by Mark Smiley | Oct 21, 2016 | Travel
Publicity Shy Health And Wellness Director Will Be Missed By All, In Particular The SilverSneakers Seniors
by Mark Smiley
Ellyn Wood, the Glendale Sports Center’s Health and Wellness Director is retiring after 35 years with the YMCA. Having just turned 65 years of age, Wood is hanging up her sneakers on November 30, 2016. Wood, who shies away from the spotlight and prefers to not have a lot of publicity surrounding her, has devoted most of her adult life to the YMCA and its sports programs.
Wood started with the Chatfield YMCA in 1981 as a part-time fitness instructor after exercising there since 1979. She exercised with Debbie Ford, who served the YMCA in many capacities including Executive Director of the Glendale Sports Center. Ford, who has been friends with Wood since the 7th grade, retired from the YMCA three years ago.
As the two described it, they exercised wearing leotards, leg warmers and leading group exercise classes which was the style in the late ’70s and early ’80s.
“As an executive at the Littleton Y and then later at the Glendale Sports Center it was a privilege and fun to work with Ellyn,” said Debbie Ford, YMCA of Metropolitan Denver, past Glendale Sports Center/ YMCA Executive Director. “Ell
yn has brought a lot of happiness to members, especially the SilverSneakers. Ellyn has been a very committed, dependable, and innovative employee, you can always count on Ellyn.”
Wood moved to full-time status in 1991 after teaching aerobics at the YMCA as well as some private clubs around town. In 1991, she helped open up the Highline (now Littleton) YMCA and served as Fitness Coordinator. She also ran a large teen sports program and even supervised the pool.
After being promoted to Health and Wellness Director, she was laid off in 2002 only to return two weeks later when the branch reorganized.
Then, a call came from Debbie Ford. Ford tried to convince Wo
od to join her at the newly formed Glendale YMCA. “I didn’t want to leave Littleton,” said Wood. “I felt comfortable there but Debbie wanted me to come [help open the Glendale location]. She talked me into it.”
From 2002 to 2008, Ford and Wood were two of the only full-time employees in the old building. Then, in July 2008, the City of Glendale opened a 35,000-square-foot recreation and sports center and asked the YMCA to manage it. Wood was in on the ground floor of every aspect of the new facility from scheduling and hiring to recruiting new members and running the SilverSneakers program.
And that is what Wood will miss the most. “…the people. I’ve known a l
ot of them [seniors] since we were over in the old building,” said Wood. “They are always reminiscing about times in the old building. Because it was just me, I paid a lot of attention to them. They were almost like a family. They loved it.”
Times have changed since leaving the old facility in 2008. Over the last eight years, membership has grown exponentially. “It has been nice to see how the membership has grown and how the classes have grown [since moving into Infinity Park] from when we first started over here,” said Wood.
“From teaching classes, to making sure all the members have coffee and repairing equipment Ellyn has done it all,” said Nicole Limoges, Executive Director, YMCA Sports Branch & Glendale Sports Center at Infinity Park. “She is the most energetic, caring staff person I have had the pleasure to work with and she will be g
reatly missed by the members and staff.”
Now, it is time to turn a new page in Wood’s life. She and her husband Woody plan to travel. They will visit Baja Peninsula in Mexico, over Thanksgiving and have plans to visit Africa, Greece, Croatia, New Zealand, and Australia.
No trip may be as exciting as visiting their daughter Courtney and two grandkids in California or their son Shane and his wife Stephanie in Italy.
Aside from travel and helping her husband at home with bookkeeping for his business, Wood hopes to enjoy the time off and will be looking to fill her days and be productive. After working for 35 years for one organization, Wood has earned the right to enjoy life on her own terms.
by Mark Smiley | Oct 21, 2016 | Editorials
The intrepid and resourceful everyday citizens from Humboldt Street Neighborhood Association and Curtis Park Neighbors (some of which are pictured below) were, of course, greatly disappointed when the Denver Board of Adjustment for Zoning turned down their appeal of the decision from the Denver Planning Department by a 4-1 margin. The project will help destroy their neighborhoods by permitting high density micro apartments without any parking.
The vote was 4 to 1 rather than unanimous because the Board did not want to appear to be what they are — lackeys for the mayor and the real estate developers who control him. It is known in the trade as the “gentleman’s dissenting vote.”
What’s next? Well, they can exercise their rights as Americans and Coloradans and appeal the decision to the Denver District Court for the State of Colorado. The only problem is, of course, that the average Denver citizen never wins in the Denver District Court when suing the City and County of Denver when it relates to the destruction of their neighborhoods. Never, ever.
