The Pagosa Springs Arts Alliance (PSAA) is asking for $10,000 from the Town of Pagosa Springs and $5,000 from Archuleta County for a total of $15,000 in taxpayer money to help fund a feasibility study on whether or not Pagosa Springs is ready to build a cultural arts center.

More specifically, they are hoping that the feasibility study will help determine the appropriate size for the venue. The PSAA is a new organization that brings together Friends of the Performing Arts and the Music Boosters Dream Team along with other interested community members to construct and manage a cultural arts center; to develop an assistance program for local arts students and aspiring artists; and to develop formal and informal educational arts resources for learned of all ages that would ultimately include an arts college.

Friends of the Performing Arts (FoPA) was founded in 2002 by Sandy Applegate and John Porter following a Music Boosters production of “You Can’t Take it With You.” The cast and crew were frustrated because they couldn’t rehearse in the high school auditorium. They had to rent space at the Ridgeview Mall (currently Terry’s Ace Hardware). When it came time to perform, the Music Boosters were bumped when the basketball team played an extra game in the gym. (The limited parking and acoustics don’t allow for the auditorium, commons and gymnasium to be used at the same time and a school event takes precedent over a community event.)

“We needed a space dedicated to all of the performing arts. One group alone can keep the space busy enough,” Applegate said.”"There is so much talent in the community that is separate from our big musical productions. We needed the space to showcase the wide variety of talent here: individuals, small groups, as well as large community events.”

Applegate began talking to people about her idea. Her husband John, also active in several local nonprofit organizations, planned to attend Philanthropy Days, an event that brings nonprofits and foundations together every other in year to discuss ideas that need funding. Applegate approached Music Boosters and asked if she could attend under their umbrella and Music Booster agreed to have Applegate and another board member, Andy Donlon, act as their liaison to Philanthropy Days, but only Applegate attended.

Applegate said she received very positive reactions from the funders to the idea of building a theatre in Pagosa. Applegate then approached Music Boosters about the idea of building a community venue, but they were interested in a goal that would result in “Music Boosters multiplied.” Applegate then approached the Pagosa Springs Arts Council about the idea of building a community venue.

“They said no,” Applegate said.

Applegate and John Porter formed FoPA and filed for nonprofit status receiving a 501(c) 3 designation. Applegate says that those who know her realize the name has special affinity and humor. “I’m the queen of the faux pas,” she said.

Problems began when FoPA began showcasing local talent. “What better way to get this idea out than by showing what talent we have here,” Applegate said. “We wanted to do small, quality productions to help raise funds.” They formed a performing arts group called “Footlighters.”

“People were blown away by the quality. People were getting excited,” Applegate said.

But some people were confused. Why do we have so many performing arts groups in a town this size? Why don’t they all work together? Other performing groups felt threatened by Footlighters and FoPA encroaching on their audience.

FoPA’s idea was to be visible and to earn a little money. Applegate knew that the money would not just appear, that they had to visible in order to build up the level of creative capital, to bring more awareness to the local talent and the need for a center.

During this same time, Music Boosters said they dropped the ball. “Sandy took an idea and ran with it,” Michael DeWinter, president of Music Boosters said. “She looked at the old school house, that old barn that blew down. We were behind them. We said we would do whatever we could to help and we key-holed a little bit of money.”

FoPA raised well over $10,000 and planned to use that money to raise more by applying for matching fund grants. In late 2002, they decided to expand the FoPA board and brought on additional community members: first, Walter Green and later Susan Neder, Felicia Meyer and Lynda Van Patter.

When Walter Green returned from a trip to Florida that October, he learned he had been elected president of FoPA.

“I love the performing arts and I thought I could be of help,” he said.

Green’s first priority was to put a plan together, a preliminary document that outlined what the organization hoped to achieve. “You can’t just talk and get anywhere,” Green said.

The board approached Maggie Caruso, who did a great deal of work to design a conceptual plan, based on a needs assessment completed by J.R. Porter Associates, Inc., that took the input from eleven organizations, including: Pagosa Springs Arts Council, Footlighters, Pretenders, San Juan Festival Ballet, Whistle Pig, Community Choir and the Education Center. Caruso’s conceptual plan was a visual representation of what might be needed to accommodate current and future needs. The conceptual plan included a big reception area for visual art display, space for all different organizations and disciplines: theatre, dance and visual art. Designed to be built in phases, they planned to start with a 90- to 130-seat black box theatre and then add a 200-seat main theatre that could eventually be doubled with the addition of a balcony. It was visual brainstorming, but for many the conceptual drawings looked too concrete and they dismissed it.

By the end of 2004, FoPA had drawings, floor plans and a possible location at Aspen Village that involved a shared parking arrangement with the Baptist Church, and a donation of more than three-acres along with the purchase of three acres, financed by the developer.

“Maggie felt it could be done and I think it was a good location,” Green said. “My goals were achieved.”

Two weeks before the end of his two-year term, Green asked the board to support the purchase of the property and they made a down payment. But Music Boosters approached FoPA and asked them to not move forward with the Aspen Village location because they didn’t think it would be big enough for their concept.

