Saturday, December 11, 2010

70's Telluride Holiday Cheer

The holidays are upon us, and it seems the already bright Telluridian smiles only get wider and brighter this time of year. I saw several big bright smiles during our 70's exhibit opening, as locals who have celebrated 30 plus Telluride Christmases strolled down memory lane. There was a lot of "mountain freedom" story sharing followed by rolls of laughter, and "yeah, we did that!" They bonded over remembering the Roma, Silver Jack, and first ski runs on the new slopes.

In light of celebrating the 70's, I pulled a December, 1971 Telluride Times from our archives with a striking picture of Linda Schoder's fourth grade class in front of the Busy Corner Pharmacy. They won first prize in a tree decorating contest, and got a snowcat ride to the top of the mountain to see the beginnings of the "Big T" ski area!


The photo reminded me of the camaraderie our long time locals shared while celebrating 70's Telluride, and I thought I'd highlight some of the Christmas events that took place December, 1971:

Telluride School children were let out of class in the 70's to decorate the main street trees for Christmas.

The highlight of the Christmas social gatherings was the Commonwealth Club party at the home of Alta Cassietto.

On Christmas Day, Telluride Firemen distributed candy to children promptly at noon in front of the courthouse where Santa Claus also promised to appear.

Eddie Baer graced the piano at the Sheridan for the holidays.

And, one of my holiday favorites... if you wanted to catch a movie, the Nugget had When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, "Big Jake" and Pinocchio on the big screen.

Happy Holiday's Telluride! Make it memorable!
~ Cameo