by Valley Gadfly | Nov 19, 2018 | Valley Gadfly
Gingerbread houses made out of cookies and candy. Yes, it is the holiday season and LA! LA! LA! ‘Tis time to laugh with joy. Many of us travel long and far for Christmas, Hanukkah and other holidays during this festive season. “It’s the most wonderful time of year . . . the happiest season of all.” So says the popular holiday song.
Everywhere you look this time of the year, singers, dancers, bakers and others are offering tempting holiday treats for our eyes, ears, tummies and curious minds.
Here are our happy holiday choices for shopping, dining and entertainment to bring a little extra bounce to your step, a smile to your face and all around happiness:
3 Blending dance, live music and customs from around the world, Granny Dances to a Holiday Drum is a Valley favorite. See this holiday tradition at Cleo Parker Dance Dec. 1-16. Information: 303-295-1759 x13.
3 Shop Cherry Creek Dec. 8 and stop at Fillmore Plaza’s Winter Fest with fire pit, ice carvings and free refreshments. Information: 303-394-2904.
3 Catch Chris Daniels & The Kings Feat in Swallow Hill’s Daniels Hall Dec. 15, 8 p.m. He’s joined by Freddi Gowdy’s funk band. Information: 303-777-1003.
3 See the joyous-opulent Ebenezer Scrooge musical A Christmas Carol playing the Stage Theatre through Dec. 24. Information: 303-893-4100.
3 Meet Santa, learn about the Glendale Sports Center, at their annual Holiday Celebration Dec. 18, 5:30-7 p.m. Free and open to the public, there’s crafts, music, cookies and hot chocolate. Information: 303-639-4711.
3 Enjoy prime rib, lamb shank or lamb chops and grilled shrimp at the Monaco Inn Christmas Eve for $20; New Year’s Eve Prime Rib or Filet Mignon is $20, with Lobster Tail $30. Information: 303-320-1104.
3 For hilarious fun see The Santaland Diaries, a Macy’s elf stint tale, at the Jones Theatre through Dec. 24 Information: 303-893-4100.
3 Don’t forget fireworks are being launched New Year’s Eve on the 16th St. Mall at 9 p.m. and midnight. Information: 800-233-8837.
3 With its exuberant embrace of an enchanted world, Ballet Ariel’s The Nutcracker defines the holiday season. Returning to the Lakewood Cultural Center, there are matinees Dec. 15-16, 22-23 & 26-27 at 2 p.m. Evening performances are Dec. 21-22 & 26, 7 p.m.. The toy soldiers, dancing snowflakes and Sugar Plum fairies are magical with festive costumes, breathtaking choreography. Information: 303-987-7845.
The holidays are a wonderful time of year with joy, cheer and gratitude in abundance. Everywhere you look, people seem to be in high spirits: being kind to one another, taking time to pause and reflect, and taking care of those less fortunate. Whether you are 5 or 85, this is the season to enjoy yourself and reflect on the good things in life.
Friends and family are fantastic, and this is the time to gather and remember how lucky we are to have people around us that we care about and who love us.
On the flip side, don’t let the holidays overwhelm you with parties, buying gifts, and too many work and family commitments. Just remember to put some giggle in your wiggle as you flap your feet. As we say farewell to the old year, people are singing to bring in the New Year. We add our voice: Have a HA! HA! Happy New Year!
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Valley Gadfly | Oct 24, 2018 | Uncategorized, Valley Gadfly
Turkeys, table-spreads and being together, it’s got to be November. A month to celebrate happiness and homes to protect us from what is often indeterminate weather. Valley families can expect kind-hearted kin coming over for the yearly Thanksgiving dinner. Surely we’ll all have fun but likely none of us will get any thinner!
Food is better in November than any other time of the year. The smell of food is very different. It smells like cinnamon and can pull us out of bed early each morning.
Here are our wishbone choices for shopping, dining and entertainment to fill the month with bright-bold days of books, friends and fireplaces that never grow cold:
3 Begin November seeing The Humans, an uproarious-hopeful play that takes place over a family dinner on Thanksgiving. It’s at the Curious Theatre on Acoma St. Nov. 3-Dec. 22. Information: 303-623-0524.