Just to review a few of the more egregious recent cases:
- Friends of Denver Parks v. the City and County of Denver et al. In September of 2013 Denver District Court Judge Herbert L. Stern III dismissed each and every claim of the citizens concerning the sale for development of a portion Hentzell Park in Denver.
- Residents of West Highland v. The Denver City Council et al. In September of 2013 Denver District Court Judge Robert C. McGahey dismissed each and every claim of the citizens regarding the rezoning of property in the Highlands area of Denver.
- Sloans Lake Neighborhood Association v. Denver City Council et al. In March of 2016 Judge J. Eric Eliff dismissed each and every claim on the rezoning of the former St. Anthony’s Central Hospital site.
- Residents of Crestmoor Park v. Denver City Council et al. In May of 2016 Denver District Court Judge Shelly I. Gilman not only dismissed each and every claim of the citizens over the rezoning of the Mt. Gilead Church property but she appeared to mock and taunt the citizens for even bothering to bring claims in her courtroom and made it abundantly clear that she would never rule in their favor.
Then there was the infamous case of Ballpark Neighborhood Association, Inc. v. City and County of Denver et al in September of 2015. There Denver District Court Judge R. Michael Mullins actually ruled, in a six page opinion, in favor of the citizens declaring that the City and County of Denver and the Board of Adjustment for Zoning had “abused their discretion and exceeded their jurisdiction in agreeing to allow the Denver Rescue Mission to expand.
Never accused of being the “brightest crayon in the box” Judge Mullins apparently had not been informed that the citizens of Denver are never allowed to win such cases. Calls were apparently made and Mullins was given, directly or indirectly, a talking to. Several weeks later Judge Mullins reversed himself and ruled in favor of the City and County of Denver on all claims. Judge Mullins, in disgrace, announced his retirement several months later.
There is a time honored idiom in American politics — “You Can’t Fight City Hall.” The saying is not “You Can’t Sue City Hall” because you clearly can. It means, inter alia, simply that you won’t win your lawsuit. Why? Because the concept of an “independent judiciary” is a myth, or more accurately, something of a cruel hoax as it pertains the Denver District Courts.
It is not that Denver judges are bribed. Why bother? Bribery would be so gauche and totally unnecessary. The 23 Denver District Court judges are, in reality, state government employees in black robes who plan to retire as state government employees on state government pension plans. They roam the hallways and eat in the cafeteria at the City and County Building with other government employees whether they are elected officials or government bureaucrats in the form of city attorneys and district attorneys, etc. They go to the same American Bar Association and Colorado Bar Association meetings. They attend the same parties and events. They were able to become judges in part because of their political connections and they do not intend to upset the applecart.
It is an unwritten rule in Denver whereby the unelected judges agree they will not play in the elected officials’ sandbox so long as elected officials don’t interfere with their spoils. Everybody in state and municipal government gets their healthy serving of the taxpayer funded pie all in the name of old fashioned “public service.”
So is all lost for Denver’s brave and intrepid neighborhood groups like the Humboldt Street Neighborhood Association and Curtis Park Neighbors? The answer is surprisingly, no, at least for the future. Of course the Mayor, the City Council, the Denver Planning Department, the Board of Adjustment, Barry Hirschfeld and the Denver District Court system will have raped and partially destroyed their neighborhoods for fun and profit, but things can and will continue to get worse and worse unless citizens start fighting for the future of their city.
The election system in Denver is, in fact, not rigged unlike some large cities in the United States. There is no Daley machine or a modern day Tammany Hall in Denver. Regular citizens can and have won elections if they are willing to fight hard enough, as demonstrated by the victories of City Auditor O’Brien and Councilmen New, Kashmann and Espinoza. You can even beat incumbents like Councilwoman Susan K. Shepherd.
Do citizens need to wait until the next municipal election finally rolls around? Of course not. Progressives in the early 20th century knew the only way to hold elected officials actually accountable was for citizens to be able to recall them, and provided for such in the Colorado Constitution and the Denver City Charter. Progressives in the 21st century are somehow extremely squeamish about holding elected officials, and therefore the entire system, accountable by filing recall petitions. Fill one petition against one of the numerous real estate developer owned City Council persons and suddenly — win, lose or draw — the whole political landscape changes and the citizens of Denver can now in fact “fight Denver City Hall.”
The time is a-wasting. Let us begin the fight to take back the City and County of Denver from real estate developers like Pat Hamill and his crony capitalist enablers at the loathsome Colorado Concern organization. You owe it to your children and grandchildren.
— Editorial Board
by Mark Smiley | Oct 5, 2016 | Editorials
With the daylight hours shortening and the leaves beginning to fall, the large group of young so-called “travelers” will begin their annual migration to cities with warmer weather, leaving the 16th Street Mall to Denver’s more “traditional” homeless who are older and, generally speaking, a great deal less violent with marijuana and alcohol being the drugs of choice rather than the heroin and meth preferred by some of the young travelers.
