Benchtalk: November 25, 2016

Check out the museum for free this weekend

It’s that time of year again—the local museum’s rotating exhibits have undergone their bi-annual changes! They are offering free entrance to the Museum this weekend, November 26 and 27, for you and the family to see what’s new. Exhibits include music culture in Crested Butte, the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad in the Gunnison Valley, molybdenum mining in the Valley, local members of the PSIA-AASI National Team, and the history of our home, Tony’s Conoco. They also have a great selection of new items in the Museum Store so you can get your holiday shopping done at the same time! Extended hours, 11a.m. to 6p.m.

Speaking of free…State parks are free on Black Friday 

Entry to all 42 Colorado state parks is free on November 25 for a new Colorado Parks and Wildlife tradition called #FreshAirFriday. Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers this opportunity to those who have signed the pledge to head outside on the day after Thanksgiving. More than 50 retailers in Colorado and nationwide are closing their doors on Black Friday and multiple states are urging people to go outside instead of joining the rush inside to shop this year. Great Outdoors Colorado is covering all costs for access to the state parks on Friday.

Snowsports Foundation brings workshop for parents and caregivers to valley

The Crested Butte Snowsports Foundation (CBSF) will conduct a workshop, “Raising Kids to Love Snow Sports,” in both Gunnison and Crested Butte. The first of the two evenings will be in Crested Butte in the multi-purpose room at the Crested Butte Community School on Tuesday, November 29 starting at 5:30 p.m. with pizza and the presentation shortly thereafter. The second of the two evenings, Thursday, December 1, will begin at 7:15 p.m. at Western State Colorado University’s Mountaineer Field House, Activity Room #1, with healthy desserts and Murray Banks, youth and high school sports coach, motivational speaker, professional athlete and CBSF board member, speaking soon afterwards. Space will fill up quickly, so please visit for more details. cbsnowsports.org.

Vandenbusche to teach a winter class in Crested Butte

Duane Vandenbusche will teach “The History of the Crested Butte Area” at the Crested Butte Community School on Thursday evenings from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. this winter. The class will begin on January 26 and end April 20. The course will cover geography, water, silver and gold mining, coal mining, ethnic people, early day skiing, satellite mining camps, ranching, polka music and narrow gauge railroads. Slide shows on early day skiing will be part of the class along with presentations on Crested Butte history and narrow gauge railroads. To sign up for the class, contact Extended Studies at Western State at (970) 943-2885.

Local toy drive

Give your slightly used toys a new beginning and a good home, by donating them to Project Hope and the Dolphin House here in Gunnison Valley and other places in need. All age toys will be accepted but please drop off toys in good working condition only. There will be a donation box located in the hallway of the Alpineer/Bella Voi hallway located at 419 6th Street from December 1 through December 6. Drop boxes will also be located at the Secret Stash and the Crested Butte South Sunset Hall during the same dates between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Birthdays:

November 24- Justin Hastings, Theodore Trujillo, Dylan Tyzzer

November 25- Loree Mulay Weisman, Charlotte Rotner, Alison White

November 26- Adam Crist, Jennie Villanueva, Molly Massey, Albert Maunz, Chris “Buck” Myall, Rewk Patten

November 27- Eric Jernigan, John Covelli, Camille Lohr, Shelley White, Cyndy Lang, Liz Blackwell, Sam Reaman, Diner Theaker, Trevor Maltby

November 28- Sharon Sharpe, Wes Williams, Audrey Anderson

November 29- Nel Curtiss, Aria Capps, Nathan James, Francene Kopf

November 30- Candy Carson, “Mr. Ben” Poswalk, Heather Dawn

Cameo question: How do you prepare and get stoked for the ski season?