In 2003, Music Boosters formed a “Dream Team” and began to envision a facility based on the Irving Art Center in Irving, Texas, which has a population 194,547 and sits in the middle of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex with an estimated population of 6 million. The Irving Arts Center is owned by the City of Irving who established an Arts Board in 1980 funded by the local hotel occupancy tax. In 1986, the first phase of the center opened and was completed in 1990. The Irving Arts Center is 91,500 square foot performing and visual arts space with a 707-seat concert hall, a 253-seat theatre and four gallery spaces with a 3,800 square foot main gallery. The Irving Arts Center is home to 18 arts organizations.

The Dream Team envisioned the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts to be a 198,260 square foot facility on 15 acres with a 1,000-seat theatre, a 350-seat thrust stage and a 250-seat salon theatre, a children’s theatre, a sculpture garden, an art gallery, rehearsal halls, construction shop, paint shop, dressing rooms, set storage, prop and costume storage and office space. They thought this could be a commercial venture tied to a convention center and flagship hotel. They approached local developers who suggested that if they provided a feasibility study that they might be interested.

In 2004, Jon Nash Putnam approached Music Boosters and suggested he was in contact with a venture capital group that was interested in funding projects with an educational compo
nent. (Music Boosters provides scholarships to local high school students and has donated musical instruments and other equipment to the high school. Dale Morris, a member of the Music Boosters board, also serves as volunteer director for the high school drama program.)

Putnam gave a long list of experiences and professed contact with people like Red McCombs and suggested that these moneyed Texans might fund a multi-million dollar facility. Nash Putnam, whose wife, Elaine, worked in the music business in Nashville, also suggested that a facility like this would be ideal for professional music groups and theatrical road shows that would find Pagosa Springs an ideal stopover between scheduled dates in Denver and Phoenix or Salt Lake City.

In the summer of 2004, Clay Pruitt, a high school student awarded a Music Boosters scholarship to attend the University of Colorado, approached Michael De Winter and told him about a dream he had and in his dream, he said Pagosa had a performing arts college.

“He gave us the expansive dream that none of us ever thought about,” Graves said.

The Dream Team expanded its vision to include a future performing arts college and took the money they had key-holed and paid Nash Putnam a $7,500 retainer to do the preliminary work necessary to hire a consultant to perform a feasibility study. He was to complete a budget and raise the funds by private donation to pay for the study. They also formed a separate nonprofit called Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts

During this same time, Walter Green was contacted by Music Boosters and told there was someone who wanted to meet with him. A lunch appointment was scheduled and no one showed up, Green said. Several months later, Jon Nash Putnam approached FoPA and asked them to not move forward with the Aspen Village location.

FoPA requested a meeting with the Music Boosters board to discuss their issues and reasoning and Nash Putnam said that FoPA needed to deal with him. At this time, FoPA was unaware that Nash Putnam was on retainer. A. John Graves sat on the Music Booster’s board and served as the Education Center and Music Boosters liaison to FoPA. According to DeWinter, it was Graves who advised Music Boosters against involving FoPA in the hiring of Nash Putnam and the pursuit of their concept for the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts. But when Porter, Nash Putnam and Green met, Nash Putnam asked FoPA to stop their project as the arrangement with Aspen Village would not accommodate the concept for the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts and the public would think a performing arts center was a done deal, which would hamper the efforts of the Dream Team.

“The whole goal of [FoPA] was to build a theatre,” Green said. “I had a good approach, I thought, for how to get that done.”
Unfortunately, the FoPA board did not agree. By a 3-2 vote they decided not to move forward and pursue fund-raising without the support of Music Boosters. Green was understandably upset.

“I had a lot to be upset about,” Green said. “When you work so hard and your fellow board members don’t have a conviction. If you don’t feel you have support you need to move on.”

Green resigned from FoPA two weeks from the end of this two-year term.

“There have always been differences of opinion on size and location,” Neder said. “Both groups thought they were working in tandem. When the Dream Team learned that FoPA was considering the Aspen Village land, they said, “Wait! Let’s combine forces.” Neder, De Winter and Dale Morris all say that Music Boosters has always been supportive of FoPA.

After Walter Green resigned, Neder became president of FoPA and met personally with each member of the Music Boosters board. She began working with John Nash Putnam to merge the Dream Team and FoPA together, to broaden the board to include more members of the community. Nash Putnam spent a lot time trying to determine if the Pagosa Center for the Arts would fit on the Aspen Village property. For several months the new board worked diligently to come up with a new name and create a broad and encompassing mission statement. Today, FoPA and the Dream Team are now united as the Pagosa Springs Arts Alliance. The PSAA board includes: Neder, Patsy Lindblad, Dale Morris, Michael DeWinter, Scott Farnham, Jim Morris, Ed Lowrance, Felicia Meyer, Ronnie Zaday and Judy James, with John Graves and Julie Jessen as liaisons to the Education Center and the Town of Pagosa Springs, respectively.

“There has still been some criticism that FoPA and Music Boosters are exclusivist,” Neder said. “All the arts are important and have different considerations. We invite anyone to be a part of the process.”

PSAA is currently trying to raise the money necessary to pay for a feasibility study and hope that a professional consultant will help define the appropriate sized venue that Pagosa Springs can support. The PSAA Board has raised $5,000 and they hope to get funds from a Region 9 Economic Development grant. PSAA estimates that the feasibility study will cost between $50,000-$60,000 over several phases and the first phase should cost around $20,000.

