Boris’s Upholstery
Christmas At Gaylord Rockies Until January 3, 2021
Save Up To 40 Percent With Ticket Bundles
by Mark Smiley
The Covid-19 global pandemic may have dampened the spirits of some but at Gaylord Rockies in Denver, they are doing their best to keep the spirit alive with their Christmas at Gaylord Rockies. Mistletoe Village on the convention center wing of the hotel still features Build a Bear Workshop, cookies with Mrs. Claus, a gingerbread house decorating station, gift shop, and the all new I Love Christmas Movies exhibit. All of these are more spread out than years past, offering a chance for guests to feel more comfortable and social distance.
The west side of the hotel features acres of twinkling lights and decorations and holiday activities including snow tubing, ice bumper boats, Merry-Go-Round and ice skating. The I Love Christmas Movies pop-up experience replaces the Ice exhibit this year (although Ice will return next year). A guide takes small groups through replica movie sets from movies such as Polar Express, Christmas Vacation, Elf, A Christmas Story, and A Year Without Santa Claus.
Although the Christmas spirit is alive at the resort, they have set up stringent safety protocols to keep their guests safe. The resort has directional arrows for walking through the resort and hand sanitizing stations throughout. The Pinyons bar now forms a single file line to order drinks which allows for social distancing. For the time being, the other restaurants offer food to go only. However, the resort does allow outside food to be brought in. Convenient options are services such as Uber Eats or GrubHub.
The demanding standards of cleanliness have risen to an even higher level with new protocols for the current circumstances. Gaylord Rockies has elevated their cleanliness standards and changing hospitality norms. As a part of Marriott International’s family, they have put in place a multi-pronged approach designed to meet the health and safety challenges presented by COVID-19 as outlined in Marriott’s Commitment to Clean.
Enhanced technologies, including the testing of electrostatic sprayers and implementing the highest classification of disinfectants recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization are being used to sanitize surfaces throughout the hotel and convention center.
Gaylord Rockies has implemented extra-stringent daily cleaning procedures that are focused heavily on high touchpoint areas. Public spaces, including, but not limited to, the lobby, aquatic areas, fitness centers, and meetings and convention spaces, have dedicated staff to sanitize frequently throughout the day.
In guest rooms, they have added detailed cleaning practices, requiring all surfaces to be thoroughly cleaned with hospital-grade disinfectants and that this cleaning is done with increased frequency. They have also placed disinfecting wipes in each guest room for guests’ personal use. For more information on their protocols, visit www.gaylordhotelsclean.marriott.com.
Gaylord Rockies is near Denver International Airport and is a Marriott property that opened in December 2018. The 486,000 square feet of convention space makes it the largest combined resort and convention center in Colorado. It is the fifth Gaylord property to open with the others located in Washington, D.C., Nashville, Orlando, and Dallas.
The Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center is located at 6700 North Gaylord Rockies Boulevard. For more information about the resort or to make a reservation, visit www.gaylordrockies.com. Christmas at Gaylord Rockies runs until January 3, 2021. For more information or for tickets to the events, visit www.christmasatgaylordrockies.marriott.com.
Denver Board Of Education’s Newest Mission: Eliminate Quality Education For All
In Denver, these days you get a choice between the “Corporatists” like Mayor Hancock and former mayors Federico Peña and Wellington Webb, and the “Radicals” like Candi CdeBaca and the majority of the newest Denver School Board. There is, these days, no other viable alternative. Neither group is all bad or all good but together they are helping to destroy the city. Back in his first run for Denver mayor, Federico Peña’s slogan was “Imagine a Great City.” Today the slogan appears to be “Imagine a Really Crappy City.”