It has been an in-teresting summer down at the Mall which was originally envisioned as a mecca for tourists coming to Colorado, and in particular Denver. Walking down the Mall this summer one could enjoy the fresh, pungent odor of urine while being accosted by highly aggressive young panhandlers and even physically assaulted by individuals carrying pipes. If you were eating on one of the patios or restaurants adjoining the Mall you stood a chance of your food literally being taken off your plate by a traveler. It got so bad that even the older Denver homeless were demanding that Denver do “something” about the chaotic situation.
The situation got worse and worse until some of the violence was captured by a KDVR camera crew and a reporter and broadcast on the nightly local news. Other news outlets soon began covering the story and a call went out to the mayor of Denver (who was on a mission in Rio De Janeiro to find out about what was involved in holding the Olympics) to tell him trouble was brewing back in River City.
To his credit when Mayor Hancock returned he held a press conference at which he made it clear that he found the situation untenable and he intended to take action. No wonder. The problem has been festering for a long time on the 16th Street Mall.
In 2015 the Denver City Council was presented with a report from Visit Denver, the official marketing arm of The Convention & Visitors Bureau, which noted how visitors complained about the “homeless, youth, panhandling, safety, cleanliness, and drugs, including marijuana consumption.” In one communication to the bureau a visitor noted: “I’m sorry but I would never consider putting attendees in danger by holding a convention in your city. We were staying at Embassy Suites downtown on 16th and last night witnessed a group of about 30 teenagers attack a man walking along 16th Street.”
Part of the problem are the somewhat spineless downtown business groups such as the Downtown Partnership whose spokeswoman asserted amazingly to a television reporter that the violence and assaults on the Mall are part of the wonderful “urban experience” that Denver provides to visitors.
The mayor did significantly increase the police presence on the 16th Street Mall which caused many of the travelers to move to the Cherry Creek bike path resulting in a massive increase of used heroin needles on the bike path. Denver Parks and Recreation issued a temporary directive allowing police to give 90-day suspensions from park use for persons caught dealing or using drugs in the parks, but suspensions could be appealed.
Even that tepid response was, of course, too much for the highly sensitive Editorial Board of The Denver Post whose main job is to make as Denver thoroughly miserable as possible for the residents, while generally being in the back pocket of the Administration and the high density real estate developers that control the city. (See The Denver Post September 7, 2016 lead editorial.)
The dispute highlights a decayed society that no longer can protect itself or its children. Parasites like John Parvensky, President of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless since 1986, have exploited the massively government funded Coalition for his own enrichment, with the goal appearing to be to attract as many homeless to Denver as physically possible in order to increase the funding for the Coalition and Parvensky’s scandalous salary.
Visitors to Denver are often shocked by the number of panhandlers and beggars throughout the city. You often hear city officials assert that begging is a constitutional right for which they can do nothing. In actual fact the United States Supreme Court has never asserted that public panhandling is somehow protected by the 1st Amendment but simply that governments cannot prevent organized charities from soliciting funds as stated in Riley v. National Federation of the Blind of Carolina.
Of course the ACLU will sue Denver if it even attempts to prevent even aggressive panhandling, but Denver gets sued all the time anyway. The ACLU is infamous for cowering when government actually attempts to quash citizens’ real 1st Amendment and other rights as when Roosevelt issued an executive order interning Japanese-American citizens during World War II or when the U.S. government in the 1950s went after individuals for simply being a member of or having been a member of the Communist Party of America. The ACLU is a gutless organization when the rubber really meets the road, but in in the meantime it’s great for suing small municipalities with limited budgets for having inoffensive Christmas displays.
In between the endless ACLU lawsuits, the young heroin chic travelers would stop coming to Denver as they look for cities with great weather that are easy marks. Stop being an easy mark and they go away. But, of course, Denver would risk, as the spokeswoman for the Downtown Partnership indicated, visitors being deprived of the wonderful “urban experience” of being physically assaulted on the 16th Street Mall and the opportunity of starting their own collection of used heroin needles from the Cherry Creek bike path. But as the old saying goes “you can’t have it all.” Will Denver muster the courage to fight the good fight? Don’t count on it. The Administration is too busy destroying neighborhoods with excessive density and no parking.
— Editorial Board
by Mark Smiley | Oct 3, 2016 | General Featured
November 8 Vote Pits The Politically Connected Against Local Property Owners
by Megan Carthel
Five Points has been a neighborhood plagued with improvement promises and nothing to show for them. In 1994, the D Line was built through the middle of Welton Street by RTD, bringing less than satisfactory results.
