READER OBITUARIES

humanity of these characters. It would be easy to create stereotypical characters, and I think my cast has done an excellent job of cutting through that to create fully rounded characters. Every character is both hero and villain, and, hopefully, the audience will nd a connection to each of them.

With a topic as challenging as the one covered in “Jeremiah,” how do you go about addressing it?

I think approaching the topic with understanding is the key. While I have my opinions about guns and gun control, the only way to tell a story that doesn’t alienate people is to re ect and understand all sides, and let those sides be re ected within the play.

What do you hope audiences come away with?

I hope every audience member sees themselves re ected in some way. I hope they have a conversation about guns. No matter what side of the gun debate they might be on, I hope every person can connect to the story being told in a way that maybe opens their mind just a little bit. If people are still thinking about this show the next day, I feel like we’ve done our job.

For information and tickets, visit www.benchmarktheatre.com/ tickets-jeremiah.

Go back in time at Corral Blu s e Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., is home to a new bilingual exhibit that takes visitors back millions of years thanks to a newly discovered collection of fossils at Corral Blu s near Colorado Springs.

After the Asteroid: Earth’s Comeback Story shows visitors how Earth recovered after the asteroid impact 66 million years ago that wiped out the dinosaurs. It features fossils from the nd, multimedia storytell- ing, art stations and much more.

Anyone who wants a glimpse at what our state was like in ancient times should visit www.dmns.org/ visit/exhibitions/after-the-asteroidearths-comeback-story/.

A screaming good time at Lakeside is year’s event is from 6 to 11 p.m. on ursday, Aug. 24 and will feature a tribute to the 90s with live comedy, music and magic performances, as well as a little pro-wrestling. And that’s not all — audiences also get unlimited rides and nightlong open bars. e Swell Season will be performing at Levitt Pavilion, 1380 W. Florida Ave. in Denver, at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 20 with opener Lizzie Weber. eir music is wistful and gorgeous and I know this will be a fantastic night under the stars.

I can’t really think of a cleverer idea than Denver Film’s annual Summer Scream fundraiser being hosted at Lakeside Amusement Park, 4601 Sheridan Blvd. in Denver. It just the perfect blending of purpose and novelty, making for the perfect evening.

Tickets are on sale at denver lm. org.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — The Swell season at Levitt Pavilion ere are a few situations where art and life blend in really beautiful ways and one of my favorites of this century is e Swell Season, the duo made up of Ireland’s Glen Hansard and the Czech Republic’s Markéta Irglová. ey were a group before taking on the roles of two star-crossed lovers in the seminal indie musical, “Once,” which earned them an Academy Award. Not long after they stopped performing together but stayed close and they have reunited this year to tour the country.

Purchase tickets at www.axs.com.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail. com.

WOODSIDE Michael Jon Woodside

June 18, 1970 – July 28, 2023

Mike Woodside of Evergreen died peacefully at his home on July 28th after being diagnosed with a rare form of Lymphoma in November.

He graduated from Evergreen High School in 1989 and served for 4 years as an MP in the Army, stationed in Germany, Fort Hood, and Panama.

He earned a degree in Criminal Justice from Metro State.

He is survived by his son, Ryan Woodside of ornton; mother, Linda Kirkpatrick of Evergreen; father, Willard Woodside of Albuquerque, NM; and sister, Amy Kenney of Littleton.

A memorial service will be held in his honor at Fort Logan National Cemetery on Friday, August 18, 2023 at 2:45 pm, Staging Area C, with a reception to follow at 5503 S. Prince Street in Littleton.

Tori Renee Todd Spann, age 58, passed away unexpectedly at her home in Lakewood, Colorado on Tuesday, August 1, 2023. Tori was born at St. Anthony’s hospital in Denver, Colorado on April 19, 1965.

Growing up in Firestone, she was a very avid and accomplished horse rider who specialized in hunter jumper. She graduated from Valley High School in 1984 where she earned her nickname “Toodles”. Tori “Toodles” would go on to marry Randy Sekich in 1987 where they soon welcomed two children into the world, Jordan and Audrey. Tori would go on to gain another nickname through her career “Teacher” Tori. She loved her occupation as a preschool teacher whose passion was sign language.

Tori remarried in 2015 to Robert “Bubba” Spann and settled down in the mountains in the town of Pine, Colorado where they enjoyed motocross races, ying RC airplanes, and playing with their dog Dixie for nearly 20 years. After losing Robert to cancer in 2020 Tori moved to Lakewood, Colorado with her two cats elma and Louise. Tori was extremely passionate about animals, kids, and teaching. Her smile would light up a room and her laugher was just as contagious. She will be truly, greatly and forever missed.

