by Mark Smiley | Jun 28, 2018 | Valley Gadfly
Clouds, storms, sunsets and fireworks, it must be July. Look at the fireworks fly as they light up the night sky. July skies are well-known for fireworks, especially the jaw-dropping display of pyrotechnics fired off each year by the City of Glendale. This year’s show flickers across Valley skies July 2. Glendale shows us how it’s really done.
Fireworks seem to catch your heart forever and you can’t easily look away. Every second articulates a different shade of color that makes the night sky seem magical.
Here are our firecracker-sure choices for shopping, dining and entertainment to make each day shine bright while stunning sunsets and rainbows make time soar:
3 Launch your 4th of July Independence Day ritual by gathering family and friends at Valley eateries, bars, patios and porches to watch the annual Glendale fireworks show at dusk July 2. Information: 303-759-1513.
3 Enjoy arias of The Magic Flute opening Central City Opera’s season with matinee and evening shows, July 7-Aug. 5. Information: 303-292-6700.
3 Wonder Woman, July 9 and Coco on July 23 flicker on for free at Infinity Park’s Monday Movie Madness. Information: moviesininfinitypark.com.
3 Rebecca Folsom brings soaring harmonies, toe-tapping instrumentals and intimate vocals to the Tuft Theatre at Swallow Hill July 13. Information: 303-777-1003.
3 Swing and sway Wednesdays this month at the Shady Grove Picnic Series in Four Mile Park. Funk-band Color is July 11, followed by Autoharpist Bryan Bower and folk music’s Harry Taft. Information: 303-777-1003.
3 For summer food fun catch the Slow Food Nations festival on Larimer Square and at Union Station, July 13-15. There’s live music, food tastings, farmers market and outdoor culinary stages. Information: 303-534-2367.
3 Dotsero Jazz entertains at the Havana Street District Pizza Party in Aurora’s Rose Garden Plaza with free pizza. Information: 303 360-7505.
3 Learn fun facts with friends at Glendale Y’s Trivia Night in the Infinity Park Event Center, 6-9 p.m. Information: Infinityparkatglendale.com.
3 Cool down with great beer and grand music during this year’s Summer Brew Fest at Mile High Station, July 27-28, 7-10 p.m. Enjoy 35 samplings along with live music from Briana Straut & Strange Americans Friday, Jenny LaJoyce & Nuns of Brixton on Saturday. Proceeds benefit Swallow Hill Music, bringing the joy of music to life every day through concerts, music lessons and educational outreach. Information: 303-777-1003.
The old adage “a red sky at night is a sailor’s delight” gets more than its fair share of play this month, thanks to stunning sunsets. Lenticular clouds are heaven-sent to set Valley skies on fire. Stable air forced up and over the mountains, creates turbulent bumps on the lee side of the mountains causing mountain wave clouds to develop. What’s more, sunsets here are nestled in Valley landscapes that add extra beauty to what we are viewing. They capture our imagination and put the universe in perspective.
This month is as explosive as fireworks. We look up to find sunshine, storms and sunsets.
Our dreams climb, shine and often fade away. Keep chasing rainbows instead of letting clouds drift by. Castles in the sky shine and bring a spark of joy to life. As Perry Como sang, “Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away.”
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Valley Gadfly | May 25, 2018 | Valley Gadfly
Yes, by gum, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein are correct “on account-a it’s June, June, June.” The pair’s second musical’s explicit words mark the halfway point to the calendar year as an ode to the appeal and splendor of summer’s approach. Cool mornings quickly burn away, followed by breezy afternoons and tranquil nights.
We sense it coming: “You can feel it in your heart, you can see it on the ground. You can see it in the trees, you can smell it in the breeze: June is bustin’ out all over!”
Here are our sunlit choices for shopping, dining and entertainment so that the sunshine sprinkles like powdered gold over grassy lawns and the Valley smells of roses:
3 Raise funds and your heart rate during the Heart & Stroke Assn. Walk at Mile High Stadium, June 2. There’s a 5K run-walk plus a 1-mile walk with End Zone yoga at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Information: 303-801-4852.
