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Author: Susan Viebrock


(photographer's note: Apologies to a few acts after intermission: my camera battery died halfway through the second part. Something about having shot nearly 600 frames. Sorry, it wasn't intentional.)

The highlight of Telluride's KOTO Community Radio's winter fun-raising campaign is always the annual Lip Sync contest. Rolling Stone red or slightly blue – as it often gets – the lips lived on Friday night, January 29 when KOTO radio hosted #25 at the Sheridan Opera House.

30 January, 2010 /


He's beginning to be a habit around these parts: Telluride Bluegrass Festival, 2005, again in 2007, and most recently, the 2009 Telluride Blues & Brews Festival. And that's a good thing. Multi-instrumentalist  – voice, guitars, dobro, piano, harmonica, and percussion – Jackie Greene returns with his band to Telluride's historic Sheridan Opera House for an encore performance Saturday night, January 30.

It rained cats and dogs throughout the 2009 Telluride Blues & Brews Festival, but not on Greene's parade: the skinny man-boy with a shock of dark hair had the crowd dancing in the mud and hooting for more of his quirky songwriting and winning way with words. As his meteoric rise to the top suggests, Greene is a captivating acoustic solo artist and an electrifying bandleader with a kickass band covering his back.
29 January, 2010 /

[click "Play" to listen to Kristin Holbrook talk about shiny shoes] Could be a surrogate for the jewelry in lean times. They certainly sparkle and shine: metallics in clothes and accessories have been a strong seasonal trend, seen top...

29 January, 2010 /
[click "Play" for Susan's conversation with Judith Michaels Safford]

Web1_book_graphic Telluride's Between the Covers bookstore welcomes debut author Judith Michaels Safford to town for a book-signing on Saturday, January 30, 5 – 7 p.m. Her memoir, "Don't Sell Your Soul: Memoirs of a Guru Junkie,"  is a story about some hard lessons learned and a life reclaimed.


In our society, the distance between first and second place is measured in terms of yards, not inches. It is the difference between winning and losing, gold and silver. We might remember who came in second in the World Series or Superbowl, but first place rains confetti and grabs headlines. Ditto in a family.

28 January, 2010 /
[click "Play" to hear Mayor Bob Delves' conversation with Susan]

Telluride's Woman's Network holds its January Brown Bag luncheon (in other words, bring your own) on Wednesday, noon – 1:30 p.m. The event features Bob Delves, second-term Mountain Village mayor and boardmember, The New Community Coalition and the San Miguel Watershed Coalition. Delves is one of the region's standout/standup eco-crusaders. His subject: "GOT WATER? – Just What are the Issues surrounding Water in The Telluride Region?" The luncheon is not for ladies only. The entire community is invited.


The New Community Coalition and the San Miguel Watershed Coalition share a common goal: promoting and supporting sustainable practices and preserving natural resources in the Telluride region. However, unlike TNCC, which operates under a very big tent, the Coalition is singularly focused on the San Miguel,  considered to be one of the few remaining ecologically and hydrologically intact river systems in Colorado. The nonprofit's purview specifically includes the 1 million acres of land drained by the river and its many tributaries – an area which encompasses the incorporated towns of Nucla, Naturita, Norwood, Telluride, Mountain Village, and Ophir as well as several unincorporated towns.
27 January, 2010 /
[click "Play" to hear Colin Sullivan's description of Billings' workshop]

L1000363 Susie X. Billings is one of the fine artists in the muscular stable of the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art. She is also a regular teacher at the Ah Haa School for the Arts, where she is offering an exclusive (only 8 participants/workshop) workshop in an exotic location: Billings' Zacatitos studio located in the coastal region northeast of San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on the east cape of the southern Baja peninsula.


The two "Mixed Media Painting and Journal Workshops" takes place over six days and seven nights. The first runs from February 6  – 13 and the second, April 5 – 12. Home base is a beach home, but participants will be visiting nearby arroyos, gardens, and seascapes for inspiration.
27 January, 2010 /
[to hear Sasha Cucciniello and Colin Sullivan talk about "Reenactments" click "Play"]

IA sheridanrules They all get their 15 minutes of fame: Telluride legends and forgotten characters resurrected: prostitutes, skiers, miners and donkeys in "Inaccurate Reenactments, " a musical comedy commissioned by the Telluride Historical Museum and created by Sasha Cucciniello and her merry band of SquidShow Theatre thespians.

IAskiersandwhores "Inaccurate Reenactments" opened in Telluride in December to packed houses and hosannahs. The FREE encore performance is Thursday, January 28, at Telluride's historic Sheridan Opera House. Showtime is 8 p.m.

26 January, 2010 /


It's looking like deja vu at The Peaks Hotel & Spa in Telluride's sister town, The Mountain Village. And that's a good thing.

Way back when The Peaks was Telluride Inside... and Out's next door neighbor, the joint was always jumping. The Peaks' Great Room was a go-to place for locals to meet apres-ski, a hang-out where conversation and drinks flowed unedited and friends applauded friends providing first-rate nightly entertainment. Then the bubble burst way before the bubble burst. Now it's all coming back, ahead of the curve – again.
25 January, 2010 /
The Telluride Nordic Association: Fun Tour and Ski Race on the Valley Floor, Sunday, January 24.

File The 15km “Flat and Fast Race” starts at noon, Sunday. A team race also starts at noon: two skiers are invited to pair up and each ski one 7.5km loop. The “Flat and Fun Tour” begins immediately after those two races. The course is 7.5km.

The Fun Tour is a new addition to Telluride Nordic Challenge Race Series. The event is for skiers who want to enjoy a relaxed day skiing and socializing with other free-heelers without the pressure of a race. As TNA’s Nordic Director Midnite Scholtes explains:

 “I’ve had a lot of people over the years tell me they want to come out and race, but are intimidated by the idea of racing. Lots of communities have Fun Tours in which people can ski at their own pace and not worry too much about a race result. We hope the Tour will appeal to all of the region’s Nordic lovers, and become social, community event. At the same time, Flat and Fast is a great way for skiers to challenge themselves and compete. I know we’ll have racers in Telluride from out of town, so the competition should be strong.”
23 January, 2010 /
P1110009 When the January freeze is over and done, Telluriders tend to store our down jackets and grab for our soft shells.

" Softshell jackets combine the hard-wearing aspects of a Gore-Tex jacket with the mobility, breathability and feel of a much softer fabric," explains Erik Dalton of Jagged Edge. "Though they won’t replace your rain jacket come summertime, these softshell jackets are perfectly suited for our cold and dry conditions in the mountains of Colorado, and for the ups-and-downs of backcountry skiing, hiking, and ski mountaineering."

Erik's pick: Cloudveil's Rayzar, a jacket that offers protection from the fiercest storms and coldest chair rides, while keeping the wearer cool when it comes time to move.
22 January, 2010 /