by Mark Smiley | Nov 21, 2016 | Travel
For Heady Holiday Shopping This Local Bookstore Is A Rare Find Bursting With Fresh Ideas
Sure, shopping can be a drag during the holidays. That’s why Glendale’s 40-year-old independently owned bookstore, The Bookies, is a rare work of non-fiction. “It’s a cultural benchmark, a byword even for cozy, exhilarating shopping during the holidays or any season,” customers say in explaining the store’s long-time popularity to the Chronicle.
“Unquestionably a breakthrough, a place where you run into friends and neighbors. Moreover, the kids love the place,” customers note in detailin
g the store’s reputation. There are so many nooks and crannies to explore, each of them unique, with a character and feel all their own. “You just fall in love with the place,” they declare.
As the holiday crowds peak this month and the stress of finding the right gift for loved ones surges, shoppers have a craving for a calm, relaxing place devoid of big pushy crowds. They would rather be run over by a reindeer than face crowded stores with befuddled customers who can’t find help and aren’t sure where to look.
Gifts, Staff Shine
Throughout the year but especially during this sea
son shoppers want to be greeted and feel a sense of community. At The Bookies families actually seem to enjoy spending hours perusing the aisles. Kids can wander and play and the staff is receptive to the kids, adults and pretty much anyone who walks in the door. In addition, the shelves of the store more often than not hold the perfect gift for those on the customer’s holiday gift list no matter their interests or hobbies.
Seeking a tranquil, helpful approach to holiday shopping customers particularly appreciate The Bookies’ hands-on approach. It is a neighborhood gem with employees enthusiastic about the store’s inventory, as well as sharing their favorites and making recommendations based on needs, mood or taste. “Rare that you find a store where the staff is so into what they do and they are happy to be doing it. That’s w
hat makes this place so fantastic,” explains one yelper. Plus there are floor to ceiling titles, educational toys and creative gifts for the kids, fun craft materials plus books and gifts for adults, too.
When it comes to recommending gifts, the staff seems to always shine and dazzle. They love to sell their favorites as well as reaching outside the box to pick the perfect something for everyone, thriving on the challenge. The store has hundreds of entertaining, educational and seasonal choices for all ages. Customers can compliment book purchases with a toy, bookmark, or game. Further they can add a personal touch by selecting from a wide variety of unique, creatively designed, funny and decorative items. Best of all, gift-wrapping is complimentary not just during the holidays but every day. So don’t get stressed out, let the pros deal with the cutting, folding and taping.
To get an idea of The Bookies’ selection
the Chronicle strolled through the store with the staff to find a few gift giving ideas for readers:
Kids & Family Games
Rubik’s Race: A fast paced game for two players to get their brain and fingers racing. A player shakes the scrambler and goes head to head with the opponent to shift and slide the tiles hoping to be the first to make t
he 3×3 center match the pattern. It sounds easy, but it is a real game of skill, speed and dexterity. Youngsters can challenge their friends and family to a race.
Slapzi: This game is all about speed. The first player to match all five of the right picture cards to the right clue cards is the winner. Everyone will be laughing as they think fast and react quickly to figure out the
clue. Slapzi is simple to learn and fast to play. Designed for ages eight 
years to adult with two to 10 players, the game develops dexterity, quick thinking and interaction.
Möbi: A fun and fast-paced number tile game for one to six players. The goal is to make simple math equations as quickly as possible — a great way for kids or grown-ups to apply math skills. Plus, it comes in a cute blue whale. Players draw blue number tiles, and then use them to create simple equations (like 2+3 = 5) by including white math tiles (plus signs, minus signs, multiplication signs, etc.).
Happy Salmon: Great as an icebreaker or at parties it is a simple, fast-paced card game packed to the gills with high-fivin’, fin-flappin’ fun. Actions including the classic “High 5,” the unifying “Pound It,” the frantic “Switcheroo,” and the delightful “Happy Salmon” will leave players doubled over in laughter. For ages six and older, three to six can play.
Bugs In The Kitchen: A fun-to-play family game suitable for 2-4 players age six years and up. The object is to catch the pesky little bug in the kitchen. By turning knives, forks and spoons players can direct the bug into a trap. Players throw the die to discover which utensils they can turn. By catching the bug in the trap players earn a token — the first player to collect five tokens wins the game.
