by Valley Gadfly | Oct 20, 2023 | Main Articles
Eateries Open For Thanksgiving, Plus Fun Things To Do In Legs Up Guide By Neighborhood For A Bountiful Holiday
by Glen Richardson

Hot To Trot: Plan to join United Way’s 50th anniversary Thanksgiving 4-mile Turkey Trot or 1-mile Lil Gobbler family run at Wash Park Nov. 23, 9 a.m.
November is the month to celebrate happiness and home as we prepare for Thanksgiving. The popular holiday falls on Thursday, Nov. 23, this year. If laboring in the kitchen doesn’t sound like your idea of a holiday, let chefs and professional restaurant staff prepare and serve your Thanksgiving meal.
Many restaurants are opening their doors to serve up a variety of gourmet dishes. Reminiscing with friends and kin will touch your Funny Bone as you enjoy the annual Wish Bone holiday. Choices range from Monaco Inn Restaurant’s flavorful fare, to the buffet at FIRE in the ART Hotel.
Here’s the Chronicle’s leg up Thanksgiving guide to restaurant options and fun things to do to make your holiday bright and bold:
Dining Out Options
Listed by neighborhoods, these restaurants have signified they will be open for Thanksgiving. Many, however, had yet to announce menu choices.
Glendale-Cherry Creek
Blue Island Oyster Bar, Seafood
Del Frisco’s Grille, Steakhouse
Bar-grill on St. Paul annually offer a three-course turkey dinner, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Information: 303-320-8529.
Gyo-Kaku, Japanese
Hapa Sushi Grill, Sushi
Hana Matsuri, Sushi
Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar, Seafood
Kini’s
La Merise, French
Little Ollie’s, Asian
Local Jones, American
Bistro-bar in Halcyon Hotel annually offers dine in or advanced notice to-go orders. They often feature a one-of-a-kind Pumpkin Basque Cheesecake dessert. Information: 720-772-5022.
Locanda Del Borgo, Italian
Mehak India’s Aroma
Monaco Inn Restaurant, Greek
Though it’s known for its Greek cuisine, this cozy holiday dining institution always offers a Thanksgiving feast. Eatery is serving classic roast turkey with stuffing and all the trimmings, noon to 6 p.m. Menu items are also available, all accompanied by classic sides. Information: 303-320-1104.
Narrative
North Italia
Quality Italian
Toro Latin Kitchen, South American
True Food Kitchen
Viale Pizza & Kitchen, Italian
Downtown
801 Fish, Seafood

Family & Friends Feast: Experience the quality and service of the Monaco Inn Restaurant this Thanksgiving. Family run Monaco Square eatery has been serving Denver for over 30 years.
Corinne, American
Restaurant in the Le Meridien Hotel is serving from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Choose from roasted turkey, bourbon glazed ham, tofurkey as an entrée. Limited a la carte options from menu also offered. Information: 720-996-1555.
Corner Office Restaurant, American
Eatery in downtown Curtis Hotel annually offers a Thanksgiving buffet. Information; 303-825-6500.
EDGE Restaurant, Steakhouse
Steakhouse in Four Seasons Hotel downtown is serving a Thanksgiving buffet featuring “savory delicacies and decadent desserts,” from noon to 8 p.m. Information: 303-389-3050.
Guard & Grace, Steakhouse
Ship Tavern Brown Palace, American
STK, Steakhouse
Three Saints Revival, Tapas, Small Plates
Venice Restaurante & Wine Bar, Italian
Water Grill, Seafood
Eatery on Market St. is working on a Thanksgiving menu and will also offer an a la carte menu. Information: 303-727-5711.

