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 better chance of getting published; items submitted several days before the event might not get published. For more information, call the Journal at 565-8527.
Pick-up, drop-off locations set for Christmas trees in Cortez
Through Friday, Jan. 13, the city of Cortez will have two areas set up for residents to dispose of their Christmas trees for recycling: the parking lot at the southeast corner of Elm and First Streets; and the BMX parking lot on the south side of Empire Street. The trees will be chipped and taken to the south ball fields to be used as mulch. The Public Works Crews have already picked up Christmas trees at residences during the week of Jan. 3-6.
For questions or additional information, please contact the Public Works Department at the City Service Center, or call 565-7320.
January Storytime is announced for Cortez Library
Winter activities is the January theme of Storytime at the Cortez Public Library, 202 N. Park St. Storytime is held every Friday at 10:30 a.m. for preschool-aged children. Older children are welcome to join in for the craft at 11:15 a.m.
Crayons Revisited will be discussed on Friday, Jan. 13, and Lets Visit the Library! will be the focal point on Friday, Jan. 20. Storytime will wrap up the month with Exercise With Me! on Friday, Jan. 27. Storytime offers songs, stories, crafts and silliness and uses the Early Childhood Literacy Initiative program.
For more information, contact the library at 565-8117.
New Postpartum Depression Support Group
A new Postpartum Depression Support Group is starting up in the area, beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 10, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The group will meet the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month at the Southwest Memorial Hospital Annex, 20 South Market Street, Cortez.
This support group is for women who are suffering, may be suffering, or have suffered from postpartum depression. Drop ins are welcome.
Contact Shauna at 560-2786 for more information.
Cortez Library will host writing workshop
Instructor Linda Rose invites the public to join the Writing Your Life Story workshop on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30 to 5 p.m. beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at the Cortez Public Library, 202 N. Park St. The workshop will run for four weeks.
Have you wanted to tell your life story to friends, family, loved ones, or the public? Does the task seem too big and the project fails before you even get started? Linda Rose has taught numerous workshops in Florida, and brings her strategies for creating your biography to Cortez. Bring your enthusiasm and your idea for stories. Youll get started on a plan that encourages you to keep writing.
Participation is limited to six persons, so register early at the front desk of the library. For more information, contact Linda at (850) 933-4134 or Joni at the library at 565-8527.
Ron Paul for president supporters group will hold local meeting
The 4-Corners Ron Paul Meet-up will hold a local meeting to discuss Ron Paul for president from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, at the Calvin Denton Room of Empire Electric, 801. N. Broadway, Cortez.
All supporters are welcome to come and meet each other. Organizers would like to develop a strategy for introducing people in the Four Corners area to Ron Paul. This will include a lively discussion on how to develop support for Paul for President.
For more information, call Abby Lurvey at 570-9378.
Cortez Public Library continues Independent Film Series
On Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m., the Cortez Public Library will show the Australian film Little Sparrows, directed by Yu-Hsiu Camille Chen. The library is at 202 N. Park St.
The summary from the publisher, Film Movement reads, In the middle of an Australian summer, we meet three sisters. Nina is widowed with two young children. Anna is an aspiring actress unhappily married to a filmmaker. Christine is a med student who has yet to fully come to terms with her sexuality. When their mother Susans breast cancer returns, the family is faced with the reality of their last Christmas together. As each daughter confronts personal change and growth, Susan guides them by revealing a secret of her own.
Fore more information, call the library at 565-8117.
Resolve is theme of Cortez Chambers Business After Hours
Cortez Chamber of Commerce invites you to Business After Hours from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12 at First Southwest Bank, 1510 E. Main St., in Cortez.
The theme this month is Resolve to build your business relationships in 2012. Enjoy free food, fun and friends. If you havent been for a while, come and see what youve been missing. Unwind after a days work the 2nd Thursday of every month at various, exciting locations.
For more information, contact Dena Guttridge at 565-3414.
Combined CPR and First Aid classes
Southwest Memorial Hospital will offer a CPR class with two date options in January. The first will be on Friday, Jan. 13, from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. and there will also be one on Tuesday, Jan. 17 from 6 to 10 p.m. Both will take place in the Kiva Room at the hospital, 1311 N. Mildred Road. This class includes infant, child, and adult CPR, as well as AED training. A First Aid class will be offered on Thursday, Jan. 26 from 6 to 10 p.m. in the same location.
The cost is $25 for each class, or $45 for both a CPR and First Aid class. Registration is required.
Call Ronda at 564-2160 for information and to reserve your space in the class or classes.
