DISCOVER PURE JOY
And make time for moments that matter.
Family-owned and family-friendly, Granby Ranch is a premier destination for outdoor enthusiasts, with nearly 1,000 feet of vertical drop and over 400 acres of terrain suitable for skiing, biking, and hiking for all levels. Summer features a downhill mountain bike park, cross-country biking, e-bike tours, and hiking trails. Winter offers downhill skiing, ski & snowboard lessons, cross-country skiing, and snowcat tours. Whether you’re seeking winter thrills, summer adventures, or award-winning dining options, we have it all. Avoid the crowds, park for free.
SUMMER EVENTS AT GRANBY RANCH
(6/15-9/28/25)
Birthday Bash (6/18/25) Rocky Mountain Music Series: Part 1 (7/5/25) Rocky Mountain Music Series: Part 2 (8/2/25)
FRIDAY, AUGUST
New Arrivals
Explore our latest products for outdoor/hiking
Drop by our store at 1130 Pearl Street for a coffee and learn about our latest premium outdoor products. Norrøna Stores: New York, Boston, Boulder, Castle Rock.
Welcome to nature
PUBLISHER: Stewart Sallo
EDITORIAL
SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER: Carter Ferryman
EDITORS: Shay Castle, Jezy J. Gray, Kaylee Harter, Tyler Hickman
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Courtney Johnson, John Lehndorff, Dakota Soifer
SALES AND MARKETING
DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING:
Kellie Robinson
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE:
Matthew Fischer
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Simone Gonzalez, Austen Lopp
PRODUCTION
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Erik Wogen
GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Chris Sawyer
CIRCULATION
CIRCULATION MANAGER: Cal Winn
CIRCULATION TEAM: Sue Butcher, Ken Rott, Chris Bauer
BUSINESS OFFICE
BOOKKEEPER: Austen Lopp
FOUNDER / CEO: Stewart Sallo
SUMMER SCENE 2025
Wake up and smell the tulips — it’s summertime in Boulder County. There’s places to go, people to see, menus to explore and trails to hike. With so little time and so much to do, this year’s Summer Scene covers all the bases for you to begin planning your adventures, and in many cases, doing so on a budget (we know it’s hard out here).
There’s an all-encompassing gear guide, featuring items you can purchase right here in Boulder County for under $75, a roundup of indoor climbing gyms (and their summer sales) and a list of ways to have family and
09 Dear Whole Foods Daddy: Summer Edition
11 Facing BoCo’s spiciest cuisine head-on
COVER: Chris Sawyer
budget-friendly fun. There’s a spread of fire bands and artists for you to fill out your seasonal playlist. The heat is also getting turned up with a review of what is arguably Boulder County’s spiciest dish.
As always, we’re rounding out this annual edition with hand-picked concerts near and far.
By the end of this issue, you’ll surely be prepared for the season to come, hopefully with a few extra bucks to spare along the way. So grab your favorite sunglasses, strap into your best walking shoes, pick out your best summer outfit, and get busy. Happy Summer!
18 Backcountry gear on a budget
23 A kingdom for all at the Colorado Renaissance Festival
30 Keep the kids happy and your wallet full
15 Turn up the temp with these local music heaters
27 Save money with climbing gym summer sales
32 Top 10 experiences for Colorado foodies
34 The best live music in the Centennial State
Courtesy: Visit Boulder
DEAR WHOLE FOODS DADDY: SUMMER EDITION
Your seasonal Boulder questions, asked and answered
BY GABBY VERMEIRE
As siloed as we are in the People’s Republic, Real World fuckery has found its way in and it is ROTTING — and not in a healthy backyard compost way. I can’t be the only one who will literally shoot myself into the sun if I hear the words “Ozempic,” “AI” or “buccal fat removal” one more time. Um … yes I will keep my #cheeks4days if it means I’m still getting vigorously carded while pushing 30.
Wait, what’s that? It’s a Boulder Summer™ calling you to unplug from the matrix and come down to earth. And no, I don’t care that you’re about to proj your 5’13c in Eldo, get down here! Below are suggestions for healing thyself with the carnal delights of summer
in Boulder by bringing it allll the way back to the Sensual World. And, like the cover of the Kate Bush album, it should ideally involve hot, wide-eyed women and suggestive flowers.
AS A PART-TIME SEASONAL EMPLOYEE, WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE MYSELF STAND OUT?
Much like Pasta Jay’s tangential relationship to the JonBenét Ramsey case, part-time seasonal employees can be a powerful source of local lore — especially for those of us who develop parasocial relationships with public-facing employees just doing their jobs.
For a slim 20 hours a week, these county trail crew members and outdoor educators leave an outsized impression. Even after September has rolled around and his jackfruit jerky is rock hard in your pantry, our ovaries still have not recovered from how good the Thorne nature camp counselor was with kids. By the mere virtue of your ephemerality in our lives, you’re already a star, baby. You know who no one forgets? The East Boulder farmhand butch who awakened several married women in Longmont to their bisexuality.
WHAT DO YOU DO ABOUT THE SUMMER BLOODY NOSES?
What we reap from this arid climate in gardens xeriscaped for filth, we pay for in bwoody widdle noses. Oh, it’s semi-arid? Whatever, NCAR!
are the
we pay for
You could sleep with a humidifier in your room like a dweeb, or be that one roommate who takes it into their own hands to accelerate the West’s water crisis by taking extravagant 20-minute showers — especially in the morning when you have to poop like right now, Melody.
Or you could make some lifestyle choices, like taking deep sniffs of some Trident weirdo’s brewing oolong (“Wow! So savory! Is that a note of minerality I detect? Lemme have one more huff to make sure…”) I guarantee he will be grateful for the company.
WHAT’S THE BEST FARMER’S MARKET STAND?
I’m personally a huge fan of the Boulder OSMP stand, particularly their taxidermied native butterfly samples. Haters will say that these are educational materials, not samples, you sick fuck, but I honestly can’t hear them over the yummy crunch of these environmentally sustainable snacks.
HOW TO GET YOUR BOULDER CREEK BODY THIS SUMMER Eliminate toxins
A pure body is a hot body. According to the latest scientific research by RFK Jr. and your friend’s CTE-ravaged ketamine
dealer, sunscreen is bad. In middle school, my friend’s dad told us that the white powder on aspen bark was known as “Indian sunscreen.” First of all … yikes, pop! In hindsight, I’m pretty sure he just thought it was funny to watch us smear ourselves with aspen powder until we looked like ghoul Zuck.
Keep a journal
…in plain sight, that is! It doesn’t matter what you write in it, as long as it’s Moleskine and gives the Wim Hof papa at Eben G. Fine an excuse to introduce himself and educate you on the benefits of polyamory.
Tighten your core
I’m not just talking about the strong abs you’ll need to avoid being wiped out by the rushing snowmelt and looking like a goober in front of some hardbody CU co-eds who are definitely whispering about you. No, I’m talking about those inner abs, a.k.a. the pelvic floor muscles. Because, you’re going to want to piss in Boulder Creek, and imma need you to not do that.
Next time your bro asks you if you want to hit the Movement weight room, say nah brah, I’m flexing right now. Then look him dead in the eyes as you pound out those kegels.
May your Boulder Summer™ be like the cover art for Kate Bush’s 1989 album, The Sensual World: full of hot, wide-eyed women and suggestive flowers. Courtesy: EMI Records
On the RFK anti-sunscreen train? Rub some aspen bark powder on your face to achieve the Ghoul Zuck. Courtesy: Reddit
Nosebleeds
price
otherwise blissful summers in this arid — sorry, semi-arid — slice of the Front Range we call home. Courtesy: Touchstone Pictures
TRIAL BY FIRE
Facing BoCo’s spiciest cuisine head-on
BY CARTER FERRYMAN
If you’re going through hell, keep going. If your own personal hell is a basket of chicken wings that you fear could melt your face upon consumption, I’d add another maxim: Do not touch your eyes.
It’s a Tuesday afternoon, and I’m in the bowels of Boulder Weekly HQ having just eaten the hottest food I’ve ever had.