Talking Turkey: Donate time, turkeys, and funds for Denver Rescue Mission to feed the hungry at shelters. Mission also provides Thanksgiving Banquet-in-a-Box to needy families.(Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Highlands
Acova, Italian
Ash Kara, Israeli
Mizu Izakaya & Sushi, Japanese
Spuntino, Italian
Williams & Graham, Small Plates
LoDo
Ocean Prime, Larimer Square, Seafood
Rioja, Mediterranean, LoDo
Make reservations early at this popular eatery that often serves turkey two ways and often sells out. A Thanksgiving menu for pickup is also usually offered. Information: 303-820-2282.
Tamayo, Contemporary Mexican, LoDo
The Capital Grill, Steakhouse, LoDo
Wash Park
Carmine’s On Penn, Italian
Mister Oso, Latin American
Que Bueno Suerte, Mexican
Diverse Locations
Blue Bonnet, Mexican (Baker)

Light Your Fire: Thanksgiving buffet being served at FIRE, the restaurant in the ART Hotel, will light your fire. Buffet is from 11:30 to 6 p.m., with live music from 1 to 4 p.m.
FIRE, American (Golden Triangle)
Restaurant in the ART Hotel is serving a Thanksgiving buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with live music from 1 to 4 p.m. Menu includes roasted white-dark meat, whipped potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, country gravy, and sourdough stuffing, Information: 720-709-4431.
To Go Option
Nosh Catering, Scratch Cat

Thanksgiving To Go: Nosh Catering is offering a to-go Thanksgiving dinner that feeds 6-8 people. The dinners will be available from Nov. 21 through 24.
erer
Offering a to-go Thanksgiving dinner that feeds 6-8 people, from Nov. 21 to 24. Information: 303-426-4534.
Thanksgiving Doings
Thanksgiving Preparation, Nov. 5 — Side dishes and the Art of Roasting, Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, 10:45 a.m. Information: 877-249-0305.
Denver Fashion Week, Nov. 11-19 —View holiday streetwear, activewear, lifestyle, kids, and high fashion at York Street Yards evenings, kids show 3 p.m. Information: michelle@halsports.net.
Thanksgiving Doings
Great Candy Run 5K, Nov. 12 — Get your youngsters moving for a sweet reward at run-walk event for kids, school groups, and teens at Wash Park, 9 a.m. Information: michelle@hallsports.net.
Cherry Creek Holiday Market, Nov. 16-Dec. 24 — Shop 50+ local makers on Fillmore between 1st & 2nd Ave., Sun.-Wed. noon to 7 p.m., Thur.-Sat. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Information: 303-394-2904.
Turkey Trot, Nov. 23 — Join United Way’s 50th anniversary Thanksgiving 4-mile walk-run or 1-mile Lil Gobbler family run at Wash Park, 9 a.m. Information: 303-433-8383.
Harvesting Hope, Nov. 23 — Participate in 5K at Stapleton Central Park on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 7 a.m. to noon. Information: harvestinghope5K.com.
Holiday Swingin’, Nov. 30 — Singer Kat Edmonson blends jazz, cabaret, and pop to get you swinging into the holidays at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-987-7845.
by Valley Gadfly | Oct 20, 2023 | Main Articles
by Glen Richardson

Finish Line Finale: The $233 million Colorado Convention Center expansion is projected to finish by year end. Project will add an additional 200,000-sq.-ft. of space to be maintained.
As the $233 million Colorado Convention Center expansion nears completion, the agency responsible for the facility warns that the current 2.2 million-sq.-ft. structure is in horrendous shape and in danger of becoming a catastrophe.
Furthermore, despite an increase in convention center meeting volume this year (2023), of the more than 180 conventions booked in the U.S. by mid-Sept. for 2024, the only one reserved at the Convention Center by that date was the July 4-7 Fan Expo.
The city is more than $62 million behind in deferred maintenance costs, and Denver Arts & Venues guestimates that the amount has ballooned above $70 million.
Trash & Turnover
The crux and reality are that the sources of funds for capital improvement are not keeping up with what’s needed for a building of this magnitude, was how Denver Arts & Venues Executive Director Ginger White explained it.
Fantasizing to solve the problem, new Denver Mayor Mike Johnston ended her 18-year career by firing her at the end of September. He has not named a replacement or put a deputy in charge of the 100-employee department. Deputy Molly Wink has subsequently taken a job at DIA, increasing the convention center crisis.
Arts & Venues also manages Red Rocks, DCPA, the McNichols Bldg., and the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, potentially placing those venues into a crisis comparable to that of the Convention Center. Combined, those venues generate $90 million in annual revenue and attract three million people yearly.
Swept Under Carpet