3 Attend Food Bank of the Rockies Serving Up Hope Luncheon at the Denver Mart, Nov. 6, 11:30-1:30 p.m. Information: 303-371-9250.
3 Buy unique quality merchandise at Junior League’s Mile High Holiday Mart in the Gates Field House, Nov. 9-11. Information: 303-692-0270.
3 Support Porter Hospital by attending their yearly Heart of Hearts Gala at Wings Over the Rockies Nov. 14, 5:30 p.m. Information: 303-715-7627.
3 Surprise, astonish and amaze family, friends and neighbors with new upholstery, drapery, cushions and pillows for the holidays. Purchase from Boris’s Upholstery on S. Parker Rd. Information: 303-751-2921.
3 Enjoy Classic Roast Turkey with stuffing, gravy and all the trimmings at the Monaco Inn Restaurant, noon-6 p.m. Or choose from a half-dozen other choices including New York Steak. Information: 303-320-1104.
3 Plan to see Dior: Paris to the World, art by the fashion icon at the Denver Art Museum Nov. 19-March 3. Information: 720-913-0130.
3 Run your yams off at this year’s Mile High United Way Turkey Trot in Wash Park Nov. 23, 10 a.m. Information: 303-433-8383.
3 Plan to attend this year’s L’ Esprit de Noel two-day walking tour of five magnificent homes in the Belcaro-Bonnie Brae neighborhood, Nov. 16-17, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Decorated for the holidays by accomplished metro florists and table designers, proceeds go to support Central City Opera’s Summer Festival, Artist Training Program and the historic Opera House and 27 other Central City properties. Information: 303-292-6500.
We seldom think of November in terms of beauty or any other especially satisfying tribute. November is simply that interval between colorful fall and dark December. Nevertheless, nearly every year, there come a few November days of clear, crisp weather that makes one wonder why November seldom gets its due.
Chilled enough to have a slight tang, like properly aged cider. Not air that caresses, nor yet air that nips. It makes you gulp for air when walking briskly.
As winter flaps her wings we offer up a plateful of humor to make you thankful you have a funny bone instead of a wishbone on Turkey Day: What did the turkey say to the computer? “Google, google, google.” What is a turkey’s favorite dessert? Peach gobbler. Have a cozy-bright month with savor-sweet dishes. Happy Thanksgiving!
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Valley Gadfly | Aug 24, 2018 | Valley Gadfly
September is a turning point month. It’s a time to reflect on the summer that was. The harvest is afoot. Football is back and the elections are approaching. The kids are back in school as part of their mission to become smarter than us in record time. Take a breath of that brisk fresh air and inhale as you enjoy top songs of autumnal wistfulness.
September has a natural rhythm and tilt to it and like most three-syllable months sings very well. Oct., Nov. and Dec. sing all right too, but September has it all.
Here are our singsong choices for shopping, dining and entertainment to fill the melancholic season as leaves of brown come tumbling down on our lawns this fall:
3 Capture that old September feeling Dancing in the Streets to celebrate ARC Thrift Stores 50th Anniversary Sept. 8. Dinner fundraiser is at the Hyatt Regency Convention Center, 5:30 p.m. Information: 303-229-1438.
3 Get in a fun and frightful fall mood watching the action-horror film Mandy at the Colfax Sie FilmCenter Sept. 14. Information: 720-381-0813.
3 Enjoy Colorado Cuisine & Cocktails at Distinctly Colorado’s Sept. 15 breast cancer benefit at Infinity Park, 5 p.m. Information: 303-669-3113.
3 Hop, Skip & Jump into autumn with your kids at the Children’s Museum annual stroller friendly 5k Sept. 16, 7:30 a.m. Information: 303-561-0101.
3 Make it an artful autumn by viewing new work by trio of Art All Stars opening at the Robert Anderson Gallery Sept. 14, 5-8 p.m. Gallery’s new space is adjacent to Bluebird on E. Colfax. Information: 303-257-0684.