Tori was predeceased by her mother Barbra Todd, her husband Robert “Bubba” Spann and her step-son Bobby Spann.

She is survived by her two children Jordan and Audrey her husband Devin, her step-son Maverick his wife Monica, her father Jerry Todd, her brothers Tate his wife Mary, Tye, Travis his wife Wendy and her grandkids Decker, Hadlee, and Zeus.

A celebration of life for Tori will be held Tuesday, August 15, 2023 at 11:00 AM at the Howe Mortuary Chapel, 439 Co man Street, Longmont, Colorado 80501. Following the celebration of life will be a reception at 12:00 PM at the Howe Mortuary Reception Room, 439 Co man Street, Longmont, Colorado 80501.

Cremation is entrusted to Howe Mortuary & Crematory of Longmont, Colorado.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www. howemortuary.com for the Todd Spann family.

BY STAVROS KORONEOS

Four’s a crowd

CONIFER – Kanye and Kim hit it o right away, and Kanye wasted no time inviting Kim to crash at his pad on a semi-regular basis. Kim wasted no time accepting Kanye’s invitation, which turned out to be terrible for their budding relationship, particularly after Kanye invited two other women to crash at his pad while Kim was in residence. Finding Kanye’s cottage too crowded by two, Kim picked up a “large wrench” and demanded an immediate review of the guest list. Determined to entertain as he wished in his own home, Kanye showed Kim the door. Realizing she’d over-played a losing hand, Kim stormed out of the house and punched a hole in one of Kanye’s

Letter To The Editor

tires. Deputies found Kim walking toward the highway, Kanye’s tire at, and ample grounds to charge his hotheaded ex-housemate with criminal mischief and domestic violence.

Left and lost INDIAN HILLS – At loose ends, Rita took temporary refuge at her friend Rhonda’s house. When Rhonda was unavoidably called away a few days later, her friend Roscoe took charge of the place and asked Rita to vacate until Rhonda’s return. Rita left the house, and left behind a du e bag containing “miscellaneous clothing and toiletry items.” When she came back for the du e “ ve weeks” later, she discovered it gone, and on July 17 she called JCSO to accuse Roscoe of theft. Questioned by deputies, Roscoe said he’d tried for a month to get Rita to retrieve her belongings, but she’d

Density is not in Evergreen’s character, or interest

Amid concerns about a proposed high-density development at Wah Keeney Park, we have recently been advised to take a broader look at the pattern of development in greater Evergreen. Evergreen is arrayed herringbone-style along the axis of Hwy 74; although some subdivisions have more than one point of ingress/egress, most nonetheless rely on it at both ends. Highway 74 is the conduit for evacuation from this entire area, and the intersection with I-70 at El Rancho is a recognized bottleneck.

We have been advised to “con ne” high-density development to Bergen Park and El Rancho. ose activity centers within the County’s Evergreen Area Plan are notably located between central Evergreen and I-70, the principal evacuation route for the central foothills. Dislocating density to these areas does not help central Evergreen in the event of a major wild re but hinders it.

Importantly, at El Rancho — the farthest extent of the Evergreen water supply that relies on Bear Creek, eight miles away — there currently is insu cient water capacity to provide re ghting capability for existing development, much less for the high-density and high-impact uses recently approved (a second hotel, not yet built) or being proposed (even more

“refused to meet with me.” Finally deciding he’d done enough to repatriate Rita with her few forsaken oddments, he’d simply donated kit and caboodle to a local charity. O cers agreed that Rita had e ectively abandoned her personal e ects and vacated the case.

Deep-pan doo-doo

EVERGREEN – Pizza night was never zestier than on July 22 when a regular customer came in for a slice and found the restaurant awash in chaos. Speci cally, a small cyclone of over-stimulated children were “screaming” around the dining room while Mom and Dad serenely sat at a table digesting their dinner. Regular suggested to Mom and Dad that they should “get control of your kids” because they were “interrupting the work of the employees.” Mom was instantly mi ed. “If you don’t like it,” Mom barked, “you should leave.” Overhearing Mom’s remark, and by that time undoubtedly fed up with the family circus, the restaurant’s owner weighed in. “You don’t get to tell my customers to leave,” he told Mom, which is when Dad leapt from his chair, apparently ready to defend his wife’s honor and his children’s behavior even unto violence. It didn’t come to that, fortunately, and responding deputies let everybody o with a warning. retail and a third hotel to serve I-70). ese decisions and proposals a ect everyone in greater Evergreen who uses these resources.