I can’t hear very well, and my ears are ringing. I can’t say more than a few words without having to pause to inhale fire; my throat is scorched earth. I’m crying involuntarily and sweating profusely. My right arm is tingling and, for some reason, my middle finger hurts. My face feels like I’ve stuck my head out the window of an airplane mid-flight. Milk doesn’t help, water hurts, air hurts. Sitting hurts, standing hurts, everything hurts. I’m brain-neutral, save the one thing I’ve been asking myself for weeks.
my idea was to write a piece where I turn up the heat by eating some of Boulder County’s spiciest dishes. I’ve always been obsessed with food: origin, preparation, presentation and, in this case, taste and effect.
“Spicy foods deliver this sensation we call chemesthesis, or the activation of the trigeminal nerve,” Calvert says. “It’s not quite taste, and it’s not quite smell, and it’s also not mouth feel. It’s this weird
is extreme. In my quest for spice-induced enlightenment, I wanted to test two ends of the Scoville Heat Scale, the method of measurement used to determine the concentration of a pepper. The first, Efrain’s delectable chile verde, utilizes chiles ranging from 1,00025,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The second, Peckish’s “Pledge Breaker” chicken wings, utilize two chili peppers that register 1 million to 1.6 million SHU.
beans, and in the case of my order, mix it in a bowl with tender pork, tomatoes and spices. Upon popping the top of the to-go container, I was greeted with a cauldron of sights and smells. Greens, tans, reds, browns, with strands and chunks of pork, bright red diced tomatoes, and the star of the show, the peppers — chopped to perfection, with seeds scattered throughout the concoction. The taste was a different experience entirely.
“Why are you writing this article?” asks Martha Calvert, sensory manager at Colorado State University’s Food Innovation Center and Spur Campus. We’re most of the way through a video call at the onset of my spice journey, and looking back, it’s the best question she could have posed, asked by a person whose specialty — sensory experience — would be the literal answer to why any of us eat spicy foods.
Since this is Summer Scene,
combination of things we don’t fully understand that are activating this nerve.”
At its literal core, molecules are triggering this chemesthetic response. It’s why you experience a cooling sensation from mint — that’s the compound menthol blowing a metaphorical fan onto your trigeminal nerve.
In spicy food, it’s the capsaicin molecule that’s doing all the “burning,” and the variance
A FIERY FLAVOR
Rich in history and proudly North Mexican, Efrain’s has remained a staple of Boulder County’s culinary sphere in Boulder, Longmont and Lafayette for over 30 years. Many a friend had recommended their tacos, drinks and happy hour specials, but for my first pilgrimage to their humble abode on Canyon Boulevard, I was in search of the dish they are most synonymous with — chile verde.
This green nectar of the gods has permeated Colorado’s culinary identity for eons, and Efrain’s stacks theirs up against any in the Centennial State. They put it on burritos, pair it with rice and
“I think what you’re kind of getting out of this project is what we call matrix effects,” Calvert explains. “When you eat a chili pepper, you’re not just eating pure capsaicin, you’re getting the crunch from the fibrous tissue of the pepper and some sweetness, earthiness, fruitiness, or maybe even floral characters.”
Calvert’s words played in my head as I let the first spoonful work its magic. Sure, there were other flavors at play, but the pepper did the heavy lifting. The spice was ever present, with a level of heat I would describe as “perfect,” inducing some sweat, cleared-out nostrils and a slight mouth burn. What sat before me in my to-go order was a brilliantly spun web whose composition can be whittled down to the microscopic molecules of the tomato, the pork, the pepper and more, each one inducing a different chemesthetic reaction. Still, the capsaicin was doing the driving.
Soon, I’d find out, this very same molecule can grab the wheel with both hands and veer into oblivion.
Efrain’s chile verde. Courtesy: Efrain’s Boulder
The “Pledge Breaker” wings at Peckish. Credit: Tyler Hickman
HELL IN A TO-GO BASKET
“Uhhhh… it’s the Liquid Lava, but it’s got reaper on it,” says the guy working the register at Peckish — one of Boulder’s premier wingeries on University Hill. I consider myself a wing aficionado, even having put myself through West End Tavern’s
habaneros, both of which had me sweating and breathing through cleared nostrils, but it was a level of spice I could handle, albeit at a slow and steady eating pace.
daunting “Wing King Challenge” for a story nearly two years ago. But as I drive home from retrieving my to-go order — a recyclable box of chicken sitting shotgun, filling my truck with an aroma I can only describe as pungent death — I can’t help but feel anxious.
Peckish’s president, Byron Wheeler, confirms for me the genesis of the wings I’m about to subject myself to, named “Pledge Breaker.”
“Our Liquid Lava sauce is a traditional red hot sauce with pepper flakes and habanero powder,” says Wheeler. “The Pledge Breaker sauce is half Liquid Lava and half Carolina Reaper sauce, dusted with a reaper rub. Our challenge to pledges is to finish six of them without ranch or anything to drink for 10 minutes. Many have tried, few have succeeded.”
The Carolina Reaper had, until this moment, been a mythical fascination for me. I’ve consumed sauces filled with ghost peppers or loads of
My slowdown reminded me of a study Calvert had referred me to by John E. Hayes, a professor of food science and the director of the sensory evaluation center at Penn State University, in which Hayes had participants eat various dishes with significantly different amounts of paprika in them, to monitor food intake and eating rate. When more spice was introduced, the amount of food and the rate at which it was consumed both decreased (by 18% and 17%, respectively).
It made me wonder — what would Hayes say about a level of spice that wouldn’t just slow intake, but stop it dead in its tracks?
There I sat, in the conference room of Boulder Weekly’s downtown offices, about to embark on arguably the most painful lunch break in company history. Without pause, I broke through the mental barrier and devoured wing No. 1. The flavor was immediate — a sweet burning habanero heat danced with the classic tang of red hot sauce, making for a nice experience that lasted roughly five seconds.
The Carolina Reaper powder put an immediate end to any semblance of enjoyment. The first couple minutes after consuming concentrated Carolina Reaper powder was like my trigeminal nerves opened the floodgates.
Every inch of my mouth, tongue to throat, was coated in fire. I was vocally paralyzed,
“This sucks.” Credit: Tyler Hickman
for lack of a scientific term, and couldn’t muster anything more than “Holy shit,” or “That sucks.” I was surprised at how quickly I started crying, and both of my ears plugged, as if I had just swam to the bottom of a lake. The severity of the burn only increased for the next few minutes. My efforts to curb the pain with feeble remedies like water and milk were futile.
As the heat died down, I felt euphoric. Spice triggers the release of endorphins and dopamine in the brain, and due to the intense concentration of capsaicin of the wing I had just eaten, I was experiencing what some people call a “chili high.”
The question Calvert had posed to me at the beginning of this venture rang in my head: “Why are you writing this article?” I think I had finally found an answer, and it wasn’t the fact that eating these chilis had me on cloud nine. It was the environment they created.
“The sensory experience is so much more than how spicy something is,” Calvert said. “Is it also sweet? Is it also earthy? And when you’re eating the spicy food, what else is happening in that room? Are people watching you suffer?”
The allure of spicy foods, I found, wasn’t in the heat itself — I knew just as well as anyone how much pain these wings were going to cause me. It was the whole experience.
No one eats food this extreme by themselves. It’s commonly consumed in a bar or a restaurant with people you know, or in an interview on YouTube for millions to watch. The draw of spice is the community it creates, which explains why I wasn’t in our office conference room
SPICE PICKS
BW staff’s go-to spicy dishes
Nashville Hot Fried Chicken Sandwich
300 Suns Brewing 335 1st Ave., Unit C, Longmont
Nori Tempura
Spicy Tuna
Hapa Sushi
1048 Pearl St., Suite 105, Boulder
Doro Wot (Ethiopian chicken stew)
Ras Kassa’s 802 S. Public Road, Lafayette
Red Sea Chili Wontons
Nana’s Dim Sum & Dumplings 1125 13th St., Boulder
alone — I was surrounded by my teammates, eager to watch chaos unfold. Then, one by one, they joined in.
