by Mark Smiley | Sep 25, 2017 | Glendale City News
by John Arthur
Writer for and on behalf of the City of Glendale
Glendale’s Infinity Park, home to the city’s Raptors and Merlins rugby teams, has a longstanding history of positively engaging local communities. In the late-August days leading to Infinity Park’s annual RugbyTown Sevens tournament, that tradition of outreach was further strengthened. With organizational help from Infinity Park hosts, Armed Forces teams participating in the tournament paid visits to Children’s Hospital Colorado, putting smiles on faces young and old, and demonstrating the alignment of outreach and inclusion indicative of rugby’s values and those of military service.
Founded in 1908, Children’s Hospital Colorado has been providing outstanding pediatric care for over a century. The private, not-for-profit provider is affiliated with the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and is ranked as a best national children’s hospital by U.S. News & World Report. With both national and international Armed Forces teams visiting in the week leading up to the RugbyTown Sevens tournament, patients and their families experienced firsthand the compassion and character definitive of rugby athletes.
Dacoda Worth, a rookie playing for the Army Rugby 7s team, reflected on his first appearance at the tournament, and in participating in community outreach: “Through rugby, and the military in general, the best feeling is giving back. That’s what we’re doing every day through our service, and giving back here, visiting these kids, as a rugby player and a serviceman is really rewarding.”
RugbyTown Sevens, an annual Glendale tournament attracting teams from across the globe and producing competition at the highest level, served as backdrop for the visits to Children’s Hospital. Representatives from the U.S. Marines, Army, Navy, and Coast Guard teams, as well as from the British Royal Air Force participated in the visits.
Rob Bell, making his second appearance at
the RugbyTown tournament with the Royal Air Force team, quipped that the hospital visit was an important aspect of the experience, and that there was more to the tournament, and rugby, than just the competition: “If you look at rugby in America, it’s grown and grown. With the military teams all coming to the hospital and interacting with the kids, it sends a really positive message. We’re here to engage with the local community — not just to play. It’s very important.” Bell went on to note the similarities between the values inherent in rugby as a sport and those of military service: “Rugby aligns with military values: respect, integrity, service, friendship, ethics, and camaraderie. There’s a massive crossover with the values of rugby. Outreach like this helps us demonstrate that to the public in a way that’s meaningful.”
Rugby’s character-driven ethos, explained by Bell, assures there is more to the sport than competition. But in addition to the military team visits, the weekend did see a great deal of high-level Sevens play. Newcomers to the tournament, Fiji SAVU Water, also known as the Viti Barbarians, walked away overall tournament champions, winners of the RT7s Cup, and with the $10,000 tournament purse that title guaranteed. Members of the visiting Fijian team had previously participated on the gold-medal-winning Fiji national team at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Another fan favorite, the U.S. Army team won the military championship in decisive form, earning that distinction for the fifth year running. Competing for the first time under the new Merlins moniker, the hometown team struggled. Moving forward from the tournament, team focus shifted to the then upcoming 15s season, which kicked off the first weekend of September. Notably, the home opener underscored celebrations of Infinity Park’s 10th anniversary as a Glendale focal point.
The excitement of world-class competition didn’t take away from the importance of the team visits to Children’s Hospital, however. Eric Geckas, playing for the U.S. Coast Guard team in his fourth appearance at the tournament, likened the feelings of military service and community outreach to rugby play: “Coast Guard boat crews and flight crews operate in a lot of the same ways the rugby team does on the field. We joined out of pride. To serve. Combining those feelings with sport, and then with our ability to improve the lives of people in a difficult situation — that’s what it’s all about.” Sentiments like Geckas’ were shared by all of the participating team members and coaches.
Head coach of the All-Navy 7s team, Koma Gandy Fischbein described the hospital visit as an emissary of the sport: “We recognize and embrace that we are both ambassadors of the U.S. Navy and the sport of rugby. We welcomed the opportuni
ty to inspire, and be inspired by, these brave children and their families. Outreach is an essential part of being a whole athlete; within the rugby community and especially the Armed Forces, giving back and making an impact is part of who we are. It’s a part of why we serve and why we play this sport.” As the compassion and character embodied by both rugby players and military service members was shown in August, it seems likely the sport has at least a few new young fans.
by Mark Smiley | Sep 25, 2017 | General Featured
by Julie Hayden
The little boy was just seven years old when he was brought to the Tennyson Center in Denver. It’s a refuge of last resort for children who have been abused, neglected or traumatized. Tennyson Center CEO Ned Breslin says this boy had been removed from the place he and his heroin-addicted mother had been staying. “His mother was bringing men to the apartment who paid her for sex and she then spent the money on heroin, not her son,” Breslin says. The boy was scared, significantly underweight and malnourished. Fortunately, teachers noticed he had “disappeared” from school and contacted authorities that stepped in. Breslin says the tragedy is, this boy’s story is becoming far too common in Colorado.
