Bears and cherries

Way to go, Montrose!

That Saturday Fourth of July celebration — complete with games, exhibits, live music, prizes and fireworks – was a hit. Tip of the Hat!, for Polly Hohlenkamp for the organizational skills and push; similar kudos!, to Ana Mostaccero and Joe Bagnara for leading the Montrose Rotary Club’s big fireworks show. That was some night sky with fireworks, made-man and the natural kind.

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Think last weekend was busy……..

Zilla Mae Brown writes how that “after I’ve visited the Black Canyon Classics Car Show, and the Black Canyon Quilters Show……”

The Montrose County Historical Society is having a barbeque lunch from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Murdoch’s on S. Townsend. Proceeds will benefit the historical society and local FFA and 4-H clubs. Info: 249-9991.

Sponsors: Montrose Historical Society, Murdoch’s, Pepsi.

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The Montrose High School Class of 2009 earned almost $2 million in college scholarships. Most are off to some institution of higher learning.

The number once choice, according to Montrose/Olathe schools spokesperson Linda Gann is Mesa State College in with 43 Class of ’09 grads. Colorado State U. is second with 16 and the U. of Northern Colorado in Greeley is third with 12. The most popular out of state college is Arizona State University in Tempe with three. (Arbitrageur Mike King’s alma mater. Go ahead, ask him about those Sun Devils.)

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“So, how was Vail?”

Mention those recent seminar trips to Vail taken by city and county officials — those to those who went, and those who didn’t — and you get two distinctly different replies:

• Those who went: A “spirited” defense and rationalization.

• Those who didn’t go: A wince.

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Odd week around the village……

One day, the county is closing down cotton candy, hot dog and sno-cone vendors during Main in Motion, citing a paucity of food-handling permits. A few days later, the county’s says OK (through its planning commission) to a special use permit for a uranium/vanadium/assorted wastes mill.

One bank exec calls the vendor kerfuffle the “great cotton candy caper.” The Notebook says it’s the BSO, aka the “Butt-Scratch Ordinance.” One of the Daily Press bloggers suggested that, “you don’t want some butt-scratcher handing out popcorn.”

In the annals of digestive diagnosis, who would disagree?

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The Notebook was catching up on some reading last week, waiting for the film “Public Enemies” to begin at the San Juan Cinema. Wayne & Chris Adams of Park Avenue True Value sat near and small talk ensued. I also had the New York Times handy and the big difference that day between the Daily Press’ content, and the Times’ was the bear story on page one. The Times didn’t have it; the Daily Press did.

Apparently, a bear got into a local lady’s yard and feasted on all the cherries. Every cherry, she told the Press. Upon further inspection, it was revealed how the bear scat on top of her woodpile was “solid with cherry pits.” In my haughtiest voice, I said to Chris and Wayne: “Bear scat, with details. You don’t get that kind of reporting in the Times.”

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The Montrose County Fair is coming, July 17-26.

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Quotable

“Summer afternoon — summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”

—Henry James, author, 1834-1916