Arts editor Jezy Gray gave it a fair shake, and immediately started hiccuping. A minute after her first bite, reporter Kaylee Harter sat teary-eyed, staring into the void. Account executive Austen Lopp erased a coffee mug of milk, then another, and went to the hallway to walk it off. In the midst of capturing photos of the scene at hand, reporter Tyler Hickman carved into a wing and sweated it out with us.
At this point, my symptoms had subsided, but I couldn’t help but feel left out of the beautiful chaos unfolding in front of me. So, against all logic, I went in for another wing.
SUMMER SONICS 2025
Turn up the temp with these local music heaters
BY LAUREN HILL
The days are longer and the temps are hotter, which means one thing: summer concerts. Here on the Front Range, we’re lucky to host a seemingly endless parade of marquee acts at legendary venues night after night. But it’s not just touring bands lighting up our little corner of Colorado this season. There’s plenty of homegrown talent, too. That’s why we’re back with another sampler of the season’s sonic bounty, with a roundup of local acts you’ll definitely want to add to your summer playlist.
PET FALCON
Lots of things happen in Erie basements — underwhelming mushroom trips, record-setting GTA runs, longing nights spent browsing Zillow listings in Lafayette. Few are worth writing about, even fewer prove as transformative as BoCo fivepiece Pet Falcon’s inaugural jam in songwriter and lead singer John Halloway’s basement, and fewer still seem to stick around and grow the way their friendship and love for music has.
“For me, it was like a switch,” Halloway says. “[Our drummer] Matt Agnello has seen that change in my personality — going from just hanging out, doing fun stuff, to now, I just can’t shut up about music.”
Despite their rising trajectory over the past year — Pet Falcon went from these hallowed basement sessions to local open mics and then to booking opening slots at the Fox Theatre in that short time
Courtesy: Pet Falcon
— Halloway and Agnello couldn’t have imagined being where they are today. In large part, that’s because they met their nowbandmates via Craigslist ads, a serendipitous strategy primarily guided by vibes.
“When it came to finding the guys, it really wasn’t about technical skill,” says bassist Maximus Montano, one of the lucky Craigslist finds. “I think it really is about personality and willingness to collaborate. It’s putting aside ego and working together to create and play to our strengths, to create this holistic product that we can put on a pedestal and show people. So, it’s not, ‘Oh, are you the best guitarist?’ It’s, ‘Are you fun to hang out with?’”
In the end, it worked — the guys have a full summer schedule, between a single drop each month and a slate of shows they are entirely stoked to play.
“This flavor of indie postpunk sound we bonded over, it’s always very danceable,” Halloway says. “So to really be a little bit looser on stage and shake it a little bit, and seeing the audience get into it like that — I love that part.”
Pet Falcon’s Summer Sonics
• “Gut Wrench” by Pet Falcon
• “LSD” by Skegss
• “We Could Walk Together” by The Clientele
• “When You Know You Know” by The Beths
• “Afterlife” by Sharon Van Etten
ON THE BILL: The Speeks with Pet Falcon, The Sanct and Indigo. 8 p.m. Saturday, June 21, The Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. $20
PULSE CTRL
If you’re lucky enough to have heard (and danced your damn heart out to) Denver technohouse duo Pulse Ctrl on the decks after midnight, you wouldn’t believe the pair met DJing weddings and corporate events.
“It was really limiting in the creative aspect,” says Erin McMahon, one half of Pulse Ctrl. “I love to make people sing, but I think stepping out of the wedding and corporate scene really let us lean into more of the underground rave scene, which we both really wanted to get into.”
Despite the creative constraints, the job did
give them one crucial resource — a warehouse full of top-ofthe-line sound equipment, with no audience, no demanding brides and no rules. Between that prime space to perfect their sound and other connections to the nightlife scene (McMahon previously worked as the events director for Boulder’s late, great DV8 Distillery) McMahon and their musical partner, Jovanna Bjelanovic, started to build a community of queer dance music lovers just like them.
“We started an event series at DV8 called Pulse Controlled, which kind of rode the line between the queer and rave music scenes,” McMahon says. “Those two music communities have a lot of the same values, especially since house music is rooted in queer culture. It’s really cool to be able to kind of play this game between the two of them that I don’t think really exists right now in the Denver scene.”
Pulse Ctrl maintains a residency at Denver’s X Bar, and despite DV8’s closure, Pulse Controlled lives on at Denver’s Two Moons Music Hall where they and their tight-knit community of queer ravers continue to offer space to those historically excluded from Denver’s large (and growing) club music scene.
Pulse Ctrl. Credit: Keeb
“I think it’s really powerful to bring these communities together,” McMahon says.
“That’s the whole essence of it — we stand for love, community and togetherness. That’s what we really love about and why we want to continue doing what we’re doing.”
Pulse Ctrl’s Summer Sonics
• “Polite” (feat. Malokyo) by Return of the Jaded, Malokyo
• “The Days” (NOTION Remix) by Chrystal, NOTION
• “Thr33 6ix 5ive” by HoneyLuv
• “Can’t Get Enough” by J. Worra, Hayley May
ON THE BILL: Pulse
Controlled by Pulse Ctrl w/ DJ Bravo, Acid Cowboy, MaceFaceKilla, and jaspr. 9 p.m., Saturday, June 7, Two Moons Music Hall, 2944 Larimer St., Denver. $15
YASMINE EMANI
Sometimes, artistry feels inevitable; like no matter which direction a person’s life was going to go, they were somehow always going to end up creating. When
Denver-born R&B artist Yasmine Emani’s silky vocals and rich harmonies float through your headphones, that feeling of serendipity strikes.
“Even though I’m still early in my career, I’m not early in my passion,” Emani says. “I am
deeply, deeply tied and tethered to the work that I do. It’s like my birthright to feel passionate about what I’ve been creating.”
Each element of Emani’s music feels like an ornate building block, and when everything falls into place, you’re transported to another world. Take her most recent, more traditional, SZA-esque release “Go Crazy,” compared to 2021’s westerntinged emotional epic “In the Dark” — they’re completely different, but clearly kindred.
“People have a hard time kind of naming it, and that’s something I take a lot of pride in,” Emani says. “As an artist, I don’t long to be categorized. I just long to be felt.”
Five years into her career, Emani’s musical flowers are blooming everywhere. Later this summer, she’ll be gracing the stage at both Denver’s Underground Music Festival and the Black Arts Festival. She’s also in the middle of creating a full-length album full of collaborations. To that end, Emani says her lyrical voice is inspired by the same instincts that have created a steadfast community in Denver’s music scene.
“When I was making my attempts to build artistic community and family out in the Denver scene, I just saw how the environment operated, without my energy a part of it yet, and seeing how I could add to the rich vibrancy that already existed,” she says. “That’s how I created a community: by respecting that it existed before me, so I knew how to opt into it.”
Yasmine Emani’s Summer Sonics
• “Trip to Heaven” by Yasmine Emani
• “Go Crazy” by Yasmine Emani
• “Le fix” by RM47
• “DISCO HOT TUB” by Brittany. Renee. Beckett
• “Come Again” by Ms. Boogie
ON THE BILL: Colorado
Black Arts Festival. Friday, July 11 through Sunday, July 13, Denver City Park West, 1700 City Park Esplanade. Set time TBA. Free
RITMO CASCABEL
Poland isn’t necessarily known for its Latin-American influence. Nevertheless, the Denverbased outfit Ritmo Cascabel found the rowdy, packed venues they played across the
pond on their month-long European tour to be a hospitable place for their brand of “cumbiadelica,” blending the Colombian-born tradition of cumbia with psych-rock flourishes.
“We were so well-received there, better than we thought we were going to be,” says cofrontman Raul Sanchez. “Poland loves cumbia.”
One of the band’s two percussionists, Sanchez says there was a learning curve in bringing together the two halves of their singular sound. A drum set used for heavy metal is a galaxy away from a tambourine or hand drums
used in cumbia, a musical tradition based in specific rhythms and instruments.
“We all, together, learned a new language, a new set of rules,” Sanchez says. “We’re still very much learning how to do these things as we kind of delve deeper into other Latinbased genres; like, nowadays, we’re doing a whole lot more salsa and incorporating that into our cumbiadelic sound.”
