The curtain has risen on yet another tourist season here in Central Colorado, and it’s looking to be a busy one. There also seem to be a lot of new faces in town and an uptick in housing sales that presumably has area realtors licking their chops.
One curious theory about the popularity now gaining traction is the idea of a post-Amendment 64 Colorado. Folks could very well be saying goodbye to more conservative states such as Wyoming and Texas with the perception of a more lenient attitude toward marijuana, demonstrated by voters in 2012. I’ve heard it referred to as 420 Tourism.
I also heard a story about a fellow who sauntered into a local dispensary and flashed his Kansas driver’s license wanting to buy “legal weed.” When told a medical marijuana license is still required for purchase, he left, crestfallen.
But two days ago, our governor reluctantly signed two bills, setting up the regulatory framework for Colorado on how recreational marijuana should be grown, packaged and sold.
Could the legalization of marijuana lead to a new gold rush in the Centennial State? Statistics are not yet in, but a simple non-scientific observation of some new visitors to Salida reveals a certain demographic of young dreadheads and aging ponytailed baby boomers suddenly on the streets.
To be continued, I’m sure.
It’s somewhat common knowledge that the late Ed Quillen, founder of this magazine, who unexpectedly passed away one year ago on June 3, was a big fan of the Rolling Stones. He would blast “Only Rock ‘n Roll” while labeling magazines and owned at least one ragged T-shirt with the infamous “tongue” logo from the inner sleeve of the 1971 release, Sticky Fingers.
I’d be curious to know what he’d make of the passing of Doors member Ray Manzanek on May 20 of cancer.
I was early into double digits when the soon-to-be hit song “Light My Fire” was released as a single in early 1967, but who of that era wasn’t blown away by the Bach-inspired keyboard introduction and solo on the original extended version? The passion and drive of that piece of pop history long outlasted lead singer Jim Morrison, who mysteriously died in Paris in 1971.
Even my Dad became a fan of the Doors while in his 70s. Twenty years on he’s still listening to their CDs in his car.
Personally, the loss of Manzanek represents a true end of an era. Even after 45 years, the brilliant sound of that Vox Continental organ stirs a primal reaction, a flashback to that incredibly rebellious yet creative time of that America of my youth.
Several weeks back, while scanning the May issue of Colorado Central, I made a discovery I’d like to share with readers.
In an age of targeted media, where people of specific ages with similar interests usually gravitate toward people of like-minded thoughts and opinions, we had the privilege of running articles by contributors of nearly every age bracket: teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. This was kind of astonishing – that we are truly representative of the population of this remote and spectacular region of the country. It makes me very grateful for my job.— Mike Rosso
