Talk about Town - The Durango Herald

Talk about town: Ska rolls out new beer for those looking to cut calories

Looking to cut back on those calories, yet unable to give up the refreshing taste of an IPA brew? It looks like Ska Brewing Co. has you covered with a new low-calorie, low-carb beer. ...

DATE: Jun 4, 2020 | CATEGORY: Local News

Durango lights community holiday tree to bring cheer

It may be the first half of April, but there it was: Durango’s holiday tree in Buckley Park lit up like it was Christmastime. “Maybe Santa made a surprise visit to Durango to give...

DATE: Apr 7, 2020 | CATEGORY: Local News

A long trip, short visit to celebrate 95th birthday outside a window

A family of eight drove 13 hours from Colleyville, Texas, to Durango last weekend to celebrate their family patriarch’s 95th birthday. But once they arrived, they learned they wouldn’t be ad...

DATE: Mar 20, 2020 | CATEGORY: Local News

Grab a coffee, find yourself a furry companion

Some of the county’s most adorable pooches and tabbies looking for forever homes will soon be featured with every cup o’ joe you buy at Jitters Java. The coffee shop at 802 Camino...

DATE: Feb 25, 2020 | CATEGORY: Local News

High-dollar home sale is most in recent memory for Durango

For mere mortals looking for an affordable abode within cycling distance of downtown Durango, this might not be great news: Durango just had a home sell for $3.1 million in city limits. ...

DATE: Jan 24, 2020 | CATEGORY: Local News

City of Durango to forgo entering float in Snowdown Light Parade

Keen eyes at this year’s Snowdown Light Parade may notice something missing: the city of Durango float. Durango Interim City Manager Amber Blake announced this week city staff has...

DATE: Jan 15, 2020 | CATEGORY: Local News

Wilder outdoors mascot to make appearances during Snowdown 2020

As if Snowdown wasn’t wild enough, organizers of the five-day winter celebration announced that Wilder, a part-yeti, part-goat and all mascot for Great Outdoors Colorado, will make appearanc...

DATE: Jan 15, 2020 | CATEGORY: Local News

Talk about town: Fort Lewis College graduate’s work to air on Rocky Mountain PBS

The work of a former Fort Lewis College student will be showcased across the state later this week on Rocky Mountain PBS. Callie Morris, who graduated from FLC last spring, produ...

DATE: Jan 8, 2020 | CATEGORY: Local News

Is Durango really the second-best driving city in Colorado?

Believe it or not, Durango was ranked as having the second-best drivers in the state of Colorado. Every year, Quote Wizard, a website that compares car insurance costs, puts toget...

DATE: Nov 1, 2019 | CATEGORY: Local News

Durango lands bit role in ‘Between Two Ferns: The Movie’

The city of Durango landed a small role in “Between Two Ferns: The Movie,” a feature-length film based on a web series of the same name. Durango is identified as one of several st...

DATE: Oct 1, 2019 | CATEGORY: Local News

Bar D Wranglers make big splash in The New York Times

Yee-haw, yippee-ki-yay, The Bar D Wrangler’s Chuckwagon made the cover of Prime real estate, too. The top two-thirds of C1 were devoted to three photographs and a teaser box to a story on ...

DATE: Sep 17, 2019 | CATEGORY: Pine River Times news

Bar D Wranglers make big splash in The New York Times

Yee-haw, yippee-ki-yay, The Bar D Chuckwagon made the cover of Prime real estate, too. The top two-thirds of Page C1 were devoted to three photographs and a teaser box to a story on Page C...

DATE: Sep 16, 2019 | CATEGORY: Local News

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Final phases of project underway at Camino del Rio and Main Avenue

Photos: Marching for women’s rightsDurango Women’s March on Saturday starts at Buckley Park, continues down Main Avenue

Durango Women’s March on Saturday starts at Buckley Park, continues down Main Avenue

Photos: Durango High School football DHS beat Vista Ridge 20-14 at home Friday night

DHS beat Vista Ridge 20-14 at home Friday night

Gallery: Animals, super heroes and other creatures take over Main Avenue

Photos: A fun and spooky day at school

Haunted house northeast of Durango gets bigger every yearCody Petersen’s Halloween hobby is his escape from the daily grind

Durango resident Cody Petersen said when he moved into his home at 15 Edgemont Way several years ago, his house on the corner looked lonely and spooky.Today, it’s a madhouse. Halloween decorations are splayed practically on every inch of his lawn, in the trees and up and down his home.

A group of school-aged kids stop in front of his house every day to pose with a little gothic doll in the lawn, he said. It’s the favorite attraction amongst hundreds of decorations Petersen bought locally and online as early as July in preparation for Oct. 31, Halloween.He said he doesn’t want to think about how much money he’s spent on fog machines, animatronics and Christmas lights, but the bill easily totals several thousands of dollars.

