Legacy of Colorful Characters and Good Times Relived at T-Bird

“The Party Is Over”

Rick Langenberg

With the divisions ripping our friendly abode apart at times, the recent celebration of the life of Butch Graham served as a welcome relief.

And what a party, with the gathering at the acclaimed Thunderbird attracting a massive crowd, including the finest of the Florissant, Divide and Woodland Park area. In some ways, it turned into a massive community celebration, and one aptly described on Facebook as “The Party Is Over.” (No Way).

Sadly, Teller County lost yet another one of its favorite colorful characters, with the passing of Butch Graham, well-known throughout the county.  With the graying of Teller County, we are losing folks regarded as outright characters, who also thrive as great storytellers.  In fact, Teller abounds with some of the best scenery in the state, but what really stands out the most are the people, and Butch Graham was one of the finest.

The stories of Butch are infamous. I knew Butch mostly for his zest for golf, Sooner and Broncos football, and more importantly, bringing people together, and yes, having a good time.

While John Daly, the bad boy of the PGA and now Senior Golf tours, may have set the record for the most vodkas consumed on the golf course, Butch got top accolades for drinking the most beers on the links, (and what I recently discovered were Coors specials). Butch, though, contended it was a crucial part of his golf swing technique.

The beer consumption feat reportedly occurred at the Four Mile Golf Course in Canon City and even had the course staff rooting him on, making a special visit to Butch on the final hole, noting that their previous on-the-course beer record was getting shattered. Won’t you just have one more, we need to get in the record books? We won’t reveal the number, but it was probably worthy of a Tucker Carlson podcast interview, similar to the one he did with Daly recently. Of course, with Butch, many stories take on a life of their own and always took on a slight Oklahoma twist.

The Jan. 11 tribute to Butch brought 100-plus people together.  For several hours, political talk was completely off-limits as the entire place was abuzz with Butch stories that could go on for hours. However, despite Butch’s renowned fun spirit, he was quite an entrepreneur and knew how to start and run a business. His work with Factory Direct Flooring and Cabinets was pretty impressive, and the stories of his time with “Butch’s Stone Pony” bar are legendary.

On a very sad note, though, we are just losing too many folks that make this place unique.  Maybe as we age, we notice this trend more. Even TMJ has been impacted by this aging scenario, losing at least three illustrious figures in the last few years, including a publisher, columnists and a distribution director. Moreover, they all were larger than life figures and weren’t lacking in stories. We lost one person recently who could tell in-person stories about California’s Summer of Love and mingling with the likes of Janis Joplin and Grace Slick, the former iconic singer for the Jefferson Airplane, and famous authors and politicians at the time.  Very sad.

That is why these special tributes are so important.

Special thanks to Butch’s family for their hospitality, not to mention the great people at the T-Bird.  Nearly every attendee was moved by the occasion and the celebratory atmosphere.  It sure beat any discourse regarding local, state and national politics.

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Speaking of politics, already 2025 year appears off to a rough start.  The state legislature is back to their anti-rural stance, and we will have no shortage of hot topics. Stay tuned as the going could get rough, especially if things get serious about online gaming and more competitive threats for Cripple Creek. State leaders have made it clear they are no friends of the gaming industry and Teller County.

One of these days, we may get a governor who actually likes Teller County. Whether it is Republicans or Democrats hanging out at the Governor’s Manion, they might as well hang a sign, “I Hate Teller County.” I have never been impressed with our assortment of governors in

The presidential election is over, but some key votes will occur locally this year. And housing is a sizzling hot topic.

If you have some free time, check out Wednesday’s meeting, organized by the Gold Camp Housing Partners group, in Cripple Creek.  For once, something may actually happen in the housing arena, other than just another study.  Please, please no more studies