What a difference one caring adult can make. Or, in the case of Big Brothers Big Sisters of La Plata County, the 32 avid fly fisherpeople who participated in the nonprofit’s 15th annual Durango Dos Mosca tournament Aug. 5 and 6.

(As a Spanish speaker, the name drives me crazy, because it’s translated literally from Durango Two Fly, but in Spanish it would always be Dos Moscas. This is a pre-emptive strike, because I know some fellow lover of Español will be sure I misspelled it!)

I have to start with the finale first, because it’s so impressive. Those 32 people raised a record gross of $65,000, with a net of almost $50,000 for the cause.

Originally founded by John Flick and Tom Knopick, the owners of Duranglers, the event has become something of a family affair. To honor their ongoing commitment and support, BBBS has founded an endowment in their names that will grow with 10 percent of Dos Mosca proceeds starting in 2012.

The organizers, guides and fisherpeople (yes, there were several fly fisherwomen) all know each other and have a fine time giving each other a hard time.

This year, Don Oliver served as game warden (chairman of the committee), with Big Fish Mike Bruce and Andy Roach as seconds in command. The other committee members were Sandy Bruce, Flick, Brad Hitti, Max Scholfield and Bruce Anderson.

The event draws people from as far away as California, Texas and New York. The rules are simple. Each fisherman and woman gets two flies each day for the two-day event, one dry and one wet (dry flies float on top of the water, wet ones go under). Lose both your flies, you’re done for the day.

One day, you fish the high country – this year, Hermosa, Cascade, Lime, Pine Tree, Cunningham and Mineral creeks and the La Plata River – the other at prime spots on the Animas River, including some pristine waters with permission of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.

People compete in teams of four, but they don’t fish with their teammates. The key to the fun is the guides. These guys work for a fraction of their normal fees during a weekend of their high season to support BBBS.

This year’s guides were Tony Myers, Frank Smethurst, Spence Schreiber, Oliver, Knopick, Rusty Hill, Josh Grounds, Jeremy Foose, Flick, Mark Engler, Joe Delling, Rob Coddington, Corky Corcorran, Cory Craven, Thomas Chacon and Nate Bronson.

Each team gets points for number and size of fish caught, with points added for those who raised $500 or more each, and points deducted for those who didn’t meet that threshhold.

The winning team was captained by Ryan Mickelson and included Jerome Gallegos, Tony Inda and Ty Churchwell, who earned a total of 1,381 points.

The second place team was led by Dave Temple and made up of Brad Miller, Doug Leming and Scott Bickert. They fished up 1,058 points. Temple, the only person who has fished all 15 years, had the bragging rights of the tournament with his 23-inch brown trout, and Leming had the largest brook trout, a 12-incher.

In third place, with 1,039 points, was the team led by Bill Hobson and included Pat Haney, Steve Goff and Andy Roach.

I had intended to stop there, but because the fourth-place team was edged out by two measly points, I think its members deserve some recognition, too.

They were led by BBBS board member Bill Brown and included Joe Bob McGuire, John Munn and Don Freemyer.

Sam Stites has a year to enjoy having caught the largest rainbow trout – 18 inches – and Jeff Parsons claimed the largest cutthroat trout, 13 inches.

The tournament isn’t all fishing. On Friday, they gathered for Serious Texas Bar-B-Q at the Bruces’ Ranch. On Saturday, they had a banquet and awards ceremony at the Vallecito Room at the Fort Lewis College Student Union, where Sodexo provided a delicious repast of pork loin and mushroom risotto.

Treasure Auction Service helped with the auction; Wolcott Insurance Services covered any liabilities; Blimpie Subs and Salads supplied lunch both days; Durango Brewing Co. provided cold brews at the end of hot days; and Durango Party Rentals set up the ranch for the barbecue.

Artist Rhonda Polsfut had created a work of art depicting one of the funniest episodes from a previous tournament. It featured the “one that got away,” still on the rod, with a fisherman chasing it down the river and losing his lunch out of his backpack in the process. Debbie Flick had the lucky ticket and got to take it home.

(She led the all-female team, with members Kristen Hilliard, Maggie Parsons and Cindy Leming.)

You can’t have fishermen without fish stories, and there were a couple of doozies. There was the catapult of Pat Haney like a “siege machine from the Middle Ages” into the river. His response? His friends in Washington are now going to require seat belts.

Debbie Flick lost a fly at about 11 a.m. one day and was looking for it when she found, well, not hers, but one just like it in a different color. Then there was the fish that, through a hilarious chain of events, ended up at the top of a pine tree. Let’s just say you had to be there.

All of this, of course, was for a very important cause, providing young people with an adult mentor to help them over some of the rough patches in life and have fun with them as well. BBBS has two programs, the community-based mentoring program, which served 118 young people last year, and the Study Connection program, which served 133 kids, where mentors help with homework once a week.

Both have shown remarkable success rates – 85 percent of kids said they had increased their desire to learn new things and 85 percent of parents and 79 percent of teachers reported an improvement in academic performance.

