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Author: Telluwriter TIO

By J James McTigue

There are sports fans and there are cycling fans.

To watch their coveted team, the former drive to games, wear their team’s colors and tailgate in the parking lot.

To watch their beloved cycling heroes, the latter bike 10 miles up a closed mountain pass, (or camp out the night before), wear costumes, (or at times just their skivies), and also tailgate, but at 12,000 feet.

At least this was the case Wednesday on Cottonwood and Independence Passes during the US Pro Cycling Challenge.

Fans The US Pro Cycling Tour has come to Colorado, bringing the state’s cycling fanatics to the streets—literally. The group is usually relegated to watching professional cycling in the privacy of their own homes, or a nearby bar, (probably owned by a Swiss), that has Versus, the only station stateside that seems to broadcast the sport.

This week, it has all changed. The international cycling community is watching the world’s best cyclists compete throughout the Rocky Mountains via television, while American fans are camped on mountain passes, drinking mimosas and running beside the racers.

The inaugural stage race began Monday in Colorado Springs and will end Sunday in Denver. It consists of a Prologue and six stages, for a total of seven days of competition. The seven days include two individual time trials, and a total of 509 miles with 29,036 vertical feet of climbing.

25 August, 2011 /
[click "Play" to hear Ryan Wilson's interview with Katie Karrow and four of the young people]

 

by Ryan Wilson

Speak Editor's note: If you attended the graduation of Telluride's Class of 2011, you saw the notion of American exceptionalism in action: a group of young people who excelled in the classroom and on the mountain being rewarded for their achievements with scholarships to top colleges. True, we live in a small town, but that does not mean an absence of big opportunities. Telluride teens with aspirations have lots of places to turn for support. The following story by the Wilkinson Public Library's Ryan Wilson illustrates that point.

Ever wonder what teenagers today are thinking?  On Saturday, August 27, 5:15 p.m., Program Room, Telluride's Wilkinson Public Library, a group of 11 Telluride teens open a window into their minds at the premiere of their short documentary film "Speak." 

24 August, 2011 /

by Jim Bedford

The-Smurfs-movie-poster-02-550x810 CrazyStupidLove The Nugget Theatre in beautiful downtown Telluride shows movies all year long and screens two films this coming week before the Telluride Film Festival takes over the Nugget and much of the town.

Friday through Tuesday, Aug 26-30, THE SMURFS (PG) are back and blue, very blue. With the talents of Neil Patrick Harris, Hank Azaria, Katy Perry, George Lopez and Paul Reubens. Serious family fun!

Also Friday through Tuesday, Aug 26-30, CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE. (PG13) brings together Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei and Kevin Bacon, in a comedy about relationships.

The Telluride Film Festival takes over the Nugget from August 31 through September 8 so enjoy the SHOW! The Nugget will be back with movies every night again starting Friday, September 9.

See the Nugget website for trailers and reviews, and below for movie times.

24 August, 2011 /

by Lisa Barlow

Chez P With the luster of Chez Panisse still casting its warm glow, San Franscisco has been a culinary beacon for the farm-to-table movement ever since Alice Waters opened the doors to her iconic restaurant exactly 40 years ago.

There is seriously delicious food to be eaten in this city. Much of it is influenced by Waters’ early recognition that good meals can only come from good ingredients. It is now more common to see the provenance of the string beans on your plate than it is to know the name of the chef cooking your food. But there is also another ingredient in ample supply here that is paramount to a good meal: technique.

23 August, 2011 /

Colorado Springs is often thought of as Denver’s ugly twin sister. But as any Pikes Peak loving fan will tell you, there’s much more to the place than its sprawl and its conservative bookends. It is not only Focus on the Family. Nor is it only the military. It is a vibrant, surprisingly fun city that feels as warm and as close-knit as a small town.

Admittedly, Andy and I met in that city, at Colorado College, so we may have that extra special spot in our heart for it. But the reason we return annually is not just because we want to walk down memory lane. We genuinely love the city. Here are a few reasons why. Garden of the Gods Number 1. The Garden of the Gods. Yes, the park may get crowded at times. Yet, with its great sandstone rocks tipped up like giant whale fins, you can’t help but fall in love with the place. We love to run and rock climb there, and our kids love to scramble on the rocks. To me, Garden of the Gods is one of the few places in the world where you can know, without a doubt that the world is and always has been about change. Once, great seas flooded that basin. When the waters receded, massive tectonic forces shoved the stone up sideways with the same urgency that pushed the Rockies up. Sitting in that park, staring up at the patches of blue sky framed by red rock, watching ravens drift in slow circles is a sacred experience.
21 August, 2011 /