Seedy Sight: Colorado Convention Center’s Big Blue Bear looks in on rundown, dirty conditions in current space. City lacks funds for maintenance of building’s huge space.
Led by the new mayor, the city has tried to keep the Convention Center crisis a clandestine hush-hush secret. Arts & Venues’ Ginger White did not leak the convention complex maintenance problem; the information was obtained through an open records request by NPR’s online news site Denverite.
Ending homelessness — seemingly the mayor’s only priority — is a factor in the decline of city conventions. So is reducing crime downtown and finishing the 16th Street Mall and Larimer Square. Safety remains downtown’s chief flashpoint. Large city hotels say potential tourists, travelers, and business guests continue to say safety is a top priority when choosing whether to stay downtown.
The city’s Convention Center marketing has also slipped. Travel publications play an important role in tourism and conventions. Aurora and Colorado Springs still market in trade publications such as Meetings Today. Denver has done nothing in 2023. Furthermore, online convention material doesn’t appear to have been updated in months.
Maintenance Mess

Crowd Collapse: In 2016 the Convention Center recorded 967,543 attendees, the most ever. Six years later in 2022, the center’s 140 conventions drew a meager 547,526 attendees.
Denver spends among the least in the nation for convention center maintenance among similar sized sites. Using 2019 as a comparison to other convention centers, Denver’s operating gap — revenue less expenses — is the lowest in its competitive set.
For a decade, Denver allocated just $1 million a year for maintenance. In 2023, the city raised the figure to $5 million, albeit the new mayor may not approve the funds. Fixing escalators doesn’t have political sex appeal.
Nevertheless, the Convention Center is a crucial component for maintaining Denver’s financial well-being. If the Convention Center isn’t functioning, it reduces the amount of money the city can spend on daily operations and addressing residential issues.
Expansion Elements
Expected to be completed by the end of this year and open in 2024, the massive Colorado Convention expansion project will add an additional 200,000-sq.-ft. of space. The expansion will bring the facility to 2.4 million sq.-ft. It includes a 30,000-sq.-ft. back-of-the-house area, an 80,000-sq.-ft. ballroom, a 20,000-sq.-ft. terrace, and new pre-function areas.
When complete the ballroom will be the largest in Colorado. The space can be divided into 19 configurations. Leading out of the ballroom is a 20,000-sq.-ft. terrace with views of downtown and the mountains.
The southwest portion of the existing Convention Center, closest to Speer Blvd., featured an 80-ft. ceiling and glass curtain wall. As part of the expansion, a second level is going in, which will be used as pre-function space. It requires attaching the new floor to the existing structure and will include a set of long escalators.
Seesaw Saga

Classy Curtain Wall: Expansion along the southwest portion of the existing Convention Center — closest to Speer Blvd. —will have an 80-ft. ceiling and glass curtain wall.
The largest number of events in Denver was 246 back in 2010. Six years later in 2016 the Convention Center recorded the most attendees at 967,543. In 2022 the number had dropped to 140 conventions with 547,526 attendees.
The city’s image has been a factor in the decline in number of conventions and attendees. U.S. News & World Report rated Denver as the second-best place to live in 2020. In 2023 the city had dropped from second place to 99th.
Owned by the City & County of Denver, the Convention Center has been privately managed by ASM Global since 1994. Expecting a post-pandemic uptick, the City Council approved a new 10-year, $250 million contract for ASM Global, commencing Jan. 1, 2024.
Turbulence Threat

