On Friday, February 14th, Paonia's Paradise Theatre will host “Linda’s Valentine Extravaganza,” billed as “a night of singing, dancing, poetry and cabaret.” Doors open at 7 pm, the show follows at 8, and the dress code is “elegant and romantic.” It’s a benefit for Linda’s Bistro, a longtime fixture in Paonia’s downtown.
Constructed in the late1890s, the brick building that has been Linda’s Bistro for the past three decades has a definite presence on Third Street. Peeking through the windows, you catch the character of the place, with its punched tin ceiling, old bar, antique chairs and tables, lace, ribbons, lamps, beads, mirrors and fanciful figurines.
Outside, the bricks are crumbling — inside, the plumbing and electrical systems need an upgrade, as well as the kitchen. But the proprietor, Linda Little, now almost 80 years old, is going strong.
Linda had restaurants in other Colorado towns, but in the mid 1990s, she decided to move to Paonia. It was the building that convinced her.
“This building sat for three years,” said Linda. “I took one look at the ceilings, and I said, I’m home. And I bought it. Sold my other place in Redstone and said yes. And I’ve been here 30 years and it’s a dream.”
Dressed in a sparkly tee, flannel shirt and plaid cap for her interview, Linda is accompanied by her Girls — Reina, Olivia and Victoria are producing the Valentine’s Day event with her.
The three had a similar experience in becoming part of Linda’s circle. Victoria related her first meeting with Linda.
“She says, so do you dance, or sing? I said, I have some history of dancing. She just says, you’re hired. Then she brought me onboard as a bartender, even though I had no experience. She brought me on and showed me all the ropes, and she told me she would make me a star.”
And did that come to pass?
“I would honestly say so,” said Victoria. “We’ve kind of —in our own way, being Linda’s girls, it feels prestigious, in such a bizarre sense, I don’t know how to describe it, but I just feel so honored. We’ve gotten very close.”
The three young women are portrayed in a calendar featuring all of Linda’s Girls. The calendar runs from Valentine’s Day 2025 to Valentine’s Day 2026, and will be available at the event.
The Girls previewed the show, each offering a different aspect of the upcoming event.
“It is a traditional vaudeville style show, so it’s a bunch of smaller acts. And there is a thread that runs throughout, I don’t want to spoil too much. We have a lot of talented ladies who are part of it, including the three of us, and we’re all doing some stuff with each other, by our selves. It’s going to be — the word that Linda keeps saying is “extravaganza” over and over again. So that’s what I put on the poster,” said Reina.
And will the show include the costumes that Linda keeps in the famous backroom? The girls chime in.
“Oh yes, she’s dressed all of us. That’s also one of her biggest passions, fashion and dressing her girls. That was her biggest input with the show, the fashion,”
“And you’re going to be seeing a Linda-designed outfit multiple times on each of the Girls, just jewelry, shoes, the dresses.”
“We have a few different themes we’ll be weaving into throughout the night so we’ll kind of be shifting around. That’s all I’ll say.”
“Probably our oldest clothes are from the late 1800s and then moving up to the early 1900s, through the 80s. 90s as well, she loves the slips and the combat boot kind of look.”
