Durango Police Department - The Durango Herald

Driver, passenger in Silverton car chase identified

James Lampley, 24, of Clovis, N.M., arrested

DATE: Sep 7, 2016 | CATEGORY: Local News

Five arrested in check forgery ring

Suspects receive felony charges

DATE: Aug 31, 2016 | CATEGORY: Local News

Durango police seek public’s help in finding assailant

Victim treated for head, face injuries

DATE: Aug 31, 2016 | CATEGORY: Local News

Durango police discount allegations after dashcam review

Social media posts claimed woman was injured during traffic stop

DATE: Aug 24, 2016 | CATEGORY: Local News

Durango Police fully staffed despite trying times in law enforcement

Ever since he was a boy, Padraic Ingle subscribed to the principles of nonviolence. But as an adult, Ingle realized he adopted those beliefs from a point of privilege: Those who s...

DATE: Jul 21, 2016 | CATEGORY: Local News

67-year-old inmate found dead in La Plata County Jail

The Durango Police Department is investigating the death of an inmate Sunday in the La Plata County Jail. La Plata County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dan Bender said the inmate, a ...

DATE: Jul 11, 2016 | CATEGORY: Local News

Durango police car’s window shot out

No suspects for vandalism causing more than $500 in damages

DATE: Jul 11, 2016 | CATEGORY: Local News

From a distance, local police grapple with shootings

Building community trust, training are key, officers say

DATE: Jul 8, 2016 | CATEGORY: Local News

Attempted carjacking caught on camera at south City Market

Police ask for public’s help in identifying man

DATE: Jun 15, 2016 | CATEGORY: Local News

Panic alarm draws police to closed marijuana shop

Store to reopen once permits are in place

DATE: May 26, 2016 | CATEGORY: Local News

Police say marijuana robbery led to killing of Fort Lewis College student

Victim may have reached for flare gun

DATE: May 24, 2016 | CATEGORY: Local News

Memorial walk honors law officers who fell in the line of duty

Eight cannon shots pierced the evening air Tuesday above Durango, each one in honor of an area law enforcement officer who lost his life in the line of duty. Residents and service...

DATE: May 16, 2016 | CATEGORY: Local News

Colorado history gets weird, wild, wacky at Fashion Do’s and Don’tsAnnual Snowdown event has become so popular, auditions are now required

Cowboys. Fancy ladies. Gold miners. Even-toed ungulates that some in Durango might consider more like rats.Where can you find a runway show that takes you on a whirlwind tour through the weird, wacky and wildly exaggerated 150 years of Colorado history? Only at Durango’s annual Fashion Do’s and Don’ts, held Wednesday, where models and audience members donned costumes celebrating Colorado’s sesquicentennial – the theme of this year’s two-week Snowdown celebration.Standout acts included the Ghosts of Durango, which featured four of Durango’s most famous ghosts: a Rochester hotel ghost in a Victorian get-up of a more “modern” variation; the Strater Hotel’s head of housekeeping, also head of more discreet services; a young girl haunting El Rancho bathroom; and Sheriff Bob Thompson, killed in a 1906 gunfight. according to emcee Suzan Lane. A Another act was the secret circus society, featuring Rubi Starr, Jeni Gross, Tabatha Joy Bettin, Adrienne Young and Ethan Deffenbaugh dressed as a car and the roadside pests better known as deer. Group members said the inspiration for the costume came from lived experiences driving the Durango roads. The two-person Cantine Couture act starred Leslie Ponce and Tyler Frakes in an homage to the plentiful variety of Mexican restaurants found in any Colorado town. Ponce, dressed in comically large Mexican pointy cowboy boots, ambled down the runway as if taking a stroll under the hot, dusty, high-altitude sun, while Frakes flitted about the stage in a bright yellow salsa dress. Ponce said this years costume had been tough to decide, but the final decision was inspired by TikTok videos of Mexican cowboys in pointy boots. This was the duo’s third year strutting down the runway. Why they keep coming back for more, Frakes said laughing, was, “for the fame, the glory and the attention.”

Fashion Do’s and Don'ts has been one of the most highly anticipated Snowdown events since it’s inception in the 1990s. It has more than doubled in size over the past several decades. Last year, there were a record number of models, and in order to keep the event at a manageable size, this years fashion show was the first one to require the acts to audition. But many of the models were unphased by the change. “It was actually easy,” said Jodi Zuber, one part of the two-person duo that made up the 1950s Texas Invader Ski Couple. Her partner-in-costume, Danny Jaques, said they had been doing this for several years, and it’s good with everything going on in the world to “get some levity and let your hair down.” The performers were not the only ones in costume. Audience members also dressed in a wide variety of unique takes on what makes Colorado, Colorado. JonBenet Ramsey made a miraculous appearance, being played by an 82-year-old woman, as did Casa Bonita, an ensemble that included a taco, sopaipilla and gorilla in chains – to name some of the characters. By the end of the show, people were in high spirits, as usual. “It was just delightful,” said a first-time audience member. If blessed with the chance to get the much coveted tickets – he said he would jump on it. jbowman@durangoherald.com

Annual Snowdown event has become so popular, auditions are now required

Photos: Snowdown 2026 Fashion Do’s and Don’ts

Photos: Durango High School basketball teams lose to Montrose High School

Photos: Local girls high school wrestling at La Plata TriDurango girls wrestling went 2-0 to win Tri on Thursday night at Bayfield

Durango girls wrestling went 2-0 to win Tri on Thursday night at Bayfield

Photos: Fort Lewis College women’s and men’s basketball take on Westminster UniversityBoth Skyhawks teams were victorious on Saturday afternoon

Both Skyhawks teams were victorious on Saturday afternoon

Photos: An afternoon in 2004 with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell as he works on Capitol HillDurango Herald Photo Editor Jerry McBride had the chance to spend an afternoon with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell in 2004, photographing him during meetings and around the Capitol.

Durango Herald Photo Editor Jerry McBride had the chance to spend an afternoon with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell in 2004, photographing him during meetings and around the Capitol.

Photos and video: ICE protests return to DurangoAbout a dozen protesters tried to block federal agents from leaving with a detainee on Thursday

About a dozen protesters tried to block federal agents from leaving with a detainee on Thursday

The Durango Herald’s year in photos 2025

Photos: Chapman Hill fires up the snow guns

Driver, passenger in Silverton car chase identified

Five arrested in check forgery ring

Durango police seek public’s help in finding assailant

Durango police discount allegations after dashcam review

Durango Police fully staffed despite trying times in law enforcement

67-year-old inmate found dead in La Plata County Jail

Durango police car’s window shot out

From a distance, local police grapple with shootings

Attempted carjacking caught on camera at south City Market

Panic alarm draws police to closed marijuana shop

Police say marijuana robbery led to killing of Fort Lewis College student

Memorial walk honors law officers who fell in the line of duty

Videos & Photos

Search Directory Plus

Most Popular

Most Recent

Ballantine Communications, Inc.

Contact Us

Find Us