When asked why they didn’t just take the money, rent a warehouse and start a black box theatre, Lindblad said that they hoped the consultant would help them define a facilities plan and the appropriate steps to take.

“This is the sort of thing that is energizing and the board will be looking at this,” Neder said.

“We want to see a percentage of the proceeds go back to education and we will have an endowment to pay the light bills, etcetera,” De Winter said. Preliminary estimated costs to maintain a facility the size the Dream Team envisions are close to $500,000 a year.

Currently, local performing arts organizations pay only janitorial fees to use the high school auditorium.
“If we have to pay $1,200 bucks a night rental to do a performance, there’s no way,” De Winter said, referring to Music Boosters.

“We definitely have to be realistic,” Dale Morris added. “It will be really interesting to see what the feasibility study says.”
“I would find it hard to believe with the way things are growing, that we cannot support a cultural arts center. If we build it correctly, it can serve as a lot of different things,” De Winter added.

As for the Aspen Village property, Mike Church expressed to Neder that Aspen Village was open to talking them and they would assess the situation when they are ready.

And although Nash Putnam was paid $7,500 by Music Boosters and additional $4,000 by PSAA to assist PSAA in securing up to $100,000 in contributions and to evaluate and advise the organization on plans relating to the financing and development of an Arts Center, it is Lindblad who is volunteering her time to review the existing Needs Assessment and Economic Significant Study done by Porter and it is Lindblad who is spearheaded the funding drive and researching all performing arts events that have happened in Pagosa Springs over the past two years.

“I think we will all be flabbergasted at the amount of performances we’ve had,” Lindblad said.
Green, who is now running for county commissioner, was asked what he thought about the request PSAA has made to the county to pay for the feasibility study.

“I think the county better concentrate on providing necessary services. The citizenry is not well served by paying for any such study. If they can’t convince through voluntary efforts the funding of this study, then they shouldn’t be looking for a handout from the taxpayers.”

In a nondescript warehouse on Bastille Street, in an industrial area of Pagosa Lakes, is a hidden treasure: The Space@Shy Rabbit.

Nestled between a wholesale bread distributor and a drywall company, in unit B-4 (the only white door with a black logo of a bunny sitting atop the words Shy Rabbit) is a contemporary art center. While the exterior is nothing fancy – a drab metal building, oil stained asphalt, trucks everywhere – it’s the interior that matters. Inside, is a clean, well-lighted gallery space with 14-foot-high ceilings, concrete floors and light avocado green walls.

Currently on display is the Shy Rabbit Invitational and Juried Art Show, a collection 48 works of art, featuring four invited artists and 15 artists selected by a committee of jurors. Thirty-three of those works of art fill The Space. Fifteen photographs by invited artist Emilio Mercado are displayed in the much more intimate, original Shy Rabbit showroom in unit B-1.
The Space is dominated by the presence of three warrior figures created by Durango-based artist Marsan, also known as Susan Anderson. These warrior figures are over 6-feet tall and stand almost diagonally in the middle of The Space. Marsan calls them “Spiritual Warriors” – “Harvest,” “Awakening” and “Guardian.” Each is crafted from indigenous primitive materials from around the world. Old fabric is wrapped and wound, but not cut. There are ancient tools, implements, jewelry attached to the warrior. Many of the objects used to create these warriors are more than 100 years old. A scroll accompanies each warrior that speaks to its traits, materials and purpose.

“My belief about art is that it either creates, or captures what is past,” Marsan said. She believes that the warriors are created for the specific person who purchases them and those who derive insight from observation. “You will be innately drawn to the spiritual warrior most resembling the character trait you were endowed with to serve God’s purpose. Each artifact has meaning and relational qualities to the overall piece as well as to the character of the person relating.”

Marsan’s warriors are impressive, but the smaller, organic sculpture, “Unity of . . . ology,” an actual tortoise shell, feathers and wire frame is most striking for its simplicity. Marsan has five works in the current show, more than any other artist.
Marsan’s warriors balance the three giant canvases by another Durango-based artist, Sarah Comerford. Comerford has a BFA in painting from Montclair State University in New Jersey. Comerford was in New Jersey Sept. 11, 2001, and her two paintings, “The Twins,” represent her experience that day. The two canvases, hang nearly touching, each feature a blonde twin wearing a crystal chandelier. The chandeliers represent capitalism and its wealth and bought beauty, but rather than being purely esthetic, the chandeliers are worn by the human figures in a burdensome manner, one even tied around the neck like an albatross. Floating on the gold leaf-covered canvas are dozens of Frida Kahlo-esque hearts which represent not only death, but also the anticipated suffering still to come.

Comerford’s canvases are impressive in their size, 3-feet wide by 5-feet tall. Her “Self Portrait” directly across the room from “The Twins” is the more intriguing painting. The artist stands nude between heavy red velvet drapes, strategically holding a bunch of grapes while sneering, grinning skulls float around her on the canvas.

In her artist’s statement, Comerford writes: “I attempt to evoke otherworldliness or ‘the other’ that is beyond literal explanations. By ‘the other’ I refer to loss, pain, love and longing while understanding and appreciating beauty in the face of disintegration, fleeting life and degeneration of the body and mind.” Comerford’s work seems to focus on the mortal limitations of embodiment. And, like Frida Kahlo, Comerford paints her own reality, not some surrealistic dreams.

