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Cathy Walton-Smith – Don’t hold your breath for dog days in Grand Lake

Cathy Walton-Smith / View from the LakeGrand Lake, Colorado

Work is work, and for a few hours every week, writing this column is work. Add to that the fact that it appears in the Monday paper, and I must get it written on Saturday. But the wonderful thing about the new age of writing on a laptop (I started out on a typewriter and it wasn’t even electric) is that you can take it with you wherever you go.So, as you read this, imagine me sitting on the sunny lawn of Grand Lake’s Town Park. What a beautiful afternoon. The Arts & Crafts Fair is well attended, kids are playing at the playground, a game of Frisbee occupies a group of young people, and I’m having a really hard time concentrating on the work at hand. But this is why we live here, and I wouldn’t trade it for anywhere on earth.We are in the midst of the “dog days” of the summer – typically described as hot and sultry. I think this is a season more noticeable elsewhere in the than here. At this time of year the dog star, Sirius, rises and sets with the sun. During late July, Sirius is in conjunction with the sun, and the ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, “dog days” after the dog star. Even when you add “lazy” to the description, it’s still not anything us Grand Lakers can relate to. There is just too much to do around here until sometime in October. Thursdays, the great entertainment in the town gazebo has become something to look forward to. Enjoy a great concert this again this week starting at 6 p.m. Bring a lawn chair or blanket.Don’t forget our own Kauffman House Museum is open daily all summer long. From now through July 22, be sure to check out the special display of historic teapots.Johnny Sketch an the Dirty Notes will play in concert at the Daven Haven, this Wednesday, Aug. 5. Tickets are on sale for “Get your Ship Together” a fundraising event for the Grand Arts Council. In addition to Sketch, the evening will feature a Gilligan’s Island costume contest, a dinner special and a drawing to win the Hobie Sail Kayak, Year of Three Lake’s Boating and Puerto Vallarta Vacation. Tickets to the concert only are $10; contact the Daven Haven at 627-8144 or stop by the Grand Lake Art Gallery. Volunteers and sponsors are still needed, call Jan Gamez at 627-9454. Proceeds to benefit the Grand Arts Council.All this week, the Middle Park Fair & Rodeo will have events at the Fairgrounds in Kremmling. I don’t usually write about events outside of Grand Lake, but this is a big week-long party for all of Grand County, and you don’t want to miss it. This kid-friendly fair is chock full of fun activities involving just about every kind of animal you can imagine, including mutton bustin’, duck team penning, and a cat show. Take your best creation of cakes, pies, canned goods, candies, needlework, artwork, photography, jewelry, woodwork, plus hundreds of other categories, to the exhibit hall on Tuesday to enter into the competition to win a blue ribbon. There’s nothing like winning a blue ribbon at the fair. Then, there’s the rodeo.The Big Thompson Project is the reason for the abundance of lakes in our Colorado River valley. It’s so big that it takes all day to tour the project. On Wednesday, Aug. 12, the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District is offering a free tour of the project. The tour will depart from Windy Gap Reservoir at 7:15 a.m. and return around 5:30 p.m., covering the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, East Slope Distribution System, plus learn more about Northern Water’s operations. This tour is only offered once a year, and you must register to participate. E-mail to registration@ncwdc.org or call 970-622-2220.The Juniper Library has some great activities coming up in August. On Wednesday, Aug. 5, at 6:30 p.m. enjoy a Historical Program. Grand County Historical Characters will present the story behind the Fourth of July shoot-out of 1883. This disastrous and sensational fight took place among three county commissioners, the sheriff and the undersheriff over the proposed relocation of the county seat. FREE.Meet me at the fair.


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