Toys & Puzzles
Twister Tracks Sports Car Series: Youngsters from three to adult will have high-flying fun with this neon glow-in-the-dark twister car set with two vehicles. The flexible, detachable tracks allow kids to easily change the direction and shape of the raceway, their minds racing with all the possible combinations. They’ll flip for the 360-degree, anti-gravity stunt loop that takes the cars for a ride upside down. By turning out the lights players will see how the colorful tracks glow in the dark when illuminated by the vehicles.
Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty: This popular putty comes with new holiday colors and effects. Kit includes five tins of clear putty, three concentrated color putties, three special effect putties, and an instructional mat — everything kids need to make cool Thinking Putty colors that are all your own. Plus the putty will never dry out so they can play with this new toy forever.
I Love Colorado Puzzle: Here’s a holiday gift the entire family (age 12+) will get pleasure from trying to piece together. Anyone will enjoy pulling up a chair to work on this 1,000-piece puzzle with iconic Colorado scenes from the past.
Books For Kids
The Christmas Story: Master pop-up artist Robert Sabuda brings the age-old, awe-inspiring story of the birth of Jesus to life in this book. It is a visual feast featuring six gorgeously imagined scenes, culminating in a 3-D manger sheltering humans and beasts, guarded by an angel above. Glinting with touches of gold and pearlescent foil, it is a holiday treasure for the whole family to share.
What We Found In The Sofa & How It Saved The World: This humorous supernatural adventure is somewhat of a “tween” book. When kids discover a mysterious sofa sitting at their bus stop, their search for loose change produces a rare zucchini-colored crayon. This clever comic adventure from debut author Henry Clark is a truly original and utterly wacky story highlighting the importance of intelligence and curiosity in a complacent world.
Batneezer: Author Obert Skye doesn’t let his fans down in this hilarious sixth and final installment in the Creature From My Closet book series. While enduring visits by the ghosts of books past, present and future, Rob Burnside learns a battle is brewing and his school needs a hero.
Little Blue Truck’s Christmas: With the gentle rhythm and signature illustration style that made Little Blue Truck a household name, Blue’s newest adventure is full of holiday warmth. Sturdy cardstock pages, a compact and child-friendly text, and flashing colored Christmas lights on the final page come together in a novelty gift book that will be a favorite with kids.
Adult Books
A Gentleman in Moscow: With his debut novel, Rules of Civility, Amor Towles established himself as a master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction. In this latest book he immerses us in another elegantly drawn era with the story of Count Alexander Rostov. Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.
Cooking For Jeffrey: This is the most personal cookbook yet by bestselling author Ina Gartner. It is filled with the recipes she has made for her husband of 48-years. There are traditional dishes that she’s updated, such as Brisket with Onions and Leeks, and Tsimmes, a vegetable stew with carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and prunes. Some of her new favorites are Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken and Roasted 
Salmon Tacos. For the first time, she has also included a chapter devoted to bread and cheese, with recipes and tips for creating the perfect cheese course.
A History Of American Sports In 100 Objects: This entertaining book explores sports history through objects from a wide range of sporting experience from balls, articles of clothing, to various ephemera. In chapters of a single page to no more than a handful of pages it shows how the objects of sports and games take on historical significance based on their larger context. Written in a conversational, witty fashion it makes wry observations without losing touch with the larger historical, social, and political significance of the events and athletes that give the objects significance.
100 Things Broncos Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die: A revised and updated version by sportswriter Brian Howell. This book covers the franchise’s greatest moments, from its early days as an AFL charter team through the dominating Orange Crush all the way up to a new era led by Peyton Manning including the 2016 Super Bowl victory.
Located just two blocks east of Colorado Blvd. on Mississippi, The Bookies is just the place to pick up the gifts you need this holiday but it’s also a place where people go for the experience of simply coming here. Information: 303-759-1117.
by Mark Smiley | Nov 21, 2016 | Editorials
There is no individual elected official that has been a subject of more Chronicle editorials over the last 12 years than Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey. He is term limited and will be turning over the reins of office to soon to be septuagenarian Beth McCann this next month.
