Celebrate Mom: Clan’s Pandemic Anchor

by Mark Smiley | Apr 23, 2021 | Main Articles

With cute kids, kindly husbands and crowded kitchens, mothers are always fiercely protective of their kids and strive, despite obstacles, to help their families flourish. Albeit moms never dreamed a pandemic would trigger stay-at-home parents, the family matriarch has proven once again to be sensitive, demanding, practical, tough and supportive.

As a result we desire to give extra recognition to moms this Mother’s Day, May 9. Something extraordinary to pay tribute to mothers — past, present, mothers-to-be, and those lost but forever remembered.

There’s a lot to offer this Mother’s Day with events and performances returning plus dine-in capacity has increased, albeit a fourth pandemic wave is a threat. Restaurants are offering the highest holiday dining choices since the pandemic hit. To prepare, use this guide to plan a weekend full of activities she’ll love.

Wining-Dining Mom

Seashore Spot: Blue Island Oyster Bar & Seafood in Cherry Creek North is offering a Mother’s Day brunch until 3 p.m., followed by dinner.

Blue Island Oyster Bar & Seafood, 2625 E. 2nd Ave. in Cherry Creek, is offering brunch until 3 p.m. plus dinner. Full menu includes Chilean Seabass, Swordfish “Paella,” and Filet Mignon. Information: 303-333-2462.

Carmine’s On Penn, 92 S. Pennsylvania St., is presenting a family style dinner for mom. Eatery’s dishes are prepared in two sizes: small for two, and the larger is family sized. Information: 303-777-6443.

Wash Park Grille, 1096 S. Gaylord St., is preparing a special Mother’s Day brunch menu, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Seating for parties up to eight, larger groups can be accommodated at separate tables. Information: 303-777-0707.

Toro Latin Kitchen, 150 Clayton Ln., inside the JW Marriott Cherry Creek. Featuring brunch, patio stations include a Ceviche Raw Bar plus grill station serving lamb chops & mahi mahi tacos, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Information: 303-253-3000.

Taste Of Toro: A patio brunch is planned by Toro Latin Kitchen in Cherry Creek featuring a grill station with lamb chops and mahi mahi tacos plus a Ceviche Raw Bar.

Blue Agave Grill, 1201 16th St. Mall, in the Tabor Center is offering brunch with “Mom Mimosas” flowing and flowers abound. Experience offered day and night, from the regular menu. Information: 720-550-8389.

Kona Grill, 3000 E. 1st Ave. inside the Cherry Creek Shopping Center. Earn “favorite child status” and enjoy “MOMosas.” Order from the regular menu. Information: 720-974.1300.

Fogo de Chao, 1515 Wynkoop, is offering brunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., dinner from 2-9 p.m. Dinner price is all day at the Brazilian steakhouse chain, children 7-12 half-price. Information: 303-623-9600.

Quality Italian, 241 Columbine St. inside the Halcyon Hotel. The Cherry Creek chophouse is offering food and drink menu specials but doesn’t elaborate. Information: 303-532-8888.

Distinctive Delights

Mother’s Day Tea: Make Mom’s special weekend complete by taking her to afternoon tea at the Brown Palace. Tea is served with plates of scones, finger sandwiches and sweets.

Chocolates & Bubbles — The Chocolate Lab, 2504 E. Colfax Ave., is featuring a Mother’s Day brunch tasting Saturday, May 8, 10:30 a.m. Begin by enjoying a sparkling cocktail with small bites, followed by a discussion of wines and chocolates. The tasting wraps up with additional scrumptious small bites. Information: 720-536-5037.

Mother’s Day Tea — Make mom’s special weekend complete by enjoying tea at the Brown Palace Hotel, 321 17th St. She’ll adore listening to the soft sounds of the grand piano float through the eight-story atrium. Tea topped with Devonshire cream from England comes with plates of scones, finger sandwiches and sweets. Information: 303-312-8900.

Music & Performances

Brantley Gilbert At Red Rocks — If mom is a country music fan, take her to Red Rocks to see the country crooner live, May 7-8. Information: 720-865-2494.