Sheri ’s Calls is intended as a humorous take on some of the incident call records of the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce for the mountain communities. Names and identifying details have been changed, including the writer’s name, which is a pseudonym. All individuals are innocent until proven guilty.

Shunting density away from central Evergreen is not the answer to this problem. Rather, shunning high-density development is the answer for greater Evergreenin general. Low density, dispersed development provides for the contiguous natural landscape that supports the vegetation and wildlife that people who actually livehere value, limits impacts to natural resources, and promotes e cient navigation of area roadways by all users.

Is Evergreen a mountain residential community? A suburb? An interstate exit? High density is a culture shift. e choice is not about being exclusionary; it is about preservation and through that an e ort toward sustainability. Without making that choice, we face becoming something unrecognizable to our forebears, and planners of even two or three decades ago.

Je erson County is currently revising its planning guidelines, in which density, re safety and sustainability are important topics. If planners are inclined to listen to the people who invest themselves here, and not just to the developers who rent Evergreen P.O. boxes, it is our opportunity to defend what is increasingly becoming a threatened way of, and quality of, life.

Kathryn Mauz, Evergreen & El Rancho

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DickWoods earning about history is more fun when you experience it. at’s why the metro area has a wide range of places to experience Colorado’s history rsthand. Museums, tourist attractions and more provide venues for adults and children to get hands-on learning about Colorado history from the Jurrasic age to the 1900s.

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SummerReadingwassimplymagical, inlargepartthankstothegenerosity ofourSummerReadingdonors! LearnmoreaboutyourClearCreekCountyLibrariesatwww.cccld.org.

From dinosaurs to mining and railroad history to early home and school life — the metro area has plenty of locations where families can have fun and learn a bit in the process.

Living history museums enable visitors to experience the everyday home life of ordinary people who toiled on Colorado’s farms, ranches, factories, mines, smelters and more, according to Kevin Rucker, a senior lecturer in MSU Denver’s history department.

For example, “visitors are able to visualize and empathize with what it took for women to take care of a household and raise families,” he said.

Rucker pointed to the Four-Mile House, Golden Prospect Park, Littleton Heritage Museum, Black Western History Museum, Molly Brown House as a starting point for all of the living history locations in the area. Colorado Community Media takes a look at some of the places in the metro area that provide hands-on history.

Who

doesn’t love dinosaurs?

Morrison is home to two spots where families can learn about dinosaurs — Dinosaur Ridge and the Morrison Natural History Museum.

logic and paleontological features. Visitors can check out the area themselves or with volunteers and geologists to learn about the dinosaurs that roamed the area. ere’s a museum and gift shop at C-470 and Alameda Parkway, and Dinosaur Ridge has Dinosaur Days throughout the year.

Close by is the Morrison Natural History Museum on Highway 8 just south of downtown Morrison, where families can learn more about dinosaurs. e museum is also a research center, so in addition to visiting the museum, people can take archeological trips.

Stegosaurus Day is always fun for kids as they try their hands at peeling away rocks to nd fossils.

Gold rush

Clear Creek County has several locations to learn more about Colorado’s mining history. At the Phoenix Gold Mine southwest of Idaho Springs, history comes alive as visitors go underground in a gold mine, pan for gold to try to strike it rich themselves and more.

Mine owner Dave Mosch, whose family has lived in Colorado since the 1860s, called the Phoenix Gold Mine fascinating for those who haven’t seen up close what mining was like, especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He noted that the mining-support industry also brought people to Colorado — building houses, operating shops and providing personal aspects of life to miners.

“Colorado is a beautiful place, but what originally brought people here was the gold,” Mosch said. “ e more you understand mining, the more you understand the growth of our state.”

He and all of Clear Creek County are proud that the Colorado gold rush began in 1859 in the county.

Trains and more trains e founder of the Colorado Railroad Museum understood how big the railroads were to settling Colorado.

“Bob Richardson (the founder of the museum) realized that people needed to know how it all got started, how people traveled to Colorado and how hard it was,” Roni Kramer, director of education for the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, explained. “It is important to see every aspect of people’s beginnings and how they got here on the train. Honestly, it’s such an interesting story.”

While adults may be more interested in historical tidbits, children have the opportunity to check out all areas of di erent train cars. ey ring bells, move through

SEE HISTORY, P15

Dinosaur Ridge has interpretive signs along two miles of trails that explain the local geology, fossils, and many other geo- Halloween fun at the Colorado Railroad Museum includes a zombie train ride.