Nonprofits Encouraged to Attend Meeting to Learn about Fall Grant cycles

  TELLURIDE, Colo. (Aug. 16, 2011) – Telluride regional nonprofits are fortunate to have a variety of funding sources to support their programs and services, and funders are coordinating again this year to provide nonprofits with a one-stop informational session to learn what funding opportunities are available this for the 2011/2012 year.  On Tuesday, August 23 from 10 a.m. to 11a.m, at Wilkinson Public Library, the Telluride Foundation, Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association (TMVOA), San Miguel County, Telluride’s Commission for Community Assistance, Arts & Special Events (CCAASE), Just for Kids Foundation (JFK), and the Telluride Commission for the Arts and Humanities (TCAH), and the Telluride Education Foundation (TEF) will offer a free-to-the-public information session on local funding opportunities for local and regional organizations, nonprofits and residents alike.

 Local funders will each give a brief overview of their grant funding objectives and process. Topics to be covered include: the preparation and submission of local grant applications; policies and guidelines pertaining to grants; changes to programs and submission deadlines; and the application process.  This informational session is not meant to replace future seminars, where grant funders will explain their applications and processes in more detail.

21 August, 2011 /

by Jon Lovekin

Moonrise The Red Sox won the world series in 2004. This was an historic event and especially significant for long suffering Boston baseball fans. Meanwhile, within the southwest plains of Colorado other significant events were about to occur as well. Tonight was a full lunar eclipse, a spectacular sight anywhere but this night was going to be special. The excitement was building while driving to the Commanche National Grasslands south of La Junta, Colorado. The view port from there was going to be wonderful and all the camera gear was stashed in the truck.  The light haze of front range cities is visible to the north but is greatly diminished under the vast, clear portal that exists on these high plains.

The gap gate off the county road was barely discernible within the fence line. No road was visible beyond it. Careful study of maps indicated that an access road into the national grasslands existed along the other fence perpendicular to the gate. The early summer winds had buried that fence and whatever road lay beside it under four feet of tumble weeds. There was no other access through the cactus and rock outcrops at this point. Taking a deep breath, and gearing down, the truck munched its way through the debris. There wasn't going to be a crowd out here!

 

20 August, 2011 /

By Kris Holstrom

James Lambert of the Lambert Family reunion contacted me at The New Community Coalition earlier this summer. They had a family reunion scheduled for this past week, staying in Mountain Village. When James called he indicated the family wanted to do a community service project. What a great idea!

I contacted Mountain Village, the Town of Telluride and the Telluride School District to find out if there were projects needing many hands. The family was given two options and chose to help reduce the cattail population at the pond in the Village. Several of the family donned shorts and water shoes in order to get into the pond and help the Mountain Village work crew pull the plants or cut them below the water line and remove. The kids and I assisted by hauling the plants to a MV truck for removal. I also took a load home to contribute to our Tomten Farm compost pile.

19 August, 2011 /

by Eric Palumbo

"Figuring out who you are is the whole point of the human experience." - Anna Quindlen

Hiking pic Last month I packed into the northern terminus of the Colorado Trail (CT) in Denver, intent on backpacking to Durango over the ensuing four weeks. It was the culmination of months of dreaming, planning and conditioning.

Until a year ago I hadn't backpacked since the Boy Scouts. Then I met a girl (isn't that how it always happens) who rekindled my love for the outdoors. While hiking on Kenosha pass last year, we met a guy who was thru-hiking the CT. He joined us at our campsite for dinner where we shared grape soda and he shared his experiences.

17 August, 2011 /

By Jane Minarovic

 

If you have been fortunate enough to have attended a Mudd Butts Mystery Theatre Troupe production in the past 21 years, you have seen how the imagery of prop master Mike Stasiuk makes the narrative come alive. When he is not backstage creating fantastical masks and props out of cardboard boxes, newspaper, and paint, Mike creates whimsical sculptures from a variety found objects from his studio in Portsmouth, NH. He has had sculpture in private and corporate collections and is also published in books such as Found Object Art 1 and 2. He is represented by the Clark Gallery in Lincoln, MA and the George Marshall Store Gallery in York, ME.

Many of the Mike's magical props will be auctioned off after Sundays production.

See below for the Mudd Butts' cast list:

11 August, 2011 /