Events on this Day

 Friday, September 1st
Four Corners Motorcycle Rally 2023
9:00am / Durango and Southern Ute Reservation
Join us for the 30th Anniversary of Four Corners Motorcycle Rally!   Ride the world famous million dollar highway, attend the slippin sideways flat track races, particate in the $25,000 Poker Run, race int he dirt drag races, hop on a bull at the Rusty Butcher Roder Round-Up, take your pit bike onto the mini bike track, check out custom builds at one of the bike shows, visit vendors, take a brand new bike for a spin at the demo trucks, enjoy live music - and SO much more!
Silverton Summer Train - Steam Locomotive
9:00am / Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
For a truly unforgettable step back in time, enjoy a leisurely trip to yesteryear riding 3 1/2 hours each way on this train while spending a nearly 2-hour layover in the historic mining town of Silverton to enjoy the sights, shopping, food, and libations that Silverton offers. Departing from the Durango Depot, this trip takes you up into the Rocky Mountains with views of the San Juan National Forest as you travel alongside the beautiful Animas River on your way to the historic mining town of Silverton. There will be up to three steam departures depending on the date. The Silverton Steam Train departs daily at 9:00AM 5/6/23-10/28/23, 8:15AM 8/14/23-10/14/23, and 9:45AM 9/1/23-10/14/23
Eating Through Japan
10:00am / Durango Public Library
Japan is a dream travel destination. Dr. Kaori Takano will be our guide in this two-part series. Learn insider travel tips - including specific tips relating to cruises in the region. Explore the delicious world of Japanese cuisine. And learn some basic Japanese language for travelers. Perfect information for planning a trip to Japan or just daydreaming about one. Registration is for both sessions. A world of culture, cuisine, and breathtaking sites awaits!
Ride and Destory Stunt Team
12:00pm / Sky Ute Casino
Three times to see them! 12pm, 3pm, and 6pm!   This team is composed of some of the most skilled stunt riders in the country! The shows are highly energetic, entertaining, and extremely professional, bringing top-level riding and production services! You have SIX chances too see them: Friday, September 1, and Sunday, September 3, at 12PM, 3PM, and 6PM!
Friday Puppy Party
2:00pm / Parkers Animal Rescue
Join Parker's Animal Rescue for our "Puppy Party"! Come play, snuggle, and socialize with our adoptable pups -- and maybe you'll find one that you just can't live without.   Don't miss out! Make sure to stop by, bring your friends (no personal animals), and find your new furry family member!   Always doublecheck our PAR social media accounts for any potential cancelations.   Learn more about our current adoptables at https://parkersanimalrescue.com/adopt.
The ArtRoom Collective First Friday Art Crawl
4:00pm / Smiley Building
Learn to write an ampersand at this hands-on demonstration! The ArtRoom Collective’s featured artist for September is Heather Leavitt Martinez of Let's Letter Together! At our First Friday demonstration on September 1, 5:30pm, you will learn to write an ampersand (AKA the “and” symbol or the 27th letter of the alphabet). National Ampersand Day is September 8th, but you can get an early start early during this hands-on demo. There are thousands of variations. You will learn how to draw different kinds of ampersands and walk away with a free marker and an original piece of art that you made. The ArtRoom Collective First Friday Art Crawl is September 1, from 4pm - 7pm. Come talk with local artists, be inspired by creative work, or buy a local, handcrafted item for yourself or a special someone at the Smiley Building at 1309 East Third Avenue in Durango, Colorado. The ArtRoom Collective is Durango's working studio gallery where 22 artists create and sell their handmade goods— art, paintings, jewelry, pottery, hats, and more. The Smiley Cafe will be open and offers coffee and boba beverages and snacks. Monthly First Friday Art Crawls at The ArtRoom Collective feature artist demonstrations to teach and inspire. Heather Leavitt Martinez is an award-winning author and lettering artist. When she’s not traveling the world and drawing on walls, she’s teaching lettering classes at The ArtRoom and around town. She also takes commissions: hand-lettered quotes and poems, love letters, sidewalk chalkboards, murals, and other signage.
Durango First Friday
4:00pm / Downtown Durango
Art crawl with local goods, food, culture, and music.  Hosted by Local First, Durango Creative District, and ArtRoom Collective   Durango First Friday is a celebration of all things local in our incredible mountain town- art and music, culture, unique goods, real food, movement makers, and our amazing community! Free and open to the public, this self guided, monthly event will take place rain or shine, the First Friday of every month throughout Durango with a focus on main street from north to south!   Businesses of any and all kinds open their doors and their walls to host an artist of their choice and follow a "reception" format- artist info, beverages and/or snacks provided, maybe even a musician- while locals and tourists alike flood the area to socialize, shop, eat, and celebrate the arts in all forms.   Join us every month!
