by Valley Gadfly | Jun 20, 2024 | Valley Gadfly
July is a hot date to sing songs hailing the Land of the Free, as we embrace freedom on America’s birthday, July 4, 1776. Fireworks will roar across the sky like the thunder in July.
It’s summertime and the weather’s hot, but at least there’s no snow. With its days of blue skies and time that seemingly stands still, we’re in a spell that connects us to good times.
To help you seize summer, here are our spirited choices for shopping, dining, and entertainment, to get you rockin’ into July’s festivals, parades, fireworks, and barbecues:
For a fabulous summer stroll with the family, head to Cherry Creek North for the juried Cherry Creek Arts Festival, July 5-7. District streets will be filled with art, plus food & entertainment, starting at 10 a.m. Information: 303-355-2787.
Enjoy an evening of music under the stars as the Colorado Symphony plays Mozart at McGregor Square July 10, 7 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
For French fun featuring artists, shopping, and cuisine, go to Bastille Day at Cherry Creek’s Fillmore Plaza July 12-14, 4-9 pm. Information: 720-447-7961.
Swallow Hill’s Four Mile Park summer concerts end with Sugar Britches tribute to songwriter John Prine July 10. Then Shakedown Street salutes Grateful Dead Band’s eclectic style July 17, 6:30 p.m. Information: swallowhillmusic.com.
Get barbeque for the 4th, and year around at AJ’s Pit Bar-B-Q, given the “Bib Gourmand” title for high quality at a good price. Unfussy S. Delaware St. dine-in or take out spot is 29th on Yelps Top 100 BBQ list. Information: 720-851-5571.
Jazz-soul vocalist Tatiana Mayfield sings music of Aretha Franklin, other jazz-soul artists at the Arvada Center July 15, 7:30 p.m. Information: 720-898-7200.
Cherry Creek North retailers, restaurants, art galleries, fitness studios, and more offer markdowns at Sidewalk Sale, July 18-23. Information: 303-394-2904.
It will make you laugh, cry, and think, so take the family to see the musical Wicked playing at the Buell Theatre, July 24-25. Information: 720-865-4220.
See art, plus multiple stages of performers at the Global Dance Festival in the Stockyards Event Center, July 26-27, 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Information: 720-707-0670.
View the work by 150 artists and craftsmen displaying their work at the Cheesman Park Art Fest, July 27-28, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Information: 505-373-7363.
Rumble, reel, rave, and party at the Roaring ’20s Gala July 13-14 to help a local non-profit working to create change. Dress in Roaring ’20s attire for dinner, live auction, and dancing followed by Casino Night at the Hyatt Regency Convention Center, beginning at 6 p.m. and lasting until midnight July 14. You’ll be helping Hope Connection & Community give a helping hand to fulfill hopes, dreams, and goals of families and children in need. Information: 303-386-6232.
Named after Julius Caesar, July marks the midway point of the year. For the big party on the fourth, America consumes around 150 million hot dogs to celebrate our independence.
As we March into July to a John Philip Sousa tune, the Dave Matthews Band’s hit song “American Baby” gives us a source of optimism and hope, even when times are tough.
Kaboom: Watch Glendale’s jaw-dropping fireworks — considered the Valley’s premier display — July 2. What will lightning say to annual fireworks? “You stole my thunder!”
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Valley Gadfly | May 20, 2024 | Glendale City News
You Knead To Know Denver Is No Longer In A Pizza Rut; Mile High Scores 82 Out Of 100, 14% Higher Than The Average City
by Glen Richardson
Top In Town: Angelo’s Taverna on E. 6th Ave. is city’s longtime favorite pizza eatery. Google rates it 4.6 stars on 2,983 reviews. Yelp ranks Larimer Square’s Osteria Marco best restaurant.
Step aside, New York and Chicago. Denver is the best pizza city in America. Pizza restaurants in Denver are among the highest rated on Yelp, and pizza prices here are more affordable than most metros. Moreover, demand for pizza is so strong that pizza prices are rising faster than overall inflation — 4.0% compared to 3.5%.