Like the rest of the nation, heroin and opioid abuse is skyrocketing in Colorado. Colorado Health Department statistics show 2016 saw a record number of opioid overdose deaths in Colorado — 912 people. That far surpasses the 600 people who died in traffic accidents.
There’s been a lot of talk and task forces focused on adults and the opioid crisis. But Breslin says children are the unseen and forgotten casualties of the opioid crisis. “The kids fall through the cracks.”
The Tennyson Center, founded in 1904, has a mission of empowering children who have experienced abuse, neglect and trauma to bravely and safely change their life’s story. It helps 200-300 local children and families each month. Breslin says, “We’re seeing a real disintegration of families. We’re seeing a real pressure from the opioid and drug epidemic that is ravishing our country and our state.”
The statistics are both staggering and heartbreaking. Breslin notes, “There’s been an 81% increase in the number of kids taken out of their homes over the last two years in Denver alone. And there’s been a 70% increase in abuse and neglect investigations in Denver.” Much of that is fueled by the opioid crisis. Breslin says, “The whole child welfare system is buckling under the pressure.”
Programs like the Tennyson Center are struggling to handle what he calls “the flood” of kids coming into the system. “We are seeing at Tennyson kids being taken from their homes who have been pimped out to pay for their parents’ drug habits. We are seeing kids who are 20-30 pounds underweight because their parents choose drugs over feeding their children. It’s a
real problem.”
Tennyson Center, like other similar organizations, is at capacity and searching for ways to fill the growing need. Breslin describes their developing “No Kid Waits” program. “When you have a family and children in crisis it just doesn’t work when you have to tell them you’ll put them on a week-long waiting list. The crisis just gets worse. We have to find ways to get immediate help to these kids.”
The need for help is obvious but how to help is not so clear. Breslin explains it’s difficult enough to work with the kids who have been abused and/or neglected by an opioid addicted parent. But he says you also have to deal with the separation issue. “Mom is going through detox, the legal situation, but at the same time the kids miss her and want to reunite. The path to get kids stabilized and then back with their families is not very clear or easy to navigate.”
“If we can sit back as a society and say what should we really invest in — kids who are in this situation, how can we invest so there are better outcomes. We don’t need more money, we need to move in different ways,” Breslin asserts.
“We just have to realize all the stuff you’re seeing on the surface of the drug abuse and parents in crisis is true and we have to do something about it because we can’t forget the kids.”
by Mark Smiley | Sep 25, 2017 | Feature Story Bottom Left
Eeeeek, Mommy’s Little Pumpkins Are Carving Out Groovy, Ghostly, Ghoulish Holiday Fun
There are many tales of ghosts and demons in Denver — especially in certain city parks — but it is the paranormal at local cemeteries that spook people most. On occasion locals claim to hear footsteps. And voices! “Is this hell?” the voice asks. Such reports are why the Mile High City deserves a spot among America’s great Halloween towns.
From Dracula at the Ellie to the Pumpkin Harvest Festival at Four Mile Park there are many amazing Halloween festivities for families to choose. You’ll find pumpkin beer on tap, late-night shows plus an assortment of low-key, kid-friendly events with costume competitions.
Here’s the Chronicle’s roundup of events to let you go batty this Halloween:
Kids Activities
Denver Zoo
The annual Boo at the Zoo, Oct. 29-30 offers more than 20 trick-or-treat stations, creepy crawly animal demonstrations and exciting family-friendly entertainment under the canopy of Denver Zoo’s fall foliage. Activities are free with zoo admission. Boo After Dark offers visitors a nighttime trick-or-treating experience. Information: 720-337-1400.
Four Mile Park
Celebrate the arrival of autumn with old-fashioned fun at the annual Pumpkin Harvest Festival at the park Oct. 7-8, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Build your own scarecrow, select your favorite pumpkin from the patch, and tour the park in a horse-drawn wagon. Explore how 19th-century Coloradans lived and prepared for the season, with historic demonstrations and tours of the Four Mile House Museum. Try your luck at county fair games, and enjoy delicious treats from the beer garden and local food trucks. Information: 720-865-0800.
Denver Botanic Gardens
For Halloween, the Gardens on York St. will light up at night with Glow at the Gardens, Oct. 18-19 and 25-26. Jack-o’-lanterns and luminaria-lined pathways, LED circus performers, scavenger hunts, costume contests plus fall-themed activities will be fun for all. Evenings will include free face painting until 8 p.m. Come for the pumpkins and stay for dinner and hot beverages at the Offshoots Café. Information: 720-865-3500.
