by Valley Gadfly | Nov 15, 2024 | Valley Gadfly
Valley Gadfly
‘Twas a long, long while from May to December. Winter Solstice heralds the year’s coldest season. Hot cocoa will be a comforting, warming custom versus coming cold spells. May the holidays fill you with fun, food, and good fortune. As we sing the evocative, nostalgic “Auld Lang Syne,” we toast good spirits, kindness, prosperity, and good will.
So, with Santa’s help, here are our choices for shopping, dining, and entertainment to ensure stockings are hung by the fire and cookies baked in the Old Saint Nick of time:
Find one-of-a-kind items from 40+ local makers-designers at the 5th Cherry Creek Holiday Market through Dec. 24. Warm up in Fillmore Plaza’s all-new Mistletoe Lounge with comfy seating, drinks. Information: 303-394-2905.
Sarah Brightman — a top selling British artist of all time — does A Christmas Symphony at the Buell Theatre Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m. Information: 720-865-4220.
The White Christmas Ball returns to Wings Over the Rockies with Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra & Hot Tomatoes Dec 7, 5:30 p.m. Information: 303-360-5360.
Catch the spirit & soul of the holidays at Dazzle as Annie Booth Trio performs songs from a Charlie Brown Christmas Dec. 16-24. Information: 303-839-5100.
Brunch with Father Christmas at Four Mile Historic Park December 14 & 15th, 8 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. Enjoy Egg Scramble, Waffles, Bacon, Link Sausage, Potatoes, Fruit, Breads, Juice Bar, Coffee, more. Information: 720-865-0800.
Looking for a tasty beer for the holidays? Glendale’s Bull & Bush Brewery on Cherry Creek S. Dr. took home six medals at this year’s World Beer Cup, including a gold for its Dessert Stout Kauai Pie. Information: 303-759-0333.
Chris Daniels & The Kings play unparalleled horn-drenched rock and soul music in Swallow Hill’s Daniels Hall Dec. 20, 8 p.m. Information: 303-777-1003.
Enjoy crafts, treats, as Chabad of Cherry Creek hosts their annual Chanukah Celebration in Cherry Creek Dec. 29th, 2:30-5 p.m. Information: 303-329-0213.
Bring in 2025 — Year of Quantum Science & Technology — to polkas, waltzes, and marches at Boettcher Hall Dec. 31, 6:30 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
Help families stay close to their hospitalized children at Denver’s Ronald McDonald House this holiday season by donating funds to the “Light the Houses” campaign this December. Funding provides private rooms and hot meals at no cost during sick children’s stay. Information: 303-832-2667.
May you experience the light of laughter, the warmth of love, and the joy of gratitude this season. Just be advised, music screaming “Fa la la la” will be playing in every store and eatery. Over the centuries, Christmas and Chanukah traditions have evolved, featuring elements from various cultures and regions. Today, they are both religious holidays and festive events.
Wrap up the holidays of 2024 with hot cocoa and good cheer. Then as we get ready to ring in the New Year, we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet for days of auld lang syne.
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Valley Gadfly | Oct 18, 2024 | Valley Gadfly
Cranberries, chunky sweaters, and change: November marks the start of the end of the calendar year, the season of pleasin’ turkey and pie, a time for transition, tradition, and family.
The branches of the trees are bare and the smell of burning leaves is in the air. November’s twilight steals across our hearts even though by five o’clock the streets are bare.
After colorful October, here are our choices for shopping, dining, and entertainment to prepare you for November’s prized days before the storms of winter, Christmas, and 2025:
Enjoy tasty Bloody Mary selections from Denver’s finest bars-restaurants at the 8th annual Bloody Mary Festival. Attendees crown “People’s Choice Award” at Real Works & Tracks, Nov. 3, noon-3:30 p.m. Information: 303-468-5443.
Singer Dwayne Carrington — with Martha Yordy on piano — celebrates Nat King Cole by playing renditions at Dazzle Nov. 8, 11 a.m. Information: 303-839-5100.
Honor veterans, see military mementos at the Veterans Day Parade & Festival in City Park Nov. 9, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Information: coloradoveteransproject.org.
Lowry Speaker Series (free) to hear Freedom Memorial’s Rick Crandall honor Veterans in Eisenhower Chapel Nov. 14, 7 p.m. Information: 303-344-0481.
Seeking senior living on your terms? Tour St. Andrew’s Village. Chic apartment homes with resort-style amenities and activities tailored for you. Independent & assisted living, plus rehab, skilled nursing on site. Information: 303-695-8100.
Want to spruce-up your home for the holidays? Dan’s Painting offers interior-exterior painting, plus remodeling. Insured & bonded, with 30 years’ experience. Also providing carpentry, tile and drywall repair. Information: 720-628-1199.
