Briefs – The Durango Herald

Catholic Daughters of America names scholarship winners

Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court St. Anthony No. 1248 announces its 2022 Scholarship winners: Jacquelyn Marin and Carly Piccoli. Both women will receive $500 to support their college...

DATE: Jul 21, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

Pine River Shares seeking volunteers

Pine River Shares is seeking volunteers to help unload semi-trucks filled with donated food destined for food insecure families in the Pine River Valley. A truck arrives at 8:30 a.m. every s...

DATE: Jul 21, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

La Plata County announces band for ‘Friday at the Fair’ concert

La Plata County Fair announces that this year’s “Friday at the Fair” concert will feature Asleep at the Wheel. The 10-time Grammy Award-winning Western swing band will perform at 8 p.m. Aug....

DATE: Jul 21, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

Bridge Scores

Durango Bridge Club online and in-person play – all pairs received 50+ percent July 14 – Non-Life Masters First: G. Bell/M. Bell Second: E. Dorminy/L. Hawk Third: J. Ga...

DATE: Jul 21, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

Mountain to Desert Mortgage opens office in Durango

Mountain to Desert Mortgage has opened its first office in downtown Durango at 700 Main Ave. Longtime mortgage veteran Andy Roach is the broker/owner and his longtime associate Suzie Morse ...

DATE: Jul 19, 2022 | CATEGORY: Business

Durango Botanic Gardens to host annual bulb sale online

Durango Botanic Gardens’ annual bulb sale is Aug. 5 to Aug. 16 and will again be held online. Almost 50 types of bulbs will be available to order. The sale preview opens July 22 on the Botan...

DATE: Jul 19, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

First Southern Baptist Church changes name

Early records from First Southern Baptist Church in Durango indicate that the church came into existence on Dec. 7, 1951. In January 1952, the church welcomed the first members, called a new...

DATE: Jul 19, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

Four Corners Prostate Cancer Support Group to meet

Four Corners Prostate Cancer Support Group will meet on the evening of Aug. 2 on Zoom. The group consists of survivors and men who have been diagnosed with prostate issues including cancer. ...

DATE: Jul 19, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

Celebrate end of summer at Pine River Library

Pine River Library will host a final summer learning party from 1 to 3 p.m. July 30 at the library park. The party will wrap up the library’s ocean-themed Summer Learning Program with water ...

DATE: Jul 19, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

Durango School District invites public comment through many channels

Durango School District 9-R staff and board of education members welcome comments from the community. There are many ways to engage and participate, including: Attend and provide comment...

DATE: Jul 19, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

Pine River Library to host babysitting training

Pine River Library will host a babysitter training course from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 4 and 5. The two-day course trains teens ages 12 to 18 on basic child care, nutrition and an introductory...

DATE: Jul 19, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

La Plata County Fairgrounds to host Chuck Wagon Cook-off

The dinner bell for the Cattlemen’s Chuck Wagon Cook-off will be at 5 p.m. July 30 at La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. There will be meat, potatoes, beans, fresh bread, dessert an...

DATE: Jul 19, 2022 | CATEGORY: Community

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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

About 1,200 people watched production from city Transit Center

Photos: BurroFest in Mancos

Fun times at the Ute Mountain Roundup rodeo in Cortez

Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Hobby Horse Community Bike Ride

Photos: Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Sprite Kids Race

Men and women compete in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic dual slalom races

Riders compete in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Roostmaster race

Riders compete in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic men’s pro road raceQuinn Simmons takes the win

Quinn Simmons takes the win

Cyclists compete in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic women’s pro road raceKira Payer takes first

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