said Aspen had decided to invest in the Snow Secure blankets before the warm and dry winter set in. Miller said even when the temperatures outside reached triple digits, temps below the blanket never broke 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The snow maintained its integrity, too. At the beginning of October, crews groomed it into a pop-up terrain park at Snowmass, where riders grinded rails against the backdrop of golden aspen leaves. Though the pilot was modest, it saved about 3.4 million gallons of water the resort otherwise would have used to make the snow. Although Aspen was the first in Colorado to test the blankets, Miller expects it will be a trendsetter. Now, if they could just make humansized blankets – or maybe even a onesie – for the rest of us to survive the summer. Oct. 22, 2026 n 3
LaVidaLocal Out of sight, out of mind I must confess that I’m an easily smitten human. When fall arrives, I can’t help but marvel at all the leaves blushing in autumn colors around the region. Yet, as someone who spends their time working a retail job in downtown Durango, those autumn leaves become an inconvenience once they hit the ground. Constantly sweeping away leaves during the workday becomes a futile yet unavoidable task. Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate how nature mocks the pretenses of our socalled civilized life. Perhaps that’s my way of coping with cleaning up a pile of leaves for the fifth time in one workday. This fall at work, we started using a leaf blower to cope with the shedding leaves. Since I haven’t used one before, I was oddly eager to try it. The opportunity arrived recently one morning. I powered up the device, aimed it at some brown leaves on the concrete, and I watched them blow away. I went around the shop entrance, letting that forceful gust of air push away unsightly leaves and debris. The tool was satisfying in my hand, I started to feel powerful. Then I paused after realizing the leaves were only being moved a few feet away. That sense of power felt delusional. While continuing that task, I started thinking about the various ways our modern society has concealed unsightly inconveniences. Consider razor blades. Throughout the 20th century, homes and hotels had slots for discarding used razor blades. In the early 1900s, athome razors were introduced by Gillette, and the public was drawn to the convenience. Eventually, people ran into an issue. The sharp, bloody blades remained hazardous when tossed away in the garbage. On top of that, in the mid-20th century it was common to burn garbage and use the ashes for fertilizer. Since razor blades could survive heat, they posed a risk for gardeners. So an alternative solution was created: insert slots in medicine cabinets at home. Once those blades went into
the black hole, people no longer had to worry about them. There’s a post on Twitter (I know it’s called X now, but I’ll disobey billionaires whenever I can) that reads: “Hotels used to have slots in the wall for disposing of razor blades and people were like ‘where do they go??’ and the answer was ‘in the wall.’” It was an indefinite solution with no real end goal. Reader’s Digest explained it in the most Reader’s Digest way: “The idea was that it would take centuries to fill up the space between walls with tiny, single blades. By then, folks reasoned, we would have thought of another option.” Another post on Twitter chalked it up to Boomers being Boomers by writing, “The ‘a problem for the later generation’ generation.” By the 1970s, Bic introduced disposable razors. All those slots in homes and buildings were quietly forgotten, leaving future homeowners with walls full of old bloody blades waiting to be discovered during renovation projects. Perhaps it’s not fair to compare organic matter such as leaves to man-made items like razor blades. I could have cited other examples, including the questionable processes used to conceal radioactive waste throughout the West. The disposal of debris and waste (both man-made and natural) can be summed up with the idiom, “out of sight, out of mind.” That idiomatic phrase inevitably clashes with a proverb about time and tide. Also, while I’m on the topic, does the Strater Hotel have walls filled with Louis L’Amour’s old razor blades? The next morning at work, my co-worker is tasked with using the leaf blower. She looks at the device, and then asks, “Where’s the best place to put all the leaves?” The only answer I can think of doesn’t make sense, yet it does. I gesture widely to Main Avenue and reply, “Just move it away … out there.” Later that afternoon, wind and rain kick up all around us. The leaves get their revenge, covering the outside and inside of the shop. – Kirbie Bennett
Thumbin’It A win for trans rights: In a surprise move this week, the right-leaning Supreme Court blocked Trump’s policy to deny gendertransition medical treatments to federal prisoners. Ska Brewing’s Belgian-style beer won bronze at the Great American Beer Festival last week, bringing the local brewery’s GABF medal count 18. More reckoning for Meta and Mark Yucker, er, Zuckerberg, with a court ordering him to pay $25B to the state of New Mexico for deceiving users on privacy in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The penalty, one of the largest levied against the tech giant, will go toward public education in the state.
4 n Oct. 22, 2026
SignoftheDownfall: Several members of Colorado’s Democratic delegation received letters containing a mysterious white powder this week. Thankfully, everyone already knows not to open suspicious unmarked letters – or to eat apples they get from strangers at Halloween. Groundwater depletion in the Colorado River Upper Basin states (Colorado, New Mexico and Utah) has accelerated sharply since 2019, dropping by some 4.6 trillion gallons. This includes the San Luis Valley aquifer, which has reached a record low. Ballot rejection rates spiked in states with ID requirement laws, according to data from the Voting Rights Lab, a nonpartisan nonprofit. Colorado could be next if we don’t reject Amendment 84.
telegraph
9th-Degree Snack Belt Trump was awarded a 9thdegree black belt in Taekwondo back in ’21, and at the time, all the haters made fun of how long the belt needed to be. And this past 4th of July, Trump was also given a black belt in Kenpo Karate given his obvious mastery of the whole mind/spirit/body thing, but of course, those same haters are being un-American again. They’re saying it’s absurd to award Trump with something honoring physical excellence when he looks more like a retired sumo wrestler than a karate master, but whatever. True, the black belt they gave him ended up looking like a rubberband around a water balloon, but that’s not the point. The haters are wrong because now that Trump has two blackbelts, he can tie them together to make one that fits.
