There was something for everyone at the La Plata County Fair last week, but for young people involved in 4-H, it was the week of the year.
The La Plata County 4-H Council has 17 4-H clubs under its aegis, with more than 350 young people involved. Students can learn everything from cooking and sewing to raising livestock and welding. Participants grow up with a knowledge and skill set hard to get anywhere else, and they have fun learning together.
In addition to all their other responsibilities during the fair, 4-H members from all those clubs worked together on a fundraiser for the council itself on Saturday, a barbecue to fuel all those fairgoers so they could keep oohing and aahing at the exhibits.
It’s a good thing they started serving at noon, because the weather started out gorgeous before the skies opened mid-afternoon. Some ferocious gusts of wind took out power lines around the county, and it just wasn’t ideal barbecue conditions anymore. That didn’t stop a lot of people from showing up, but there was more than one human anchor on the tents.
All told, the number of folks served was around 1,100, but it probably would have been 500 to 600 more had Mother Nature not weighed in. With sponsorships, donors and ticket sales, they still raised a whopping $15,000.
On the menu? Barbecued beef and pork, corn on the cob, salad, country bread and cobbler with ice cream.
The barbecue featured BP, XTO Energy, Exterran and WPX Energy duking it out for the Sizzling Cup and People’s Choice Award. Exterran made a clean sweep of it.
The council uses the money to support its natural resource camp and send students to events such as the state conference and leadership training.
Participants in 4-H don’t have to live in the countryside or be interested in livestock to enjoy the activities, because there are myriad projects they can choose, ranging from scientific studies to skills across the board in home economics and technical areas. As we start a new school year, it’s a good time to consider 4-H for your youngster.
Call the La Plata County Extension Office at 382-6465 for more information. Projects vary some from club to club, so it’s worth taking the time to check them out.
You’ve got to love the businesses in this community who support kids in their endeavors like this. Helping make the barbecue happen were the La Plata Energy Council, Bread, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Durango, both First National Bank of Durango and the Bank of Colorado, Serious Texas Bar-B-Q, Basin Printing and Imaging, La Plata Electric Association, Basin Co-op, Sunnyside Meats, the Gillen family and Durango School District 9-R.
John Anderson was the first person in a while who has asked people outright to read the ads in the program of, in his case, Music in the Mountains, and patronize those businesses while thanking them for supporting a favorite cause.
Businesses in this town get endless requests – I’m talking several a week for most, several a day for others – and, for the most part, they all give and give.
A thank you now and then seems the least we can do as a community.
And finally, kudos to all the folks who organize and participate in the La Plata County Fair. I am a most admiring audience for your efforts. My favorites are the quilts and the flower arrangements, but looking at all those homemade baked and canned goods, the animals so lovingly tended and the sheer outpouring of effort and creativity in our community never ceases to amaze!
HHH
These folks are celebrating their birthdays as students enjoy the last few days before school starts – Kirk Komick, Kathrene Frautschy, Cooke Seale, Raiana Ollier, Eileen Stastny, Bobby Lehmann, Judy Danielson, Glenn Francis, Roger Landgren, Don Southworth, David Freienmuth, Phil Patterson, Bill Foreman, Rick Phillips, Natalie Serwe, Emma Bryant, James Calvet, Jake Forsythe, Isabel Bohachevsky, Garrett Krispin, Zoe Larsen, Sheila Burnett and John Patton.
Special greetings to Deborah Uroda, who spent her special day cooking a gourmet lunch for a hike donated in a charity auction.
HHH
Lots of organizations hold fundraisers in our community, but I have a soft spot for people who figure out a way to raise money for a cause they support.
In the case of Style N’ Stones, it’s six creative women who design and make jewelry, then hold a sale with a big chunk of the proceeds going to the cause of the year.
This year, that cause was the Durango Arts Center, and they held their sale July 19 in the Barbara Conrad Gallery. Attendees not only got to shop some enticing wares, they got to view the exhibit, too.