Big Ballroom: DenverInfill photo shows construction underway at the Convention Center’s 80,000-sq.-ft. ballroom. When completed it will be the biggest in Colorado.
A decade of limited maintenance by the city at the original convention center structure has turned a dust devil into a violent whirlwind, creating turbulence and instability as the new $233 million expansion nears completion. Moreover, the rotating updraft is a foreboding threat to downtown Denver’s comeback.
Trying to sweep the crisis under the carpet, the new mayor’s firing of Arts & Venues Executive Director Ginger White — followed by the quick exit of Deputy Director Molly Wink — has created a supercell. The sudden change in direction without warning now threatens the Denver Center for Performing Art and Red Rocks Amphitheatre, as the crisis swirls into a severe storm.
Amid the small whirls of dust, the landlord for the city’s Convention & Visitors Bureau is converting the space into residential units, forcing Visit Denver to move for the first time in 30 years. Richard W. Scharf Jr. — Visit Denver CEO and now the city’s only veteran convention person — may be caught in the atmosphere of chaos and also fired, turning the Convention Center crisis into a cyclone.
by Valley Gadfly | Sep 26, 2023 | Main Articles
We Have Bats In Our Belfry, As The One-Day Holiday Is Now A Month Of Freakish Parties, Spooky Street People, Ghoulish Shows
by Glen Richardson

Hoot And A Scream: Spooktacular displays such as Wild Fall and Glow at the Gardens are among Halloween events that create vocal expressions of creepy feeling from attendees.
Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and shortage, life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition.
It has become a month of ghoulish, hilarious fun in the Cherry Creek Valley. An amusing, exciting month when people project their fears in a safe and playful way.
Here’s the Chronicle’s monster month list of bewitching places to go and things to do to have a “fang-tastic” time while keeping “spirits” bright:
Sweet & Scary Cherry Creek Shopping, Oct. 1-31 — The spirit of Halloween once again lurks in this popular business district, pressing families to prowl among more than 300 stores for fall fashions, home furnishings, and accessories. The district is lined with pumpkins and decorations, plus food trucks selling treats and hot cocoa. Information: 303-394-2904.
Fright Fest, Oct. 1-28 — Elitch Gardens is transformed weekly on Sat.-Sun. from a day theme-water park into a family Halloween Fright By Night escapade. Information: 303-595-4386.
Denver Horror Story Cabaret, Oct. 5-26 — The most haunted room in town presents a burlesque tribute to the characters of American Horror Story, 7-8:30 p.m. Information: 303-293-0075.

Halloween Howls: October begins a month-long list of ghoulish, hilarious Halloween events for families to celebrate the holiday in a safe, playful way.
Mile High Horror Film Festival, Oct. 6-12 — In its unlucky 13th year, enjoy terrifying tales, performances by actors and actresses, plus horror-sci-fi films at various spots around Denver. Information: mhhff.com.
Oddities & Curiosities Expo, Oct. 7 — Shop Halloween artwork, antiques, skulls, bones, and funeral collectibles at the Convention Center, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Information: 303-447-0816.
The Twi-Fright Zone, Oct. 11 — Indigo Moon & Soul Penny Circus does Science Fiction Tales, Horror Tropes, at the Clocktower Cabaret, 7 p.m. Information: 303-293-0075.
Ghosts In The Gardens, Oct. 12-15 & Oct. 26-29 — Conjure up your courage as you walk Denver Botanic Gardens’ dimly lit paths after hours and listen to haunting stories. Feeling bold, visit the Beaux-Arts style mansion, 5:30-10:30 p.m. Information: 720-865-3500.
Friday The 13th, Oct. 13 — Canadian group Aerialists entertains followed by Halloween movies at Wings Over the Rockies Museum, 6:30 to 9:15 p.m. Information: 303-369-5360.
Pumpkin Harvest Festival, Oct. 14-15 — Pick pumpkins, shop vendor market, while enjoying music and performances at Four Mile Historic Park, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Information: 720-865-0800.

