The Cortez Journal encourages people to submit announcements about upcoming events for the Community Calendar. Send announcements to news@cortezjournal.com. Items submitted at least two weeks in advance will have a
Gun Owners of America speaker
The Republican Women's Club of Montezuma County will sponsor a visit by Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America for more than 30 years.
GOA is a national organization dedicated to Second Amendment rights. According to a press release, it has more than 300,000 members and "lobbies for the pro-gun position in Washington, D.C., and is involved in firearm issues in the states. GOA's work includes providing legal assistance to those involved in lawsuits with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the federal firearms law enforcement agency."
Pratt's program will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, at the Lewis-Arriola Community Center, 21176 Road S. Pratt will be speaking on "The Second Amendment and the Sanctity of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms."
Refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Aimee King at (970) 882-7653.
SBDC "Marketing for Smarties"
The Small Business Development Center at Fort Lewis College is offering a "Marketing for Smarties" class at Durango Space from 1 to 5 p.m. April 16, May 2 and May 16. The fee is $199. Register by calling (970) 247-7009; e-mailing Asano_l@fortlewis.edu; or online at https://www.coloradosbdc.org/.
A "Starting Your Business" workshop also will be held at the Durango Public Library from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 18. Walk-ins are welcome, and the fee is $25.
Monthly Chamber luncheon
The Cortez Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly luncheon at noon on Wednesday, April 17, at Shiloh Steakhouse. The speaker will be Dani Gregory of the Kokopelli Bike Club, coordinator of the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde Endurance Race. She will discuss the future of biking in the community.
SWOS Gallery Night
Southwest Open School will host a Gallery Night, exhibiting and celebrating student learning. The Gallery will be held at the Southwest Open School campus at 401 N. Dolores Rd. in Cortez, on Wednesday, April 17, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
The public is invited to view student presentations and exhibitions. Refreshments will provided. For more information, call Southwest Open School at (970) 565-1150.
Program on Trail Canyon
The Montezuma County Historical Society will sponsor a program featuring "Trail Canyon, 6 Miles long and 10,000 years deep," by authors Howard "Bud" Poe and Ann Butler. Within its length, the Canyon has stories to tell of every wave of humanity that passed through Montezuma County.
The presentation will take place on Wednesday, April 17, at 7 p.m., in Hampton Hall of the United Methodist Church, 515 N. Park St., Cortez, and will include a book signing and sale.
For more information about the Historical Society and its programs, contact Phil or Vivienne Kenyon, program chairpersons, (970) 565-7714.
Library storytime
"Splash into April" is the April theme of Raising Readers Storytime at the Cortez Public Library, located at 202 N. Park St.
Storytime is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. for preschool-aged children. Older children are welcome to come for the craft at 11:15 a.m.
"April is Mathematics Education Month" will be the focal point on April 18 and the month will wrap up the month with "Winnie-the-Pooh and Friends" on April 25.
Raising Readers Storytime offers songs, stories, crafts and silliness and uses the Early Childhood Literacy Initiative program. For more information, contact the library at (970) 565-8117.
Mesa Verde Birding Festival preview
Join the Cortez Cultural Center, 25 N. Market, for three birding events. On April 18, at 7 p.m., learn about the upcoming Birding Festival. Chairman Diane Cherbak will give an overview of the event, with free refreshments.
The Birding Festival art exhibit opens on April 30. Interested artists may pick up information at the center prior to April 29. The big event, "The Mesa Verde Birding Festival," starts May 8.
Support abuse victims and the NEST
The pinwheel is the symbol of child abuse awareness across the nation. The NEST Four Corners Child Advocacy Center will be planting its second annual pinwheel garden to show support to children in the community who have suffered abuse and to demonstrate the agency's commitment to keeping children safe from abuse. The pinwheels are being created by elementary school students in Cortez, Dolores and Mancos.
The pinwheel garden will be on display at the Cortez Welcome Center on "Go Blue" day, April 19, from noon to 5 p.m.
The NEST invites members of the community to wear blue on April 19 to raise awareness of child abuse, and to send photos of themselves in their blue attire to the NEST to be posted on its "Go Blue" website. For those without blue apparel, the Center is offering its 2013 "Go Blue" shirts for sale.