WritersontheRange
Looking beyond lead Nontoxic ammo offers an effective alternative that protects wildlife and people by Ted Kerasote
T
here are about 15 million hunters in the United States (I’m one of them), and an estimated 13 million of us still use bullets made of lead despite its toxic effects on wildlife and human health, which is why I switched to nontoxic ammo years ago. Hunters are not alone in loving lead. The Romans employed lead in their plumbing; Gutenberg made printing type from a lead-tin alloy; and lead-acid batteries worldwide start our cars. Lead is especially suitable for making bullets. Because of its low melting point, lead is easy to pour and cast; it retains its kinetic energy over long distances; and it deforms on impact. But even in tiny dosages, lead is toxic to all living organisms, damaging nervous systems, impairing the creation of blood, harming kidneys and liver, impeding reproduction, and diminishing the cognitive development of children. The amount of lead discharged by hunters isn’t trivial. We spew an estimated 12-to-20 million pounds of lead across America’s fields and forests each year. Imagine 444 fully loaded semitrucks stretching for 6 miles. That’s 20 million pounds of lead. Most of this massive tonnage falls in the shape of shotgun pellets discharged by bird hunters in pursuit of doves, pheasant, grouse and quail. (Waterfowlers were required to switch to nontoxic shot in 1991.) Since birds have no teeth, they pick up grit to grind seeds and plants in their gizzards. Thus, while foraging, they ingest shotgun pellets and can die from consuming as little as one of them. The balance of lead falling upon the American countryside is composed of bullets that have brought down big game animals and prairie dogs. On impact, these bullets shed dozens and
A bald eagle feeds on carrion. Eagles are frequently exposed to the toxic metal through lead bullets, which can fragment into hundreds of pieces when they strike an animal. A 2022 study of bald and golden eagles in North America found that an “unexpectedly high” proportion of the birds suffered from chronic and recent lead poisoning./ Photo Linda Freshwaters Arndt/Alamy sometimes hundreds of microscopic lead shards. A substantial number of these fragments may end up in our steaks and burgers; the rest are left behind in biggame gut piles or in the carcasses of prairie dogs. This feast of lead-scattered remains is subsequently eaten by a wide variety of scavengers. All told, this annual jetsam of lead causes the death of 10-to-20 million wildlife, 15 million doves and other upland birds, tens of thousands of raptors, and countless mammals, such as ferrets, coyotes, badgers, weasels and bobcats. When it comes to human beings, no
one knows how many Americans are harmed by eating meat contaminated by lead bullets. Recently, synchrotron Xray imaging, which can detect far smaller particles than standard X-rays, has revealed that deer and birds downed with lead bullets or lead shot are seeded with nanoparticles of lead that far exceed levels set by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for lead poisoning, especially lead poisoning in children. There is also no safe level of lead exposure, a reality that has led to national bans on lead paint in 1977, lead plumb-
telegraph
ing in 1986, lead shot for waterfowl hunting in 1991, leaded gasoline in 1996, and the U.S. Army’s transition to lead-free ammunition in 2003. Taking all this into account, I made the switch to nontoxic ammunition and have now shot 13 elk and a bison with a variety of Barnes X copper bullets, all of the animals dropping in their tracks, as well as many dozens of upland birds with bismuth shot. I am not alone in thinking that these bullets provide superior accuracy and one-shot kills. American Hunter, one of the NRA’s flagship publications, has unabashedly praised the Barnes line, saying, “Every now and then a new bullet comes along that redefines what we think we know about hunting projectiles.” It’s true that copper ammunition is more expensive than lead (about a dollar more per round), but how many shots do hunters need to fill their tag – one or two? And nontoxic shotgun shells are now priced cheaper than some equivalent lead-shot loads. In this light, I can’t think of a single reason not to switch to nontoxic bullets and birdshot for hunting while we continue to use lead ammunition at rifle ranges, and at trap and skeet fields, where lead won’t enter the food chain. It’s the right thing to do for wildlife and for our own health and that of our families. Yet on Sept. 17, President Trump grandfathered hunting with lead ammunition on 640 million acres of federal lands. The NRA cheered his executive order as a “historic moment.” Ted Kerasote is a contributor to Writers on the Range, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. He has written about wildlife and nature since the 1970s, and his many books include “Bloodties: Nature, Culture and the Hunt” and “Pukka’s Promise: The Quest for Longer-Lived Dogs.” ■
Oct. 22, 2026 n 5
SoapBox Rethink Buckley Park restrooms, brick wall We would like to commend the City of Durango and Buckley Park design team for holding public meetings and publishing developments concerning one of our community’s most important public spaces: Buckley Park. However, we remain concerned that one of the most significant design decisions – the location of the permanent public restrooms – does not reflect concerns expressed by many residents. At all stages of design development presented to the public, the majority of comments centered on locating the restrooms away from the corner of 12th Street and Main Avenue, the principal access to the park. The latest concept plan places the restrooms right at the principal park entrance, at 12th and Main. Buckley Park is much more than a neighborhood park. It is Durango’s central gathering place for concerts, festivals, celebrations, public assemblies and quiet enjoyment. Its entrance at 12th and Main should be open, welcoming and visually connected to the green space beyond. The first feature visitors encounter should not be a blocky restroom structure. Yes, a public restroom is a necessary improvement to the park. The question is whether the proposed location best serves the park. There are other alternative locations deserving of serious consideration. One is locating the restroom midway along Main Avenue between 12th and 13th streets accessing the existing City sewer line as shown on the City’s GIS utility map. This location connects to existing utilities and meets ADA requirements. As would a location at the corner of 13th and Main. Another location would be where the
6 n Oct. 22, 2026
D-Toon/by Rob Pudim public restrooms were originally proposed in the City’s Police and City Hall concept design presented in 2024: on 13th street at the northeast corner of the park near where the current port-apots sit. These alternate locations would preserve the openness of Buckley Park’s primary entrance while keeping the restrooms convenient to the park. A location at the northeast corner, nearer to the police station, would better meet public safety and security concerns. In addition, other proposed design elements deserve reconsideration: the entrance structure and the low brick wall running along Main Avenue and up 12th street. Not only would this cost money that could be used elsewhere, but the wall creates an unnecessary barrier, reducing the openness and flexibility that we currently enjoy. In addition, while it was mentioned in the last meeting that the wall might be able to accommodate temporary fencing, no cost-effective solution has been identified. The entrance structure seems Tinker-Toy-like and appears to replace the existing stone entrance marker, which would be important to preserve. We understand that public safety, security and cost are important elements that must be considered as the Buckley Park improvement process moves forward. The Engage Durango forum provides an important opportunity to examine alternatives before permanent decisions are made. I hope the design team and City officials give these alternatives serious consideration. Apparently, the concept plans are to be finalized in November. Now is the time to ensure that Buckley Park’s principal entrance and borders remain a welcoming, open space in the heart of Durango. – Rich and Betsey Butler, Durango
Anyone but Marx Victor Marx has not earned the governor’s office. He has no experience in elected office or government. Good government runs on records that can be checked and officials who will answer questions. We cannot rely on what he tells us. His campaign website said he rescued more than 45,000 women and children; he now says that number was wrong. He said he called in a strike that killed 70 ISIS fighters; he now says that isn’t true. Asked by 9News how many people he has killed, he answered, “Does it matter?” In a 2021 podcast recording, he laughed as he described grabbing his wife and slamming her into their front
telegraph
door. He says it was taken out of context. Those are his own words, and the recording is online. A governor signs the budget, declares disasters and appoints judges and the people who decide where highway and water dollars go. Small towns depend on the state’s word being good. This isn’t partisan. His two Republican primary opponents, both legislators, called him unfit and a “con man,” and said they would not endorse him. Phil Weiser has been attorney general since 2019. Greg Lopez, a former Republican congressman, is on the ballot as an unaffiliated candidate. Each has a record you can look up. Vote for anyone but Victor Marx. – Kristin Dallison, Bayfield
Measures will protect kids Enough with the scare tactics. Colorado voters deserve an honest discussion about Protect Kids Colorado’s ballot measures. If someone opposes these proposals, explain the objection accurately. Proposition 135 prohibits surgeries intended to alter a child’s biological sex characteristics. Its text includes exceptions for specified medical conditions. Do not turn a surgery prohibition into a claim that all forms of counseling or medical care would disappear. It does not ban counseling care or even hormone medication. Proposition 134 reserves female school and college sports teams for female athletes and permits mixed teams. Protecting female athletic opportunities and treating every student respectfully can go together. The proposal does not require genital inspections, despite claims suggesting otherwise. It does not prescribe a specific method for verifying biological sex. Proposition 133 requires life in prison without parole for convicted child sex traffickers, a strong punishment intended to deter anyone from buying or selling children for sex. Victims forced or coerced into trafficking others are not subject to that same punishment. They retain a legal defense that can prevent conviction. These measures offer protections I believe are necessary: stronger consequences for exploiting children, fair opportunities in girls’ sports, and postponing covered irreversible surgeries until adulthood. Voters can disagree, but the debate should be based on what the proposals actually say, not scare tactics. Compassion and boundaries can coexist. Children deserve both, and voters deserve facts instead of fear. Read the proposals, demand accuracy from both sides. Then vote “yes” on Propositions 133, 134 and 135. – Cam Formby, Durango
Reiss will focus on issues Colorado is facing serious headwinds. Our public schools are largely failing, higher education is in decline, property taxes are skyrocketing, and TABOR – our last line of defense against out-of-control spending – is under continuous assault. Strip away the noise, and a single cause underlies it all: a lack of legislative priority. When everything is important, nothing is important. We need legislators with real executive experience – people who understand the basics, set a limited number of priorities and move those priorities forward.
