Last month, the Naturita Community Library teamed up with the Talking Gourds Poetry Program to host a new “Stories & Poems” performance series on the third Sunday of each month starting at 11 a.m. The program began with Norwood storyteller Bob Mckeever.
McKeever is off to Mexico in March, but Norwood local Bill Wilson has agreed to continue the discussion of apex predators in the local region with a session of storytelling and poetry on bears. Wilson’s session, called “Black Bear Tales,” will take place Sunday, March 17, at 11 a.m.
All are invited to join and bring a bear story or poem.
Stories & Poems follows a simple format. The morning begins with a performance of a featured storyteller or poet, followed by a question and answer session, and then a passing of the gourd. At that point, everyone present will be invited to tell a personal story, perform a poem (an original or a favorite written by someone else), read a short section of prose, or simply pass the gourd on to the next person.
A collaboration of the Naturita Community Library and the Telluride Institute’s Talking Gourds poetry program, Stories & Poems is free and open to all ages, thanks to the generosity of the library, private donors and Talking Gourds’ Fischer Cantor poetry contests.
For more information, the public may text 970-729-0220 or email Art Goodtimes at art@tellurideinstitute.org. All are invited to visit the website www.tellurideinstitute.org/talking-gourds.
In other entertainment news, Music on the Mesa, a new music series set to happen in Norwood this summer, announced the lineup for its 2024 concert series. The concerts will be free, at the San Miguel Basin Fairgrounds, and producers said they’re starting with two concerts for Music on the Mesa’s first year.
On June 16 Wayne “The Train” Hancock will perform. Representatives of Music on the Mesa said since his debut in 1995, Hancock has been the “undisputed king of juke-joint swing, that alchemist’s dream of honky-tonk, western swing, blues, Texas rockabilly and big band.”
And, on August 11 Couch, a Boston-based band that infuses pop with funk, rock and R&B/soul, will take the stage at the fairgrounds.
Representatives said Couch’s “vibrant sound injects their signature flavor: expressive horns, warm vocals and bubbling synths.”
Music on the Mesa is presented by Norwood Park & Recreation District (NPRD), Pickin' Productions and Town of Norwood, with support from local sponsors Blue Grouse Bread, the Norwood Chamber of Commerce, Telluride Foundation, BackCountry Inn, Lone Cone Legacy Trust, Lisa Foxwell and Paul Finley, Gretchen and Jim Wells with JAM Ranch, Dark Sky Pie Pizza and the San Miguel Basin Forum.
Anyone who’d like to join the support crew may visit the following link for the application: form.jotform.com/240335999309063. Additionally, a call for volunteers for both concerts will go out April 1. Those interested should stay tuned on social media, and the job comes with a free T-shirt from the first-ever Music on the Mesa in Norwood.