The NEST served 300 victims in 2012 and early 2013. Although child abuse is still a big problem, it is preventable through education and training. The Child Advocacy Center provides ongoing training to parents and professionals in ways to detect and prevent child abuse. For more information, call (970) 565-8155.
Local opera singer
This area's very own budding opera singer, Curtis Storm, will perform at the Cortez Cultural Center on Friday, April 19, at 7 p.m.
He will perform selections from Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Rachmaninoff and Puccini. Linda Mack, his singing coach, will accompany him.
Humane Society yard sale
For Pets' Sake Humane Society will hold a yard sale on two consecutive weekends, April 19-20 and April 26-27, at the Cortez Christian Church Family Life Center on the corner of Empire and Highway 145 in Cortez, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. all four days. Donations may be dropped off from 2 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 18. No computers, electronics, televisions or tires will be accepted.
For more information or pick up of large items, call (970) 565-7837.
Rent-heat rebate training
Southwest Center for Independence will hold rent-heat rebate training at the Calvin Denton Room at Empire Electric on Friday, April 19, from 9 to 11 a.m.
This program is for Colorado residents whose income is $12,481 or lower for one person or below $16,476 for two or more people in a household. Applicants must be 65 or older, a surviving spouse 58 or older, or a disabled individual.
For more information, contact Rose Romero at (970) 759-2347.
One-man show about reformer
Don Kirk will present a one-man show entitled "An Interpretive Biography of Samuel Joseph May." May was a radical social reformer at a time in the 1800s when it was both unpopular and dangerous to be so.
The 45-minute program will be presented on Friday, April 19, at 5 p.m. at the Cortez Cultural Center, 25 N. Market, and on Saturday, April 20, at 2 p.m. at St. Barnabas Church Hall, 110 W. North Street.
For more information, call Kirk at (970) 739-4064.
Joint band concert
The Four Corners Community Band, under director Dani Long, will join with the Mancos School Band, with new director Andrew Saletta, and the Newcomb, N.M., school jazz band, director Mark Allen, for a concert at the Mancos Performance Center Saturday, April 20, at 2 p.m.
For more information on band membership, scheduling a concert, and upcoming events, visit www.fourcornerscommunityband.com or call Sue Eleison at (970) 764-1245.
Spinning Wheels at Mr. Happy's
The Spinning Wheels will bring their brand of eclectic Americana music to Mr. Happy's Bakery, Bar and Grill, 125 E. Main in Cortez, on Saturday, April 20, from 8 to 11 p.m. The show is free.
Country Drifters at Legion
The Vanishing Breed Band will play Saturday, April 20, beginning at 8 p.m. at the American Legion Post 75. The cover charge is $5; attendees must be 21 or older.
Free admission at Mesa Verde
Admission to Mesa Verde National Park will be free to the public during National Park week, April 22-26.
The National Park Service and the National Park Foundation join together each year to celebrate National Park Week, and entrance fees are waived to all NPS units that charge an entrance fee.
Hospital Auxiliary Pampered Chef fundraiser
The Auxiliary at Southwest Memorial Hospital is having a "Pampered Chef" fundraiser on Monday, April 22, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The sale, which is open to the public, will take place in the hospital lobby. A portion of all sales will be donated to the Auxiliary. Funds raised by the Auxiliary are used for hospital improvements.
For more information, please call Thelma Yoder, (970) 562-4439 or Linda Hooker, (970) 565-2616.
Free FireWise presentation
The Four Corners Builders Association invites the public to a free program by Rebecca Samulski of Firewise of Southwest Colorado on Tuesday, April 23, beginning at 7 p.m..
Samulski will provide insight on creating an environment to protect a home from showering embers during wildfires. The program will be an introduction to proper sight design, construction, landscaping and maintenance for homes in wildfire-prone areas.
The event will be held at the First National Bank meeting room, 2258 E. Main, Cortez.
For more information, call (970) 565-1771.
