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Doggie DJs: Radio Free Minturn’s new president invites canines into the studio

DJ Louie Louie, an 8-year-old blue heeler, at the Radio Free Minturn studio in EagleVail.
Courtesy image

Radio Free Minturn has installed a new board president, and she’s throwing the station to the dogs.

Longtime Minturn resident Jean Larie took the reins from former board president Elliot Hill in September, and one of her first ideas as new president was to carry out a real-life version of a graphic the station has been using for the last decade or so — a smiling dog wearing headphones.

Larie is inviting dog owners into the studio with their best friends to have their photos taken at the DJ booth as her first idea for a station fundraiser. She said she got the idea when she saw a picture of dogs on a chairlift.



“I thought people in the community might think it’s cute, seeing their dogs at the DJ booth in front of the microphone with the headphones on,” she said. “So we’re inviting them into the studio from now until December 10.”

Larie is a musician who has released three albums; she composed all the songs herself on her guitar and wrote the lyrics, as well, recording the albums in Minturn at Mintown Studios. She also hosts a weekly radio show on 107.9 FM Radio Free Minturn, where she says she plays “a little of this, a little of that,” which also happens to be the title of one of her albums. Her show is called “The good stuff for lunch,” and she plays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Tuesday.

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When Hill moved to New Orleans last month, stepping down from his role as board president (a position he held for four years) Larie was elected to lead the station. She says she first became involved with Radio Free Minturn in 2018 but her son was a former DJ some 15 years ago.

“I always liked that they played unusual music, stuff that you wouldn’t hear on regular radio stations,” she said.

Now as board president, Larie says she’s looking to get more volunteer DJs from the community to host radio shows, something that’s only available to the small number of towns that have community-run nonprofit radio stations.

Radio Free Minturn is inviting dogs into the studio to get their pictures taken at the DJ booth. The station is located at 41184 Highway 6 in EagleVail.
Courtesy image

“It’s really a special thing,” Larie said. “But we also need to raise funds to keep it alive.”

She said the doggie DJ promotion doubles as a fundraiser, as most of the people who bring their dogs into the studio are also willing to make a donation. She says she suggests a donation of $40.

Jean Larie works the controls in the booth at Radio Free Minturn studio Monday in EagleVail.
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily

When the giving period for Colorado Gives Day begins on Nov. 1, Radio Free Minturn will offer any nonprofit in the valley a chance to run a promotion on the station in an effort to garner donations. And the volunteers who keep those nonprofits going are welcome to bring their dogs into the studio for a photo, as well.

This year’s Colorado Gives Day will be Dec. 10, but any donation made during the Nov. 1 to Dec. 10 donation period will be boosted by the more than $1 million incentive fund associated with the event. The Colorado Gives Foundation boasts that it has one of the largest incentive funds in the country.

DJ Contessa, a 4-year old golden retriever, at the Radio Free Minturn studios in EagleVail.
Courtesy image

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