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by Tracy Shaffer

Holly If you’ve ever met Holly Kylberg or seen the magnificent D & F Clock Tower on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver, you’d instantly know they belong together. Statuesque and beautiful, these icons represent the great spirit of Denver, past, present and future. 

The Italian Renaissance style clock tower was built in 1911, modeled after the famous Campanile of the St. Mark’s Basilica. Once the tallest structure west of the Mississippi at a whopping 393 feet, it was a gorgeous compliment to the prestigious Daniels & Fisher department store in the bustling downtown of turn-of-the-century Denver. It has seen its share of change over the past century, and so has Kylberg in a much shorter span.

03 April, 2010 /

Mrs R 6
Tracy Shaffer as Mrs. Robinson

by Tracy Shaffer

After a prolonged "heartbreak hiatus," I really felt no need to step back onto the stage. The slow slide of a dramatic divorce, sudden shock of single motherhood, and a stairway fall that took my brother’s life were enough to send me to my room. Though life in general was good, I was not ready to step that far out on a ledge, so to speak, and act again.

Long before the sideways years, I’d fallen out of love… or so I thought: 25 years in the spotlight had left its mark. I was tired of having to be given "permission" by the casting process in order to create. I loved the times when I was "first" but exhausted by the times being "second." “Lift yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again” sounded like heavy lifting where acting was concerned. I chose instead to let this deeply defining part of me go.

28 March, 2010 /

by D. Dion

The first time I ever ducked the rope at the top of the Telluride Ski Resort to ski the off-piste terrain in Bear Creek, I was following a friend. The snow in the creek was about three feet deeper than it was on the ski area, and it was pretty deep on the ski area—the whole mountain had been enveloped in clouds for three days. We had our avalanche beacons, shovels and packs, but as I watched her disappear over the ridge into the gray, snowy mist, I couldn't help but feel spooked. 

Back then, it was still illegal to ski Bear Creek. The Forest Service had shut it down after a series of avalanche fatalities in 1986-87 and 1992; there would be another in 2002. The agency had gone so far as to arrest and prosecute a pair of skiers for trespassing into the closed area. Bear Creek only became more alluring, its mystique enhanced by tales of chest-deep powder runs and near-death scrapes with avalanches. Locals named the runs and chutes, and dropped in with increasing regularity. 

26 March, 2010 /

House2by Kris Holsrom

My life is full of diverse interests, but really, leadership and worm bins? Hand on a Bible, true.

This week I’m attending a Collaborative Leader workshop at Healing Leaders down in beautiful McElmo Canyon, just outside of Cortez.  What's it all about?

According to the website  www.healingleaders.net,  “a healing leader is one who creates an environment of open communication, respect for each person’s role and contributions, a common, compelling vision for the organization and a collaborative ethic.” 
17 March, 2010 /

20100303095725767_0001 Local teens will be tuning in as Wilkinson Public Library celebrates the third annual Teen Tech Week March 8-12, 2010. WPL joins thousands of other libraries and schools across the country who are celebrating this year’s theme, "Learn Create Share @ Your Library.” Teen Tech Week is a national initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).  The purpose of the initiative is to ensure that teens are competent and ethical users of technologies, especially those that are offered through libraries. Teen Tech Week encourages teens to use libraries' non-print resources for education and recreation, and to recognize that librarians are qualified, trusted professionals in the field of information technology.

“Offering a variety of technologies and providing top notch education about these resources is of vital importance to the youth of our community,” says Sarah Lawton, Wilkinson Public Library’s Teen Librarian.  “We are fortunate to have a great group of kids here in Telluride.  They are smart, motivated and eager to engage.  By providing programs that speak to their interests, we can link teens with the world of information while introducing them to the strength of community.”

07 March, 2010 /

by Shannon Mitchell

IMG_5495 Passes to the 37th Telluride Film Festival (September 3-6, 2010) are now available to the public.

The audience at the 36th annual Telluride Film Festival was the first in the world to view a number of Academy Award-nominated films including Jason Reitman's "Up in the Air,"  "Bright Star," "The White Ribbon" and "The Last Station."

Purchasing a pass allows the moviegoer complete flexibility throughout the four-day Festival. Pass-holders are able to move from theatre to theatre, event to event at their leisure while taking in the beauty of the Telluride surroundings.

06 March, 2010 /

by Scott Doser

Monday,  March 1st at 6 pm

Composting 101

Tuesday, March 2nd at Noon
Books & Cooks with Host Chef Bud
 
Chef Bud Hosts Bar-be-que Chef  Bryce Freeman who will teach us how to prepare his favorite South Carolina Bar-be-que Sauce.  Live Demonstration.  Audience participants get to sample the sauce.
 
Wednesday, March 3rd beginning at 6 pm
Back-to-Back Literary Events
Thanks to a Collaboration among: Between the Covers Bookstore, The Telluride Writers Guild, the Wilkinson Public Library and Telluride Inside... and Out, Wednesday is back-to-back literary events.
01 March, 2010 /

Editor's note: Tracy Shaffer continues her insider's look at our sister city, Denver. This post is an obituary, sorta, but a hopeful one.

Denver theatre closes a door…

by Tracy Shaffer

I have a feeling except for my inner circle, most of the people who know me will learn of my death on Facebook. That's how I hear of demise these days.

This week the Denver Center Theatre rang the death knell for the National Theatre Conservatory, announcing its closing after the class of 2012 graduates. The Denver community is stunned and angry, begs for answers, yet the optimist in me believes a rebirth is at hand. Perhaps, I tell myself, this "death" is like the death of the legendary Phoenix: a new and improved NTC will rise from the ashes.

Created in 1984, the NTC was the baby of former Denver Center artistic Director Donovan Marley, whose vision for sustaining the future of the theatre involved impeccable training of its actors. The three-year, tuition-free MFA program brought much to the nascent theatre company, raising its national profile and prestige. The bright young students got to work within the Acting Company during their third year to accrue union credits toward equity cards. Mentored by senior company members, they kept us all young and connected to the reasons we began our own journeys in to the acting profession. The impact of the talented alumni on the Denver theatre community and far beyond is quite impressive: NTC students grace the Broadway stages and national touring productions and star in TV shows. More than a few have started thriving theatre companies of their own.

28 February, 2010 /

Telluride snow base reaches six feet

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Brett Schreckengost photo

Conditions on the mountain are near perfect: The Telluride Ski Resort exceeded the 200-inch snow mark yesterday morning. Thirty-three inches of light, fluffy powder have fallen over the last seven days, for a total accumulation of 205"  (or 17 feet ) for the season. Now, with sunny skies peeking through, Telluride is the perfect destination for Spring break.

“This was a great storm,” said Dave Riley, CEO of the resort. “Now 17 feet of snow has fallen at Telluride, and we can boast a six-foot base. With these great conditions and numerous March specials, it makes sense to book a Telluride vacation today."

23 February, 2010 /

by Ben Clark

Ice Fest 2010 033 Flying into Marquette, MI late on a Thursday night in February was about as exotic as my life could get. I'm a climber from Colorado and heard there was ice here, in the cold and windswept upper peninsula. Not just normal ice of course, ice that had drawn climbers to the region for a climbing festival running into its 26th year. Really???

For all the promise of cold, it was the warmth of the locals that made the trip so worthwhile. Heading out to Sand Point on Friday with Rep Bryan Kuhn and his friends, I was treated to thunker swings in a savory pillar of steep waterfall ice. We shared it with several locals, looking to experience the privacy that makes ice climbing so cherished in this region about to be inundated by weekend festivities. I was psyched to be there and happy to be surrounded by such nice people.

22 February, 2010 /