business and finance - The Durango Herald

Sales tax collections up in June after declines

Strong sales in July and August could put the city back on track

DATE: Aug 21, 2016 | CATEGORY: Local News

What would you pay for the White House?

Group puts a $250 million value on iconic D.C. property

DATE: Aug 20, 2016 | CATEGORY: Business

Start fresh with designing your home

Some people can walk into a room, look around quickly and have a clear vision of what it will take to give it a fresh look and feel. Others walk into a room, yearn for a fresh look, but all ...

DATE: Aug 20, 2016 | CATEGORY: On Real Estate

See you around, boring brown boxes

Companies upping their delivery game

DATE: Aug 20, 2016 | CATEGORY: Business

Unconventional homes may not qualify for conventional loans

Financing biggest barrier for nontraditional structures

DATE: Aug 19, 2016 | CATEGORY: Business

New business the Uber of elder care, founders say

Network graduated from SCAPE Thursday

DATE: Aug 19, 2016 | CATEGORY: Local News

U.S. home construction climbed to a six-month high in July

WASHINGTON – Apartment construction in the Northeast fueled a jump in home building in July as the pace of housing starts nationwide reached the strongest pace in six months. The ...

DATE: Aug 16, 2016 | CATEGORY: Business

Business Briefs

First National Bank welcomes new hires First National Bank of Durango has announced three new employees. Jim Weaver is a mortgage loan originator. He is originally from Orange Cou...

DATE: Aug 16, 2016 | CATEGORY: Business

You can stop living paycheck to paycheck

An article in The Atlantic and $700 in car maintenance got me to thinking about unexpected expenses. The article, “The Secret Shame of Middle-Class Americans,” reveals how nearly ...

DATE: Aug 16, 2016 | CATEGORY: Money Savvy

Obamacare choices dwindling

Aetna says it will stop offering plans in most areas

DATE: Aug 16, 2016 | CATEGORY: Business

Department stores hope to recapture appeal, be destinations

NEW YORK – Department stores trying to recapture their appeal to consumers are making plans to provide more experiences like spas and restaurants and offer exclusive selections to transform ...

DATE: Aug 16, 2016 | CATEGORY: Business

Fuzziwig’s to expand franchise to Middle East

Food Channel sparked interest in local franchisor

DATE: Aug 16, 2016 | CATEGORY: Business

Colorado history gets weird, wild, wacky at Fashion Do’s and Don’tsAnnual Snowdown event has become so popular, auditions are now required

Cowboys. Fancy ladies. Gold miners. Even-toed ungulates that some in Durango might consider more like rats.Where can you find a runway show that takes you on a whirlwind tour through the weird, wacky and wildly exaggerated 150 years of Colorado history? Only at Durango’s annual Fashion Do’s and Don’ts, held Wednesday, where models and audience members wore costumes celebrating Colorado’s sesquicentennial – the theme of this year’s two-week Snowdown celebration.Standout acts included the Ghosts of Durango, which featured four of Durango’s most famous ghosts: a Rochester hotel ghost in a Victorian get-up of a more “modern” variation; the Strater Hotel’s head of housekeeping, also head of more discreet services; a young girl haunting El Rancho’s bathroom; and Sheriff Bob Thompson, killed in a 1906 gunfight. according to emcee Suzan Lane. A Another act was the Secret Circus Society, featuring Rubi Starr, Jeni Gross, Tabatha Joy Bettin, Adrienne Young and Ethan Deffenbaugh dressed as a car and the roadside pests better known as deer. Group members said the inspiration for the costume came from lived experiences driving Durango roads. The two-person Cantine Couture act starred Leslie Ponce and Tyler Frakes in an homage to the plentiful variety of Mexican restaurants found in any Colorado town. Ponce, dressed in comically large Mexican pointy cowboy boots, ambled down the runway as if taking a stroll under the hot, dusty, high-altitude sun, while Frakes flitted about the stage in a bright yellow salsa dress. Ponce said this year’s costume had been tough to decide, but the final decision was inspired by TikTok videos of Mexican cowboys in pointy boots. This was the duo’s third year strutting down the runway. Why they keep coming back for more, Frakes said laughing, was, “for the fame, the glory and the attention.”

Fashion Do’s and Don’ts has been one of the most highly anticipated Snowdown events since its inception in the 1990s. It has more than doubled in size over the past several decades. Last year, there were a record number of models, and in order to keep the event at a manageable size, this year’s fashion show was the first one to require the acts to audition. But many of the models were unfazed by the change. “It was actually easy,” said Jodi Zuber, one part of the two-person duo that made up the 1950s Texas Invader Ski Couple. Her partner-in-costume, Danny Jaques, said they had been doing this for several years, and it’s good with everything going on in the world to “get some levity and let your hair down.” The performers were not the only ones in costume. Audience members also dressed in a wide variety of unique takes on what makes Colorado, Colorado. JonBenet Ramsey made a miraculous appearance, being played by an 82-year-old woman, as did Casa Bonita, an ensemble that included a taco, sopaipilla and gorilla in chains – to name some of the characters. By the end of the show, people were in high spirits, as usual. “It was just delightful,” said a first-time audience member. If blessed with the chance to get the much coveted tickets – he said he would jump on it. jbowman@durangoherald.com

Annual Snowdown event has become so popular, auditions are now required

Photos: Snowdown 2026 Fashion Do’s and Don’ts

Photos: Durango High School basketball teams lose to Montrose High School

Photos: Local girls high school wrestling at La Plata TriDurango girls wrestling went 2-0 to win Tri on Thursday night at Bayfield

Durango girls wrestling went 2-0 to win Tri on Thursday night at Bayfield

Photos: Fort Lewis College women’s and men’s basketball take on Westminster UniversityBoth Skyhawks teams were victorious on Saturday afternoon

Both Skyhawks teams were victorious on Saturday afternoon

Photos: An afternoon in 2004 with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell as he works on Capitol HillDurango Herald Photo Editor Jerry McBride had the chance to spend an afternoon with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell in 2004, photographing him during meetings and around the Capitol.

Durango Herald Photo Editor Jerry McBride had the chance to spend an afternoon with the late Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell in 2004, photographing him during meetings and around the Capitol.

Photos and video: ICE protests return to DurangoAbout a dozen protesters tried to block federal agents from leaving with a detainee on Thursday

About a dozen protesters tried to block federal agents from leaving with a detainee on Thursday

The Durango Herald’s year in photos 2025

Photos: Chapman Hill fires up the snow guns

Sales tax collections up in June after declines

What would you pay for the White House?

Start fresh with designing your home

See you around, boring brown boxes

Unconventional homes may not qualify for conventional loans

New business the Uber of elder care, founders say

U.S. home construction climbed to a six-month high in July

Business Briefs

You can stop living paycheck to paycheck

Obamacare choices dwindling

Department stores hope to recapture appeal, be destinations

Fuzziwig’s to expand franchise to Middle East

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