Mr. Morrissey is admittedly something of a mystery to us. He is intelligent, highly articulate and strikingly handsome which are attributes he shares with Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler. When he came into office in January 2005 we had high hopes for him and his office.
His immediate predecessor as DA, Bill Ritter, went on to become governor of Colorado and there was no reason to think that Morrissey might not successfully follow that path to higher office.
There have been no scandals to speak of at the Denver DA’s office during his entire 12-year tenure for which Morrissey can be justifiably proud. Moreover, he has at times had the courage to do such things as his extremely sharp edged attack on presiding Denver County Court Judge John Marcucci and his brethren for turning Denver into the heroin capital of the West as highlighted on the front page of this month’s Chronicle.
But conversely from the beginning up until today there has been a constant barrage of legal and public relations gaffes that are extraordinary.
By way of example, we were aghast when he decided in 2008 to criminally prosecute Skinner Middle School Principal Nicole Veltze for failure to notify the police over incidental touching in a classroom, although she suspended the children involved. He assigned his two top assistants to bring three charges against the poor school administrator which brought howls from the local media.
County Court Judge Doris E. Burd threw out all charges against Veltze saying there was absolutely no evidence that the school principal acted willfully and wantonly to thwart the law. Amazingly Morrissey then went after Judge Burd saying that his office was very surprised and concerned by the ruling and just might appeal.
To prove he never was able to grasp the old saying that “if you find yourself in a hole stop digging” Morrissey then went personally to the editorial board of the now defunct Rocky Mountain News to attempt to prevent them from issuing an editorial castigating him. He told its editorial board that state law required him to bring the charges. The editorial board found his arguments ludicrous and issued one of the most damning editorials about a Denver DA in living memory.
To demonstrate he has learned nothing in his 12 years in office he just recently decided to bring to trial Clarence Moses-EL for rape charges. Moses-EL had been convicted back in 1987 for beating and raping a woman in his Five Points neighborhood. His conviction was based almost solely on the testimony of the victim saying that it had come to her in a dream that Moses-EL was the one who raped her. She had previously said that she could not identify her assailant because of the beating, but that the person had a toupee and was either “LC, Earl or Darnell.” Moses-EL did not have a toupee nor was one of the men named.
There was significant evidence containing DNA collected by the Denver Police but that field of science was just in its infancy and no tests were performed. Moses-EL was sentenced to 48 years in prison. Moses-EL steadfastly denied he was guilty even after the verdict
When the field of DNA advanced to the point that the evidence gathered could, in fact, be tested Moses pleaded with the DA’s office and the state to perform the tests, but they refused saying they did not have enough money. Eventually Moses-EL, with the help of fellow prisoners, scrapped together enough money to have the tests performed but once again the DA’s office and the state refused. With help of pro bono attorneys, a court finally ordered Denver to perform the tests.
Unbelievably it turned out Denver had destroyed all of the DNA evidence relating to the Moses-EL case. LC Jackson, one of the men who the victim originally said was a possible assailant, confessed to the crime but later recanted, then reconfessed and then recanted.
A Denver District Court found enough evidence “to allow a jury to probably return a verdict of acquittal in favor of the Defendant” and allowed Moses-EL a new trial. Everyone assumed the case was over, but Morrissey decided to go after Moses-EL. To cover his tracks, Morrissey attempted to get Moses-EL to plead guilty to various lesser charges in return for the DA’s office recommending he be released for time served. Moses-EL said he would never plead guilty to a crime he had not committed even if it meant he would spend the rest of his life in prison.
The NAACP brought to the court a petition signed by 2,000 prominent Denverites asking that he not be forced to go through a second trial. The Denver Post wrote a blistering editorial pleading that Moses-EL not be retried. Beth McCann stated that if Morrissey would not take any action until she was in office she would not retry Moses-EL. Apparently, none of that mattered to the tone deaf Morrissey. As in the Veltze case he brought his top aide Chief Deputy Bonnie Benedetti to try the case.
On November 14, 2016, a 12-person Denver jury after only three hours of actual deliberation found Moses-EL not guilty on all charges to the tumultuous cheers of the community. At age 60 Moses-EL was finally free after 28 years of wrongful confinement for a crime he never committed.
As we noted earlier, both Morrissey and Arapahoe DA George Brauchler are highly intelligent individuals, but Brauchler has one attribute that Morrissey has demonstrated time after time he badly lacks — judgment.
