This Saturday’s topic: Games. A good game–whether it’s a pro football playoff, or a family showdown on the kitchen table–can make you feel, at least for a little while, like your whole life hangs in the balance. This hour of Radiolab, hosts Jad and Robert wonder why we get so invested in something so trivial. What is it about games that make them feel so pivotal?

The Categories:

The “Best Magpie Bait” Award  for Sparkliest, Shiniest Boots.

The “Most Artfully Deconstructed” Award for the Best Looking Broken in Boots

The “Made For Walkin’” Award for the Boots Most Likely to Have been Stolen from Nancy Sinatra’s Closet

The “Least Safe For Dancing” Award for the Highest Heel (or possibly the most falling-apart boot)

The “Rodeo Clown” Award for Most Loud and Colorful Boots

The “True Grit” Award for the Toughest Looking Boots

The “Marfa Lights” Award for Boots Most Likely to be Worn by Aliens or Time-Traveling West Texans

The “Hoe-Downton Abbey” Award for the Boots Best Fit for High Society

The “Wishful Thinking” Award for the Boots Most Likely to Withstand a Rainstorm

The “Furthest From Skirt” Award for The Shortest Boots (or Tiniest Skirt!)

From these winners, our Mystery Judges will pick the Best Boots In The Barn winner.

You are cordially invited to join us on
Saturday May 12, 2012 for a fun-filled evening of Music, Dance, Food & Art at the Sproul Ranch nestled in the Davis Mountains.

FEEL THE LOVE – BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE

The Evening:

5:30 PM
Enjoy Cocktails & Appetizers under West Texas skies at the Sproul Ranch. Wander through a unique selection of Art by local artists — all 5×5 inch and specially priced at $93.50 each.

7:00 PM
Relax on the lower terrace to a full course Gourmet Dinner provided by Dickerson’s Catering of Las Cruces.

8:00 PM
Kick it up a notch at the Barn Dance with music from Fort Davis native son Doug Moreland & his western swing band. Wear your favorite pair of boots and enter the competition for the Best Boots in the whole darn barn!

9:35 PM
Get in on the Live Auction of a custom-made pair of boots by Marfa bootmaker Colt Miller of Cobra Rock Boot Co. And then stick around so we can dance the night away!

and don’t forget to wear your best boots!

Accommodations available on the ranch and in town. Call 432-426-2500 for reservations.

Tickets: Please reserve your place at this much anticipated event online or calling us at 432-729-4578 with a credit card. We do hope you’ll join us! Tickets are $125 per person and all proceeds benefit Marfa Public Radio. Ticket buyers will be on a list at the entrance to the event.

Directions: From the town of Fort Davis, go north on Highway 118 for approximately 5 miles. Turn right on Sproul Road (look for a green county road sign that says “Sproul Road” immediately before the Prude Ranch entrance). Also look for the “H.E. Sproul Ranch & Harvard Lodge” sign. Then travel approximately 2 ½ miles north, crossing the cattle guard, (stay straight on Sproul Road) until you see a large rock entrance gate that says Sproul Ranches. Go through this entrance and then take an immediate left through the “Harvard Lodge” gate and you have arrived! Drive towards the buildings and keep to the right to find the Harvard Suites. Please be aware that Sproul Road is a county maintained gravel road. Call in advance if you have a delicate vehicle.

Click map for detailed view.

Menu: The evening’s gourmet meal includes Mesquite smoked flank steak with roasted red pepper tapenade, Chicken Jerusleum in a mushroom and artichoke sauce, and a vegetable pasta with Dickerson Catering’s signature Green Chile Alfredo Sauce. Sides include petite baby carrots and green chili mashed potatoes. Dinner begins with two different salads, a Spring Mix with dried cranberries, blue berries, feta cheese topped with Prickly Pear Vinaigrette, and a Fruit Salad of Fresh blackberries, blueberries, strawberries toasted in a homemade dressing. An assorted dessert buffet will also be available.

Sponsors: KRTS would like to thank our generous sponsors of this event: John Anderson, Stuart and Helen Crane, Cobra Rock Boot Company, Dick & Janie DeGuerin, David Fannin, Okey & Kathy Johnson, Roseland Klein, James & Tammy King, Ron Sommers & Charles Mary Kubricht, Madge Lindsay, Jimi & Connie Lowrey, Bobby & Lynda McKnight, Ginger Reeder, Liz Rogers, Stone Village Tourist Camp, Eugene Sepulveda and Steven Tomlinson, Tito’s Vodka, and Katherine Woods. And special thanks to all the artists who donated to the art show!

