Community – The Durango Herald

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Cowboy Poetry Gathering to host benefit dinner

A Chuckwagon Dinner benefiting the Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering will be held at 5 p.m. Aug. 20 at 39036 U.S. Highway 160 in Mancos. Entertainment will be provided by the Timberline Cowbo...

DATE: Aug 11, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

Durango couple complete 6,800-mile river and coastal loop

The Marshalls circumnavigated eastern United States and Canada

DATE: Aug 11, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Pine River Library to host weekly family yoga

Starting Saturday (Aug. 13), Pine River Library will host a Community Family Yoga Class from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturdays at the library, 395 Bayfield Center Drive, Bayfield. This class is for all...

DATE: Aug 10, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

Durango High Noon Rotary Club to meet

Durango High Noon Rotary will meet at noon Aug. 18 at Durango Elks Lodge, 901 East Second Ave. The club’s special guest will be Philip Henderson, who recently led the first all-Black expedit...

DATE: Aug 10, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

Senior Center Calendar: Aug. 15-19

Durango/La Plata Senior Center 2424 Main Ave., 382-6445 Events: Monday 10:30 a.m.: Watch Your Step (Marvel Methodist Church) 11 a.m.: Chair Zumba 12:30 p.m.: Duplicate Bridge ...

DATE: Aug 10, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

Trail east of Animas River behind Durango High School closed through Friday

Fire mitigation and culvert work underway at request of residents

DATE: Aug 9, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

San Ignacio Fiesta names winners

The San Ignacio Fiesta was held July 30. Here are the winners of the parade and raffle. San Ignacio Fiesta parade results Grand Prize: Bayfield Belles First Children Walking: Ignacio...

DATE: Aug 9, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

Whatever happened to the SMART 160 Trail? Durango officials say it’s coming soon

Path would connect Three Springs with central Durango

DATE: Aug 8, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Students named to dean’s list

These students have been named to the 2021-22 dean’s list at the University of Northern Colorado: Durango: Drew Allsopp, Zoe Congdon and CJ Koso. Ignacio: Gabby Creason. Students who receive...

DATE: Aug 6, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

Volunteers needed for Habitat build

Habitat for Humanity is looking for volunteers to help build an affordable duplex. Volunteers are needed Tuesday through Saturday each week until the houses are completed this fall. For mor...

DATE: Aug 6, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

Bulb basics: How to choose, plant and care for them

Editor’s note: Get Growing, written by the La Plata County Extension Office’s Master Gardener Program, appears during the growing season. It features timely tips and suggestions for your...

DATE: Aug 6, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

San Juan Basin Public Health is first outside Denver to receive monkeypox vaccine

Archuleta, La Plata counties have no confirmed cases, but testing limited

DATE: Aug 6, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

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