Saddle Sore: Local legends in the vegetable section

It’s been what you might call a great month for sighting legends. Some at the El Jebel Social Center, otherwise known as City Market. There are days I’ve gone in there, talked to so many folks, I gave up on my list, and went home empty handed. 

Long gray/white hair, about shoulder length, and from a distance I thought it was my buddy Bob Snyder, a legend in his own right. But then, as he walked up behind me at the checkout, he said, “You’re Cash’s granddad, aren’t you?” OK, OK, I give. No two men wear their hair that way, but duh, yes they do. It was my favorite Aspen Times columnist, Kelly Hayes. “WineInk.” What a great smile he has.

If you’re a whiskey neat or beer drinker, you might be puzzled by the words “oenophile” or “corked” or “terroir” or other lip-twisting references to the world of wine. Not just taste, but Kelly delves into the whole process, from type of soil, time of year, grape varieties, fragrance, even to the effects of partial pressure of oxygen and altitude. The guy knows his stuff!

He has gotten me into trouble in the past, suggesting my name as a contributing writer on other subjects, mostly horses or being a native, and he’s not afraid to tie my name to a local issue. But he also is an Emmy winner for his work on “Thursday Night Football” and has been Al Michael’s left-hand man since 1978. “Malibu” Kelly Hayes. He knows a thing or two about football, which is usually showcased in several Times columns each fall, giving his take on the upcoming season.

He also has another regular column in The Aspen Times, but for whatever reason, the name of it eludes me at the moment. I’d look it up, but deadline looms. That column is good at keeping us up to date on coming local events and happenings in an always humorous and upbeat way. And, it’s my favorite, as well. The guy can write!

Headed to the fruit and vegetable section of the aforementioned El Jebel Social Center a while back, and whose mug should appear, almost by serendipitous magic? I’d formally met him in the local hair emporium, where our community hair stylist John Wyman holds court. But I’d known him from years before, where a week’s “staycation” every year at Snowmass wasn’t complete without a nightly visit to the Tower Magic Bar. 

Doc Eason, the impeccably talented magician who makes a believer out of you every time. He was walking along in an adjacent lane and gave the thank you sign as I had dropped off one of my books at the hair salon for him. There was no need for other communication; we were on the same page, but I had to start it, “Who dat say who dat,” and without missing a beat, Doc finished it off. And my mind said, “Is that really him?”

Earlier, Wyman had given me one of Doc’s books — if you don’t have a copy, you need to get one: “Cocktails & Doc Tales — Rocky Mountain Magic.” Excellent reading, even if you’ve never experienced one of Doc’s performances behind a Magic Bar. It’s an autobiography, of sorts, but it goes way beyond that. A memoir of his life up to now, perhaps. The books are available in Aspen at Carl’s Pharmacy or Explore Booksellers. Also, in most stores between here and Carbondale. 

No slouch when it comes to awards, he has been voted Close-Up Magician of the Year multiple times by the Academy of Magical Arts and recipient of the Performing Fellowship Award from the prestigious Magic Castle in Hollywood. If you’re on the West Coast, like this spring or early summer, stop in at the Magic Castle starting May 14. You won’t want to miss it, although you may need an invitation to get in.   

In the Aspen Historical Society newsletter this month, it was mentioned that there is a great collection of Garth William’s work in the archives. Williams is still considered one of the best of American illustrators and was a noted author who wrote some of his own books, as well as illustrating them for hundreds of others.

He visited our classroom one day at the Red Brick school when we were in 3rd or 4th grade, putting on a great show of talent, using up all of our blackboard space and an additional white paper board of his own — all the while explaining how he nurtured his creative motivation and how he went to work on his illustrations. Two of his daughters went to school with us, although a bit younger. Of the many people who visited our grade school classes, he has stood out over the years. I had some of his books as a youngster, likely collector items now. Check out his work at the Aspen Historical Society archives. 

Tony Vagneur writes here on Saturdays and welcomes your comments at ajv@sopris.net.

Tony Vagneur writes here on Saturdays and welcomes your comments at ajv@sopris.net.