Ritmo Cascabel’s trajectory is sky-high, in part because of the way they’ve been able to effortlessly infuse Latin influence with rowdy rock into an uber-danceable amalgam that mirrors Denver itself.
“Our background in traditional rock music definitely gives us a heavier sound at times — we’re trying to mitigate that to make our sound a little bit more authentic, but we also kind of like the fact that it separates us from other, more traditional bands,” Sanchez says. “As musicians who are trying to grow into this already very established sound, we are trying to respect it while staying true to ourselves.”
Ritmo Cascabel’s Summer Sonics
• “Rosas” by La Oreja de Van Gogh
• “Caminando” by Los Frontera
• “Sur Ma Bossa” by Courrier Sud
• “Te Quiero y Me Miento” by Carin Leon, Diego El Cigala, Chanela Clicka
• “Despierta y Cree en Mi” by Sacramento
ON THE BILL: Underground Music Showcase. Friday, July 25 through Sunday, July 27, various locations on South Broadway, Denver. Set time TBA. Weekend pass: $150+
Yasmine Emani. Credit: Néïka
Ritmo Cascabel. Credit: Isabel V Photography
SPELLS
Many of us never shake that insatiable desire to be who you imagined you could be as a kid. For Denver rock mainstays SPELLS, nothing embodies that desire more than the thrill of a really good house party.
In that spirit, SPELLS frames their sets in a way that does justice to their inner teenagers and their noisy, unshackled brand of rock — wherever they can, they ditch the stage and opt for venue floors.
she was the one they wanted.
“This was my trying out for the Beatles moment,” says Knock, a.k.a Dusk Monarch. “I came to a practice, we went through a couple songs. I’m such a goob that they loved me, and that was it.”
Contrary to the title of their 2024 album Past Our Prime, SPELLS remains busy as ever. They’re playing Denver’s Underground Music Showcase later this summer with an abundance of releases over the past several years to rock out to. Until then, they know as long as they bring their unfailing energy, the community will continue to show up and rage with them until the walls cave in.
“I think that communal nature gets lost as you get older with music, and we definitely wanted to keep that energy and spirit alive with SPELLS,” says singer Ben Roy, also known by his SPELLS stage name, Little Stevie Shithead. “It is a communal experience. It belongs to everybody.”
In Denver’s tight-knit scene, first impressions and tight connections last. So, when after almost a decade, SPELLS parted with their frontwoman Lauren Shugrue in 2022, they knew exactly who to call. The rest of the five-piece had never heard Dawn Knock sing, but they had seen her and her platinum blonde mohawk at their shows for years and knew
“To me, Denver has never really had a sound, it’s always been an attitude and an ethos — a party vibe, with mixed bills,” Roy says. “We’ll play with metal bands, we’ll play with strange, bizarre, avantgarde rock. No one’s afraid, just as long as you bring the party, you bring the energy and the good vibes.”
SPELLS’ Summer Sonics
• “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by The Beach Boys
• “Cruel Summer” by Bananarama
• “Starships” by Nicki Minaj
• “Feels Like Summer” by Childish Gambino
• “Biggest Part of Me” by Ambrosia
ON THE BILL:
Underground Music Showcase. Friday, July 25 through Sunday, July 27, various locations on South Broadway, Denver. Set time TBA. Weekend pass: $150+
E MAIN SQUEEZE
Courtesy: SPELLS
BACKCOUNTRY ON A BUDGET
Your guide to the best outdoor gear deals found around Boulder
BY ZOE JENNINGS
With endless selection and high price tags, outdoor retailers aren’t usually known for being the most cost accessible. But shopping on a budget shouldn’t stop outdoor enthusiasts from sporting quality gear.
Lucky for you, Boulder is home to many stores offering affordable deals on camping supplies, hiking accessories, climbing gear and points in between. So Boulder Weekly hit the aisles to ask employees about their most popular selection of items under $75.
CAMPING
SEA TO SUMMIT
Kitchen sink ($24.95)
Available at Neptune Mountaineering, 633 S. Broadway, Unit A, Boulder
Able to hold 10 liters of liquid, this portable and durable camp sink can be used for more than one purpose. The freestanding, leak-proof design enables the sink to also serve as a packable dog water bowl. Made from PVC-free materials, the bowl is safe for campers to use for a trail sponge bath.
GSI OUTDOORS
Pioneer series table set ($69.99)
Available at McGuckin Hardware, 2525 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder
Made of green enameled stainless steel, this 12-piece table set gives you all the tools you’ll need to serve up camp meals during a wilderness picnic with friends. All parts of the table set are sturdy, with the cups holding 12 oz. of liquid while keeping your hot cocoa warm or your iced tea cool.
COLEMAN
Propane one-burner stove ($69.99)
Available at McGuckin Hardware, 2525 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder
Designed to cook meals on as big as a 12-inch pan, this compact stove provides steady heat without taking up too much room in the campsite or car. With the stove disassembling for an easy clean, packing up is a breeze.
GSI OUTDOORS
Four-quart stock pot ($21.99)
Available at McGuckin Hardware, 2525 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder
This campsite classic has a timeless look and comes in at an unbelievable price for its sturdy composition. Perfect for a one-pot meal cooked over the fire or stove, make it an easy camp night by doing all your cooking in one place.
EXPED
Flexmat ($39.95)
Available at Neptune Mountaineering, 633 S. Broadway, Unit A, Boulder
One of the most competitive deals out there, this lightweight, easy-to-store sleeping pad offers a great dozing spot for campers of all stripes. The pad is suitable for any terrain, but Neptune staff recommend using it during warm and dry nights.
MSR
Alpine deluxe kitchen set ($69.95)
Available at Neptune Mountaineering, 633 S. Broadway, Unit A, Boulder
For those hoping to cook a full meal in the wilderness, the deluxe kitchen set offers a durable pack of kitchen tools, able to fit into a compact case after use. Including a cutting board, folding spoon, spatula, salt and pepper shakers and more, campers can live out their culinary dreams without sacrificing storage space or damaging their tools from home.
BACKCOUNTRY
SUUNTO
Woodsman A-30L ($35)
Available at Neptune Mountaineering, 633 S. Broadway, Unit A, Boulder
Whether you’re a seasoned adventurer or a newbie, the Woodsman A-30L compass will help you find your way. Mounted on a long base plate alongside a magnifying glass, it features holes for drawing control points and other tools to grow your orienteering skills.
LIFESTRAW
3-liter gravity water system ($65.99)
Available at McGuckin Hardware, 2525 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder
Lightweight and compactable, this portable water filtration system is reliable for backcountry use. It filters out sand and silt without clogging; it serves as a storage receptacle, and you can filter the water directly into your bottle.
CLIMBING
BLACK DIAMOND
Full rope burrito rope bag ($39.95)
Available at Neptune Mountaineering, 633 S. Broadway, Unit A, Boulder
Comfortably fitting up to 70-meter climbing ropes, this storage bag is made of wearresistant nylon fabric. With comfortable, padded shoulder pads,
the bag can be easily transported from the crag to the car to your home.
EDELRID
Jay IV harness ($64.95)
Available at Neptune Mountaineering, 633 S. Broadway, Unit A, Boulder
With a butterfly waist belt shape, the fourth-generation harness is built for comfort in all climbing arenas, from the rock wall to mountaineering expeditions. This O-shaped harness is best for climbers with waists and hips of a similar size.
APPAREL
CARVE DESIGNS
Alani sunshirt ($72)
Available at JAX Lafayette Outdoor Gear, 900 US-287, Lafayette
From the top of your neck to the tips of your hands, this lightweight sunshirt boasts UPF 50+ sun protection. Offering some storage with a hidden back pocket, it can be worn on most adventures in most weather conditions.
PRANA
Lotus high neck tank ($34)
Available at JAX Lafayette Outdoor Gear, 900 US-287, Lafayette
This soft and stretchy fabric is great for hot days and numerous outdoor adventures. With a stylish, ribbed blend of cotton and Tencel, the cropped tank pairs well with high-waisted bottoms or overalls.