Bigfoot Forward: The Denver Zoo is swapping Boo at the Zoo for Wild Fall this year. Event has Bigfoot and costumed creatures, but focus is on education and connecting guests with nature.
Glow At The Gardens, Oct. 17-22 — The Denver Botanic Gardens will once again glow in a one-of-a-kind incandescent spectacle filled with family Halloween fun. Lined with a spooktacular display of massive, glowing jack-o’-lanterns that light up the night, guests will get the full creepy feeling of the Halloween season. Bands and performing artists play classic Halloween favorites during shows which are accompanied by food and drinks, 6-9 p.m. Information: 720-865-3500.
Wild Fall, Oct. 18-28 — The Denver Zoo is replacing “Boo at the Zoo,” — celebrated since the 1990s — with a jamboree titled “Wild Fall” this year. Albeit somewhat similar, the new zoo-sanctioned event will have a stronger focus on education and connecting attendees with nature. In the spirit of Halloween, the event will include costumed creatures, Bigfoot, professional pumpkin carvings, and animal demonstrations. Children can also enjoy face painting and pumpkin decoration stations. The event, however, won’t have trick-or-treat stations. Information: 720-337-1400.

Parade On Broadway: As Halloween hoots intensify, the 6th annual Broadway Halloween Parade drums-up excitement for the holiday. Spooky floats, bands, and marchers trek from 5th Ave. to Alameda on Oct. 23, starting at 6 p.m.
Broadway Halloween Parade, Oct. 23 — Costumed spectators are again expected to line up along the stretch of Broadway from 5th Ave. to Alameda Ave. for the Broadway Halloween Parade. Hosted by the Broadway Merchants Assn., the 6th annual procession will feature assorted spooky floats, ban
ds, and marchers. The parade is expected to start at approximately 6 p.m. Once the parade ends everyone is invited to join the marchers on the street. An assortment of local merchants, restaurants, and theaters offer post events to complement and enhance the festivities. Information: 303-282-0377.
Harvest Hoot, Oct. 27-28 — Wear costume while enjoying fall activities, fang-tastic bites, and games at the Children’s Museum at Marsico Campus, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Information: 303-433-7444.
Halloween Haunt, Oct. 28 — Evening of creepy crafts, pumpkin decorating, crawly critters, and games for kids & adults hosted by Four Mile Park, 4:30-8:30 p.m. Information: 720-865-0800.
Coloween, Oct. 28-29 — The biggest among dozens of h

Fantasy And Fashion: Coloween, city’s biggest Halloween party, has a fantasy- fashion theme this year. Event moves to the 50,000-sq.-ft. Stockyards Event Center, Oct. 28-29.
uge Denver Halloween parties, this year’s Halloween Ball moves to the 50,000-sq.-ft. Stockyards Event Center, 8 p.m.-2 a.m. This year’s “Fantasy and Fashion” themed party will feature club and EDM DJs, local talents, plus mind-bending immersive installations. Dressed attendees compete to win $2,000 in costume cash prizes. Information: 720-663-1414.
Halloween Spooktacular, Oct. 29 — Concert for all boys and ghouls, features music from films & TV. Wear costumes for a ghostly-good time at Boettcher, 2.30 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
Protect The Hero, Oct. 31 — Ontario’s Canadian progressive metal band celebrates Halloween with the Moon Tooth band at the Bluebird Theater, 8 p.m. Information: 303-377-1666.
by Valley Gadfly | Sep 26, 2023 | Main Articles
RugbyTown Pursues Peaceful Pickleball-Tennis Court Plan; Renovated, Renamed Mir Park Will Have Four Pickleball Courts
by Glen Richardson

Glendale Gathering Place: Glendale Sports Center has three indoor pickleball courts, plus four outdoor courts. Players have access to food, restrooms, water, and lights.
Pickleball is Denver’s and America’s fastest growing sport, but as the pastime has exploded in popularity, so have sports squabbles. The pock-pock and pop of the wooden paddle against the plastic wiffle ball is jarring people in neighborhoods nationwide.
With a broad new fan base in Denver, and across the state, a limited number of pickleball courts are causing constant battles. Sleep-loving neighbors, tennis players, and schoolchildren say their courts and playgrounds are being seized by pickleball players. Shouting matches, turf wars, and worse are the result. “Pickleball Is The Wild, Wild, West,” a Sports Illustrated cover story characterized the constant bad behavior and fighting.
In March of last year, the City of Denver created a fury by arresting 71-year-old Arslan Guney — known as “the Mayor of Pickleball” — for drawing squares on the basketball court at the Central Park Rec Center. A short time later, Denver closed Congress Park courts because of noise complaints. The city also put plans for a new court in Sloan’s Lake on hold because of noise worries. Further south, Centennial imposed a moratorium on court construction within 500-ft. of homes, also due to noise unease.
Complaints, Claims

