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Telluride Realty's Monthly e-Newsletter
July 2009
On Tap: July
We don’t think it’s ever been this lush going into July. If you haven’t been to town in a while, it’s absolutely stunning around here. The mesas, valleys and aspens are so green they almost glow, flowers are starting to bloom, waterfalls and the rivers are swollen and raging, and there’s just a little bit of snow left on the peaks to complement it all. Yes, there has been ample precipitation lately but without it, none of the above would be possible. Furthermore, there’s barely any dust or cotton flying around and best of all, the July 4th fireworks are guaranteed to be awesome this year with the fire danger so low. Get ready for a colorful pyrotechnic show, the topper to an overall great day with the old-fashioned parade down main street, fireman’s picnic in Town Park and more. Also this month is the KOTO Doo-Dah (July 11), featuring George Clinton on the Town Park Stage; the Telluride Yoga Festival (July 10-12); Hardrock 100 (July 11-12), a grueling 101-mile foot race through the San Juans; San Miguel Basin Fair & Rodeo in Norwood (July 12-19); Ah Haa Art Auction (July 24); Telluride Cajun Fest (July 31); and Telluride Tech Fest (July 31-August 2). And of course, don’t forget the Nothing Festival (July 17-19) where nothing but a whole lot of nothing goes on.
While June certainly set a tough act to follow, with a jam-packed calendar that featured the Balloon Rally, Jazz, Bluegrass and Wine, July is happening, to say the least. Get in on the action as summer in Telluride is just heating up.
| June 29-4 | Telluride Plein-Air Observe some of the nation’s top plein air artists as they capture Telluride’s incredible scenery |
| 1 | Sunset Concert Series Free live music in Mountain Village featuring Carbon Leaf |
| 2 | Imagine…A Beatles Tribute Band Live music at the Sheridan Opera House |
| 3 | Red, White & Blues Concert presents Grace Potter Grace Potter and the Nocturnals perform live in Mountain Village |
| 4 | Fireman’s Fourth of July Celebrate Independence Day the old-fashioned way; a parade down main street, community picnic in the park, games for kids and awesome fireworks |
| 8 | Sunset Concert Series Free live music in Mountain Village featuring John Lee Hooker Jr. |
| 9, 23 | TCAH Stargazing Program Local astronomers and physicists discuss astronomy, mythology, and more; afterwards, ride the Gondola to see the stars |
| 10-12 | Telluride Yoga Festival Combining the inspiration of Telluride’s natural surroundings and the expertise of both local and nationally acclaimed local yoga practitioners |
| 11-12 | Hardrock 100 101-mile run up and over the mountains between Silverton, Ouray and Telluride |
| 11 | KOTO’s Doo-Dah Concert Presents George Clinton Come have a blast at the annual KOTO summer concert in Town Park |
| 12-19 | San Miguel Basin Fair & Rodeo Norwood hosts a classic county fair with a 4-H competition and rodeo |
| 15 | Sunset Concert Series Free live music in Mountain Village featuring Old 97s |
| 17 | The Play’s the Thing A free reading of a play (TBA) presented by Squidshow and TCAH |
| 17-19 | Nothing Festival Nothing to do, but nothing, nothing, nothing |
| 18 | Paws for Art Live art auction, wine, beer, hors d’oeuvres and live music; proceeds benefit homeless dogs and cats |
| 22 | Bouldering Competition Annual Mountain Village Adventure Rock Bouldering Competition Series |
| 22 | Sunset Concert Series Free live music in Mountain Village featuring James McMurtry |
| 23-25 | Americana Music Weekend Evenings at the Sheridan Opera House featuring incredible acoustic Americana singer/songwriter music |
| 24-26 | Strokes of Genius Play some golf, meet some friends and make a difference; a scholarship golf tourney for Telluride High School graduates |
| 24-26 | Rotary 4x4 Rally Guided tours in your own vehicle on Telluride’s beautiful 4x4 roads |
| 24 | Ah Haa Art Auction Annual fundraiser for the Ah Haa School; auction, silent auction and lots of fun |
| 25-26 | Mountainfilm’s Outdoor Series Free films at Mountain Village’s Sunset Plaza featuring festival selections and premieres of new films |
| 29 | Sunset Concert Series Free live music in Mountain Village featuring Coco Montoya |
| 31 | Telluride Cajun Festival Unique event featuring music and culinary festivities on Pine Street in downtown Telluride |
| 31-Aug 2 | Telluride Tech Fest A celebration of the past, present and future of technology |
Recreation News: Much Ado About Summer... Lots of Fun for Kids and Adults
Aaahh, to be a kid or an adult in Telluride during the summer. With so much to do, the only hard part is finding enough time to do it all. For the kid-specific, Telluride Academy, the region’s premier outdoor adventure youth organization, has a lineup of incredible programs until mid-August. Camps are one to two weeks in length and offer everything under the sun from fly-fishing to photography, mountain biking to kayaking, outdoor leadership to culinary arts, llama trekking to radio camp. While some programs are already full, many still have room. Then there’s the St. Sophia Nature Center, located atop the Gondola, which offers several educational programs that include, wildlife and environmental education, guided interpretative hikes, and arts & crafts. For the whole family, Telluride’s Town Park is a great spot any time of day with its playground, tennis/volleyball/basketball courts, ball fields and public pool. So is the Telluride Golf Course up in Mountain Village, a par 71, 6,739-yard, 18-hole breathtaking (in more ways than one) course, which offers private instruction and clinics, in addition to regular play. And of course, there’s the myriad of hiking and biking trails, including those found on the Telluride Ski Resort. As of July 1, the Village Trail, Coonskin Loop, Ridge Trail, Sheridan Trail, See Forever Trail, Basin Trail and Prospect Trail (all located on the ski area) are open. Note: the Telluride Trail, which descends the front side of the ski mountain into the town of Telluride, is permanently closed to bikers, and the Coonskin Loop might close to bikers in the future as well.
