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Oh, Snow you didn’t ...

Fashion, a spelling bee, bartenders mixing away, even kayakers braving the temperature-controlled environs of the Durango Community Recreation Center.

Yes, once again, Snowdown has arrived, and once again a steady mix of alcohol and ribald joking helped ease the reality that Durangoans still face another month of winter – even if it is the mild 2014-15 edition. No crazy steampunk contraption needed this year to ward off the cold.

Steampunk fashion boils over

It was impossible to leave this year’s steampunk-themed Fashion Do’s and Don’ts – where many prominent, respectable members of the community frolicked on stage in states of near-nudity – without an enhanced respect for alcohol.

By noon inside the La Plata County Fairgrounds, the bar was overrun by hordes of vaguely sober adults. Judging from costumes, sartorial commitment to this year’s steampunk theme nearly was total.

For instance, by noon, organizers actively were encouraging hundreds of people swarming the back of the event hall to find seats. But the ubiquity of nonprescription goggles had many vision-impaired festival-goers finding it hard to physically maneuver, causing scores of people to bump into chairs, tables and fellow guests.

As usual, breasts – a traditional area of strength for Snowdown costumes – loomed large at Do’s and Don’ts. Indeed, thanks to innumerable corsets, La Plata County Fairgrounds boasted its own indoor mountain range.

On stage, “Desire Director” Sandra Shellnut, clad in a purple corset, seemed to mechanically manipulate her bosoms such that they repeatedly spewed tinsel through two well-placed tubes that periodically expanded or retracted, like an accordion.

Chase Olivarius-McAllister

H H H

Cocktail queen retains her title

Jen Rylko, manager of Guido’s Favorite Foods, representing her team, The 12th Street Punks, again prevailed in the 37th annual Snowdown Bartender’s Contest at Moe’s Lounge.

After sampling 10 cocktails from Durango’s finest mixologists over the course of an hour, two judges made the sober determination that Rylko’s “Bee-Punked” cocktail had trounced the competition.

Rylko said she was thrilled by the result.

“I feel amazing. Winning two years in a row! That’s unheard of. Represent, girl! Though, I do feel sticky, as well – from the honey situation.”

Rylko’s town-beating cocktail recipe calls for Hayman’s Old Time Gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice, honey provided by Guido’s owner Susan Devereaux from her Bayfield beehive and “a splash” of St. Germaine.

Rylko said the cocktail – which judge Scott Holland termed “exceptional” – will be available at Guido’s throughout Snowdown.

“I’ll make it anytime, all week!”

Chase Olivarius-McAllister

H H H

Can you spell tie

How do you spell hi-ear-a-font? No, really, how do you?

After a few “ingenues” and “bouffant” hairdos took the stage at Spellebration on Wednesday, 12 teams dropped to two, who earned bragging rights as the co-champions of the Steampunk Snowdown 2015 outing of the longtime event.

In the end, the two finalists both missed “caoutchouc,” or rubber, which is derived from the Quechua language of the Inca, leading to the tie.

Team “To Bee or Not to Bee,” Durango High School students Christopher Petty, Izzy Riley and Elise Tidwell, and the Mustachios, Sara Euser, Heidi King and Sara Lanan, sponsored by BP America, already had handily spelled several rounds of words chosen by the Durango Education Center, which holds the event as a fundraiser each year at the Henry Strater Theatre.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was that the high school students, who have come of age in the era of spell checks, were such good spellers – really, hecatomb? Perhaps all the prepping for the SAT vocabulary section paid off.

The good news for adult contestants is that students graduate and go off to college, so the team will not necessarily be as strong next year.

Ann Butler

H H H

Goggles are all the rage

Wednesday afternoon’s costume contest at the Palace Restaurant yielded about 75 steampunkers who were not shy either with their fashion statements or the imbibing practices. The event, one of the first, helped kick Steampunk Snowdown 2015.

A man wearing goggles made from metal springs was seen gyrating vigorously and pulling a prop out of his undergarment as another woman recorded the risqué dance. She planned to post it on Facebook.

Before announcing the winner, judges asked the contenders to stroll the middle of the floor, the better to display their costume one last time. Many obliged, strutting, twirling – one event attempted “twerking.”

The first-place winners were the “Aviator Sisters,” who received a $100 gift card to The Palace. The winning duo was comprised of Ammon Swofford, aka “Alice Glamoure,” and James Chestnut, aka “Spooky Deelite,” who traveled from Denver to attend.

“It was so fun and so cool to come back to this festival,” Swofford said.

Roxane Covert and Sailer Murga took second place, winning a $75 gift card. A duo called “The Silver Statues” took third, winning a $50 gift card.

Participant Jonell Jones, aka “Josephine Steamington III,” said she had been planning her Snowdown costume for about a year. She obtained most of her costume from area garage sales and thrift stores. Her gold-and-black bodice, however, was purchased online.

The event consumed a full two hours, the better to ensure participants had ample time to display their costumes, said Andy Robinson, one of the event’s three judges.

Vanessa Guthrie

H H H

Who knew cribbage had such a following

A record 152 cribbage fanatics crowded into the Durango Elks Lodge on Wednesday for the 15th annual Snowdown Cribbage Tournament.

Organizer Joni Paul had to quiet the big crowd several times as she led opponents to the 30 tables downstairs.

Kurt Gerlach with the Four Corners Peggers, the local cribbage club, said, “It’s always amazing how many people show up for cribbage.”

They usually have 10 or 15 show up at club get-togethers.

John Peel

H H H

Durango Community Recreation Center’s pool teemed with formidably athletic children, teenagers and adults Wednesday night, where dozens showed up to compete in Snowdown’s Kayak Pool Slalom.

