A few weeks ago, Neighbors was all about a fishing tournament, and this week the subject is golf. No, you haven’t inadvertently turned to the sports section. This is just another case of sports in support of a good cause.
The event was Birdie Fest 2013, when 10 golf professionals from three golf clubs – Glacier Club, Dalton Ranch and Hillcrest – took on the challenge of playing 54 holes in one day at Glacier Club. The catch? Only the birdies counted. (That’s one under par on the hole for the nongolfers.)
Not only were bragging rights on the line, the pros had solicited per birdie and fixed amount pledges from their respective golf club’s members, so the better they did, the more money Durango Adaptive Sports Association would collect. No pressure there!
By the end of a long day of golf on Thursday, the players had managed to hit 135 birdies – that’s why they’re pros, and most of the rest of us are rank amateurs. Thanks to event sponsors Durango Motor Co. and the R.H. Crossland Foundation along with the pros’ many supporters; they raised more than $25,000 for ASA.
Everyone, including Adaptive Sports, came out a winner. Glacier Club members pledged the most money to support their pros Patric Flynn, Joe Kamby, Alex Fisher and Lucas Butler (no relation, as far as I know).
Dalton Ranch pros Fal Wood, Pier Nielson and Pete Wolke had the highest average number of birdies per pro (an average of 14.6).
And Hillcrest Golf Club walked away with the coveted Birdie Fest Club Challenge Award for the most members pledging. Its pros, John Vickers, Shea Sena and Guy Begay, scored the traveling “trophy,” an original watercolor painting by Susan Tait, which will be on display at Hillcrest until its next home is determined at the 2014 event.
Flynn and the Glacier Club get extra credit for hosting the very long day of golf, and all of the pros deserve some special gratitude from the community. All summer long, they help organize fundraising tournaments, which is no small feat.
Adaptive Sports is getting ready to gear up for its winter season of providing recreational opportunities for people with cognitive and physical disabilities. It’s also getting ready for another of its big fundraisers, the 13th annual Harvest Gala. Scheduled for Oct. 17, it features an extravaganza of silent and live auction items along with a delicious dinner at the Mahogany Grille. And this is a group that has fun.
Tickets are $99 and are available by calling 259-0374 or emailing info@asadurango.com.
HHH
Wearing silly hats as they mark another year are Kristen Collins, Ted Robson, Harold Jackson, Emma Zink, Chris Safran, Lucy Bultmann, Charlie Guion, Kelly Parker, Kay Neal, Ann Ruetschle, Jean Reid, Rap Fairley, Ben Nye, Peter Olson, Barbara Dunne, Peggy Sharp, Clyde James, Larry Hjermstad, Ginger Williamson, Lynn Partridge, Marion Wengler and Rap Dunker.
Special greetings go to vintner extraordinaire Sydney Morris.
HHH
It seems impossible, but the Durango Arts Center’s 19th annual Arts Festival is just around the corner. It will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 21 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 22, and volunteers are needed to help it run smoothly.
This is a great way to spend at least part of a beautiful fall weekend. Half the town goes, so you’re sure to have a chance to catch up with a few old friends. And because the 80 artists, both local and some coming from across the U.S. and Canada, are juried, you know every booth will have something special.
Throw in live music, a food court, a children’s Creation Station, and now we’re talking.
The DAC is using VolunteerSpot for sign-ups, which should make everything run more smoothly for volunteers and organizers alike. Visit DAC’s page at http://durangoarts.org. Visit the Autumn Arts Festival and click on the Get Involved button in the middle of the page.
Maureen May, the volunteer coordinator, asked me to get the news out to everyone I know. Mission accomplished.
HHH
Those of you who are paying attention are going to notice that the guide-dogs-in-training are looking a lot smaller than the last time you saw them. That’s because the canines who spent the last year becoming socialized are now off in Oregon for their specialized training to become service dogs.
So starting off with a new crop of puppies are Jim and Sue Mooney with their new little guy Keymer, Sue and Wayne Kaplan with Keymer’s brother Kipley and Nancy and Byard Peake with little female Everly.
