Funeral services were held for Joan Packard Birkland who
passed away on June 15, 2019. She was described as one of the greatest (if not
the greatest) female athletes in the history of the State of Colorado. She was
inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, Colorado Women’s Sports Hall of
Fame and the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. The Joan Birkland Pavilion at the
Gates Tennis Center in Denver, headquarters of USTA Colorado, is named in her
honor.
Athlete Extraordinaire: Joan Birkland was for many years a top amateur golfer in all of Colorado, one of many sports where she excelled.
She was born on August 17, 1928, in Denver to well-known
surgeon Dr. George Packard and his wife. She was one of three sisters. With no
organized sports for girls she played baseball, football, basketball and tennis
with other children (mostly boys) at City Park near her home. After graduating
from East High School she went on to the University of Colorado in Boulder
where she met Ormand Birkland Jr., whom she married in 1948. The marriage
lasted over 50 years until his death in 1999.
The marriage, by all accounts, was a happy one,
notwithstanding (or perhaps because of) the fact Ormand was every bit as
mediocre in sports as she was outstanding. She took up golf as it was the one
sport he played and she was soon regularly beating him. She joined an AAU
basketball team (the Denver Viners) while at the University of Colorado where
she played with tennis great Phyllis Lockwood. They became an almost unbeatable
women’s tennis doubles team in Colorado. She competed on the Denver Vipers team
for eight years, becoming honorable mention All-American in the sport of
basketball.
The Birklands joined the Denver Country Club (DCC) in 1953
and she began to concentrate her athletic endeavors on golf and tennis. She
described her activities at the time as: “A typical day for me would be to hit
and shag balls, take a lesson from a DCC golf pro, play nine or eighteen holes
with Dorothy Major at Willis Case or meet Phyllis Lockwood and play tennis with
her in Boulder, and then we would shoot a few hoops at CU.”
Later in her career she generously gave her time and talents
to children with handicaps, including teaching golf at an amputee program at
Children’s Hospital, bowling with children with cerebral palsy and coaching
basketball for asthmatic kids.
She was also active with many women’s and sporting organizations including the United States Golf Association. Birkland co-founded Sportswomen of Colorado and served as that organization’s executive director for 40 years.
In 1957 she took on the number one female player in the
world Althea Gibson at the Colorado Open which, at the time, attracted many of
the world’s greatest tennis players. To the shock of the press and the gallery
Birkland began beating the world’s number one player. A reporter for The Denver
Post called in to his paper to hold the afternoon press as he might be
reporting “one of the greatest sporting upsets in the history of Colorado.” In
the end, however Gibson prevailed 8-6, 6-4.
By the 1960s she excelled at the highest levels at both golf
and tennis simultaneously, an athletic feat that is almost unheard of in the
annals of Colorado sports. She won the Denver amateur tennis title in 1960,
1962 and 1966 and the Colorado state tennis title in 1960, 1962 and 1966. She
garnered six singles and 15 doubles titles in Colorado and Intermountain tennis
tournaments.
On a friend’s dare Birkland in 1962 competed in and won both
the state tennis and golf championships in the same summer and repeated this
feat again in 1966. She was awarded the Robert Russell Prize for Colorado
Amateur Athlete of the Year in 1962.
Upset In The Making? Joan Birkland is shown here serving against the number one female tennis player in the world at the time, Althea Gibson, in an attempt to win a historic match.
She took the state women’s golf title seven times. At the
Denver Country Club she won 30 straight Ladies Country Club Championships from
1955 to 1984. Many of the victories were anything but easy sometimes winning at
the 18th hole or in sudden death in the match play format. She attempted to
retire from the competition several times but her competitors, some of whom
were themselves state golf champions, would hear nothing of it. As one of her
competitors said: “As far as I was concerned, no Joanie — no tournament.”
Even in her 90s Birkland could regularly be found on the
golf range at the Denver Country Club working on her swing while interacting
with golfers around her and trying to pick up tips to improve her game. Fellow
inductee to the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, Gary Potter, stated: “She was
amazing. She cheerfully accepted the fact that the ravages of time severely
restricted her playing abilities, but she simply wanted to be the best she
could be with whatever limitations God had provided that day. She happily
picked up whatever tips or advice you may provide and incorporated them into
her play if they made sense to her. She was an extraordinary and truly
wonderful human being.”
