The Pole

There will be a new voice at the helm of Animas River Days this weekend. Durangoan Chad Hare will be taking the mic from longtime master of ceremonies John Brennan, who MC-ed the event since time immemorial, or at least 1983.

“I’ve heard I have some big shoes to fill,” said Hare. “I am just kind of jumping in head first, eyes close. That’s my M.O.”

(For the record, the Telegraph does not condone jumping into the river, or any body of water, head first. And always wear your PFD.)

With Memorial Day upon us, perhaps there’s no better time to broach the uncomfortable but necessary subject of one of life’s certainties. No, not taxes: death. OK, now that we’ve sufficiently killed everyone’s buzz, here’s the good news. These days, there’s lots more options than the pine box or glossy, satin-lined Cadillac casket.

Durango has a new collection of funny folks. The cleverly named Lower Left Improv – which takes its name form Durango’s location in the state – is hosting its first show of original comedy sketches, “Mind Your Manners,” Fri.-Sat., May 24-25, at Stillwater’s Light Box Theater, 1316 Main Ave. 

One of the M.C.’s favorite family friendly biking spots is back open for business. After being closed recently for a prescribed burn, Boggy Draw opened back up to the public Wed., May 14.

Regular readers of this fine publication no doubt are familiar with the works of Burt Baldwin, the unofficial Telegraph poet laureate. Since the early days, Baldwin’s poetry, essays and short stories have been a recurring feature in the paper.

For many Durangoans, spring is time to hit the water. But for a few extra hearty souls, it will be time to really hit the water. On June 8, team “Human Powered Potential” will be setting out in their 28-foot fiberglass sea home, American Spirit, to row from California’s Monterey Bay to Kauai. 

A longtime local nonprofit is starting a new chapter. Last week, Community Connections announced it is branching off into two entities to offer specialized services to people with disabilities.

True, there’s one weekend left at Purg and plenty of corn in the high country if you know where to look. But chances are, you’re ready to put the skis on ice for a while. And as much as we joke about not waxing our skis, it’s actually kind of a big deal for summer storage.