Denver ranked 7th last year. Furthermore, five years ago people coming to Denver from Pizza meccas (New York, Chicago, or Connecticut) couldn’t find anything tolerable in Denver. “Residents didn’t know. . . or had ever tasted good pizza,” locals recall.
Today, pizza restaurants in the Mile High City average 4.05 stars out of 5 on Yelp — one of the highest averages in the country. Buying a cheese pizza each week for a year in Denver requires 1.03% of the median annual income — 30% less that the income required in the average city reviewed (1.47%). Denver beat out popular pizza cities — including New York, Chicago, and Detroit — in part because of lower prices, but just as important, due to far better pizzeria reviews!
Top At 4.05 Stars
Pizza Popularity: Denver is the best pizza city in America. Pizzerias — including Redeemer Pizza on Larimer, shown, are among the highest rated on Yelp.
Clever Real Estate ranks the country’s 50 largest metros in the nation. They use data-driven metrics, based on the quality of pizza restaurants per capita: Google search trends, Yelp reviews, plus two surveys of 1,000 Americans, and multiple affordability metrics. Here’s how Denver’s pizza scene surpassed the competition:
Denver pizza restaurants averaged 4.05 out of 5 stars on Yelp — better than the average city’s 3.89 stars and New York’s 3.93 stars. Plus, Denver pizza is more affordable. Based on local prices and incomes, buying one large cheese pizza each week for a year would cost the typical resident 1.03% of their annual income. Nationally, the figure is 1.47%, and in New York, it’s 1.77%.
Giles Flanagin admits change in the local pizza scene has been dramatic in the past few years. Cofounder in 2015 of Denver-based Blue Pan Pizza, he says countless top pizzerias have opened since. Eateries he defines as “small businesses with a passion for pizza, dough, fermentation and quality.” Denver residents, he adds, are supporting high-quality products with high-quality ingredients. Thus, growth has been very rapid, featuring a lot of different pizza styles all done very, very well.
Denver Diversity
Denver’s pizza diversity — as discussed by Flanagin — can easily be found on a local pizza map. Mile High pizzerias offer New York-style thin-crust pizza, Chicago-style deep-dish pizzas, Sicilian pies; and even Connecticut’s signature New Haven-style pie.
But, but that’s just the beginning: Once known as “cow town,” pizzerias in the Queen City of the Plains now feature eclectic offerings like breakfast pizza, plus exotic toppings like Guinness cheese, Sichuan sauerkraut, crème fraiche, limoncello-marinated chicken, and pistachio pesto.
The creativity never stops: Consider a Middle Eastern lamb pizza, a sweet potato, goat’s cheese & pine nut pizza, or a Tandoori chicken pizza. Or, maybe a veggie supreme or dessert pizza.
Top Restaurants
Delightful Duo: Being the epicenter of the west’s beer culture enhances Denver’s pizza popularity. Pizza and beer make a classic pair, bringing out the best of each other’s complementary flavors.
Yelp ranks Osteria Marco on Larimer Square as Denver’s top pizza restaurant. It is known for hand-tossed pizzas such as Artisan, Fig & Gorgonzola, and Carne. The cozy basement eatery also serves Italian plates. Information: 303-534-9855. They also list Marc’s Coal Fire — an Italian eatery-bar by Coors Field — that serves Neapolitan and New York-style pizza with choice of toppings. Information: 303-396-7000.
Many residents and the Chronicle rate Angelo’s Taverna on E. 6th Ave. as the Mile High’s top pizza restaurant. Google ranks it 4.7 stars based on 2,532 reviews; Yelp gives it 4.5 for 1,501 reviews. Information: 303-744-3366. Esters Neighborhood Pub on S. Holly in Virginia Village — albeit not strictly a pizza restaurant — also has seriously delicious pizza in a welcoming atmosphere. Information: 303-955-4904.
