On the morning of June 2, the news flashed through Telluride. The state Supreme Court had ruled, finally, and in favor of the town. The Valley Floor belonged to Telluride.

But coming, as it did, at the end of a land battle that played out over decades, after the rallies and litigation, bitter arguments and frantic, frazzling fundraising effort, the news elicited more sighs of deep relief than ecstatic yelps of delight.

The yelling and dancing and jovial celebration can all happen this weekend. On Sunday, a proper celebration — right in the middle of the 570 acres of scenic bottomlands — will take place. The town and the Valley Floor Preservation Partners (VFPP) are throwing a community social to celebrate the town’s successful condemnation of the Valley Floor from its owner, San Miguel Valley Corporation.
Everyone is welcome to come, bring a potluck dish, bring kids (but not dogs) and celebrate the town’s hard-fought struggle to preserve the land as open space.

“Just to have an opportunity to gather out there as a community … It’s just great closure to what has really been 30 years of effort, so we’re excited about it,” said Jane Hickcox, spokesperson for the VFPP and one of the leading advocates for Valley Floor preservation.

The town is setting up tables and tents, hay bales and a small stage, and the format of the event, Hickcox said, is going to be low-key Telluride style — music, food, speakers, drinks and socializing. The town will provide drinks — including wine and New Belgium beer — and some food, but people are encouraged to bring potluck dishes.

People can meet at 3:45 p.m. in front of the Courthouse to walk as a crowd to the celebration via the River Trail. Or they can bike, kayak or hang-glide in. The party will take place just off Boomerang Road. Look for the tents and crowd.

Judy Kohin (creator of the Valley Cows cartoons) will be emceeing, and Hickcox will give a short speech before the two keynote speakers: Leslie Fields, the town’s condemnation attorney, and Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
While Fields saw Telluride through the long, hard legal battle to condemn the land from San Miguel Valley Corporation and repel their appeal, Moe heads the national organization that, in 2001, named the Valley Floor as one of America’s 11 most endangered historic places.

“That was a very big deal in getting people’s attention to our plight here,” Hickcox said.
The speeches will be kept pretty short, as most of the time will be dedicated to socializing and celebrating.

“We wanted this to be very non-speaker oriented,” said Mayor Stu Fraser. “It’s just sort of a home-town celebration.”

Music will be provided by Outstanding in the Field, James O. Patterson, Boxcar and Don Rangoon. And representatives from Ecological Resource Consultants — the company conducting the environmental assessment of the Valley Floor — will be at the party to talk to folks about what they are up to.

Fraser said the town doesn’t really know how many people to expect, but he hopes that everyone comes — regardless of what side of the issue they were on.

“I hope it becomes a healing process,” Fraser said. “At this point, it’s done, we should be working together.”

And Hickcox said it’s a great opportunity to pause and celebrate the end of the condemnation fight before the town really moves into the next stages of management and environmental assessment.

“It should just be one of those memorable Telluride events,” Hickcox said. “This is a good point of closure for all of that, then we can start the next phase.”

Anyone who wants to volunteer for the event should call Stephanie Warner at 728-2169 or e-mail info@telluride-co.gov.