On a pleasant morning in downtown Pagosa Springs — Saturday, June 22, to be precise, at about 11am — a crowd of perhaps 200 people gathered along the walking paths of the new Tennyson Sculpture Garden, to help celebrate a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the community’s newest public park.
The park’s patron, Evelyn Tennyson, wielded the scissors, following a series of speeches and two Navajo ceremonial songs, and the crowd broke into applause.
The park is dedicated to the memory of Michael Tennyson.
Just to be clear, the park is “public” in the sense that it’s open to anyone looking for a quiet place to view an interesting selection of metal sculptures, or to simply to enjoy a landscaped public garden in the midst of a rural mountain town.
I don’t believe any “public funding” was involved, however.
A band of youngsters called Majik Ham warmed up the audience, who were dutifully obeying the “Please keep off the grass” signs.
Evelyn Tennyson — owner of three businesses in Pagosa, and now of a public sculpture garden and performance venue — gave the first speech of the midday event, beginning with the acknowledgement of her family, who had come in from Texas and Denver.
“So I wrote a speech, but it’s not going to go in any particular order, because I just really talk from my head.
“When the Adobe building, and the Bear Creek Saloon burned down — I think it was in 2016 — I said to myself, you know, we need to build something here that’s not blocking the view for Two Old Crows…”
This comment elicited laughter from the audience. The Two Old Crows art gallery, located across the street from the new park, is one of Ms. Tennyson’s businesses. And, indeed, the historic two-story Adobe Building did influence the gallery’s scenic view until it burned in a dramatic fire in the fall of 2016.
Following the fire, the property owners considered ways to rebuild, but ultimately put the empty commercial lot on the market.
Ms. Tennyson continued her tale of purchasing the vacant property:
“So I decided to try and buy it. It took, gosh, four years, and then they finally called me and said they would accept my offer to buy this spot. In the meantime, Mike passed away in 2017. And I was able to decide what I was going to do with this space, and it was to build a memorial park.
“I’m not going to tell you Mike was big into sculptures, because he really wasn’t. That’s me. But I figured that a park here, in his memory, and art that the public here can enjoy, was the best way to honor him, and the best way to honor this town…
“I didn’t do this alone, obviously. So I have so many people here who need to be thanked.
“The first person I talked to, after my crew at Two Old Crows, was Chris Rapp, who has a landscaping company. And then Kate Yoklavich found me. She came into the gallery one day, and she said, ‘I’m a landscape architect,’ and I said, ‘Terrific, I need one of those!’
“And then somehow I found Andre Redstone, when we decided to do the pergola and the stage. And he offered to be my general contractor on this project…
“And I know, between all of us, we absolutely drove him crazy. But he also drove us crazy, too. All’s fair in love and war, right?”
“Then I had one piece commissioned — it’s the ‘Wind Eagle’ over here… and I had that done in Florida and brought it back…”
“And then I started talking to artists… I guess they are all local, except for Dave… and Jim is kind of semi-local…
“And we had long discussions about what Mike liked and what he didn’t like. And they came up with these incredible sculptures.
“I hope you’re going to enjoy them forever. Because this park is not going away!”
The crowd offered a round of applause.
“I just want to thank absolutely everybody who worked on this park, especially my Two Old Crows team, because between them and my sister and my brother, and Stanley — wherever he’s standing? — they really put up with me through a lot of stress. A lot of ‘I don’t know what to do… What are we going to do?’ So I really appreciate them standing by me through all this…
“…Everybody who put in any work on this park, whether it was a day, a week, or three years, just know how grateful I am for everything everybody did. I think this came out a whole lot better than I expected…”
Ms. Tennyson then invited Pagosa Mayor Shari Pierce to step up to the microphone.
Mayor Pierce put her arm around Evelyn…
“Evelyn’s generosity reaches beyond this garden. She doesn’t only fund projects; she volunteers and puts her heart into organizations that make our community a better place to live. Just a few that I’m aware of are Pagosa Springs Medical Center, Seeds of Learning, the Humane Society of Pagosa Springs, LASSO Horse Rescue, Vets for Vets, Rotary Club, the Arts Council, and Journey with Equus.
“These organizations have a common thread. They all serve the people in our community in the areas of health, education, and working to make life better for each other.
“So Evelyn had a vision for this site that incorporates those same ideals. With her artistic flair, she’s created a space that’s already become a showcase… a peaceful place… and a place for people to come, reflect, and enjoy the beauty of art and gardens.
“A place to honor the memory of her late husband Mike.
“What a blessing this space is, in the hurried world we live in today…
“Look around you, today, at all the friendship and togetherness… due to Evelyn…”
