European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 23, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes wednesday november s3,1988 ski areas experience meltdown in interest Denver a skiers will swoosh Down slopes across the land his Holiday weekend but Industry executive say he ski Boom is now going downhill. An aging baby Boom and increasing labor and insurance costs Are squeezing resorts and operators Are reaching out in new markets like families to Turylo stabilize the business. Since the Lute 1960s and 1970s, the number of ski areas has declined from 1,400 p about 600, said Jerry Jones executive vice president of he Vail colo., ski operation which become the largest ski resort in the country this year. The number of skiers grew at double digit rates during the 1970s, but the Rale Bas slowed sharply. In Colorado Over the last five years six resorts have gone out or business and up to half the 28 remaining areas Are thought to be struggling financially. Kalhe Dillmann of the National ski area association said the business is maturing after two decades or rapid growth and said no one expected it to keep up its double digit growth rate this is a business she said. This Cycle is not the Boom Cycle now but thai does t mean it s not healthy. All businesses go through that. We have to look for our Niche and see what the Market is  one of the biggest problems is attracting new skiers. In the 1960s and 1970s, the baby Boomers Gre with the Industry Jones said. Then the women started dropping out when they reached their 30s, and the men started dropping out when they reached their 40s. You just can t invent 17-year-old  As a result ski areas have become More Amity oriented. They provide child care ski programs Tor youngsters Sleigh rides and ice skating. Jones said there also is a trend toward specialize ski resorts resembling theme Parks you can already see this happening he said offering several examples from his Home slate. Steamboat Springs is a Western ski resort. Vail is a bavarian theme resort. Aspen is a victorian theme. Resort. 1 think you la see More specialization such Asa resort for the elderly or for beginners Only Jones said the loss of the smaller resorts is hurting the Industry. Vail recently leased the Broadmoor ski area near Colorado Springs when the City had Trou ble making it financially we re losing our farm team organization he said. These smaller ski areas in Iowa Michigan Illinois Idaho and so on arc closing their doors and eliminating the opportunities Tor the potential new skier to enter the sport.". The smaller resorts that arc isolated probably Wilt go out of business Jones said. The shakeout has already begun with up to 2i percent of the ski re sorts in the United Stales being offered Tor Sale be said. I Don t think there Are that Many buyers he said. Charles cock Der an assistant Dean at the univer sity of Colorado in Boulder who specializes in ski economics is More upbeat than the operators. Goeldner said the number of skiers is still at an All time High even though the rate of growth has slowed. He also noted an Echo of the baby Boom is beginning to emerge with 4 million births a year. Texans calling fowl on Date of 1st thanksgiving Elpaso Texas a Twenty three years before the pilgrims Sal Down o their famous of Turkey in 621, Span ish colonists held a thanksgiving ban Quet Offish and fowl along the Rio Gran de Texas historians say. The people in Massachusetts Are probably not going to like the idea said Sheldon Hall a Mayflower descendant und president of a group that claims the first thanksgiving was held april 30, 1598, South of Elpaso. The group plans to re create the Din Ner next april 30. It s going to create a lot of talk. It going to create a big historical correction he said. The reaction in Spain is going to be  Amateur and professional historian sin Elpaso members of the Mission Trail association Aren t trying to rewrite his tory but they want to pay the Early Span ish explorers and colonizers their due. Their efforts Are aided by the detailed records on the Jou racy by Juan do Onate who led a Joo member party from what is now Southern Chihuahua state mexi co to a resell Day Northern new Mexico near Santa be capt. Caspar Perez do Villagra chronicled the trip. It took the party of 130 men 270women and children and 7,000 head of cattle about iwo months to reach the Rio Grande and the Mountain pass it flows through that gives Elpaso its name. The last weeks were spent trekking through he vast chihuahuas desert Vil Lagra wrote and the expedition ran out of water five Days before reaching the River. The horses sufi Rcd most poor dumb brutes they were almost frantic with thirst and their eyes nearly bulged from their sockets Villagra wrote 12 years  the morning of the fifth Day with out water the party spoiled the River and Villagra wrote that men and horses alike plunged in and drank their fill. After 10 Days of Hunting fishing and recuperating Villagra wrote. We built a great Bonfire and roasted the meat and fish and then Alt Sal Down to a repast the like of which we had never enjoyed be fore. We were Happy that our trials were Over As Happy As were the passengers in the Ark when they saw the Dove return in with the Olive Branch in his Balc bringing tidings that the deluge had sub the colonists feasted on geese Duck Sand . . Timmons a historian at the University of Texas Elpaso notes hat Villagra s account docs not mention a thanksgiving mass but you know the had to do thankful for  it must have been rough going for those gals and those kids Timmons said and i think about those five Days without water before striking the River and t can understand they were saying Gracias a Dios " Timmons said he believes Onatz reached the Rio Grande is to 25 Miles South of present Day downtown Elpaso. The expedition stayed on the River s South Bank for about two weeks before continuing the journey finally settling near what is now Santa be. During that Lime Onatz took formal Possession of the lands draining into the Rio Grande. Hall and Timmons say some people might reject their Effort to credit Mai for the first thanksgiving because his feast was held on the South Bank of the Rio Grande and not in the present Day United slates but Timmons says the River later shifted its course southward in the area meaning the banquet did occur on . Soil. Even if that weren t the Caw organizers of the re enactment of the feast Hope to bring More attention to the Spanish explorers and colonists in the Southwest. All this happened before Jamestown was established Timmons said. We had a european civilization before England planted its colonics on the Eastern Seaboard Kinder swim jitters four youngsters in new Bedford mass stare dubiously at a Owca Pool which they find somewhat Nain Rilby despite � Witting instructor s plea to came on in the water s  the kids All 4 Yean old Are members of kindergarten Cuis for begin Nung swimmers fran left Are Andrew Fenandes Jennifer tier squid Michelle Ben Enlon and mat thew Benen Ldes. Holiday promotion disgusting to some. Denver a i. Gov. Mike Callihan served an All Colorado thanksgiving meal to a group of needy american indians from the Back of a Mayflower mov ing Van provoking protests from some indians who called the act  monday s meal a promotion for the lieutenant governor s always buy Colorado program feature Colorado grown Buffalo. Iamb and Rainbow Trout vegetables and Multi Gram Plains bread. Callihan said the event in front of the Capitol was thank you to the indians for providing food for America s first thanksgiving for the pilgrims 367 Yean ago. ". A " v but a quiet group of protesters from the american Indian movement stood near the moving Van that was provided by a local Mayflower moving company and passed out a statement to reporters that said the meal was   ". The plan to serve hungry members of the american Indian Community of Denver in Back of a Mayflower moving Van not Only cheapens one of the greatest expressions of sharing by indigenous people with euro peans but it also serves to exploit for commercial gain the most disadvantaged people in the United  methods would not and should not be tolerated by any other racial or ethnic group in this country the statement read. Homer Eagle Feather who was one of about a dozen indians who were served the meal said he did t can about the protest and thought the meal was very Nice and very  guests for the meal were selected by several Indian service organizations in the Denver area. Callihan who chairs the Colorado commission of Indian affairs had billed the dinner As thanksgiving on the Mayflower