
Hutton Broadcasting’s nine Four Corners radio stations are busy making the holidays brighter for their communities. In Cortez and Durango, Colorado, and Farmington, New Mexico, our dedicated teams are supporting everything from holiday light parades to Giving Tuesday and Colorado Gives Day. Here are a few of the community-oriented projects they are supporting for the 2023 holiday season after the very successfully wrapped up Stuff the Bus food drives in each city.
Cortez Festival of Wreaths and Parade of Lights
Hutton’s Cortez, Colorado, stations are brightening the holiday season by taking part in the Fourth Annual Festival of Wreaths and the 34th Annual Parade of Lights.

The Festival of Wreaths is a fundraiser for Community Connections programs and services that assist youths and adults with mental and developmental disabilities. Folks are encouraged to stop by the businesses that create and display wreaths, which are then bid on during an online auction. Shoppers can stop by participating businesses to get the Festival of Wreaths passports stamped, and vie for their share of $1,000 in Cortez Cash.
The Parade of Lights is always a holiday favorite, drawing spectators from across the region. The Four Corners Board of Realtors and Cortez Retail Enhancement Association sponsor the event that lights up historic downtown Cortez with holiday cheer, including a helicopter drop of Santa Claus! Kelly Turner broadcasts live from American Family Insurance-Wade Agency, handing out Christmas candy along with KRTZ swag.

Colorado Gives Day and Christmas Carol in Durango
KPTE and KKDG in Durango, Colorado, once again collected toys for the La Plata Family Centers Coalition with their annual Stuff the Truck Toy Drive on December 2. The demand is high with the local family center taking over the local Project Merry Christmas initiative in addition to the annual toy drive. More than 500 children in need of gifts for the holidays are signed up and organizers hope to have something for every one of them. The day ended with a truckload of toys for some lucky kids.
These stations also help facilitate charitable donations. Giving Tuesday is a national program to support nonprofits on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Colorado Gives Day takes place on December 5 in 2023 and focuses on giving to charities within the state.
Hutton’s Durango radio stations are strong promoters of both these events, helping solicit and coordinate donations in Southwest Colorado. They invite nonprofits to come by the station and highlight their programs as they make a pitch for donations. This important platform helps donors learn about organizations that they may not have considered supporting in the past. The Community Foundation serving Southwest Colorado serves as the fiscal sponsor for the program, funneling donations to various nonprofits. This year’s effort netted almost $675,000 for nonprofits in Southwest Colorado!
KRTZ in Cortez will be joining in with their own radiothon to help the cause next year.
Our four-legged friends are part of the holiday activities, too. In early December, the Breakfast Club on 92.9 The Point hosts the 12 Strays of Christmas. Using the power of radio and social media, the station tells listeners about featured dogs and cats at the La Plata County Humane Society that need new homes.

Durango is taking part in the Festival of Trees once again this year. This year’s Hutton Broadcasting tree and all of the other fabulous creations benefiting Community Connections are displayed at the Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum. Community members bid on the trees with proceeds benefiting Community Connections.
Durango is also home to Christmas Carol, A Radio Play. This popular on-air presentation helps bring the holiday season alive for listeners. The Fort Lewis College theater program and their very talented performers are putting on this performance for the second year due to popular demand. Each Hutton Broadcasting radio market in the Four Corners will be broadcasting this festive show just in time for the holidays.
But that’s not all that’s happening in Durango! Our own Jessi Kay participated in Fashion Fusion in November to support MakerLab, a community-led makerspace in Southwest Colorado dedicated to providing a collaborative workspace, tools, equipment and resources to makers and artists in the area. She walked the catwalk with her broadcast-themed recycled fashion design.
For some non-traditional holiday fun, 92.9 the Point hosts Drink Up Grinches: I Still Know What You Did Last Christmas! This annual holiday cocktail competition features world-class bartenders all competing for prizes, trophies, and, most importantly, the title of best holiday mixologist for the best festive libation creation.
Toys for Tots and More Brighten the Holidays in Farmington

The Farmington, New Mexico, stations are steeped in community holiday programs. They are big sponsors of the local Toys for Tots campaign, encouraging listeners to donate bikes, gift cards for teens, and other holiday gifts for young people. The Farmington stations also promote a program that solicits donations of new socks for the homeless.
On November 30, KISZ & KRWN participated in the annual Christmas Parade in Downtown Farmington. Thousands of people braved the freezing temperatures to say Merry Christmas and to see all of the sparkling lights of each of the parade entries.