Joan Birkland
While she never had any children herself Birkland is
survived by an extended family including her sister Evelyn McLagan, her
brother-in-law Neil McLagan, nephew Hugh Birkland and nieces and nephews, Tracy
Tempest, George Tempest, Scott McLagan, Tom McLagan and Ken McLagan and their
families.
There he defiantly stood on the veranda of the public Park
Hill Golf Course, the three-time former mayor of Denver, Wellington Webb, who
is still very much a political powerhouse in the city. He had called an
emergency press conference to give out a clarion call to all citizens to save
155-acre Park Hill Golf Course as open space against the ravages of one more
rapacious high-density developer, this time Westside Investment Partners, Inc.
and its unctuous CEO and snake oil salesman Andrew Klein.
Former Mayor Wellington Webb
Webb was eloquent and passionate about a subject near and
dear to his heart. After all, as he pointed out, as mayor he had done more than
any other recent mayor for parks and open space in the City and County of
Denver. Moreover, his critique of what is happening in Denver as a result of
the Hancock administration was absolutely spot on. He accurately noted the
destruction the Hancock administration had brought and was continuing to bring
to the Queen City of the Plains. He declared:
“As our city has transformed drastically in the last few
years, we cannot allow precious open space to become another casualty of
development.
“Once developers chip away at this open space, there will be
no excuses to go after more, including our parks.
“I think open space and park space is one of our most
important commodities. If we allow this park space to be sold and redeveloped
into a concrete jungle, I believe no park in Denver is safe.
“Because what do we get in its place? Housing like that
across the street, where you walk out the door and you’re on the sidewalk with
no greenspace.”
Park Hill Golf Course
“Once this is gone, it’s gone for good. It’s gone forever —
gone for our children, our children’s children. Gone for what?
“That’s not the Denver I remember. But when I came here from
Chicago, I didn’t want Denver to be Chicago. I wanted Denver to be Denver.”
We could not have said it better ourselves. Westside’s
Founder and Managing Principal Klein tried to con Webb and the public by
asserting that he would build “affordable housing” and maybe if the neighbors
begged pathetically enough, a grocery store with a nice large parking lot. Webb
correctly understood that such claims by Klein were little more than “a trick
to garner support.” Klein will brutally rape Park Hill for every penny he can
get out of it, while buying off whatever neighborhood quislings he can to mimic
lines that he feeds them.
But there is one big problem with what Webb did, and it
shows that he doesn’t really care about what is happening to Park Hill Golf
Course or Denver as a whole. Michael Hancock and his merry band of destructive
high-density developers would not be in power today if it were not for
Wellington Webb. If Webb had given the same Park Hill speech and call to action
just a few weeks before the June mayoral runoff between Michael Hancock and
Jamie Giellis, then Jamie Giellis would be mayor and Park Hill Golf Course
would have been saved.
What is, in fact, important to Webb is that all of his
friends and acquaintances got their concessions at DIA renewed resulting in
millions in profits for them. His daughter Stephanie O’Malley was appointed
early on by Hancock to be Manager of Safety, an all-powerful position that
oversees the police, fire and sheriff departments. This post was one that she
was totally unqualified for. When her ineptitude became too embarrassing, he
gave her the odd title of simply “Mayoral Appointee” with no responsibilities
or job requirements for which she brings down a six-figure salary. She has the
ultimate no work job all thanks to his Honor and his administration.
Webb lives in Park Hill and his neighbors have been begging
him to speak out and oppose the sale for months. He has come out now when it
simply doesn’t matter anymore. The sale to Westside took place a little over a
week later for $24 million. Westside’s only problem is that in 1994 under the
Webb administration, the Clayton Trust took $2 million in return for a
conservation easement keeping the open space for perpetuity. Westside and Klein
must get the easement cancelled and the property rezoned by the City Council.
Predatory Developer Andrew Klein
Webb has urged citizens to petition, protest and pressure
the mayor and the City Council not to lift the easement and/or grant the
rezoning. He notes that incumbent council members including two of the mayor’s
strongest allies lost re-election bids largely in reaction to the excessive
development scheme in their districts.
