Spooks, Skeletons In Dark, ­Devilish Denver

by Valley Gadfly | Sep 26, 2024 | Main Articles

When Witches Go Riding, And Black Cats Are Seen, The Moon Laughs And ­Whispers, It’s Halloween In Denver

by Glen Richardson

Chilling Halloweentown: Kids, families decorate houses-yards in colorful characters, skeletons, and pumpkins, giving neighborhoods a unique holiday atmosphere.

Creaky attics, eerie stairwells, dark, and shadowed corners. Eek, it’s Halloween

Twilight Zone Party: Coloween is a 50,000-sq.-ft. jungle-themed Halloween party with massive stages in the National Western complex Oct. 26.

and Mommy’s Little Pumpkins are carving out a terror-ific ghostly month of treat streets and haunted houses for kids. Dad, mom, and the neighbors, meanwhile are venturing into spooky, suspenseful ghoulish grown-up parties and pub crawls.

You’re not going batty! Denver is known for its haunted days and nights of fright dur­ing Halloween month. It’s the boo-tiful time of year: There are many tales of ghosts and demons in Denver — especially in certain city parks — but it is the paranormal at local cemeteries that spook people most. On occasion locals claim to hear footsteps. And voices! “Is this hell?” the voice asks. Such reports are why the Mile High City merits a spot among America’s great Halloween towns.

From Fright Fest Weekend at Elitch Gardens to the Halloween Spooktacular at Boet­tcher Concert Hall, there are many ­amazing Halloween festivities for families to cherry-pick. Here’s the Chronicle’s monster month guide to bewitching places to go and things to

Monster Movies: See vintage monster movies from the 1890s-1920s at the Sie FilmCenter’s Monsters of Early Cinema Oct. 20, 7 p.m.

do for “fang-tastic” fun:

Fright Fest Weekend at Elitch Gardens, Sept. 30-Nov. 5; Kiddieland closes at 6 p.m. and fright by night begins. Guests can enjoy their favorite rides after dark, but be on alert as Fright Fest comes alive. Creatures lurk around every thrilling corner. Each area of the park has its specific haunted attractions. Information: 303-595-4386.

Ghosts In The Garden is an Open Air Scare Oct 4; Oct 12-13, & Oct. 17-20, Denver Botanic Gardens. The gardens dare you to join them after dark for spine-tingling stories of their haunted history, 5:30-10:30 p.m. Information: 720-865-3500.

Rocky Horror is showing in Denver’s original 1896 movie theater, Oct. 11. The historic Elitch Theatre is showing the cult classic “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Theater will have a spectacle of the live cast performing alongside the movie. Information: 720-593-9395.

Nightmare, Oct. 11-13. Denver Dance is back at the Clocktower Cabaret with a show full of tricks that’s sure to be a treat, 7 p.m.. Information: 303-293-0075.

Pumpkin Harvest Festival, Oct. 12-13 — Pick out your perfect pumpkin, enjoy live music, and stage performances at Four Mile Historic Park, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Information: 720-865-0800.

Haunted Hearts Ball at Grant-­Humphreys Mansion, Oct. 13 — All vampires, witches, and dark fairies are invited to the allure of dark romance, 6 p.m. Enjoy savory bites and sweet delights, plus alcoholic beverages available. Information: 303-894-2505.

Gore & Lore, Oct. 18-20 — See the spook­iest aerial versions of classic characters from history, folklore, and urban legend at the Clocktower Cabaret, 7 p.m. Information: 303-293-0075.

Broadway Halloween Parade, Oct. 19 — Back for the sixth time, the Broadway Merchants Association parade stretches from 5th to Alameda along

Spirits At Four Mile: Engage in spine-tingling rituals that echo the spiritual practices of the 19th century at Four Mile Park Oct. 26, 6-11 p.m.

Broadway. Parade features spooky floats, bands, marchers, and magicians at 6 p.m. Information: 303-859-0491.

Twisted Techno Dancy Party, Oct. 19 — Join Denver’s underworld at DJ Ajax Studios, 2150 Curtis St., 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Dance to the relentless beat of techno and other genres of music, where darkness and mystery converge. Information: 720-514-1400.

Haunted History Tour, Central City, Oct. 19 — Starts with cocktails in the haunted Teller House. Following tarot reading, take a haunted walking tour. Night ends with professional medium seance. Information: 303-292-6500.

Harvest Haunt Express, Oct. 19-20 — Colorado Railroad Museum’s Halloween-themed steam-up event. Haunted railcars, a

Broadway Howls: Creepy, spine-­chilling ­Halloween floats, bands, and marchers parade down Broadway from 5th Ave. to ­Alameda Ave. Oct. 19, 6 p.m.

hay bale maze, plus a coal-burning steam locomotive pulls train of the harvest express. Information: 303-279-4591.