This election, I am supporting Naomi Riess for House District 59. Her business background enables her to see the big picture and focus on the five or six issues that can meaningfully improve life in Southwest Colorado. We need clear progress on economic development, education, energy/environment, water and health. These are the priorities that matter to me, and I’m glad we have a candidate for HD 59 who recognizes that. – Erik Goodwin, Durango
Flock needs warrant rule I am a member of the Durango Deflock team. We are working with the City of Durango and the Durango Police Department to pass an ordinance that protects people’s privacy from ever-creeping surveillance technologies that DPD continues to introduce. Our requested ordinance includes robust warrant requirements for searching the millions of images that are cataloged and stored in cloud databases. The negotiations, unfortunately, are struggling as our continued request to institute warrants has gone unheeded. Today, police use ALPR cameras and other surveillance technologies to aid in crime-fighting. Unfortunately, these technologies have few, if any, safeguards protecting us from the government’s watchful eye. An ordinance with robust warrant requirements is a critical protection, as American jurisprudence continues to lag behind modern technology. A warrant requirement is reasonable due to the vast amounts of data that this technology catalogs and records every day. No longer does a single policeman stand on the side of a road and snap individual photos of passing vehicles. Nor is this policeman returning to his station and laboriously flipping through pages of such snapshots looking for the golden egg. Today, surveillance uses high speed, high-definition cameras that can take thousands of photos a minute and instantaneously upload them. The surveillance platform then rapidly extracts unique identifying features, which make digital fingerprints of our vehicles and other individual characteristics. These cameras simultaneously upload images of drivers and their passengers. The systems rapidly process and store the images in a database accessible to anyone with a login ID – no warrant required. Officers can rapidly search a database with millions of images in a matter of seconds and minutely track a person’s movements, not only within a city but also across state borders. This information is readily search-
telegraph
able by police and law enforcement thousands of miles away due to a vast interconnected network. Throughout our constitutional history, courts have grappled with technological innovations and the difficulty of adapting the law to such advancements. The 19th century, for instance, witnessed courts resolving issues regarding railroads and telegraphs. The 20th century saw courts aligning the law with horseless carriages, wiretaps and GPS monitoring. Justice Brandies, one of our nation’s foremost jurists in the early 20th century, understood that our Constitution and its laws cannot remain static in the face of ever-evolving technologies. He opined, “general limitations on the powers of government … do not forbid the United States or the states from meeting modern conditions by regulations which, a century ago, or even half a century ago, probably would have been rejected as arbitrary and oppressive.” Today, the judiciary is slowly discerning the invasive capabilities of modern surveillance. In June 2026, the Supreme Court ruled that police must obtain a warrant to obtain a person’s cell phone location data from a third party. The Court reasoned that, “Location history allows police to reconstruct ‘retrospective[ly],’ and with no real effort, people’s comings and goings in any area, enabling tireless and absolute surveillance of any number of people in any number of places.” Most recently, a lower federal court in Oklahoma ruled that a warrant is required for accessing ALPR data. Police themselves are even occasionally acknowledging the dragnet nature of this technology. Recently, the Dallas Police chief admitted that they tracked a fugitive by building “a pattern of life assessment” after reviewing images stored from Flock cameras. Every day, as we move around Durango, more than 20 cameras (DPD refuses to publish exact numbers) track and record our whereabouts. It is time we implement privacy safeguards on these and future technologies. We need not wait for the courts to rule that people have a reasonable expectation of privacy – our U.S. Constitution is a floor, not a ceiling. Durango may, therefore, enact an ordinance that recognizes greater privacy protections than have been determined by courts. It is not only our right but our responsibility to demand a privacy ordinance that mandates rigorous warrant requirements. Please write our city councilors and ask them to insist on a warrant requirement. – Lisa Ferrell, Durango
Oct. 22, 2026 n 7
BigPivots
Solar-powered ski lifts? Major project near Cortez could soon power some Southwest Colorado resorts by Allen Best
C
ome January 2030, four ski areas in Southwest Colorado could conceivably be supplied principally from solar, at least on cloudless days. Called the Valley Range Energy Park, the project proposed east of Cortez calls for 125 megawatts of solar energy supplemented by 62.5 megawatts of battery storage. Developer of the proposed project is Accelergen Energy, based in Austin, Texas. The electricity would be sold to the local Cortez-based electrical cooperative, Empire Electric Association, as well as three others in Southwest Colorado, Gunnison County Electric Association, San Miguel Power Association and San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative. Eric Eriksen, CEO of San Luis Valley coop, calls the project historic. By late 2029, he said, the co-op expects the project to supply about 40% of its annual energy needs. With other projects and sources, the cooperative expects to get 83% of its electricity from renewables by 2030. In addition, the four coops estimate they will amass savings of more than $20 million over the life of the project. San Luis Valley co-op serves Wolf Creek Ski Area, which matches 100% of its electricity use with renewable energy credits through a voluntary program. Gunnison County Electric serves the
Crested Butte ski area, and San Miguel Power serves Telluride and Silverton. (Purgatory Ski Resort is powered by La Plata Electric Association, which gets about 32% of its annual power mix from renewable sources. According to LPEA, these sources include the Dolores Canyon Solar Project, the Sunnyside Community Solar Garden and various member-owned rooftop solar systems, alongside regional hydropower and waste-heat recovery.) All four co-ops that have pledged to buy power from the Cortez project are members of Tri-State Generation and Transmission, which LPEA officially left in April 2026. Other Tri-State members, including Brighton-based United Power, Delta-Montrose and Kit Carson, in New Mexico, also left Tri-State over its longtime ties to coal. Others have given notice of plans to leave. When Tri-State’s plans for a controversial new coal plant in Kansas were finally approved recently, it was a hollow victory. By then, the cost of wind and solar had plummeted, and Tri-State began exploring its alternatives. However, Tri-State’s pivot has been a difficult one. It has coal plants to retire and a shrinking membership. But the solar project near Cortez testifies to TriState’s greater flexibility. It’s part of the Bring Your Own Resource, or BYOR, program. The program allows individual co-
