Pine River Times - The Durango Herald

National parks cut back on free days

Money needed for backlogged maintenance

DATE: Dec 27, 2017 | CATEGORY: Pine River Times news

Child Health Plan Plus funding may expire; state advises looking at alternatives

950 people in La Plata County use program

DATE: Dec 27, 2017 | CATEGORY: Pine River Times news

BP donates nearly 200 acres near Bayfield as open space

Donation part of agreement with state to offset oil and gas impacts

DATE: Dec 26, 2017 | CATEGORY: Pine River Times news

Holiday lights sparkle

Christmas lights are in abundance this year in Bayfield. A list of addresses with displays is on Bayfield Realty's Facebook page. Pine River RV Park also has its huge ...

DATE: Dec 21, 2017 | CATEGORY: Pine River Times news

How to care for your holiday poinsettia

With the holiday season upon us, the living gift of a holiday poinsettia is always a welcome one this time of year. Whether you are the giver or receiver, this is a choice that is...

DATE: Dec 21, 2017 | CATEGORY: Pine River Times news

Vallecito Lake TV Association provided years of service, donates last gift

The Vallecito Lake TV Association was disbanded recently after decades of great service to the community. They sold the tower to an internet company, using all remaining funds from the treas...

DATE: Dec 21, 2017 | CATEGORY: Pine River Times opinion

Pine River Shares thanks community

The Leadership Team at Pine River Shares wishes to publicly thank you all for your loving and unselfish giving during our recent Food, Friends and Funds drive as well as throughout the past ...

DATE: Dec 21, 2017 | CATEGORY: Pine River Times opinion

Stay safe this holiday season

Happy Holidays! To ensure your safety this holiday season, please consider the following safety tips. Let a trustworthy neighbor know if you're planning to go out ...

DATE: Dec 21, 2017 | CATEGORY: Pine River Times opinion

Four students selected for Colorado All State Philharmonic

Merchant, Ferguson are first BHS students selected for statewide honor

DATE: Dec 21, 2017 | CATEGORY: Pine River Times news

Bayfield 1-1 in weekend play

Wolverines hosting Ignacio, Durango to start 2018

DATE: Dec 20, 2017 | CATEGORY: Pine River Times sports

Cats overwhelm Mancos by 57 at home

IHS girls score shutouts in two quarters

DATE: Dec 20, 2017 | CATEGORY: Pine River Times sports

Wolverine grapplers take 6th at Panther Classic

BHS breaks an even 2-2 at dual-style tourney

DATE: Dec 20, 2017 | CATEGORY: Pine River Times sports

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

National parks cut back on free days

Child Health Plan Plus funding may expire; state advises looking at alternatives

BP donates nearly 200 acres near Bayfield as open space

Holiday lights sparkle

How to care for your holiday poinsettia

Vallecito Lake TV Association provided years of service, donates last gift

Pine River Shares thanks community

Stay safe this holiday season

Four students selected for Colorado All State Philharmonic

Bayfield 1-1 in weekend play

Cats overwhelm Mancos by 57 at home

Wolverine grapplers take 6th at Panther Classic

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