The third invited artist also deals in reality: The reality of nature. “I strive for the child’s perception in which all things become both referential and reverential,” Shan Wells said. “I try to strip away the everyday contexts – the cliché’s of ‘beautiful nature,’ and reveal components that are overlooked&emdash;the visual mechanisms of creation.” Wells, another Durango-based artist, received his MFA from the University of Canterbury, in New Zealand. Wells, whose body of work encompasses drawing, painting, sculpting and public art projects, is best known as the cartoon artist for The Durango Telegraph and his most recent “Moments” project, a conceptual work that utilizes historic photographs mounted on steel stanchions in the approximate location the original photograph was created. The purpose of the project is to make Durango residents more aware of their history and their connection to the land.

Wells’ creative approach is similar to Marsan’s. “I believe there is a creative force that runs through human culture, thought and expression,” he says. “The expression of this force is not limited solely to our species. Elephants draw it, orca sing it and bower birds sculpt it.”

His most prominent work at the Invitational and Juried Arts Show is “Leaf Press” a wooden vise compressing oak leaves. Made from recycled pine, maple, oak leaves, found steel and wood, the work implies both the structure of nature and the structure of human invention. Representing the gradual transition of loam into soil, it also represents the gradual destruction of nature by our human disconnect from the natural world. His other works, “Swabs,” are made from burn mud slurry from the Missionary Ridge Fire, steel, cotton, paper and hemp and hang on the wall like giant Q-tips dripping with the blood of the earth.

“Often, I wind up touching my ancient heritage as a human animal,” Wells says in his artist statement. “Foraging for color, collecting emotion.” With “Swabs” he seems to have collected the emotion of not only humans affected by the fires of 2002, but of the earth itself.

The fourth invited artist, Emilio Mercado does not forage for color.

“They say the world is full of color,” Mercado says. “But I’d rather do black and white. It’s more interesting.”
Fifteen of Mercado’s black and white photographs hang in the front space at Shy Rabbit. It’s the perfect, small space for the purity of Mercado’s light-painted photographs. Inspired by 17th Century master still-life painter Jean Baptiste Simeon Chardin, Mercado uses only natural light for all of his compositions. Like Chardin, Mercado is a purist, insisting on precision and perfection at the shot and in the darkroom. Many of his original photographs took years to be developed and printed in the fashion that he originally envisioned, due to the advancement of film processing. An example of this is the still life, “Butterfly, Coffee Pot and Three Eggs,” which was taken in 1965, but not actually printed until 1985. The photo was shot using a common window screen to create the grainy appearance.

Mercado’s photographs are masterful. The composition of Mercado’s work is precise, like in “Small Oiler
and Leaf” (1995) where the tip of the leaf aligns perfectly and almost touches the slender spout of the oilcan. There is purity in Mercado’s work and this purity is reflected in the choice by Shy Rabbit to exhibit his photography without the adulteration of other art.
Juried and multiple artist shows are often difficult, jumbled and crammed together. At Shy Rabbit, this is not the case. The work seems to flow from one piece to the next. Each work of art pops on the soft green walls. There is an abundance of earth tones, gold foil, bronze and where there is brilliant color, in Ted Fish’s “Remember XT,” Kathleen Steventon’s “Quintessential,” and Mikki Harder’s “Away,” it is kept together and draws the eye into the far right hand corner of The Space. Work is hung horizontally and vertically, utilizing the height of the walls and ceiling. Tirzah Camacho’s “The Four Misdirection’s,” is four Masonite panels that the artists originally envisioned hung horizontally, but the work is impressive stacked one atop the other in a tall totem.

By far, the most compelling work from the juried artists is that of Pat Erickson from Pagosa Springs. Her long narrow canvas, “Scripture Bound,” of a male figure with his head bound in red cloth and wrapped in thorns, angel wings outstretched is from a series of work called “Mind Games.” This ongoing project is currently comprised of 10 images that represent the various states in one’s own mind or those states imposed on the individual from without. The wings in “Scripture Bound” are actually vulture wings, the artist explained.

Erickson said that she rewards herself for creating her more traditional wildlife images and prints, which pay the bills, by taking time to create new work in this series. She has two new “Mind Games” images planned. Erickson’s “Mind Games” canvases are primarily black and white with shots of color, like the red cloth covering the eyes and the green vine wrapped around the head, holding the wings in place. Erickson’s work is brilliant. The technique is entirely transparent watercolor painted on 8-ply cotton rag board. The artist does not use pencil, watercolor pencil, gouache, pastel or any other medium. Transparent watercolor pigments are very finely ground and mixed in a binding medium composed of a solution of gum Arabic. Very thin, transparent layers of pigment mingle with the white effect of the paper. Using a dry brush technique, mastered by artist Andrew Wyeth, Erickson, creates work of precise detail. The hundreds of hours involved in creating each tiny stroke is mind blowing. For Erickson, it’s a Zen-like meditation. The artist’s second work in the show is “Inspiration” and shows the profile of a woman, arms outstretched, back arched as if preparing for a back flip, a hawk is poised to land on her bare chest, talons ready to grip. “Inspiration” is the first positive state from the series, which includes title like “Fear,” “Right Brain Bondage,” “Suppression” and “Introversion.”

