Letters to the Editor – The Durango Herald

Trending:

Boebert off on ‘liberty’

I have been a public school educator – with the Department of Defense and in two Colorado towns – for 25 years. Mostly, I've taught math, but I know a bit about civics. Lauren Boebert talks ...

DATE: Sep 30, 2022 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Make America great again’

Before you vote on Nov. 8, don't be side-tracked and misled by false and distorted statements promoted by the radical far left and the fake news media against the Republican's position on ab...

DATE: Sep 30, 2022 | CATEGORY: Opinion

McLachlan’s results ‘not good’

I recently read a letter to the editor lauding the accomplishments of Barbara McLachlan and pleading to support her reelection. Though a laundry list of McLachlan’s sponsored bills was provi...

DATE: Sep 30, 2022 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Thank you, senators, for NCA

If you ask any longtime boater in Southwest Colorado their favorite local river, chances are they will tell you the Dolores River. With soaring terracotta sandstone cliffs and towering old-g...

DATE: Sep 30, 2022 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Time to end bump-outs. Permanently’

It's time to end the bump-outs. Permanently. There is no intrinsic, historic sense to the collection of DIY'er looking country-fare stalls along Main Avenue. It's a visual mess. Many are unu...

DATE: Sep 30, 2022 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Which candidates do you prefer?

Do you prefer candidates who, in order to advance their personal political ambitions, promote or refuse to disavow Trump’s Big Lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen? Do you pref...

DATE: Sep 30, 2022 | CATEGORY: Opinion

'Don’t let Texan gain office’

Texas is attempting to export its unrepresentative and repressive government into Colorado. Do we want doctors to risk jail for saving the life of a pregnant woman? Vote for reproductive fre...

DATE: Sep 21, 2022 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Frisch ‘advised to act like Republican’

It's quite entertaining to watch Lauren Boebert's opponent Adam Frisch try so hard to be a moderate conservative, especially since his worldview is shaped by his time in Boulder, New York an...

DATE: Sep 21, 2022 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Energy efficient homes showcased

The local Solar Home Tour on Sat. Oct. 1, will be a great opportunity to see energy-efficient homes designed to showcase the clean energy of our amazing solar resource here in the Southwest....

DATE: Sep 21, 2022 | CATEGORY: Opinion

No e-bikes on conservation easements

The conservation easements currently administered by the City of Durango were implemented with the intent of protecting the “natural, wildlife, open space and recreational values” of the lan...

DATE: Sep 20, 2022 | CATEGORY: Opinion

McLachlan ‘a unifier, not divider’

Barb McLachlan is the type of legislative candidate we can all support. McLachlan is experienced. She works hard and listens well. She works well with her colleagues in the Colorado House, ...

DATE: Sep 20, 2022 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Senate race: ‘Don’t change horses’

The expression “don't change horses in the middle of the stream” applies to this year's U.S. Senate race. The horse is the highly capable Michael Bennet, whose values align with most Colorad...

DATE: Sep 20, 2022 | CATEGORY: Opinion

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