Sustainable Durango Mocktail Tasting
4:00pm / Durango Sustainable Goods
Durango Sustainable Goods + Omni Cafe are serving up craft cocktails without the booze (AKA Mocktails!). Enjoy a refreshing non-alcoholic mocktail with relaxing adaptogens, fresh basil, mint, lime or lemon.   Curious Elixir Mocktail Menu:   1. Citrus & Radiance  Lingers like the last rays of Venetian Sunshine. Especially good before a fine meal, and perfect for any social gathering where you want a better non-alcoholic option, Curious Elixir No. 4 is our booze-free spin on classic Italian aperitifs like the Aperol Spritz. This Elixir infuses the exotic citrus of blood orange and green mandarin, the light fizz of non-alcoholic prosecco, and the cooling power of American ginseng, turmeric, and holy basil (tulsi). Enjoy in a wine glass, on the rocks, or neat, garnished with an orange slice.   2. Bright & Spicy  Mellow out while your taste buds tap dance. Curious Elixir No. 2 is the spicy lovechild of the pineapple margarita and the Dark & Stormy, 100% booze-free. While citrus, ancho chile, jalapeño, and ginger wake up your taste buds, the ancient Mayan herb damiana will help you unwind. Enjoy on the rocks with a lime wedge and optional sea salt rim.   3. Herbaceous & Floral  If chartreusian monds and auyrvedic masters got together for apre-ski cocktails in the alps. Curious Elixir No. 3 is inspired by modern cocktail classics like the Cucumber Collins—but crafted alcohol-free—then boosted with the power of ashwagandha*, a plant used in Ayurvedic practice for over 5,000 years.* Blending alpine herbs, flowers, cucumber, lemon, and ashwagandha extract (125mg per bottle), Curious Elixir No. 3 was meticulously designed to both please your palate and help you unwind. Best enjoyed over a large cube or neat, garnished with a lemon peel.   *ashwagandha is not advised for pregnant women
Books, Brats, and Brews
4:00pm / Durango Public Library
September is library card sign up month and we're celebrating with a bar-b-que on the back patio!    Stop by for a book, brat, and brew - free for everyone with a Durango Public Library card! Don't have a card? Don't worry! Sign up for a card (also free) and join the party!   Live music by Adam Millard from the Monkberries and local brews by SKA Brewing.
Meet the Artist: Serena Supplee
4:00pm / Marias Bookshop
Come meet Serena Supplee during Durango's First Friday Art Walk! Serena will be present for a meet and greet at her first showing since 2018. Her original artwork will be available for purchase along with cards, calendars and her books.
Bar D Chuckwagon Suppers
4:30pm / Bar D Chuckwagon Suppers
Old West Cowboy Music Show and Chuckwagon Supper. Durango's favorite family entertainment since 1969. Bar D Wranglers perform in concert after supper with music and songs of old west cowboys, comedy, and lively instrumentals. The show is fun for the whole family.    Activities, shops, and ticketing open at 4:30. Supper is at 6:30. Open Memorial Day Weekend through September - Rain or Shine !    Reservations are required.
Opening Reception with Rimi Yang: Asian Figurative Paintings
5:00pm / Blue Rain Gallery
Join us in Durango for the First Friday Artwalk, featuring a selection of paintings by Rimi Yang.   Korean-American artist Rimi Yang was born and raised in Osaka, Japan. She moved to the United States in 1986 and shortly after, settled in California where she continues to live and work today. In addition to having exhibited wide ly across the US and Canada throughout her career, the artist has recently been shown in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Dublin and England.   Yang's paintings -mostly figurative, but with a playful approach to abstraction- reveal an intuitive, contrast-rich take on Eastern and Western art history. It is as though they are struggling to make sense of dualities which simultaneously inspire and confuse us in their attempts to structure the world. Pleasantly suspended between familiar polarities like east-west, male-female, high-low and old-new, the viewer can't help but be moved by the artist's apparent search for meaning.   In a recent interview, Rimi Yang pondered the idea that; "Mankind tries to order the un-orderable, explain the inexplicable. Do we really always need to reason, understand and structure, or could we instead seek out the vibration that connects all life in an instant?"   Yang describes her process as a form of meditation, where creativity takes precedence over the subject. In her paintings, this process is celebrated with a technique that is immediately recognizable. Within each carefully placed brushstroke, there is evidence of iconic images being de-constructed, techniques being mixed, and a calculated blurring of the border between one and two-dimensional realms. Her journey frequently references universal feelings associated with childhood innocence, and urges for security, protection and love.
First Friday
5:00pm / Durango Sustainable Goods
Did you know that this Friday is Sept 1? Summer is slipping gently into Fall. To celebrate the changing of the seasons we’re hosting another #firstfriday art event from 5-7:30. Mark your calendar and come on down to our shop in your Fall finest for Mocktail Madness. Meet this month’s featured artists: @helloluna_creative who designs and creates one of a kind #jewelry out of recycled sterling silver; @durangohairtinsel who will put tinsel in your hair until you shine like the North Star that you are; and @recycledpartsbykiley who makes #earrings #necklaces and more out of upcycled bike parts. Who know you may come away with a part of your old bike. See you this Friday, pass it on and support #localart !
Friday Nights with You Knew Me When
6:00pm / Fox Fire Farms
Music, food and wine. Come enjoy your Friday nights with Fox Fire Farms. Seating on spacious lawns. Bring rain gear if there is a chance of rain.  FREE ADMISSION  All seating is outdoors on our spacious lawns.
Trivia & Tracks
6:30pm / Durango Beer & Ice Company
Trivia and Tracks in a friendly , fun , atmosphere with great craft beer! Come in and enjoy some trivia and win 2 ways!
Bye Bye Birdie: The Musical
7:30pm / Durango Arts Center
Book by Michael Stewart  Music by Charles Strouse  Lyrics by Lee Adams   A loving send-up of the 1950s, small-town America, teenagers, and rock & roll, Bye Bye Birdie remains as fresh and vibrant as ever. Teen heartthrob Conrad Birdie has been drafted, so he chooses All-American girl Kim MacAfee for a very public farewell kiss. Featuring a tuneful high-energy score, plenty of great parts for teens, and a hilarious script, Birdie continues to thrill audiences around the world.   House opens 30 minutes before the listed show time.
Desert Child with special guest Desiderata
8:00pm / Animas City Theatre
Doors 7:00pm / Show 8:00pm  $20/$25/21+   Desert Child is a Durango-based Southwest Soul group. Power harmonies. Tight rhythm section. Big personality. Debut album set to release early August 2023.    https://www.desertchildmusic.com  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3lrLeH0Xks1lumyph2ivzD  https://www.youtube.com/desertchild  https://www.instagram.com/desertchildmusic/
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