Pickleball Poaching: Like so many courts across the metro area, Glendale’s two outdoor tennis courts were dominated by pickleball players, preventing residents from playing tennis.
Accusations of “Mafia tactics” and drones sent on intelligence-gathering missions, are among the accusations made in San Diego’s pickleball-tennis war. In San Francisco, legions of pickleball players crave more space to play, claiming to be “brushed off” by San Francisco’s Parks & Recreation Department.
In New York City, community boards have taken up complaints from parents of school children who say their youngsters have to compete for public park space with pickleball players. In Florida and dozens of other states, residents who live near courts constantly complain about noise, according to press reports.
From 100-ft. away, experts say pickleball whacks can reach 70-dBA — a measure of decibels used to gauge sound level. Everyday outside background noise typically tops off at a “somewhat annoying 55,” according to accounts.
Peaceful Paddle Play

Rebirth, Revival: Rejuvenation of Mir Park will feature pickleball courts, plus a new basketball court, picnic shelter, updated restroom facilities, and landscaping.
The city that brought the pitch (playing field) and rugby to America, is now pitching-in with a plan to promote and build the sport. While municipalities in Colorado and across the nation admit that they aren’t ready to embrace the pickleball paddle battle, Glendale — the tiny 0.6-sq.-mile town surrounded by Denver — is preparing to cuddle and court both tennis and the paddle sport of Pickleball.
Glendale certainly has experience shepherding in a new, growing sport, having built the first U.S. rugby-specific stadium and earning the name RugbyTown USA. Chuck Line — Glendale City Manager — says “it’s about creating diverse opportunities” in the middle of the pickleball boom. The way he sees it, “If people want to play tennis, let them play. If it’s pickleball they want to play, they can play pickleball.”
To ensure the two games play peacefully together, Glendale is separating tennis and pickleball play by making it illegal to bring pickleball nets onto tennis courts and building new courts. A city council ordinance also bars placing chairs or stools on courts, using snow shovels or scrapers on courts, and marking courts with permanent or temporary lines illegal on both pickleball and tennis courts. High-definition cameras will be used to monitor courts. It may be the first ordinance of its kind in Colorado, or possibly the nation. Violations in Glendale can result in a misdemeanor offense.
Playmaker Park

Super Small Spot: Despite not being big and flashy, sports flourish in Glendale. Sports culture continues to be how this competitive community defines and presents itself to the world.
The “you’re more than welcome” outdoor recreation attitude in Glendale sets it apart from the surrounding larger cities. It’s a can-do spirit that makes things happen, rather than the too often tentative, indecisive approach common in surrounding Parks & Recreation sectors.
Now Glendale is renovating, redesigning, and renaming Mir Park — the hidden gem of a park off South Elm St. and East Central Ave. near a Goodwill Center — as Glendale Park.
The nearly $1.5 million rejuvenation project will feature four new Pickleball Courts, a new Basketball Court, new Picnic Shelter, updated Restroom Facilities, landscaping, and more. ECI Site Construction Management, Inc. is doing the upgrades and repair work. Completion is expected as soon as this month. Since the city’s Public Works and the close-knit Glendale-Cherry Creek community hold outdoor spaces in such high regard, both games will once again begin to be thoroughly enjoyed.
Courting Compromise