Erickson’s “Inspiration” is the work that encompasses or could represent the entire Invitational and Juried Art Show at The Space@Shy Rabbit, which, after dozens of visits, is still stimulating and innovative.

Other work of note includes the elegant lines in Chad Haspels “Above Us All,” a more contemporary sculpture than those in Town Park or at Vallecito Reservoir. Don Long’s political statement on the destruction of our National Forest and his commentary against the proposed Village at Wolf Creek, “Trapped,” is an excellent use of found objects to create a highly sophisticated work of art.

Painter Shaun Martin shows a series of three canvases from a series called “She Comes Fortified” that express the idea of discovery through the artistic process. The titles are intended as a jumping-off point, not only for the artist, but for the viewer: “Fault Finding,” (the best of the series for its design elements and structure) “Conception” and “Surplus.” One other work, “Groundbreaker,” is an exploration of the concept of what it means to break ground and to be groundbreaking. Martin acknowledges he is still discovering the deeper layers of the original concepts as he contemplates his own work.

Linda and Lal Echterhoff, husband and wife sculptors show three interesting and unique bronze sculptures. The bound wood of Lal’s “Bird Form” is an organic shape that tempts the viewer to ponder its meaning and Linda’s “Eve” is a trio of forms representing Eve, Satan and the Apple.

Other artists whose work is on display include: C.J. Hannah, Eric Cundy, Donna Emsbach and Jerry Lester.

Shy Rabbit is propelling Pagosa’s art scene into the 21st century. The work compiled for the Invitational and Juried Art Show is worth the trip down Bastille Drive. The work is provocative and the energy of the Space is inspiring and cutting-edge. Weekend hours are the ideal time to peruse and ponder and discuss art with one or two of the artists whose work hangs on the walls, as it is the artists who are helping to keep the gallery doors open for visitors.

Shy Rabbit is not as difficult to find as some think. Take North Pagosa to Bastille Drive (the road just after the Buffalo Bar and before UBC) and turn left. Follow Bastille just past Hopi. Look for Pine Valley Rental on your right. Shy Rabbit is in the warehouses next door, in the former location of Joy Automotive and across the street from the UPS warehouse. Look for the sandwich board with the bunny and the words Shy Rabbit. The gallery will be open Saturdays and Sundays, 1-4 p.m. through Dec. 18.

Don’t miss this show.

If you can’t make it to Pagosa, but are interested in perusing some of the art, log on to www.shyrabbit.blogspot.com for photos and more information.

PAGOSA SPRINGS – Pagosa area residents spend 47 percent of their total retail expenditures outside Archuleta County. It is not uncommon for residents to drive to Durango or Farmington to do their shopping, particularly for general merchandise, where outflow is as high as 75 percent. However, one of the charming things about Pagosa Springs is that the town has no mall, no big box retailer and few chain stores. Residents can find just about everything they are looking for in town, they just might not be able to choose from 20 different brands of MP3 players. While you may not be able to get an iPod (Radio Shack is currently out of stock) you can find things in Pagosa that you will not find anywhere else.

Jewelry is a big holiday gift item and Pagosa Springs has options. Custom jewelry designer Summer Phillips (123 N. 15th Street) creates one-of-a-kind jewelry created for each individual client and John Pingenot (River Center) cuts gemstones in a unique and detailed way, creating miniature sculptures one can wear on a pendant or on a finger. If gemstones are not your thing, or out of your price range, check out the semi-precious stones and antique beads in the jewelry created by Artisan Monika Murphy at Astara (Hot Springs Resort). Newly opened Puttin’ on the Rydz also sells semi-precious gemstone jewelry created by local artisan Pat Rydz. Rydz work is much larger and chunkier than the petite work of bead artist Kathryn Cole at Crazy for Beads (River Center). Cole is also a fine silversmith who creates beautiful sterling silver pendants and earrings in large organic forms.

If it is Native American jewelry you are looking for, no need to drive to Santa Fe, journey to Pagosa and visit Lantern Dancer (River Center) where you can find Santa Fe quality at Pagosa prices. Check out the beautiful craftsman ship of Alfred Lee and the Huichol beaded earrings. They have every precious and semi-precious gemstone available in numerous settings, mostly silver, but some gold, and the prices are very affordable. For more traditional gold, diamonds and watches there is Jem Jewelers (27D Talisman Drive) and next door you will find a great selection of Kenny Ma jewelry at The Plaid Pony (27C Talisman Drive). Victoria’s Reign (274 Pagosa Street) also stocks antique replica jewelry.

For the real thing, don’t miss Main Street Antiques (438B Pagosa Street) with a fine collection of old jewelry and costume jewelry and some really fun replicas by New York designers Ann Koplick and Catherine Popesco, who create new jewelry from old molds. Daisy Valentine’s (250 Pagosa Street) has artisan-made jewelry and the latest trends in costume jewelry can be found at Happy Trails Ladies Boutique (454 Pagosa Street) and Miss Jean’s (175 Pagosa Street). Goodman’s Department Store (402 Pagosa Street) carries a nice selection of Brighton jewelry and bags and the Hogs Breath Saloon (157 Navajo Trail Drive) has South Dakota Gold.