Among local pizza spots, some of the most popular newcomers are Dough Counter on S. Colorado Blvd. that specializes in New York and Sicilian-style pies. Information: 303-997-8977; and funky pizza joint Blue Pan — with a location on E. 12th Ave. — that brought the crispy pan pizza style to the Mile High City. Information: 720-519-0944. Furthermore, new dough spots keep popping up: Rolling Pin Pizza is among the latest, opened in early April at 1514 York St., followed by Eat’Ya Pizza on the 16th Steet Mall in early May.
Pizza Passion
Denver scored 14% higher than the average city based on pizza passion. The city’s score was 82 out of 100, compared to the average city’s score of 72. The ranking includes placing No.1 out of 50 cities for
Passion For Pizza: Blue Pan Pizza that opened here in 2015 is in the forefront of Denver’s pizza revolution. Due to technique and quality, their Detroit-style pizza remains a crowd favorite.
online search interest in pan pizza. The metric measures how often locals are searching Google for pizza, and pizza-related terminology.
The abundance of options ranges from Neapolitan and Detroit-style, to square-cut tavern pies of the Midwest, to the New Haven-inspired wood-fired pies.
With 72 breweries, Denver is the epicenter of beer culture in the West, enhancing the popularity of local pizza. Pizza and beer make a classic pair, because they bring out the best of each other’s complementary flavors. The fresh crisp flavor of beer cuts through the creamy cheese, enhancing the herbs in the pizza sauce, and balancing the acidity.
Mile High Mozzarella
Shape Of Taste: Photos show square Detroit pizza, top, and a Chicago-style round deep-dish pizza. City also has rectangular Sicilian pies, New York circular shape; plus, oblong New Haven pies.
The Mile High City’s pizza popularity isn’t due to Denver’s Italian community. Less than 5% of the city’s 2024 population of 708,948 are of Italian descent. Most of today’s local pizza aficionados, moreover, are unaware that a Denver-based company is the world’s top mozzarella pizza producer.
Leprino Foods — headquartered in a three-story building on West 38th Ave. at Quivas St. — sells more than a billion pounds of cheese a year. It is the same site where, in 1950, Italian immigrant Mike Leprino Sr. started making small batches of cheese by hand from the back of his neighborhood grocery store. Mike’s 73-year-old son, chairman, and chief executive Jim Leprino ($2.3 billion 2024 net worth), runs the company.
In 1958, after chain grocery stores forced the local Leprino food market to close, the Leprino cheese empire was started with $615. Today, Leprino uses up to 7% of the nation’s total milk supply. The company controls as much as 85% of the market for pizza cheese, while selling to Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Papa John’s, and Little Caesars. Able to invest in technology that dairy farmers can’t afford, the company has more than 50 patents, plus an estimated 7% net margin.
by Valley Gadfly | May 20, 2024 | Main Articles
by Glen Richardson
A political website called “RINO Watch Colorado” (www.rinowatchco.com) has turned the political media world upside down in Colorado. The website was mentioned in last month’s lead story (As Colorado Becomes A One-Party State The Main Parties Fracture). RINO Watch bills itself as “the voice of grassroots Republicans” where “it exposes RINOs (Republicans In Name Only)” and “supports grassroots Patriots” while “cutting through the Establishment and liberal spin.”
The grassroots believe they represent about 70% of the Republican Party in Colorado. But the Republican billionaires who donate in Colorado (Phil Anschutz. Paul Singer, and Charles Koch), as well as all the media, oppose and demonize the grassroots and now, of course, RINO Watch.
RINO Watch, an upstart website, was attacked relentlessly by virtually every media outlet in the state of Colorado. It was repeatedly attacked by moderate Republican columnist and political consultant Dick Wadhams. He published entire columns about RINO Watch in the Denver Gazette, Colorado Springs Gazette, Colorado Politics, and Complete Colorado — all owned or controlled by billionaire Phil Anschutz. Jimmy Sengenberger, another columnist in those publications wrote another whole set of columns denigrating RINO Watch.
