St. Paddy’s Day celebration

Stephen Woody

The Notebook

Much ado about the Colorado state song(s), and how our lawmakers in Denver found the time to debate and work out the logistics for a second tune, from tunesmith John Denver.

(Wonder if Joe Walsh’s ‘Rocky Mountain Way’ was nominated?)

  • Tomorrow’s St. Patrick’s Day. A parade at noon, then the Montrose Redcoats are serving burgers, brats and beer at Centennial Plaza.

  • So when is Gigi Ann’s Marketplace going to open on Main Street?

    “April-ish,” so reports Gigi Ann Bechthold. “Maybe even late April-ish.”

    Nothing like construction to alter the semantics of a calendar.

    The new Gigi Ann’s will be a delight: a large bar, twice the restaurant size it has now on N. Second, twice the size for its retail operation - customers send Gigi Ann’s goodies all over the country. The menu, already a good one, will be expanded. Gigi Ann’s, as most know, is already doing a good business at her North First Street venue.

    The new locale will be a good addition to Main Street retail, dining, imbibing.

    Come April. Ish.

  • Mark the calendar……

    The fourth annual Montrose Wine Festival will be held at the Holiday Inn/Express on May 18-19.

    It’s a fundraiser: Black Canyon Boys & Girls Club, Voices for Children, Habitat for Humanity, Christ’s Kitchen.

    Info: 252-0800, or 249-5168; or, www.MontroseWineFestival.com.

    Sponsors: Ironstone Vineyards, Corks, Holiday Inn Express/Suites.

  • Dept. of incidental info…..

    While reading the new biography about Pete Maravich, the former college basketball star for LSU and later an NBA Hall of Famer, there was this little dose of info about courtside seating. Sitting alongside the benches of both teams, and along the court is now commonplace, what with celebrities like Spike Lee and Jack Nicholson paying as much as $1,500 per seat, per game.

    The first NBA team to do this was the old New Orleans Jazz, which was in the league for five years, 1974-1979. Maravich was a member of those teams. Sam Battistone was the owner of the team, and while the Superdome was being built and he was short on operating cash, he started selling courtside seats. $15 per seat, then.

    Battistone was the founding owner of the restaurant chain, Sambo’s, in 1957. At one time, Sambo’s had 1,200 restaurants in 47 states. Today, there is just one, owned by a Battistone grandson, in its original location in Santa Barbara, Calif.

  • Happy Birthday Greetings!

    Older & ornerier - Montrose arbitrageur (and Arizona State alum) Mike King, at Edward D. Jones.

  • Coming Sunday in your Daily Press…..

  • Sunday Feature/Page One: Montrose isn’t the only place experiencing a “hot” growth market. Our neighbors to the north, Delta, is having a similar influx of residents and news businesses. Staff writer/reporter Robert Allen profiles.

  • Sunday Focus: Photojournalist William Woody covered last Sunday’s NASCAR race in Las Vegas. We’ll have photos.

  • Sunday Sports: Coverage of the annual Lloyd McMillan Baseball Tournament with stories and photos about Montrose and Olathe teams.

  • Opinion/editorial: Editor Bill Swaim’s column, Garrison Keillor’s musings, your letters.

  • Inserts: USAWeekend magazine, SmartSource coupons, plus much more.

  • There’s a fund-raiser this evening for the Montrose County Habitat for Humanity.

  • 5 to 7 p.m., The Bridges Golf & Country Club.

  • Proceeds benefit the ongoing local Habitat ministry.

  • Sponsors: Cornerstone Colorado, Active Energies, National Assn., of Homebuilders, DMEA, Montrose Daily Press.

    The public’s invited. Tickets available at the door. Info: 252-9303.

  • My one Irish joke…..

  • What’s the difference between an Irish wake, and an Irish wedding?

    One less drinking.

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