Film festival to celebrate Martin Luther King Day
On the weekend of Martin Luther Kings birthday, the Montelores Human Relations Coalition is sponsoring three films concerning civil rights of African-Americans, Native Americans and Gay and Lesbian people, to commemorate Kings work on behalf of the civil rights of all Americans. The Coalition will present the film Reel Injuns at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14. This film portrays the ways that Hollywood has stereotyped Native Americans, and will screen at the Cortez Public Library in the Conference Room, 202 N. Park St. After the film, Art Neskahi, President of the Coalition, will lead a panel discussion. At 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15, the birthday of Martin Luther King, a film on the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s will be shown in the parish hall of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church at 110 W. North St. After the showing, Bill Jobin, Secretary of the Coalition, will lead singing of some of the traditional marching songs, including We Shall Overcome. At 4 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 16, the National Holiday for King, the award-winning film Two Spirits, the story of the hate-crime murder of a Navajo boy a Cortez High School student who was killed because of his sexual orientation. This film will screen in the main room of the Cortez Cultural Center. Marian Howarth will lead a discussion of the film afterwards.
The Montelores Human Relations Coalition was founded in 2008 to enhance our communitys ability to celebrate diversity. We serve as a catalyst in promoting mutual understanding, respect, dignity, and equal opportunity for all. We work to prevent and resolve community conflicts and tensions arising from actions, policies and practices perceived to be discriminatory on the basis of not only race but also creed, color, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion and national origin.
For more information, contact Art Neskahi at 739-7280, Bill Jobin at 560-1182, or Marian Howarth at 565-8483.
Workforce to offer Job Corp program information session
There will be a Job Corps information session open to all interested parties at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19 in the conference room at the Workforce Center, 2208 E. Main St., Cortez.
Job Corps is an all expenses paid two-year residential educational and vocational training program for 16 to 24 year olds who meet the eligibility and income guidelines. A student is expected to earn either a high school diploma or GED while at Job Corps if they dont already have one, in addition to learning a vocational trade. Some of the trade choices offered include the building trades, medical field trades, production and mechanics, business and computer technology, culinary arts and natural resources.
For more information, call Babette Kimble, Job Corps Admissions Counselor, at 565-9523.
Four Corners Square Dancers invite all to meet and greet, lessons
Four Corners Square Dancers are starting new square dance lessons with a Meet and Greet session on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Kemper Elementary School, 620 E. Montezuma Ave., Cortez. The mainstream lessons will begin on Monday, Jan. 23, and will continue every Monday night until mid-March.
You dont need a partner or dancing skills to square dance.
For more information call Vonnie Robinson at 749-9682, or Don and Judy Morris at 565-9836.
Celtic guitarist Barlow will perform music of British Isles
Jerry Barlow, Celtic fingerstyle guitarist, returns for a concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, at the Cortez Public Library, 202 N. Park St.
His repertoire is the traditional music of the British Isles and his own Celtic-inspired compositions. Dont miss this exquisite musician.
For more information, call the library at 565-8117.
Land Conservancy will host Wild & Scenic Film Festival
The Montezuma Land Conservancy will host the Wild and Scenic Film Festival On Tour at 6 p.m. on Friday, January 27 at the Dolores Community Center, 400 Riverside.
Featured at the festival will be The Greatest Migration, a 20 minute film that explores the migration of the Snake River salmon. The Snake River salmon swim more than 900 miles inland and climb almost 7,000 feet to reach their spawning grounds. These iconic fish travel farther and higher than any other salmon on Earth, but a gauntlet of dams blocks their great migration and is pushing these high-altitude salmon to extinction. Also to be featured is, Bag It, a fascinating film investigating the world of plastic. In this touching and often flat-out-funny film, we follow everyman Jeb Berrier as he embarks on a global tour to unravel the complexities of our plastic world. What starts as a film about plastic bags evolves into a wholesale investigation into plastic and its effect on our waterways, oceans, and even our own bodies. We see how our crazy-for-plastic world has finally caught up to us and what we can do about it. Today. Right now. Join us for these and many more world-class films, including the debut of MLCs very own film showcasing our regions rural and ranching heritage and the importance of conserving open space. Tickets are $12 for non-members, $10 for current MLC members, and $5 for kids, age 12 and under. To join MLC, a new membership plus admission to the event is $40 members receive newletters, will be eligible for benefits at MLC events, and enjoy being a part of making a difference in our community.
For more information, call Amber at 565-1664.
Don Kirk to hold free story time
Family Story Teller Don Kirk will be performing Tales to Warm the Winter Doldrums from 2 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Cortez Cultural Center, 25 N. Market St.
The show is free and appropriate for all ages.
For more information, call Don at 739-4064.
Chamber requests nominations for community awards evening
The Cortez Area Chamber of Commerce will host the Denim and Diamonds Community Awards Evening at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Main Street Brewery, 21 E. Main St., Cortez.
Tickets are $25, or $30 if purchased after Saturday, Jan. 14. To nominate people, organizations or businesses for awards, email nominations with a brief description of why you believe they deserve recognition to cortezchamber@cityofcortez.com or drop off nominations at Cortez Chamber of Commerce, 928 E. Main St., inside the Colorado Welcome Center. Nomination forms are available at cortezchamber.com.
For more information, call Dena Guttridge at 565-3414.