by Mark Smiley | Sep 25, 2015 | Uncategorized
A Big Booo to you!
Both horrifying and hilarious, this is the bewitching month when “A Haunting We Will Go!” We must have bats in our belfry because what was once a one-day holiday has been carved into a full month of freakish parties, spooky street people and ghoulish performances.
Here’s the Chronicle’s list of haunted houses, paranormal parties, street prowling events and pumpkin carvings to keep you frightened and fearful.
The 13th Floor, Oct. 1-Nov.14
This house takes guests through a frightening tour of horror. Brave guests will learn just why the 13th floor is so often omitted from building plans — if they make it through to tell the tale. Thrills with intricate sets, highly selective casting, and incredible special effects makeup that are sure to make reality and fiction blur into terror. Information: 303-355-3327.
The Asylum, Oct. 1-Nov. 1
Back again, this 1800s era themed “hospital for t
he 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 that screams of its tortured souls inside the once orderly insane asylum. Information: 303-355-3327.
Mausoleum, Oct. 1-Nov. 1
You can’t predict what will happen next. No one can survive because you are already dead! Do you have the nerve to tour a haunted mausoleum at night? The ghosts await your arrival. Information: 303-795-6666.
13th Door, Oct. 2-Nov.1
This is a terrifying journey through petrifying halls filled with relentless scares and screaming. Only the brave should enter and try to navigate the horrifying hallways. Information: 720-261-0570.
Pumpkin Harvest Festival, Oct. 3-4
Old-time fall celebration with pumpkins, wagon rides, caramel apples and cider at Four Mile Historic Park, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The historic 12-acre site provides the perfect country setting for nostalgic autumn fun, including a scarecrow-building station and pumpkin patch, pie-eating contests, live music, crafts, seasonal treats, and county fair amusements. Historic demonstrations and tours of the Four Mile House Museum will highlight how families in the region lived and prepared for the season during the late 1800s. Information: 720-865-0800.
Colorado Ghost Stories, Oct. 8
Join Active Minds as they tiptoe through the haunted houses and ghoulish graveyards of the area. They will tell the ghost stories associated with the Stanley Hotel, Cheesman Park, the Molly Brown House, and more as we visit the past and the past visits with us a bit. The free event is from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Highland Senior Center. Information: 303-458-4868.
Glow At The Gardens, Oct. 14, 21 & 28
Pumpkin displays, luminaria-lined pathways and cocktail parties at the Botanic Gardens, 6-9 p.m. Stories by The Story Seeker, scavenger hunts and other fall-themed activities will be part of the fun. All activities included with admission. Separate costs are for food and cash bar. Oct. 14: Sea-themed pumpkin display with live music in the Glow Lounge featuring Branden Sipes. Oct. 21: Dinosaur-themed pumpkin display and a mask station for children. Glow Lounge live music by Yoshi & Dan. Oct. 28: Halloween-themed pumpkin display with trick-or-treating. Classic Vinyl Band Live in the Glow Lounge. Information: 720-865-3500.
Victorian Horrors XXII,
Oct. 16-17 & 23-24
Costumed actors at the Molly Brown House Museum bring to life tales of terror from such masters of Victorian gothic literature as Edgar Allan Poe, HG Wells and Mary Shelley. Come the first time, or come again for a fresh set of terrifying tales. Information: 303-832-4092.
Salem Witches, Oct. 21
Learn about an extraordinary series of events that took place in Salem, Massachusetts, and the hysterical community reaction known as the Salem Witch Hunt. Free event is in the Cherry Creek Library, 6-7 p.m. Reservations not required. Information: 720-865-0120.
Monsters & Legends, Oct. 24
From the vampires of Eastern Europe, to the stories of the Loch Ness monster, Big Foot, and more, Active Minds will explore the origins and history of familiar (and not so familiar) tales and how they have evolved and grown over time. Free event is at the Eugene Field Library on S. University Blvd. Reservations not required.
Pumpkin Patch Party, Oct. 24
On Havana Street event at The English Teacup where kids can decorate a mini pumpkin for free. There will be pumpkin scones and pumpkin tea. Information: 303-514-0958.
Boo At The Zoo, Oct. 25-26
The annual Boo at the Denver Zoo offers more than 25 trick-or-treat stations, creepy crawly animal demonstrations and exciting family-friendly entertainment under the canopy of fall foliage of the Denver Zoo. Activities are free with zoo admission. Information: 720-337-1400.
Halloween Party, Oct. 29
This YMCA event is for local kids with a costume contest, crafts, treats and a haunted house at the Glendale Sports Center, 5:30-7 p.m. Information: 303-639-4711.