If it’s electronics you are looking for, you can find them in Pagosa. From cell phones and satellite radio at Ensignal (2035 Eagle Drive, Suite 111) and Radio Shack (140 Country Center Drive) to stereos and home entertainment at Superior Car and Home Audio/Video (424 Pagosa Street), Sears (140 South Sixth Street) and even Alco (Country Center).

Want something truly original? Try buying handcrafted artisan work and fine art. Pagosa has a great selection of art available. Wild Spirit Gallery (408 San Juan Street) features the work of 35 local, regional and national artists with a focus on landscape and western art: Wayne Justus, Carole Cooke, Pierre Mion, Charles Ewing, Clive R. Tyler, Tom Lockhart, Milton Lewis, Avonna Lee Landwehr, Kent Gordon, Jake Gaedtke, Randall Davis and others. At Handcrafted Interiors (251 Pagosa Street) you can find the exquisite Old Stones Furniture of award-winning artisan Cappy White and hand turned wooden bowls and pottery. At Lantern Dancer (River Center) pick up a Jemez Pueblo storyteller nativity set by Antonito artist Clifford Kim Fragua, or purchase one of his contemporary storytellers. Lantern Dancer also carries the pottery of Navajo artist Dennis Charlie and Ute Mountain Ute artist Norman Lansing. Pagosa artist Darlene Raes paints intricate detailed paintings on feathers and the paintings of Pagosa favorites Claire Goldrick and Sue Weaver are also available.

At The Crucible Art Gallery (448 Pagosa Street) take home a classic bronze sculpture by artists Roberto Garcia and his wife Anna. Anna’s birds are amazing and Roberto’s female figures are exquisite. If it’s pottery you are looking for, check out The Touchstone Gift Shop (River Center). Pagosa potter, Verna Lucas creates functional wares in a variety of color schemes. Colorado artists are featured at the Made in Colorado Shoppe (2105 West Highway 160) with a wide variety of pottery. The fine ceramic art of D. Michael Coffee at Shy Rabbit (333 Bastille Drive, Unit B-1) is worth a trip to Pagosa from just about anywhere. Moonlight Books (434 Pagosa Street) carries local watercolor, oil painting and photography and Pagosa Photography has fine art photography of Chimney Rock and Stevens Lake and Pagosa Peak by photographer Jeff Laydon.
At Taminah Custom Frame Center (2343 Eagle Drive) you can pick up a print by Pagosa artist Pat Erickson, but the best investment is to purchase one of her transparent watercolor paintings on display at Wild Spirit (408 San Juan Street) or Shy Rabbit (333 Bastille Drive, Unit B-1). Down at the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Park (4821A Highway 84) upstairs in the gift shop is also a fine collection of western and wildlife art.

Clothing is always a safe bet during gift giving season and Pagosa has options. A friend of mine buys all her clothes at Switchback Mountain Gear and Apparel (456 Pagosa Street), where they have cargo pants and fleece and simple, well-made outdoor gear. You can get Hurley and Fox at Summit Ski & Sports (River Center) for your teenager. Western wear is big at Goodman’s Department Store (402 Pagosa Street) where they have an awesome selection of cowboy boots and jeans. For the fashionable and cost-conscience there is Miss Jean’s (175 Pagosa Street) who carries sizes 2-18. Happy Trails (454 Pagosa Street) has beautiful designer clothing. For the fun and funky don’t miss Satori Boutique & Gifts (150 Pagosa Street) and Astara (Hot Springs Resort) has original designs and eclectic international attire for women of all sizes. For the true bargain hunter look for gently worn clothing at Upscale Resale (117 Navajo Trail Drive), the Community United Methodist Thrift Shop (433 Lewis Street) and the Humane Society Thrift Shop (269 Pagosa Street).

If it’s toys you are looking for, check out Alco (Country Center) or contact Terri Andersen at Discovery Toys (toyladyterri@pagosa.net) and don’t forget Radio Shack (Country Center) for cool remote control cars and electronic toys. Looking for a bicycle? Try Juan’s Mountain Sports (155 Hot Springs Boulevard) or Pedal Power (117 Navajo Trail).

Looking for the latest best seller, that book on the book club list or something spiritually enlightening? Try Moonlight Books (434 Pagosa Street), Wolf-Tracks Bookstore and Coffee Co. (Country Center) and Tara Mandala (903 San Juan Street). Maybe Music is on that wish list. The latest CD or some undiscovered local band can be found at Howlin’ Wolf Music (2035 Eagle Drive) where they also have the best supplies for local musicians and even guitar lessons.

Some of the most uniquely Pagosa items available include a home brew kit or winemaking kit from The Brew Haus (375 South Eighth Street) and the complete line of Parelli Natural Horsemanship gear and training programs available at Parelli headquarters (56 Talisman Drive, Suite 6). Give the gift of health and healing at The Springs Resort (165 Hot Springs Boulevard). And don’t forget Grandpa Bill’s homemade caramels, jams and jellies from The Choke Cherry Tree (4760 West Highway 160).

This holiday season, if you are looking for something different, so
mething unusual, something you won’t find in every big box retail store, department store and mall, then come to Pagosa Springs.