A cultural center for decades where Jazz and Black culture used to thrive along Welton Street, there now stand empty buildings, ghosts of once was. Now, the city and residents are hoping to revive the once robust area — the question is whether a business improvement district (BID) or the free market should kick-start this inevitable change.
On May 31, 2016, the Denver City Council approved the formation of the Five Points BID, but come November 8, 2016, the commercial property owners will have the final say with a vote.
Currently the Five Points neighborhood has the Five Points Business District (FPBD) that has focused on business development and cultural promotion and preservation. Tracy Winchester, Executive Director of the FPBD, has helped to aid the start of a BID along the Welton Street corridor. The BID will supplement City services like security, maintenance and beautification for the 10 blocks of Welton Street from 20th to 30th streets.
“I think it’s important that we have a business improvement district in the Five Points area along the Welton street corridor, which has always been a historically commercial corridor,” Winchester said. “And I think it’s important that we mobilize ourselves as businesses that do have a vested interest in seeing the survivability of this corridor and not only for the businesses that are here, but also for the residents that are here.”
Myron Melnick, a commercial property owner in the district since 1996, opposes the BID. He even wrote a piece in Brother Jeff, a local media outlet. Days after his piece was published, his building was tagged with spray paint.
“I think these people [who are for the BID] are reacting to what’s best for them,” Melnick said. “I’m neutral as far as that goes. What’s best for the neighborhood is what’s best for me, but I don’t want to see McDonald’s there, I don’t want to see Kentucky Fried Chicken there.”
When asked about the tagging, Councilman Albus Brooks said the following:
“I can’t think of a better way to support this effort,” Brooks said. “There’s no security there today. This allows security to be in place. This allows security to see something going on and securing the area and calling the police. That’s a problem with Welton; there’s just not enough eyes right now in all of these locations.”
The Five Points BID will focus on maintenance, security and beautifying the area.
“We’re pretty much following the path of other neighborhoods, business corridors that want to see improvement in their neighborhood as it relates to the business area,” Winchester said.
“I don’t want to pay more taxes, more property tax,” Melnick said. “What do I need the city or this organization to shovel my walk and pick up litter? I don’t need that.”
The BID has an estimated budget for 2017 of $161,988, with $156,996 coming from a 10 mill levy on commercial property owners. The other $4,992 comes from a Local Maintenance District currently in place that will be removed if the BID is approved. The FPBD will assist with administrative needs for two years and then will no longer be active. The BID board will then have to decide how those administrative needs will be met.
Dr. Renee Cousins King, Paul Books, John Pirkopf, Nathan Beal and Carl Bourgeois were appointed to the BID board. Together, the board makes up over 15 percent of the total acreage and over 16 percent of the total value of the Welton Street BID boundaries. In order for a BID to pass, 50 percent of both the acreage and assessment values must be in favor. In total, the BID received just over 56 percent of the acreage and 62 percent of the assessment value in favor.
Some commercial property owners see a different vision than what they feel the BID board sees. Blair Dunn, commercial property owner on Welton Street, feels with a BID in place, larger commercial chain businesses will come into the area, pushing out the smaller businesses, and with it, the historical cultural importance.
“I think losing that identity would be the worst thing in the world,” Dunn said. “It kind of identifies the area, and what I hear from the BID is zilch as far as keeping that, keeping Black businesses, keeping kitchy stuff. It’s almost like the message is that ship has sailed and we’re going for intense hipster growth.”
Dunn also owns property on Colfax, where there is a BID in place. Before the BID was instated on Colfax, he paid $1,500 in taxes, now he is paying over $4,000. Dunn and Melnick both said they would prefer an organic growth of the Five Points neighborhood. Chuck Sagere, a close by resident who visits the Welton Street corridor often, thinks a BID would help to revitalize the area and is worth the cost.
“I think it’s beneficial. It does need to be revitalized. I particularly would like to see the nostalgia of the era when this place was thriving and keeping things clean and neat only brings it back to life,” Sagere said. “Nostalgia costs. I think it’s a benefit of a hundred times the amount (commercial property owners) pay out.”
“Retail wants to locate in places that are free of crime,” Brooks said. “This BID will hire security; this BID will have clean streets. This BID will bond against itself to do a two-way street. So, it’s about changing the environment and infrastructure, and that’s where retail wants to go.”
There are multiple developments going into the Five Points neighborhood. Star Mesa Properties is currently conducting a $1 million renovation in hopes to house retail, office or restaurant space at 2801 Welton St. Pirkopf and his partner bought 2737 Welton St. where a barber shop and salon once stood. The 109-year-old single-story building will be replaced with a two-story structure.