The Corporatists under Mayor Hancock have made their contribution to a crappy city by destroying as many open spaces and parks as humanly possible. Denver has gone from one of the leading cities in percentage of open space and parks per resident to one of the worst in the United States. The Corporatists, of course, wish to exploit any city asset built up over generations to make money for themselves and their friends, like high-density developers and lobbyists/lawyers. To the credit of the Radicals, they are not on board with this grotesque program and are the ones fighting the mayor and his friends to preserve what is left.
The Radicals on the Denver Board of Education, on the other hand, are doing there best to destroy quality education in the City and County of Denver, aided and abetted by Denver’s teachers’ union. The teachers’ union in Chicago has declared that in-school learning is “rooted in sexism, racism and misogyny,” and many of Denver’s unionized teachers would certainly agree.
The Radicals on the Denver Board of Education are led by none other than Tay Anderson who won an at-large seat in 2019. He is not a big believer in education, having barely gotten out of Manual High School himself in 2017. He demands that if you talk to him that you address him as “Director” Anderson. More recently he has been nicknamed “The Round Mound of Flop Downs.” Mr. Anderson does not appear to have any means of support. The Board job is without compensation. His Board bio shows no present employment. But there are other ways to make money.
Back in July, he was at the homeless encampment by the State Capitol when he said he was pushed by the police, although video appears only to show him flopping down. He claims he went to a hospital, but the hospital was never identified. He set up a Go Fund Me Page for “medical expenses” without ever identifying what those expenses were. Nonetheless he took in over $13,000. He also hired a lawyer and presumably got a payday from the city.
But money never lasts long. In December, he did another flop down at an unidentified Target, this time claiming severe chest pains caused his collapse. He had previously tapped Target, claiming that he and his brother had been racially profiled at another unidentified Target, and received a swift apology from corporate headquarters and who knows what else. Why you want to continue to shop at a store that you claim racially profiled and harassed you is a little strange, but we are sure Mr. Anderson has his reasons. It has not been disclosed whether he has hired legal counsel for his latest flop down.
What Mr. Anderson and his fellow Radicals want to end is children having any choice on where they go to school, an idea on which the Denver teachers’ union heartily agrees.
The word “competition” is an anathema to them. The schoolteachers’ union opposes charter and magnate schools, and the Radicals ran on limiting, or even getting rid of, educational opportunities for kids in the City and County of Denver. The Corporatists, including Mayor Hancock, had strongly supported school choice with money coming in for school board races by developers and others. This support for school choice was not out of any eleemosynary belief in education, but they realized with only lousy, non-competitive schools in Denver, less people would be willing to move to Denver and fill up all those high-density condos and apartments. But the corporate support largely dried up in 2019 leaving only the money from the schoolteachers’ union for the 2019 election which resulted in the Radicals winning.
The Radicals relatively quickly drove out widely praised school superintendent Susana Cordova who is a child of Mexican American immigrant parents and the first college graduate in the family. She went to Denver schools and began teaching in them starting in 1989. She is leaving Denver for a much less prestigious and lower paying job in the Dallas Texas Independent School District. She stated she is leaving Denver because Dallas “reminds her a lot of the Denver I grew up in.”
Obviously, today’s Denver does not remind her of the Denver she grew up in. Moreover, she also does not believe the present “Imagine a Crappy City” contest between the Corporatists and the Radicals will improve matters any. Will there ever be a movement for something other than the Corporatists and the Radicals? Ms. Cordova does not believe anything will develop anytime soon and unfortunately neither do we.
— Editorial Board
Season Bursting With Bright Ways To Celebrate The Holidays In Good Health
Enjoy Heartwarming, Safe Choices Full Of Festive Cheer, Beautiful Scenery And Fun Activities
Three phrases wrap-up this year’s holiday season: Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men, plus Pandemic Precautions included. Nonetheless there are plenty of ways to enjoy a magical, safe season in good health. Because there’s no place like home for the holidays, we’ve rounded up a treasure trove of magical things to do in-person, outdoors and virtually from home:
In-Person
Cherry Creek North
Reimagined for 2020, district’s 16 blocks feature a Light Walk plus eight displays choreographed to music. More: Prismatica on corner of 3rd-Milwaukee is an interactive light installation. Holiday Thursdays through Dec. 17, has treats-giveaways, 5-8 p.m.
