The Snowdown Sneer, an annual satirical newspaper, will mysteriously appear Saturday at bars, restaurants and other venues across Durango, just before the official start to Snowdown, the town’s annual winter celebration, according to a highly placed source familiar with the matter.
Durangoans may never have a full explanation of the anonymous writers and creators behind the Sneer publication; and Snowdown organizers consistently deny any ties with the rag.
Very little is off limits for the Sneer, or its jabs directed at hot-button issues from the past year in Durango and La Plata County.
In this year’s edition, a full-page feature is dedicated to our rule-breaking president, Donald Trump, winning the Silverton Skijoring competition – not by being pulled by a horse – rather relying on his fluffy lapdog named Mitch McConnell. In an accompanying photo, a shirtless Vladimir Putin rides a horse, with a Russian flag hanging nearby.
In more local “news,” the city of Durango invites residents to examine its mountain of “irregularities” found in its 2020 budget. Durangoans won’t believe the heaping pile of bags filled with old sheets, mismatched dishes, a single ski boot, and a wicker basket filled with wine corks that ended up in the budget, the Sneer reports.
Other headlines include: “Nighthorse drained to find gal’s lost keys,” “Area man finally gets Denver TV, finds out it’s just like New Mexico TV” and “‘Creative District’ bans all art not made within its boundaries.”
The Sneer even pokes fun at Snowdown and its “awful” Rockin’ theme. The most pious say it’s the devil’s music, responsible for everything from swiveling hips to Hillary Clinton nearly being president. The metalheads argue that rock ’n’ roll without sex and drugs excludes roadies and groupies.
For those looking to get their hands on the Sneer, informed sources say copies will be inserted into most Wednesday editions of The Durango Herald.