During the fire, no structures have been destroyed and currently no evacuations are in effect. On Sunday firefighters were patrolling and monitoring the control lines in addition to putting in contingency lines on the Livermore Ranch fire.  An engine crew was dispatched early yesterday morning to address a couple of hot spots identified in the infrared overflight at Spring Mountain.  Firefighters are also patrolling and mopping up along that fireline.  Structure protection will remain in place in the Davis Mountain Resort area as usual by the Davis Mountain Resort Fire Department.

Resources assigned to the Livermore Ranch Complex included hand crews, helicopters, engines, dozers and a Type 1 incident management team.

Today KRTS begins the 3-month airing of the new season of Radiolab at 3 PM. On this weeks show, “Talking to Machines.” What can machines tell us about being human? This hour of Radiolab, hosts Jad and Robert meet humans and robots who are trying to connect, and blur the line.

Also, the first Saturday of every month at 6 PM, KRTS features The Spark. Grammy-nominated singer songwriter Tift Merrit hosts the program, and her guest on Saturday is composer Richard Einhorn. Richard Einhorn’s unique music has been described as “hauntingly beautiful,” “sensational,” and “overwhelming in its emotional power.” He has become one of a small handful of living composers who not only reaches a large worldwide audience but whose music receives widespread critical praise for its integrity, emotional depth, and craft. Visit The Spark’s website here.

And then tune in for Joe Nick Patoski‘s Cinco de Mayo edition of the Texas Music Hour of Power from 7-9 PM. The Texas historian and music writer hosts a mix of Texas tunes that’ll make the perfect soundtrack for your Saturday night.

Weekend forecast: Sunny morning then becoming mostly cloudy in the afternoon.  Chance of rain near 5%. Temperatures expected to be high of 85 and low of 49, with relative humidity at 6%. Winds expected to be 3-5 mph in the valley and 6-8 mph on the ridgetop.  The long-term forecast shows the possibility of scattered showers and thunderstorms possible Monday afternoon through Wednesday.

According to the most recent update from the Texas Forest Service, The Livermore Ranch Fire is now 50% contained.

Yesterday was a successful day for firefighters. Fourteen hand crews were successful in completing control lines around the Livermore Ranch Fire yesterday. At 7pm Thursday evening Judge Grubb lifted the evacuation order for Davis Mountain Resort residents. However, drivers in this area need to be cautious and aware of heavier traffic than usual from large fire management vehicles and drive with lights on as dust is hindering visibility in this area. No structures have been destroyed. All control lines are in place and structure protection teams will remain on standby in this community.

“We are extremely pleased to have this line in place and are now focused at holding the control lines and continuing to ensure structure protection and the safety of our team in the field,” said Tony Wilder, Incident Commander of the Southern Area Red team.

Firefighters returned to the fire lines this morning to hold the control lines in place and monitor hotspots identified in early morning infrared over flights. The Spring Mountain Fire remains lightly staffed and did not move outside its boundary yesterday. Crews continue mop-up operations on both fires.

Resources assigned to the Livermore Ranch Complex include hand crews, helicopters, engines, dozers and a Type 1 incident management team. Small and large airtankers are available for response. Approximately 530 personnel from 29 states are currently assigned to the Livermore Ranch Complex Fire. Protecting structures and ensuring safety is a  priority for those assigned to the fire. In addition, ongoing support from the Texas Dept. of Transportation, Dept. of Public Safety, and Division of Emergency Management has been critical in the continued success of this operation.

The state of Texas asked FEMA for funds to fight the West Texas wildfires, and FEMA approved the funding. Up to three-quarters of eligible state and local costs for fighting the Livermore Ranch Complex can be reimbursed by the federal government.

On this weeks show, “Talking to Machines.” What can machines tell us about being human? This hour of Radiolab, hosts Jad and Robert meet humans and robots who are trying to connect, and blur the line. They talk to the world’s most advanced robot, meet a man who fell in love with a chatbot, and argue with the inventor of Furby over whether a toy can ever really be “alive.”