Jon Caldara
Mandy Connell
Jimmy Sengenberger
Dick Wadhams
The Denver Post had Republican opinion writer Krista Kafer attack RINO Watch along with a full-sized cartoon by the writer. Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute, and Sherrie Peif, a reporter for Complete Colorado, separately penned articles letting RINO Watch have it in the Institute’s quarterly bulletin. Democrat Ann Marie Swan, the Opinion Editor for the Durango Herald and The Journal in Cortez, Colorado, wrote her lead editorial attacking RINO Watch for trying to shame Republicans she liked because they were always losing to her Democrats.
The radio world is equally and universally vicious. Jimmy Sengenberger, before quitting in a huff, had a Saturday morning show where he repeatedly went after RINO Watch on his and Peter Boyles shows. He was replaced on 710 KNUS on Saturday mornings with Jon Caldara who kept up the attacks slamming RINO Watch.
Perhaps the site’s greatest critic on radio has been Mandy Connell who has a radio show on 850 KOA weekday afternoons. Connell invited contributors of RINO Watch, including a marketing representative of the Chronicle, to come to the KOA studio to discuss the website. In what appeared to be an incredible display of ill temper, she began yelling and berating them only to embarrass herself as they, according to listeners, calmly out debated her.
Republican billionaire opponents of Colorado grassroot Republicans. Above, Phil Anschutz
Paul Singer
Charles Koch
RINO Watch discovered that Connell had lied during the show about her best friend, Republican Consultant Kelly Maher, who claimed she had nothing to do with Bob Beauprez’s Colorado Pioneer Action, an entity fined the greatest amount ever for campaign violations in the history of Colorado. Matt Arnold, of Campaign Integrity Watchdog, who brought the action against Colorado Pioneer Action, was listening and had in his files the checks from Colorado Pioneer Action for the benefit of Kelly Maher, appearing to prove that Mandy Connell was lying and knew it.
According to it’s website, RINO Watch minds the crescendo of criticism as the huge amount of press converted the once obscure website into a behemoth with more clicks and reads than any other political site in Colorado.
But what exactly does RINO Watch do? It appears to identify Republicans who it believes are moderates but claim to be strong conservatives. It then places them on a fictional Wall of Shame, sometimes with colorful language. In turn, it identifies people it believes are real conservatives and places them on a fictional Patriot Hall of Fame.
The outrage goes to the fact that moderate Republicans, who go along with the Democrat agenda, are never criticized in the Colorado media but lionized as “rock ribbed” conservatives. A previously unknown website that disagrees with this analysis becomes an enormous threat to the Establishment, not dissimilar to the little boy who states that the emperor has no clothes on.
But failing to destroy the website, the Colorado media has made a must-read site for tens of thousands of Coloradans. Unfortunately for the Colorado media they can not put the genie back in the bottle and RINO Watch is anticipated to continue to grow.
by Valley Gadfly | May 20, 2024 | Main Articles
A Block By Block Comeback Is Planned By Denver; Will Costly Makeover Craft A 21st Century Street Or Stumble?
by Glen Richardson
Demolition Derby: PCL Construction crews work to complete the 16th Street Mall makeover. Street was initially slated for completion by year’s end.
Launched in April of 2022 with a $90-$130 million cost estimate, completion of downtown Denver’s 16th Street Mall was slated for wrap-up by the end of this year at a cost of $149 million. As the deadline draws near, City Council has approved (7 to 3) a $1,150,000 contract — between the city and the Downtown Denver Partnership — to continue redesigning and reactivating the strip. The cost is now estimated at $172.5 million.
Completion is now probable “for the fall of 2025.” Workers hope to have fences down on half of the blocks under construction and open to the public at the end of 2024. Those blocks, however, will still need small-scale finishing touches.
Once home to more than 300 stores and 50 restaurants, businesses along the 1.2-mile corridor between Wazee St. and Broadway are open and accessible, but struggling. Sales are down 25-30% or more. T.J. Maxx and McDonald’s are among those driven out. The 16th Street Mall Business Support program has awarded 177 grants to 103 businesses for more than $1 million. The first to use a grant, closed a few months later due to crime and their windows shot out. Even businesses that were receiving free rent have gone.