Business Builder Forum
The Cortez Referral Source invites interested business owners and managers to the 2013 Business Builder Forum, "Grow Your Business in Any Economy" on April 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Baymont Inn & Suites Breakfast Room.
Enjoy lunch and gain key insights from speakers who will cover topics including, "Where We Are in the Economic Cycle," "Hands on Referral Strategies & Techniques" and "Who, What and How to use the Resources of Region 9." Lunch will be $5. For more information, Gayel Alexander at Cortez Retail Enhancement Association, (970) 564-4095.
Search engine optimization class
Geeks on Grand is offering a new three-session class on search engine optimization (SEO) at the Cortez Chamber of Commerce. The April 25 class will focus on basic SEO for websites; on May 30, a session will focus on content marketing and blogging, and the June 27 class will be on managing one's online presence and "brand."
Participants can sign up for all three for $115 ($90 for Chamber members), or attend individual classes for $45 each.
To register, call (970) 533-9926.
Benefit for Dolores River Festival
The Great Outdoors Silent Auction and Mountainfilm on Tour event returns to the Dolores Community Center on Friday, April 26. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and films start at 6:30. Admission is $10; kids aged 15 and under are free. Dinner from the Absolute Bakery and Café, beer from the Dolores River Brewery, other beverages and snacks will be available for purchase. Proceeds from the sales of auction items, refreshments, and admission to the films support the Dolores River Festival, scheduled for June 1. To learn more about the event, including how to volunteer or donate items for the auction, call (970) 799-1475 or email fundraiser@doloresriverfestival.com.
Humane Society yard sale
For Pets' Sake Humane Society will continue its yard sale this weekends, April 26-27, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days at the Cortez Christian Church Family Life Center on the corner of Empire and Highway 145 in Cortez.
Affordable Care Act
The League of Women Voters of Montezuma County will host Bob Sermo, policy analyst with the Bell Policy Center in Denver, on Saturday, April 27, at 9 a.m., at the Ponderosa Restaurant, 108 S. Eighth St. in Dolores. Sermo will provide an overview of the Affordable Care Act.
For more information, call Betty Janes at 533-1051 or email ejanes@frontier.net.
'Kidfest' at Cortez park
In honor of the "Month of the Young Child," the Children's Kiva invites children of all ages and their families to join us for the 11th Annual Kidfest. Kidfest is a celebration of childhood for children, their families, and the whole community. This year's Kidfest will take place on Saturday, April 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Cortez City Park on East Main Street (between Mildred Road and Park Street). Kidfest will feature live entertainment, arts and crafts activities, face painting, relay races, food vendors, and more fun for the whole family. Admission is free and open to everyone. Donations are appreciated.
For more information about Kidfest or The Children's Kiva, please contact Alexia Hudson, head of school, at (970) 565-8586,email thechildrenskiva@live.com, or visit www.childrenskiva.org.
Free medication disposal
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration will set up a collection point where consumers can turn in their unused or expired medications, on Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Walgreens parking lot, at the corner of Main and Sligo in Cortez.
Prescription and over-the-counter medications. Some items will not be accepted, including needles and sharps, mercury (thermometers), oxygen containers, chemotherapy drugs and radioactive substances, pressurized canisters, and illicit drugs.
For more information, log on to www.DEA.gov or call (877) 462-2911.
Free chronic pain clinic
Community members are invited to join Susan Matthews for a free chronic pain clinic introducing to how to use tai chi and qigong to find relief from pain including arthritis, fibromyalgia, low back pain, neck and shoulder pain. Participants will learn relaxation techniques and whole-body biomechanics that improve posture.
The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on April 27 at the Millennium Center, 20 W. Main Street, downtown Cortez.
To register or for more information, contact Matthews at (970) 903-5723 or email mail@susanamatthews.com.
Weber Fire Tree Planting Day
FireWise of Southwest Colorado, the Southwest Colorado Bar Association, and Colorado State Forest Service are seeking volunteers to plant almost 1500 seedling shrubs and trees on eight private properties affected by the Weber Fire last summer.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, FireWise will need around 100 volunteers to celebrate Earth Day restoring parts of the Weber Fire burn area. This will be a fun day, sun or shine, to get dirty and give something back to a mountain and community that lost its forest.
