Snow down is right around the corner. City Council has made key decisions on 2026 Lodgers tax funding, and Santa Rita Park is giving your Christmas tree a second Life as mulch. You are watching the Local News Network brought to you by Tafoya Barrett and Associates and Sirius, Texas Barbecue. I am Sadie Smith. Snow Down 2026, kicks off Friday, January 23rd and runs through February 1st. This year's theme is uniquely Colorado then, and wow. Organizers say The theme celebrates both Colorado's history and what the state looks like today. Encouraging people to get creative with costumes inspired by the past and present. We're joined by Chip Lyle, the event coordinator for Snow Down Chip. Tell us more about the concept of this year's theme.

The concept that Snow Down came up with, it was kind of a historical theme to celebrate all, all things Colorado. So when you put on your hat for your costume thinking, you know, think about characters either modern, you know, ski heroes or cowboy heroes of the past. There's a lot of really famous women like Molly Brown and people like that from Colorado. So it's just a way to celebrate the history now, the then and now, and wow, all those types of kickers are really trying to communicate to the community what Colorado was in the old days and what Colorado is now is kind of the concept we're going for.

And as far as the events go, is there anything new happening this year you'd like to make the Durango community aware of?

Back to the efforts of celebrating Colorado's birthday, there was some funding available at the state level to help us bring a drone show to the parade this year. So we're working out the final details of a drone show and music in the mountains. Our local music nonprofit is actually entering the parade as a drone show this year. So the drone show will be the music and the mountains float in conjunction with Snow Down and the Colorado one 50th celebration.

Thank you for joining Chip. This year's Snow Down parade on Friday, January 30th is expected to draw 10 to 12,000 spectators. Downtown parking will be limited, so organizers recommend parking at Durango High School, or the fairgrounds where a free shuttle service will be available. To get involved with volunteer opportunities, scan the QR code on the screen. To learn more about this year's Snow Down celebration, go to snow down.org. Durango City Council approved 2026 Lodgers Tax Council Determination funding, including support for the city's free summer transit program and subsidized parking for downtown employees. The majority of the proposed projects were approved except the Chapman Hill artwork and interpretive signage and funding for an airport shuttle. However, signage at Chapman Hill will still be paid for through the parks and recreation budget, and city staff will continue looking for airport shuttle options. The largest allocation went to the La Plata Economic Development Alliance's Childcare Investment with $260,000 set aside for regional childcare initiatives. Council determination funds make up about 11% of the city's total lodges tax revenue. Now that the holidays are over, Santa Rita Park is collecting old Christmas trees through January 31st to recycle into mulch. The mulch will be available to the public at Green Mount Cemetery in early spring. Artificial trees will not be accepted and all trees must be free of any Christmas decorations. The drop off site is located at Santa Rita Park near the playground area. The city of Durango reminds residents that there is no curbside pickup for Christmas trees. Contact the Parks and Recreation Department for additional information. That's it for this edition of the Local News Network. Visit Durango Local News for more stories like this and sign up for a newsletter to stay on top of what's happening in your community. I'm Sadie Smith and we'll see you next time.