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.
Librarys September Storytime theme is I Love to Read!
I Love to Read! is the September theme of Storytime at the Cortez Public Library, located at 202 N. Park Street. Storytime is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. for preschool-aged children and every Saturday at the Farmers Market beginning at 10:30 a.m., weather permitting. 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. Thursdays. The Saturday Storytime will follow the same theme as the preceding Thursday.
Well explore another author on Sept. 22 and Sept. 24 with Beatrix Potters Animal Friends. Storytime will wrap up the month with I Can Write & Draw at the Same Time!: Jack Ezra Keats on Sept. 29 and Oct. 1.
Storytime offers songs, stories, crafts and silliness and uses the Early Childhood Literacy Initiative program.
For more information, contact the library at 565-8117.
Lost Canyon ACTHA Challenge presents steak dinner, entertainment
A signature American Competitive Trail Horse Association ride two days of tough obstacles over varied terrain merits some Saturday night entertainment, and thats exactly what the Lost Canyon Challenge Ride is offering Saturday, Sept. 24. At 5:30 p.m., the dinner bell rings for a steak dinner served cowboy style. At 7 p.m., guests can enjoy the music of up and coming country singer, Tyller Gummersall, who will sing songs from his new CD, Beer and a Rose (recorded in Nashville), as well as his singles like Colorado Rain, and Blue Skies. This night of entertainment will take place at Lost Canyon Ranch, 17150 Road 36.5, near Mancos (6 miles north of Hwy. 184 on Road 36.5).
The cost for the dinner and concert is $20. Everyone is welcomeriders, staff, family, friends, and the curious bystanders who want to see what the fun of ACTHA is all about. The event benefits the Cadence Therapeutic Riding Center.
Reservations for the dinner are required. For more information and to reserve a space at the table, contact Ron Tyner at rtyner@q.com or 749-0607. To learn more about the valuable work of Cadence Therapeutic Riding Center, go to www.cadenceriding.org.
Area author will present Growing Roots at book signing event
The Mancos Public Library will host Durango author Katherine Leiner at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, to introduce her new book, Growing Roots: The New Generation of Sustainable Farmers, Chefs and Food Activist. The library is located at 211 W. First St.
This book is about a new revolution in food involving people living sustainable lives that revolve around healthy, natural food. The book introduces farmers and beekeepers, fishermen and chefs, food activists and cheese mongers, and many more across the nation. Also included are filmmakers, writers, and artists who are changing the way society eats and looks at food production. The book includes 150 recipes. Leiner will discuss meeting and profiling the diversity of participants in her book as well as to interview local farmers Joan and Peter from Wintergreen Gardens, and Mary Vozar and Paul Bohmann from Confluence Farm. Growing Roots has won many awards, among them, Indie Award for best nonfiction book of the year, and Readers Choice for Best Green Book of the year. There will be books on hand for sale.
For more information, contact the library at 533-7600 or visit www.mancoslibrary.org.
Workshop will cover agricultural practices, food safety, other info
Fort Lewis College and Colorado State University Extension will host an educational workshop to address Food Safety on the Farm from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at the Colorado Welcome Center, 928 E. Main St., Cortez.
Topics will include a question-and-answer session on good agricultural practices, self assessment of food safety risks on your farm, safe post-harvest vegetable handling techniques, and a question-and-answer panel. A light dinner will be served and a free water test kit ($36 value) will be available for each farm represented. These workshops are co-sponsored by the Western Center for Risk Management Education and will be followed up by on-farm workshops the week of Oct. 3.
Brochures are available at the Colorado State University Extension office, 109 W. Main, Room 102, or call the CSU Extension office at 565-3123. Registration is $10 (before Sept. 19) and $15 at the door.
For more information about the program, contact Beth LaShell at 247-7189 or email Lashell_b@fortlewis.edu.
United Blood Services will hold blood drives for donors
United Blood Services will conduct two area mobile blood drives. The first will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at Cortez Middle School, 450 W. Second St., and the second will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at Four Seasons Nursery, 26650 Road P, near Dolores.
Those interested in donating blood can call to set an appointment or get more information by calling 385-4601, or may sign-up online at www.bloodhero.org.
CSU Extension offers workshop
for agricultural producers
Colorado State University Extension will offer the workshop Managing Good and Bad Times: How Can Your Family Be More Resilient? from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29. A meal will be provided. Please register no later than Thursday, Sept. 22. The event will be held at the Southwest Colorado Community College, Main Building Room 109, 33057 Colorado Highway 160.
This workshop will help agricultural producers learn about practices their family can use to reduce financial, production, and human risks, and of tools they can use and actions they and their families can take in tough and in good economic times to decrease their financial, human, and production risks.
Information will be provided on topics important to farmers and ranchers: business and strategic planning, how to manage cash flow, debt, and assets, use of feasibility analysis, exploring alternative crops and farming options, how to manage debt better, how to use debt restructuring, and identify resources to use in tough times.
For more information, call Tom Hooten, extension agent, at 565-3123; or Bob Fetsch at 491-5648.
New child car seats will be available at seat safety event
There will be a Child Car Safety Seat Check event from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at Southwest Memorial Hospital, in front of the South Campus building, 1311 N. Mildred Road.
Bring your children and their car seat for a free check-up. New seats will be available for a small donation.
For more information, contact Ron Beckman, occupant protection coordinator, at 507-0240.
Spring Creek Basin mustangs will be available for adoption
The National Mustang Association will sponsor trainer Ems Rapp to demonstrate her wild horse taming and training techniques from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds, 30100 U.S. Highway 160 east of Cortez. Rapp will ride her Spring Creek Basin mustang, Rock-On, adopted after the 2007 roundup. Rock-On will serve as a Spring Creek Basin mustang ambassador for everyone to meet.