Hear banjo great Bela Fleck and the Symphony redefine Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue at Boettcher Hall, Nov. 16-17, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-623-7976.
You’ll love the hard-hitting beat, and soulful vocals of chart-topping singer Don Toliver playing in Ball Arena Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-405-1100.
Attend first Denver Dog Fair at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds on E. Quincy in Aurora, Nov. 23-24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information: denverdogfair.com.
Support the Morgan Adams Foundation’s fundraiser for children and young adults with cancer by attending the Chili, Booze & Brews on N. Wynkoop St. Nov. 9, 6 p.m. Hazel Miller & The Collective perform. Breweries, distillers, and restaurants provide limitless samples to attendees. Information: 303-758-2130.
This month features community suppers, the feast of Thanksgiving, plus Nov. 5 is election day. A month for making memories, giving thanks, and eating incredible food.
Daylight saving time ends Nov. 3 at 2 a.m. Set your clocks back an hour. November sways-creaks like a snow-draped tree. Gloomy, but uplifting. Ill-fated, but filled with hope.
The last full month of the fall season is filled with mixed feelings: shorter days, darker nights, and colder weather. How do turkeys travel on Thanksgiving? By gravy train.
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Valley Gadfly | Sep 26, 2024 | Valley Gadfly
Ah, October: The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter! It’s the fall season: A time for cozy hugs and warm mugs!
This is a month for pumpkin spice lattes, cinnamon-scented candles, and Halloween décor. It’s the time of the year when autumn finally feels like it’s kicking into high gear.
As breezes serenade the trees, here are our choices for shopping, dining, and entertainment, for a confident, colorful, and cool month to celebrate those fall feelings:
One of today’s top guitar pickers and singers, Fort Collins-based blues, country, and folk artist Cary Morin brings his four-piece band Ghost Dog to entertain at Dazzle in the Denver Performing Arts Complex, Oct. 3, 7 p.m. Information: 303-839-5100.
All art aficionados: The Cheesman Fall Arts Invitational has paintings, sculpture, and jewelry in the park Oct. 5-6, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Information: 303-324-5956.
The Colorado Symphony Cello Ensemble performs in rich, deep chocolatey tones at Boettcher Concert Hall, Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
Be a Charlie Brown, find a Great Pumpkin at Four Mile Park’s Pumpkin Harvest Festival with music, acts, Oct. 12-13, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Information: 720-865-0800.
Holiday shop in Woodward Studios at 1950 S. Holly, #8. View fine art, furniture, jewelry, boards-platters in artist’s studio and show room. Invitational Exhibition is Sept. 22-Oct. 31 with Reception Sept. 22, 3-5 p.m. Information: 617-460-1668.
Looking for some cash to spend during the holidays? Colorado Gold Mart loans cash for gold jewelry, diamonds, Rolexes, vintage watches, and coin collections. In business for 30 years at 1124 S. Colorado Blvd. Information:303-692-0555.
Plan to see Grammy nominated saxophonist, arranger, and composer Lakecia Benjamin at the Newman Center Oct. 13, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-871-7720.
The world’s most famous brass group today, the Canadian Brass entertain at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Oct. 20, 2:30 p.m. Information: 720-865-4220.
Take your boys and ghouls to the Halloween Spooktacular concert with films and TV music at Boettcher Hall, Oct. 27, 2:30 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
Support mental health, plus substance use care, by attending the 41st Annual Tribute Fundraising Gala for Mental Health Colorado. The formal attire occasion is in the Grand Hyatt Denver, October 12, 6 p.m. Enjoy art, live music, and dancing, with drinks and dinner. Information: 720-208-2220.
October always seems more October-y than other months. Confident, cool, and commanding. Cherry Creek Valley communities craft an October for the ages each year.
Parks and lawns stretch like a carpet of jewels, emerald, topaz, and garnet. The trees along the highway glow yellow and bronze. Everywhere you walk the colors shout and sing.
Summer’s oppressive heat is just a memory, and the golden leaves promise a month full of picturesque memories. Everyone loves October, it’s the month we all fall for each year.
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com
by Valley Gadfly | Aug 23, 2024 | Valley Gadfly
September is a time of change: It’s still summer, but days are getting shorter. Fall is on the horizon. It still gets pretty warm, but the sweltering afternoons of July and August are past.
This is a month of transformation, as leaves begin to fall. A time to reflect on the past and look forward to the future. It’s also a time to reminisce, as we anticipate the upcoming holidays.
To get you set for the serene fall season, here are our choices for shopping, dining, and entertainment, to let the dog days of summer melt into the smooth, groovier, funk, and soul of fall:
Experience the art of autumn in the daytime, then let your mind glow at night during Bright Nights at Four Mile Park. Event ending Sept. 29th is Wed., Thurs., and Sun. 7-11 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 7 p.m.-12 a.m. Information: 720-865-0800.