On November 8, 2016, a TABOR election will be held for commercial property owners, either solidifying or rejecting the BID.
by Mark Smiley | Oct 3, 2016 | Travel
Valley Brewing Horrifying, Hilarious Month Filled With Terror-ific Goolish Fun
Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity, life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. It has become a quintessential month of celebrations in the Cherry Creek Valley. It is a month when people project their fears in a safe and playful way. When else will you see images of death on suburban lawns? It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts.
In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated Nov. 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints’ Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later 
Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities.
Here’s the Chronicle’s monster month list of bewitching places to go and things to do to have a fang-tastic time to keep “spirits” bright:
Brewing Adult Fun
Coloween
Curtis Hotel, Oct. 29, 9 p.m. -2 a.m.
Coloween is one of the Valley’s best nightmares. Revered as one of the top Halloween costume parties in the state, the 9th annual event summons Denver’s seasoned partygoers as downtown’s Curtis Hotel is transformed into a frightfully fantastic open bar hotel takeover experience! Party if you dare, through two levels of haunted hallways and hair-raising entertainment as you make your way into three ballrooms featuring DJs, live musical acts, festival-quality sound and lighting production, sexy theatrical performers and 28 bartenders. Information: 303-571-0300.
Denver Halloween Costume Ball
Mile High Station, Oct. 29, 9 p.m.-2 a.m.
You won’t find a spookier place to attend a costume party than the century old Mile High Station. Located in the heart of downtown, the venue includes an elevated mezzanine, oversized patio and complimentary parking. The open bar ball offers an all you can drink party package with a premier open bar all night, a $1,000 “Best of The Ball” Halloween costume contest, live Halloween entertainment and DJs. In
formation: 720-946-7721.
Halloween Boo-Lesque Show
Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret, Oct. 28-29
Join the adorable Clocktower Clockettes at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret as they pay a spooky burlesque tribute to all the thrills and chills of America’s spookiest holiday! You’ll see zombies, vampires, witches, black cats and even The Blob… s
cenes so frightening they’ll scare The Clockettes right out of their shirts. The event features aerial feats, jugglers, magicians, comedy and camp by Lannie’s very own host Naughty Pierre. It’s old-fashioned fun with interactive comedy and costume-contest prizes. Two shows nightly, 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Information: 303-293-0075.
Victorian Horrors
Molly Brown House Museum
Oct. 14-15, 21-22 & 28-29, 6-9 p.m.
“I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.” Enter Poe’s nightmarish world as featured at the Museum’s 23rd event every 15 minutes from 6-9 p.m. Take a literary journey of fright with such authors as Poe, Wells and Lovecraft, hearing tales of unspeakable horror and madness. Event is suitable for ages 12 and up with parental discretion. Information: 303-832-4092.
Pumpkin Hunts & Haunts
Pumpkin Harvest Festival
Four Mile Historic Park
Oct. 1-2, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Build your own scarecrow, select the perfect pumpkin from the patch, dance to live music, play pioneer games, and more. Historic demonstrations and tours of the Four Mile House Museum will highlight how families lived and prepared for the season during the late 1800s. Horse-drawn wagon rides will be offered each day. Stay refreshed with delicious offerings from local vendors and food trucks. Admission is free but additional charges apply for refreshments and some activities. A beer garden (21 and up) will be on site courtesy of Copper Kettle Brewing Company. Information: 720-865-0800.
Glow At The Gardens
Denver Botanic Gardens,
Oct. 19-20 & 26-27. 6-9:30 p.m.
The Gardens light up the night with hundreds of carved, glowing jack-o’-lanterns. Luminaria-lined pathways wind through the Denver Botanic Gardens to reveal-larger-than-life pumpkin displays. In addition, enjoy indoor activities including live music, costume contests and hands-on crafts. Seasonal food and beverages are available for purchase. Each week features a different theme: Fables & Fairy Tales Oct. 19-20 and Spooky Hollow, Oct. 26-27. Information: 720-865-3501.
Goblins On The Run
Scream Scram
Wash Park, Oct. 21, 6:30 p.m.
A Halloween-themed 5K treat-filled run-walk in Wash Park to raise funds for the Boys & Girls Club. Bring the family (and the dog!) and put together your best costume for this Halloween-themed event that begins with a costume contest at 5 p.m. a
nd a kids spooky sneak at 6:15 p.m. Consider forming a team with your colleagues for a fun filled Friday night. Race t-shirts and a treat-filled post-race expo will leave you or your company feeling great about helping low-income youth live healthier lives. Information: 303-892-9200.
