SAT, 9/20
Prairie dogs have their day in Boulder.
Benjamin Burch
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They will not go quietly, these little critters. Instead, Boulder's prairie dogs -- creatures with names such as Viktor the Victim and Prairie Home Protection -- will hold their polyether-resin heads high at a final celebration tonight at 7 p.m. at the Odd Fellows Hall, 1543 Pearl Street (located above the Boulder Army Store). There, more than sixty fiberglass creatures from the KGNU Prairie Dog Project will be auctioned off, with opening bids starting at $100 apiece -- which covers the initial cost of each 24-inch model. The rest of the doggie dough raised at the event will benefit various non-profit organizations, schools and the sponsor, radio station KGNU. Admission is $10 for KGNU members, $15 for non-members.
The person responsible for this prairie-dog posse, KGNU's Joanne Cole, was inspired by other cities' artistic animal projects, most notably Cincinnati's pigs and Chicago's cows on parade. Boulder, she thought, seemed like a good place for prairie dogs, so she ordered up her fiberglass models and found artists interested in adorning them. (Regular citizens could also buy pups from KGNU and do some gonzo art of their own.) The decorated dogs then popped up at sites all around Boulder, including galleries, shops, schools and yards.
Cole marvels at the project's impact. "It's amazing," she says. "It's been the talk of the town."
Some of the arty animals found love; others did not.
After one artist turned a plain dog into an anti-war protest, a business owner had it removed, claiming the sight of a rodent with a missile warhead was intolerable. Another installation linking the prairie dogs' extermination to the fate of Native Americans also drew heat and was ejected.
The Prairinator received a much warmer welcome. Its small ears were earmarked for a Sandusky, Ohio, art gallery, after the owners offered $2,000 for the work.
Many models -- along with detailed scenarios that the artists created for them -- are still displayed on the KGNU Web site, www.kgnu.org. The population is less than homogenous -- for every "Shimmer, Our Prairie Dogmother" bearing "wish dust," there's a "Bbaddogg" that can reduce a meadow to barren dirt -- but every dog has his day.
Cole prides herself on the grassroots nature of the very public display. "This was done without corporate help," she says.
So even as the little doggies face their last roundup, they've already contributed to the cultural fabric that is Boulder. Just as important, Cole notes, at auction these animals can help defray the cost of creating an artistic colony. -- Ernie Tucker
BCAP makes fundraising fun
SAT, 9/20
The Boulder County AIDS Project has a couple of paths for fun fundraising. Mall rats, corporations and families can register now for the Boulder County AIDS Project Scavenger Hunt, to be held next Thursday, September 25, at FlatIron Crossing, One West FlatIron Circle, Broomfield.
One hundred questions and riddles will be kept under lock and key until the 6 p.m. start time; scavenger teams will then have two hours to scour the mall and solve them. "It's really about working together; that's the biggest challenge," says BCAP spokesperson David Jensen. "And it's really funny to watch these adult scavenger hunts, because people get really competitive."
Teams will each be given a Polaroid camera to document that they've solved each challenge correctly. "You have to have pictures taken at certain landmarks, and everyone has to be in each picture to get the full points," explains Jensen.
To sign up for the scavenger hunt, which costs $250 per five-person team, call 303-444-6121 or visit www.bcap.org.
Or, if you're looking for a more low-key way to support this good cause, swing by the BCAP Benefit BBQ today from noon to 4 p.m. at the Wild Oats store at 1651 Broadway in Boulder, where four bucks will get you all the organic veggie burgers and natural-beef burgers you can eat. -- Julie Dunn
Volunteers for America
THURS, 9/18
Non-profit service organizations wouldn't be able to do the myriad things they do -- help feed the hungry, provide opportunities for the jobless, mentor kids living on the fringe, protect wildlife, counsel victims -- if it weren't for volunteers, regular people who willingly step off the rat wheel of day-to-day life to give freely of themselves and their time. So what's in it for you? The payoff is inside: Help others and you help yourself feel better about the mean old world. Win-win. It's no surprise, then, that more than 25,000 folks are expected to seek information about local opportunities at the eighth annual 16th Street Mall Volunteer Fair, hosted by Metro Volunteers! and taking place today from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the mall, between Tremont Place and Lawrence Street. Representatives from more than a hundred organizations will man tables during the event, offering every kind of opportunity under the sun, whether you're ready for an ongoing commitment or can only squeeze in a one-shot deal.
And if you can't attend, rest assured that you're always needed somewhere: For information, call 303-561-2300 or visit www.metrovolunteers.org. -- Susan Froyd
Journey to Oz for a Cause
AIDS benefit is Toto-ly cool
FRI, 9/19