“The Town is hoping to work with the state to have them collect the tax and work with the lodgers to advise them of the increased tax rate. Currently sales and lodgers’ taxes are collected by the state on a quarterly basis and sent to the county and from the county to the town and the chamber.” Mark Garcia, Town Manager

PAGOSA SPRINGS — On Nov. 1, voters in Pagosa Springs approved a 3 percent increase in the lodgers’ tax. The new tax will take effect Jan. 1, 2006, and will increase the lodgers’ tax from 1.9 percent to 4.9 percent. A total of 370 town residents voted in the election and approved the measure 224 or 60.5 percent in favor, 146 or 39.5 percent opposed. It is estimated that the new tax will increase tax revenue by $294,110.

Revenues derived from the lodgers’ tax will be used for tourism and tourism-related marketing and capital improvements; special events sponsored, funded or assisted by the town; and other tourism uses determined reasonable and necessary by the Town Council. According to Ordinance 647, the Town Council will appoint a Tourism Committee to make recommendations regarding the use of revenues generated by the lodgers’ tax. This 13 member committee will be made up of representatives from the Lodging Association, the Chamber of Commerce, the Realtors’ Association, the Builders’ Association, the Community Vision Council, the Restaurant Association, the Merchants’ Association and two at large members nominated by the Chamber of Commerce.

Town Manager Mark Garcia said the town is hoping to work with the state to have them collect the tax and work with the lodgers to advise them of the increased tax rate. Currently, sales and lodgers’ taxes are collected by the state on a quarterly basis and sent to the county and from the county to the town and the chamber.

“It arrives in chunks,” Chamber Director Mary Jo Coulehan said. “We don’t know when it will come in.”

The new tax will be collected beginning Jan. 1, but the lodging businesses won’t pay those taxes until the month after the end of the first quarter, or April. The first tax revenue checks will not arrive until May.

“So, we haven’t spent it yet,” Coulehan said. “We really don’t know how much money we will collect and we have to be fiscally responsible.”

But Coulehan has some idea of how the Chamber of Commerce will spend the money. For the past year, the chamber has been working with Hill and Company to develop a new marketing strategy. The marketing committee has implemented the first phase of the plan, which included high impact, low cost options. With the extra money from the new lodgers’ tax, they hope to start implementing some of the high impact, high dollar necessities, like a new Web site that is bigger and better for local businesses and easier for the community and visitors to access, and a professionally printed visitors guide. Coulehan also envisions that the chamber might utilize the additional funds for research and development, to help pay for a complete branding program that Hill and Company has devised for the community.

“It will cost us $10,000 to do the brand marketing we need to do,” Coulehan said.

Pagosa Springs is solely dependent upon tourism and sales tax to provide revenue. The current chamber budget limits the amount of money the chamber can spend on advertising and trade shows. And while the chamber does know which states Pagosa area visitors come from, they don’t know which cities or ZIP codes are most prevalent. Coulehan is working with students from Fort Lewis College to provide her with analysis of visitor information from Wolf Creek ski area, the Four Corners Folk Festival and toll free calls and e-mails. Coulehan would like to branch out and attend different niche trade shows that are targeted to the health and holistic healing markets and the incentive marketing programs.

There is also interest in developing a walking tour of the town and there is some interest in hiring an events coordinator. But Coulehan believes it is important for the town to develop its core infrastructure and get it in place before they can host larger events.

“I’m still new to this job and my brain can’t stop,” Coulehan said. “I want to go so far so fast, but I can’t.”

Last year, the town collected about $186,000 in lodgers’ tax and visitor numbers are up from 2004. Interest in relocation packets requested from the chamber has already doubled the number of requests for all of 2004.

As for what town staff envision spending the new tax on, Garcia said that he will “essentially leave it to the committee to come back with recommendations.” He envisions that the funds will pay for a combination of what the chamber is doing and the additional recommendations of the Tourism Committee.

The town will make requests to the stakeholder groups listed in the ordinance to provide representation on the committee.

“My goal is to have them in place sooner rather than later,” Garcia said. “I’d like to have the committee established by early February.”

A heavy mist of steam rises above the San Juan River, tendrils of silver incandescent vapors dance against a columbine blue sky. The sound of water splashing, falling, running, tinkling fills my head, but the sound alone cannot soothe the chronic pain I feel pulsing from beneath my left shoulder blade up into my skull and down through my elbow, numbing the fingers of my left hand. A couple canoodles in a nearby tub. Children laugh as they roll around in warm water spilling into the river. All I think about is relieving the pain that has pierced me for more than two weeks. No amount of self-shiatsu with a tennis ball, serious doses of ibuprofen, stretching, yoga and other physical therapy exercises I learned throughout my recovery from a car accident seven years ago have helped. It’s the first time in two years I’ve been unable to manage the pain.

I want to slip into the first tub outside the Mediterranean style bath house, but the “Sunset Social Club,” is filled with people waiting to watch the late summer sun sink beyond the horizon turning the clouds into flaming colors of magenta and coral. I’m not feeling social so I meander over to the “Overlook” and lower myself into the mineral-laden water. Ahh, yes, this feels good. It’s about 102 degrees and there are only two other people in the pool. I sink to my knees so the water is up to my neck. Fifteen minutes later I emerge, wrap my steaming body in a thick towel, grab my water bottle, climb down the stairs and wade across the pond to the waterfall tub. The water here is warmer, about 106 degrees and therapeutic water falls from the cliffs above into the tub and down the side of the tub into the pond. After fifteen minutes in this tub I’m ready for a massage.

