Bar D Chuckwagon, Short family named Heritage Award winners

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DURANGO, Colo. – The La Plata County Historical Society has announced the 2009 recipients of its Community Heritage Award: the Alva Short family and the Bar D Chuckwagon and its founder, Cy Scarborough.


The 2009 honorees will be feted at an evening of dinner, entertainment, a silent auction, free train rides and special presentations May 20, 2009, at the Bar D. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with dinner and a special show to follow. Tickets are $30, with net proceeds benefitting the La Plata County Historical Society. Advance reservations are required, and seats will be assigned in the order of receipt of paid reservations.


Both recipients embody the purpose of the La Plata County Historical Society award, which recognizes families and entities that both reflect and actively preserve the distinct heritage of La Plata County.


Alva and Belle Short were pioneers on the Florida Mesa, homesteading near present-day Sunnyside, where they grew crops and livestock, fostered a sense of community and raised 12 children who have, in turn, been influential in agriculture, business and healthcare.


Alva was a founder of both the Sunnyside School District and the Eureka Grange, mortgaging his own property to finance construction of the grange hall. Their descendants have continued that spirit of community involvement.


For more than 40 years, the Bar D has maintained traditions of the Old West, both musical and culinary. Cy Scarborough and his partners came to Durango in 1969, intent on providing locals and visitors with an authentic chuckwagon meal and western entertainment. Through the ensuing four decades, they’ve delighted millions with their songs, comedy and genuine love of the cowboy way of life.


Sponsors for the 2009 Community Heritage Award include First National Bank of Durango, Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, Southwest Colorado Federal Credit Union, La Plata Electric Association, and Pine River Valley Bank.


Past recipients of the Community Heritage Award include the Rod & Robin Turner family, the Art & Anne Isgar family, the Fred Kroeger family and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.


For further information, contact the Animas Museum, 259.2402.


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