In tiny bathing suits, even pre-school aged slalom participants wore markedly more clothing than many of the adults who earlier on Wednesday attended Fashion Do’s and Dont’s.

Results from the slalom were not available Wednesday night.

Chase Olivarius-McAllister

2015 Steampunk Snowdown Schedule

For more information, visit www.snowdown.org.

All week

Snowdown Theme contest, through noon Sunday, Magpie’s Newsstand Cafe, 707 Main Ave., 382-0518.

Snowdown Search for “The Silver Bullet,” award ceremony, 5 p.m., Saturday, Durango Elks Lodge, 901 East Second Ave., 247-3620.

Bear Down for Snowdown, donate a stuffed bear and earn a chance to win a $50 gas gift certificate, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 9 a.m-5 p.m. Saturday, Durango Harley-Davidison, 750 South Camino del Rio, 259-0778.

Thursday

Design Your Own Mechanical – entry submission and viewing, all day, Pine River Valley Bank, 1701 Main Ave.

Corko Arto Sculpture, noon, Wine Merchant, 1514 Main Ave., 375-0076.

Hot Wing Eating Contest, 4 p.m., Cuckoo’s Chicken House and Waterin’ Hole, 128 East College Drive, 259-6322.

Shuckin’ Suckin’ Oyster Slurping contest, 4 p.m., Highway 3 Roadhouse, 955 Colorado Highway 3, 247-5440, 749-4748, (847) 852-0920.

Phat Phat Phat Burger Eat Off, 4 p.m., Derailed Pour House, 725 Main Ave., 247-5440, 749-4748, (847) 852-0920.

Name That Tune, 4-6 p.m., 8th Avenue Tavern, 509 East Eighth Ave., 903-7810, (314) 276-1522.

Water-Slide-Athon, 4-8 p.m., Durango Community Recreation Center, 2700 Main Ave., 946-8696, (208) 553-0128.

Snowdown Jr. King and Queen Contest, 4:30 p.m., Best Western Rio Grande Inn, 400 East Second Ave., 247-2446, 247-3986.

Sbeadpunk Race Against Time, 5 p.m., Beads and Beyond, 840 Main Ave., 247-1204.

Steampunk Speed Dating, 5-6:30 p.m., Rochester Hotel, 726 East Second Ave., 385-1920.

10th annual Snowdown Kid’s Follies, 5 p.m., Durango Arts Center Theatre, 802 East Second Ave.

21st annual Snowdown Benefactor Wine and Spirits Tasting & Art Auction, 5:30-8 p.m., DoubleTree Hotel, 501 Camino del Rio, 259-3415.

Limbo Contest, 5:30 p.m., Moe’s Lounge, 937 Main Ave., 749-7231.

Magical Musical Mystery Tour Finals, 6 p.m., Lost Dog Bar & Lounge, 1150 Main Ave.

Snowup Treadmill Challenge, 6 p.m., Lost Dog Bar & Lounge, 1150 Main Ave., 769-3639, 901-1075, (206) 856-1063.

Beer Pong Tournament, 6 p.m., Pongas, 121 W. Eighth St., 769-0059, 382-8554.

Washers, 6 p.m., BREW Pub & Kitchen, 117 College Drive., 903-8058, 259-5959.

Trivia Night at the Pow-Snowdown Edition, 6:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio, 403-1745, 403-1862.

Bar Olympics, 6:30 p.m., Derailed Pour House, 725 Main Ave., 247-5440, 749-4748, 946-2229.

Dodgeball 2015: Steams vs. Punks, 6:30 p.m., Durango Community Recreation Center, 2700 Main Ave., 403-0314, 563-4517.

Drag Race and Fashion Show, 6:30 p.m., El Rancho Tavern, 975 Main Ave., 759-9841.

Arm Wrestling Tournament, 7 p.m., Wild Horse Saloon, 601 East Second Ave., (405) 245-9968.

20th annual Lady F’s Lunacy, 7 p.m., Lady Falconburgh’s Barley Exchange, 640 Main Ave.

10th annual Snowdown Kid’s Follies, 7:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center Theatre, 802 East Second Ace.

Thumbwars, 8 p.m., Moe’s Lounge, 937 Main Ave., 749-7231.

Snowdown Beard Competition, 8 p.m., Carver Brewing Co., 1022 Main Ave., 946-2459, 259-2545.

The Guinness Games – Operation, 8 p.m., The Irish Embassy Pub, 900 Main Ave., 946-7660, (720) 935-9246.

Snowdown Follies Gala Premiere Performance, 8 p.m., Henry Strater Theatre, 699 Main Ave.

Karaoke Contest, 8-10 p.m., 8th Avenue Tavern, 509 East Eighth Ave., 903-7810.

Abney Park and Carute Roma Steampunk Masquerade, 8:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Drive, 426-9495, 426-8252.

The Guinness Games – Connect Four, 10 p.m., The Irish Embassy Pub, 900 Main Ave., 946-7660, (720) 935-9246.

Speed Quarters, 10:30 p.m., Moe’s Lounge, 937 Main Ave., 749-7231.

Jan 28, 2015
Where do they find these words?
Jan 28, 2015
Kayak slalom offers some athletic Snowdown fun
Jan 28, 2015
Testing their nerves: Kid’s Follies debuts
Jan 28, 2015
Cocktail queen retains her title
Jan 28, 2015
Eccentric garb abounds at costume contest
Jan 28, 2015
Steampunk fashion boils over
Jan 28, 2015
Punks in the window
Jan 27, 2015
Soni Stevens ... Steampunk Style!
Jan 27, 2015
Cribbage proves popular at Elks Lodge


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