Vail Trail staff
September 3, 2008

40 Years Ago - Week of September 6, 1968
A small, but potentially dangerous forest fire was extinguished in the upper Mill Creek drainage area on Labor Day. The Vail Associates’ mountain crew, village volunteers, and U.S. Forest Service personnel assisted the Vail Fire Department in putting out the blaze. It was believed that smoldering embers were responsible for the three-acre blaze. A tourist noticed the flames, and called Vail police.

A recent report by the Motion Picture Association revealed that only 18 percent of Americans over the age of 16 were “frequent” moviegoers, defined as attending a movie at least once a month. More than 41 million Americans didn’t go to the movies, and, when accounting for people who “almost never” go, a full 48 percent of Americans didn’t hit the theaters. The report concluded “the fact that the average ticket price is $1.51 may have something to do with this drop in movie attendance.”

Snowmass at Aspen was to add night skiing on Fanny Hill, as well as a road to the parkng lot at the top of Snowmass Divide, according to Western Ski Time newsletter.

30 Years Ago - Week of September 8, 1978
Paving operations inside the Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel and on its approaches forced motorists to take detours over Loveland Pass. Work inside the tunnel included removing an inch-and-a-half of the existing pavement, and application of new asphalt-like material. The material removed was recycled on outside paving.

The Vail Resort Association sponsored a VailFest Disco Contest following the Ms. Vail contest at The Mark. The contest, limited to 15 couples, offers the winning couple a $200 prize and two nights lodging plus passes for two days of skiing at Snowmass. Each couple was judged primarily on originality, and was required to furnish their own music for the contest.

The LIFT commuter bus was up and running. The LIFT commuter bus traveled from West Vail and Minturn each morning back to Vail, and cost four cents a mile.

20 Years Ago - Week of September 9, 1988
Trail editors encouraged Vail Associates to reexamine its policy regarding the proposed local’s pass for skiing. They argued many locals lack either the time or money to appreciate Vail’s slopes, and that Vail Associates should follow the lead of other resorts, including Aspen and Winter Park, that offer passes at a reasonable cost.

Local realtors said Vail’s real estate market had finally turned around and was headed toward a more profitable future. July sales for home, condominium and duplexes totaled more than $25 million, more than double that of the previous year. Experts also cited just four foreclosures, compared to 70 foreclosures four years prior.

An Eagle man in a two-car accident faced 10 criminal charges. William Ethridge, 33, was arrested just after 3 a.m. Saturday following a non-injury accident on Highway 24. He was allegedly intoxicated and driving a truck stolen from an Avon landscaping company, according to the Eagle County Sheriff’s office. Ethridge, driving without a license, gave police a false name. He was charged with criminal impersonation, DUI, reckless driving, littering, failure to display valid registration and driving without a valid license.

10 Years Ago - Week of September 4, 1998
Valley residents discussed construction of the Village in Avon. The 1,800-acre development would add 2,400 homes and 750,000 square feet of commercial space. Trail editors encouraged the Avon Town Council to postpone the project and work on educating the public about the proposal.

After a lengthy battle over water rights, the town of Minturn and the Vail Water Consortium reached an agreement. On Aug. 31, the deal outlined a schedule to divert water for Minturn’s use, while protecting the Vail Water Consortium’s rights in the Eagle River. While Minturn received the rights to additional water, it had to remove its opposition to Beaver Creek’s desire to increase its snowmaking capacity.

Former computer executive Chuck Missler told a local crowd inside Dobson Arena to expect the worst from the dreaded “Y2K bug,” saying that most computers will incorrectly read the year 2000 as 1900, and will be unable to make the switch. Missler predicted a global cost of up to $3.6 trillion, brownouts and “almost certain” nuclear shutdowns, which could prompt the decline of western civilization and potential rise of a world super-leader. He offered a variety of books and tapes for sale to help families prepare for the change.