Terror-ific Theater
The Crucible
John Hand Theater, Weekends Oct. 8-Nov. 5
The Crucible playing at the John Hand Theater in Lowry is a Halloween masterpiece. Written as a parable of the McCarthy “witch hunts” launched against supposed communists in the 1950s, Arthur Miller’s timeless drama about the Salem witch trials is a powerful statement about the American tendency toward mass hysteria. Set in 1692 Massachusetts, The Crucible explores the frightening paranoia that takes hold when five young girls claim to have been visited in the night by the devil. A chilling psychological stage play about the disturbing effects of mob mentality during intellectually unstable and confronting times. Information: 303-562-3232.
Night Of The Living Dead
The Bug Theatre, Oct. 7-29, 8 p.m.
The Bug Theatre and Paper Cat Films are back to bring the biggest and best Halloween treat to the Bug stage. Back for an eighth bloody year, it plays Friday and Saturday evenings. Theme for this year’s show is Urban Legends. Expect the classic story of seven people trapped in a farmhouse, surrounded by flesh-eating ghouls. One has the virus, one has a gun and one has lost her mind. Plus, there’s a lunatic hook man, spiders in a beehive and calls coming from inside the house. A unique aspect of the show is that the entire action-taking place inside the famous farmhouse is on stage, while all the action outside the house is projected onto an overhead screen, utilizing sequences re-created and shot by Paper Cat Films. Information: 303-477-9984.
Frankenstein
Stage Theatre, DCPA through Nov. 12
Given life from a man with a troubled heart, a creature assembled from corpses sets out into the unforgiving world to discover his humanity. As he uncovers both kindness and cruelty, he seeks out the doctor who created him to demand answers about his troubled existence. Frankenstein features two lead actors alternating performances in the roles of Victor Frankenstein and his creature, allowing man and monster to intersect with every chilling performance of this U.S. premiere. Information: 303-892-4100.
Creepy Tours
Capitol Hill Haunts
Friday & Sat., Oct. 1-31
Expect encounters with angry apparitions, spirit wanderings and grisly accidents at one of Denver’s most haunted locations, Cheesman Park! Tour departs from the southeast corner of N. Gilpin St. and W. 13th Ave. on the north side of Cheesman Park at 7 p.m. on Fridays and 8 p.m. on Saturdays. You may be a skeptic when you start but goulish guides will have you convinced by the end of your walk that Denver is full of spirits from times long ago. The two-hour tour is suitable for ghouls and humans ages 12 and up. Information: 720-372-3849.
Escape Denver
Pumpkin Festival Trains
Georgetown, Oct. 1, 2, 8, & 9
Georgetown Loop Railroad’s ever-popular event is back with a new location for your enjoyment on the first two weekends of October. The festival is set up at the Silver Plume car museum, with a “Bouncie” castle, pumpkins for kids to decorate and take home, games, face painting plus wonderful characters to entertain the little ones. Information: 888-456-6777.
Emma Crawford Coffin Races
Manitou Springs, Oct. 29, 12-4 p.m.
Each year more than 10,000 people travel to Manitou Springs for the fun and festive Coffin Races. Teams of five — one Emma and four runners — push their coffins 195 yards to the finish line. There are trophies for Fastest Time, Best Emma, Best Entourage and Best Coffin. There’s also a separate fire department division. The races start off at noon with a parade of all the coffins and teams as well as authentic hearses. Information: 800-642-2567.
Kids & Family Treats
Trick or Treat Street
Children’s Museum of Denver,
Oct. 28-30, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
The Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus is hosting a spooktacular wonderland of fun. Families can march from one Treat House to the next and collect goodies, create Halloween crafts, play carnival games and walk in festive parades. Bursting with excitement, it’s the ultimate safe and delicious Halloween adventure for youngsters and their family. Information: 303-433-7444.
Hauntings In The Hangar
Wings Over the Rockies, Oct. 29, 12-4 p.m.
Werewolves, witches and wandering spirits of all ages are invited to spend a spooky Saturday in the hangar at Lowry. Kids will get pleasure seeing Sci-Fi characters while enjoying space treats in the spooky hangar. They can tumble down an inflatable slide and work their way through an obstacle course. And, of course, kids can show off their Halloween costumes in the costume parade. Information: 303-360-5360.
Boo At the Zoo
Denver Zoo,
Oct. 22-23 & 29-30, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
The animal park offers 20 trick-or-treat stations, creepy crawly animal demonstrations and exciting family-friendly entertainment under the canopy of the beautiful fall foliage of the Denver Zoo. For those who love Boo at the Zoo but prefer to trick-or-treat in the evening, Boo After Dark is offered the same days from 6:30-9 p.m. Information: 720-337-1400.