Roughly 25 wild horses from the Spring Creek Basin herd in Disappointment Valley will be available for adoption at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24, at the fairgrounds. The adoption will follow a planned gather by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management around Sept. 15.
Expect to see blacks, grays, colorful pintos and duns. The horses will be 4 years old and younger. Over the years, many Spring Creek Basin horses have been adopted, tamed, trained and become treasured riding horses.
Individuals interested in adopting a horse must meet corral and shelter requirements. The standards are available at http://www.blm.gov/adoptahorse/requirements.php. Horses not adopted will be placed in long-term pastures.
For more information regarding the clinic on Friday, Sept. 23, contact NMA/CO at 564-8400. For more information on the gather and adoption, contact the Dolores Public Lands Office at 882-7296.
Boy Scouts will conduct flag retirement ceremony
Boy Scout Troop 522 will conduct a special flag burning ceremony to retire flags at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at the American Legion grounds, 320 N. Harrison St., Cortez.
This flag retiring event is conducted at the request of the American Legion. Troop 522 presents this special ceremony to properly retire flags that shows the utmost respect. The public is invited to attend.
For more information, contact Charles Hermans at 564-3120.
Dances with Wolves costumer will lecture on Western filmmaking
Costume designer, artist and historian Cathy A. Smith will present The Demise of Tonto from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at the Mancos Community Center, 130 Grand Ave.
An hors doeuvres, wine and artist reception for an exhibit of Smiths work will immediately follow at the Goodnight Trail Gallery, one block east of the community center.
Smith will present a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Western movies, including a day in the life of the filming of Dances With Wolves: how costumes are designed, life on the set, and the importance of authenticity in costumes, sets and props. She will also discuss the history of the Plains Indian and the 19th-century West. She is best known for her authentic costumes in Dances with Wolves, as well as Comanche Moon, Geronimo and Son of the Morning Star, for which she won the Emmy for Excellence in Costume Design. She is also an artist specializing in oil on canvas, and quillwork.
Tickets for the lecture are $20. Proceeds will benefit childrens education programs at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. This event is sponsored by the Friends of Crow Canyon advisory board.
To purchase tickets, call 564-4341. For more information about Cathy A. Smith, call 533-1177.
For Pets Sake will offer low-cost pet vaccination clinic
For Pets Sake Humane Society will host their autumn Low-Cost Dog and Cat Vaccination Clinic from 9 a.m. until Noon on Saturday, Sept. 24 at the IFA Country Store, 10501 Highway 491 in Cortez.
Veterinarian Dr. Sue Grabbe with Four Corners MASH will offer dog and cat packages which include rabies, distemper, parvo (dogs), leukemia (cats), and more for $37 each, or $13 for rabies only. Packages without rabies are just $30. Exact change is appreciated, checks are okay, but no credit cards please. Dogs must be on leashes and cats must be in carriers. A portion of each package purchased will be donated to For Pets Sake.
For more information call the For Pets Sake Humane Society at 565-7387 (565-PETS).
San Juan Bible Camp will hold Ladies Day
Come enjoy A Day in the Pines as you connect with God and other sisters in Christ from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24. San Juan Bible Camp is located at 14260 Rd. 39.9 in Mancos.
This day is designed for ladies of all ages in the community middle school through senior adult. You will enjoy a delicious luncheon, an inspiring message from Gods Word, and optional activities including horseback riding, card making, firearms instruction or a walk in the woods. There will be opportunity for relaxing with friends and time for prayer and pondering away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Cost is $15 plus activity fee.
To register, call the camp office at 533-7622 or email sanjuanbiblecamp@q.com by September 21. You can find out more information about the camp or get directions at www.SanJuanBibleCamp.org.
KSJD will hold fundraising moving sale
Fall is here and its time to clean out the garage, shed, barn, and closets and donate your gently used but no longer needed items (no clothes or computers, please) to the KSJD Moving Downtown Sale, happening from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24 on the corner of Main and Market in Cortez.
Volunteers are also needed for the day of the event.
Call Ned at 570-8061 for drop off locations and times, to arrange to have your donations picked up, or for more information on volunteering.
CSU Extension will hold apple U-Pick harvest at research station
Colorado State University Extension has scheduled its annual apple U-Pick harvest for one day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Southwest Colorado Research Station, approximately 18 miles north of Cortez. Take U.S. Highway 491 to County Road Z and turn left (west). The station is the first place on the left after you cross Road 17.
The U-Pick will offer at least 40 varieties of fruit at 60 cents per pound on a first-come, first-served basis. Limited quantities of pears, plums and peaches will be available. Some apple varieties also have limited quantities, so it is a good idea to get there early. Individuals interested in picking must bring their own containers. They are also reminded to wear footwear appropriate for the weather and orchard conditions. It is respectfully requested that all pets be left at home, as pets are not allowed in the orchard. Ladders will not be allowed, but pole picking baskets will be provided. There will be no early sales.
For more information, call the Montezuma County Extension Office at 565-3123.
For Pets Sake accepts donations
of items for fall yard sale
For Pets Sake Humane Society will have its annual fall yard sale Friday through Sunday, Sept. 30 through Oct. 2, at the Cortez Christian Church Family Life Center on the corner of Empire and Colorado Highway 145. This is expected to be the humane societys biggest sale yet. The hours are from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from noon 2 p.m. Sunday.
The humane society still needs lots more treasures for the sale so it can help the dogs and cats in Montezuma and Dolores counties. (No computers, monitors, printers, or other computer accessories, tires, or televisions.)
Bring donations to the center from 2 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, or call 565-PETS (7387) and leave a message if you need to drop off items at a different time, or if you have a large item for pickup.