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Author: Susan Viebrock

[click "Play" to hear Susan's conversation with Dan Mooney]

IMG_2051 Crow Canyon may just a hop, skip and a jump from Telluride, but this world-class archaeological research center represents a long march back in time to explore the rich history of the ancestral Pueblo Indians commonly known as the Anasazi.

Experiential education is at the heart of Crow Canyon's mission, and on June 16,  8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., the Center, in conjunction with the Telluride Historical Museum, plans to pull out all the stops for a select group of Telluride locals.
08 June, 2010 /
[click "Play" to hear Shelton Johnson's conversation with Susan]

DSC_0406z_0 Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns is a board member of Mountainfilm in Telluride, where his series, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" premiered in 2009. Among the many noteworthy individuals featured in the Burn's classic-in the-making is Yosemite National Park Ranger extraordinaire and author/poet Shelton Johnson.

Shelton Johnson is the featured guest at the Sheridan Arts Foundation's 19th annual Wild West Fest/Chip Allen Mentorship Program (C.A.M.P.), June 7 – 12. He is scheduled to speak at the historic Sheridan Opera House Wednesday, June 9, 7 p.m., about his involvement in the National Parks system and the history of the "Buffalo Soldiers," African Americans who served in WWI and were discovered  to have served in Yosemite as some of the first Park Rangers. The 45-minute Burn's segment from the National Parks series,"This is America," the one featuring Johnson, is also on the evening's program.
08 June, 2010 /
[click "Play" to hear Dr. Deborah Gangloff speaking with Susan]



Dm_2009_PLC_tower_view Crow Canyon Archaeological Center is located in southwestern Colorado, a rewarding day trip from Telluride of a little over two hours each way. Telluride Inside...  and Out visited for a day, doing video interviews and podcasting key players on site. This post is the first in a series you won't want to miss: Crow Canyon is another instance of priceless nuggets under foot and in our own backyard.

 For over 25 years, the on-campus staff has made it its business to study and teach human history, particularly the rich history of the ancestral Pueblo Indians (aka, the Anasazi), who inhabited the canyons and mesas of the Mesa Verde region over 700 years ago.
07 June, 2010 /
[To listen to Erik Dalton talk about the Paddle-With-a-Pro day, click "Play"]

TSyle Spring 08 Fashion-013894 Work first. Fun after. The river clean-up hosted by Jagged Edge happens Wednesday, June 9. (See related post for details.) The very next day, Thursday, June 10, is pay back: Jagged Edge's 2010 Paddle-with-a-Pro Day.


Paddle-with-a-Pro Day is an opportunity to learn the tricks of the trade from the amazing Ruth Gordon, a Jackson Kayak-sponsored pro paddler. Spend the day with Ruth in the Gunnison Gorge, a great stretch of Class III waters just outside Montrose. Attendees also get to demo Jackson Kayaks. Transportation and shuttle costs are picked up by the San Miguel Whitewater Club for this all-day event.
07 June, 2010 /

1Paulie
Paulie Distefano

The Telluride Dance Academy presents its annual recital on Sunday, June 6, 3 p.m. on the stage of the Michael D. Palm Theatre. The theme, "Fresh Twists," suggests a program that reflects new ways of looking at dusty notions about dance and what dance academies teach: students who participated in the Academy's spring session, ages 3 – 18, are scheduled to perform dance forms ranging from classical ballet to hip hop, with all the stops in between.One of those students is the handsome young man in charge of all heavy lifting: Paulie Distefano. And "Fresh Twists"  is great way of summarizing exactly what's happening in his life.

After dancing only six months under the tutelage of the Academy's artistic director/former prima ballerina Valerie Madonia, Paulie, who was born and raised in Telluride, was accepted on full scholarship in to the Joffrey School of Ballet's summer intensive. He leaves just days after his performance. That's the kind of magic even Paulie, a trained magician, could not have conjured.

05 June, 2010 /

Golf0114 Those addicted to the ground-based spheroid-impact phenomenon known as "golf" should get ready to rev up the motors on their carts. The greens are manicured and the tee boxes prepped. Telluride's 18-hole, par-70 golf course opened for business on May 28.

“The course is in great shape,” said Director of Golf, Sean Tannehill. “The crew has done a fantastic job, and we are looking forward to a full summer lineup of tournaments and events.”

The Pro Shop offers offers custom club fitting and the latest in equipment and apparel as well as lessons from PGA-certified professionals, Dan Smith and Carol Price.

04 June, 2010 /
[click "Play" for Luci Reeve's and Sue Hobby's conversation with Susan]

Let's play a game of free association: I say "Telluride couture" and you say what?

Friends of Fluff - StrongHouse Telluride locals most likely would answer with two names: Sue Hobby and Luci Reeve. Fabric confections created by these two talented ladies have shown up everywhere you've wanted to be over the years: in way too many local theatrical productions to name, as well as on the stage of the Telluride AIDS Benefit and at countless other nonprofit auctions.

For the first First Thursday Art Walk of the summer season, this coming Thursday, June 3, 5 – 8:30 p.m., the dynamic designing duo are up to their old tricks. Which is to say, fashioning something completely new and different – and off the wall.
03 June, 2010 /
[To listen to Ally Crilly speaking with Susan, click "Play"]

Crillysapsucker Here's a question for Telluride locals, guests too: What do a dead bird and elephants have in common? Give up? OK, here it is. Amy Jean Boebel of Sapsucker Studios named her gallery for a dead bird found outside her door at 299 South Spruce, where she is showing the latest in a series of elephants – The Elephants III – by local artist Ally Crilly. And it's a perfect fit: all summer long Sapsucker is featuring strong women artists who refuse to pull their punches. (More on that in the weeks to come.)


The exhibition is part of  The Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities' First Thursday Art Walk, a very popular walkabout, a time when locals and guests meander down Main Street chatting about Telluride's robust art scene. First Thursday is also an opportunity to shop: retail stores stay open late until eight.
03 June, 2010 /


The Freelance Whales, appearing in concert at Telluride's historic Sheridan Opera House starting at 9 p.m., Friday night, June 4, plays everything from guitars, banjos, tambourines, harmonium, glockenspiels, and watering cans to the occasional keyboard and laptop assist. Besides instruments, the band favors ghosts and dream-logs. Their first release, Weathervanes, has lots to do with ghosts. And dreams.

Freelance Whales met via Craigslist, went on to play on street corners and in subways, where busy New Yorkers, wanting more of their indie sound, chose to miss their trains. Drilling down in to the sound, well, it ranges far and wide from electronic indie booty-shaking riffs to what one critic described as "overalls on a front porch." And another summed up this way:

03 June, 2010 /