Cherry Creek Shopping Center
Santa’s Flight Academy returns as a socially distanced, non-contact experience thru Dec. 24. Photo sessions are by reservation. Plus across from Food Court there’s a free 75-vendor Gift Festival, Dec. 7-24.
City Of Glendale
Enjoy season’s magic during December Delights at Four Mile Park Dec. 4-27. Then attend Glendale Sports Center’s holiday gala Dec. 17, 5:30-7 p.m. This 1.3-sq.-mile enclave has 55-popular-unique retail stores plus delightful dining-entertainment venues.
Christmas At Gaylord Rockies
Lights, decorations, shows and events at Gaylord Rockies Resort through Jan. 3. There’s a new pop-up I Love Christmas Movies™ experience. Information: 720-452-6900.
Family Holiday Photos
Book a time, dress in your holiday best for 15-minute Eisenhower Chapel shoot provided by Lowry Aviator & Lowry Foundation, Dec. 12, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Information: 303-344-0481.
Nutcracker Suite
With a stellar cast, this one act performance is at Lone Tree Arts Center, Dec. 10 & 17 at 7 p.m., Dec. 11 & 18, 1 p.m. Information: 720-509-1000.
Pipe Organ Tour
Learn history, architecture, and organ music of Capital Hill’s largest venues beginning at the Cathedral Basilica Dec. 5, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Information: 303-534-5288, ext. 7.
Winterland
See world premiere of discotheque cabaret of titillating tales presented by Sunflower Bank at Wonderbound Studios. Information: 303-292-4700.
Outdoors
Blossoms Of Light
Meander through Denver Botanic Garden’s annual LED light wonderland with treats, cocoa and more through Jan. 16. Information: 720-865-3500.
Christkindl Market
German cuisine, live music & sweets in Civic Center Park, Sun.-Wed., 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Thur.-Sat. to 9 p.m. Information: gacc.co.org.
December Delights
Enjoy installations, ice skating, kids’ activities and a scavenger hunt at Four Mile Historic Park, Dec. 4-27. Event has snacks & full bar. Information: 720-865-0800.
The 16th St. Mall Festival
Enjoy shopping downtown next to the 100-ft. LED Christmas tree. Information: giftfestival.com.
Zoo Lights
Take family to see city’s wildest winter wonderland celebrating its 30th Anniversary through Dec. 31. Zoo is aglow with a million lights over 80 acres. Information: 720-990-5105.
Virtual
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Kicks off the season with holiday favorite starting Dec. 8. Additional music, theatre and dance available through Jan. 20. Information: 303-674-4002 or ovationwest .org.
Arvada Center Art Market
Shop market’s 34th annual selection of ceramics, drawings, paintings and glass by 70 artists through Dec. 18. Go to: acart market.com.
Aurora Singers
A free digital show of holiday favorites to enjoy at home Dec. 12., 7 p.m. Join link that evening on group’s website: aurora singers.org.
Granny Dances To A Holiday Drum
See Cleo Parker Robinson’s 29th production online Dec. 5-Jan. 2. Show is blend of dance, music and spoken word. Information: 303-295-1759.
Nutcracker Suite
View virtual performances from Lone Tree Arts Center Dec. 10 and 17th, 7 p.m. plus Dec. 11 and 18, 1 p.m. Information: 720-509-1000.
Mayor Hancock Gets Badly Mauled In Denver Ballot Measures
As a result of a bevy of Denver ballot issues, the November election was consequential for the future of Denver although the election as it relates to Denver got relatively little attention. First and foremost, the strong mayor form of government first adopted in 1904 when Denver became the City and County of Denver is for all intents and purposes badly damaged. Michael Hancock has been easily elected three times as mayor of the Mile High City but appears to be nonetheless widely despised by his Denver constituents as the election demonstrated.
