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.
Storytime changes to Fridays; October theme is Stayin Inside
Stayin Inside! is the October theme of Storytime at the Cortez Public Library, 202 N. Park Street. Storytime is held every Friday at 10:30 a.m. for preschool-aged children and every Saturday at the Farmers Market beginning at 10:30 a.m., weather permitting, through the end of October. The Farmers Market is located on the corner of S. Elm and Main streets. Older children are welcome to join for the craft at 11:15 a.m. on Fridays. The Saturday Storytime will follow the same theme as the preceding Friday.
The library is going to switch their Storytime hour from Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. to Fridays at 10:30 a.m. beginning on Friday, Oct. 7. This will be done on a trial basis. There will be no Storytime on Thursday, Oct. 6.
I Love My Teacher! is the subject of Friday, Oct. 7, and Saturday, Oct. 8. Dont Mess With My Box of Crayons! will be discussed on Friday, Oct. 14, and Saturday, Oct. 15. Well explore Lets Eat Popcorn! on Friday, Oct. 21, and Saturday, Oct. 22. Storytime will wrap up the month with Ghost Repellent? on Friday, Oct. 28, and Saturday, Oct. 29.
Storytime offers songs, stories, crafts, and silliness, and uses the Early Childhood Literacy Initiative program.
For more information, contact the library at 565-8117.
Vest will present artwork during opening, beer tasting event
Spruce Tree Coffeehouse will hold an Oktoberfest beer-tasting and Art Opening from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, featuring the work of artist Chris Vest, the artist best known locally for the artwork on birding festival posters. Mesa Verde Mashers, a home-brewing club to which Vest belongs, will host a beer-tasting to coincide with the opening. Spruce Tree is at 318 E. Main St., Cortez.
The show is entitled Birds and Backroads of Montezuma County. Vest is a graphic designer and artist with a 25-year background in pen and ink drawing, oil painting, photography and screen printing. The exhibit is on display and will remain through October.
For more information, call Spruce Tree at 565-6789 or visit sprucetreecoffeehouse.com.
Salon will host fundraiser event
for Womens Cancer Coalition
A Pink Party to honor National Breast Cancer Awareness month will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, at Terris Hair and Nails, 202 S. Fourth St., Dolores.
Pink streaks, feathers, shimmers, and polish will be given for a donation. All donations stay local and benefit the Womens Cancer Coalition.
Call 882-7067 for more information; no appointments are necessary.
Anasazi Heritage Center will host Denver Botanic Gardens speaker
Panayoti Kelaidis, senior curator and director of outreach at the Denver Botanic Gardens, will speak for Plant Select: The Selection Stories at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, at the Anasazi Heritage Center, 27501 Colorado Highway 184, west of Dolores.
One of Denver Botanic Gardens most ardent spokesmen and horticulturalists, Kelaidis introduced hardy ice plants, more diverse torch lilies, many salvias and penstemons, and scores of other plants to Rocky Mountain horticulture. He has traveled across the globe in search of plants that might prove suitable for our difficult garden conditions. Internationally-recognized as an expert in several plant groups, Kelaidis knowledge of native flora and its related floras around the world is extensive. After the talk, the public is invited to tour the Anasazi Heritage Center Gardens. Admission is free. Light refreshments will be served.
For information on this and other activities during Kelaidis weekend visit to Durango and Cortez, visit http://durangobotanicalsociety.com or call Darrin Parmenter at 759-4369.
Singer-songwriter Chorover will perform at CD release party
Singer and songwriter Katya Chorover will perform at a CD release party for her fourth recording, Big Big Love, at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, at the Dolores River Brewery, 100 S. Fourth St., Dolores.
Katya plays her own original material, but also covers some of her favorite artists, such as Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan and Kate Wolf, among others always with her own unique spin. One of the best singers out there, her warm dark voice has been compared to Emmylou Harris and Shawn Colvin, and her carefully crafted songs set her apart. The Dolores show will be with a full band, and is part of a tour around the West. Cover is $10.
For more information, call 565-0144, and to learn more about Katya and hear her music, visit www.katyachorover.com.
Lifeguard will host Family Fun Fest event with games, music, dancing
Lifeguard, a pro-life, nonprofit educational organization located in Durango, will host a Family Fun Fest from 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9, to be held at the Cortez Recreation Centers amphitheater.
There will be games for adults and children, music, square dancing and prizes. Food booths will also be available, providing hamburgers, hot dogs, baked goods, and other goodies. This will be a fun time for the families of Cortez and the surrounding areas.
For more information or if any group would like to host a food booth, contact Linda Moore at 564-4211.
League will present local forums on election issues
The League of Women Voters of Montezuma County will present two events related to local education on Monday, Oct. 10, in Cortez City Council Chambers. The first event at 6:30 p.m. will be a presentation by Judy Hite, Southwest Open School director, about the SWOS bond issue voters will be asked to approve in the November election.
The second event, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., will be a forum for Montezuma-Cortez School District Re-1 Board of Education candidates. All candidates have been invited and will be asked the same questions from the league and from the audience. All questions must be submitted in writing.
For more information, contact Jodi Foran at 882-2401.
Montezuma County Extension will offer apple pie canning class
The Montezuma County Extension Office, in conjunction with the La Plata County Extension Office, will offer an Apple Pie Canning Class from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, at the Calvin Denton Room, Empire Electric, 801 N. Broadway, Cortez.