But Webb knows the three new council members will make no
difference whatsoever in a 13-member City Council filled with corrupt lackeys
of the mayor. Going to City Council meetings in Denver is a joke. The elected
officials couldn’t care less what the public thinks. Klein and Westside would
not have paid $24 million for the property if the fix was not already in with
the mayor’s office and the City Council and Webb knows it.
Webb’s entire charade concerning Park Hill Golf Course was
done so he can tell his neighbors and friends that he did “all he could do” to
prevent the destruction of the neighborhood when, in fact, he did nothing when
it really mattered. If you live in Park Hill and see the old mayor wandering
around you may want to note to him the saying attributed to Abraham Lincoln,
that: “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all
the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” He has been caught
this time in his sham defense of Park Hill Golf Course and at least some of his
neighbors now know it.
Even Wellington Webb should be ashamed of himself.
The June municipal election runoff is over and the Denver voters in their inestimable wisdom have decided they want four more years of Mayor Michael Hancock and the crony capitalists that control him. Political newbie Jamie Giellis ran a spirited campaign and the mayor had to strongly rely on the race card to besmirch her for his victory. He was greatly aided in his race baiting by The Denver Post, Colorado Springs Gazette, Channel 9, Channel 7 and Channel 4. Giellis had no money to counter the endless ads and mainstream stories calling her a bigot.
Park Hill Golf Course
Somewhat contradictorily the voters threw out Hancock’s
closest allies on the City Council, Albus Brooks and Mary Beth Susman, along
with Wayne New. The mayor’s people also tried to save Brooks by sending out a
flyer with Candi CdeBaca’s logo on it urging Latinos to vote, and that it is
“Time for this monkey to go!” [African American]. The trouble with that tactic
was that CdeBaca is both Hispanic and African American and the racist flyer was
clearly the work of the Hancock/Brooks slander machine that worked so
successfully to smear Giellis. This time it didn’t work. CdeBaca, for that and
many other reasons, probably will not be a lackey for the Hancock
administration.
There will be five new faces on the 13-member City Council
and the question is whether the new council will have any more of a backbone
than the old one to stand up to the high-density developers that run the
mayor’s office. That question will be quickly answered as it has just been
announced that the 200-acre Park Hill Golf Course will be sold to the worst of
the worst high-density developers, Westside Investments LLC, a firm that is
also planning the destruction of the Loretta Heights campus.
The seller of the property is the Clayton Trust which runs
the Clayton Early Learning Center. The Clayton Trust was set up after the death
of real estate mogul George Washington Clayton in 1899. He left his entire
estate to help orphan boys between the ages of 6 and 10 but has been a tempting
target of municipal and corporate corruption ever since. The Clayton Trust was
originally administered by the City and County of Denver but was turned over to
an independent board after city officials were caught selling various parcels
of land to their friends at far below market value. No, Michael Hancock did not
invent municipal corruption in the City and County of Denver, but his
administration has only helped to bring it to new heights.
Candi CdeBaca
Of course, the trustees could not be trusted not to loot the
Trust so in 1997 the city gave the trust $2 million to mandate the remaining
land to be open space. The money and other funds of the Trust have been
utilized to run the Clayton Early Learning Center on the grounds. There appears
to be no reason to have the Center other than to enrich the rapacious women who
run the Center, exploiting poor minorities with very young children who are
grateful for whatever handouts and care the Early Learning Center can provide, and
who are in no position to protest their contemptible treatment.
The new City Council will have to approve the sale, negate
the open space constriction and approve high density development with a
fraudulent claim of improving “affordable housing.” It will be interesting to
watch how District 10’s newest councilman Chris Hinds responds. Hinds was able
to overthrow incumbent Wayne New by pointing out how New failed to criticize
the Hancock Administration and let development go on unabated in Cherry Creek North.
Hinds was greatly aided in his victory by various unions and the far-left
Working Families Party which got its start in New York City and was
instrumental in getting Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez elected to Congress. Hinds
pounded New for being the only city council person who was not a registered
Democrat (New is registered as an independent.)