A KINGDOM FOR ALL
Colorado Renaissance Festival returns for its 48th season with medieval revelry
BY TONI TRESCA
On a sunny afternoon at the Colorado Renaissance Festival (CRF) in Larkspur, a man drops to one knee, flower in hand, as dozens of onlookers erupt into cheers. But this is no ordinary proposal.
The groom-to-be is deaf and recently completed a hilariously elaborate public challenge organized by the Washing Well Wenches, a national troupe of women who perform at Renaissance Festivals across the country. His boyfriend, who had been sitting in the front row and interpreting along the way, was invited onstage by the performers as part of an elaborate ruse to surprise him with a proposal during the festival.
“The uproar from the audience was amazing,” says Vanessa Webb, who plays Gerty, a beer-chugging, boycrazy Washing Well Wench. “They all started doing the deaf [sign for applause] with their hands together. Moments like that have kept me doing this for 30 years.”
That spirit of shared joy is part of what draws more than 100,000 visitors to the CRF each year. Running June 14 through Aug. 3, the event transforms a wooded hillside between Denver and Colorado Springs into a bustling 16thcentury village.
For the performers, it’s the
openness of the attendees that makes the experience truly special.
“The Colorado crowd is a magical mixture of highly intelligent but ready to party,” Webb says. “Sometimes you just get the ‘ready to party’ part from crowds in other parts of the country, but in Colorado, you all expect a high level of wit and quick banter. Colorado crowds
Larkspur, about 40 miles south of Denver. Since then, it has evolved into a massive summer operation with more than 180 vendors and 80 performers.
Kristy Ekiss, the festival’s artistic director and Queen Anne performer, oversees it all — from rehearsing the cast to checking in with vendors and managing booth repairs.
“As soon as we finish with the season, we start planning for the next one,” she says. “It’s a large property with a lot of upkeep, so we’re working yearround.”
Step through the gates of the CRF, and you’re immediately transported into another world. Cobbled pathways wind through a piney hillside village lined with handcrafted booths, fire-breathing performers and
sible by a massive behind-thescenes operation.
“We saw over a hundred people this year in auditions,” Ekiss says. “There are two types of performers: 1) people who are in the stage shows, and then 2) the people who are in the cast of the village, who are mostly local folk and do improv, in character, throughout the village.”
The improvisational, interactive performances that define the CRF are rooted in an older tradition of live entertainment. As Webb puts it, “Renaissance festivals are the modern Orpheum circuit, which was vaudeville from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. It’s bringing fire eaters, jugglers, comedians, singers and every niche talent and performance you might want to see and putting them all in one place.”
Unlike a theater with a fixed set or rotating crew, the CRF functions more like a self-sustaining hamlet. Each vendor owns their booth, which they design and maintain in their own unique style. The result is an environment that feels authentic, handcrafted and full of personality.
also tend to be fun and very easy to play with because they’ve come on a mission to have a good time.”
MEDIEVAL MACHINE
The CRF, now in its 48th season, started as a small pop-up event in Morrison in 1975, then moved to Castle Rock in 1977 before settling permanently in
the lingering scent of smoked meats and cinnamon-roasted nuts.
Wandering minstrels strum lutes as jugglers perform for laughing children. A costumed king and queen may pass by on horseback, while stage performers entertain large crowds on festival stages. That immersive atmosphere is made pos-
“We’re kind of like an actual medieval village in that way,” Ekiss says. “Most of the vendors have built their structure, so that’s why the architecture is varied throughout. Some look more mysterious, while others are built to complement the product being sold. Our village’s appearance isn’t uniform like a modern suburban neighborhood with only four designs.”
TRADITION WITH SOME SURPRISES
Renaissance festivals are a familiar tradition across the
Courtesy: Colorado Renaissance Festival
country, but the CRF distinguishes itself with a mix of altitude, artistry and attention to detail. Set high in the foothills, 6,800 feet above sea level, the fair demands stamina from both guests and performers.
“It’s physically challenging, that’s for sure,” Webb says. “But Colorado is just one of those old mainstay fairs. It’s been around for a long time. The patronage is loyal. … Also, because of its setting in the woods, it’s really easy to just let the fantasy take you away.”
Behind the scenes, that enduring magic is fueled by rigorous preparation and a high level of professionalism. Ekiss, who toured the national festival circuit for 10 years before settling in Colorado, says the culture among vendors and staff reflects serious dedication.
“Everybody gets along because, for the most part, we’re here to run a business, so we’re all busy,” Ekiss says. “The vendors are in their booths all week long, making products for the next weekend. It’s quiet Monday to Friday, then boom, and then quiet again. We’re open for two months, but really, we’re only open for 16 days. We do all of this build-up, manufacturing products and rehearsing for 16 days, and then we’ll
do it all again next year.”
Entertainment-wise, the fair’s organizers work to strike a careful balance between consistency and surprise. While certain beloved acts remain festival staples, new performers and routines are regularly introduced to keep longtime fans engaged. This season, several new vendors have joined the village, including a Denver-based potter offering live wheel-throwing demonstrations and a booth featuring pirate-themed home décor crafted from reclaimed materials.
“It’s hard because some people are coming to see something specific,” Ekiss says. “Do you really want to disappoint someone by taking away the thing they’ve loved seeing here since they were four?”
‘EVERYONE IS INVITED TO PLAY’
The CRF draws a diverse crowd. Some have been coming for decades; others are stumbling in for the first time, unsure of what to expect.
“It’s about a 50/50 mix of people who have been coming for years and people who have never experienced the festival,” Ekiss says. “The main difference I’ve noticed over the years is the rise of cosplay. More people dress up now than they did five or seven years ago.”
That freedom to participate — or not — is part of the festival’s broad appeal. Webb says the most satisfying moments are when skeptical newcomers lean into the fun.
“You can come in jeans and a T-shirt and just observe,” Webb says. “But my favorite thing is to see someone who has never
Credit: Tristina Morphis
been to a festival before and wants to sit in the back, but by the end of the day, they’re walking out with a kilt they bought. Then the next time they come, they’re absolutely wearing it.”
While seasoned attendees may know to expect jousts, themed weekends and costume contests, first-time visitors often find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer scale of it all. The festival grounds stretch across a wooded hillside, packed with vendors, performers and distractions at every turn. Planning ahead of time is useful if there is something you don’t want to miss, but Ekiss argues that exploring the environment is all part of the fun.
“A perfect day at the Ren Faire really depends on the person,” Ekiss says. “I’d say that the quintessential Ren Faire experience for someone who has never been before involves grabbing a turkey leg and your favorite beverage and sitting down to watch a live joust before wandering around all of the vendors’ displays.”
With its 50th anniversary on the horizon, the festival’s leadership is thinking about the future but not looking to reinvent the wheel. “We’ve been owned by the same family since our inception,”
Ekiss says. “If it isn’t broken, we don’t fix it.”
Still, the team continues to fine-tune the experience, from improving traffic flow to enhancing accessibility. The infrastructure may evolve, but the ethos remains intact: Create a space where imagination is welcome and anyone can feel at home.
“It really is a place for everyone,” Web says. “If you need child-friendly, you can find child-friendly. If you want to have a truly adult day, that, too, is possible. It’s a place where everyone is invited to play, and you can play at your own level. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure book style of experience that caters to whatever you’re interested in.”
ON STAGE:
Colorado Renaissance Festival. June 14 through Aug. 3, 650 Perry Park Ave., Larkspur. Tickets are free for kids under five, $14 for children (5-12) and $30.50 for adults if purchased online in advance and $15 for children (5-12) and $32 for adults at the box office
Courtesy: Colorado Renaissance Festival
CLIMBING (GYMS) FOR DUMMIES
Stay indoors and save money at these local spots
BY CARTER FERRYMAN
Ihaven’t climbed since grade school (unless you count a few trees and more fences than I’d care to confess). But as far as rock climbing or bouldering is concerned, I’m green as grass. This summer, I promised myself I’d give it a shot. I’ve hiked to my heart’s content, biked occasionally and I’m ready to add a new activity to my toolbelt. I’ve been told it’s a sport that requires sufficient practice and training, so, before I free solo the Diamond of Longs Peak, I figure I’ll need a gym to learn the ropes.
