Guess what! (Havent we heard that expression a million times from our children?) Our little hamlet up here in the San Juan Mountains found out how the green Grinch (tried) to steal Christmas many years ago. If there ever was a group more dedicated to their purpose, we dont know who they would be! Our preschool and elementary students presented the play How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Addie Jones was the naughty, naughty Grinch and she was good (and very naughty)! Even scary! The cast included the Kunz girls, the Hagan girls, the Bain, Falon and Scarborough girls and Jude Klimasewiski.
We thank Mayor Barbara Betts and Laurie Adams for their excellent work as the drama coaches, and Mary Hagan and her art expertise.
The Dew South restaurant held a grand party for cast members and friends after the play.
We are watching the snowstorms come and go. Our last storm Tuesday and Wednesday brought us another 7 or 8 inches, and the trees are retaining some of the snow. Our wonderland is becoming a perfect scene for the Christmas season.
The Rico Alpine Society has their snowmobile and Nordic trail groomer at the ready, as the snow is now deep enough to keep the trails in good condition. They maintain the Nordic trail up the mill road and, I believe, the trail down along the river. They are a great nonprofit organization that was organized in 2003. Their objectives are to maintain summer forest trails, and to organize group hikes or ski jaunts in the winter. They are a dedicated club. This includes watershed restoration, river and town clean-ups, noxious weed control, etc. We extend an open invitation to our Nordic skier friends to come on up and take advantage of the trails this winter. You may even wish to join the club. The cost is $10 for individual membership, $20 for family, and one can even become a sponsor for $100 to $1,000. Please call 967-2402 or 967-2733 for more information, if interested.
We just received a letter from Schwans, the home delivery service that Rico has enjoyed for years. There will no longer be Schwans service in Rico because the delivery depot (wherever that may be located) has been closed. They do offer an alternative; call in your order and it will be shipped in a cooler with dry ice to ensure that the frozen food will arrive in a high-quality frozen manner.
Christmas Day is on Sunday this year. The Rico Community Church will offer a Christmas Eve service at 7 p.m. Saturday evening. There will be no service on Sunday.
Marlene Hazen has lived in Rico for two decades. An active member of the community, she participates in organizations such as the Rico Womens Club and Rico Historical Society.