Durango - The Durango Herald

Community Connections’ Festival of Trees brings holiday glow to Durango

Nonprofit celebrates 20 years serving five-county region

DATE: Dec 2, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

City, fire district to tackle prescribed burns in parks and trails around Durango

Snowy conditions facilitate winter fire mitigation

DATE: Dec 2, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

Durango boys basketball wins first two games at Centauri tournament

Demons open season 2-0 for first time since 2018-19

DATE: Dec 1, 2023 | CATEGORY: Sports

Appeals court rules favorably for Fort Lewis professor convicted of setting fire to City Market chip aisle

Bradley Clark has served about half his four-year prison sentence

DATE: Dec 1, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

Colorado Secretary of State discusses new laws protecting small businesses with Durango, county leaders

Jena Griswold goes over protections against scammers, deceptive solicitations

DATE: Dec 1, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

City of Durango to adopt ‘.gov’ website domain for enhanced security

Change won’t affect residents’ access to site or staff contacts

DATE: Dec 1, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

La Plata County Republican Party Chair Shelli Shaw refuses to certify November election results

Groundless election conspiracies are still abundant in 2023

DATE: Nov 30, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

Durango street crews to begin snow removal in downtown at midnight Friday

Cars parked on street sides after 2 a.m. will be towed, city warns

DATE: Nov 30, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

Durango’s 2024 budget would target affordable housing, infrastructure and environment

City Council to vote on budget adoption including $128.6 million for operating funds Dec. 5

DATE: Nov 30, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

Demons basketball looks to win with unselfish play in 2023-24 season

Durango boys haven’t had a winning season since 2016-17

DATE: Nov 29, 2023 | CATEGORY: Sports

La Plata Food Equity Coalition work group elevates minority entrepreneurs

Group putting language justice, commissary kitchens, more resources in business owners’ fingertips

DATE: Nov 29, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

Photo: Ringing to raise money

Volunteers will be around area businesses to raise money for the community

DATE: Nov 28, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

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 donned 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 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 the 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 years 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 it’s 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 years fashion show was the first one to require the acts to audition. But many of the models were unphased 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

Community Connections’ Festival of Trees brings holiday glow to Durango

City, fire district to tackle prescribed burns in parks and trails around Durango

Durango boys basketball wins first two games at Centauri tournament

Appeals court rules favorably for Fort Lewis professor convicted of setting fire to City Market chip aisle

Colorado Secretary of State discusses new laws protecting small businesses with Durango, county leaders

City of Durango to adopt ‘.gov’ website domain for enhanced security

La Plata County Republican Party Chair Shelli Shaw refuses to certify November election results

Durango street crews to begin snow removal in downtown at midnight Friday

Durango’s 2024 budget would target affordable housing, infrastructure and environment

Demons basketball looks to win with unselfish play in 2023-24 season

La Plata Food Equity Coalition work group elevates minority entrepreneurs

Photo: Ringing to raise money

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