For trick-or-treaters on Halloween, whom he encourages to visit, jumpscares abound at Petersen’s home, featuring animatronic spiders, growling wolves and other monsters, he said.He’s working on his own animatronic coffin, which shakes and rattles, and a pulley system that will push and pull a ghost up and down the yard, but neither will be ready for this year’s Halloween.He said he has fond memories of his parents decorating for the holidays during his upbringing and he’s a huge horror genre fan. So he enjoys going all out on decorations for the spooky season. He justifies his hobby with the logic his kids will only be in high school a few more years, and it isn’t as cool to decorate the lawn for Halloween when one doesn’t have children living at home.But the neighbors enjoy his haunts as much as the rest of the community. He said his Halloween scene has gradually grown larger every year; at least 50 trick-or-treaters turned up at his home last year.“I'm a home inspector, so I do have a lot of tools and no fear of trying things out,” he said.

He said typical Halloween animatronics cost $400 a piece, but they only last one year or so without breaking. That’s frustrating, he said, and he believes he can do better by building his own.He said this year’s display and experience is more organic than past years thanks to his handiwork. Among his myriad decorations, trick-or-treaters can spot easter eggs referencing “Beetlejuice,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Pet Sematary.”Among the horror props are real animal bones Petersen said he’s found on hikes across the countryside.“I've got ghosts and spiders and witches and that kind of thing,” he said. “Here in Edgemont, we have giant spiders for real. ... We get these huge wolf spiders that are bigger than my hand. I mean, huge, bigger than tarantulas.”

Petersen said he was motivated to make his first decorations within the first month he and his wife moved into the home on the corner at 15 Edgemont Way.A lone pine tree, a typical Christmas tree that would be strung up with lights and ornaments in December, stood out to Petersen in the yard, he said. He just felt compelled to decorate it and light it up.He said he thoroughly decorated the tree and left it lit year-round. Within a month of moving into the house, his neighbor died. The man was old and suffering from Alzheimer's.

Months later, the man’s wife approached Petersen and told him she and her husband’s last salient moments together were spent looking out at Petersen’s lighted Christmas tree, pretending it was Christmas. In the following hours, the man succumbed to delirium. He died several days later.“I don't know why I had that tree, why I lit it, but that's why that tree, even when Halloween is over, all year round, that Christmas tree always stays lit now,” he said.Petersen is a horror movie fan, and in particular he’s always enjoyed the sinister character Michael Myers of the “Halloween” franchise.

He said every year, after thrilling trick-or-treaters at his home, he takes to downtown and East Third Avenue in his Michael Myers costume, bearing a giant bowl of candy, to continue the fun.The highlight of his yard, the creepy doll neighborhood kids like to pose and take pictures with, is Petersen’s “elf on the shelf,” he said. He likes to move the doll around the house, sometimes propping her up to hold animal bones.“I have a real busy and pretty stressful job,” he said. “I just love the fall so much. And to come home, it's just a good way to wind down and, you know, de-stress, just go out and work in the yard.”cburney@durangoherald.com

Cody Petersen’s Halloween hobby is his escape from the daily grind

Reader-submitted photos of Halloween decorationsLast week, we asked readers to submit photos of their Halloween decorations or a neighbor’s decorations. We received dozens of photo submissions. We have selected some of the most spooky, elaborate and fun photos to share in this gallery. Enjoy!

Photos: FLC volleyball returns homeFort Lewis College volleyball took on Adams State University on Tuesday

Fort Lewis College volleyball took on Adams State University on Tuesday

Photos: Expert leathercrafter and collector estate sale near IgnacioItems belonging to the late Alex Pappas were auctioned for sale on Saturday

Items belonging to the late Alex Pappas were auctioned for sale on Saturday

Photos: Pro boxing in DurangoLegends on the Animas boxing showdown took place on Saturday

Legends on the Animas boxing showdown took place on Saturday

Talk about town: Ska rolls out new beer for those looking to cut calories

Durango lights community holiday tree to bring cheer

A long trip, short visit to celebrate 95th birthday outside a window

Grab a coffee, find yourself a furry companion

High-dollar home sale is most in recent memory for Durango

City of Durango to forgo entering float in Snowdown Light Parade

Wilder outdoors mascot to make appearances during Snowdown 2020

Talk about town: Fort Lewis College graduate’s work to air on Rocky Mountain PBS

Is Durango really the second-best driving city in Colorado?

Durango lands bit role in ‘Between Two Ferns: The Movie’

Bar D Wranglers make big splash in The New York Times

Bar D Wranglers make big splash in The New York Times

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