Kinsee from Buzztown has this message regarding the Durango Discovery Museum:

Hey there parents,
The Durango Discovery Museum moves closer and closer to opening every day! What might be the last-ever Power Hour is scheduled for 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. this Wednesday, April 7, at Rylee Mac’s Market & Cooking School. Enjoy appetizers, drinks and bring the kids to watch a live “Explosive Science Minute.” Power hours are always fun, kid-friendly and a great way to find out how you can help the museum!
Hope to see you Wednesday,
Kinsee

April is the Month of the Young Child and a number of fun, free events will be held April 10-22 in observance of it. Check out the Kid Row calendar for details, including times, dates and places. And thank the Southwest District of the Colorado Association for the Education of Young Children and the Early Childhood Council of La Plata County for their help in bringing us these events.

From the group that brings us the always-popular Cinco de Mayo celebration in May comes the first annual Around the World Children’s Fair on Saturday …

Del Alma (Durango Educational Alliance for Multicultural Achievement) will host its first annual Around the World Children’s Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the La Plata County Fairgrounds Extension Building. The event includes cultural activities, games, food and entertainment. Entertainment will include Native American drumming, Mexican Folklorico Dancers, Celtic music and stories from famed storyteller Sari Ross.

To learn more about Del Alma, go to http://www.delalma.net/

While Durango’s annual winter festival is often known for its bawdier events, like the Follies and Fashion Dos and Don’ts, it also offers a lot in the way of family fun. This includes a spaghetti dinner Friday night at the Elk’s Lodge followed by a night-time parade downtown. On Saturday, the beach-themed Snowdown ball is open to princes and princesses of all ages. For a detailed listing of events, go to www.snowdown.org. Party on!

Kudos to local mom Audrey Crane and her co-conspirators for their hard work bringing this together. Now take the family out for a sub on Saturday to support their efforts …

Beware the Carrotmob

Stonehouse Subs in Durango chosen for environmentally friendly mass benefit

by Dale Rodebaugh
Herald Staff Writer

It could be called a buy-cott – the opposite of a boycott – and it’s happening Saturday in Durango.

Stonehouse Subs, the business designated as a Carrotmob target for Saturday, will offer its usual selection of sandwiches and soft drinks at regular prices inside. Outside, 4-inch pre-made subs at $4 each will be available in four varieties – ham and cheese, turkey and cheese, Italian and vegan. Credit card purchases must be made inside. Stonehouse Subs, 140 E. 12th St., will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The event is Carrotmob Durango, the local version of an off-the-wall happening in San Francisco last year that has gone international – Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Helsinki, Finland; Basel, Switzerland. It coincides with the international Day of Climate Action.

How it works: Consumers reward with mass patronage a business that pledges to invest a certain amount of its gross receipts for a day in energy-saving improvements to its building.

A Web search reveals that Carrotmob was the brainstorm of Brent Schulkin, a San Francisco electronic-games developer and social-causes activist, who in March 2008 persuaded liquor stores in the Mission District to invest in the environment. K&D Market, the high bidder at 23 percent, made $9,000 worth of sales, compared to its usual $2,000 day.

Audrey Crane, a software developer at Interaction Designer in Durango, was intrigued. By networking, Crane and co-enthusiasts found four businesses to bid to be the target of mob action. The winner was Stonehouse Subs, a sandwich shop at 140 E. 12th St., which pledged 35 percent of the day’s gross take to green improvements.

“Carrotmob is a practical way to help the environment,” Crane said. “It’s not like asking people to stop driving their car.” Read more.