Culture

[click "Play" to listen to the second in the series of interviews with Rev. Pat Bailey]

 

Kids, CC In his first post/interview Reverend Pat Bailey of Telluride's Christ Presbyterian Church talked about the myth and magic of Christmas. In the second of his three-part series parsing the holiday, the focus is on the "war" on Christmas, which has a lot to do with the different perceptions Bailey addressed in his first interview.

The news last week was chockablock with scary, seemingly insurmountable challenges to our country, one of which hit Tulsa hard: Could its Christmas parade be saved despite protests against the disappearance of the word "Christmas" from its title. (The name had been changed to The Holiday of Lights parade, which outraged the righteous state senator, James Imhofe for one.) The good news: the parade would go on, albeit without Imhofe on his high horse – at least not the carrot-chomping version.

Tangled-poster-1 Harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-i-movie-poster Missed Harry and Rapunzel at the Nugget Theatre in Telluride last week? Well, here's another chance. "Tangled" (PG) shows twice each day (once on Friday, 12/24) and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" (PG13) once each evening.

See below for showtimes and the Nugget website for trailers and reviews.

[click "Play" to hear the first of Rev. Bailey's interviews]

 

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Rev. Pat Bailey

Since Thanksgiving, Christmas has been top of mind, top of media, injecting mistletoe (and for some, holiday misgivings) into the bubble we call Telluride.

Turn on any TV and holiday chestnuts such as "It's a Wonderful Life" light up the screen. (And give the cynics in the crowd a seasonal toothache.) The glossies are packed with gift ideas, recipes for the holidays, what to wear, some intrepid souls even tackling what to believe about Christmas. Several years ago, both Newsweek and Time featured cover stories about the First Noel, articles that raised controversial questions about the Nativity: Who were the Wise Men? What about the star? Is it possible Jesus was born in Nazareth? Who exactly were the two Marys?

Christmas is surely a good deal more than buy, cry, fry, wonder what and why.

Telluride Inside... and Out has asked local religious leader, Reverend Pat Bailey, of Telluride's Christ Presbyterian Church, to shed some light on the subject of Christmas, it's meaning and real magic.

[click "Play" for Lauren Metzger's conversation with Susan]

 

 

Blue mountain The date's a given: December 31, 2010. New Year's Eve. The featured artist for the 2010 Ah Haa auction is a given too: Susan X. Billings. Very few artists are as well known, well respected and widely collected in the greater Telluride community as Susie Billings.

Few have as long a history with the town's community arts center, the Ah Haa School for the Arts, where she has served on the board and been a long time and very popular teacher. Her work has been represented for years by the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art, now celebrating its 26th anniversary. Susie's latest images literally and figuratively lend color and vibrancy to Ah Haa's gala, an evening of fine art, wine, food, entertainment – SquidShow and Mike Pale Trio – and friends. The dinner party takes place from 6:30 – 10 p.m. One of Susie's new works, "Wilson Range in Blue Diptych" is to be auctioned off live mid-evening.

by Art Goodtimes pulsing flicker ofmountain shroom shadowscircling as embers abovewatching starslike petri dishes ofexpanding mycelial thought  ...

[click to hear Susan's conversation with Hillaree & Brian O'Neill]

 

CRussell-4384 Telluride has lots of great people around town, but some, sadly are addicts. A number of them are addicted to a white substance. Its name is POW. I am talking, of course, about powder, as in snow. If you are one of them, listen up.

On December 23, Travis Julia Productions announces a showing of Warren Miller's 61st film, "Winterventions." The two screenings, sponsored by Jagged Edge and Bootdoctors, take place at the Sheridan Opera House @ 6 p.m. and @ 9 p.m.

[click "Play", Susan has a chat with R.J. Rubadeau]

 

3 D Gatsby Cover small file BFRI Cover final March 10 6 X 9 On December 7, Telluride's Wilkinson Public Library hosted a reading of local author Bob Rubadeau's latest mystery: Gatsby's Last Resort: A Telluride Murder Mystery, released on December 1. Over the past week, the book has captured headlines and attention, with our town's avid readers trying to guess who the local prototypes for the colorful characters really are.

Rubadeau’s award winning non-fiction book about his life as a world-class ocean racer and sailor was released on November 1 to raves. And in most places outside Telluride, Bound for Rocque Island: Sailing Maine and the World, is matching his novel's sales book for book.


 kicker: Chubby Checker & The Wild Cats are featured guests

Telluride's historic Sheridan Opera House kills two birds with one big event, celebrating New Year Eve and the 50th anniversary of the Twist. The December 31st gala features the one and only Chubby Checker, in person with the Wild Cats. Doors open @ 9 p.m. Chubby Checker performs @ 10:30 p.m.

In July 1960, a 19-year-old Chubby Checker (born Ernest Evans in Spring Gulley, South Carolina) revolutionized pop dancing when he stepped on to the stage of New York's Rainbow Room and put his spin on '"The Twist," a song written and originally recorded by Hank Ballard just two years earlier that had never gotten traction.

Deathlyhallows_smallteaser Tangled_smallteaser The Nugget Theatre in Telluride is showing two movies for the week of December 17-23, "Tangled" and "Harry Potter 7". Note that there are two showings for "Tangled" each evening.

"Tangled" (PG) is an animated take on the old story of Rapunzel and her golden hair. Audience reviews are mostly positive.

We're nearing the end of the Harry Potter saga, the kids have grown up, and the situations get blacker. You know you have to see "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" (PG13); you've come too far to turn back now.

See below for movietimes and the Nugget website for reviews and trailers.

[click "Play" to hear Jeb's serious (?) conversation with Susan]

 

Jeb & friend
Jeb & friend, KOTO LipSync

Even in a town as non-traditional as Telluride, there are still some sacred cows, rather hams. And turkeys. We are talking about Christmas dinner, with sides of cranberry sauce and mince meat pies. Except in Tuna, Texas, where tuna is "the feast of choice."

Sunday, December 19 – Wednesday, December 22, Jeb Berrier and his Second Stage Productions – Berrier, Buff Hooper, Bubba Lee Schill, Kelsey Patterson – host an evening of holiday fun at the Sheridan Opera House with their adaptation of "A Tuna Christmas."

"A Tuna Christmas" is the second in a series of satires on Southern life and attitudes set in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, "the third smallest town" in the state.