3 Blast into fall at Bar Car’s 8th Birthday Bash on Colorado Blvd. Sept. 23 from 2-7 p.m. Denver Dumb Friends League fundraiser features live music, free hot dogs and happy hour prices. Information: 720-524-8099.
3 Take in free family science, tech, engineering and math (STEM) festival at East High School Sept. 22, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Information: 720-982-8933.
3 Join St. Martin’s Festival Singers as they sing the rich and beloved vespers at St. John’s Cathedral Sept. 28, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-298-1970.
3 Take steps to end cancer this month by participating in the Light The Night Walk at Washington Park Sept. 28, 5:30 p.m. The Light the Night Ceremony begins at 7 p.m. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society sponsored event funds treatments that are saving lives of patients every day. Walk itself is just less than two miles long around the inner loop of the park. Dogs on leash are welcome. Information: 720-440-8620.
Is September the perfect month in the Cherry Creek Valley? Quite possibly! While known for its warm sunny days and cool crisp nights, September can feature just about every type of weather ranging from severe storms, to heavy snow and extreme flooding. September 1 marks the start of meteorological fall and the season of change.
We see the average high drop 12° from the first day to the last day of the month. The Valley ends the month at — do we dare say — a near-perfect 72° F average high.
There is also clarity about September. On a clear day the sun seems brighter, the sky bluer as white clouds take on groovy shapes. The moon is a wonderful apparition, rising gold and cooling to silver. And what September starts, October is always ready to grab the torch and carry on. Hey, hey, hey, it’s the colorful season: “Awwtumm!”
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Valley Gadfly | Jul 20, 2018 | Valley Gadfly
Aaah, summer, that long anticipated stretch of lazy, lingering days, free of responsibility and brimming with possibilities. It’s time for BBQs, pool parties, sunset dinners and making new friends. The time of year to lie on the grass under trees listening to the murmur of water while watching the clouds float across the summer sky.
Hip, hip, hooray for hot summer days. Why? Summer is when laziness finally finds respectability. Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.
Here are our lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer choices for shopping, dining and entertainment so dreams shine and you wish summer could always be here:
3 For a perfect summer evening attend Urban Peak’s benefit in the EXDO Event Center Aug. 4, 6 p.m. Grammy Award Winner Macy Gray entertains for homeless youth fundraiser. Information: 303-870-2909.
3 Enjoy summer at Commons Park Aug. 5 as Half-Pint & The Growlers provide a mix of Gypsy and Dixieland, 6 p.m. Information: 303-777-1003.
3 The Bird Conservancy tells the wonders of birds at the Lowry Speaker Series in Eisenhower Chapel Aug. 7, 7 p.m. Information: 720-955-8833.
3 It’s a smile, a kiss, it’s a sip of wine at Cherry Creek North Food & Wine event on Fillmore Plaza Aug. 11, 6 p.m. Information: 303-394-2904.
3 Swing and sway in the shade to prewar blues music as the Felonius Smith Trio close out the Shady Grove Picnic Series in Four Mile Park, Aug. 22. Upright brass is backbone to group’s sound. Information: 303-777-1003.
3 Travel the world through global cuisines as 96 restaurants salute summer during Havana Restaurant Week in Aurora, Aug. 1-8. You’ll taste both unique and traditional fare at affordable prices. Information: 303-360-7505.
3 Enjoy summer weekend evenings of romantic comedy watching Guys & Dolls through Aug. 18 at The Bug Theatre. Information: 303-477-9974.
3 End summer with cocktails, dinner, music and dancing at Fete des Fleurs in Denver Botanic Gardens Aug. 24, 6 p.m. Information: 720-865-3500.
3 Competitors see stars while attendees kick back and chill out with the Valley’s finest craft beer. Join thousands of beer aficionados and rugby fans at Glendale’s Infinity Park as the Bruises & Brews Beerfest spreads out to two days for the first time ever. Enjoy the fast-paced RugbyTown Sevens tournament plus a beer festival pouring suds from more than 20 brewers Aug.24-25, noon to 4 p.m. Information: 303-639-4412.
