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March 2009

Dirk DePagter talks to Kate Wadley about Hotel Columbia's donation to Telluride Medical Center's Feast. See the videocast at the end of this article.


Dirk DePagter remembers Telluride's wild and wooly days of the 1970s. A  master carpenter/contractor back when, he was hired to do the remodel that transformed a shed owned by the Idarado Mining Company into the building that is now the Telluride Medical Center. What remains of his handiwork is the eastern part of today's structure.

Dirk, who became a developer, is now the proud owner of his first hotel: he and his partners purchased the Hotel Columbia from close friends Jim Lincoln and Jeff Campbell in January 2008.

07 March, 2009 /

Telluride's Nugget Theatre will be showing three films this week, March 6-12. See below for showtimes, and the Nugget website for more information.

Pink Panther 2 is a remake of the wonderful Pink Panther comedy series of years ago, with Steve Martin in the role of Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau. Sight gags and silly humor are the order of the day. To see a trailer go to apple.com/trailers.

Revolutioary Road, set in the 1950s, illuminates the suburban angst of Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) and April (Kate Winslet). Richard Yates' 1962 critically reviewed novel was intended as an indictment of '50s American conformity at all costs. The trailer can be viewed at apple.com/trailers.

Frost/Nixon reprises David Frost's 1977 television interviews with Richard Nixon. The film stars Michael Sheen as Frost, and Frank Langella as the disgraced former president. Sheen and Langella played those roles in the theatre productions of this work in West End, London, and on Broadway. To see the trailer of this powerful portrayal of a significant peice of American history: apple.com/trailers.


07 March, 2009 /

Gritty, soulful guitar slinger/songwriter Tony Rosario is the opening act for the KOTO concert at Telluride's Sheridan Opera House, featuring The John Cowan Band. His hard-hitting acoustic band is Trutone & The Pour Boyz.Tony’s claim to fame includes stints with seminal rock group Firefall,...

06 March, 2009 /

March 6-12

Visible Planets: Morning: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn   Evening: Venus


Planet_medley The Pisces New Moon of February 24th comes to fruition on March 10th at 8:36 p.m. in the Virgo/Pisces polarity at 21º. This happens to be one of the more important Full Moons of the year, as it illuminates and amplifies the ongoing opposition between Saturn and Uranus, an evolutionary imperative in effect from the fall of 2008 through the summer of 2010. Saturn rules form and structure on all levels, from the individual construction of the ego to the collective establishment of government, corporations and society. Uranus corresponds to freedom, innovation, revolution and explosion – it represents the breakdown of outmoded institutions, organizations and systems that comes via sudden, radical, rapid individual and/or cultural change. Saturn rules the laws of classical physics; Uranus rules the quarky realities of quantum mechanics. So hang on to your hats and get ready for the wild March winds of personal and collective snap, crackle and pop. It’s a time for break-ups and breakthroughs, fresh awareness and new awakenings. It’s a time when we are finally ready to let go of what doesn’t work, identify what’s holding us back and blaze new trails on the road of happy destiny. Cultivate courage, keep the faith and may the force be with you!

06 March, 2009 /

Just in time for festival season in Telluride, the provider of our commenting tool has announced the availability of Intense Debate Plugins - new features that make blog discussions even better.  Here at Telluride Inside...

06 March, 2009 /

[click "Play" button to hear Susan's conversation with John Cowan]John Cowan was only 21 when he joined Telluride Bluegrass Festival sensation, New Grass Revival, which  also featured the redoubtable talents of Sam Bush, Bela Fleck and Pat Flynn. For...

06 March, 2009 /

One thing Telluride people love to do is dress up (or cross): witness Halloween, 4th of July parade, Chocolate Lovers' Fling, etc. The In-Drag Race is an annual tribute to TAB's muse, the late Robert Presley. This year's event, another good example, was held on...

05 March, 2009 /

[click "Play" button to hear Susan's conversation with Susan McCormick]

Susan McCormick at Telluride's Stronghouse Studios:

Susan 2003 Susan McCormick is a longtime local who generally maintains a low profile around town. March 5 will different. It will be Susan's once a year day, when her latest paintings go on display at the Stronghouse Studios, 283 South Fir Street, part of the monthly First Thursday Art Walk.

Susan arrived in town in 1979.  Husband Brian works at the water and waste water plant and skis "about one million vertical feet" on the mountain year after year. Susan, a non-skier, lives for the summer festival season and the music, especially Bluegrass. Over the years, like so many locals, she worked a number of jobs: ski Winter Bridge Small area ticket office, Resort Rentals (now ResortQuest) and as realtor T.D. Smith's assistant. For the past seven years, she has collected her paycheck from Jack Wesson and Ben Jackson, owners of Telluride Realty.
The past four years, Susan has also served as a board member on the Telluride Council for the Arts and Humanities, the non-profit voice of the local art scene and sponsor of Art Walk.

Susan began painting as a young girl, inspired by a talented aunt. Today, she works in watercolor and oil to capture the beauty of the Telluride region. She also paints florals and abstractions. What links the disparate themes is a passion for exploring color in seamless and surprising combinations.

04 March, 2009 /

The Telluride Adaptive Sports Program holds its annual "Goin' Cowboy at the Opera" Friday evening, March 6, 6:00 pm until 11:00 pm. Music is by the great Anders Brothers Band, and there will be a live and a silent auction. Check out the TASP website...

03 March, 2009 /

[click "Play" button to hear Susan's conversation with Dr. Jeff Ptak]

Ptak TIO' s next Doer, #464, Dr. Jeff Ptak would never be described as existentially fraught. The man clearly loves his life, laughs easily, and wears his success as lightly as a bespoke suit. Lucky for us this highly accomplished, self-deprecating guy with a furrowed brow and an exaggerated sense of irony also has experience – over 20 years in practice – and talent to burn.

Dr. Ptak regularly swaps several hats: husband, father, skier, and doctor.The one he wears to work is bifurcated: Jeff is the Telluride Medical Center’s dermatologist, charged with translating for patients the jabberwocky of sun blocks and sun screens – do you know the difference? – benign squamous cells and deadly melanomas. He is also Telluride’s new plastic surgeon.

01 March, 2009 /