To volunteer or for more information, contact Marla at marla@underell-law.com or Becca Samulski at (970) 564-4007. Donations to support more tree planting on Colorado lands impacted by wildfires and other natural events, such as beetle devastation, can also be made online at https://advancing.colostate.edu/RestoringColoradosForests.
Property taxes due
Montezuma County Treasurer Sherry Dyess reminds property owners that April 30, 2013, is the deadline to pay the 2012 property taxes for those who are paying in full. The new mailing address of the Treasurer's Office is 140 W. Main St., Suite 2, Cortez, CO 81321. Postmarks through April 30 will be accepted.
For more information, call (970) 565-7550.
Free computer classes
The Cortez Public Library, 202 N. Park St., and the Unlimited Learning Center, 640 E. 2nd St., will offer computer classes in May.
On Thursday, May 9, at 1 p.m., the library will be holding a computer class on Google Maps and Google Earth. The same class will be held at the Unlimited Learning Center at 10:30 a.m. on the same day.
Friday, May 10, at 1 p.m., staff from the Southwest Colorado Workforce Center will be teaching a computer class on finding a job. The class will be focus on various aspects of finding a job on the Internet and using the Workforce Center. This class will only be given at the library.
On Thursday, May 23, at 1 p.m., the Cortez Public Library will present a class on "Word." The same class will be held at the Unlimited Learning Center at 10:30 a.m. on the same day.
All classes at the library require advance registration, as space is limited. Sign up by calling the library at 565-8117 or by stopping by. To find out more about the classes at the Unlimited Learning Center, call 565-1601.
Changes at Southwest Memorial
The League of Women Voters of Montezuma County will host a program by Kent Helwig, CEO of Southwest Memorial Hospital, on Saturday, May 4, at 9 a.m., at the Ponderosa Restaurant, 108 S. Eighth St. in Dolores. Helwig will discuss the many services offered by the hospital and its clinics, quality improvement initiatives and improvements in access to care as a result of significant efforts to recruit physicians to the community.
For more information, call Betty Janes at 533-1051 or email ejanes@frontier.net.
Babysitting class
Southwest Memorial Hospital will be hosting a certified babysitting class on May 4 at the Hospital Annex community room.
The cost is $25, and successful participants will earn a certificate of completion.
The course is designed for "tweens" and teens who wish to become babysitters, as well as for children who may be left at home without a parent. Topics covered include how to stay safe, feeding and playtime, as well as how to start and safely advertise a babysitting business. Students will learn how to change diapers, what are age-appropriate toys and games and will receive a basic first aid overview. Choking and what to do in an emergency is also covered.
The class will be a fundraiser for the hospital's relay for life team. To register or for more information, call Robyn Bragg at 564-2243.
Free intro to Tai Chi
On May 4, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the new Millennium Center in downtown Cortez, Susan Matthews will lead a free introduction to tai chi exercise with visualizations, mental practices, and movement biomechanics that exercise the brain and create whole-body mind and movement coordination. People of all ages can use this information to calm the nervous system, improve balance and coordination, posture, cardiovascular health and weight. Persons with brain injury and mobility disorders can rehabilitate and relieve pain.
To register or for more information, contact Matthews at (970) 903-5723 or email mail@susanamatthews.com.
Dairy Goat Information Day
The Four Corners Dairy Goat Breeders will hold a dairy goat information day on Saturday, May 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 23161 Rd. G.2 in Cortez.
Ask questions about raising dairy goats. See animals and get advice and demonstrations on care and maintenance. Multiple breeds will be represented. Some will be available for sale. Some equipment may be available for sale.
For more information call Jeanette at 565-9065 and leave a message.
Lakeview Harmony Club Centennial
The Lakeview Harmony Club, established in May 1913, will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Sunday, May 19, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Lewis Grange Hall, East of Highway 145 on Road M. The event will include music, refreshments and door prizes.
The Lakeview Harmony Club, organized by pioneer women, is a community fellowship and service group. Family and friends of past members are invited to attend.
For more information, call Jodi Foran at (970) 882-2401.