3 Celebrate Lowry Beer Garden’s free 6th Anniversary party to help fund the Lowry Foundation June 8, 5-9 p.m. Information: 303-366-0114.
3 Walk with Autism at Sloan’s Lake Park June 10, 10:15 a.m. Enjoy food, live band, youth activities and a resource fair. Information: 720-214-0794.
3 Watch free films at Monday Movie Madness on Glendale’s Infinity Park lawn June 11 and 25, 7:30 p.m. Information: moviesatinfinitypark.com.
3 Shop the Cherry Creek Fresh Market Saturdays now until Oct. 27, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. or Wednesdays June 14-Sept. 26, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The market is in Cherry Creek Mall’s 1st and University lot. Information: 303-442-1837.
3 Treat dad to a very special Father’s Day dinner June 17 at the Monaco Inn Restaurant. Information: 303-320-1104. Or take dad to the first ever Father’s Day weekend Denver BBQ Fest at Mile High Stadium, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
3 Enjoy great outdoor parades, art, food and performances at the Juneteenth Music Festival at 27th and Welton St. June 16. Information: 720-505-3274.
3 View and vote for your favorite rose at the Denver Rose Society Show in Denver Botanic Gardens June 30, 1-5 p.m. Information: 720-865-3505.
3 Celebrate Japanese heritage and culture by enjoying live entertainment, food and drinks, plus a marketplace, exhibits and demonstrations during the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Sakura Square downtown June 23-24, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. until 4 p.m. Shop a selection of jewelry, pottery, fine art and apparel from the marketplace. Event is the largest fundraiser for the Tri-State-Denver Buddhist Temple. Information: 303-951-4486.
Brilliantly colored and bursting with vitality, the Valley’s outdoors is no longer in the freezer section. The parks, playgrounds and countryside are drawings, relief paintings and collages filled with a multitude of twisting lines, natural shapes and complex patterns. They contrast with infill developments that are bubbling up on neighborhood streets.
Yet we imagine buildings and urban design that doesn’t divide us, but rather fills cityscapes with star-studded structures that shine in splendor on clear nights in June.
Carousel’s fervor to tread in the gray areas of life make it the finest of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s musicals. It succeeds because it has no easy answers, and it invites us into a world of uncertainty that can be upsetting. Our streets are bustin’ with buildings just as in the meadows, “Buds’re bustin’ outa bushes just because it’s June, June, June!
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Valley Gadfly | Apr 27, 2018 | Valley Gadfly
Sunlight is a natural resource we’ll run out of one day. Plan to make use of it this month. It’s May after all. Think of each unit of time as all in a day’s play. In fact, you’re as welcome as the flowers in May. Shakespeare called it “the merry month of May.” Fennel Hudson put it this way: “May, more than any other month, wants us to feel alive.”
As the Book of Songs suggests: “Sweet May hath come to love us, flowers, trees, their blossoms don; and through the blue heavens above us, the very clouds move on.”
Here are our warm and sunny choices for shopping, dining and entertainment so your garden grows and you can breeze through each day like it’s a picnic in the park:
3 Race to the Bar Car on Colorado Blvd. for the annual fundraiser Talk Derby to Me party on May 5, noon to 7 p.m. Sway to the music of live bands, city’s top hat contest, plus fun games. Information: 720-524-8099.
3 Cinco De Mayo fest in Civic Center Park keeps the fun going May 5-6. See Saturday parade plus low rider car show. Information 303-534-8342.
3 Keep May fun with free lessons at the Wash Park Lawn Bowling Club May 12, 10 a.m. Information: washingtonparklawnbowlingclub.com.
3 Hear St. Martin’s Chamber Choir sing Howell’s Requiem at Saint John’s Episcopal Cathedral May 18, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-298-1970.
