Books – The Durango Herald

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Local author Chuck Greaves returns with new mystery

Regional author Chuck Greaves recently released “The Chimera Club,” his fourth novel in the Jack MacTaggart mystery series. The previous three MacTaggart books have all been finalists for aw...

Craig Johnson back with new novel, ‘Hell and Back’

Imagine waking up, on your back, snow covering your face with your coat frozen to the pavement in the middle of an unfamiliar rural road. Thus begins “Hell And Back,” by prolific and popular...

DATE: Sep 8, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Joy Harjo picture book ‘Remember’ to come out next year

NEW YORK – Joy Harjo, who recently completed a three-year run as the country’s poet laureate, will have a picture book out next spring. Random House Children’s Books announced Wednesday that...

DATE: Jul 13, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Blake Crouch’s new novel an unsettling look into future

Author will be at El Moro on Sunday for early release, signing of ‘Upgrade’

DATE: Jul 8, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Two rare Shirley Jackson stories published this week

NEW YORK – Shirley Jackson had a gift for evoking the depths of anxiety in the space it might take to summarize a baseball game. Two very brief and previously unreleased stories, “Charlie Ro...

DATE: Jun 9, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Productive pandemic: Jennaye Derge wrote book during COVID-19 lockdown

Book-release party to be held at Rochester’s Secret Garden Remember the worst of the pandemic, when we were all sequestered in our homes? I don’t know about the rest of you, but in my h...

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

Hillerman’s new book a welcome addition to series

Author will be at Maria’s Bookshop in Durango, Farmington Public Library

DATE: May 3, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Instead of banning ‘Maus,’ take opportunity to learn from it

A lot of talk and action has been going on in the United States recently about banning “inappropriate” books. The graphic novel “Maus” by Art Spiegleman, first published in book form in 1986...

DATE: Apr 16, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Southwest readers and authors converge on Tucson

Annual Festival of Books features familiar names

DATE: Mar 31, 2022 | CATEGORY: Books

New book chronicles hiking Colorado Trail

‘Uphill Both Ways’ examines the ultimate family field trip

DATE: Mar 31, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Cormac McCarthy has 2 novels coming out in the fall

NEW YORK – Cormac McCarthy has two novels coming out this fall, his first fiction releases since the Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Road” in 2006. Publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced Tuesday t...

DATE: Mar 9, 2022 | CATEGORY: Arts and Entertainment

Durangoan’s book has international reach

Janet Jones’ ‘Horse Brain, Human Brain’ awarded Japan’s Equine Culture Award

DATE: Feb 17, 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