Boulder County is bursting at the seams with climbing/bouldering sanctuaries, all offering slightly different perks and prices. Here’s what I found — and whether you’re a first-timer or avid climber, there’s something in here for you.
BOULDER ROCK CLUB
2829 Mapleton Ave., Boulder
BRC is an OG in the indoor climbing game, having opened its doors in 1991 to the Boulder County community. Boasting a 10,000-square-foot facility, you can get lost in their endless routes. Adults and kids can take a range of classes or joining skillbuilding groups based on their experience level: Intro to Climbing, Learn to Lead and Climbing Technique, just to name a few. They also offer a summer special — $220 gets you three months of wall-time, a selection of free clinics and group fitness classes and a pair of guest passes each month, among other benefits.
For climbers looking to up their game, BRC sports 15 TruBlue auto belays, as well as a Moonboard — a standardized, interactive climbing wall that allows you to compete on climbs accessible to folks using
the same technology around the world.
THE SPOT
3240 Prairie Ave., Boulder 1754 Dogwood St., Louisville
Additional locations in Denver, Golden and Thornton
When Dan Howley opened The Spot in Boulder in 2002 — one of America’s first two boulderingfocused gyms — he changed the game, allowing climbers an opportunity to zero in on shorter, more intense climbs without ropes or harnesses. Twenty years and four additional gyms later, with nearly a quarter-million climbers having traversed The Spot, it’s safe to say a community has been built. Their class system operates on a five-level basis, offering everything from Intro to Bouldering and Intro to Ropes at level one, to multi-pitch and technical rescue training at level five. What may be most impressive, however, is their litany of events. Adaptive climbing nights, queer climbing night, low sensory Sundays, Cruxing in Color meetups, trivia and more, ensure that everyone feels comfortable on their climbs. And while it’s a ways away, how could we forget Psychedelia, an annual blacklight climbing event held each October.
The Spot has a membership supersale going on right now through June 30, offering a threemonth membership for $239.
LONGMONT CLIMBING COLLECTIVE
155 Pinnacle St., Longmont
Additional locations in Loveland and Greeley
It doesn’t take more than a look at Longmont Climbing Collective’s massive facility from
Top: Boulder Rock Club. Middle: The Spot. Bottom: Longmont Climbing Collective.
the outside to know there’s wonders within. You may have heard about LCC through the Ice Climbing and Dry Tooling World Cup, which they brought back to Colorado for the first time since 2019 in a partnership that will continue for the next five years.
Their facilities are expansive — the Longmont location is 27,000 square feet, with 60+ foot walls, 10 auto belays and outdoor climbing at the compound, perfect for the summer. There’s bouldering and climbing and a full fitness center as well, offering traditional machines as well as yoga, both of which have classes that are free with your membership. LCC boasts a parent’s night out, monthly meetups for members and non-members and women’s climbing meetups. Their summer membership sale is a three-month offer: $269 for
adults, $239 for students, $169 for ages 3-11, and a number of package options, including standard monthly memberships at a discount.
ABC KIDS CLIMBING
1960 32nd St., Boulder
This 7,200-square-foot facility in East Boulder caters specifically to ages 2.5-19, with a laundry list of classes, teams, clubs and camps. Like any great youth facility, they host birthday parties and events, too. No experience? No problem. Their open gym sessions — Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday Sunday, 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. — are offered for just $20. Looking for a private lesson? They’ll pair your kiddo up with one of ABC Kids Climbing’s skilled instructors for a oneon-one.
Top: ABC Kids Climbing. Above: Movement Climbing, Yoga & Fitness.
Boulder’s Largest Sandal Selection
G1 CLIMBING + FITNESS
8845 W. 116th Circle, Broomfield
Sporting over 100 climbing routes and 30 group fitness classes (per week!), G1 Climbing + Fitness is holding it down in Broomfield. Their sleek, modern facility is located roughly 15 minutes from Boulder. Founders Jason and Erin Haas have cultivated a top-tier team, responsible for some of the most unique classes on this list: “Self Rescue,” “Gym to Crag” and “The Art of Falling” — an invaluable four-hour crash course on committing to a fall, confidence in catching falls and assessing risk. Even if you aren’t a climber, G1 could very easily serve as your go-to fitness center: yoga, traditional fitness classes, personal training and physical therapy are all available.
MOVEMENT CLIMBING, YOGA & FITNESS
2845 Valmont Road, Boulder
Additional locations in Denver, Golden and Centennial
Of all the options on this list, Movement sports the biggest network, with six outposts in Colorado, and another 28
locations across the country.
It’s not hard to understand why they’ve become such a hit — they make getting involved in the sport incredibly easy. Get a load of their Beginner Rock Climbing Package: For $125, you’re granted four 90-minute classes (Intro to Rope Climbing, Intro to Bouldering and two days of Intro to Technique), unlimited access to Movement for a month and all the rental gear you need. Don’t sleep on their summer deal: unlimited climbing, yoga and fitness for $245 through Aug. 31.
THE CAMPUS CLIMBING & TRAINING
4699 Nautilus Court S., Suite 404, Boulder
The newest member of Boulder County’s rich climbing community, The Campus is intended for serious climbers looking to hone their craft in a smaller, more intimate space. An elite, dedicated team and in-house routesetters work with over 650 square feet of climbing walls featuring toptier holds and macros. Daycare services (for present climbers), a conditioning area and even a cozy co-working space make this a spot you’ll want to spend some time.
DOWNTOWN, IN THE VILLAGE, & IN DENVER
FOR VOTING FOR LIVE WEST
REALTY
Birkenstock, e a, aot, aos, ansko, cco, Olukai, Sofft, Halsa, & More!
G1 Climbing + Fitness
BANG-FORYOUR-BUCK SUMMER
Plan an awesome season for you and your kids without breaking the bank
BY COURTNEY JOHNSON
Ah, summer … While your kids probably have endless trips to the pool, constant snacks and an unlimited budget for fun on their minds, your mind is on your bank account balance. Non-essential purchases, including entertainment, are often the first thing to go when trying to stretch the dollars. It can take a whole separate budget to entertain the kids while they are off school the next few months. But, with some forward thinking, flexibility and deal-snagging, you can still have the best summer ever.
Here are some ideas to get more bang for your buck this break.
BUDGET-WISE SPORTS
You don’t have to go pro to enjoy some fan-thrilling action
on the pitch, the track or the diamond this summer.
Spectating is free for open lap car and motorcycle racing at High Plains Raceway outside Byers, Colorado. Some events are also free to view, so check their calendar to see if the host club charges a fee.
National Speedway is celebrating 60 years of racing this year in Dacono. Most events are low-priced but high-action, from $9-18, including fees.
Boulder Valley Velodrome in Erie offers nights of fast-paced bike racing that are free to watch.
Take in some baseball with the Rocky Mountain Vibes with tickets as low as $11 with fees.
For soccer, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC has tickets in the $30 range, all in for seats,or you can go cheaper and stand for $20 and under.
COLORADO CULTURE
Dive into what shaped the history of Colorado by visiting any of the History Colorado Museums. Children 18 and under are free at seven museums around the state, like the Healy House Museum & Dexter Cabin in Leadville and the Center for Colorado Women’s History in Denver. From cultural performances to interactive exhibits, keep your little ones entertained and learning on the cheap.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
For free events throughout the summer, community calendars should be your go-to. Sponsored by various local businesses and governments, you can find festivals, outdoor movies and concerts on the calendar. Enjoy kid-friendly movies on Monday nights and PG-13 and R-rated movies on Friday nights at Infinity Park in Glendale or The Kid’s Club at the Orchard Town Mall on Tuesdays for art and movement. Farmer’s markets across the metro area have free kids’ entertainment and food samples for those bottomless stomachs. Boulder hosts Bands on the Bricks on Wednesday nights throughout the summer. Bring along a picnic, and you have a gratis night of entertainment.
DAILY DEALS
From family night to two-forTuesday, many local business-
es offer daily deals throughout the summer to keep the weeuns entertained. Let your kids get in on the action with Kids Bowl Free, offering two free bowling games per day at over 1,500 locations across the U.S. Groupon is an excellent source to find reduced entry fees to places across the metro area. Recent deals include more than half off a day pass to several climbing gyms, mini golf and even concert tickets. Great Day Colorado rotates the deals from eating out to ways for kids to burn energy (think trampoline park). Social media is a great outlet for finding deals with sponsored ads. All the chatter about wanting to go here and there will pay off when an ad pops up on your phone with discounted admission to the place they can’t stop talking about.
