Arts & Entertainment – The Durango Herald

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Four Corners Comedy Festival takes over Durango

Shows, workshops to be held through Sunday

High mountain music: Guitarist for Michael Martin Murphey performing at Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering

Carin Mari is bringing some high-country music – and perhaps even a yodel or two – to the Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering this weekend. A gifted singer and guitar player from Buena Vista, th...

DATE: Sep 29, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Check out what’s playing in Durango movie theaters

Movies playing Sept. 30-Oct. 6

DATE: Sep 28, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Do the ‘Time Warp’ again – 'Rocky Horror' show will travel

A touring, interactive version of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is hitting the road to celebrate the cult film’s birthday with screenings, live shadow casts, the invitation to be inappropriate and one of its original stars – Barry Bostwick. (Associated Press)

DATE: Sep 28, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Cowboy Gathering premier performer cancels; R.W. Hampton to take his place

R.W. Hampton will be the premier performer for the Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering with two shows on Thursday. Hampton is one of the leading Western entertainers in America. Performer Dave S...

DATE: Sep 27, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Durango Events calendar

Highlight of the week The fifth annual Four Corners Comedy Festival will be held Thursday through Sunday in Durango, featuring 26 events in nine venues. Be sure to check out Friday’s Arts & ...

DATE: Sep 27, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

‘The Crown’ back in November for season 5 with new queen

LOS ANGELES – “The Crown” will return to its Netflix throne in early November. The drama series about Queen Elizabeth II and her extended family will begin its fifth season on Nov. 9, the st...

DATE: Sep 24, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Pharoah Sanders, influential jazz saxophonist, dies at 81

LOS ANGELES – Pharoah Sanders, the influential tenor saxophonist revered in the jazz world for the spirituality of his work, has died, his record label announced. He was 81. Sanders, also kn...

DATE: Sep 24, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Oscar-winning ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ actor Louise Fletcher dies

LOS ANGELES – Louise Fletcher, a late-blooming star whose riveting performance as the cruel and calculating Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” set a new standard for screen v...

DATE: Sep 24, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

A once-in-a-year chance

FLC Showcase introduces new and ‘old’ faculty

DATE: Sep 23, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Dexter from Ouray a bona ‘fido’ superstar

Dog who walks on hind legs will make appearance Oct. 1 at Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering parade

DATE: Sep 22, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Check out what’s playing in Durango movie theaters

Movies playing Sept. 23-29

DATE: Sep 21, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Fort Lewis College football takes on Arizona ChristianFLC drops first game of 2022, 52-12

FLC drops first game of 2022, 52-12

Pride parade and festival

Photos: Family fun at the La Plata County Fair

La Plata County Fair is off and running

La Plata County Fair schedule of eventsThursday8:30 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA breeding swine, market swine. 9 a.m.-8 p.m.: Exhibits open to the public.9 a.m.: Judging open class home economics, horticulture, floriculture, creative arts.9 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA and open class fleeces.9 a.m.: 4-H poultry judging followed by open class.1 p.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA goat show, all classes followed by open class goat.5 p.m.: Fair Royalty speeches and modeling.7 p.m.: Talent contest, patio.7 p.m.: Livestock verification swine, poultry, goat, general project cards due.

Friday9 a.m.-8 p.m.: Exhibits open to the public.9 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA rabbits.10 a.m.: 4-H/FFA breeding beef, beef showmanship.1 p.m.: 4-H/FFA market beef, grand champion and reserve grand champion market beef, champion selection.2 p.m.: Dairy cattle, all classes.3:15 p.m.: Pee wee showmanship.4 p.m.: 4-H/FFA livestock round robin, all-around showmanship.7 p.m.: Asleep at the Wheel concert.7 p.m.: Livestock sale verification rabbit and beef cards due.