Less emphasized by Hinds was a position that he was a great
proponent of high-density development with the standard caveat that he would be
for it as long as it would assist “affordable housing.” It is assumed he would
be the poster boy for the destruction of one of the largest open spaces in
Denver so long as he could fraudulently claim it assisted “affordable housing.”
Chris Hinds
Candi CdeBaca was also greatly assisted in her victory by
the Working Families Party and is a professed Marxist. It is a sign of the
times that we endorsed CdeBaca. As a practical matter we are willing to take an
honest Marxist like CdeBaca who actually cares about Denver over an absolute
crooked crony capitalist like Albus Brooks. Our fear is that Hinds will combine
his far-left politics with the sleazy, crooked, crony capitalism of Albus
Brooks to become just one more Hancock lackey. His actions regarding the sale
of the Park Hill Golf Course will indicate early on whether our fears are well
placed or not.
Feline Fans Hit The Mat With Cats, Paws For Beer; Watch Acro-Cats Purrform, Then Hang At Cool Cat Café
Ooh yeah, yeah, yeah the city’s cool cats are hanging out in
straw hats and stealing the limelight this summer.
The cat’s out of the bag: Denver residents are starting
summer by getting their paws on beer at the Dumb Friends League Catwalk. Then
they’re headed to the fourth annual Cats on Mats yoga series pairing people
practicing yoga with homeless cats and kittens at the Denver Animal Shelter.
Ooh the cool cats continue coming on strong, tapping on the
toe with a new hat as Denver dances with the Amazing Acro-cats at the Bug
Theatre. It’s a two-hour long purrformance featuring domesticated house cats.
After speeding too fast having fun with cats they cool down at the Denver Cat
Company, one of the country’s first cat cafes. A feline lounge-about, this
cat-themed café serves coffee and pastries.
Paws For A Beer
Whether you’re a cat person or not it’s been proven that
there are numerous health benefits to owning or simply being around felines.
Cats are known to reduce a person’s stress and anxiety, can help lower blood
pressure, boost our immune systems and have an overall calming effect on humans.
So it just makes sense that this summer area non-profit organizations are
finding ways to bring more and more people together with adoptable cats while
raising money to support their causes.
Beer Here: Dumb Friends League’s Quebec Street Shelter becomes a taproom with beer, cats and music for a great causes July 13, 7-9 p.m.
Beer, cats and fun, all for a great cause — the Dumb Friends
League Catwalk returns Saturday, July 13. Pet-lovers are invited to celebrate
cats and kittens by sampling craft beer from 10 local breweries, while learning
about programs that benefit feline friends and viewing adorable adoptable cats.
General admission tickets include beer tastings from 10 local breweries from 7
to 9 p.m. Food from local food trucks and cat merchandise, including Catwalk
T-shirts, will be available for purchase. The Hill’s Science Diet booth is
offering a Tito’s vodka cocktail and free cat food samples.
The Catwalk takes place at the Dumb Friends League Quebec
Street Shelter at 2080 S. Quebec St. The event’s feline friends request that
you leave your canine companions at home for this event. Guests will receive a
“pawport,” which includes information about the locations of the various beer
samplings and cat information stations. Pawports stamped at every booth will be
entered to win a prize. Information: ddfl.org/catwalk.
Cats On Mats
If you love yoga and kittens, this event is for you! Denver
Animal Protection is hosting its fourth annual “Cats on Mats” yoga series at
the Denver Animal Shelter through August. The hour-long yoga classes are taught
by professional, certified yoga instructors and are “supervised” by a team of
adorable, adoptable, free-roaming cats and kittens.
Purrfect Pals: Felines are everywhere and may rub up against participants at the Cats on Mats yoga series at the Denver Animal Shelter Wednesdays through August.
Classes are offered every Wednesday in July and August from
5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Denver Animal Shelter located at 1241 W. Bayaud Ave.
Space is limited, and many of the classes sold-out last year.
Participants should wear comfortable clothing and bring
their own yoga mat as well as a $20 donation to support the shelter. Cats on
Mats helps to socialize cats that are ready for adoption, and participants who
connect with a special cat are encouraged to begin the adoption process.
Information: 720-337-1782.