Unique To Simulated
When opened the 16th Street Mall was among the most iconic places in Denver, recognized for its high-quality design, enduring materials, and value as a civic space. It was selected for the National Register of Historic Places due to the exceptional caliber of its design and designers, including I.M. Pei, Henry Cobb, and Laurie Olin. The Urban Land Institute called it “public art of the highest international quality.”
Shady Spaces: Rendering of shade structures being designed to hopefully make the reactivated mall desirable and engaging.
The unique is now being replicated by today’s overseers. Some of the original elements will remain, including light fixtures, trees in linear rows, and use of granite. Nonetheless, much of the project is being heavily altered. Promises were made, for example, to recreate the original granite paver-pattern, inspired by Navajo rugs and a snake skin belt. Sadly, plans shifted late in the design-build process, with PCL Construction using smaller pavers than the original, and laying them differently in the transit and pedestrian lanes. As a result, it breaks-up the unity and cohesion of the intricate and elegant design.
The intent of today’s design team — the City of Denver, the Downtown Denver Partnership and RTD — was to honor and recreate elements of the original design. However, the mall is being transformed, resulting in such significant loss of integrity that it will no longer be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
Current Construction
Tree Lined Treat: The 1.25-mile-long 16th Street runs from Union Station at Wewatta St. to Civic Center Station at Broadway.
The Road Ahead: Department of Transportation & Infrastructure rendering of what the 16th Street Mall will look like when finished in the fall of 2025.
Potholing — drilling holes to confirm underground utility locations — may still require lane and sidewalk closures on the 16th Street Mall and on cross-streets. Identifying existing water-sewer pipes, and electrical conduit lines, continues to reduce the chance of them being encountered during construction. Signage is being used to help pedestrians and motorists navigate any new closures.
Intersection renewal includes adding shallow utilities, such as electric, traffic signal, and lighting infrastructure. Plus pouring concrete pavement, painting traffic and pedestrian striping continues. Trees for the project were grown and acclimated at tree nurseries. Those trees have now been planted in blocks one and two along16th Street.
Craftsmen laid the pavers by hand along the center transitway during Phase One of the project. Texture of the new granite pavers — PCL Construction and city officials claim — will provide more traction, thus improving safety for the next generation of mall pedestrians.
Moments Of Joy
The new mall will feature elements designed to hopefully make 16th Street desirable, and engaging. Site furnishings, play features, and moments of joy are being distributed up and down the street. They include tables, chairs, benches, shade structures, and planters. The play features are designed to engage kids along the street. Lastly, there will be “Moments of Joy” to bring a bit of delight to the street; make you smile, pause for a moment, or snap a photo to share.
Magic Memories: Horse drawn carriage rides along the 16th Street Mall were for years a memorable experience for couples, kids, and families.
Distribution of the elements are being arranged along the corridor accordingly: Local Link from Market to Curtis; Press Play, Curtis to California St.; Experience 16, California to Tremont; and Jump Start from Tremont to Broadway. Arrangement of the features are designed to create attractions. But they will also provide moments of relaxation and fun for families, residents, visitors, and workers visiting downtown’s core.
Site furnishings are being organized into three basic room types: feast, lounge, and arrow. Feast rooms were created with food in mind. They will be spaces to share lunch with a friend or eat solo and catch up on emails The lounge rooms are spaces to allow you to slow down and stay for a bit. Visitors can take a moment to plan their next step. The space will allow downtown employees a place to pause in the shade between meetings, plus providing a site where residents can enjoy people watching. Arrow rooms will give visitors an accurate, vivid look at downtown.
Final Impact
Prior to the 16th Street overhaul launch, city officials said the investment would, “be well worth the price.” They reasoned it would improve or solve safety and infrastructure deficiencies. Replacement of a water line dating from the 1880s is expected to help drainage. The project also adds more surface friction on the walkways to improve pedestrian safety.
Denver Destination: Opening to the public in 1982, the 16th Street Mall was Denver’s most visited tourist destination for more than 30 years.
