Flying Bear Pizzeria at Naturita Bicycle Company has been closed for the month of January, for no other reason than to do some needed servicing and maintenance. Co-owner Virginia Ericson told the Forum likely the Flying Bear will close annually for a bit in this way, just to perform deep cleaning and work on the ovens and coolers.
Now, Naturita’s pizza place (with a bike shop inside) opens again Feb. 1 — and with some menu updates.
“We have reworked a few recipes to make the menu even more robust,” Ericson said. “There are some physical changes too.”
And, she’s excited Flying Bear will co-host and offer a space for the Ridgway International Film Festival’s (RIFF) tour stop. On Feb. 10, RIFF will feature one and a half hours of outdoor short films. The event begins at 7 p.m. Films are about three minutes in length.
“It’s just a fun get together of outdoor film,” Ericson said.
There will be folding chairs on site, and RIFF representatives are bringing a projector for ease of viewing.
As of press time Tuesday, there was no lineup announced. RIFF’s executive director Arielle Bielak is planning that.
There will be judging of the short films by Craig Childs, Daiva Chesonis and Jim Hurst, all of whom have been involved with RIFF in the past.
Ericson said half of the $5 cover charge for the evening will support Rimrocker Historical Society. She said the Rimrocker ladies are potentially submitting a short film of their own too.
And on Feb. 22, at 6 p.m., Childs will come back to the Flying Bear to give a talk, based on a bike ride he completed. Childs is a renown author currently living in Norwood who writes about nature, ecology and the human experience.
Last fall he biked from the strip in Las Vegas, NV and rode north out into the deep desert. And, he’s writing another book about that experience of taking a bike trip from the brightest place in Nevada to the darkest spot.
“It was farther than I thought,” he told the Forum. “My companion and I only used red or green lights to preserve our night vision, and I took light quality measurements along the way.”
His gathering at the Flying Bear will be in preparation for the upcoming work he’s tasked himself with.
There will be a $5 cover charge at Flying Bear for Child’s event, and 50 percent of that will support West End Trails Alliance (WETA). Ericson said the Childs event will likely include discussions of bike touring, in general. No doubt, the Dark Sky enthusiasts will also appreciate the talk.
Food and drink will be available during both evening events, but Ericson said it’s best if people arrive early and get their orders in. There have been some bottleneck issues recently with orders being placed at the same time when an event is starting. Ericson said she wants to ease the congestion for guests.
The winter hours for Flying Bear continue. Throughout February, the shop is open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; the kitchen closes at 8 p.m., however. Ericson said the hours will expand sometime in March.