Halloween BOO-lesque Show,
Oct. 29-31
Join the Clocktower Clockettes at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret as they pay a spooky burlesque tribute to all the thrills and chills of America’s spookiest holiday. You’ll see zombies, vampires, witches, black cats and even The Blob … scenes so frightening they’ll scare The Clockettes right out of their shirts! I
nformation: 303-293-0075.
Highland Haunt, Oct. 31
Free and open to the public on 32nd Ave. between Zuni and Clay, activities include trick or treating, a costume parade, piñata stations, cakewalk and live music, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Information: highlandhaunt.com.
Spooky Walk & Howl-O-Ween Pet Costume Contest, Oct. 31
Event sponsored by On Havana Street offers free candy and prizes. Information: 303-514-0958.
Boneyard Garden Ghosts, Oct. 31
Enjoy Victorian tea service and delve into Victorian Halloween traditions, costumes and games at the suitably spooky and quite possibly haunted Molly Brown House, tea served at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Information: 303-832-4092.
Coloween, Oct. 31
Coloween is one of the most anticipated Denver Halloween parties. You can choose from parties at City Hall and The Curtis Hotel, among the wildest costume parties in the city. Information: 303-937-9365.
Halloween Costume Ball, Oct. 31-Nov. 1
Live Halloween entertainment and great DJs plus a $1,000 “Best of The Ball” costume contest. The Ball is in the Grand Ballroom of the historic Sherman St. Event Center, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Information: 720-319-8441.
Dracula, Oct. 31-Nov. 2
Colorado Ballet again presents a special Halloween presentation of Dracula at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Spine tingling would be an understatement for how this thrilling performance based on Bram Stoker’s gothic horror will leave you feeling. Portrayed through dance, Dracula will reveal passion, seduction and elegance in a way that the book cannot. Information: 303-837-8888.
by Mark Smiley | Sep 25, 2015 | Travel
by Megan Carthel
The walls of Koko FitClub, located at 6231 E. 14th Ave. in Mayfair, aren’t lined with mirrors and weight racks. Instead, a simple layout with a handful of elliptical, treadmill and weight machines fill out the small space. In fact, no mirrors will be found in this gym, and that’s just the point. “It’s not about being skinny or weighing 120 pounds,” franchise owner Jennifer Mercado said. “It’s about being strong.”
It’s no secret that Americans aren’t the trimmest. The National Institute of Health estimates nearly 70 percent of Americans ages 20 and up are overweight or obese. Mercado and her husband, Kevin, along with Koko Fitness, are trying to make that statistic smaller. After he suffered a heart attack at age 39, the Mercados knew they needed to change their lifestyle.
At Koko FitClub, technology is the personal trainer. It’s a marriage of both computers and fitness — a metaphorical match to the Mercados. Kevin, a software engineer, and Jennifer, a runner and formerly from a corporate environment, blend with the gym. “For me,” Mercado said, “it seems like one of the smartest ways technology can be there to help people get better and improve their life.”
So how is technology helping people lose weight? The answer is much like a game. Each member has their own website and USB drive that retains all of their information, such as height, weight, BMI, workouts and nutrition. Each workout is pre-planned and tailored to each member. Every part of the experience is tracked and designed to motivate. Club members carry their USB flash drives on colored lanyards correlated to the amount of time they’ve been training at the gym. Mercado said it’s a way for members to show pride in their progress.
A screen in the middle of the gym proudly flaunts member names on a “leader board” for perfect workouts. While burning calories, club members can have their pick of scenic routes and keep up with a pacemaker. At the end of each workout, members are rewarded with points. A perfect workout gets a member a free
T-shirt and their name on the leader board. Think of a gold star sticker, but for adults.
“It makes it a little fun, but it’s a great workout,” said club member Daniel Kraus, 29. Kraus said he’s never been a fanatic of gyms, but the streamlined ease of Koko is a perfect fit for him.
Kathy Adams, a 70-year-old member, said she checks the leader board every time she works out. This was a surprise to Adams who said she has always been a “do-it-yourselfer.” This simple work-for-reward technique seems to be one of the key motivational points for Koko FitClub. “It is that feeling, I think,” Mercado said, “that people just want to be recognized for working hard and feeling good about it.”
And, in a world of instant gratification, instant results can undoubtedly be motivational — and that’s what the technology at Koko FitClub can provide people. It’s real time data showing real time results. “The numbers don’t lie,” Adams said. “That in itself is very motivating. You can start seeing improvement. You don’t think you’re getting better, you know on paper you’re getting better and stronger.”