An extraordinary lack of judgment is why Mitch Morrissey should never again be elected or appointed to any office of public trust, notwithstanding his many gifts. The Veltze and Moses-EL cases demonstrate he simply cannot be trusted to do the right thing when it truly counts.
— Editorial Board
by Mark Smiley | Nov 21, 2016 | Glendale City News
by Kurt Woock
Writer for and on behalf of the City of Glendale
GLENDALE, CO – SEPTEMBER 15: Fall After School Rugby at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado on September 15, 2016. (Photo by Seth McConnell)
Infinity Park is Colorado’s home for rugby. On the weekends, you can find the best players from around the country on the pitch. Throughout the week, you’ll find it’s just as busy with its burgeoning youth rugby program, the Glendale Raptors Rugby Academy.
The youth Raptors Academy at Infinity Park is unique among youth athletic programs. The Academy works in conjunction with the Glendale Raptors men’s and women’s teams, drawing from among their ranks the people who become coaches for the youth program. Children as young as 5 and as old as 18 have the rare opportunity to go to an international rugby tournament and, a few days later, be coached by the same players they were cheering for. Jenna Anderson, the program coordinator for Raptors Academy, said she takes pride in the level of investment that the program makes in the coaches, and that the player-coaches make to become better at coaching. Each coach in the youth rugby program is certified through national programs in order to be equipped to teach the sport effectively and safely. This fall, Anderson sent a few coaches to a higher-level, full-day course through USA Rugby that gave them the tools needed to teach advanced tackling techniques.
That long-term view toward coaching is a microcosm of the entire Academy. The individual camps and teams aren’t designed to be one-offs. As a young athlete grows up, his or her rugby experience is designed to build on and expand upon years of experience in the program — it’s not simply more of the same, year after year, only with taller kids each time. Anderson said this year she saw, for the first time, an age group graduate out of the program having started at its earliest level, age 5. Developing well-rounded athletes takes a concerted effort over time, and the Raptors Academy has a blueprint to do just that.
The program had a successful fall season and has plans to keep that momentum moving forward, through the winter and into the spring. A few highlights:
Fall After School
Fall After School Rugby had about 85 boys and girls from kindergarten through eighth grade participate. Children between 5 and 7 played flag footba
GLENDALE, CO – NOVEMBER 21: Youth Rugby Camp at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado on November 21, 2015. (Photo by Seth McConnell)
ll while older children were divided into two-year groups and learned to tackle.
Practices were held on Tuesdays and Thursdays and, for the first time, offered Saturday scrimmages for anyone in the program. Thanks to a new partnership with Rugby Colorado, youth participants from many programs were able to apply what they learned in practice in a fun, new environment.
Anderson said many outgoing eighth graders have plans to continue playing rugby in high school with the skills they’ve developed at Infinity Park over the years.
Winter Indoor
This will be the third year for winter indoor. The program, which meets on four weekends in November and December, is all non-tackle and held in the gymnasium at the onsite Glendale Sports Center. Anderson said the winter indoor program helps athletes develop specific skills and improve conditioning during a time when the weather usually doesn’t permit outdoor play. The program can be a boon to young athletes looking for the boost they need to meet goals, like moving from a B team to an A team, or moving into the starting lineup. “Kids are already thinking about playing at next level, in college, in high school, and this program will help them.
Anderson said the program is also a good opportunity for a player new to the sport to pick up a few rugby basics before joining a league in the spring. “We work on a lot of movement skills,” she said. “Many kids can’t run and catch at the same time. Kids love making plays. Being able to catch and run will make the game infinitely more fun.”
School Visits
In order to bring the sport to as many people as possible, Anderson tries to make at least two “field trips” every month to neighborhood schools. While there, she runs mini clinics that give students an opportunity to try out some of the skills and learn the basic rules of the sport. She said that since the Summer Olympics, where rugby sevens made its Olympic debut, more and more students are already somewhat familiar with the sport and are certainly intrigued. “Seeing how fun it is, how fast-paced, how fit everyone is: It’s really capturing the imagination of families and kids.”
by Mark Smiley | Nov 21, 2016 | General Featured
by Ruthy Wexler
The John Hand Theater in Lowry is a singular Cherry Creek Valley experience. Welcomed into a tiny lobby, you feel . . . instantly at home. Sipping a glass of wine in your seat, you feel . . . curiously content. Watching talented actors give their all, you are stimulated, moved and somehow, included. When you leave, you feel . . . the opposite of alone.
