You can keep your hat on

First things first.

I was talking with Pam Bliss, old friend and former Delta County publisher, who told me that Joe Cocker will be having a June 24 benefit concert for the Cocker Kids Foundation at the Delta County fairgrounds in Hotchkiss.

Let’s call it, the Joe at Home, You Can Keep Your Hat On, Concert.

Joe & Pam Cocker started the Cocker Kids Foundation several years ago and have raised more than $500,000 for underserved children in Delta County. The Cockers and Blisses also do dental and medical charity work in Jamaica.

Now and then, the Cockers open up their Mad Dog Café in Crawford for garage sales. To my own joy, the iconic singer and I are about the same size in clothing and shoes, so I’m always there grabbing the bargains early, though I’ve looked high and low for those blue boots with silver stars that he wore at Woodstock, to no avail.

The Hotchkiss concert will be Tuesday, June. 24. More ticket information will be released as it becomes available. Pam says Joe will have his entire show band for this concert, with horn section, backup singers and such. It’ll be a sendoff/warm-up for the European tour he’s doing with rocker Steve Miller this coming summer.

The Subdudes, who many around here know from their music from Denver and Colorado, will open for Joe that night.

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One more sign of spring: Police officers, on motorcycles.

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So Sen. Hillary Clinton prevaricates some. (Bosnia sniper danger.)

This is news?

Next thing, they’ll be telling us that pro ‘rasslin ain’t on the level.

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So what’s Tom Barrett up to? In a word, expanding.

His longtime tire/wheel/service center on North Townsend is doubling in size; business has been good, Tom says. They’ve been in the tire business since 1983, first in Gunnison, then growing with Montrose for the past 24 years.

The new Standard Tire and Service Center will have a showroom, new sales and management offices, a place for kids to romp while their parent’s cars are being serviced, an expanded waiting room that’s wired for Wi-Fi. There will be additional product storage and the service bays will grow from four to six. Landscaping, too.

The renovations are expected to be completed in 45 days, says Tom. Paul Center is doing the general contracting. (Paul’s busy these days, he’s also building the new steak/seafood/pasta restaurant for Jack Ludwig, in Hawk Center.)

Tom’s a cancer survivor, a cyclist whose bike rally, the Grin ‘n’ Barrett, raises money for the San Juan Healthcare Foundation.

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Also from that neck of the woods, or North Townsend Avenue,……

The gift of gab spread next door to Mike Ostrowsky from Hylander Innovations, Inc., Mike and Jackie relocated here in 2005 from the Littleton area. Mike says he’s worked on about 3,000 cars since hanging out his shingle three years ago, mostly imports. (Including Mini Coopers.)

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Ana Mostacerro, the community relations director for Montrose County, says there will be a sendoff for the disabled veterans who landed at Montrose Regional Airport Tuesday morning. The Iraq/Afghanistan vets and their families were en route to Telluride for an expenses-paid week of skiing and recreation. The terminal was packed with appreciative and cheering citizens.

Details are being worked upon for Saturday. If you missed it, the story and photos were in Wednesday’s Daily Press, and we’ve got video: www.montrosepress.com, then click onto the video link.

Groups that will organize between 7:45 and 8 a.m., Saturday, include: American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Troops Need Support, Operation Interdependence, Patriot Guard Riders, Christian Guard Riders.

Their scheduled departure is 9 a.m. Saturday, at MTJ.