The powers taken from the mayor’s office and given to the City Council are not small or inconsequential as generally reported in the Denver press and they are just the beginning.
First, in Ballot Measure 2E, backed by Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer, the voters removed the mayor’s ability to hire people for a number of important positions including the chief of police, sheriff, fire chief, city attorney, public health director, parks director, aviation director and the planning and development manager. The mayor would still select and oversee those appointees. Incumbent appointees serving when a new mayor is sworn in would still be subject to approval. Hancock argued against the proposal saying it would make it much more difficult to recruit qualified people. Nobody seemed to care. Few were overly impressed by his hires in the first place. Before, people in those positions could simply ignore the City Council and the public in general and only had to do the mayor’s bidding. No more.
Next in Ballot Measure 2G the voters took away the mayor’s unfettered control over the city budget. The mayor’s office prepares the budget and if the City Council alters it in any manner, he can use his veto power and it takes a super majority (9 out 13) to override the veto. Only the mayor could initiate any changes during the year. Councilwoman Robin Kniech saw an opening and pushed a charter change allowing the Council to appropriate new or excess revenues and transfer unspent money throughout the city. It’s now a new ball game.
Hancock not only strenuously opposed 2E and 2G, he even trotted out the old war horse, former Mayor Wellington Webb (along with Webb’s wife Wilma), to lead the opposition to the changes but no avail, both passed relatively easily.
But the City Council was not done hacking away at Hancock. Councilwoman Debbie Ortega pushed Ballot Measure 2C which the voters approved giving the Council the right to hire their own professionals including attorneys without the need to rely on Administration officials who at least used to be solely dependent on the mayor. This may sound insignificant, but it is not. Fights like the one over Hancock sexually harassing female employees will no longer be one sided affairs with the mayor holding all the cards.
Denver citizens had become sick and tired of Hancock and his developer cronies totally ignoring transportation issues. For massive development projects the administration would not even do traffic studies on the effect of the development because it might come out negative. In 2019 the voters approved a charter change which turned the Department of Public Works into the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) effective January 1, 2020. Hancock in response, using his executive power created Multimodal, Pedestrian and Bicycle advisory committees which he of course appointed all of the members. Councilwoman Ortega decided that was a bad idea so she proposed another charter change Ballot Measure 2D whereby there would be a DOTI Advisory Committee comprised of 19 individuals of which the mayor would be able to appoint only six members while the City Council would have the ability to appoint the remaining 13. The voters also liked that idea although it is unclear what, if any, powers the advisory committee would have.
The final insult to the mayor was Ballot Measure 2J. In 1989 Denver adopted a pit bull ban. Earlier this year, the Council revoked the ban, but Hancock vetoed the measure and there were not enough votes to override the veto. Councilman Chris Herndon refused to concede defeat and had the Council refer the matter to the voters who backed Herndon and pit bulls over Hancock.
In the end the Council and the members who oppose Hancock won every measure and Hancock lost every last one. The general commentary has been that Hancock and the mayor’s office had its sails trimmed back, but no big deal. They say Hancock did not try very hard, but of course, he never tries very hard at anything. A weak mayor, Michael Hancock has effectively begun the destruction of Denver’s strong mayor form of government. Given its amazing victories, the City Council will be back in the next election to do some more sail trimming.
We agree with the City Council members who fight the mayor and the voters who gave Hancock a political spanking. When a character like Michael Hancock uses three terms as mayor and all the powers the City Charter gives him to reward and line the pockets of the high-density developers who controlled him, it was time to change the Charter. Hancock has almost three more years to continue to destroy a once beautiful city. Hopefully, he will spend that time to continue to chase women, but the high-density developers are not likely to rest until they have exploited every last dollar destroying a wonderful city that past mayors help build.
— Editorial Board
