Ask any Dolores resident to describe the now 100-year-old town, and that person will invariably use the words "friendly" and "laid-back." The town’s approximately 1,000 residents may range from progressive hippies to snowbirds to third-generation locals, but they all profess a love for its charm.

Justin Vasterling, a self-proclaimed on-again, off-again resident, moved from southern California to Dolores two years ago.

"I fell in love with the unpaved streets, the rabid foxes, and the leashless dogs," said Vasterling. He currently "slings mud" at the Dolores Bookstore and Coffeehouse where residents can gather to re-caffeinate, gossip, and peruse volumes.

Vasterling said that when he first arrived in Dolores, he was particularly impressed that the coffeehouse was owned by the ex-sheriff and current judge, and its only employee was the mayor.

His Southern California connection has had its disadvantages, however. Vasterling says he pays $10 in Halloween insurance each year to keep local children from egging his Orange County license plate, while locals said the going rate for them is usually $2.

Celebrating the glories of small-town living will draw locals and tourists alike to celebrate the Dolores Centennial on July 8.

The celebratory events kick off with a parade at 10 a.m., and will include a car show, sports tournaments, live music, a barbecue, fireworks, and much more. The barbecue dinner will be held Saturday at the Dolores Town Hall, 420 Central Ave., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $6.50 for adults and $3.75 for children.

Shirley Dennison, secretary of the Galloping Goose Historical Society and the editor of the Dolores Star, will be leading historical tours of the town. She explained that the Dolores community first began when the railhead was established in 1891, and the Big Bend businessmen moved their town two miles east to Dolores.

Dolores’ history is full of interesting western lore. Cattlemen settled the area in 1864 and 1865, and agriculture is still an important part of the local economy.

The Dolores river flooded the town on October 5, 1911. Dennison said the townspeople were warned by the Telluride telegrapher before it came, but ignored his warnings because he said that God had told him that the flood was coming. In the middle of the night, the men gathered up the women and children to take them to safety, and then went back down to rescue the whiskey from the bars.

One of those bars is now the only full-time drinking establishment in town. Established in 1901, the original ceiling of the Hollywood bar sports bullet holes and a century’s worth of patrons’ nicotine. Mike Wallace, a Hollywood bartender, said that the bar has gained an international reputation for its history and western decor.

Dennison said the 1911 flood permanently changed the course of the Dolores river. It used to run up the north side of the valley to what is now Nielsons Construction, but after the flood the Bureau of Reclamation diverted it across Railroad Avenue to its present location where it flows into McPhee reservoir.

One of the town’s main attractions is the Galloping Goose museum and gift shop. The Galloping Goose train car prototype was built in 1931. The car outside the Galloping Goose museum and historical society is an exact replica of the No. 5, and was restored in 1995 with a grant from the Colorado Historical Society. It held 28 passengers on its trip from Ridgeway to Durango, and the historical society still fires it up for runs in Durango and outside of the museum.

In 1953 the railroad went out of business, and the tracks were taken up. Dennison said Dolores slid from its position as the county’s business hub when the oil boom hit in that decade and Cortez started to develop.

In 1984 the McPhee dam was finished, creating McPhee Reservoir, the second largest reservoir in Colorado. McPhee supplies irrigation water to the area’s farmers and ranchers and is a prime spot for recreation.

Small businesses still flourish in the town, which has no Wal-Mart or chain restaurants. The shops on Fourth Street sell products ranging from original artwork to specialty herbs.

"People still like to come in a little store and poke around," said Camille Beckman, co-owner of the Ginger Jar which supports more than 100 artists.

The Herbal Body Shoppe is owned by Rosanne Nicks who carries organic herbs, spices, and teas. She said that one woman came by this year who walked through the shops and commented, "It’s like a little elite mini-mall."

Megan Garcia, a multi-media artist and owner the Women’s Lodge Gallery, said that she lives in Dolores because she refuses to live anywhere that has a traffic light.