A six-week senior dog class will begin Oct. 1.

The class will be taught by Marianne McClain, a certified veterinary technician and certified canine rehabilitation practitioner. McClain also is nationally certified in canine massage and acupressure.

The class is intended to keep senior dogs fit through the colder months, prevent muscle atrophy and keep arthritis at bay. Specific massage techniques and exercises will be taught that owners can do at home to maintain a fitness schedule using their own environment. The class is structured for dogs older than 7, but any dog with decreased mobility is welcome. Individual sessions also are available. The class is sponsored by Riverview Animal Hospital and has been approved by the veterinarians there.

For more information, call 247-8548 or 903-8548.

Rock art researcher to present lecture

Rock-art researcher David Lee will explore how people can learn from the past to help build a better future at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Far View Lodge in Mesa Verde National Park.

Lee is a rock art researcher, author and lecturer focusing on the function and context of rock art in the Great Basin and Mojave Desert, and the ethnography of Australian rock art.

For more information, visit www.mesaverde.org/four-corners-lecture-series.

Kiwanis Club to meet Thursday

The Kiwanis Club of Durango will welcome Bob Griffith at noon Thursday at the Durango Community Recreation Center, 2700 Main Ave.

Griffith will speak about the trend of American anti intellectualism. He has an extensive background in broadcasting, where he had a successful career in the Los Angeles area – a position which has given him a great insight on the American culture and its changes. Guests are welcome.

Outlier communities to be discussed

A lecture titled “Chaco Hillbillies: Outlier Great House Communities and Roads in Southeast Utah” will take place at 7 p.m. Friday at the visitor center at Aztec Ruins located on Ruins Road in Aztec, New Mexico.

Since 1983, when Steve Lekson identified the Bluff Cemetery ruin as a Chacoan outlier, many miles of ancient roads and dozens of definite and possible great house communities have been identified in southeast Utah. Winston Hurst’s talk will describe several of those communities and their associated roads, discuss their variability and compare them briefly to their more robust “cousins” in New Mexico and Colorado.

For more information, call (505) 334-6174 or follow Aztec Ruins on Facebook.

Animas Museum to offer free admission

The Animas Museum, 3065 W. Second Ave., will open its doors free of charge on Saturday as part of Smithsonian magazine’s 11th annual Museum Day Live!

Museum Day Live! tickets are available at Smithsonian.com/museumday. Visitors who present a Museum Day Live! ticket will gain free entrance for two at participating venues for one day only. One ticket, per household, per email address is permitted. A full list of participating museums can be found on the Museum Day website.

For more information, call 259-2402.

Health Coalition raises funds at flea market

Breast Cancer Awareness Month takes place in October and the Women’s Health Coalition of Southwest Colorado will raise funds for area residents in cancer treatment from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Durango Flea Market at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.

Items will include furniture, dishes, clothes, little treasures and more. In the last seven years the Health Coalition has given hope with gas cards and small grants to hundreds of local cancer patients.

Maria’s celebrates Banned Books week

Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave., will celebrate the freedom to read during Banned Books Week 2015, which will be held from Sunday to Oct. 3.

Maria’s Bookshop invites community members to participate in the Read-Out, open to participation each day during Banned Books Week. Readings will take place outside the front entrance of the bookshop. Maria’s Bookshop will have numerous books to select from for readings, each approximately 5-10 minutes. Participants are invited to reserve a time slot by signing up at the front desk; otherwise volunteers will be embraced as a first-to-arrive, first-to-read opportunity.

The top 10 most frequently challenged books of last year are listed at www.bannedbooksweek.org/about. In 2015, Banned Books Week focuses attention on Young Adult titles; every year Young Adult books dominate the list of titles most frequently challenged.

Visit www.bookweb.org/abfe/banned-books-week or www.ala.org/bbooks for more information.

Herald Staff