Glow Before Dark, Oct. 19-21 & Oct. 22-27 — Families can take the kids to Denver Botanic Gardens to see vignettes of Glow of the Garden during the day, 9 a.m.-1. p.m. Information: 720-865-3500.

Monsters of Early Cinema, Oct. 20 — Experience the thrills and chills of spooky vintage cinema from classic monsters (Drac­ula & Frankenstein) to dystopian versions of the future (Metropolis). Wild Beautiful Orchestra performs a live soundtrack to film clips from the 1890s-1920s at the Sie FilmCenter, 7 p.m. Information: 720-381-0813.

Glow at the Gardens, Oct. 22-27 — Enjoy the spooky, silly, and spirited like no other at the Denver Botanic Gardens, 6-9 p.m. Information: 720-865-3500.

Halloween Bar Crawl, Oct. 25, 26, & 31 — Receive a wristband for drinks at multiple locations at One Shot Back, 2134 Curtis St., Ste 101. One night or all-access. Information: 720-524-6353.

BOOlesque Halloween, Oct. 25-31 — The Clocktower Cabaret’s Halloween BOO-lesque is back and hotter than “hellfire.” Expect the unexpected as the Cabaret’s Halloween burlesque and variety show transforms your wildest nightmares and dreams, 7 p.m. Information: 303-293-0075.

Spirits & Spirits, Oct. 26 — Engage in spine-tingling rituals that echo the spiritual practices of the 19th century at Four Mile Historic Park, 6-11 p.m. Learn about a Victorian Mourning Ceremony and have your own tin-type photo taken. Information: 720-865-0800.

Denver’s Black Cat Ball, Oct. 26 — New location in the old Gart Sports’ building — now known as the Sports Castle — at 1000 Broadway, 7-10 p.m. Live music, dancing, food trucks, and a vampire specialty bar. A benefit for the cats and kittens of The Feline Fix. Information: 303-202-3516.

Halloween Songs & Stories, Oct. 26 — Niki Tredinnick & Barry Osborne do original songs and stories about ghosts, goblins, and devils in Tufts Theatre at Swallow Hill, 8 p.m. They also do old ballads, traditional tunes, plus tell creepy stories from their own lives. Information: 303-777-1003.

Coloween, Halloween Dance Party, Oct. 26 — Dance party in the 50,000-sq.-ft. National Western complex, 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Party again features Fantasy Stage with Amazon Jungle theme, plus costume contest. Information:720-663-1414.

Halloween Spooktacular, Oct. 27 — A music concert for boys and ghouls, featuring songs and compositions from films and television at Boettcher Concert Hall, 2:30 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.

Harvest Hoot, Oct. 27-29 — A three-day festival and trick-or-treating adventure at the Children’s Museum of Denver at the Marsico Campus, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Information: 303-433-7444.

Is Mrs. Brown Still Here? Oct 29 — Meet a ghost in the Historic Molly Brown House Museum. A rare chance to learn about various ghost-hunting methods in the historic home of Margaret Tobin Brown, 6 p.m. Information: 303-832-4092.

Candlelight: A Haunting Halloween Classic, Oct. 30-31 — Hear spooky classics performed by a string quartet as candles flicker at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 6:30 p.m. Information: 303-360-5360.

The Creepy Crawly Garden, Oct. 30-Nov. 1 — Explore plants named after the Denver Botanic Gardens’ friends and plants. Includes stories, nature walk, art projects, and a plant to take home. Information: 720-865-3500.

Count Down To High Class Cherry Creek Waldorf Astoria

by Valley Gadfly | Aug 23, 2024 | Main Articles

Construction On Cherry Creek North’s Delay-Plagued, But Plush Condo Project At 2nd & Steele Set For January Start

by Glen Richardson

Miami’s Stacked Boxes: Cherry Creek’s condo developer PMG built this 100-story Waldorf Astoria hotel-condo tower. It is a design inspired by stacked and cantilevered boxes.

Waldorf Astoria — the name that evokes history and elegance — first announced plans for a Cherry Creek North condo building in December 2021. Three years later, build-out of the much-anticipated project site at 185 N. Steele St. is at last imminent. The proposed start date is January 1, 2025, with completion expected in 2026.

Upper Crust In Creek: Architectural rendering shows what the much-anticipated Waldorf Astoria condos building at 2nd Ave. and Steele St. will look like. Start date is January, 2025.

Property Markets Group (PMG), the development firm behind a 100-story Waldorf Astoria hotel and condo tower in Miami, and its architecture firm, Shears Adkins Rock­more, presented architectural renderings to the Cherry Creek North Design Ad­vis­ory Board earlier this year. PMG also owns the block where TV station Denver7 operated for decades and plans to develop a 12-story, 600-unit apartment complex on that site. The station has relocated to Delgany St. in RiNo.