Moreover, removing the existing median and shifting the paths of the two bus lanes will add 10 ft. of dedicated, unobstructed sidewalk space on each side of the mall. In addition to more space for pedestrians, the project provides an opportunity to add amenities, while also being able to present additional community events.
More importantly, the city believes the project will play a key role in downtown Denver’s post-pandemic economic turnaround. Admittedly skittish about using the figure today, city leaders said prior to the launch it would increase downtown’s gross regional product — a version of the national gross domestic product, or GDP. How much? By a whopping $3.7 billion!
by Valley Gadfly | May 20, 2024 | Valley Gadfly
Ah, June. It’s a special month for many reasons! It’s the start of summer, which falls on June 20! Plus, it’s not too hot yet, but warm enough to enjoy outdoor barbecues and pool parties.
Plus, there are actually more daylight hours in June, so every day feels a light brighter. But in all, June has a fresh vibe to it. Like the feeling you had as a kid when school was closing.
As June begins “Bustin’ Out All Over,” here are our choices for shopping, dining, and entertainment, to keep the birds chirping, sun shining, flowers blooming, and a breeze blowing:
Take the family to view the Chalk Art Festival, as 150 artists paint on the streets of the Golden Triangle — Colfax on the north, Speer Blvd. West & South; and Broadway on the East — June 1-2, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Information: 720-244-3393.
Don’t miss the free Five Points Jazz Festival, as it returns to the historic district with food, shopping, and music all day on June 8. Click Here for Information
The Renwick Brothers — Koki (trumpet) and Shota (Sax) — bring new energy to Dazzle, as they return to entertain June 13, 9:30 p.m. Information: 303-839-5100.
You’ll laugh, roar at the “Dukes of Funnytown” — Steve Martin and Martin Short— when they play at Red Rocks on June 14, 8 p.m. Information: 720-865-2494.
Sign up for Wednesday Night Adult Coed Soccer League starting June 5 at the Glendale Sports Center. Played 11 on 11 in two 25-minute halves, June through August at Infinity Park’s Sports Field. Information: 303-639-4711.
Shop Glendale Farmers Market, the newest and finest on Saturdays May 25 to Aug. 31, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pick fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats. Plus, enjoy food cooked by local talent at the chef’s table. Information: 303-351-1598.
See singer, actress, and dancer Janet Jackson when she entertains at the Ball Arena with rapper guest Nelly, June 16, 8 p.m. Information: 303-405-1100.
With six studio albums, plus EPs. and singles, Samuel Beam — aka Iron & Wine — entertains at the Mission Ballroom June 17, 7 p.m. Information: 720-577-6884.
Don’t miss world-class musician Hauser — a magician on the cello — when he brings his band to the Paramount June 20, 8 p.m. Information: 303-623-0106.
Enjoy food, sake, and artwork as the Cherry Blossom Festival returns to Sakura Square June 22-23, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun., 4 p.m. Information: 303-951-4486.
Learn about aging at Kavod On The Road, offering workshops, breakout sessions, breakfast-lunch June 26, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Information: 303-659-1146.
For an unforgettable evening of entertainment, auctions, cocktails, and dinner attend the St. Jude Gala coming to the Denver Botanic Gardens June 15, 5 p.m. Founder Danny Thomas built St. Jude as a place of healing for kids fighting cancer and other catastrophic diseases. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is in Memphis, but treats children from Denver, and statewide. Families never pay for treatment, travel, housing, or food. Information: 720-215-2004.
It’s June, and not a minute too soon! Watch June’s Strawberry Moon rise large and golden-hued over Denver on Friday, June 21, reaching peak illumination at 9:08 p.m. local time.
For most of us, June marks one of the finer tuning points of the year. The days are longer and the nights warmer. Summer has arrived to feed the soul, so everything’s coming up roses.
This is the month to enjoy the outdoors, cookouts, family reunions, and love Dads on Father’s Day. Does June ever feel blue? Only if Julyed to her about summer vacation.
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