Halloween Event
Glendale Sports Center, Oct.31
Bring the kids to the Glendale YMCA Sports Center for an evening of spooky fun. Enter the costume contest, or travel through the haunted house if you dare. Information: 303-639-4711.
Jeepers Creepers Music
Covenhoven & King Cardinal
Eisenhower Chapel, Nov. 4, 8 p.m.
Covenhoven’s ethereal balladry evokes a not-too-distant past filled with ghosts and inspiration, and puts listeners on notice that songwriter Joel Van Horne’s voice is one to be reckoned with. King Cardinal’s soulful folk, meanwhile, can slip effortlessly from soft and contemplative to raucous and celebratory all in the snap of a snare drum. Information: 303-777-1003.
Halloween Spooktacular
Boettcher Concert Hall, Oct. 31, 2:30 p.m.
A family tradition of the not-too-scary sort, this Colorado Symphony concert features musical fun for the whole family. Music will include Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Suite, the Star Wars Theme and the Superman March. Everyone is encouraged to dress up for the Halloween festivities, and the Colorado Symphony musicians will trade-in their tuxes and tails for their own zany costumes. Don’t forget to arrive early for the Halloween pre-concert activities in the lobby! Information: 303-623-7876.
Scary Haunted Houses
The Asylum
Oct.1-31, 7-11 p.m.
This haunted house at 6100 E. 39th Ave. is Denver’s top-rated haunted attraction. Back again for another year of thrills, this 1800s-era themed “hospital for the mentally insane” has been taken over by the patients and prisoners. Tapping into some of our greatest fears, the haunted experience is a head-trip, in which tortured souls scream inside the once orderly insane asylum. Information: 303-355-3327.
The 13th Floor
Oct. 1-Nov. 12, 7-11 p.m.
Hailed by Fangoria Magazine as “the #1 scariest haunted attraction in the U.S.,” the 13th Floor Haunted House at 4120 Brighton Blvd. takes guests through a frightening tour of horror. Brave souls will learn just why the 13th floor is so often omitted from building plans — if they make it through to tell the tale. This year promises new thrills with intricate sets, highly selective casting and incredible special effects makeup that is sure to make reality and fiction blur into terror. Information: 303-355-3327.
Halloween Extremes
Halloween contains trick or treats, haunted houses, witches, ghosts and superheroes designed to amuse children. What about grown-ups than never did grow up?
Instead of accompanying kids and grandchildren for begging on a dark and stormy night, some adult singles still get their own chance at Halloween their way. The exact date of Halloween is two days after the Saturday parties.
Most young parents and non-parents observe the event at bars and nightclubs that will be recognizing the theme. Then there are the private costume parties especially for adults of all ages.
The ultimate and extreme party in Denver is the 8th Annual Paranormal Palace on October 29, 2016. The outrageous party returns this year to the newly renovated McNichols Civic Center Building at 114 W. Colfax Ave. Adjacent to the City and County Building, the former Carnegie Library just re-opened after a $5.5 million remodel.
And the first big event for the historic structure is very scary in many ways.
The Paranormal Palace attracts more than 2,500 costumed guests who will enter through a 25-foot skull entry. Once inside there are 20-foot spiders, two bands, two DJs, and more than 30 performers and models. Music is billed as “Monster beats from Top 40 mash ups to hip-hop ’80s and terrifying grooves that pound the Palace walls.”
The sensory overload has a variety of prices starting at $95.37 including tax but only 958 tickets were available at time of press. The limited consumption tickets are cheaper but sold out. Special seating costs more all the way up to a “three-person couch pit” for $299 plus tax.
This is the eighth year that Kevin Larson has presented this event for the 21-50 age group. This year it is also a fundraiser for the V-2 Education Foundation. More information is available on his very strange website ParanormalPalace.org.
At the other end of the dancing and drinking spectrum is the annual Boomer Social Halloween Dance. This age 50-plus group has already seen their share of Halloween, first through the eyes of their children and now their grandchildren. They also have a wealth of costume background. So, now it is their turn but in a more sedate style.
Far from an open bar, their first and often only drink is included in the $15 admission. Music is familiar, what they remember from different times of their life and is not loud.
Their favorite entertainers are the duo of Tony David and Kerry Edwards who sing recorded songs exactly the way they were written. Costumes are less blood and gore but often sexy and more imaginative. They are still dating so look your best in a costume you like emulating a celebrity they admired.
The crowd dances non-stop but leaves promptly at 11 p.m. on Saturday night so the semi-revelers can rest and be ready for church in the morning.
The adult singles celebration is usually in a sedate Southeast Aurora hotel, but this year it is at The Rendezvous Restaurant, adjacent to Heather Gardens Community Center. Doors open to party guests at 7:30 p.m., after the Early Bird Special is served and cleared. The music starts at 8 p.m. with line dancers filling the floor.