Cat Band At Bug
Cat lovers are always suggesting that cats are entertaining
and this month Valley residents are getting their first opportunity to see for
themselves. A troupe of touring, performing house cats known as The Amazing
Acro-cats — the only all cat band in the world — is bringing its act to the Bug
Theatre on Navajo St., July 5-14.
Cat-titude Café: Denver Cat Company, the city’s first cat café and only the third in the country, serves snacks, Solar Roast coffee and a selection of teas and other beverages. Located on Tennyson St., the charming spot draws customers seeking to relax with cats.
This one-of-a-kind, two-hour long purrformance features
talented house cats that roll on balls, ride skateboards and jump through hoops.
The current band lineup features Nola on guitar, Asti on drums, Nue on
keyboard, plus some brand-new members. They are Ahi on woodblocks, Albacore on
cowbell, Buggles on trumpet and Oz on Saxophone. There is even a chicken —
Chuck Norris — rockin’ the tambourine!
Using the magic of clicker training, cat lover Samantha
Martin — and a few other humans — travel with more than 15 cats and kittens as
they educate and entertain audiences that cats can actually be trained.
Currently recovering from stage-three cancer, she tenaciously continues to save
the lives of cats and kittens through rescue, foster and adoption. The event is
suitable for cat lovers of all ages. Information: 303-477-9988.
Cool Cat Cafe
Denver’s first cat café and only the third in the country,
friends of felines flock to the Denver Cat Cafe year-round to sip on Solar
Roast coffee plus teas and an assortment of other beverages. Located on
Tennyson St. in the Berkeley neighborhood, the charming spot draws customers
seeking to relax with cats and get some work done.
Cat Band Blast: The Amazing Acro-cats, the only cat band in the world purrform at the Bug Theatre on Navajo St. July 5-14.
Due to the health code, the tabletop spot isn’t a
full-service café but offers an assortment of prepackaged snacks. At any given
time, patrons can expect to find around 15 cats at the café, all of whom are
fully vetted and ready to go home with you after completing the adoption
process. The café has facilitated the adoption of more than 700 cats since
opening in 2014.
The café was founded by Leila Qari — a former attorney — who
was captivated by the concept of cat cafés popular in Japan and Europe. She
used her own funds to open the café, painted every wall and hand-picked and
designed the furnishings and decor. Her book-hoarding tendencies resulted in a
small library in the back portion of the cafe, adding another dimension to the space
and providing patrons with reading material while customers relax with the
kitties. She also hires and trains the staff and still picks up shifts every
week in order to stay connected with the business and the community. Hours are
10 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Thur., Fri.-Sun. until 8 p.m. Information: 303-433-3422.
As Licensing Disappears For Property Managers, HOA Issues Rise To The Fore
by Ruthy Wexler
Everyone thought HB 1212 would pass.
What House Bill 19-1212 did was reinstate the licensing
program for Community Association Managers (CAMs), which was set to expire July
1, 2019. The bill extended CAM licensing for just one year, during which time
stakeholders were charged with exploring the issue.
Surprising Veto: Governor Jared Polis’s (pictured with Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera) veto of HB 1212 surprised legislators, management companies, homeowners and HOA activists, leaving them all to wonder whether this Governor will be approaching the HOA situation as fearlessly and creatively as he has approached education, health care and health costs. The upcoming stakeholder meetings regarding CAM licensing and HOA issues, in August, September and October, will reveal how deep the conversation about HOAs will go.
As legislators put HB 1212 together, the usual suspects
tried to shape it. Homeowner advocate Stan Hrincevich, pleaded for the
inclusion of additional homeowner protections; e.g., ensuring managers document
and disclose fees; while the Colorado Legislative Action Committee — legal arm
of CAI (Community Association Institute), an international lobby representing
management companies, property managers, HOA attorneys and other benefiting
vendors — fought to keep such regulatory measures out.
The bill’s sponsors — Representatives Monica Duran and
Brianna Titone, Senators Nancy Todd and Rhonda Fields — ended up incorporating
most of CAI’s requests, but none from Hrincevich, who voiced disappointment but
also relief that “CAM licensing would be kept alive.” The bill passed the
Assembly and Senate.