The Alberta Lift at Wolf Creek Ski Area. Powered by San Luis Valley Rural Electric, Wolf Creek partnered with the co-op on the Penitente Solar Project. Using power from that, along with renewable energy credits, the ski area proclaims it runs on 100% renewable power./Photo courtesy Wolf Creek Ski Area ops to generate up to 40% of their own electricity –Tri-State’s former policy limited local generation to 5%. The 125 megawatts of solar in this project were among 310 megawatts in three projects approved by Tri-State in 2024. Tri-State has an additional policy, called 115, that allows cooperatives to provide an additional 20% of their own electricity. These two programs together allow members the flexible opportunity to source up to 60% of their energy. Crucial, though, is the battery component, which gives flexibility in delivering electricity, said Alex Shelley, a communications officer for San Miguel Power. This is not the first solar project for any of the four co-ops. In September, Gunnison County Electric commissioned a 975-killowatt solar array that is expected to produce enough energy to serve the equivalent of approximately 250 homes. This is in addition to Gunnison County’s previously commissioned Oh Be Joyful Solar array near Crested Butte as
well as electricity from the Taylor River Hydroelectric Project. The San Luis Valley co-op also has access to solar electricity from the Penitente Solar Project. Partnering in that project is the Wolf Creek Ski Area, which along with the help of the aforementioned renewable energy credits, proclaims it runs on 100% renewable power. Eriksen points out that the Cortez project would help Tri-State achieve the state mandate of 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 as compared to 2005 levels. The renewables and battery storage also help the economics of his cooperative, reducing upward pressure on rates paid by the members. The Cortez project hopes to secure approval from Montezuma County by December, allowing construction to begin next year. Allen Best is a Colorado-based journalist who covers the state’s energy transition in an e-magazine called Big Pivots. Reach him at allen.best@comcast.net. ■
Our th ins urance? Lo Losing health heal nsur ce? service is Getting kicked Get cked off Med Medica caid? d? FREE! Turning 65 / Enr Turn nroll olling in Medica Med care? e? 2855 Main Ave., Suite A102 www.jayshortinsurance.com
8 n Oct. 22, 2026
telegraph
Call or text Merida or Forrest: 970-382-8147
BetweentheBeats
Getting her groove back After nearly a decade, Kaitlin Kesler-Bosveil is ready to sing again by Stephen Sellers
G
reetings, dear readers! For this week’s “Between the Beats,” I sat down with the local singer you didn’t know you needed to know: Kaitlin Kesler-Bosveil. “Ms. Kait” and her band, The Rougaroux, are gearing up for their debut performance at the downtown Bread Café on Nov. 7. Kesler-Bosveil spent her formative years singing folk and gospel music throughout Georgia and the South. And now, backed by an eclectic and authoritative ensemble assembled by local roots-music polymath Brendan Shafer, she’s preparing to bring her Southern roots and soulful voice to our little corner of the world. I caught up with Kait recently to learn a little more about her musical upbringing, the winding road that brought her to Durango and what it means to find her way back to the stage after nearly a decade away. I hope you enjoy a snippet of our conversation, and as always, see you on the dancefloor! SS: How did you find your way from the red clay of Georgia all the way to Durango? KKB: I had been in Georgia for a while and was looking for something different. My partner at the time and I were both interested in the West. We visited Denver, fell in love with it, and then heard wonderful things about Durango. My partner was also a baker, and there was this great bakery called Bread. It all just kind of made sense. We kept shuffling south and eventually landed here. SS: Have you been involved with music since you were young? KKB: I grew up singing a fusion of bluegrass, country and traditional gospel music in churches from the age of 6 until I was about 19 or 20. We traveled all around the South, singing at homecomings, Sunday services, funerals, birthdays and talent shows. I recorded five gospel albums, mostly local projects, although one was recorded in Nashville. It was everything. It was my whole little world. When I went to college, I pursued education, and music slowed down, as these things happen. There were occasional performances, but music increasingly became something I incorporated into teaching. It’s been years since I’ve had the opportunity to work on a full
Ms. Kait and The Rougaroux project where I just get to sing. It feels like such a coming home. SS: What does your day-to-day life look like here in Durango? KKB: I teach lower elementary at Durango Montessori School in the Smiley Building. I absolutely adore working with children. Working with them is like a performance in the most beautiful ways. You’re teaching academics but also how to be peaceful, stay silly, stand tall and proud, sing the song, and do the dance. SS: What’s it been like getting back into rehearsing and performing with a band? KKB: So warm and welcoming. I’ll shout this from the rooftops: If you have the opportunity to work with Brendan Shafer, take it. I’ve never met anyone with such strong musical knowledge who’s so eager to share it. When he first approached me, I was thrilled but nervous. I hadn’t done this in so long. But that quickly dissipated, and suddenly you’re back to musicians doing something they’re passionate about. SS: Without giving away too many secrets, what can audiences expect from the performance? KKB: I love jazz because it’s so stripped down. It’s almost like our fundamental emotions: sad, happy, hungry, angry, lusting. There’s so much space for stories to be told and complex feelings to
be felt. There’s a simplicity to it, though it’s certainly not simple to play or sing. I’m coming to feel ... and hopefully create space where others can do the same. Let’s share this moment, go through these feelings together, maybe shake a leg, laugh and joke. I’m coming from a place of wanting to connect. SS: How long has it been since you’ve performed a show like this? KKB: I think I was probably 21, and I’m 30 now. What is that, nine years? Sometimes it feels like there’s no more room for surprises, that everything is predictable. Then something like this comes along. How special is that? SS: Do you see a connection between your gospel roots and performing jazz today? KKB: Absolutely. Jazz is tethered so nicely to gospel. Songs like “I’ll Fly Away” and “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” started as gospel and are heard in New Orleans first and second lines. That connection extends to what you’re sharing with an audience. I want to create a moment where we can get in our feels. Music is one of the most special ways we connect as human beings. There’s so much hustle and bustle. We barely take time to look up at each other. Tickets to see Ms. Kait and the Rougaroux are $20 and available at the downtown Bread Café. ■
telegraph
Name that local First one to answer correctly wins a free hot dog.