For a cool twilight, catch the Colorado Symphony Brass playing pops & classical favorites at McGregor Square Sept. 4, 7 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
Don’t miss the Colorado Restaurant Foundation’s Denver Food + Wine Festival at Auraria’s Tivoli Quad Sept. 4-7, various times. Information: 303-830-2972.
Swing dance festival Lindy On the Rocks has music, classes, competitions, and social dancing at the Ellie Sept. 13-15, 7 p.m. Information: reese@cmdance.org.
For a September to remember, see the stunning gold rush of Colorado Aspens on Georgetown Loop Railroad’s “Fall Colors Trains” running Sept. 20-22 and Sept. 27-29. Located off I-70, 45 miles west of Denver. Information: 888-456-6777.
Comrade Brewing’s taproom is now serving Rocky Mountain Pizzas to go with their award-winning IPAs. Big, spacious, relaxed, and open to the outdoors, it’s the friendliness here that makes visits memorable. Information: 720-748-0700.
Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the Symphony play Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony at Boettcher Hall Sept. 13-15, 7:30 p.m., Sun. 1 p.m. Information: 303-523-7876.
Join the Full Moon Party atop Denver’s highest open-air rooftop bar in the Le Meridian Hotel Sept. 17, from 8 p.m. to midnight. Information: 720-996-1558.
Lowry Speaker Series to hear Dr. Claire Garcia explain the democracy-historical link in the Eisenhower Chapel Sept. 18, 7 p.m. Information: 303-344-0481.
Take tours of Mile High City’s unique historical structures and contemporary builds during Doors Open Denver, Sept. 26-29. Information: 303-390-1653.
For a classy night and a great time, attend the Black & White Gala at the Tivoli Turnhalle Sept. 14, 5 to 9 p.m. Dress in your best black-and-white attire with a pop of color, for an evening of mingling and fundraising to support Rocky Mountain Family Therapy. Attendees at first gala will enjoy a silent auction, dinner, comedy, and music. An opportunity to meet new people, have a memorable time, while supporting a great cause. Information: 303-520-5798.
Oh, it’s a long, long while from May to December, but the days grow short when you reach September. “Hey, hey, hey, ba-dee-ya: Do you remember, never was a cloudy day?”
A return to “normality” from summer’s craziness. September once meant harvest time to the English. Yet it’s easy for modern urbanites to lose touch with the changes of the seasons.
My Morning Jacket’s Old September Blues tunes us to the pleasures of hunkering down as weather cools. If money really did grow on trees, fall would be everyone’s favorite season.
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com
by Valley Gadfly | Jul 18, 2024 | Valley Gadfly
Valley Gadfly
Welcome to August: It’s “Summertime and the livin’s easy!” Sure, it can be hot, but it is always filled with adventures that ignite excitement and energy to generate summer happiness!
This month brings up a lot of different feelings. It signifies the lazy days of summer and the excitement of the seasons changing. Gentle and dreamy days, just don’t give up the shade.
To help you enjoy the last breath of summer, here are our choices for shopping, dining, and entertainment, to soak up time outdoors, in the pool, and under August’s Full Moon:
Soak up sunshine and the blissfulness of Denver at DCPA’s outdoor Sculpture Park Aug. 3, starting at 2 p.m. British DJ Lee Burridge brings melodic shades of technicolor emotionalism to All Day I Dream. Information: 303-893-4100.
Grammy winner Angelique Kidjo and singer Meshell Ndegeocello play at the Botanic Gardens Summer Series Aug. 7, 6:30 p.m. Information: 720-865-3500.
View work by national artists with live acoustic music at Cherry Creek’s Smash Fine Arts Festival Aug. 10-11, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Information: 720-300-4924.
Enjoy smoked bliss by pitmasters from across the country at the Denver BBQ Festival on McGregor Square Aug. 16-18. Information: denverbbqfest.com.
Here’s a hot August suggestion: Keep the summer heat out with Solar Shades — either manual or motorized — from Cherry Creek Shades & Drapery on E. 6th Ave. Family owned, locally operated since 1968. Information: 303-355-4223.
Make this August sweet by visiting Cherry Creek North often. Stroll 16 blocks of chic boutiques, cool galleries, fun fitness studios, sun-soaked happy hours, and buzz worthy eateries. Days to enjoy as you please. Information: 303-394-2904.
See juried fine arts & crafts at the new Park Hill Summer Art Festival on the Masonic Lodge grounds Aug. 17-18, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Information: 303-324-5956.