Wendy Rice, extension agent and family and consumer science specialist from La Plata County, will conduct the class. The cost of the class is $10; this fee covers supplies and materials. Preregistration is required before Tuesday, Oct. 11.
Contact the Montezuma County Extension Office at 565-3123 for more information or to pre-register.
Cortez Public Library offers computer classes for October
The Cortez Public Library, 202 N. Park, will offer two computer classes in October, at 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7 and 1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13.
Gabe Torres from the Southwest Colorado Workforce Center will teach a class at 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7 that will focus on various aspects of finding a job on the Internet, including: registering with the Workforce Center, updating your Workforce registration, conducting job searches statewide, applying for unemployment insurance, resume preparation, and other skills as needed.
Incredibly Basic Computer Skills will be taught at 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13. Topics will include: turning the computer on and off, using the mouse or mouse pad, opening, closing and moving a window, finding a website using the address bar and finding a website using Google.
Class sizes are limited, and participants must sign up by calling 565-8117 or stopping by the library before the class.
Metales M5 Mexican Brass will kick off SW Colorado Concerts season
Metales M5 Mexican Brass will kick off SouthWest Colorado Concerts 2011-2012 winter concert series at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11, at the Cortez Middle School auditorium, 450 W. Second St., Cortez. Come early to purchase tickets; doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Metales M5 with two trumpets, a French horn, a trombone and a tuba is balanced between classical pieces and pops tunes, including a 007 segment and finishing off with some rousing Mexican folk tunes, including a bullfight.
Single concert tickets will be available at the door for $20 for adults and $5 for youths.
SouthWest Colorado Concerts will present four concerts for 2011-2012. Season tickets for all four concerts will be available at the door Oct. 11 for $45 for adults and $5 for youths 18 years old and under. Season tickets also provide entry to concerts in Gallup, N.M., and Delta, Colo., at no additional charge. Single concert tickets are also available.
For more information, call Paul Bostrom at 565-9127 or Steve Costos at 882-1471.
Archaeologist author Lister will speak about Pueblo Bonito
Local archaeologist and author Florence Lister will give a talk on The Treasures of Pueblo Bonito at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11, at the Mancos Public Library, 211 W. First St.
Lister has written or co-authored many books, including Pot Luck: Adventures in Archaeology and Troweling through Time: The First Century of Mesa Verdean Archaeology. This event is free.
For more information, contact the library at 533-7600.
AARP will offer driver safety course for mature drivers
AARP will sponsor a driver safety course from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, at the Calvin Denton Room in the Empire Electric Building, 801 N. Broadway, Cortez.
This is a new four-hour course authorized by the state of Colorado. It is designed to meet the needs of mature drivers. The course will review safe driving techniques as well as Colorado traffic laws. Completion of this course can qualify you for a discount on your automobile insurance.
The course is available to all motorists whether or not they are members of AARP. A $12 fee for AARP members or a $14 fee for nonmembers, to be paid by check (no cash) will cover the cost of materials. Bring your drivers license and your AARP membership number (if you have one).
Call to register with Scott and Judy Aeschlimann at 565-3872. Leave name and phone number on the answering machine.
Chamber of commerce will offer Business Essentials Workshop
The Cortez Area Chamber of Commerce is offering a Business Essentials Workshop from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, at the First National Bank in Cortez.
Bryan Dear and Karen Veals from the payroll department will help us simplify and to understand one of our biggest, yet most important expenses in our organizations: Payroll, with a focus on timekeeping and attendance as well as worker classification (Exempt vs. Non-Exempt and Employee vs. Contract Labor).
Phil Bryson from On the Edge Productions will then give us the tools for effectively hiring, managing and working with different personality types in the workplace.
Registration fee for chamber members is $40, and $50 for nonmembers.
Contact Dena at 565-3414 for more information or to register for this workshop.
Special fall photography workshop at Mesa Verde will be offered
Every year thousands of visitors snap photos of the spectacular, world-famous Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde Institute is offering a special fall three-day photography workshop scheduled beginning at noon on Friday, Oct. 14, through the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 16, to be led by well known photographer Professor Emeritus Gene Balzer.
The workshop is limited to 13 participants to ensure plenty of personalized coaching. Tuition includes three days of instruction, two nights in-park motel lodging at the Far View Lodge, and all meals, including two dinners at the famed Metate Room Restaurant.
Participants will visit sites around the park at times designed to capture ideal lighting conditions, and will work on compositional skills for compelling images.
For further information, including photographic equipment needs and to register, visit the Mesa Verde Institute at www.mesaverdeinstitute.org, email info@mesaverdeinstitute.org, or call 800-305-6053.
Girl Scouts seek volunteers, will offer troop leader training
Girl Scouts of Montezuma County is looking for volunteers to be troop leaders. All volunteers receive basic training for their position through adult learning opportunities. Training ensures that each volunteer has the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in her or his work. Training for new leaders will be from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 15.
Whatever your background, whatever your interest, whatever commitment your schedule permits, Girl Scouts of Colorado needs your experience and energy to serve the increasing number of girls who are, or who want to be Girl Scouts.
Contact Kyle Conrad at 375-7913 if you are interested in volunteering, or if you have a girl who wants to participate in Girl Scouts. Learn more at www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org.