As always, a hands-off rule applies unless you are given permission to pet the little cuties. These dogs are learning to focus on the job at hand and are not to be distracted. I know it’s everyone’s initial instinct, particularly in a dog-loving town such as Durango, to dive in and start loving them, but service dogs (and their trainers) need to be treated with a little deferential respect.
HHH
Summertime is a time for reunions, and the Four Corners is the perfect place to host them.
Katherine Reynolds managed to entice members of her class from Fenton High School in suburban Chicago to a four-day reunion here at the end of August. They traveled from Nederland, Houston, Phoenix, Chicago and Savannah, Ga., to enjoy beautiful Southwest Colorado.
In addition to riding the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and visiting Mesa Verde National Park – our two must-see attractions – they attended a Durango Choral Society rehearsal (Reynolds is a member), had brunch with former Durangoan Carolyn Smith, who now calls Mancos home, and enjoyed a picnic along Junction Creek.
Of course, they also enjoyed wining and dining at many of Durango’s finest eateries.
And while they were here to have fun, they took a moment to remember classmates who are no longer with us. They gathered on an Animas River Trail bridge to throw sunflowers into the river for each of the 39 people who have died.
HHH
Two years ago, the Fort Lewis College Common Reading Experience selection was Sonia Nazario’s Enrique’s Journey, a book about the children who braved incredible odds to try to come to the United States to join their parents, who were already here trying to help their families survive.
One of the highlights of my career was getting two hours of Nazario’s time for an interview. We talked about her experiences writing the series of Pulitzer-winning articles that grew into the book and the response the book has been getting as a number of schools in addition to FLC select it for a read.
But Nazario thought students close to Enrique’s age might also like to learn about the experience kids their own age are having, so she has created a young-adult version of the book that came out at the end of August. The book is geared to students in the seventh grade and up.
If you’re one of the many members of the community who was touched by her book, you might consider it as a family read or a gift for a young person. And if you’re a middle school or early high school teacher, this book shines a light on an aspect of immigration that too often hides in the darkness.
HHH
A lot of people ask me about Durango Friends of the Arts. “What do they do, exactly?” they say.
What they do is spend most of the year raising money to support local artists and arts organizations, then they give it away in grants. They have parties and fundraisers, sell memorabilia and in general have a good time while raising funds to support something they love.
DFA isn’t big on meetings, just one every other month, but the September one is something special. It’s the Grants Recipients reception, when members get a chance to see why they have been working so hard. Many of the recipients bring arts into the schools, which enriches the next generation.
The meeting is also a chance for women who have wondered if DFA is for them to dip their toe in the pool, so to speak.
It will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday at Sorrel Sky Gallery, 828 Main Ave. Guests are always welcome.
HHH
Believe it or not, the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Recital Series is beginning its ninth season, and it’s starting on a high note.
Rochelle Mann, the principal flutist for the San Juan Symphony and professor emerita at Fort Lewis College, is going “Around the World in 80 Days” at her recital at 7 p.m. Friday at the church, 910 East Third Ave.
She’ll be joined by a lot of her friends, including Jonathan Latta on percussion, Scott Hagler on piano, Ruth Katzin and Christy Livingston on flute, and soprano Gemma Kavanagh. She’s got a lot of talented friends.
It’s the flutes Mann will be playing that make it an international experience. In addition to her C and alto flutes, she’ll be playing an Irish flute she purchased last fall in Galway, the flute from Thailand was a gift from her son, Dr. Scott Mann, who did a surgical rotation in Chiang Mai, and the Indian flute was brought back by friend and former FLC professor John Pennington, who frequently travels to the Subcontinent to study.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for students and children. They are available at www.DurangoRecitals.com. Don’t count on any being available at the door for this one!
HHH
Nothing says happy anniversary like the beaming faces of family and friends for Gary and Chris Gould, Brad and Angelia Cook, Bob and Millie Graff, Neil and Karen Johnson, Jim and Susie Robertson and Jimmy and Jean Robinett.
HHH
Here’s how to reach me: neighbors@durangoherald.com; phone 375-4584; mail items to the Herald; or drop them off at the front desk. Please include contact names and phone numbers for all items.
I am happy to consider photos.