Then on May 31, Governor Jared Polis vetoed HB 1212. Ever
since, the Colorado HOA world has been trying to understand what lies ahead.
What’s The Big Deal?
In his two-page veto letter, Polis expressed concerns over
“occupational licensing” — the subject of three of the five bills he’d vetoed
(out of 460 passed). Such licensing, he said, might “… prevent minorities and
the economically disadvantaged from … access[ing] occupations.”
Polis’s concerns, many feel, had little to do with CAM
licensing, an issue one homeowner described as the “tip of an iceberg with huge
dangerous issues below everyone is afraid to fight.”
“Here’s the essence,” says Hrincevich. “The HOA Property
Manager Licensing law was the only path homeowners had to address wrongdoing on
the part of a manager.”
Colorado homeowners had no recourse at all — short of going
to court, which was too costly and intimidating to be a real option — until
2015, when Colorado passed a law that regulated HOA property managers.
Individuals had to pass background checks, get certified, pay a fee and pass an
exam, in order to earn a CAM license.
At that point, if a homeowner believed their property
manager was behaving illegally, they could file a complaint, citing their CAM’s
license number, with the Real Estate Division inside DORA, which had awarded
that CAM license — and could take it away.
The process was slow, the results not always to the
homeowner’s liking, but, says homeowner and retired financial analyst Barb
DeHart, “It allowed homeowners not to feel entirely helpless.”
All Counties Heard From
Post Polis’s veto, reactions varied widely. Legislators,
believing they’d done what was necessary to pass the bill, felt betrayed. “I
was completely shocked,” said Duran. “Greatly disappointed. The work we’d done
to protect homeowners … has been undone.”
HOA homeowners who had been following this issue felt
betrayed also, and afraid. “It’s bad enough with [CAM] licensing,” wrote P., a
Denver homeowner fearing reprisal from her property manager. “What will [name
of manager] do with no oversight at all??”
“As of July 1,” said
HOA activist Andrea Antico. “management companies … can do anything they want.”
Realtors were appalled. Live Urban Real Estate listed
possible “outcomes of this loss of consumer protection.” Linda Chapman, realtor
for over 35 years, called the veto “unconscionable.” She explained, “Management
companies and property managers handle millions and millions of dollars of
other people’s money. All other industries performing fiduciary duties are
required to be licensed and regulated. Except CAMs.”
HOA attorneys appeared lighthearted. “Community association
manager licensing is no more!” wrote Elina Gilbert of Altitude Law, in a blog
titled, Why Oh Why Did Manager Licensing Die? One HOA attorney described
colleagues as “… happily anticipating lots of business …”
One community manager, Sue McClure, said the veto felt like a “slap in the face to those of us that have made the effort to … be professional,” while another, Joe Felice, said he agreed with the Governor. “I don’t believe licensing helped homeowners or associations in any substantive way. … “
Property manager Alec Hrynevich, of Accord Management, said, “I’m not opposed to licensing. But it doesn’t do in this case what it’s supposed to do.”
More than a few managers and homeowners agreed that abuses
within HOAs would not necessarily have been prevented if CAM licensing was in
effect.
Change The Conversation
The HOA Office releases a report each year that summarizes
the complaints they’ve received from homeowners. In 2018, high on the list was
management companies and property managers not following their HOA’s governing
documents; close behind were poor manager communication, selective enforcement
of covenants and failure to produce records, required under Colorado HOA law.
Testify: CAI member Brandon Helm testifies in front of the Colorado House Finance Committee in support of HB1212, the “pre-amended” form of the bill that CAI called, “the version we support.” For many years, the CAI Colorado Legislative Action Committee told legislators they represented the entire HOA community. Homeowners comprise only 2% of CAI membership.
Accompanying Polis’s veto was an Executive Order, number D
2019 006, directing DORA to “lead a … comprehensive review of CAMs and HOAs.”
Many homeowners felt excited at the prospect of an open conversation about
HOAs.
Since Polis took office, he’s made it clear how hard he will
push for issues he is passionate about, like education and health care. He has
not made it clear if HOA reform is one of those issues, although Hrincevich
noted, “Leaving out further consumer protections [in HB 1212] is what Polis
seemed mostly to object to.”