Disco Biscuits Play Mission Ballroom — The trailblazers of “trance-fusion” bridging the gap between electronic music and jam bands at the Mission Ballroom Mother’s Day weekend May 7-8, 8 p.m. Information: 720-577-6884.

Bluebird Theater Has RAC — The Portuguese-American musicians play electronica-dance music and live rock for mom May 8, 8 p.m. Information: 303-377-1666.

Art & Exhibits

Matriarch Magic: Restaurants are offering the highest amount of dining choices since the pandemic hit this Mother’s Day. Expect exquisite table settings such as this piece created by Toro Latin Kitchen in Cherry Creek North.

Colorado Women’s Art — Take mom to see the 30th Anniversary group exhibition by the 80-member Colorado Women’s Caucus for Art on display at D’art Gallery 900 Santa Fe Dr., May 6-30. Information: 720-486-7735.

Paris To Hollywood — Mom will love to see the fashion and influences of Veronique and Gregory Peck on display at the Denver Art Museum on Mother’s Day weekend and continuing through July 18. Information: 720-865-5000.

Apron Chronicles — If mom enjoys cooking she’ll adore seeing the photos, personal narratives and one-of-a-kind aprons on display at the History Colorado Center through May 31. Information: 303-447-9679.

Gardens Of The Mind — Take mom to view rarely seen Salvador Dali fanciful color lithographs of flowers and fruit at Denver Botanic Gardens on Mother’s Day weekend and continuing through Aug. 22. Information: 720-865-3500.

Translucent Reality — Artists in this exhibition on display through May 8 at Walker Fine Art, 300 W. 11th Ave., strive for enlightenment by shining through the veil where reality and fantasy overlay. Information: 303-355-8955.

Markets

Friday Night Bazaar — Grab mom for an evening of shopping, sipping and mingling in the RiNo Art District May 7. The bazaar features 40 local vendors, food trucks, craft beer and cocktails plus live music beginning at 5 p.m. Information: 720-398-6200.

Cherry Creek Farmers Market — Begin mom’s special weekend at annual Colorado Fresh Markets Cherry Creek marketplace at 1st Ave. & University May 8, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Meet neighbors, friends and buy fresh produce while eating, drinking and enjoying café area. Information: 303-442-1847.

Sports

Colorado Rockies vs. Cincinnati Reds — The Colorado Rockies are partnering with Susan G. Komen Colorado for this May 10 Mother’s Day game, 1:30 p.m. Tickets include a $5 donation to cancer non-profit plus pre-game field access for a family parade around the warning track. Information: 877-465-6636.

Mother’s Day 5K — Cherry Creek Valley moms are on course to go the distance competing in Mother’s Day 5k events at City Park May 3 and 11 starting at 9 a.m. Information: runa.com.

Tay Anderson’s Legal Problems Mount

by Mark Smiley | Apr 23, 2021 | Main Articles

Criminal And Civil Failure To Report Gifts Added To Sexual Assault And Harassment Claims

by Glen Richardson

Worries Mount: Denver School Board Director Tay Anderson’s legal problems are growing. Two progressive organizations he has been a part of (Black Lives Matter 5280 and Never Again, Colorado) have accused him of either sexual assaulting or sexually harassing female members. Now the nonpartisan Campaign Integrity Watchdog has filed civil and criminal complaints concerning tens of thousands of gifts he has alleged to have solicited.

Tay Anderson, the highly controversial 22-year-old Denver School Board member’s legal problems are escalating at a dizzying pace. He is now facing new criminal misdemeanor allegations relating to his failure to file required reports on his repeated solicitation for gifts related to myriad events including claimed medical expenses, a trip to Washington, D.C., and a baby gift registry.

Sex Assault And Harassment

He was previously accused of sexually assaulting an unnamed woman by Black Lives Matter 5280 (“BLM”) which he denied and claimed he needed more information. BLM demanded that Anderson issue a public apology and seek assistance from a licensed professional with relevant expertise before he was welcomed at the group’s meetings or events. The group later stated that more women had come forward.