It’s exactly what John Hand had in mind.
Who is John Hand?
A charismatic guy with a million ideas, John left his revitalizing mark all over Denver. He ran an antique shop, owned a deli, bought and sold real estate, founded Colorado Free University . . . and that’s the short list. When the Lowry Air Force Base began its redevelopment in 1999, John, then 52, bought the base’s firehouse as a satellite building for CFU — but soon, he had another idea.
Love Of Theater
John loved the theater. He’d acted in plays, even written a musical, was especially drawn to how dramatic collaboration brought everyone more alive. The firehouse would be a community theater.
He hired an architect, drove to California to pick up a batch of old theater seats and soon, fellow enthusiasts joined him to sing and read plays. A core group emerged, an amateur acting troupe. John’s younger sister Helen, busy with her own career as a psychologist, came to watch productions. Of all his ventures, Helen saw, the theater was John’s center.
“I felt happy that John was living his dream,” she recalls. “And a
lways, amazed that he could do so much.”
By 2004, light and sound equipment still in a cubbyhole, John was excitedly planning his first big play. The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, an early work by Arthur Miller, concerns a bigamist who must explain his life choices when both wives arrive at his hospital bed.
“In some ways,” Helen muses, “that play was reflective of John’s life. So many balls in the air…”
The balls all came crashing down on March 28, 2004, when a total stranger — a 19-year-old girl with an angel face and demon hallucinations — entered his home and stabbed John Hand to death.
Brother’s Dream Brought To Life
Helen could not accept such a meaning
less end to her brother’s life. She wanted to honor him — but how? John had always been the one with ideas. “He was so articulate, so vibrant. I was a little more . . . retiring. I was dazzled by him. But he was a good big brother.” Helen laughs, remembering the time John taught her to fight back against a neighborhood bully. “Once we got outside, I sat on the ground and wouldn’t go any further. I let him down.”
She would not let him down now. Helen went outside her comfort zone to ask for contributions so John’s big play could be produced. “People loved him, they were inspired by him, and so they gave.” Six months after John’s death, Firehouse Theater Company presented The Ride Down Mt. Morgan with professional sound and lighting.
She’d held up her brother’s dream. Now Helen couldn’t bear to see it die. She cut back her private psychology practice to take over the reins of Colorado Free University and the theater as well.
“At first it was spotty,” she recalls. “We would lose people, lose energy. I had to rely on others to mount productions.” But soon, Helen discovered that she liked reading scripts, enjoyed the actors. She began to take a more active role. “I’d entered a field where I had no experience or expertise and I found . . . tremendous satisfaction. And joy.”
Second Theater Company
To keep the theater afloat, Helen rented it out to local groups. In 2007, Spotlight Theater Company came on board as a regular renter. The two groups sparked each other. Since Firehouse was producing only four plays a year, they arrived at the arrangement we see today: Spotlight and Firehouse present alternate productions at the John Hand Theater.
“The way the shows dovetail from company to company is seamless,” says Bernie Cardell, artistic director of Spotlight. “It’s a splendidly diverse program. Spotlight is more comfort food, makes you laugh, goes down easy. Firehouse explores the human heart.”
Pat Salas, a season subscriber to both companies, says, “When I take people to the John Hand, they’re like, ‘Who? Where are we going?’ But then when we see the play, they always want to go back.”
What makes the productions so special? For starters, the theater. At 89 seats, it’s an intimate — and well designed — setting. “It has enough height and depth that you don’t feel crowded as an actor,” says Emma Messenger. “The acoustics are exceptionally good, fantastic for subtle acting. But the best part about the John Hand is the supportive people who work there. You always feel so cared for — and that nurturing feeling translates to better performances.”
“Why is the acting so good?” muses Bernie Cardell. “You just do better work when you’re feeling part of a family, right?”
This family is purposely inclusive. In the casts of both companies’ shows, there’s often a wide range of experience — another of John’s legacies. “My brother wanted to stage good productions, but he also wanted to provide a place for people to develop their skills,” explains Helen. “So we give opportunities.”