The architectural firm’s Andy Rockmore told the design board that the five-story building is intended to serve as a transition between shorter buildings to the east and taller buildings — up to 12 stories — to the west. PMG initially requested that the city rezone the property to allow up to eight stories. However, the development firm ul­timately decided to be content with five stories, and withdrew the application before the city could respond.

A $29.1 Million Deal

PMG spent $29.1 million in multiple transactions between late 2021 and ­early 2023 to acquire the 0.81-acre site where the condo building will be built. The spot is where the former Italian trattoria Piatti has sat empty since Christmas 2021. The project will also include the plot of land where the longtime closed Cherry Creek Bombay Clay Oven restaurant building stands.

The development firm’s plans now call for a five-story, 172,000-sq.-ft. luxury condo project to be built on the 0.81-acre site. It will feature roughly 40 residential units across floors two through five, including seven penthouses on the top floor, six of which will have private rooftop terraces.

The smallest units will be about 670-sq.-ft., whereas the largest penthouse will occupy a substantial 5,000-sq.-ft. The roof will also include a common terrace space for res­idents, plus a bar, and a nearly 900-sq.-ft. pool.

Restaurant & Retail

Pricey Piatti Plot: PMG paid $29.1 million for spot where the Italian restaurant Piatti has sat empty since Christmas 2021.

Preeminent Perspective: This rendering shows a slightly less formal perspective of the delay-plagued but plush condo project.

The building will have approximately 2,200-sq.-ft. dedicated to a residential lobby and concierge area. Site plans for the ground level of the building also show the structure will house a 4,360-sq.-ft. restaurant and bar on the corner of 2nd Ave. and St. Paul. There will be 3,532-sq.-ft. of retail space on the corner of Steele and 2nd Ave. The project design also calls of a 70-space underground parking garage.

Given the price PMG paid for the land and the proposed number of condos in the building, each unit is expected be listed for sale at multimillion dollar prices. For reference, a three-bedroom condo in PMG’s Miami tower start at $3.3 million.

“Cherry Creek has been a specifically targeted neighborhood for us,” explains Ryan Shear, PMG managing partner. “We love Denver, we’ve built in Denver before, and we’re excited to introduce a high-end condo project into Cherry Creek North. We aim to provide the best and most seamless addition to the neighborhood.”

Open Space, Alley Doubts

Bulldozing Bombay: The iconic condo brand is also replacing the longtime closed Cherry Creek Bombay Clay Oven restaurant building.

Plans initially called for an existing alley running north to south through the site to be replaced by one running east to west, to the south of the building. The developer argued that the change would facilitate loading and access to car elevators for the underground parking garage.

Cherry Creek North’s design board had questioned and expressed concerns about the alley relocation. They also had doubts about the amount of open space provided by the developer. Cherry Creek’s zoning man­dates that at least 15% of a property must remain open. Several board members voiced concerns that the design deviated significantly from neighboring structures. Thus, the board was concerned the project would not mix well with neighboring buildings within Cherry Creek.

“We believe it fits with the district charac­ter,” Rockmore responded. “Our goal is to achieve a higher standard, to raise the bar.” Ultimately, the board did not approve the de­signs at the time, requesting that the de­vel­oper and architect address concerns re­gard­­ing mass reduction and amount of open space. It remains unclear how PMG and architects at Shears Adkins Rockmore have addressed the alley and open space concerns expressed by the design board. 

RugbyTown USA In Spotlight With Women’s Olympic Rugby Win

by Valley Gadfly | Aug 23, 2024 | Main Articles

Glendale’s Sammy Sullivan Stars In Paris Games; Women’s Elite Rugby Picks Denver As First Pro Site

by Glen Richardson

We Won: Sammy Sullivan, who lives in Glendale, reacts as she joins her Olympic teammates after winning bronze at the Paris Olympics.

Boundless Playground: Infinity Park is one of the only rugby-specific stadiums in the U.S., and the country’s first municipality- owned ­stadium.

Glendale, America’s rugby haven and its moniker as RugbyTown USA, is in the spot­light’s beam again as the U.S. earned its first-ever medal in women’s rugby at the 2024 Summer Olympics in ­Paris.

After never finishing an Olympic ­rugby competition better than fifth, the U.S. wo­men took home the bronze medal after a thrilling 14-12 comeback victory against Australia, the gold medalists in 2016. In Tokyo, the U.S. was knocked out before the medal round by Great Britain. The Americans got payback in Paris, eliminating Great Britain in the quarterfinals.

The U.S. team included Sammy Sullivan. a star Colorado rugby player for Glendale’s Gray Wolves. Now Denver — and possibly Glendale — is getting a new team in the Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) league. The league is targeting next year (2025) for its inaugural season. The revelation coincides with the U.S. winning its first-ever Olympic medal. If WER does launch here, it would be the first fully professional women’s sports team in metro Denver.

