Vail Trail staff
July 23, 2008

40 Years Ago - Week of July 26, 1968
Vail Associates, Inc. announced that smoking will not be allowed on the gondola or Number Four lift until further notice. Dry conditions and the risk of fire prompted the move after a smoker caused a small fire under the gondola.

Travel between Denver and Vail became easier with the announcement of an express bus service between the Stapleton International Airport in Denver and Vail. The 41-passenger buses charged $12.50 for a roundtrip between the cities, and the new service began operation in December.

The editorial board addressed concerns from the public that the Trail was missing out on some of the conventions and recreational opportunities in the summer, writing:
“We are still a comparatively small market and the Vail Trail, unfortunately, can’t justify and doesn’t have a staff of reporters, photographers, make-up people, etc.” during the summer.

30 Years Ago - Week of July 28, 1978
The town of Vail offered a free skateboarding course, with lessons taught by professional skaters in basic skating, freestyle and slalom. Participants needed to bring their own boards and protective equipment.

A fierce handball tournament was held in Vail. The top-ranked professional handballer in the nation, Naty Aluarado, headed the field in the open singles bracket. Colorado state champion, Dr. Larry Bookman, joined New Mexico and California’s state champs in the tournament.

The MG Gathering of the Faithful West ’78 was held in Vail the previous week. More than 150 cars were at the event, and more than 400 people turned out for the festivities, which included an awards ceremony and banquet.

20 Years Ago - Week of July 29, 1988
A Crimestoppers tip led to the arrest of a Dotsero couple for marijuana cultivation. Members of the High County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant and found 47 plants thriving in a “grow room,” and estimated the street value at up to $10,000.

Police were looking for a prank caller who had called several Vail residents and told them their spouse was having an affair. Police said the caller sounded confident and well-spoken, but they also believed he had called random phone numbers that list both the husband and wife’s names.

A 20-year old Edwards man was released to the custody of his brother, after authorities found him 100 feet up the hillside south of the entrance to The Reserve condominiums. When sheriff’s deputies reached the man, he was not moving. After a medical examination, a doctor at the Vail Valley Medical Center indicated the subject was “just extremely drunk.” Witnesses claim the man drank half a bottle of rum, hiked up the hill and passed out.

10 Years Ago - Week of July 24, 1998
Vail police arrested a violinist with the Detroit Symphony and charged him with felony menacing. The violinist, from Ontario and originally Russia, was allegedly involved in a traffic dispute with two bicyclists on the North Frontage Road, during which he pulled an 8-inch knife.

Local water experts were worried that the Eagle River was in jeopardy. One expert estimated the Eagle River was 130 percent overused, and noted that the mountain range is typically a semi-arid environment, so diverting water for maintaining lawns and golf courses created a strain on the river.

Minturn hosted “Beetlemania,” an informational tour hosted by Holy Cross Rangers to explain various aspects of pine beetle biology. Though the rangers had called the pine beetle infestation “a natural cycle,” they said the problem was worse than in previous years. Pine beetles bore into the bark of trees and encircle the trunk, which cuts off food supply for the tree.