Not just beginners, but veterans benefit. Lauded actor Andrew Uhlenhopp recalls his role as King Henry IV in The Lion in Winter as “a challenge, that I faced with Helen’s great support. She involves herself in the theater in such a way that one feels inspired to grow.”
Helen Rocks
Guiding board meetings, raising funds, attending rehearsals — Helen is now the one with lots of balls in the air. “I’ve even seen her up on the roof checking for leaks,” says actor and set-designer Jeff Jesmer. “Helen rocks!”
“In the process of keeping John’s dream alive,” Helen says simply, “I was transformed.”
So was this tiny spot in Denver.
John’s murder ripped a hole in Helen’s family. What she ended up doing was creating a new family, whose heart is a powerful combination of John’s inventive boldness and her own loving kindness.
On a recent evening, the house was full, the lights had dimmed, when a young couple entered the theater, obviously on a special date — and dismayed at the lack of two seats together. Immediately, three individuals stood, conferred, rearranged — then pointed the couple to a now empty pair. After a burst of affectionate laughter, everyone settled in to watch the show.
Upcoming Season
Theatergoers who want to enjoy the intimacy of the John Hand Theater can look forward to a rich menu in 2017. Helen is particularly proud of Firehouse’s January show: Becky’s New Car, by Stephen Dietz. “The playwright is local, the play is sharp, funny, yet touching and thought-provoking . . . exactly the sort of production John loved.”
In the spring, another sharp comedy, Crimes of the Heart will premiere. And in the summer, Helen is pleased to present an original work by Firehouse board member Debbie Montgomery, Rock of Aging, a parody of ’60s and ’70s bands, with familiar songs hilariously rewritten to address the humiliations of old age.
Alternating with the above is Spotlight’s run of funn
y, scary and heart warming. In February and March, Sabrina Fair (remember the movie with Audrey Hepburn?); in May, Scotland Yard by Jeffrey Hatcher; and that well-known gem On Golden Pond completes the season.
Looking to future seasons, Bernie Cardell sees Spotlight still offering its comfort fare of classics, mysteries, comedies and farces, but spiced with some more challenging works. Firehouse Theater Company will keep exploring the vagaries of human relationships, leaving audiences thinking and talking as they leave the theater. And they both intend to stay at the John Hand.
Visit www.johnhandtheater.com to find links to both company’s shows.
by Mark Smiley | Oct 21, 2016 | Glendale City News
by John Arthur
Writer for and on behalf of the City of Glendale
Over the final weekend of August, while central Colorado basked in late summer sun, the Serevi RugbyTown 7s Tournament roared in Glendale. In its fifth year of competition, the three-day tournament featured 20 teams (including teams from all five U.S. Military Branches) playing for a $10,000 winner-take-all purse. Rugby 7s, a quicker variation of traditional 15-a-side Rugby Union play, features two seven-minute halves and puts the importance of a team’s speed, strength, and stamina at the fore. From August 26-28, the RugbyTown 7s Tournament saw 62 matches, with the underdog Glendale Raptors clawing their way to an impressive second place finish overall.
The excitement for rugby was palpable in Glendale, with thousands of fans in attendance, but the success and growth that the Serevi RugbyTown 7s Tournament enjoyed was no accident. The organization, planning, and execution of the event are the product of the acumen of a highly skilled and dedicated staff, with Director of Facilities and Stadium Operations Kieran Nelson at the helm. Working alongside her colleague, Stadium Operations Manager Michael Hoff, Nelson has produced hundreds of local community and private events, as well as national and international rugby games and tournaments at Infinity Park.
A Colorado native, Nelson spent her college years in the Pacific Northwest, working in politics, human resources, and fundraising before transitioning into event planning at Infinity Park. Asked about what goes into planning an event like the RugbyTown 7s Tournament, Nelson shrugged, “What doesn’t? We begin planning a year in advance, and everyone in the City of Glendale is involved with the production of an event like this. It’s amazing the amount of effort and teamwork required. It takes a village.” Responsible for virtually every logistical aspect of the tournament, Nelson’s role is paramount. “This is probably the premier 7s tournament in the country. Every year we outdo ourselves and take it to a new level — we’re creating new rugby fans.”