What CAI appears to
mostly object to is regulation within HOAs. A map on their website resembles a
campaign war room, blue outlining the few states with CAM licensing; click on
each state and see what stage the legal battle around that issue has reached.
“Stay up to date on CAM licensing and its impact on associations,” encourages
CAI Senior Vice President Dawn Bauman.
“With the veto of HB 19-1212,” states Polis in his Executive
Order, “the State has an opportunity to change the conversation about … CAMs
and HOAs.” As per that order, stakeholder meetings will be held on August 14
and 29, September 12 and October 8 at the DORA offices. Registration is open.
Pitmasters From Around The Country Showcase Their
Award-Winning BBQ
by Mark Smiley and Richard Colaizzi
The Second Annual Denver BBQ Festival was held over Father’s Day weekend at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. Pitmasters from around the country were on hand to smoke meat and serve their barbecue to thousands of attendees in search of good barbecue. “The energy that’s going on at this event is twice as good as it was last year,” said John David Wheeler, Pitmaster for Memphis Barbecue Co. “Denver is starving for great barbecue. They’re wanting it. Hopefully we can bring it to them.”
Time To Slice: Ribs were on the menu at Memphis Barbecue Co., Pappy’s Smokehouse, and Peg Leg Porker at the 2nd Annual Denver BBQ Festival held at Broncos Stadium at Mile High over Father’s Day Weekend. Mark your calendars for next year as it promises to return to Denver.
The event featured not only award-winning barbecue but also live music throughout the three-day fest. And, Tito’s Vodka sponsored the VIP Lounge and a dog lounge. The VIP experience cost $85 and also allowed for unlimited barbecue tastings for a two-and-a-half-hour period.
BBQ Ninja: Craig Verhage also known as The BBQ Ninja is a brand ambassador and consultant for Ole Hickory Pits, Royal Oak, and Ubons. Follow him on Twitter @The_BBQ_Ninja for recipes, videos, and more.
Pitmasters from six states lined up and cooked meat from the time they arrived until the time they pulled out. The three-day festival featured a total of over 19,000 pounds of meat and almost 3,000 pounds of sides. “You have to cook volume here,” said Craig Verhage, The BBQ Ninja. “You have to feed the people, feed the masses. If anything here, each team is helping each other. If somebody needs something we get it to them. We all have the same goal here and that is to cook as much as we possibly can and sell as much as we possibly can and make everybody that comes through the gate happy.”
This fraternity of pitmasters is evident with how much respect they have for each other and how much they like each other. “We do these events all over the world, said Mike Johnson, owner of Sugarfire Smokehouse in St. Louis, MO. “I’m in South America and Europe all the time. I’m in Australia a few times a year for events. I tell everyone this is one of my favorite events. It’s classy and the food is great. It has the most talent of any event I have ever done. I’m not bragging about myself. These are all my heroes. Salt Lick and The Shed, Memphis Barbecue Co. and Peg Leg are awesome. Ubon’s. They’re all really good friends of ours. They have great food.”
Sugarfire: Mike Johnson, pitmaster for Sugarfire Smokehouse, served leg of lamb, smoked salmon, and watermelon & feta salad at the Denver BBQ Festival. He credits the other pitmasters at the fest as his heroes. The pitmaster circle is a fraternity of people helping one another and serving great barbecue.
It’s not just the love of great food that they share. They
also have friendships that have hatched as a direct result of doing the festivals
together for so many years. “I’ve been overseas with all these guys,” said
Johnson. “We spend tons of time. We’ve been together for birthdays and
funerals. We do a lot of stuff together.”
“He’s a genius (Mike Johnson),” said Wheeler. “What a
talent. If you’re out here on this block right now, you can do it and the
people of Denver don’t know what a treat it is to have these guys. I wish we
could do this everywhere and let people share our passion with barbecue.”
This passion for barbecue and the desire to give back to the community is what sparked Wheeler to start Operation BBQ Relief. “Operation BBQ Relief started about eight years ago when a group of guys just like us got together after a tornado in Joplin, Missouri, destroyed the whole town,” said Wheeler. “They wanted to do something so everybody who had meat in their freezers or refrigerators took their meat out and started cooking. 117,000 meals later and three and a half weeks, they were done.”