Snag the chance to hear the Hot Tomatoes Dance Orchestra do Glenn Miller and Duke Ellington numbers at Dazzle Aug. 19, 6 p.m. Information: 303-839-5100.
Let your taste buds try the bottomless Denver Brunch Fest at the Tivoli Quad on the Auraria campus Aug. 24, noon to 4 p.m. Information: brunch-so-hard.com
Hear the Doobie Brothers’ picking and harmony that’s tallied five Top 10 singles and 16 Top 40 hits at the Ball Arena Aug. 29, 7 p.m. Information: 303-405-1100.
Plan to participate in this year’s Special Olympics Plane Pull Challenge at DIA Aug. 24. Event is at Signature Aviation, 7850 North Harry B Coombs Pkwy., 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pull funds Special Olympics to provide sports & healthy living for children & adults with intellectual disabilities (ID). Teams of up to 25 compete to pull airplane 12 ft. in the fastest time. Create or join a team or register as an individual to support Denver, state athletes. Information: 720-359-3100.
Infrequent, uncommon, as rare as hen’s teeth! It’s an event that happens every two to three years, and the saying, “once in a blue moon,” is what describes this August’s Supermoon.
Mark the date, time: August 19, 7:36 p.m., Mountain Daylight Time. It’s unique because it’s a special seasonal blue moon and it will be the last blue moon until May 20, 2027.
Need a hot date? Pick any August day, they don’t get much hotter than that! This month will sip-away like a bottle of wine. So, do what sheep do on sunny days, have a baa-baa-cue.
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Valley Gadfly | Jun 20, 2024 | Valley Gadfly
July is a hot date to sing songs hailing the Land of the Free, as we embrace freedom on America’s birthday, July 4, 1776. Fireworks will roar across the sky like the thunder in July.
It’s summertime and the weather’s hot, but at least there’s no snow. With its days of blue skies and time that seemingly stands still, we’re in a spell that connects us to good times.
To help you seize summer, here are our spirited choices for shopping, dining, and entertainment, to get you rockin’ into July’s festivals, parades, fireworks, and barbecues:
For a fabulous summer stroll with the family, head to Cherry Creek North for the juried Cherry Creek Arts Festival, July 5-7. District streets will be filled with art, plus food & entertainment, starting at 10 a.m. Information: 303-355-2787.
Enjoy an evening of music under the stars as the Colorado Symphony plays Mozart at McGregor Square July 10, 7 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
For French fun featuring artists, shopping, and cuisine, go to Bastille Day at Cherry Creek’s Fillmore Plaza July 12-14, 4-9 pm. Information: 720-447-7961.
Swallow Hill’s Four Mile Park summer concerts end with Sugar Britches tribute to songwriter John Prine July 10. Then Shakedown Street salutes Grateful Dead Band’s eclectic style July 17, 6:30 p.m. Information: swallowhillmusic.com.
Get barbeque for the 4th, and year around at AJ’s Pit Bar-B-Q, given the “Bib Gourmand” title for high quality at a good price. Unfussy S. Delaware St. dine-in or take out spot is 29th on Yelps Top 100 BBQ list. Information: 720-851-5571.
Jazz-soul vocalist Tatiana Mayfield sings music of Aretha Franklin, other jazz-soul artists at the Arvada Center July 15, 7:30 p.m. Information: 720-898-7200.
Cherry Creek North retailers, restaurants, art galleries, fitness studios, and more offer markdowns at Sidewalk Sale, July 18-23. Information: 303-394-2904.
It will make you laugh, cry, and think, so take the family to see the musical Wicked playing at the Buell Theatre, July 24-25. Information: 720-865-4220.
See art, plus multiple stages of performers at the Global Dance Festival in the Stockyards Event Center, July 26-27, 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Information: 720-707-0670.
View the work by 150 artists and craftsmen displaying their work at the Cheesman Park Art Fest, July 27-28, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Information: 505-373-7363.
Rumble, reel, rave, and party at the Roaring ’20s Gala July 13-14 to help a local non-profit working to create change. Dress in Roaring ’20s attire for dinner, live auction, and dancing followed by Casino Night at the Hyatt Regency Convention Center, beginning at 6 p.m. and lasting until midnight July 14. You’ll be helping Hope Connection & Community give a helping hand to fulfill hopes, dreams, and goals of families and children in need. Information: 303-386-6232.
Named after Julius Caesar, July marks the midway point of the year. For the big party on the fourth, America consumes around 150 million hot dogs to celebrate our independence.
As we March into July to a John Philip Sousa tune, the Dave Matthews Band’s hit song “American Baby” gives us a source of optimism and hope, even when times are tough.
Kaboom: Watch Glendale’s jaw-dropping fireworks — considered the Valley’s premier display — July 2. What will lightning say to annual fireworks? “You stole my thunder!”
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