Denver Children’s Museum
For three days Trick or Treat Street is hosting costumed kids and adults for a wonderland of fun, Oct. 28-30. Families can march from one Treat House to the next on the Marsico Campus and collect goodies, create Halloween crafts and play carnival games. It’s the ultimate safe Halloween adventure. Information: 303-433-7444.
Elitch Gardens
On weekends, once the sun goes down through Oct. 29 the theme park is transformed to Fright Fest, a scream park. During the day, little ones squeal in glee over the free candy on the Trick or Treat Trail. At night, haunted creatures lurk around every corner. Free with regular admission. Information: 303-595-4386.
Colorado Railroad Museum
It’s full steam ahead for tricks, treats and trains on the Trick or Treat Train, Oct. 28-29. The Railroad Halloween Town is a safe place to enjoy trick or treating. Catch a ride behind a historic Denver & Rio Grande Steam Locomotive in vintage passenger cars hosted by conductors and engineers in full costume. Information: 303-279-4591.
Eek-A-Boo Bashes
Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Colorado Ballet opens its season with the Halloween-favorite Dracula, October 6-15, at the Ellie with music performed live by the Colorado Ballet Orchestra. “I encourage you to stock up on garlic and sink your teeth into this ballet full of terrifying excitement,” says Artistic Director Gil Boggs. Dracula tells the story of Jonathan Harker, who travels to Transylvania to do business with the infamous Count Dracula. Dracula becomes enamored with Harker’s fiancée Mina and travels to England to pursue her. The men follow Dracula into a crypt to stop him. Only daylight and a stake through his heart can stop him from taking Mina as his own. Information: 303-837-8888.
Molly Brown House Museum
Take a literary journey of Victorian Horrors with renowned authors like Poe, Wells and Lovecraft at the Museum, Oct. 13-14, 20-21 and Oct. 27-28. You’ll hear soul-searing tales of unspeakable horror and madness — all inside the suitably spooky — quite possibly haunted — Molly Brown House. It is a great inclement weather option with live music, face painting, hands-on crafts and LED circus performers. Information: 303-832-4092.
The 16th Street Mall
Thousands of the undead and blood-splattered crazies will gather at Skyline Park and drag down the Mall for the Denver Zombie Crawl, Oct.7. It starts at 11 a.m. with the Organ Trail, a 5K run-walk-crawl in which zombie teams solve clues to find locations and move to checkpoints in an exercise in creativity. That’s followed by the Undead Parade at 2 p.m. During the procession, you’ll see bodies missing heads, bodies carrying their heads, and bodies with holes in their heads. Information: denver zombiecrawl.com
The Clocktower Cabaret
Join the adorable Clocktower Clockettes at The Clocktower Cabaret as they pay a spooky burlesque tribute to all the thrills and chills of America’s spookiest holiday, Oct. 26-29. The Halloween Boo-Lesque & Comedy Show features aerial feats, jugglers, magicians and comedy hosted by Naughty Pierre. It’s old-fashioned fun with interactive comedy and costume-contest prizes. Information: 303-293-0075.
Riverside Cemetery Tours
Halloween isn’t complete without a visit to Riverside Cemetery, Denver’s oldest boneyard. It has it all: Spooky old head tombstones, twisting paths, majestic mausoleums and statuary plus 6,700 bodies buried beneath its soil. Tour dates are Oct. 13-14, 20-21 and Oct. 27-28. Located at 5201 Brighton Blvd., late night tours have been added. Information: 303-399-0692.
Best Boo Balls
The Curtis Hotel
Coloween at The Curtis Hotel, Oct. 28 is one of the most anticipated Denver costume balls. There is a mind-bending labyrinth of haunted hallways and hair-raising entertainment. Attendees enjoy three ballrooms featuring live music and DJs, sexy theatrical performers, and 28 bartenders serving open bar. Come ready to compete in a lavish costume contest hosted by a secret celebrity guest. Information: 303-571-0300.
McNichols Building
Imagine 20-foot spiders, a mausoleum, haunted house, performers, bands and DJs all under one roof. The Paranormal Palace in the McNichols Building is a Halloween party like no other, Oct. 28. Enter through the mouth of a 25 ft. skull, where multiple DJs pound the palace walls and three floors of party environment. There is a costume contest with $2,000 in prizes. Information: 720-507-1376.
Sherman St. Event Center
Enjoy an unlimited open bar all night, a $1,000 “Best of The Ball” costume contest plus live entertainment and DJs at the Halloween Costume Ball, Oct. 29. The Ball takes place in the Grand Ballroom of the historic Sherman St. Event Center, featuring some of the city’s most creative Halloween costumes. 303-863-9999.
Diamond Cabaret
This is the 18th year in a row for The Naughty Ball at the Diamond Cabaret, Oct. 7. Attendees come dressed in sexy Naughty costumes with lace, feathers and body paint. Ball has seven stages, six rooms, a maze of hallways and 95 performers. Information: 720-503-1376.