Disaster Relief: John David Wheeler is the founder of Operation BBQ Relief which provides meals to displaced residents and emergency personnel during times of natural and other disasters. Wheeler is also the pitmaster for Memphis Barbecue Co. heralded as one of the best barbecue joints in the country.
That was the birth of Operation BBQ Relief and since then, they are 45,000 meals away from serving three million meals. “We do what we can to help people out and when people walk up, they walk up like a deer in the headlights asking why we are doing this,” said Wheeler. “My answer is I would hope you would do the same for me.” Wheeler and a team of 300-500 volunteers set up five smokers that can hold 1,000 pounds of meat each. That allows them to feed between 25,000 and 50,000 people. “Being around people who give their time to volunteer to help other people are the kind of guys I want to hang out with,” said Wheeler.
Wheeler is a full-time home builder and full-time pitmaster
and jokes: “It wasn’t the smartest thing I’ve ever done.” As far as Memphis
Barbecue Co., they served their ribs and baked beans at the festival and the
fast-moving line always had guests waiting for some of the best ribs in the
country.
Don’t Forget The Sauce: A volunteer puts the final layer of barbecue sauce on the ribs from Memphis Barbecue Co. Their ribs are regarded as some of the best in the country.
Wheeler’s friend Mike Emerson, Pitmaster for Pappy’s Smokehouse in St. Louis, also served ribs and some guests commented that it was the best they have ever had. What started as Emerson, his business partner John Matthews, and three employees, has now grown into a 50-plus person operation based in St. Louis. “We actually sat in a bar one day and drew Pappy’s on a bar napkin and 11 years later, here we are,” said Emerson.
Pappy’s: Mike Emerson, right, and his son Brian from Pappy’s Smokehouse were among the pitmasters serving barbecue at the 2nd Annual Denver BBQ Festival over Father’s Day weekend.
Emerson, who is a seventh generation Missourian grew up
loving the outdoors and cooking outdoors. It has always been a part of his
life. Now, Pappy’s runs their smokers 24 hours per day and 7 days per week. “We
run six smokers that will do about 500 pounds on each smoker,” said Emerson.
“We can go as high as five to six thousand pounds per day. Most days we’ll do
about three to four thousand pounds.” It is estimated that his son cooks 400
slabs of ribs per day to total one million since opening.
“We hit St. Louis at a good time, said Emerson. “We’re the
only city that’s got a rib named after it. We do know a little bit about
barbecue. I always tell everybody first the neighborhood embraced us and then
the city embraced us and then America embraced us. Now we actually have people
from all over the world that make trips to Pappy’s so we’ve been very
fortunate. It’s been a great ride.”
Caramelized Finish: Pappy’s Smokehouse ribs gets hit with a blowtorch to give them a caramelized finish. Pappy’s ribs were named “Best Ribs in America by the Food Network.” They are dry-rubbed and slow smoked for up to 24 hours over apple and cherry wood.
That ride has brought them to Denver the last two years with
a nice partnership with the City of Denver and the Denver Broncos. “To make one
of these really successful, you’ve got to have the city buy in with what the
people here are trying to do,” said Verhage. “Between the city and the Broncos
and what we are trying to accomplish here, everybody’s on the same page, you
don’t have somebody that is causing any friction to not make this a huge
successful event.” “I moved West of here (Maui) and this is one of the few
places I’ll come back to the mainland to come visit,” said Emerson. “You guys
are wonderful.”
For more information about Denver BBQ Fest, visit www.denverbbqfest.com. Operation BBQ Relief is located at www.operationbbqrelief.org; Pappy’s Smokehouse at www.pappyssmokehouse.com; Sugarfire Smokehouse at www.sugarfiresmokehouse.com; Memphis Barbecue Co. at www.memphisbbqco.com; and follow The BBQ Ninja on Twitter @The_BBQ_Ninja. If you crave barbecue from one of the vendors from the Festival, Sugarfire has a location in Westminster, and GQue BBQ has locations in Lone Tree and Westminster. For the rest, visit them online to purchase sauces and rubs or wait until next year for the Third Annual Denver BBQ Festival.
