Benchtalk: July 9, 2021

Cattlemen’s Days is a summer gem
The Cattlemen’s Days celebration is going on in Gunnison through July 18. Right now the local 4-H program is taking center stage before the rodeo comes to town for the last weekend. The 4-H livestock auction will be held Saturday, July 10 so if you want to support local youngsters who have put in the time to raise livestock, head down and put a bid on a future meal. Meanwhile the rodeo has 422 competitors and is set for Thursday, July 15-Saturday, July 17, at Fred Field Western Center.

July 4 appreciation
The Fourth of July came off with tons of fun Sunday, especially at the water fight held after the parade. Kudos to the Chamber of Commerce for quickly pulling together a parade and activities. Initial estimates put the crowd at around 7,000 people lining Elk Avenue. I guess we’re getting back to normal. It would have felt really weird to not have a parade on the Fourth and they did a great job organizing one quickly…and it was a lot of fun. Thanks to the Chamber!

Joni Reynolds to give perspective at Public Policy Forum
The Public Policy Forum had one of their scheduled speakers need to cancel and that presented the opportunity for them to bring in the county public health director Joni Reynolds to talk about being on the front lines of the Gunnison County COVID battle. Lord knows there were some trying times and controversial decisions but the county went from being one the country’s hot spots for COVID to leading the way back to normal. Joni will talk about the experience on Tuesday, July 13 at 7 p.m. at the Crested Butte Center for the Arts.

Sundays @ 6: The Last Spike
Join the GAC under the big trees of Legion Park on the corner of Tomichi Avenue and Teller Street in Gunnison on Sunday evenings from 6-8 p.m. for FREE live music and community family fun. This long-standing tradition has continued over the years, come rain or shine, featuring the music of local and regional bands. This Sunday, July 11 at 6 p.m. feature The Last Spike.

CB Wildflower Fest is back on and it is popping out there
The annual Crested Butte Wildflower Festival (now going on 35-years!) is taking place in person this summer from July 9-18! The festival is thrilled to welcome people back to Crested Butte and share the magic and beauty of our wildflowers with you! Along with everyone else, the flowers are celebrating the end of COVID restrictions and they are partying in the fields around Crested Butte. It is a good year. The headquarters to learn more about the activities going on during the festival is at the CB Depot located at 716 Elk Avenue. Everyone is welcome to stop by.

Get your Gunnison Valley Journal
The periodic Gunnison Valley Journal is hitting the streets. The journal is meant to document a period of time in the valley and this one deals a lot with the pandemic. Various contributors shared their reflections on the past year. A release party in Gunnison was held July 4 and a North Valley party will be held Thursday. Please join the contributors Thursday, July 8 from 5 – 6:30 p.m. for a release party of at the CB Center for the Arts! The celebration will include short readings, light finger food, and a cash bar. Rumor has it there will even be a live performance of the Covid Hokey Pokey. Journals are available upvalley at the Crested Butte Library, Townie Books, the Center for the Arts and various other logical sites. And down valley pick one up at the Gunnison Library, Gunnison Arts Center, Gunnison Country Chamber of Commerce, Gunnison Country Times, Rocky Mountain Frames, Gunnison Gallery, Abracadabra Books and Toys.

Birthdays:
July 8- Roxie Lypps, Katey Helm, Cheryl Leonard, Gloria Crank, MJ Vosburg, Dave Velardi, Wendy Fisher, Lisa Lenander, Michael Mobley
July 9- Sean McEachen, Cory Watt, Monica Bilow-Makler, Neil Windsor, Pete Basil
July 10- David Fischer, Alexandra Hudson, James Ray Spahn
July 11- Angie Hornbrook, Suzanne Hadley, Kathleen Curry
July 12- Mary Holder, Glena Galloway, Derek Shomler, Randi Stroh, Mark S. Peterson
Juy 13- Addie Raab, Mandy Griffith, Mary Pavillard, Owen Murray
July 14- Bookie Louise, Lipstick, Mark Calve, James Bivens, Fred Koval, Tor Jennison

How did you celebrate the Fourth?