Glendale Rugby Boom

Biding Time: First lady Jill Biden, left, speaks with Glendale’s Olympic women’s rugby player Sammy Sullivan, in Eaubonne, France.

American rugby got its start in 2007 with the building of the Infinity Park Stadium in Glendale. It is one of the only rugby-specific stadiums in the country, and the first municipality-owned stadium of its kind in the country. Infinity Park hosts oodles of differ­ent rugby events, matches, and activities. Glen­dale also offers a variety of youth rugby, including spring after school rugby, and summer flag rugby. There’s also a high-altitude training center, considered one of the finest rugby training facilities in the country.

Glendale’s Mayor Mike Dunafon — who played a stint with the Denver Broncos —launched Infinity Park and rugby for what he describes as “its camaraderie and sportsmanship.” The decision was his commitment to the community.

The strong performance in Paris will be impactful for Glendale, the Mile High City, and the sport as a whole. After this summer’s bronze-medal win, USA Rugby announced that Michelle Kang — owner of the Washington Spirit, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, and London City Lionesses women’s soccer clubs — will gift $4 million over the course of four years to the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team. Enrollment in the sport has climbed in the U.S. ever since rugby sevens became an Olympic sport in 2016. Look for the game to soar in 2025.

Sullivan Stars

Tournament Town: Rugby tournament play has long been a staple at Infinity Park. The RugbyTown 7s tournament features the U.S. Armed Forces. AP Photo by George Walker IV

A shining star on the world stage, Sammy Sullivan — who lived in Glendale — was a key player in the Olympic games, leading the U.S. women’s rugby team to several victories to begin the Paris Olympics.

She plays for the Colorado Gray Wolves, as well as the U.S. women’s rugby team. The team was originally established in 1981 as the Harlequin Olde Girls before aligning with the City of Glendale in 2007 and becoming the Glendale Raptors Merlins. In 2020 the team became an independent club, run and operated by the players. The team still plays at Glendale’s Infinity Park. Sullivan started playing rugby at West Point and holds the rank of Army Captain. She’s originally from Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Sullivan did not attend the opening ceremony ride down the River Seine because women’s rugby played shortly afterward. Instead, she built Legos. Her Olympic Lego project features iconic Paris sites including the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe.

While in France for the Summer Games, Sullivan met first lady Jill Biden and former Philadelphia Eagles center Jayson Kelce and his wife Kylie.

Pro Women’s Rugby

Sammy Shines: Glendale’s Sammy Sullivan was a key player in the Olympic games. She led the U.S. women’s rugby team to several victories to begin the Paris Olympics. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) has announced that Denver, along with Boston and Chicago, will be the first cities to host a professional women’s rugby team. Goal is to have 30 players on each team when the inaugural season gets underway in the spring of 2025. The announcement coincides with the U.S. winning its first-ever Olympic medal in Paris. The league hopes to have six to eight teams for its inaugural season. Matthew Payne, director of the Denver Sports Commission — an affiliate of the Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Visit Denver — responded that the Mile High City is thrilled to be a founding city

“Denver has a lot of history in women’s rugby, and recently they’ve had some success with the Women’s Premier League and have won quite a few of the national championships,” said Jessica Hammond-Graf, president of the WER. “And so, we felt like bringing that energy and the continued history of women’s rugby to the area would just really make sense.” WER has the intention to start with 6-8 teams, and then looks to build toward a strategic expansion plan during the next 10 years. The league’s founding players will be announced following a selection in January.

WER is supported financially by private investors, including members of the rugby community, sports-focused venture capital, and former Procter & Gamble executive Deb Henretta. WER is adding to its roster of investors in its current capital round, which is on track to close by years end. WER prides itself in putting founding teams in markets that have a strong foundation and grassroots efforts in both the rugby and women’s sports. Team names and stadium details for all markets will be announced later.

Childs Play: Children from in and around the Denver metro area participate in rugby sports training programs at Infinity Park.

Colorado History

The nation’s first recorded competitive women’s rugby team hails from Colorado. In 1971, both the University of Colorado and Colorado State University were formed and they played their first match in 1972. The first women’s college championships were also held in Colorado.

During 1973 another Colorado team — the Scarlet Harlots — was organized, fol­lowed in 1974 by the Denver Blues. By 1974, there were approximately 29 women’s teams in the U.S. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, women’s rugby continued to grow with a majority of those teams adopting the names of colleges and universities.

Until 1990, very few rosters of women’s collegiate rugby teams were entirely undergraduate students of the university; most college teams were made up of graduate students, alumni, and local residents. Then in 2007, following the opening of Infinity Park in Glendale, tournament rugby has been a staple, with the venue hosting some of the largest and most prestigious competitions in the country.