Mercado said many people quit trying to get healthy and lose weight because they don’t see results. The “smart trainer,” as it’s called, keeps track of the improvement each member makes during their workouts and shares the data instantly as well as on a personalized website. Koko FitClub seems to have found a way to simplify a very complicated thing. When club members come into the gym, everything is mapped out for them, from weight to reps.
Nutrition isn’t spared, either. Recipes and meal guidelines are part of each member’s website — something that Nel Lenhart, 50, a club member, said has made a positive impact on her family. The gym itself gives off a family feeling. Lenhart describes the atmosphere as “encouraging” and “comfortable.” Mercado said when people go into a large gym environment, they can sometimes be intimidated and uncomfortable asking for help, the exact opposite of what Mercado and the Koko FitClub conveys. “You get the sense that people are glad I’m here, and they’re proud of me for showing up,” Lenhart said.
Because the workouts are easy to follow, the fear of being “that person” at the gym is basically eliminated. “You don’t have to worry about the whole gym thing, going in with all these people, not knowing what you’re doing or waiting for this machine or that machine,” Kraus said. Koko FitClub supports a friendly environment and pushes the goal of health, not just quick weight loss. “We are the life prescription keeping people healthy,” Mercado said.
For more information call 303-872-8380 or visit kokodenver.com.
by Mark Smiley | Sep 25, 2015 | Glendale City News
by Marco Cummings
Writer for and on behalf of the City of Glendale
Eagles Practice at Infinity Park Photo by Seth McConnell
Two Glendale Raptors are representing club and country this month during the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.
Glendale Raptors Zach Fenoglio and Niku Kruger were among the names selected to the 31-man USA World Cup roster. The USA Eagles are competing alongside 20 other nations during the six-week tournament.
“Making the World Cup squad truly is a dream come true. It was something I set my sights on five years ago and it is surreal to see those goals met now,” Fenoglio said of his selection. “When you first start playing rugby you always imagine what it would be like to play on the World Cup stage and now to have this opportunity is something I’ll cherish forever.”
“Zach has been a hard worker since his initial selection onto our A side (lower-level Eagle) three years ago. Despite some disappointing squad omissions, Zach continued to remain positive in his approach, and eventually he became a regular squad member for us,” said USA Eagles head coach Mike Tolkin. “His leadership role with the Raptors has helped him become a confident player with the Eagles.
International play will give Fenoglio, a Denver native and longtime Raptor, time to mesh with Kruger, who will be a new addition to Glendale’s roster.
“I chose Glendale because of the professionalism and culture the club has. I have followed Glendale for a couple of years and really enjoyed the way they played and presented themselves,” Kruger explained. “Then when I spoke to coach Andre [Snyman] and learned of his love and enthusiasm for the game I knew it was the place I wanted to further my rugby career.”
“It has been great getting to work with Niku, he’s a very talented and knowledgeable player of the game,” Fenoglio added. “It’s been great seeing him develop with the Eagles and I know he’ll bring great value and leadership to Glendale next season. Bringing someone with that talent and rugby background will only help grow and better our team.”
Fenoglio and Kruger will look to defend the Raptors’ Pacific Rugby Premiership (PRP) title in 2016, but are playing alongside several other PRP players as teammates for the Eagles.
“It is great to have these players return to their clubs and bring back the international experience they have gained,” said Tolkin. “Their teammates look up to them and they help raise the bar on the field.”
The pair are part of a USA team which features 20 World Cup debutants, but played several international matches in preparation for the Rugby World Cup.
“In terms of Rugby World Cup experience, yes, this is a relatively inexperienced group,” USA Men’s Eagles head coach Tolkin said. “However, while the Rugby World Cup is a whole different kettle of fish, many of these players do have a fair bit of international play under their belts since 2011.”
He added, “[Kruger] was a late selection and has displayed talent as a young scrum-half. While he has not had much playing time this summer, his skill and work ethic promise well for him in the future.”
Drawn in Pool B alongside opposing teams Samoa, Scotland, South Africa and Japan, the Eagles look to qualify for the Knockout Stage, a goal which has been out of reach in several prior World Cups.
“As a team we have really begun to come together and execute our systems effectively,” said Fenoglio. “Our goal for the World Cup is to continue to develop our continuity on both sides of the ball and to make it into the round of 8, getting out of pool play. We have a very talented and committed group of guys and I know we can do it.”
“As a player, I want to ensure that every time I step into that field I represent my country to the best of my ability and hard top quality rugby,” added Kruger. “We want to to make it to the knockout stages of the tournament.”
