The concert, a co-production between Telluride's KOTOfm community radio and the Michael D. Palm Theatre, would have been memorable. The legendary saxophonist Maceo Parker was the headliner. Note, the operative phrase is "would have." A telephone call to Jumpin' Janice Zink prompted a note Telluride...
"I like the idea that books have a life of their own after they're published, making their way into people's lives and weaving connections between myself and the readers."
Who imagines a world in which a pudge triumphs and keeping up with the Joneses proves to be a deadly game? Or drawings in an unfinished book come to life and attack their creator, a young boy? Which inventor fashioned a "perpetual emotion machine?" Welcome to the amusing and edgy world of Henrik Drescher.
You will find the best of the worst in SquidShow Theatre's latest greatest production, "Con," in which founder/director Sasha Cucciniello spills the beans about her grifter dad and his kind.
"Con," a play about liars, opens Thursday July 28 and runs through Monday, August 1, 8:30 p.m., at Telluride's Nugget Theatre.
"Con" was conceived by Sasha and her long time collaborator, New York City-based playwright, Sarah Gancher. Six years ago the two wrote the first draft of a play about Sasha’s infamous dad. After moving to Telluride, the work got left on the shelf. Fast forward to now: Sasha along with her Squid collaborators decided to take themes from that play to create a new production. She tapped Sarah once again, asking her to come to Telluride to write the new and improved version of "Con," created from scratch throughout the rehearsal process under the leadership of director Jen Wineman and designer Melissa Trn.
By Eileen Burns
Grab your cowboy hat and boots folks, The San Miguel Basin Fair and Rodeo is in town and promises to be jam packed full of events and competitions for everyone in the family. From the adrenaline rush of a pro cowboy taking a wild and thrashing 8 second bull ride around the arena, to little Johnny next door, hanging on with sheer guts, as he tumbles through his first mutton busting competition, Norwood Colorado is the place to be this weekend. The fair grounds are located just 40 minutes from downtown Telluride, on Wrights Mesa. The CPRA Rodeos will take place both Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 7:00 pm. Entry fee to Rodeo is only $9.00. There will be plenty of vendor stands with food, pop and beer, including the kids' favorites: sno-cones and cotton candy.
Photo credit: Michael Wilson
Treme, the neighborhood in New Orleans, and Telluride, a box canyon mountain town, do not, on the surface, have much in common, except "Treme," the latest knock-out series from HBO, keeps coming up in Telluride.
Steve Earle mentioned "Treme" during his performance at the 38th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival in June. He appears as himself in the series. And now Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Allen Toussaint, another series regular (as himself), is headed our way for a momentous event: Toussaint performs on the Town Park Main Stage for the first time ever with none other than Delta Lady, Rita Coolidge. The event takes place Sunday night, August 7, at the 35th annual Telluride Jazz Celebration.
(Follow this link for a related post on Coolidge.)
Here's a pop quiz: What does Telluride's Ah Haa School for the Arts have in common with James Bond?
If you answered that the theme of the upcoming auction revolves around the iconic spy you would be partly right. Ah Haa's 2011 "007" art auction takes place Thursday, July 21, 5 – 7 (for an intimate evening at the school, including a mini-auction), with the main event Friday, July 22, starting at 5 p.m.
The other answer is less obvious, but no less true: Bond is unshakeable and so is Ah Haa. The school is a rock of our community, a hub where individuals get to discover their inner Picasso – or last year, Gypsy Rose Lee!
Talks are Wednesday in Norwood & Thursday in Mountain Village
Noticed the weather lately? The Telluride Historical Museum is not taking any chances this year. (Last year, of the six Fireside Chats in the series, only one was able to take place around the Mountain Village fire pit in Heritage Plaza.)
The 7th season of the Museum's ever popular (and FREE) Fireside Chats opens this week – indoors– starting Wednesday, July 20, at Aces of Norwood, (in the Livery Building) and continuing Thursday, July 21, at the fire place in the Great Room at The Peaks Resort & Spa. Both opening programs begin at 5:30 p.m. and feature actor Steven Lee as "Otto Mears, Pathfinder of the San Juans."
Steven Lee is a professional story teller from Denver. His depiction of the man who brought the Rio Grande Southern to the San Juans routinely gets rave reviews such as this one from Tom "Dr. Colorado" Noel, Prof. of History & Director of Public History, Preservation & Colorado Studies, University of Colorado at Denver:
Just a little reminder that the San Miguel Basin Fair and Rodeo is taking place right now down in Norwood. The festivities began at 6:00 pm on Friday, July 15th, @ the County Fairgrounds Outdoor Arena with a Greased Pig Contest - PRIZE...
By J James McTigue
In Rome they’d throw people in a ring with a lion for entertainment; in Telluride we have The Lunar Cup. It’s an event that shouldn’t really be watched—it’s frightening and a little disturbing, yet at the same time, extremely difficult not to watch.
Lunar Cup has a little of everything—free-riders throwing back flips, skiers and boarders racing down a snow-covered scree-field, and even a little nudity. Former event organizer and current announcer, Herb Manning summed up the highlight of this year’s Lunar Cup saying, “Everyone came out fairly unscathed.”
So, what is Lunar Cup exactly?
[click "Play" to hear Rita Coolidge speaking with Susan]
Just like Telluride Bluegrass regular, superstar Emmylou Harris, Rita Coolidge is ageless.
The last time Rita Coolidge showed her face in Telluride was in 2001. The legendary performer was, as always, larger than life – but on the silver screen. The film, "Christmas in the Clouds," which screened at Mountainfilm in Telluride that year, is a classic comedy of mistaken identity and romance set during the holiday season at a ski resort owned and operated by a Native American nation. "Christmas in the Clouds" featured Rita, a Cherokee by birth, in the role of the leading lady's mother. It also showcased her music.