DISCOUNT PASSES
For adults and college-age kids, discount passes are a way to save money while exploring the Denver area. Save 30-40% off with the Denver CityPASS, where you can choose between a handful of city attractions over seven days, including the Denver Zoo, Denver Downtown Aquarium and History Colorado. The Mile High Culture Pass provides you with one admission to all eight participating attractions over three consecutive days, including the Molly Brown
Courtesy: Visit Boulder
Courtesy: Visit Boulder
House Museum, Denver Botanic Gardens and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Valid for 12 months, the Get Out Pass for children and adults offers visits to a variety of attractions across the state. Ride the Ferris wheel at Scheel’s in Johnstown, slide into summer by visiting Slick City or take a visit to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum.
FAMILY PACKS
From Water World to the Colorado Rockies, family packs are a great way to save money while enjoying a fun experience. Save on the admission price of a day at the ballpark or cooling off from the Colorado heat. Many of these deals include parking and meal or food credit at onsite food vendors.
HAPPY HOUR
Many places offer happy hourtype discounts if you visit during weekdays or specific hours. Every Saturday from 4-5 p.m., you can buy one hour of jump time and get the second hour free for the day you choose from Get Air. Boondocks offers $10 off 4-hour attraction passes for Thumb’s Up Thursdays, and don’t forget their free 4-hour attraction pass during your kiddo’s birthday month. The Great Outdoors Water Park in Lafayette offers a sunset swim on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6-8 p.m. for $5. The Children’s Museum of Denver hosts Joy Park Free Nights from 4:30-8 p.m. (or sunset) on the third Friday of each month, May through September.
SCFD FREE DAYS
Denver Art Museum offers free admission for those 18
and under daily, but adults may visit for free on several dates over the summer. Both locations of the Denver Botanic Gardens and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science offer several free days over the summer. Check their website for free days at some of their smaller facilities, including Four Mile Historic Park and Wings over the Rockies. Several SCFDfunded organizations offer free admission daily, from the Colorado Music Hall of Fame to the Louisville History Museum, so don’t sleep on those cultural opportunities.
SUMMER MOVIE MADNESS
Beat the heat and throw back some popcorn while enjoying children’s blockbuster hits at theaters near you. Cinemark hosts the Summer Movie Clubhouse with $1.75 tickets while Harkins offers a Summer Movie Pass with eight movies for eight weeks at $1 a movie. Regal offers the Summer Movie Express with $1 tickets, and AMC has Summer Movie Camp with $3 tickets.
USE THE LIBRARY
Local libraries can be a great way to keep your kids busy over the break without breaking the bank. They offer free summer programming for a range of ages, from storytime and movies to crafts and science. Check out your local branches’ summer reading program that often comes with perks such as free ice cream or a visit to local attractions while achieving reading goals. If you plan ahead, you can also check out Experience Passes that give you free admission to places like the Butterfly Pavilion and state parks.
TASTE BUD ROAD TRIPS
Top 10 Colorado experiences for foodie thrill seekers
BY JOHN LEHNDORFF
Car advertisements and TV shows typically depict Coloradoans as highly fit adventurous folks who build summer road trips around climbing rocks, spending days at music festivals and riding trail bikes down mountain sides. There is another breed of adventurer who calls this state home: tens of thousands of foodie thrill seekers like myself.
We know we are lucky to eat in a dining paradise like Boulder County, but ho hum … we’re bored. We need to hit the road. Our taste buds and brains need new flavors, cooking encounters and outrageous sips in beautiful places.
Sync your summer calendar with the following Top 10 list of Colorado food and drink experiences.
10. HOT FOOD LOVERS’ PARADISE: PUEBLO
You’ll find green chile in dishes across the state, but Pueblo is ground zero for pod appreciation. There is even a special Colorado vehicle license plate featuring Pueblo chile that always irritates those from nearby New Mexico.
Pueblo is known for The Slopper, an open-face cheeseburger smothered with green chile sauce and garnished with onions, cheese and tortilla chips or saltines. Devotees can follow a multi-stop Slopper Trail to restaurants featuring the dish such as the famous Gray’s Coors Tavern. Pueblo green
chile-centric stops include Bingo Burger, where the beef is mixed with the roasted peppers, and the historic Gagliano’s Italian Market for pork-chile sausage.
The fall chile harvest season climax is achieved at the sweaty Pueblo Chile and Frijoles Festival Sept. 19-21, where up to 50,000 visitors sample the myriad ways chilies can be incorporated into food and drink. The air is permeated by smoke from rotating drums of roasting chilies. We always start out with the event’s simply excellent signature dish: a whole roasted green chile and melted cheese inside a folded griddled flour tortilla. Information: pueblochilefestival.com
More hot stops: pueblochile.org
9. LUNCH RESERVATION: PARTY OF 5,280
Sometimes, bigger is better — especially when it comes to rare Colorado tasting experiences.
Food and community are the simple goals of the Longer Tables project, which aims to feed lunch to 5,280 diners at a mile-long table July 26 on Denver’s Auraria Campus. If successful, it will be among the longest dining table events ever attempted in the U.S., according to the organization. Tickets: milelongtable.org
There is no shortage of summer events built around food on the Front Range, but for our money, The Big Eat is the real Taste of Colorado. The walkaround sampling at the Denver Performing Arts Center on July 24 features true local tastes from more than 70 independent restaurants and food and beverage companies. The Big Eat participants this year
include Ace Eat Serve, ChoLon, Coperta, La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal, Mizuna, Restaurant Olivia, Saigon Noodle Club, Tavernetta, The Bindery, Carboy Winery and King of Wings. Tickets: eatdenver.com/bigeat
8. ON TOUR: COOL CURDS AND CREAMY YOGURT
Cheeseheads can sample fresh-out-of-the-vat cheese curds and Colorado-made Camembert during private tours at the award-winning MouCo Cheese Company in Fort Collins. Tours and tastings are available by appointment on Tuesdays.
Continue the Northern Colorado dairy immersion with a visit to Morning Fresh Dairy Farm in Bellvue, where you can meet the cows and taste supercreamy Noosa Yoghurt at the onsite Howling Cow Cafe. Details: morningfresh dairy.com
7. GETTING BAKED ON THE SWEET TREATS TRAIL
Honestly, while we enjoy big food gatherings, what we really love is a steady supply of excellent baked goods and coffee along the route.
Malasadas are fried yeasted sweet bread from the Portuguese Azores with various fillings that are tossed in cinnamon sugar and always best eaten hot. Try them at Ollie’s Malasadas, which opened recently in Windsor, just outside of Fort Collins. Another hot dough specialist is Rocky Mountain Beignets in Colorado Springs. They produce square, New Orleans-style doughnuts bathed in powdered sugar.
Colorado is known for its roadside cinnamon rolls. Some of our favorites are sold at Ferncliff Food & Fuel, a mountain town gathering spot near Allenspark. The huge scratchmade rolls are laced with sweet cinnamon and submerged in cream cheese frosting.
Rollin’ Street Bakery in Winter Park produces unique “chimneys,” sweet or savory pastries made on a sort of pastry rotisserie. The baked treats come stuffed, coated and rolled in various toppings.
6. DAY TRIP TASTE ESCAPE: COLORADO SPRINGS
We bet that Colorado Springs was probably not the first destination you imagined for a culinary expedition, but the city hides a wealth of taste attractions. We always stop at our favorite old-fashioned candy shop, Patsy’s Candies and at one of Colorado’s only Dutchcentric cafes, Boonzaaijer’s Dutch Bakery, for butter cookies and pastries.
For sheer ambience, sample the restaurants and bars set inside the old Ivywild School, or take in Pikes Peak over BBQ at Bourbon Brothers Smokehouse & Tavern. The kitschy King’s Chef Diner is a perfect place for a green chiledrenched burrito.