3 Make your home tidy and trim with upholstery, drapery, cushions and pillows from Boris’s Upholstery. Enjoy great discounts on home décor fabrics in extensive selection of styles. Information: 303-751-2921.
3 Show mom she’s cherished with Mother’s Day specials May 13 at the Monaco Inn Restaurant. Information: 303-320-1104. Or take her to brunch at Salvage Restaurant, 10 a.m-2 p.m. Information: 303-751-2113.
3 Take the kids to the Children’s Book Fest for activities and reading at the Tattered Cover on Colfax, May 19, 1-3 p.m. Information: 303-322-7727.
3 Hurry, French artist Edgar Degas’ A Passion For Perfection is on display at the Denver Art Museum through May 20. Information: 303-892-1505
3 Don’t miss this year’s Denver Ukefest presented by Swallow Hill Music. Weekend kicks off May 10 at Brews on Broadway. On May 11, festival moves to Swallow Hill highlighted by uke supernova Taimane and two-time Grammy winners Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer. Saturday May 12 has a full day of workshops and community events. Evening concert features Craig Chee, Sarah Maisel and Gerald Ross. Information: 303-777-1003.
May’s calling and it’s not on your phone, it’s outside. Get out of the house early to dig in your garden, explore the parks, eat locally and stargaze the night away. There are soulful bistros, hidden wine bars and wonderful patisseries to find. Discover the thrill of professional rugby. Squeeze in a little golf or spa time to take away winter’s stress.
Plan a picnic in the park with the kids. At weekend gatherings, weeknight dinners and on restaurant patios we gather to eat, drink, socialize and bask in beautiful views.
“April is the cruelest month,” T.S. Eliot famously wrote. But then for Camelot Lerner and Loewe declared May is here: “It’s mad, it’s gay, a libelous display. Everyone makes divine mistakes, the lusty month of May. Whence this fragrance wafting through the air, tra, la la la la.” To whence I ask: Why I’m only wishing to go a-fishing?
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Valley Gadfly | Mar 23, 2018 | Valley Gadfly
Listen, can you hear it? The music of spring’s sweet cantata: The song of buds swelling on the vine as if on a recital tour performing works ranging from Schubert and Schumann to Copland and Porter. As William Shakespeare often explained it: “Well-apparel’d April on the heel of limping winter treads.” April brings all the seven wonders!
In spring they say there’s always something new that’s come to stay. “Another bud, a new bird, another blade.” Drop off mind and body, they’re weeding new cuttings.
Here are our fresh, damp, sweet and cool choices for shopping, dining and entertainment to bring you longer, brighter and warmer temps with accompanying joy:
3 For a cat-and-mouse drama about art, politics, sex and truth make plans to see Cherry Creek Theatre’s two-character stage production of A Picasso playing at the JCC’s Mizel Center April 5-29. Information: 303-800-6578.
3 Help hilarious Karen Mills raise funds for Firefly Autism treatment at DCPA’s Seawell Ballroom April 12, 5 p.m. Information: 303-759-1192.
3 For great musical entertainment catch the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band playing at Swallow Hill’s Daniels Hall April 13, 8 p.m. Information: 303-777-1003.
3 Hear John Hopkins’ Dr. Christina Bethell speak at CASA’s Light of Hope Breakfast at downtown Sheraton, 7-8:30 a.m. Information:303-832-4592.
3 Spruce up for spring with shades and drapes from Cherry Creek Shade & Drapery marking 50 years as a family-owned business. Also custom made drapes, window coverings and upholstery. Information: 303-355-4223.
3 Race into the season at the 8th Annual Kentucky Derby Party Leukemia fundraiser at The Bar Car on Colorado Blvd. May 5, 12-7 p.m. Food, live bands, mint juleps, hat contest and prizes. Information: 720-524-8099.