Arts & Entertainment News: Even in the Mountains, Palms and Beers Can Go Together
While the opening of the Michael D. Palm Theater several years ago came as a thrill and welcome addition to the community, it was also a tenuous thing to many who questioned whether having a full-blown performing arts center as an appendage to the Middle/High School (hence situated on school grounds) was the best idea. How would people be able to have a cocktail while watching the ballet, or a film premiere, or a concert? While to some this wasn’t an issue, to others it was a real concern. Thus it didn’t come as too much of a surprise that after existing for several years as a dry venue, the issue of alcohol at the Palm rose like bubbles in a flute of champagne.
Last month, in a 3-2 decision, the Telluride R-1 School District Board of Education voted to allow drinking at some events held at the Palm. “I fully support this,” said board member Davis Fansler. “I frankly believe that we, as a board, have been thoughtful about this…We have to do what we can to make this performing arts facility as competitive and well run as we can. I think this is one small piece of that.”
The meeting on June 15 was the last of a series of three debating the subject. In effect, the school board didn’t vote for drinking at the theater, but rather chose to create a nonprofit organization that will apply for liquor licenses, since school districts cannot. In turn, each event application will have to be approved by the board and then the nonprofit will apply to the town of Telluride for a special event liquor license—a 45-day process. Each 501(c)3 is permitted up to eight special event licenses per year.
The request to allow alcohol at the Palm came from the Theatre Advisory Committee, and was spurred by financial concerns, viewing the sale of alcohol as another means to create revenue for the venue.
Community News: Lotus Petal Turns 20…One of Town’s Best Eateries Spans Two Decades
It’s a little bit of a tongue twister, but as the second longest continuously operating restaurant in town, Honga’s Lotus Petal is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. But the chic Asian restaurant has more to celebrate than just longevity. Honga’s is one of Telluride’s most successful businesses, and as a favorite to many, bears a reputation synonymous with outstanding cuisine. Old favorites like Blackened Tofu and Gado Gado are still some of the most popular menu items, as are the superb Thai and Indian curries, decadent sushi, crisp seaweed salads and spring rolls, and sinful desserts like flourless chocolate cake. All in all, the extensive menu is full of fresh ingredients that are often organic and locally-grown. And then there are the Mojitos…one of the most refreshing cocktails imaginable on a warm summer eve.
Restaurateur Honga Im began the Lotus Petal two decades ago in a little space on main street (the one formerly occupied by Marz). She then moved locations to the corner of South Oak and Pacific Avenue for several years, and in 2006 moved back to main street (across the street from her original stomping ground) to the spacious Roma Building, which she also bought and renovated. She’s worked hard over the years to create somewhat of an empire, one built upon environmental consciousness, social awareness, and really good food. Her menu has evolved, her staff has expanded, she published an award-winning cookbook, has been hailed by such publications as the New York Times, and has served tasty vittles to celebrities like Tom Cruise, Ziggy Marley and Michael Franti.
This summer Honga’s Lotus Petal offers a happy hour menu (4-6 p.m., daily), with such specials as a Mojito and a roll for $12; and late-night fare (10-12 p.m., Thurs-Sat) that includes egg rolls for $8, tofu with noodles for $7, and more. Plans for an official 20th anniversary celebration are in the works so stay tuned…
Environmental News: Bluegrass Continues to Make Green Strides
In an effort to lessen the impact of thousands of festivarians doing what they do for four days in and around Town Park, Planet Bluegrass continued its environmental efforts at this year’s 36th annual event. For starters, it invested in wind power and carbon-cutting to offset the amount of emissions associated with transportation to and from Telluride…even the trucks carrying compost from the festival grounds were accounted for this year. “I think it would be really naïve to say we’re offsetting the festival if we didn’t address travel,” said Steve Szymanski, Planet Bluegrass vice president. As it turned out, the offsets equated to planting more than 20,000 mature trees, or taking nearly 500 cars off the road for a year. In addition, artists received metal water bottles to use all weekend (rather than plastic); the backstage kitchen used actual silverware and plates instead of the disposable stuff for the 400-or-so dinners it served each night; “garbage police” provided guidance as to which garbage went where (recycle, compost, or trash); New Belgium Brewing Co. (the festival’s official beer provider) has used wind power for its brewing practices since 1999; and all vendor utensils were recyclable or compostable (some of the drink cups were made from corn). Tips on how to do the right thing were constantly reminded, as well as made into fun contests. There was a pocket guide checklist where participants who completed half or more became eligible for an eco-trip to one of five locations, from India to Budapest; and a campground challenge where Planet Bluegrass picked the greenest campers out of 4,000, awarding various prizes to those selected.
Next year, there will likely be more green steps taken as Planet Bluegrass isn’t even close to satisfied. “The production is really a finely tuned event,” Szymanski said. “So there’s lots of room to look toward other things you can do.”