Oct. 22, 2026 n 9
AroundSWCO
Minding your neighbor’s business Mancos businesses work together to make most of tourist season and the slow months by Betsy Welch / The Colorado Sun
A
t Hand in Hand, you can settle into a comfy window seat with a glass of wine, a deck of cards or a board game, and gaze across the room at colorful shelves of books. If you get peckish, you can order a snack to go with your wine – the bookstore and wine shop doesn’t have a kitchen, but the Boathouse on Grand next door does. The only issue – if you can call it that – is trying not to drip olive oil from the pan con tomate on your backgammon board. When Hannah Sturm and Ren Yates opened Hand in Hand Shop two years ago, they never intended to serve food. But one afternoon when Yates got hungry at work, she called Jenn Stewart, co-owner of the Boathouse, and asked if she could bring over some snacks. “She did, and then she did a few more times, and then it was like, ‘Could this be a thing?’” Sturm recalled. It is now; shoppers at Hand in Hand can order from a small selection of Boathouse snacks, and someone from the restaurant will walk the food over to the bookstore. It’s a small arrangement, but a telling one. In Mancos, businesses have found ways to support one another that go beyond the occasional referral or shared advertisement. They collaborate on products, participate in events and send customers next door. In a town where businesses depend on the same seasonal influx of visitors and a relatively small population, sending customers to a neighbor can be as important as drawing them through your own door. “It’s truly a win-win,” Sturm said. Drawing people downtown For years, the Mancos Visitor Center was tucked away from the town’s main commercial district. Foot traffic was limited, making it hard to connect visitors with the town’s shops, restaurants, galleries and other businesses. That changed this spring when the Visitor Center moved into a shared space with Millie’s, a breakfast spot that opened in May. The building had previously housed a marijuana dispensary and before that, the Millwood Junction restaurant. The move has brought a sharp increase in foot traffic. In 2025, 1,402 people visited the center at its former location. Since the move in May, nearly 4,500 people have walked through its doors, according to Kira Taylor, executive director of the Mancos Chamber of Commerce. The added traffic has allowed the Visitor Center to support a small retail space and art gallery, stocked largely with locally made or sourced products. Millie’s, meanwhile, has sold about 24,000 of its signature puff pancakes since opening. Sharing space with the Visitor Center has been an easy way to connect businesses and visitors, Ralston said. Someone who stops in for pancakes might also pick up a map. Building a community According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, about 7,000 vehicles travel through Mancos on
10 n Oct. 22, 2026
Hannah Sturm and Ren Yates opened Hand in Hand Shop in Mancos in June 2024. In addition to selling books and wine, the owners wanted the shop to serve as a “third space,” somewhere other than home or work where people can gather. /Courtesy photo U.S. 160 each day. This number doubles during the summer months, when visitors arrive to explore the national park and surrounding public lands. Like many Colorado towns, Mancos relies on a seasonal influx of visitors. From May through October, hotel rooms book up, dining rooms fill and shops see their highest foot traffic. In winter, when tourism slows, every business owner feels the strain. Events are one way to bring people to town during the busy season and outside of it. The Mancos BurroFest, which celebrated its seventh year in June, draws about 2,500 people to town. The festival is one of several events organized or supported by the Mancos Creative District, a nonprofit that works to bring people downtown throughout the year. Executive Director of the Mancos Creative District Chelsea Lunders grew up in Mancos, and, like any angsty teenager raised in a small town, she said, “I couldn’t wait to get out.” After graduating from Fort Lewis College, Lunders left Southwest Colorado and returned only to visit her family. During trips back to Mancos, she began noticing changes: a distillery tucked into an alley, a new gallery,
telegraph
a bakery, a brewery, then, a mural of a cowgirl with paintbrushes in her holster. “What’s going on here?” she remembers thinking. The town she had been eager to leave was developing an identity that she wanted to be part of. After nearly 20 years away, she decided to come home. Eventually, she took the job with the Creative District, which grew out of the Mancos Valley Arts Council, founded in the 1990s to support local artists. In 2015, the organization applied to become part of Colorado’s state-designated creative district program and is one of 37 creative districts in the state. The nonprofit’s role extends beyond promoting the arts. It connects businesses, artists and residents, and organizes events that business owners might not have the time or resources to organize themselves. That’s something Kathy Hands, who co-founded Mancos Brewing Co. in 2014, appreciated when she was getting her business off the ground. “Mancos was sleepy (in 2014),” she said. “And when you’re starting your own business, you’re not trying to come up with events. The Creative District has done that for us.”
One example is “Mixed in Mancos,” a music event held during first full weekend of March, traditionally a quiet time for local businesses. Three bands from the Four Corners perform at the Mancos Opera House, and the show is recorded for a live album. For Hands, it’s a perfect arrangement: the Creative District handles the event organizing, while the brewery gets to host songwriter workshops, provide food and drink to the musicians, and throw the afterparty when the album drops. The Creative District organizes other events throughout the year, too. Just after Thanksgiving, it puts on the Mancos Art Market. In 2025, the market featured 53 regional artists and 14 local businesses. Artists reported average sales of $642, while participating businesses recorded $17,205 in sales. “People shopped the artists and then went to every local business and shopped there, as well,” Lunders said. BurroFest is the Creative District’s signature summer event, with a reported direct economic impact of just more than $100,000. Keeping that spending connected to downtown has become a priority. When organizers considered moving the festival to a park outside downtown, business owners pushed back, Lunders said. “They were like, ‘Hey, we’re a part of this, too.’” A compromise was reached: The burros would spend much of the day in a park closer to downtown, then make their way through town, keeping local businesses connected to the festivities. The Creative District also works with the town government, meeting monthly with the town administrator and coordinating event logistics. “Rural communities can have a lot less resources but … what we do have is a lot of relationships,” Lunders said. Better together The connections among Mancos businesses aren’t limited to events or an ad.