Haunted Houses
The 13th Floor
Hailed as “the scariest haunted attraction in the U.S.,” the 13th Floor — now located at 3400 E. 52nd Ave. — takes guests through a frightening tour of horror, Oct. 1-31. Brave souls will learn just why the 13th floor is so often omitted from building plans — if they make it through to tell the tale. New thrills with intricate sets, highly selective casting and special effects makeup are sure to make reality and fiction blur into terror. Information: 303-355-3327.
The Asylum
The Asylum at 6100 E. 39th Ave. is Denver’s top-rated haunted attraction. Back for another year Oct. 1-31, this 1800s-era themed “hospital for the mentally insane” has been taken over by the patients and prisoners. Tapping into some of our greatest fears, the haunted experience is a head trip in which tortured souls scream inside the once orderly insane asylum. Information: 303-355-3327.
by Mark Smiley | Sep 25, 2017 | Feature Story Middle Left
Creating An Inspired Painting Per State, Artist Hopes To Fund Scholarships Through Sales
by Glen Richardson
This January, Glendale artist Emily Camp, 21, is setting out to paint 50 canvases in 50 states in 52 weeks. That’s right, come January 1, she is selling all her belongings and road tripping across the U.S.A. to create one inspired painting per state!
The entire trip is being funded by art sales both prior to leaving and during the 50 state trip. Goal is to create a scholarship fund from 20 percent of all art pieces sold. “The fund will financially assist other young artists to follow their big dreams, crazy projects and awesome passions,” Camp tells the Chronicle.
“If the work she creates during the year-long trip sells,” she calculates, “the fund will raise from $20,000 to as much as $50,000 to be dispersed among 50 scholarship winners.” The scholarships, she believes, “will encourage young artists to dream big, go after those dreams and recognize the support they have around them.” The artwork she creates is intended to represent, illustrate and illuminate the unique beauty in each state, as well as the culture and people within them. “I look forward to representing each state to the best of my abilities,” she adds.
Fundraising, Shows
As part of the fundraising effort, she will be releasing new works, accepting commissions, and offering art in exchange for various donations. Scholarships — to be known as the “Reach For Your Dreams” scholarship — will be from $100 to as much as a $1,000 one-time reward given to the winning applicant in 
each of 50 states. Direct donations can be made to Emily Camp’s GoFundMe account: www.gofundme.com/artandaffect.
Despite her young age, Camp’s artwork has been popular and her pieces have been shown frequently at local establishments around town. Recently her art has been exhibited at Stellas Coffee House on Pearl St. and Kaladi Coffee Roasters on East Evans Ave. This August-September her work was chosen for PARADOX, a juried show curated by internationally known sculptor Lawrence Argent at the SPARK Gallery in the Santa Fe Arts District. Started in 1979, SPARK is the oldest cooperative gallery in Denver. A former Professor and Head of the Sculpture Program at DU, Argent trained at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia, and has an MFA from Maryland’s Rinehart School of Sculpture.
Camp’s piece selected for the show was a 22” x 26” acrylic painting on paper titled “Clarinet or Bassoon?” Artists whose pieces were chosen for the SPARK exhibit had to utilize or manipulate the material they used by freely mixing combinations of various media in a paradoxical way. They also had to provide a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expressed a possible truth.
Trip Plans, Tracking
Camp’s basic trip is mapped out. She will embark from Austin, Texas, on January 1, taking a southeast route to the East Coast, and the Northern States. She will then travel down the West Coast before heading to the Southernmost states. “
My route is mostly circular, while touching in and out of the centrally located states,” she explains. She plans to take a ferry from Seattle to Alaska in September. She will travel by plane to Hawaii on the final week of the trip. “The route I have mapped will be avoiding both extreme winter and extreme summer. I will be mostly up North come
summer and down South during
the winter months,” she notes.
The Glendale artist was born in Oregon and moved around frequently growing up. She relocated to Denver from Houston in Janu
ary 2017. She lived in Houston for six years. Her only major travel experience was a single trip from Houston up north and then down the West Coast in one extensive trip. “Other than that,” she observes, “I have traveled frequently for recreation, mostly by car.” Camp plans to keep costs down by staying mostly with friends, family, couch surfing, camping, and utilizing her car. Hotels will only be used on a need-be basis. “I do have quite a few relatives and acquaintances around the country and will be staying with as many of them as possible,” she notes.
Chronicle readers can track Camp’s progress on her website: www.artandaffect.com Readers will also be able to continually track her progress throughout the year, following the intended route via map, and of course, buy artwork. Moreover, her Instagram (@artandaffect) is also kept up-to-date with recent works and trip planning progress.
by Mark Smiley | Sep 25, 2017 | Featured Stories & Advertisers