Climate, tradition and culture define summer. The meteorological definition of summer aligns with the notion of summer as the season with the longest and warmest days of the year, in which daylight predominates. It is also the Valley’s thunderstorm season producing hail, strong winds and tornadoes during the afternoon and evenings.
To be in harmony with summer, awaken early in the morning and reach to the sun for nourishment to flourish as the gardens do. Work, play, travel, be joyful and grow.
Wide-brimmed hats and sunscreen: Yep, as Sheryl Crow’s tune prompts us, “It’s time to lighten up and soak up the sun.” August is like a long Sunday when you don’t want the summer to end just like you don’t want the weekend to end. They’re the days of soda and pretzels and beer. The tans will fade but the memories will last forever.
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Valley Gadfly | May 25, 2018 | Valley Gadfly
Yes, by gum, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein are correct “on account-a it’s June, June, June.” The pair’s second musical’s explicit words mark the halfway point to the calendar year as an ode to the appeal and splendor of summer’s approach. Cool mornings quickly burn away, followed by breezy afternoons and tranquil nights.
We sense it coming: “You can feel it in your heart, you can see it on the ground. You can see it in the trees, you can smell it in the breeze: June is bustin’ out all over!”
Here are our sunlit choices for shopping, dining and entertainment so that the sunshine sprinkles like powdered gold over grassy lawns and the Valley smells of roses:
3 Raise funds and your heart rate during the Heart & Stroke Assn. Walk at Mile High Stadium, June 2. There’s a 5K run-walk plus a 1-mile walk with End Zone yoga at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Information: 303-801-4852.
3 Celebrate Lowry Beer Garden’s free 6th Anniversary party to help fund the Lowry Foundation June 8, 5-9 p.m. Information: 303-366-0114.
3 Walk with Autism at Sloan’s Lake Park June 10, 10:15 a.m. Enjoy food, live band, youth activities and a resource fair. Information: 720-214-0794.
3 Watch free films at Monday Movie Madness on Glendale’s Infinity Park lawn June 11 and 25, 7:30 p.m. Information: moviesatinfinitypark.com.
3 Shop the Cherry Creek Fresh Market Saturdays now until Oct. 27, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. or Wednesdays June 14-Sept. 26, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The market is in Cherry Creek Mall’s 1st and University lot. Information: 303-442-1837.
3 Treat dad to a very special Father’s Day dinner June 17 at the Monaco Inn Restaurant. Information: 303-320-1104. Or take dad to the first ever Father’s Day weekend Denver BBQ Fest at Mile High Stadium, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
3 Enjoy great outdoor parades, art, food and performances at the Juneteenth Music Festival at 27th and Welton St. June 16. Information: 720-505-3274.
3 View and vote for your favorite rose at the Denver Rose Society Show in Denver Botanic Gardens June 30, 1-5 p.m. Information: 720-865-3505.
3 Celebrate Japanese heritage and culture by enjoying live entertainment, food and drinks, plus a marketplace, exhibits and demonstrations during the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Sakura Square downtown June 23-24, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. until 4 p.m. Shop a selection of jewelry, pottery, fine art and apparel from the marketplace. Event is the largest fundraiser for the Tri-State-Denver Buddhist Temple. Information: 303-951-4486.
Brilliantly colored and bursting with vitality, the Valley’s outdoors is no longer in the freezer section. The parks, playgrounds and countryside are drawings, relief paintings and collages filled with a multitude of twisting lines, natural shapes and complex patterns. They contrast with infill developments that are bubbling up on neighborhood streets.
Yet we imagine buildings and urban design that doesn’t divide us, but rather fills cityscapes with star-studded structures that shine in splendor on clear nights in June.
Carousel’s fervor to tread in the gray areas of life make it the finest of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s musicals. It succeeds because it has no easy answers, and it invites us into a world of uncertainty that can be upsetting. Our streets are bustin’ with buildings just as in the meadows, “Buds’re bustin’ outa bushes just because it’s June, June, June!
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
