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.
Meet & Greet, Square dance lessons begin
Four Corners Square Dancers are offering new square dance lessons with a Meet and Greet night on Saturday, Sept. 15, at Kemper Elementary School, 620 E. Montezuma Ave. at 6:30 p.m. The new square dance lessons will take place every Monday night at 7 p.m., starting on Monday, Sept. 17. Come and check out the fun, easy to learn exercise that square dancing provides. No partner? No problem. Well provide someone to help you learn and move to the square dance calls. If you have questions, call Vonnie Robinson at 749-9682, or Don and Judy Morris at 565-9836.
CSU holds annual apple U-Pick harvest this weekend
Colorado State University Extension has scheduled its annual apple U-Pick harvest for Saturday, Sept. 15, from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 16 from 9 a.m. to noon at the CSU Southwestern Colorado Research Station, approximately 18 miles north of Cortez. Take Hwy. 491 to Road Z and turn left (or west). The station is the first place on the left after you cross Road 17. The U-Pick will offer more than 40 different varieties of fruit at 40 cents per pound on a first-come, first-served basis. Limited quantities of pears, plums and peaches will also be available. Some apple varieties also have limited quantities, so it is a good idea to get there early. Those interested in picking must bring their own containers and are reminded to wear footwear appropriate for the weather and orchard conditions. All pets must be left at home, as they are not allowed in the orchard. Ladders will not be allowed, but pole picking baskets will be provided. There will be no early sales. After this date, fruit will still be available; contact Abdel Berrada, Research Center Manager at 562-4255. For more information, call the Montezuma County Extension Office at 565-3123.
Cortez River Run for Orphans
The first annual Cortez River Run for Orphans will be Saturday, Sept. 15 at Parque de Vida behind the Rec Center. Race day registration starts at 8:30 a.m., with the 1 mile at 10 a.m. and the 5K at 10:30 a.m. The Cortez River Run for Orphans precedes the Reach Out Music Festival, which begins at noon. Participates gain free entrance to the concert with their race number. Our goal is to bring our community together to serve orphans. Every participating school, church or community group decides where to send the money that they raise via sponsorships. Money raised through sponsors will be use to provide orphans with resources such as food, clothing, education, vocational training, proper nutrition, and most importantly, a permanent loving family. The registration fee for ages 14 and up is $25, and $10 for ages 13 and under, and will include an event t-shirt and a race number for those who pre-register. Participants may register online at www.RiverRunforOrphans.org. For more information, or to learn how to sign up sponsors, contact Steve and Linnea Bowman at 565-9558 or nea_bean@hotmail.com.
Harvest Fest Celebration
The Dolores Chamber will host a Harvest Fest Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be food vendors, produce vendors, live music featuring Louis Edwards and Yesterday, free Galloping Goose rides and more. It will be held in front of Town Hall on Hwy. 145. There is still room for more produce vendors. Call Ruby Gonzales at 882-7717 or the chamber at 882-4018 for more information.
Fall aspens hike
Enjoy fall beauty while hiking through aspen groves and some old growth spruce-fir forest with a naturalist from San Juan Mountains Association on Saturday, Sept. 15. Learn about the unique attributes of aspen and old growth forests and look for late fall wildflowers and signs of wildlife. Meet at the Durango Recreation Center parking lot (in front of the ball fields) at 8:30 a.m. The group will carpool from there to the trailhead at the Forest Service work camp, about 40 minutes north of Durango. This is an easy 3 mile hike with little elevation gain, returning to the Rec. Center by 1 p.m. Bring water, rain gear and a snack and/or lunch. Hike is suitable for adults and families with children age 6 and older. Please leave pets at home. Contact SJMA for more information or to sign up at gabi@sjma.org or 385-1256. Sponsored by SJMA, San Juan National Forest, and BLM Tres Rios Field Office.
MECC School Readiness Program holds Family Night
Montelores Early Childhood Council School Readiness Program is holding a Family Night on Wednesday, Sept. 19 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Church of Christ Annex in Cortez (on the corner of Montezuma and Adams across from Kemper Elementary). This evening is free of charge and includes dinner! Come and enjoy a variety of books and related activities that parents and children can do together. Please RSVP by Monday, Sept. 17 to Tricia at 719-849-1523 or telybely2@yahoo.com so there will be plenty of food.
Intro to Meditation & Christian Mysticism
Starting Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Sophia Peace Center, 19581 Road 31 (in Dolores turn left on 11th, go 1.8 miles, and look for the large sign with the dove, on the left). This is a powerful six-week introductory course designed for modern mystics. Classes will include teachings on: the Inner Spiritual Path, Meditation, Soul, Light, Prayer, and Blessing. Time will be spent teaching the principles of meditation that will allow you to move deeper than the body, beyond thinking and emotions and into the reality of Gods peace and presence within. This course is free, and all are welcome. To RSVP or for more information, contact Rev Meira Leonard at 882-2123 or RevMeira@CentersOfLight.org.