3 Celebrate the 25th Colorado Symphony Ball with pianist Natasha Paremsky at the Fillmore April 26, 6 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
3 See the Pulitzer Prize winning Diary of Anne Frank playing at Lowry’s John Hand Theater through April 28. Information: 720-530-4596.
3 Don’t miss the very first professional rugby game ever played at Glendale’s Infinity Park Stadium April 21, 3 p.m. The heavyweight tilt is between the Glendale Raptors and the Austin Elite. It is also the kick off to professional rugby on the CBS TV Network. Other teams playing this year are the Houston SaberCats, New Orleans Gold, San Diego Legion, Seattle Seawolves and Utah Warriors. Information: glendaleraptors.com.
Historically you can tell it’s April by the sound of falling rain. That mystic, mournful music as it trickles down the drain. This month we experience essentially constant cloud cover with the sky overcast to mostly cloudy about 46% throughout the month. More: The chance of a wet day begins the month at 18% and increases to 25% by month’s end.
The good news: The chance of a day with mixed snow-rain decreases from 5% to 1%. More: The chance of a day with only snow remains constant at 1% throughout.
April marks a great time of year with beautiful weather that yields blossoming gardens and springtime bliss. It’s the time of year for change and new beginnings. Meadows of wildflowers dance in the wind. Sunrises paint the sky like a canvas. This is the time when wonderful things happen. Don’t let the charm of spring slip away.
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Mark Smiley | Jan 29, 2018 | Valley Gadfly
February is when we envision going skiing and curling up in front of the fireplace with hot chocolate. This month receives less snowfall than other winter months but the temperatures are similar . . . freezing! If there were ever a time for the coziness of quilts and the warmth of romance, it would be February. We give flowers to warm up our love.
Valentine month requires making love with chapped lips, cracked knuckles and at least five layers of clothes. February’s maximum temperature is just 41-51° Fahrenheit.
Here are our warm-hearted thawed-out choices for shopping, dining and entertainment to get your heart pulsating and turn those flutters into true coupledom:
3 “Piece of My Heart” made Janis Joplin one of the biggest female rock stars of her era. Take the one you love to the musical celebrating the singer at the Paramount Feb. 3, 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-623-0106.
3 Edgy-historic films at the Jewish Film Festival in the elegant Wolf Theatre are sure to make your heart flutter, Feb. 7-19. Information: 303-399-2660.
3 Take your sweetie to the over-the-top Chinese New Year’s Valentine fling in the McNichols Building Feb. 9, 6 p.m. Information: 303-817-8400.
3 Enjoy a dreamy dinner with music and dancing at the Hearts & Hope Gala Feb. 10 in the Four Seasons Hotel, 5 p.m. Information: 303-424-0313.
3 Here’s a loving thought: Learn how you can help — treat your loved ones to assisted living and memory care at Eastern Star Masonic Retirement Campus, devoted to their comfort, safety, enrichment and contentment. Information: 303-800-7023.
3 Switch things up this Valentine’s at Aurora’s steakhouse Salvage Restaurant offering a three course Prix Fix dinner Feb. 10-14. Add a Romance Package with roses, chocolates and a champagne toast. Information: 303-751-2112.
3 Join a Valley Valentine tradition enjoying the sweet sounds of Dakota Blonde in Swallow Hill’s Daniels Hall Feb. 11, 7 p.m. Information: 303-777-1003.
3 Allow your love to blossom viewing colorful orchid blooms at Denver Botanic Gardens’ Orchid Showcase Feb. 19. Information: 720-865-3500.
3 Focus your attention, craving, euphoria and energy on your Valentine at this year’s Beaux Arts Bollywood Ball in the Hyatt Regency Convention Center Feb. 24, 6 p.m. The Bollywood film industry serves as the inspiration for an evening of music, dance performances and décor. The social gala is the local fundraiser benefiting National Jewish Health, the leading respiratory hospital in the nation. Information: 303-728-6546.