No reservations are required or taken. More information and photos are at www. Boomersocial.net. For more information about Paranormal Palace, visit www.para normal palace.org.
by Mark Smiley | Oct 3, 2016 | Glendale City News
by Kurt Woock
Writer for and on behalf of the City of Glendale
Advertising in sports has a long tradition. For more than 100 years, Goodyear’s iconic blimp has been floating over sporting events. Wheaties has been stamping the image of top athletes on its famous orange boxes since the 1930s (Lou Gehrig was the first). Ohio University unveiled a first-of-its kind degree in sports marketing in 1966, and plenty of other schools have followed.
Bits of trivia like those are fun, but the reality of advertising and sports is serious business. Connecting businesses to customers and potential customers through sports is a juggernaut industry, worth tens of billions of dollars annually. People partner with sports teams and stadiums to become part of the fabric of the sporting experience. Sports fans are loyal, and they respect loyalty. The in-game experience is a community event filled with excitement and memories in the making. These are exactly the types of situations businesses want to be part of. Glendale Raptors and Infinity Park have been working with companies large and small since 2007. The perspectives of some of these sponsors illustrate the various ways sports can serve a key role in a marketing strategy.
Establishing and maintaining visibility is a crucial, ongoing task. Terri Fisher is president of 5 Star Talent and Entertainment, Inc., which produces and organizes entertainment, from musical acts to ice sculptors to magicians to comedians and more. Fisher works to ensure that 5 Star’s advertising does more than plug the company name. She said it’s important to make people curious about what your business offers and then demonstrate to customers that they have shared interests with your business. Advertising with the Raptors “Is a form of advertising 5 Star without making a hard sell,” Fisher said. In a way, sports teams serve the role of a party host introducing guests to other guests; the team is something everyone knows and trusts. Instead of starting with skepticism or awkward conversation, guests begin with a mutual connection.
But not just any mutual connection will do. It’s key that the particular traits of that “mutual friend” jibe with the traits you’re looking to identify with. Jill Farschman, publisher of Denver Metro Media, said “rugby is a fast-growing sport, and Infinity Park is a world-class facility. Being associated with rugby and what’s happening with the sport means you’re innovative, leading edge.” She added that the Raptors consist of both a men’s and women’s team, a plus when trying to reach a broad demographic. Broad reach is important to Farschman, who publishes Washington Park Profile, Life on Capitol Hill, and Neighborhood Life.
Farschman is not alone in her assessment. Kirsten Kreiling manages marketing and communications for the Raptors. The diversity of rugby fans is a major selling point for many businesses. “Some people are surprised to find out that our fans are almost an even split between men and women.” The age range really varies widely: The family-friendly atmosphere and affordable tickets means that the rows of Infinity Park fill up with everyone from kids to grandparents.
Sports teams are adept at drawing a broad audience because they serve as a community touchstone — something everyone can rally around, talk about, and root for. Laura Nord, district manager for Potbelly Sandwich Shops, said that it was this role that stuck out to her when choosing to sponsor the Raptors. “Partnering with a neighborhood organization is most ideal for us, and the Glendale Raptors team is located closely to two of our sandwich shops and is a prominent attraction in the area. I hope our sponsorship reflects our passion behind connecting with the neighborhoods in which we are located.” Tiphane Gumpper, assistant community manager at Solana Cherry Creek, has similar aims as she builds the name recognition of Solana’s apartment complex. “We are trying to build awareness and increase exposure to our new community in the area, and this was a great opportunity with the amount of people who attend events at Infinity Park.”
The various aims and goals sponsors have range from debuting a business for the first time to thanking longtime patrons of a cherished community institution. Partnering with a young, quickly growing team provides a level of personability and flexibility. Kreiling said she has several “pre-packaged” sponsorship levels as beginning points, however she added that “they are really just a starting point and a rough guideline for us to follow.” She said she strives to customize sponsorship packages in a way that will best position sponsors to achieve their goals. For example, “some sponsors, may not have much of a social media following, so offering them social media tagging really isn’t helpful to them. In cases like that, we look at some other types of fulfillment we can offer that will benefit the sponsor most.” For those companies for whom web presence is important, the Raptors can deliver that crucial element. Kreiling said the team’s various social channels have reached more than 3 million people. All the matches played in the stadium are live webcast; in addition to local fans not at Infinity Park, fans throughout the country and around the world are watching.
Reaching customers is not always easy. Despite a historic number of mediums through which to reach people it’s easy to get crowded out. It takes creativity to break through. Finding forums of memorable experiences, like sports stadiums, is a start. Match that with an organization who will work with you to get your message across, and you have a winning formula.