KBDX Rockin Blood Drive
Find the hero in you and plan to attend the KBDX Red Rock 92s Rockin Blood Drive on Friday, Sept. 21 from noon to 4 p.m. at Aarons Sales and Lease in Cortez at 2288 E. Main St. To donate blood, call Desiree at 564-7170 or call the United Blood Services at 385-4601. All donors will have a chance to win two tickets to the N.Y. Giants and Cowboys game with hotel accommodations.
Local author hosts Moonshine Murder book party
Local author, Erin S. Gray, will host a new release book party at Cold Stone Creamery for adults and young adults, ages 12 and up, on Friday, Sept. 21 from 4 to 7 p.m. Erin will be selling autographed copies of her young adult historical fiction novel, Moonshine Murder, as well as offering a chance to win a Kindle device. The first 100 autographed copy purchases of Moonshine Murder will be entered in the drawing for a Kindle. Each book purchased will be counted in the drawing, so if you purchase more than one copy, your name will go in the drawing more, too. Door prizes include Cold Stone Creamery gift certificates and free bookmarks. Dollar Scoop ice cream can be purchased during the signing. To learn more about the book or the author, visit www.erinsgray.com. If you miss the event, you can still participate in the drawing by purchasing your copy at the website.
Octoberfest at Groundhog Lake
The Groundhog Lake RV Park will host a Fall Festival and Fireworks celebration on Saturday, Sept. 22. The event, which is also an Octoberfest celebration featuring old German cuisine and beer, will go from 4 to 9 p.m. There will also be music and a bonfire. Groundhog cancelled its annual Fourth of July fireworks show due to the hot and dry conditions, so the show was moved to the fall. Call 739-5533 for reservations or visit groundhoglake.com.
Fall Chili Fest has gospel group, chili cook-off
Montelores Baptist Church will host their annual Fall Chili Fest and Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, Sept. 22. The event will feature the music of Ernie Couch & Revival on tour from Nashville, Tenn. This group is known across the United States and Canada for its live music, good humor, and genuine spirit. Many describe the group as refreshingly different, and a lot of fun. The Fall Chili Fest will run from 4:30 to 7 p.m. The entry fee for the chili cook-off is $10. Cash prizes will be awarded for the Judges Favorite and Peoples Favorite. Donations will be accepted for the Chili Fest meal and the concert. Montelores Baptist Church, 18735 CR 23.5, is located off Hwy. 184 across from Narraguinnep Reservoir. For entry forms or more information call the church office at 882-2418 or go to www.monteloresbaptistchurch.org.
Naturopathic physician will give talk on natural remedies
Dr. Amy Loschert, a Dolores-based naturopathic physician, will give a free talk, Natural Remedies for Common Digestive Complaints from 6 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 24 at the Dolores Healing Space, 102 S. 4th St., Dolores. She will speak about disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, food allergies, constipation and colitis. The most commonly seen nutritional deficiencies in our country will also be discussed along with natural foods and remedies that ameliorate these disorders and return balance to the digestive system. For more information, contact Dr. Amy at 676-1011.
FCBA hosts Home Enhancement Systems presentations
Four Corners Builders Association will host a presentation by Home Enhancement Systems, a company that provides services in the home or business such as Web services including satellite, room audio/video, security and home comforts like custom closet systems, central vacuum or theater. This is free to the public and will be held Tuesday, Sept. 25 at the First National Bank, 2258 E. Main in Cortez. Plan to come at 7 p.m. with your questions on easy ways to improve your life. For more information on the presentation or FCBA, call 565-1771.
Author/Mountain Gazette editor Fayhee book reading
M. John Fayhee, long-time editor of the Mountain Gazette, will read from his two new books at the Spruce Tree Coffeehouse, 318 E. Main St. in Cortez, on Thursday, Sept. 27 at 5 p.m. The event will include readings from The Colorado Mountain Companion: A Potpourri of Useful Miscellany from the Highest Parts of the Highest State and Smoke Signals: Wayward Journeys Through the Old Heart of the New West. Fayhee calls The Colorado Mountain Companion, which references Cortez numerous times, the proudest achievement among his 10 previously published books. That research journey came to include chapters as disparate as the movies that have been filmed in the Colorado mountains, mountain-based songs, climatic and altitude-based data, Olympic athletes who hail from the High Country, Native American history, natural science, ski history and much, much more. For more information, call Spruce Tree at 565-6789.
For Pets Sake 3-day yard sale
For Pets Sake Humane Society will have its biggest yard sale ever on Friday through Sunday, Sept. 28-30 at the Cortez Christian Church Family Life Center on the corner of Empire and Hwy. 145. The sale will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday. Have fun with your fall cleaning and donate those unwanted treasures to the humane society! Donations can be brought to the building on Thursday, Sept. 27 from 2 to 7 p.m., or call For Pets Sake at 565-7387 for other options or for pick-up of large items please, no computers or accessories, tires, or TVs. We need a lot of goodies to make money to help the dogs and cats in Montezuma and Dolores Counties. So, look hard for donations, and then come and get new treasures at the sale!