Sometimes they show up in the products themselves. At Mancos Brewing Co., the espresso in its Sun Goddess Gold stout comes from Fahrenheit Coffee Roasters, another local business. The brewery also makes beer for El Rio Cantina, a newer restaurant in town. Dwayne Jackson, Hands’ business partner at the brewery, helped El Rio set up its bar – a service the brewery offers to businesses that serve its products, Hands said. Local baker Karen Debonis has also found ways to partner with other business owners. Her business, Companion Bread and Pastry, doesn’t have a brickand-mortar store, but you can find her baked goods in several places: bagels on Thursdays at Zuma Natural Foods and bread used for sandwiches at Millie’s. Just get there before they sell out. The Mesa Verde Motel along Hwy 160 takes a similar approach to connecting visitors with other businesses. The motel gives guests a 10% discount at Millie’s and provides recommendations for local restaurants, shops and activities. Being a “connector,” is part of the job, says motel co-owner Sally Dziedzic. “We have a responsibility to be connectors and champions for other small businesses in our community,” she said. Not getting in each other’s way is another aspect of the job. When Dziedzic plans live music at the motel, she checks the community calendar to avoid nights when other venues – like the brewery – have events. Staggering the programming gives residents the chance to go out without forcing venues to compete. That doesn’t mean Mancos businesses never compete. Each still has to attract customers, manage staffing and make its own operation financially sustainable. But the owners say paying attention to one another – and being willing to collaborate, adapt and adjust – is just part of doing business in a town this small. The limits of small-town life For all the benefits of collaboration, Mancos has a challenge that no amount
An artist paints a burro during the Mancos Burrofest, an event organized by the Mancos Creative District every June. This year, the festival brought about 2,500 people to the town of about 1,300./ Photo courtesy Mancos Creative District of neighborly cooperation can entirely solve: the slow season. At the Mesa Verde Motel, November through April can be a very different experience from the busy summer months. To help keep staff employed, Dziedzic said the motel offers discounts to residents from Mancos, Cortez and Durango to keep the rooms occupied. They also partner with the Boathouse on a stayand-dine package during a season when both can use the help. At Hand in Hand, winter is a time for smaller events aimed at local residents, including fondue nights, cribbage and craft gatherings. “When we started this shop, locals were our focus,” she said. “They’re the ones who will keep your business afloat.” For Mancos businesses, attracting visitors is only part of the equation. They also need to serve the people who live there year-round – a balancing act in a rural community with deep agricultural roots that is also becoming a destination
for visitors, artists and new businesses. The challenge is to make room for that growth while keeping the town a place where locals can afford to live and find year-round work. “We do have to be thoughtful about how we manage growth,” Lunders said. “We have to maintain focus on growing from inside first. And also making room for visitors and balancing that.” In practice, that can mean keeping BurroFest connected to downtown, giving a baker a place to sell bread, or finding a reason for tourists to visit in March. None of those arrangements guarantees a business will succeed. But in Mancos, they give businesses more ways to bring people in – and more reasons for those people to visit the business next door. This story was edited for length and local context. The Colorado Sun is a nonprofit, award-winning news outlet covering Colorado. Sign up for their newsletters, and follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky. ■
Storm ormy weather er ... We’ve got you covered with rain jackets, vests and boots from brands like Patagonia, Bogs and Stio Buy • Sell • Trade • Consign ~ Home Furnishings ~ Clothing ~ Accessories ~ Jewelry Closed July 4 • Open Tues. - Sat., 12 noon - 5 pm • 572 E. 6th Ave. • 970-385-7336
telegraph
Oct. 22, 2026 n 11
StufftoDo
Thursday22 Cribbage, 8-10 a.m., Just the Drip Coffee Shop, 1600 Florida Rd. Elmore’s Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Florida Grange, 656 CR 172 Cancer Support Group, 10-11:30 a.m., Wells Group, 1130 Main Ave. Create Art for People Grieving with the LPC Suicide Prevention Collaborative, 3:30-5 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Submit items for “Stuff to Do” by Monday at noon at: www.durangotelegraph.com/send-us-your-stuff-to-do/
PJ Moon & Chuck Hank play, 4-6 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St. “John Hitchcock: The Land Speaks,” exhibit ppening, 4:30-6 p.m., FLC Art Gallery Spanish Conversation Hour, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Sunnyside Library, 75 CR 218
FLC Homecoming Alumni Mug Crawl, 5:30-7 p.m., Fort Lewis College
“The Unhappiest Place on Earth” Haunted House, 6-10 p.m., Durango Elks Lodge, 901 E. 2nd Ave.
Larry Carver & Friends play, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
The Tarot Masquerade “Where the Veil is Thin,” doors 7 p.m., The Durango Collective, 1315 Main Ave., Unit 204
Dustin Burley plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. “The Unhappiest Place on Earth” haunted house, 6-10 p.m., Durango Elks Lodge, 901 E. 2nd Ave. Pete Giuliani plays, 7-10 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave. Rocky Horror on Stage, 7:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. Alborosie & Shengen Clan Nine Mile Tour 2026, 8 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.
Saturday24
Dart Tournament, 5:30-9 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave.
Bayfield Farmers Market, 8 a.m.-12 noon, Pine Valley Church, 1328 CR 501
Ben Gibson plays, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Durango Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-12 noon, TBK Parking Lot, 259 W. 9th St.
Open Mic Poetry Night featuring Kirbie Bennett, 6 p.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave., Ste. F
FLC Homecoming Tailgate and Game, 10 a.m., Ray Dennison Field, FLC
Durango Winter Sports Hall of Fame, 6-8:30 p.m., VFW, 1550 Main Ave
Japanese Tea Ceremony, 10 a.m.-12 noon, Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
La La Bones plays 6-9 p.m., Durango Hot Springs, 6475 CR 203
Yarn Meetup, 1-3 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Leo - Wild Faith plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.
Trunk or Treat, 1-4 p.m., Durango HarleyDavidson, 750 S. Camino Del Rio
Bluegrass Jam, 6:30-9 p.m., Durango Beer and Ice, 3000 Main Ave.
Family Friendly Mischief Masquerade Halloween Party, 2-4 p.m., Durango Recreation Center, 2700 Main Ave.
“Marley at Mahogany” fundraiser for iAM Music, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Mahogany Grille, 699 Main Ave.
Halloween Craft Show, 2-8 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, 18044 CR 501, Vallecito
Kirtan Chanting with GaiaShakti, 7-8:30 p.m., Pause Yoga Studio, 1970 E. 3rd Ave., Ste. 111
The Healing Practice of Chöd, 4-5:30 p.m., Dreams of Tibet, 988 Main Ave.
Friday23
Adam Swanson plays, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Earlybird Toastmasters , 7-8:30 a.m., Center for Innovation, 835 Main Ave., Ste. 225
Dark Burlesque Masquerade, 5:30 & 8 p.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave., Ste. F
Veterans Coffee, 8-10:30 a.m., American Legion, 878 E. 2nd Ave.
San Juan Circus presents “The Major Arcana,” 5:30 & 8:30 p.m.,FLC Concert Hall
Veterans Hot Dog Friday, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., American Legion, 878 E. 2nd Ave. Homecoming Academic Open Houses, 3:30-5 p.m., Fort Lewis College Fall Fest, 4-7 p.m., Summit Church, 2917 Aspen Dr.
12 n Oct. 22, 2026
Banyan w/ Stephen Perkins, Willie Waldman, Rocky George and Tony Franklin, doors 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr Rocky Horror on Stage, 7:30 & 10 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
Sunday25 Durango Flea Market, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds Kinteel Freedom Swing Golf Tournament, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Hillcrest Golf Club Sunday Record Brunch Club, 12 noon-3 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave. Sunday Irish Jams, 12:30-3 p.m., Durango Beer and Ice, 3000 Main Ave. Jason Thies plays, 1 p.m., Durango Beer & Ice, 3000 N. Main Ave. “Raven & the Dance of Shadows,” artist talk, 2 p.m., Studio & Gallery,1027 Main Ave. San Juan Circus presents “The Major Arcana”, 2 & 5 p.m., FLC Concert Hall “Voices Unbound” San Juan Symphony Chamber Singers, 3 p.m., St. Mark’s Church, 910 E. 3rd Ave. Tai Chi for Beginners 3-5 p.m., Pine River Library, 395 Bayfield Center Dr. Rocky Horror on Stage, 5 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. Matt Lewis plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Blue Moon Ramblers play, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Monday26 Death Cafe, 4-5:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave. Happy Hour Yoga, 5:30 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.
FLC Alumni Awards, 6-8 p.m., FLC Ballroom Matt Rupnow plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Meditation and Dharma Talk, 5:30 p.m., The Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave., Ste. 109, online www.durangodharmacenter.org
Chris Murray plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.