Anderson then acknowledged a May 2018 Denver Public Schools investigation found that he had engaged in retaliation while advocating on behalf of former Manual High School Principal Nick Dawkins, whom the district had investigated following employee complaints of harassment and bias.

The six female members of a gun reform organization, Never Again Colorado, which Anderson served as president in 2018, issued a statement that Anderson created a hostile work environment making them feel unsafe by, inter alia, “talking in code about female board members in front of them (with romantic/sexual subtexts), daring female board members to perform sexualized actions, having conversations comparing the attractiveness of female board members, and making lewd comments in private to female board members.” The women were underage at the time of the incidents.

This time Anderson apologized and stated he would now “plan to engage and consult with restorative and transformative justice professionals.”

Anderson declared that he welcomed any investigation of his conduct. On April 6, 2021, he got his wish when the Denver Public Schools Board of Directors announced that it had secured an agreement with the Investigative Law Group to investigate the claims of women that he had assaulted and harassed them.

Anderson alienated many of his white female supporters in Central Park (formerly Stapleton) and elsewhere when he tweeted out “My brother really picked out a white woman with pumpkin pie over me for thanksgiving. This is another level of hurt.” The outrage over the implied racism caused him to delete the tweet.

Cornucopia Of Gifts For Anderson

Campaign Integrity Watchdog, LLC, a non-partisan organization dedicated to campaign integrity and transparency of public officials filed an Economic Crime Complaint with the Denver District Attorney’s Office alleging criminal misdemeanors by Anderson for failure to report numerous fundraising solicitation schemes including:

• Anderson claimed unspecified medical expenses alleging that on July 29, 2020, he “was a victim of assault by the Denver Police Department while standing in support of people experiencing homelessness” and hit his head. His campaign manager created a Go Fund Me page in which he received over $13,000 in gifts. He was required to report all gifts above $65 but failed to do so according to the Complaint.
• Anderson personally created a Go Fund Me page on September 19, 2020, to pay for his and others trip to Washington, D.C., for the funeral of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and raised almost $13,000 and the Complaint indicates he again failed to report the same.

Gifts Galore: Campaign Integrity Watchdog has filed civil and criminal complaints against Tay Anderson for his failure to disclose tens of thousands of dollars of unreported gifts.

It also appears that Anderson began soliciting gifts in late 2020, of up to $1,000 on the Target website for a child he was expecting. There appear to be only 11 gifts he registered for that have not been purchased for him at press time. Anderson has had an interesting relationship with Target. He had tweeted that he and family members had been racially harassed at an unspecified Target location. Then on November 30, 2020, he tweeted that he had collapsed from severe chest pains while shopping with his family at Target. His failure to report the Target Baby Registry gifts would appear to potentially violate C.R.S. Sec. 24-6-203.

Anderson would not be subject to jail time under the statute but could be punished by a fine of up to $1,000 for each violation and the Complaint alleges multiple violations. Campaign Integrity Watchdog also filed a Complaint with the Colorado Secretary of State alleging campaign and political finance violations of C.R.S. Sec. 24-6-203, based on the same set of facts. The Secretary of State, Jena Griswold, could impose her own fines under Colorado law.

Campaign Integrity Watchdog officer, Matt Arnold, stated that “public officials who deliberately evade the legal disclosure requirements for financial activity betray the public trust. Elected officials — and those seeking to obtain or retain elected office — cannot be above the law. Such ‘official’ violators must be held accountable to the law, so that ‘some animals — are not more equal than others’.”

Controversial Glendale Meeting

Tay Anderson became well known to Glendale residents when in July of last year, he appeared at a City Council meeting with State Representative Emily Sirota to protest Glendale agreeing with Governor Polis on masks while opting out of Tri-County Health Department’s requirements. He managed to alienate many at the meeting by verbally mocking and denigrating anyone who spoke with a position contrary to his own.

Anderson did not respond to requests for comment on the latest charges against him.