One contested race 
in San Juan County
primary on Tuesday
The primary election coming up Tuesday, Aug. 12 is something of a yawner for San Juan County, with only one contested race on the entire ballot.
Democrats Todd Risberg and David Duncan are squaring off in the district attorney’s race for the 6th Judicial District, which includes San Juan, La Plata and Archuleta counties.
For the two county commissioner seats, incumbent Pete McKay is unopposed in the Democratic primary for District 1 and no one is running on the Republican side.
Democrat Cliff Pohlman is unopposed in the primary for the District 2 race. The seat is currently held by independent Terry Rhoades, who has said he will seek re-election.
Early voting is under way at the San Juan County Clerk’s Office, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday, Aug. 8.
Polls will be open on Election Day at the San Juan County Courthouse from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Field trip Saturday!
A free field trip to Snowden Rock Glacier is being sponsored Saturday by Mountain Studies Institute from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Leave Silverton Hostel at 9 or meet at the Andrews Lake trailhead at 9:30. Hike an hour or more toward Snowden Mountain to the rock glacier.

Brass Band Festival coming Aug. 15-17
The sun slowly sinks behind the mountains and day fades away into twilight. The lights in the big tent at Kendall Mountain Recreation Area come on as friends gather.
Softly, a few notes echo across the valleys and hills as the Festival Brass Band warms up. As twilight gives way to darkness, the Evening Star appears high in the sky over the mountains, signaling that the time has finally arrived.
Suddenly the lights come up, Paul Maybery steps to the conductor’s platform and the Brass Band Festival concert begins. Now the mountains echo back the music of Fillmore, Wagner and John Philip Sousa, like thunder rolling down the slopes and over the valleys.
It all happens at the 27th annual Great Western Rocky Mountain Brass Band Festival, Aug. 15-17 in Silverton.
The first concert begins at twilight 7 p.m.) Friday, Aug. 15.
But the festival needs donations to keep the music alive.
The event is funded entirely with donations. No tickets are sold, no admission is charged and on one is turned away from the concerts. The musicians receive no pay. The only other source of funding for the festival is the sale of T-shirts and CDs.
Donations should be received by Tuesday, Aug. 12 to be included in the 2008 program.
Sponsors: $5-$35
Donor: $26-$99
Patron: $100-$499
Benefactor: $500+
Donations should  be sent to Great Rocky Mountain Brass Band Festival Inc., P.O.  Box 711, Silverton, CO 81433


Historical Society archive to be dedicated to Allen Nossaman
The San Juan County Historical Society archive building will be dedicated to former Silverton Standard & the Miner owner and editor Allen Nossaman on Friday, Aug. 15.
The Allen Nossaman Memorial Archive will be dedicated at 5:30 p.m.
Nossaman served as archivist from the start of the San Juan County Historical Society (of which he was a founding member) in 1964 until he had to move to Durango for health reasons about 2002 or 2003. He died in 2006.
He was owner and pubisher/editor of the Standard for almost 10 years from 1963 to 1972, served two different terms as county judge, held a position as planner/administrator for the county in the 1970s, plus many other odd jobs around town, including doing letterpress printing for George Chapman when he owned the Standard. He was the last person to print the Standard in town via letterpress.
In addition to three volumes of Silverton history (“Many More Mountains”) he also published two volumes of newspaper index.
He was the bass drummer on the original “gravel pit” version of the Silverton Brass Band and also served on the Brass Band Festival board of directors.
“We are holding the dedication during the festival for that reason and although the ceremony will be brief, there will be a couple of musical selections played by festival and local musicians,” said historical society member George Chapman. The first festival concert follows at 7 p.m. at Kendall Mountain Recreation Area.

Seminar Aug. 14 on metals, Alpine waters
A seminar and discussion on new approaches for investigating metal sources in Alpine watersheds will be held Thursday evening, Aug. 14, at the Silverton Town Hall from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Professor David Borrok will present a seminar and discussion titled: New approaches to investigate metal sources in Alpine Watersheds.
Borrok, of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso will discuss how many watersheds in the Colorado Mountains are impacted by acidic, metal-rich drainage. Distinguishing between anthropogenic (i.e., mine wastes) and naturally-occurring metal sources in these watersheds is difficult, but necessary to establish pre-mining water quality levels.
This talk will describe how new isotopic and hydrologic approaches can be used to fingerprint and track metals in mountain watersheds. The event is sponsored by Mountain Studies Institute.Find information at www.mountainstudies.org under “What’s New.”



Durango man dies
of heart attack on Kendall Mountain
The body of a 57-year-old Durango businessman who collapsed and died on Kendall Mountain was recovered Saturday afternoon by the San Juan Search and Rescue Team.
Mick Ward suffered a heart attack that resulted from arterial blockage, said San Juan County Coroner Keri Metzler.
Ward was descending Kendall Mountain with his brother-in-law, Blair McGrain, the sheriff’s office said, when he collapsed.
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office got the call at 3:18 p.m.
Ward was co-owner of the Irish Embassy Pub, which opened a few weeks ago in Durango.