By Mark Reaman
One of the beauties of Crested Butte and the North Valley is that it is small enough to still have a small-town feeling. And it’s small-town in that Mayberry, Schitt’s Creek, or Northern Exposure vibe — a place filled with interesting, down-to-earth, funny characters that don’t always get along but realize each other’s quirks and accepts them as part of the place. It is a place of passion, activity (physically and artistically), fun and definitely not in the mainstream of typical American life…thank goodness.
For those visiting, there is of course the patina of blue skies and white snow in the winter and blue skies, green forests and colorful wildflower meadows in the summer. People are normally friendly and helpful and there is a lot to do in this valley. But that just scratches the surface.
The local festivals provide clues to the deeper community. Events like the Al Johnson uphill-downhill telemark ski race, Flauschink, the Chainless bike race, Disco Inferno, the Fourth of July all show the costumed side of Crested Butte. Most people here have no qualms with dressing up. From a basic tutu to extravagant politically-pointed group costumes, people here just like to dress up. It is an opportunity to let loose and sort of see who is comfortable in such a weird spot. You don’t have to always dress up, but if you aren’t comfortable with a bearded 50-year-old dude in a Cinderella ball dress or a group of Where’s Waldo wannabes asking where one of the billionaire owners of Elk Avenue property is, then you might not stay long. You have to be okay with at least the idea of tutus. Just sayin’.
But if you do, you’ll find a couple thousand people who are unafraid and zealous about their home and community. They will get out and embrace the open space and wilderness that surrounds this high mountain valley. They will voice opinions about what they like and what they think is going wrong. They will publicly try their hand at art and their feet at dance even if they’ve never done it before. They will play hockey and softball and mingle with people 40 years different in age. It’s part of the community deal.
Of course, it’s not always smooth. Some people here want more growth and development. Others want to go back to the dirt streets of the 1970s. Neighbors will fight over parking rules, whether to have snowbanks on Elk Avenue, property taxes and new schools or fire stations. Keeping the community economically diverse so it isn’t made up just of millionaires is a constant discussion.
How to retain workers inside the North Valley is a challenge but one that everyone from the dishwasher in the local restaurant to the homeowner who is a billionaire hedge funder seem to agree is a need. How to do it is the challenge. But those neighbors who have elected to try their hand at governing are working on it.
A part of the community that usually brings everyone together is tragedy…and in a somewhat isolated town where activity is part of the culture, there is tragedy. Friends here die in avalanches. Neighbors can get hurt biking the high mountain trails. Illness is part of the community as it ages. But it is these times when the community bonds. The conservative real estate agent might step up with a fundraiser for the wife of an acquaintance who is battling cancer. That dishwasher will go to the music fundraiser for the business owner who perhaps lost a spouse in an accident.
Living here makes you understand life a bit more than those living in say, Chicago or Seattle. Life is short. It can change in a blink. So the mantra is to work hard and play harder. Take advantage of what the mountains offer but understand the mountains can be unforgiving. Crested Butte and the surrounding community is a place of passion and while it’s not for everybody, it is for those who aren’t scared off by tutus.