Saturday9 a.m.-6:30 p.m.: Exhibits open to the public. 9 a.m.: 4-H dog show.9 a.m.: Judging open class beef all classes.10 a.m.: Rooster crowing contest.10 a.m.: FFA showmanship.11 a.m.: Open class dairy cattle, all classes.12 p.m.: Demolition Derby.12-4 p.m.: Community 4-H barbecue cook off (senior center lawn).2 p.m.: Rabbit costume contest.2 p.m.: Poultry costume contest.5 p.m.: Silver steaks, silver loin and silver chop award presentation.5:45 p.m.: Fair Royalty crowning.6 p.m.: Junior livestock sale pavilion.9 p.m.-midnight: Fair family dance.

Sunday8 a.m.: Cowboy church. 8 a.m.: Carcass animals loaded.9 a.m.- 2 p.m.: Exhibits open to the public.1:30 p.m.: 4-H/FFA Catch-It contest.2-3 p.m.: Payment of premiums. 2-3 p.m.: Exhibits released in all departments. 2-5 p.m.: Booths taken down.2-5 p.m.: Poultry and rabbit exhibits released.2 p.m.: Animals released.Beer garden is open Thursday through Saturday.

La Plata County Fair schedule of events Thursday 8:30 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA breeding s...

Patriotic drone show unfolds above Durango’s night skyAbout 1,200 people watched production from city Transit Center

One hundred forty drones took to the skies above Greenmount Cemetery at 10 p.m. sharp Saturday in a glowing and patriotic spectacle featuring vibrant images colored red, white and blue against the black backdrop of night.About 1,200 people gathered Saturday at the Durango Transit Center to watch the city’s premiere drone show produced by Verge Aero after a street dance and band performance by McCurry Trio and Desert Child for Independence Day celebrations.Spectators were treated to drone depictions of the American flag, star patterns, a soaring bald eagle and a homage to the city with drones flying in formation to spell out “Durango” to close out the street dance that started at 6 p.m. Across the valley from Greenmount Cemetery, the headlights of cars shined from Rim Drive near Fort Lewis College where more spectators watched.

Ellen Babers, Durango community events administrator, said the show went well. She heard “Ooh’s” and “ah’s” from the crowd when the drones transitioned from one image to another.She said a segment that consisted of stars rotating at various intervals, shrinking into smaller stars before expanding into the shape of a larger star, appeared to be a crowd favorite.“People really liked the Durango part,” she said. “When it spelled out Durango, people seemed surprised. Like, ‘Oh, this isn’t just a generic show, this is about us.’”Other images included an outline of the continental United States, the letters “USA,” and a spinning globe shape that gave the drone show a 3D feel.

The drones were laid out earlier in the evening in a square grid, with each drone placed 4 feet apart. Peter Smiatek, pilot and designer of the drone show, worked with a crew of about six people, including volunteers. Saturday evening at Greenmount Cemetery where the drones launched and landed, Peter Smiatek, pilot and designer with Verge Aero, and his crew of about six people, including volunteers, had laid all the drones out on the grass in a square grid. Each drone was placed four feet apart. Smiatek synced the drones to a GPS and radio tower in preparation for the evening’s show. Six minutes before takeoff, a deer wandered straight past the drone grid, narrowly avoiding stepping on them.“That could have been a disaster,” Smiatek said as his crew scanned the nearby area with flashlights. No other deer were visible.Two minutes before takeoff, the crew’s portable generator shut off – out of gas.

“We have double secure power,” he said. “The generator fell off two minutes before the show started. It’s like Murphy’s law, anything that could happen will happen. So it’s best to be prepared.”During prep, the crew ran several tests with the drones. The drones shot up 3 to 4 meters, hovered for about one second and then dropped back to their designated grid space on the grass.

Smiatek worked from a makeshift command station where his laptop and transmission tower were perched.“The base station is the heart of the show,” he said. “It’s a computer and it’s a distribution system connected to radios and an antenna. And that’s it, basically. Very flexible and a good system.”Chris Lutts, vice president of sales at Verge Aero, said he thinks Durangoans enjoyed the performance. From Greenmount Cemetery, he could hear the cheers and whistles of the audience at the Durango Transit Center.“The people we’ve been working with have been great,” he said. “Clearly, the city enjoyed it, so that’s awesome. That’s why we do this. It’s no different than any other entertainment, man. You love that feedback. It’s validation that what you’re doing is something that people really like.”cburney@durangoherald.com