A good day!

It's not every day that you can go to farmers' market and buy a burger or a brat cooked by the town marshal!

Last summer and this summer, the Town of Mancos has very actively supported the Mancos Farmers' Market, including a stand where town staff provide brats and burgers for the market-goers. I don't know how well they do, but I DO know that it is a welcome advance in terms of town support for this kind of community effort, and this is a great way for residents of the town, the valley and beyond to informally meet the town staff. WAY better than the stressful, confrontational setting of a town board meeting!

I'm also impressed with the way this marshal, Bryan Jones, has gone about his job. From an environment 10 years ago where at least some residents of the town seemed to play "gotcha games" with sheriff's deputies (who were under contract to handle the law enforcement function in the Town of Mancos) and there was little or no support for law enforcement, we have come to a situation where there is a mature marshal who is an experienced officer, with a staff and support to do the job. 

An incident over Mancos Days tells the story ... the marshal received a call advising him that a former resident was on his way, looking for a fight. The marshal quietly shared this information with the manager of the most likely place for the incident to happen,  noting that he, the marshal (and his staff), aimed to head the guy off. In the event, another contact tipped the marshal off to where the fellow would be, and he was picked up on an outstanding warrant and packed off to jail before Mancos Days really got going and before an incident could occur. As far as I know, Mancos Days went off without a major law enforcement incident. Contrast this with a Mancos Days about a dozen years ago when it took a flying wedge of about a dozen police officers to close down one of the bars on Saturday night! Perhaps we have finally achieved a community consensus in support of law enforcement; I hope we can sustain it.

Our tour of duty at Artisans of Mancos this morning was pleasant. Weather was nice, a few visitors wandered in and there was even a sale!

This afternoon we went to the Cortez rec. center and tried to start to begin to commence to regain some of the strength and endurance we both have lost in the last month or so. Feels good, but a long way to go! (Wait till tomorrow!) A good day! tv