Colorado Springs has plenty of upscale eateries, but we are charmed by the pizza (and the toys, books and gifts) at kidfriendly Poor Richard’s Restaurant and the family-style chicken dinner feasts at Juniper Valley Ranch
5. DIVE DEEP INTO COLORADO’S BEST WINES
A surprising number of Colorado foodies are still oblivious to the fact that the state is regarded nationally as an upand-coming wine region with award-winning wineries worth visiting.
The once-quiet Colorado Mountain Winefest has become way too popular, and tickets typically sell out. Closer to the Front Range, we enjoy the Manitou Springs Colorado Wine Festival. On June 7, dozens of winemakers will be on hand to pour sips of Colorado
whites, reds, rosés and bubblies. Tickets: manitousprings. org/manitou-springs-coloradowine-festival.
There are more famous Colorado mountain town wine and food gatherings, but we like the vibe at the 10-year-old Breckenridge Wine Classic, Aug. 21-23. The tastings and dinners will feature American and international wines at various venues including Chef Matt Vawter’s award-winning restaurants. Tickets: breckenridgewineclassic.com
4. HOP TO IT
Billy Goat Hop Farm in Montrose is offering tours as well as camping spots among the bines (hop plants). The farm is especially aromatic during the late summer hop harvest. Naturally, beers bittered with the hops are available onsite.
Consider combining your farm visit with the Colorado Brewers Rendezvous on July 12 in Salida. This beer fest is strictly for serious ale geeks, with lots of home-state brewers and views of the Collegiate Peaks. Tickets: coloradobeer. org/colorado-brewersrendezvous
3. ROLLING WITH COLORADO SUSHI AND SAKE
Yes, Virginia, there really is an award-winning sake brewery in our ale-soaked state. You can learn how rice wines are crafted at Denver’s Colorado Sake Co., and also take Sushi 101. The classes teach newbies how to roll and slice sushi and make various styles of sushi rolls. For the final exam, students must enjoy their sushi, which can be paired with housemade sakes. Tickets: coloradosakeco.com/ events
2. TAKE A BITE OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
Summer cultural festivals are among the best ways to take your palate — and your children — somewhere outside their usual comfort zone.
The full range of authentic Ukrainian dishes, from savory pirogies to sweet baked treats, are on the menu with culture, dance and music at the Colorado Ukrainian Festival on Aug. 23 at Belmar Park in Lakewood. Tickets: tickettailor. com/events/ukrainians colorado/1707523
We love the Havana Street Night Markets where Aurora’s multicultural, multi-lingual riches are celebrated, especially the Korean, Mexican, African and Asian street foods. The free night markets take place the last Saturday of each month through September at Leezakaya, 2710 S. Havana St. in Aurora.
1. ONLY-IN-COLORADO DINING SPOTS
The following experiences in the state are notable much more for the environment than for the fare, but they are still quite memorable.
Eat dinner on the Royal Gorge Route Railway as it chugs through a canyon. Tickets: royalgorgeroute.com/ dining
Take the Pikes Peak Cog Railway to the top and taste the world’s highest doughnuts, made at the 14,115-foot summit. Information: cograilway. com/the-new-experience/ pikes-peak-visitor-center
Sip tiki drinks in your flip flops and pretend Colorado has a shore at the summer bar at Pug Ryan’s Brewery on the edge of Lake Dillon.
John Lehndorff writes the Nibbles column for Boulder Weekly and hosts Radio Nibbles on KGNU. Podcasts: kgnu.org/category/ radio-nibbles
OPEN 11AM - 9PM
CONCERTS, CONCERTS, CONCERTS!
A rundown of the best in live music this summer, right here in Colorado
BY CARTER FERRYMAN
Summer in Colorado gives us many things: plenty of sunshine, green mountains, blue creek beds, scenic drives and losing baseball, among others. High on the list of seasonal benefits is our vast, impressive roster of live music. Whether you’re looking for a night of bootscootin’ boogie, a “sit-down and cry” performance, a concert that’s part folk act, part comedy set, or a psychedelic journey through the electronic sphere, the Centennial State has your medicine.
THE BURROUGHS WITH HAND TURKEY 8 p.m.
Friday, June 13, Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. $23
Hot, sweaty Greeley soul is the name of the game for Jordan Burroughs and his funkadelic troupe from Northern Colorado. They bring a sound and style you don’t often see on this side of the Mississippi River — horns, flashy get-ups, choreographed dance and belting vocals all jammed into one live show.
JUDY COLLINS 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 14, Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder. $65
You simply cannot tell the tale of American folk music without mentioning Judy Collins. She was a key piece of songwriting and social activism in the ’60s and has continued for nearly seven decades: 2022 saw the release of Spellbound, her first studio album consisting of solely original material.
FLYING
LOTUS WITH REGGIE WATTS 8 p.m.
Tuesday, June 17, Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St., Denver. $56
MAPS Psychedelic Science
Kickoff Party takes the stage at Mission Ballroom for a night of cosmic beats and head-spin-
ning electronic music. Vocal savant Reggie Watts is back to layer his voice in humorous, brilliant ways, and Flying Lotus — the leftfield purveyor of experimental music — will have most crowd members in a trance.
YOUNG NUDY WITH BABYDRILL. 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 17, Ogden Theatre, 935 E. Colfax Ave., Denver. $50
Quantavious Tavario Thomas: Your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper. In a lane so crowded, Young Nudy has carved his own sound of infectious, intense East Atlanta trap. From unforgettable collaborations with producer-wonder Pi’erre Bourne to chaotic album covers and cadence that hits you square in the face, he’s a mustsee performer.
SAMANTHA CRAIN WITH QUINN CHRISTOPHERSON 8 p.m. Lost Lake, 3602 E. Colfax Ave., Denver. $26
Samantha Crain’s 2025 album Gumshoe is as boppy as it is twangy, as catchy as it is som-
ber. It’s yet another feather in the Choctaw musician’s cap — the seventh, to be exact — and in mid-June, the Oklahomabased songwriter will kick out the jams at Lost Lake.
BÉLA FLECK WITH EDMAR CASTAÑEDA AND ANTONIO SÁNCHEZ TRIO
7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 19, Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder. $74
Rest assured, Béla Fleck is going to make that banjo sing. A torchbearer of the plucky, stringed instrument, Fleck has fused its workings to bluegrass, jazz, classical, rock, blues and more. He’ll be in Boulder in mid-June, alongside renowned Colombian harpist Edmar Castañeda and drummer Antonio Sánchez — forming a trio aptly called BEAT.
CHARLEY CROCKETT WITH CHAPARELLE AND RATTLESNAKE MILK. 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Pkwy., Morrison. $82
Outlaw country, swing and crooning, authentic country ballads, courtesy of the genre’s
train-hopping mastermind, sharing his stories at the best concert venue there is. Need we say more?
SURPRISE
CHEF 8 p.m.
Friday, July 18, Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave., Denver. $37
Let them cook — this Australian quintet lives up to their name in more ways than one. They’re unpredictable on stage and in the studio, whipping up genre-bending instrumentals, but one thing that
does not waver is the quality of their product. Superb, their 2025 album, is sonic omakase, and it’ll be served for a small fee at Bluebird Theater.
LUCINDA
WILLIAMS & HER BAND 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 19, Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder. $68
Behold, the golden voice of Americana. Lucinda Williams has been capturing hearts and ears since the early ’80s, and her show at Chautauqua Auditorium in mid-July will be no different.
KYLE
MOONEY. 8 p.m.
Wednesday, July 30, Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave., Denver. $54
Get together with some friends, grab a few drinks, smoke a little bomb-ass dank-ass from up north (purp-skurt), and head over to Kyle Mooney’s show at Bluebird Theater, for a night of music and characters we couldn’t even begin to predict.
MEN
I
TRUST
WITH STRONGBOI. 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 11, Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St., Denver. $50
You don’t have tickets to Men I Trust at Mission Ballroom yet? It’d be a lot cooler if you did. Emmanuelle Proulx and her Montreal outfit are touring North America this summer, following the release of Equus Asinus and Equus Caballus in March and May, respectively, adding to their stacked catalog of crooning, lo-fi brilliance.
JUNE 1 – JULY 31