This year, the RugbyTown 7s Tournament was accompanied by Glendale’s Bruises and Brews Beerfest, which featured 20 breweries and attracted nearly 1,500 attendees. Beer and rugby: two Colorado staples that certainly go better together.
For an event at Infinity Park, Nelson coordinates the staffing of guest services, security, and in-stadium food and beverage vendors, determines layouts, tent locations, and all necessary event rentals, while also working closely with the marketing team for promotion. Infinity Park Event Center staff coordinate the logistics for the VIP reception and post-tournament banquet, working closely with the stadium staff to ensure everything runs smoothly from beginning to end. Glendale Public Works maintains the fields, including the award-winning stadium pitch, practice fields, city parks and the Festival Plaza.
Deputy City Manager Linda Cassaday oversees the entire tournament, from initial invitations to tackling the arduous task of coordinating travel and lodging for teams, referees and staff who fly in for the tournament. City employees all dig in to assist with everything from managing incoming deliveries to set-up and filtering through all the invoices and payments that need to be made pre- and post-tournament.
As Nelson says, “This is truly a team effort.” With just herself and Hoff as full-time stadium employees, an event like the Serevi RugbyTown 7s Tournament sees the number of contracted staff balloon to as many as 250. While a typical Raptors game might require 40 guest relations and security staff, with an additional 20 personnel working on webcast and audio/video production, daily staffing for the RugbyTown 7s tournament saw double those numbers — the scale and scope of Nelson’s involvement is truly impressive. “It’s exhausting to plan an event like this,” she said, “but I thrive on it. The minute the first teams start to arrive, the first tents go up — that energy creates a buzz felt throughout the city.”
Though she admits to enjoying every aspect of her work, the Director of Facilities does have a life away from Infinity Park. Much of Nelson’s time outside the office is currently spent coordinating another im-portant event — her daughter’s transition to college.
She and her husband also enjoy Colorado’s ever-growing craft beer scene and 
spending time with their pets. Asked about her career at Infinity Park, Nelson is reflective. She left a position she enjoyed with National Jewish Health to explore a contract event planning role at Infinity Park in 2009: “It was a huge risk for my family, but it fascinated me and we decided to take the leap. It was amazing from day one.” Never intending to become involved in this type of work, she loves her job and is, clearly, quite good at it. Nelson also recognizes the importance of Infinity Park, “It’s the keystone of all of the things that are happening in Glendale, and I’m proud to have been on the ground since the beginning. The growth has been incredible and it will only continue.”
With the continuing expansion of 7s tournament play, and rugby’s popularity in the U.S. climbing quickly, Nelson’s gamble on Infinity Park has clearly paid off. That pay-off extends to fans and guests as well, as any attendee of the thoughtfully and expertly planned events at Glendale’s crown jewel can attest.
by Mark Smiley | Oct 21, 2016 | General Featured
Four Area Kids Turn Their Passion For Helping Into A Booming Non-profit Aiding Their Needy Peers
by Glen Richardson
Whiz, bang! Meet the Valley’s secret weapons: Cailey Karshmer, Abby Foster, Chloe Howard, and Lior Yaron. Bursting with energy, these four young people are a pushover when it comes to helping sick, disabled, homeless and underprivileged kids by raising awareness, volunteering and supporting their needs.
This foursome of super-knowledgeable youngsters that possibly live on your block is behind Colorado Kids for Kids, a kid-run not for profit 501 (c)(3) organization. At a time when most kids their age are focused on music, sports or just themselves, these kids are working wonders in neighborhoods across the Valley by giving back to the community and helping kids who are less fortunate.
Encouraging us all to give back to the community, they organize school supply drives, collect clothing (winter coats, boots, gloves, hats), host holiday parties for homeless children and read to kids at under-funded schools. Moreover, they encourage other Valley kids to volunteer. They urge other children to help them collect books and toys to donate and also donate wrapping paper for the organization’s holiday drive. Furthermore they encourage youngsters of all ages to “Volunteer with us or help host or coordinate one of our events.”