Terry Rickard plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
telegraph
AskRachel
Sign language, hamstrung and pen pals Interesting fact: Changeable letter signs began appearing in North America as early as the 1910s, in large part due to the difficulty in writing big roadside messages with fountain pens. Dear Rachel, I drove by a church in another town recently. It had one of those marquee signs with changeable letters. Its message was “For Example” Is Not Proof. Now this doesn’t even make sense to me. What on earth (or heaven) could cause them to make this church sign? And aren’t examples, by definition, proof? Is using the English language now somehow antithetical to Christ? – See Above Dear 4Instance, If English is the problem, then maybe “e.g.” can be used for proof. It’s Latin, which I’m pretty sure is what Jesus spoke. It is short for “exempli gratia,” which I can’t read because I am neither Roman nor Christ-like. Regardless, it sure sounds like some congregant or other tried to give examples in a way that the congregant in charge of the sign didn’t like. This is a weirdly specific blast, and it makes me think maybe I need to put one of those signs in front of my house. – Cite your sources, Rachel
Dear Rachel, Why do we call hamburgers “hamburgers?” Ham comes from pigs, not beef cattle. Is this a marketing issue? I guess they wanted to help out the hog farmers when someone named them. I don’t have a beef with the name, but its corn-fuzzing. – Corn Meal Dear Patty, I guess not everyone knows that hamburgers were named for Hamburg, the city in Germany whose food we Americans corrupted. (Same for frankfurters and wieners.) Bonus interesting fact: the “ham” in “Hamburg” may come from an ancient word for the bend in the back of the knee, because the city is tucked in a bend between two rivers, and it comes from the same origin as the word for the back end of a pig. So it really is named for ham. OK, I’m done nerding out – for now. – Hamming it up, Rachel
Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com
Dear Rachel, I have a friend who loves giving these exquisite fountain pens as gifts. They make me so happy to write with. She also loves pens. I want to give her similar gifts back. The problem is, I don’t know what to give the person who clearly treats herself to everything she
wants. She gives me a new pen for literally every occasion, including those not on any calendar. How am I supposed to keep up? – Running Dry Dear Well-Inked, You can’t. So either you give her pens whenever you want and know that the giving and receiving is the joy. Or else, start giving her other sorts of gifts. For example – don’t take this as proof – you could use your brand-new front-yard marquee sign to write glowing thank-you messages to her. Or you could just give her gratuitous lessons in etymology. Written in pen. – Word, Rachel
Jazz Church, 7:30-9:30 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.
Durango Deck Collaborative Playing Card Gallery Opening, 6-8 p.m., The Hive, 1175 Camino Del Rio
Healthy Immunity with Mushrooms, Herbs and Foods, Thurs., Oct. 29, 5 p.m., 1701 Main Ave., Ste. C
Joel Racheff plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Jason Thies plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Durango Green Drinks, Thurs., Oct. 29, 5-7 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.
Rocky Horror on Stage, 7:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
Chuck Hank plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Holocaust Awareness Presentation, Thurs., Oct. 29, 6 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 419 San Juan Drive
Tuesday27
Goth Night, 6:30 p.m., The Swarm at The Hive, 1175 Camino Del Rio
Free Mobile Health Clinic, 2-5:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Ongoing
Rotary Club of Durango presents Maria’s Literary Foundation Executive Director Nina Lundstrom, 6 p.m., Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave.
Dementia/Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group, 1st, 3rd & 5th Wednesday of each month, 10:30 a.m.-12 noon, La Plata Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave.
Nathan Schmidt plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Barbershop Singing Tryouts, Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m., Christ the King Church, 495 Florida Rd.
Tuesday Trivia, 6-8:30 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.
NFL Sunday Ticket Football, Sundays thru Jan. 10, 2027, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m., VFW, 1550 Main Ave.
Randy Crumbaugh plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Cheryl Berglund “A Decade of Color, Collage and Play,” thru Nov. 7, Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
Wednesday28 Meditations on Compassion, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave., Ste.109 Trivia Night, 6-8 p.m., Zia Cantina, 2977 Main Ave.
Citizens’ Climate Lobby screens “Secrets of the Forest,” Fri., Oct. 30, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave. Pete Giuliani plays, Fri., Oct. 30, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Barons Creek Vineyards Tasting Room, 901 Main Ave. Yes No Maybe plays, Fri., Oct. 30, 6-9 p.m., Fenceline Cidery, 141 Main Ave. Halloween Extravaganza Night #1 with Yope & Desert Child, Fri., Oct. 30, doors 8 p.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave, Ste. F Three Springs Fall Festival, Sat., Oct. 31, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Three Springs Plaza, 151 Heritage Ln Children’s Halloween, Sat., Oct. 31, 4-6 p.m., Downtown Durango
Upcoming Herstory Printmaking Collective and talk featuring members of the Albuquerque collaborative, Thurs., Oct. 29, 4:30-6 p.m., FLC Center of Southwest Studies
telegraph
Halloween Extravaganza Night #2 with Desert Child & Yope, Sat., Oct. 31, doors 8 p.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave., Ste. F Oct. 22, 2026 n 13
FreeWillAstrology by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): Before Ariesborn Maya Angelou became a celebrated author, she was San Francisco’s first Black female streetcar conductor, a calypso dancer, a cook, a journalist in Ghana, and an actress. She didn’t publish her first memoir until she was 41. She spoke six languages and refused to believe that any single identity could contain her. I offer her as your role model in coming weeks. It’s time to celebrate the wondrous truth that you don’t have to be just one thing. In fact, the astrological omens suggest you’ll thrive by rejoicing in the many disparate selves you are and have been and imagining new ones you might like to add. How kaleidoscopic do you dare to be? TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Realities you’ve been oblivious to will soon pop into view. Hints and signals you’ve been unconsciously deflecting will flock toward you and become impossible to ignore. These are welcome developments! Be gleeful and grateful in gathering them in. And there’s more. A lingering emotional numbness will thaw, and surges of raw feelings will pour into your awareness. You will wake up to at least one mostly pleasant surprise that has been waiting for your attention. At first, it may feel like overload: too much data arriving too quickly. If you’re patient and slowly metabolize the influx, the apparent chaos will weave into a luminous web of understanding. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Is your mental agility a gift or curse? It depends on whether you use it to avoid taking a stand or else deepen your understanding. In the coming weeks, Gemini, I hope you will practice the cagey skill of holding multiple truths simultaneously without letting that multiplicity become an excuse for never choosing or never committing. The goal is to encourage your magnificent mind to serve your heart rather than to override its tender wisdom. I love it when you unleash your clever analysis and it doesn’t devolve into sophisticated evasion. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Astronomers searching for planets around distant stars rarely see the planets directly. Instead, they notice tiny wobbles in the stars or faint dips in their brightness as the planets pass in front of them. You should practice a similar art now. Dramatic evidence may be unavailable, so watch for subtle shifts in mood, timing, synchronicity, and atmosphere. Small disturbances may reveal important influences. Your most useful discoveries won’t come from looking harder but from noticing more gently.