Poets, novelists and songwriters have described it in countless turns of phrase, but at the level of biology love is all about chemicals. The way you breathe seems to be stolen, floating away and leaving you with a sense of euphoria whenever you meet the gaze of your crush from across the room. It’s icy outside but you’re suddenly sweltering.
Love is a work of heart: William Shakespeare wrote, “Doubt thou the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move. Doubt truth to be a liar. But never doubt I love.”
Snowmen may never be anything but round, but the rest of us will slim down naturally in the cold weather. February is the time for comfort, good food, warmth and the touch of a friendly hand while sharing time by the fire. Be it warm or chilly, it’s time to party with your Valentine. Learn by heart: “Love is a flower you’ve got to let grow.”
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Valley Gadfly | Dec 17, 2017 | Valley Gadfly
City meets country. Mile High urban Cherry Creek construction chaos combines forces with cowboys as the 112th National Western Stock Show kicks off the New Year Jan. 6-21. Whether we want to acknowledge it, Denver is turning a cold shoulder on the Valley’s country heritage as the cowboy theme is too cliché for today’s city slicker.
The environment is no longer rough, wild and open. Like riding bulls at this year’s National Western rodeo, Denver’s surreal bull market tends to put cowboys down.
Here are our warm-up choices for shopping, dining and entertainment to step back in time and cowboy it up in boots, chaps and cowboy hats for a hearty good time:
3 Steer your steed to the Western American Art Symposium in the DAM’s Lewis Sharp Auditorium Jan. 4, 10 a.m. Focus is on regionalism and its impact on artists working in the West. Information: 720-913-0130.
3 Watch a cattle drive with horses, cattle, cowboys-gals, tractors and bands at the stock show parade Jan. 4 at 12 p.m. Information: 303-892-1505.
3 For fast, funny entertainment herd the gang over to Lowry’s John Hand Theatre to see Rumors playing Jan. 6-Feb. 3. Information: 720-530-4596.
3 See a wide range of hunting, fishing and camping gear at the Sportsmen’s Expo at the Convention Center Jan. 11-14. Information: 800-454-6100.
3 So you’ve found the perfect bunkhouse (home) in the perfect cow pasture (locality). Now it’s time to be the tall hog at the trough with the perfect mortgage from Stone Creek Mortgage. Information: 303-573-1200.
3 Lookin’ for good grub at a spot where you can sit a spell and chew the fat? With yummy Italian concoctions and cowboy cocktails Viale Pizza & Kitchen is a tasty cinch on Colorado Blvd. Information: 303-495-3065.
3 Lasso time to see Mary Louise Lee playing Billie Holiday once more at Aurora’s Vintage Theatre, Jan. 12-Feb. 18. Information: 303-856-7830.
3 Catch the Nashville music group Banditos playing backwoods bluegrass, doo-wop and soul at the Larimer Lounge, 8 p.m. Information: 303-291-1007.
3 For a whopping good time get eye to eye with a steer that weighs more than your car at the Stock Show & Rodeo at the National Western Complex, Jan. 6-21. Watch sheep dogs herd their fluffy friends and be dazzled by trick roping. Rodeos are held each day with pro riders, ropers and a slew of animals strutting their stuff. For kids there’s a Stick Horse Rodeo and Farmyard Follies. Information: 303-893-1505.
In popular usage “cowboying it up” is derived from rodeo, and is the phrase used to tell a participant to mount a bull or a horse depending on the event. It is akin to telling runners in a track meet to take their marks and set. Today cowboy up in Denver applies to apartment towers that have kicked living up a notch, not living space above the barn.
Reckon most country folks would dub Denver’s urban living as “WAAAY UP.” Granted reclaimed lumber from developments in town makes building barns cut-rate.
So much for tall in the saddle! Next up are more lofty buildings in what was once cow pasture. Besides the issue of a place to park horses, the meadow is soiled. That’s why some call Denver’s cowboy city planners deranged. Wishing you a fun-filled ride into the New Year. Just remember if you wear cowboy clothes you are “ranch dressing.”
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