Game Changer
Cailey Karshmer, now a Cherry Creek High student, is the founder of Colorado Kids for Kids or CK4K. At age six she donated her birthday presents to children at a homeless shelter where a friend of her aunt’s worked. “It made a huge impact on me and I decided to donate my presents every year,” she recalls. When she turned 10 she no longer had birthday parties but wanted to continue to donate money instead of gifts from her family on her birthdays. After learning about non-profits she asked her parents if she could set up a non-profit to benefit children in need and CK4K was born.
To get started she needed a board of directors and her best friend Abby Foster, currently a George Washington High School student, volunteered to be the secretary. Chloe Howard, now at Kent Denver, was volunteering at a local soup kitchen and at her church when she came on board as vice president. “I joined Colorado Kids 4 Kids because I love to help people in the community,” she explains. Presently a Cherry Creek High School student, Lior Yaron was 11 when the organization started and he signed on as treasurer. “I was treasurer of my school at the time and I am very proud to be a member of Colorado Kids 4 Kids,” he adds. Speaking for the Board, Abby Foster says, “We want to make a difference in kids’ lives. This organization has encouraged us to give back to the community and as we continue to grow we would like other children to follow in our footsteps.”
The organization began their school supply drive five years ago when Cailey was walking out of school on the last day and saw that many of the kids had thrown away their school supplies, a lot in prime condition. The next year, Cailey and the board decided that they were going to collect gently used school supplies and donate them to an under-funded school. The first year, supplies were donated to DCIS at Fairmont, and the school supplies could be carried in the back of two SUVs. The next year they collected so many supplies that they had to rent a U-Haul to deliver them to Boston K-8.
School Supply Store
This past year, CK4K collected a copious amount of supplies plus receiving a very generous grant to purchase more supplies. Due to the amount of school supplies, and the desire to reach more kids across the metro area, the board decided to open a school supply store where kids who could not afford school supplies could shop for free. “The store’s concept is loosely based on a local food pantry,” explains Abby Foster. Children were able to choose supplies rather than be handed pre-selected materials. In addition, each child received a High Sierra backpack.”
Overall, more than 350 kids and 50 schools w
ere impacted by the board’s endeavors. The store — located at 6875 E. Evans Ave. just off Monaco Parkway — was open for three days during August. To keep kids supplied with school needs the store will be open one Sunday a month beginning in February.
The organization is also sponsoring a “Get One, Give One” blanket campaign. They are high-quality fleece blankets embroidered with their CK4K logo. For every blanket sold another blanket is donated to a child in need. In August, they were able to donate over 80 blankets to Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children. Kids and families can participate by purchasing a blanket ($20) or by helping them sell blankets. Groups and organizations can also use them as a fundraiser.
Public, Business Backing
Karshmer also credits the staff and her classmates at Graland — where she graduated with honors — for their encouragement and support when she started CK4K. At Graland she participated in the Gates Invention Program with her friend Lily Fox. Lily’s mom was in a wheelchair and had difficulties navigating cobblestones. The two girls created an all terrain attachment designed to roll over uneven and bumpy terrain without getting stuck. The two won second place in the competition and were given a “patent nod.” They were paired with a lawyer who helped them through the patent process, paid for by the Gates Foundation. Last year, Cailey and Lily received U.S. patent D749018 S1 from the U.S. Patent Office.
Community support for the kids’ non-profit has vastly exceeded all expectations. For example, Arapahoe County Government, Public Works and Development staff recently held a school-supply drive for Colorado Kids for Kids. Businesses are also kicking in their support. Foster, Graham, Milstein & Calisher, LLP, Anabliss, Mile-High Embroidery, Periodontal Associates, Mile High United Way and Rapid Networks have generously donated their services and/or money to support CK4K. “I am shocked by how many neighbors, businesses and friends are contributing,” says board treasurer Yaron.
Cailey Karshmer started Colorado Kids for Kids because she wanted to volunteer in her community but was limited by her age. “Our organization provides
kids, no matter what age, with the opportunity to help,” she notes. “Have you ever wanted to volunteer somewhere but you were too young?” she asks other kids. “Well you can come volunteer with Colorado Kids for Kids! We would love to have you come and help us. Help us by planning an event, raising awareness or volunteering,” she urges other youngsters.
“Colorado Kids for Kids wants to make communities in the Valley a better place and we could use your help.” Information: 720-215-3225.