I cross the parking lot and enter the spa hoping that this will indeed relieve my pain. I’ve requested a deep tissue therapeutic massage and am pleased with the results. The therapists knows how to get under the shoulder blade, how to work out the knot that is pinching nerves. I go home and sleep after the treatment and wake up the next morning the pain dissipated. I soak again the next day with my family, and by the third day, I am pain free.

Pagosa Springs is home to the world’s largest and deepest natural mineral hot springs. In 1890, a U.S. Army Surgeon, Dr. J.L. Weaver published the first testament of the healing powers of the water after studying their effect on several chronically ill soldiers brought to the springs for treatment. He wrote, “the waters of Pagosa are without doubt the most wonderful and beneficial in medicinal effects that have every been discovered.” The soldiers were cured of rheumatism, arthritis, gastric problems and even syphilis. “Several who had almost immovable joints now find them supple and are able to work,” Weaver wrote.

The idea of “salus per aquam” (health through water) is one with ancient traditions, inscribed on the walls of Roman bathing facilities. As early as the Fourth Century BC Hippocrates prescribed bathing in and drinking spring water for its therapeutic effects. And throughout America, Native indigenous tribes considered geothermal places as sacred homes to the Great Spirit who provided healing.

Pagosah is a Ute word loosely translated to mean boiling water (though some elders conjecture that is really means healing water or smelly water). The smell comes from the high sulfate content, about 1400 milligrams per liter of water. It is relatively unnoticeable as one wanders from pool to pool. Pagosa’s Hot Springs Resort and Spa provides 18 different soaking pools that range in temperature from 83-114 degrees Fahrenheit. The 114-degree pool is called the Lobster Pot. I’ve only been in this pool and once and trust me, when you emerge your skin is the color of a boiled crustacean from Maine. The resort recommends soaking for ten minutes then wrapping in a towel or robe to sweat and cool the body. It’s easy to do, you soak in one pool, get out, wrap in a big fluffy robe and walk to the next pool, or sit and drink water from one the dozens of tables or lounge chairs. People relax languidly on the edges of pools, incandescent vapor rising from their bodies now warmer than the air around them. Then when cooled, slip back into the warm mineral filled water. It’s also a good idea to drink a lot of water before you arrive at the pools, to enhance the opening of pores through which the minerals are absorbed into your body and bloodstream.

Some think it is the heat that provides the curative effects, but many claim that it is the mineral content of the water that is healing. In Pagosa, the water is made up of 790 milligrams per liter of sodium, which is equivalent to the salinity of seawater. Salt soaks are known to relieve symptoms of arthritis. Ninety milligrams per liter of potassium, which normalizes heart rhythms, assists in reducing high blood pressure, eliminates body toxins and promotes healthy skin. Twenty-five milligrams of magnesium, which maintains normal heart rhythms, converts blood sugar to energy and helps maintain muscle tissue and hormone levels. Fifty-four milligrams of silica, which strengthens bones, boost the immune system, promotes healthy nerves, mucous membranes, hair, nails and is used to treat acne and migraines. Boron, 1.8 milligrams per liter, boosts brain activity, builds muscle mass and strengthens bones. Trace amounts of iron, .08 milligrams per liter, help build up the blood and increases resistance to stress and disease. Lithium, 2.9 milligrams, produces positive effects in mental balance and gastrointestinal conditions. Manganese, .23 milligrams, helps nourish nerves and the brain and is a catalyst in the breakdown of fats and cholesterol. The 1400 milligrams of sulfate rid the body of toxins and promotes the health of bones, hair, nails, and the fluid in joints and discs. Sulfur is an anti-inflammatory agent. Trace amounts of Zinc, only .01 milligrams per liter, are still beneficial. Zinc is an antioxidant, promotes the healing of wounds, maintains male hormone activity and aids in digestion as well as helping to ease the symptoms of a common cold. Even trace amounts of arsenic, .12 milligrams, are being shown to benefit plasma and tissue growth. Calcium Fluoride, 4.3 milligrams is a constituent of the elastic fibers of the skin. Chloride, 180 milligrams, benefits the musculoskeletal system.

While many of these claims cannot be substantiated, there are legions of followers who soak every day and share tales of miraculous healing. And while I’m not an annual pass holder who soaks daily or even weekly, the therapeutic water definitely helped relieve my chronic pain.

And for those who want to live on the wild side and actually drink the water, here is what the locals recommend. Let the water settle for 48 hours and then decant the liquid and sip. But beware it has powerful purgative effects.

The Springs Resort has something for every generation, from baby boomers to generation Z. This summer they added a fresh water swimming pool for swimming laps and a Jacuzzi tub for those who prefer to soak in “regular” water. They have also created two adults-only mineral pools. With family friendly activities like swim-in movie nights and live concerts and a full-service spa and salon, the Hot Springs of Pagosa Springs is a great place for parents, children and grandparents.

Most importantly, it always has been and always will be a place for a healing.