BBBS Executive Director Tracy Cornutt likened BBBS to M&Ms – the organization only need mentors and money to make a difference in kids’ lives. I’ll never look at those little candies the same way again.

Enjoying cotton candy and funnel cakes at the La Plata County Fair for their birthdays are Raiana Ollier, Eileen Stastny, Robert Griffith, Bob Pope, Mary Chapel, Nancy Peake, Walter Jackson, Rick Phillips, Natalie Serwe, Ed Dingledine, James Calvet, Emma Bryant, Jake Forsythe, Zach Holguin, Kim Johancen Walt, Adria Ottman, Garrett Krispin, Deana Lancaster, Isabel Bohachevsky and Summer Lynch.

Happy 92nd birthday to Jim Gore.

Habitat for Humanity of La Plata County is in high gear this summer. The organization broke ground on two new homes at Fox Farm Village in Bayfield in May, and the Rev. Jeff Huber of First United Methodist Church of Durango was on hand to bless the enterprise.

Crews from churches, service clubs and other groups have been helping the partner families get their new homes built. One of those crews was from Wells Fargo Bank and the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation, which has been a good friend to Habitat locally for the last 15 years. (Fifteen seems to be a theme in this column.)

This year, for the third year in a row, the bank and its foundation donated $15,000 locally, $5,000 of which will go to make the homes more environmentally friendly with features ranging from energy-efficient appliances to double-paned windows.

Bank staff and friends from High Noon Rotary Club also put in 100 hours of sweat equity on the homes. Led by Wells Fargo business banker Mike Field and home mortgage consultant David Fountain, High Nooners Dan Stalker, Mel Owen, Tom Brossia, Tom Galbraith and Cathy Crum built their hearts out.

This summer also marked the retirement of assistant ReStore manager Ross Worley, one of the friendly faces we’ve all gotten to know in his seven years with Habitat. Happy retirement, Ross.

The push is on to get the two partner families into their new digs before winter. Volunteers for Build Days are always needed. Call 382-9735 to learn how you can help.

Thanks to Executive Director Barbara Blundell for keeping me updated.

Habitat for Humanity is just one of the nonprofits that will enjoy the energy and enthusiasm of Up With People cast members, 100 young people from 21 different countries.

On Thursday, they will also be working with Trails 2000, Manna Soup Kitchen and the Boys and Girls Club of Durango.

They will also be performing two jamming sessions downtown, at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Durango Coffee Co., and 5:45 p.m. Thursday at the patio by Coldstone Creamery.

Then, of course, there are the two big performances, at 7 p.m. Friday and Aug. 20 at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. Tickets are $18 for adults and $14 for students/seniors/military personnel. They’re available by calling 247-5657 or visiting www.durangoconcerts.com.

In a world where the news often seems so grim, these bright young people really give us hope for the future.

In a remarkable instance of synergy, they’ll also be involved in a Big Brothers Big Sisters event on Aug. 20.

If you’ve been thinking about going to the Melodrama this summer and just haven’t gotten around to making your reservations, here’s the perfect opportunity.

Kris Ryall and Susie Ammann have organized an evening at the boo- and cheer-fest for Tuesday night. A portion of the ticket sales will go to the soon-to-open Mountain Middle School, and tickets are available at the special rate of $18.

Just call the Henry Strater Theatre Box Office at 375-7160 and mention the Ammann/Ryall deal.

July and August have been loaded with fundraisers big and small for MMS. I’ll have more in a future column.

Holding hands on the Ferris wheel at the La Plata County Fair for their anniversaries are Steve and Lou Hudson, Richard and Evelyn Black, Gary and Ginna Harbison, John and Sally Folk, Robert and Ruth Wagner and Fred and Elizabeth Whitehurst.

There were many people who weighed in on who I left out in my celebration of 25 years of Music in the Mountains on Aug. 6. I agree that Katherine and the late Jack Freiberger have been stalwart supporters, and it’s not just Morley Ballantine, but the whole Ballantine clan, who have helped keep the classical music festival going.

I never said it would be a definitive list – but I did make two inexcusable omissions. First, I forgot to include Jack Silton on the list of former presidents of the board. I had him in my handwritten notes, but somehow didn’t get him on the official in-the-newspaper list. Sorry, Jack.

And the festival is excellent in large part because the staff is and always has been superb. So here’s to all the coordinators and directors – Georg Ann Beauparlant, Cynthia Buono, Kay Ulwelling, LeeAnn Vallejos and the incomparable Susan Lander, who has led the organization since 2002. Joining her in organizing this year’s landmark festival were Julie Brown, communications manager; Angie Beach, education and marketing manager – not to be confused with her lovely predecessor, Anne Beach (no relation); Cory Jameson, accounting manager; Beth Lamberson, grants manager; Melinda Russial, education and festival assistant; Katie Smith, librarian; Steve Blaylock, stage manager extraordinaire; and Diann Wylie, schools liaison. (Happy retirement, Diann.)

There are many people who have been faithful donors, volunteers and concertgoers over the years – and the festival wouldn’t be what it is without all of you.

I’ll see you next year for a 26th season of wonderful music.

neighbors@durangoherald.com