14 n Oct. 22, 2026
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Glassblowers repeatedly place molten glass into blazing furnaces as they shape it. They don’t heat it once and expect it to stay pliable forever. Again and again, they return it to the fire so new possibilities become available. This reminds me of the current chapter of your life story, Leo. Emotional intensity keeps recurring, repeatedly returning you to the heart of the heat and pressure. This may sometimes feel like a test or ordeal, but I think it’s the best way for you to master the crucial lessons and ensure the healing transformations. Be patient as you forge your masterpiece. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Master storytellers know that memorable heroes are admired because they continue moving despite uncertainty. Courage entails a resilient and affectionate partnership with doubt. I hope you’ll remember this if your confidence temporarily flickers in the coming weeks. There’s no need to waste precious energy trying to eliminate every hesitation before taking your next meaningful step. Let your questions accompany your convictions. They may sharpen your judgment. The coming weeks favor brave, thoughtful action, not flawless self-assurance. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): One morning soon, I predict you will open your inner eyes as well as your outer eyes and discover that you feel freer than you have in ages. Old specters that once pestered you will seem powerless. Worn-out customs will have loosened their hold, and an ancient obligation will finally be settled. By some grace that can’t be explained, at least some of the chains you fashioned in your own mind will fall away. What then? Celebrate! Host a personal “Out of Captivity” party, and revel in your newfound liberty. Once you’re ready to make purposeful use of that delightful independence, ask yourself: “Where in my life do I most need a clean beginning?” SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Not so long ago, you got hints that you were on the verge of getting a taste of tantalizing and off-limits treats. Weren’t you ready to accept when the invitation suddenly dissolved? And by now, haven’t you nearly stopped expecting to enjoy another chance? Then imagine if that temptation winds its way back to you soon. When you finally take a bite, it may taste and feel nothing like you anticipated. The wisest move will be to let go of your old assumptions and welcome the experience as it is. My prediction: You’ll be delightedly surprised by how deeply and sweetly it alters the way you understand reality – even if at first it feels disorienting.
telegraph
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Your upcoming challenges call to mind a feat once accomplished by conservationist and entertainer Steve Irwin. No, you won’t, as he did, feed a huge crocodile by hand while holding an infant in your other arm. But you may need to bring together qualities that seem at odds: fierceness and tenderness, a wild spirit and a protective instinct, boldness and love. Luckily, I am very sure you will summon the power and flair to do that. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Ecologists have found that transition zones, like where forests meet meadows or where land meets water, can support high biodiversity. They may include species from both neighboring habitats as well as species adapted to the distinctive conditions in the boundary zone. I propose we make these places your power metaphor for the coming weeks, Capricorn. You, too, can flourish in edge habitats. Instead of feeling compelled to choose one identity, community, philosophy or style, appreciate your role as a translator between worlds. Your greatest gifts may emerge because you refuse to belong exclusively to any single camp. Revel in your fertile in-between-ness. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): After pondering what might bring fresh vigor to your love life, I’ve arrived at an audacious suggestion: Offer a smoldering prayer while making love to a saintly soul in a place you regard as sacred. If that combination proves impractical, try just one or two parts of it: Pray wildly during an intimate encounter; flirt with or even seduce a person of uncommon goodness; kiss and hug and cuddle in a setting that feels holy to you; or speak to the divine in a titillating language you wouldn’t use in a formal religious service. The point is to let sensual delight and spiritual longing meet rather than keeping them apart. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You sometimes regard pleasure like a reward you have to earn through suffering, as if joy were a luxury item requiring payment in pain. But I have an alternate theory: Relaxed glee and earthy enjoyments are essential nutrients that are key to your health. So in my view, denying yourself beauty and comfort depletes you. I hope you will heed my guidance in the coming weeks, which is to treat yourself to almost more fun, happiness, bliss, and amusement than is allowed by law. See if you can break all previous records for rejuvenating delectation. New law of your universe, at least for the next four weeks: The quest for jovial gusto and zesty zeal are mandatory aspirations.
classifieds
Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon. Ads are a bargain at 10 cents a character with a $10 minimum. Prepayment is required via cash, credit card or check. (Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)
Ads can be submitted by emailing: classifieds@ durangotelegraph.com BodyWork Massage by Meg Bush 30, 60 & 90 min Meg Bush, LMT 970759-0199
OfficeforRent
Quiet Room for Rent in health care setting. Internet, beautiful views, deck, parking, W/D. 3750 Main Ave. $575/mo. Avail ASAP. Text 970.799.8670
ForSale Loveseat and Sofa Microsuede brown couches. Asking $300 for both, or you can split them. Call 970-903-2149 for info. Reruns Home Furnishings Refresh your iiving spaces. Small furniture and furnishings, rugs, kitchenwares, artwork and more! Also looking to consign. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat.
Services Chapman Electric Professional, reliable repair and installation. Residential and commercial, new construction and remodels both big and small. Colorado licensed. Mike 970-4036670
Electric Repair Roof, gutter cleaning, fence, floors,. walls, flood damage, mold, heating service
Free Conflict Support Group Oct. 22, 12 noon - 1:30 p.m. via Zoom. Monthly confidential meetup provides space to talk, get perspective and learn ways to handle conflict – work, family, relationships, neighbors, politics or anything else. Facilitated by Dave Albrechta, coach, mediator and integrative lawyer. Email Dave@Tallgrasscollective.org to register and receive meeting link. Survivor of Suicide Loss Day Durango Community Recreation Center, Sat., Nov. 21, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Hosted and led by The Grief Center of
HaikuMovieReview ‘Mayday’ Don’t over think it and you’ll enjoy this Cold War buddy adventure – Lainie Maxson Southwest Colorado, The Cody Project and The La Plata County Suicide Prevention Collaborative. Registration requested: durango-colorado.isosld.afsp.org/ If you or someone you know is considering suicide call/text "988.”
Boiler Service - Water Heater Serving Durango over 30 years. Brad, 970-759-2869. Master Plbg Lic #179917
Wanted Books Wanted at White Rabbit Donate/Trade/Sell 970 259-2213
CommunityService Local Energy Action Fund Grants La Plata Electric Association is now accepting applications for its Local Energy Action Fund (LEAF), a grant program supporting local projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide community benefit. Tax-exempt organizations located within LPEA’s service territory are eligible to apply. Eligible projects may include heat pumps or heat pump water heaters, EV charging infrastructure, induction cooking equipment, energy efficiency improvements, solar installations and more. Grants of up to $15,000 are available. Organizations seeking additional support can apply for up to $25,000 with a 50% co-investment. Applications are open through Nov. 30. Learn more at LPEA.coop/LEAF.
telegraph
New kid on the block? (Don’t worry – the Telegraph is here for you step by step.)
50% OFF one month of display ads* *1/8th page or larger • Ads start at just $80/week! Get your business in front of thousands of adoring fans each week to make sure you’r not a one-hit wonder
For details email: missy@durangotelegraph.com Oct. 22, 2026 n 15
16 n Oct. 22, 2026
telegraph