They charge $20 to enter, 100 percent of which goes to the cause, and then donate a percentage of their sales. Because they serve a veritable cornucopia of goodies, and Stan Crapo of Star Liquors donates a lovely wine bar, it’s worth going just for that.
The project started in the winter, when designers Basia Daney, Susie Fisher, Pat Lorenzen, Nancy Macho, Carolyn Plested and Mary Orsini attended the Winter Gem and Mineral Show in Tucson, Ariz. It’s said to be the largest gem show in the world, with thousands of exhibitors at about 30 venues around the city.
I hear it’s something else. The ladies not only buy pearls, gemstones, beads, silver and gold jewelry components, they also take classes and learn new techniques. Then they come back and work, work, work. It’s always exciting to see what they’ve created each year.
This was Daney’s first show with the group, and she created some stunning pieces. Lorenzen moved to Prescott, Ariz., in June – but she wasn’t going to miss this for anything. And remembering co-founder of Style N’ Stones, Gail Short, who died a little more than a year ago, makes the event a little bittersweet.
The jewelers recruit a number of friends to handle the sales part, so they should get credit for part of the donation as well.
Durango Arts Center received a check for about $2,600. This was the ninth annual event, and in those nine years, they have donated more than $32,000 to causes such as Durango Friends of the Arts, Hospice of Mercy and Manna Soup Kitchen in addition to the arts center.
I have it on good authority that they’re planning to invite several other jewelers for the 10th anniversary of Style N’ Stones next year, and they expect it will be the most diverse show yet. And they’re in the process of selecting their beneficiary for 2014, so stay tuned.
HHH
Every August, when Durango slows down (but just a tad), I like to take a moment for my annual rant. Why should comedians be the only folks who get to sound off about the things that have been on their mind, I say?
Durango used to be quite the polite town. If a hostess asked for an RSVP, she got it.
Nowadays, poor hostesses have to keep reminding folks they’re waiting for a yea or nay, prepare too much food or worry about not preparing enough. As is often the case when things bother me, I myself am frequently one of the worst transgressors.
My response is often a hostess’ worst nightmare, the dreaded “maybe,” especially during the week.
My excuse is that breaking news or a stack of obituaries that just have to get in because the service is coming up fast make my time not my own. What’s yours?
Waiting for a better offer isn’t one, and waiting to see if you’re in the mood or not isn’t either. And once you’ve said yea or nay, don’t show up if you said nay but do show up if you said you’d be there. Illness, slick roads and a boatload of company showing up that day unannounced (also a no-no) are the only acceptable excuses. And you should call as soon as you realize one of those instances has occurred.
Don’t bring your dog unless the hostess specifically invites him or her. Don’t bring your children to a clearly adult party – and if you’re not sure, ask. Don’t bring your in-laws who are visiting unless the hostess specifically says, “Hey, I know your in-laws are in town. Bring them along.”
It’s just basic common courtesy, for Pete’s sake.
(I am addicted to a website called The Word Detective, where the background of words and phrases is explained. “For Pete’s sake” came about because people didn’t want to blaspheme by saying “for God’s sake” or “for Christ’s sake,” so they picked the apostle Peter instead. Who knew?)
Now to the subset of RSVPing, committing to attend a nonprofit fundraiser. If you really believe in the mission of the organization, or it sounds like a fun time and you don’t want to miss it, buy your ticket early.
If you don’t go, the money goes to a good cause. When everyone buys them at the door, they, once again, run the risk of running out of food and liquor (horrors!) or spend money that should go to the cause by buying more than they need.
Here’s what will happen now. All the hostesses and nonprofits will thank me for the rant – and Durangoans will continue showing up at the last minute without an RSVP.
Please prove me wrong.
HHH
Celebrating their anniversaries as summer winds down are Steve and Lou Hudson, Bruce and Diane Diiro, Charles and Jean Reid, David and Cheryl Freienmuth, Ted and Wilma Cooper, Dwight and Sharon McAnear, John and Sally Folk, Robert and Ruth Wagner and Fred and Elizabeth Whitehurst.