Glendale Gamechanger: Redesign and renovation of Mir Park is part of city’s pickleball-tennis peacemaking plan. Renamed Glendale Park, greenspace will be four new Pickleball Courts.
Glendale’s two outdoor tennis courts — like so many others across the metro area — have been dominated by pickleball players, preventing residents from playing tennis.
The city even drew pickleball’s smaller court dimensions at the E. Kentucky & S. Birch St. site in an attempt to allow dual-play. Tennis players, however, found the lines distracting during matches. Pickleball poaching was constant, according to Kelly Legler, Glendale Sports Center program manager. “Tennis players were regularly rebuffed,” she notes.
Glendale’s approach of segregating play between designated facilities is a “great compromise” and being applauded by both tennis and pickleball players. Neither the city nor players want tennis excluded. Followers and admirers of each game concur the sports should be splendid together, and have “got to go good together” in the future.
Sports Center Pickleball
Pickleball can also be played at the Glendale Sports Center on E. Kentucky Ave. Managed by the YMCA, there are seven acrylic courts, three are indoors and four are outdoors.
The lines on courts at the Glendale Center are permanent, but players need to bring their own net. Courts are free and players have access to food, restaurants, water, and lights.
Outfitted with modern equipment and offering extensive fitness programs for every age and fitness level, the Center has been a community resource since 2008. Information: 303-639-4711.
by Valley Gadfly | Sep 26, 2023 | Valley Gadfly
Hello October, we’ve missed you. Awe, “pumpkin spice and everything nice!” Fall is finally in full swing. Albert Camus called autumn, “a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
Breathtaking views of colorful leaves, a chance to go pumpkin picking at local festivals, and sporting comfy sweaters. A time to appreciate what we have, and look forward to the future.
As Halloween grows hauntedly close, here are our choices for shopping, dining, and entertainment to ensure witches fly across the sky, that black cats yowl, and ghosts howl:
Attend Parasol Patrol — Colorado-based non-profit to protect kids from protesters — fundraiser “A Queen’s Cabaret” backed by a live band at the Clocktower Cabaret downtown Oct. 1, 6 p.m. Information: 303-293-0075.
Don’t miss the John Denver Tribute with John Adams and Blue Tulip Music playing at the Newman Center Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-871-7720.
For musical magic, hear violinist Emily Switzer perform Beethoven Symphony No. 5 at the Lakewood Center Oct. 12, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-987-7845.
Aerialists entertain, followed by Halloween movies, as Wings Over the Rockies celebrates Friday The 13, Oct. 13, 6:30-9:15 p.m. Information: 303-369-5360.
After 14 Jane Austen Mysteries, Stephanie Barron brings the series to a close. With wit, character, and suspense, the Ex-CIA analyst reveals final volume at The Bookies Author Event Oct. 28, 4-5 p.m. Information: 303-759-1117.
For a fun, nutty, and earthy start to the month, attend the Film, Chef Talk Back and Hummus Appetizer Reception at the Elaine Wolf Theatre Oct. 3, 2 p.m. Chef Reggie Dotson of Ash’Kara shares Hummus tips. Information: 303-399-1146.
Enjoy music & performances, plus pick pumpkins at Four Mile Historic Park’s Pumpkin Harvest Festival, Oct. 14-15, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Information: 720-865-0800.
Take a spine-tingling stroll through pumpkin sculptures at Glow In The Gardens for eerie Denver Botanic Garden fun, Oct. 17-27. Information: 720-865-3500.
Take the kids for fang-tastic bites & games at Children’s Museum Harvest Hoot on the Marsico Campus, Oct. 27-28, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Information: 303-433-7444.
Featuring music from films & TV, the Halloween Spooktacular at Boettcher Hall is a concert for boys and ghouls, Oct. 29, 2:30 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
After a four-year hiatus, make plans to attend Alliance Francaise’s fundraising gala at DU’s Fritz Knoebel Event Center on East Evans Ave. Oct. 14, 6-11 p.m. The Cocktail Attire affair is themed as “La Bella Epoque,” which was the beautiful era of Paris that lasted from 1871 to 1914. Bid big on event’s donated auction items. The magical evening features drinks, accompanied with dinner and French desserts, followed by dancing. Information: 720-568-9976.
The summer sun is fading as the year grows old, and darker days are drawing near. October trees hardly sway before a breeze, as the winter winds begin to feel much colder.
Soon the old autumn sun will bed down in cloud blankets, and there will be days of gray rain before it finally snows. But with reds, golds, and yellows, there’s grandeur in the gloom.
October creates fun family times and gives your home personality. What is the best thing about October? All the cobwebs and dust in your house just become Halloween decorations!
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.