Life on Cap Hill Ferbruary 2022

February 2022

Founded in 1975

LifeOnCapHill.com

COMING TOGETHER AND CREATING CHANGE Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods funds eight S.E.E.D. projects

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AN OPEN DOOR FOR NEW WRITERS Denver Woman’s Press Club soliciting entries for Unknown Writers’ Contest

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FEATURING 34 UNIQUE FILMS Denver Jewish Film Festival takes place in February

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A FIVE POINTS LEGACY Welton Street Café asks community to help fund move

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2 Life on Capitol Hill

February 1, 2022

Business Matters Christy Steadman | csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com Business Matters is a monthly column featuring business news in the Life on Capitol Hill and Washington Park Profile coverage areas, which is roughly central and central-south Denver.

If you are a local business that would like to announce any updates to your operations, email Christy Steadman at csteadman@ coloradocommunitymedia.com.

NEW OPENINGS The Crypt A new dive bar and restaurant opened in January in Denver’s City Park West neighborhood.

Located at 1618 E. 17th Ave., the Crypt offers a mostly-vegan menu, but also has options with meat.

The drink menu offers an extensive beer list, including beer on tap.

Décor influences include punk; the book, “Death Scenes;” and the television show, “Tales From the Crypt,” according to Westword. A stage is also planned to host live music.

Westword reports that the Crypt is the brainchild of Priscilla Jerez, who spent decades running the former Tooey’s Off Colfax, which was a live music venue located nearby at 1521 N. Marion St.; Chris Maynard; and Dale Canino.

For more invormation, visit thecryptdenver.com.

CLOSINGS Brightmarten Brightmarten, also known as Bright Bar & Kitchen, at 730 S. University Blvd. in Denver’s Bonnie Brae, has closed.

Westword reported Brightmarten closed following its brunch service on Jan. 16.

The neighborhood restaurant and bar opened in 2018, serving American-style food, offering robust brunch, lunch and dinner menus.

MILESTONES Full Afterburner Calzones Full Afterburner Calzones celebrated the one-year anniversary of opening its brick-and-mortar location at 32 N. Broadway in Denver.

Full Afterburner Calzones got its start in 2008 as a fighter jet/aircraft carrier-themed food truck. Originally opening the Broadway dine-in location as Danger Zone Calzones, the restaurant changed its name to Full Afterburner Calzones and launched a new website in June last year, according to its Facebook posts.

The restaurant specializes in “Top Gun” and fighter jet-themed calzones, such as the Goose — pepperoni, marinara sauce, mozzarella and ricotta — and also has a vegan calzone and jet-shaped sugar cookies.

For more information, visit fullafterburnercalzones.com.

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Lucas Acupuncture Capitol Hill-based Lucas Acupuncture celebrated its 20th anniversary in January.

Dr. Martha Lucas opened her small business, which offers Chinese medicine and specializes in treating trauma patterns, just after the new year in 2002.

Today, the business has three arms — a private practice, teaching Chinese medicine and a natural skin care line called My Zen Skin Care.

Lucas’ patients include people who are not feeling well, and those who come for routine maintenance.

She sees all her patients herself, but is looking to expand this year by adding another acupuncturist or Chinese medicine massage therapist.

“There is a big move to natural medicine now,” Lucas said, adding that she especially enjoys seeing people who have chronic illnesses that Western medicine can’t treat get better. “Your body wants to be well, and if someone can encourage your good health, your body will respond.”

To learn more about Lucas Acupuncture and its services, visit acupuncturewoman.com.

The Urban Cookie The Urban Cookie celebrated its one-year anniversary mid-January.

The cookie bakery — which offers dine-in on an outdoor patio, take-out and catering — is located at 2260 E. Colfax Ave., which is in the upper east corner of the Cheesman Park neighborhood.

The Urban Cookie offers a variety of classic cookie flavors, such as Chocolate Chunk & Chip; vegan options, gluten-free cookies and mystery flavors that change weekly.

To learn more or to order, visit theurbancookie.com.

MISCELLANEOUS Moxy Cherry Creek Mile High CRE, an online commercial development news publication, reported that BMC Investments has sold the Moxy Cherry Creek hotel to RLJ Lodging Trust for $51.3 million. The hotel will be managed

by Denver-based Sage Hospitality Group.

BMC Investments is a Denverbased developer. RLJ Lodging Trust is a real estate investment trust based in Maryland. Moxy Hotels are a hotel brand of Marriott International Inc.

The Moxy Cherry Creek is located at 240 Josephine St. in Denver.

It is one of five hotels located in the Cherry Creek North area, which consists of 16 walkable blocks of shopping, dining, lodging and residential. There are about 275 businesses in Cherry Creek North, and about 70% of them are locally owned.

The Moxy Cherry Creek opened in late 2017, and features 170 rooms, a bar, meeting rooms, outdoor event space, complimentary bike rentals and a state-of-the-art fitness center, states Mile High CRE. To learn more about Moxy Hotels, visit moxy-hotels.marriott.com.

NONPROFIT NEWS Dumb Friends League The Dumb Friends League Veterinary Hospital at CSU Spur has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

The Dumb Friends League Veterinary Hospital at CSU Spur opened to the public on Feb. 1 in Denver’s Globeville-Elyria-Swansea neighborhood. It is a funder-and donorsubsidized clinic.

The Dumb Friends League has been offering funder-and donor-subsidized urgent veterinary care and spay/neuter surgeries for owned and feral cats at its Veterinary Hospital at Yuma, 191 Yuma St. in the Valverde neighborhood, since 2018.

These services will be expanded to the new Spur location.

The Spur location will also serve as an educational tool for students and the public, offering field placements for CSU veterinary students to gain hands-on experience, learning programs for the public and exposure to veterinary and STEMrelated careers for young people.

“Providing accessible and affordable veterinary services for pets whose owners face financial challenges is critical to keeping those pets healthy and safe at home with their families,” said Matt Bershadker, ASPCA president and CEO, in a news release. “The Dumb Friends League has been a leader in this work, and we are proud to support their responsive veterinary care and innovative veterinary education programs, both of which will help thousands of Denver-area pets now and in the future.”

To learn more about the Dumb Friends League, visit ddfl.org.

Life on Capitol Hill 3

February 1, 2022

Sharing well-being with the Colorado community Mental Health Colorado launches What’s Your Peace? campaign

BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The COVID-19 pandemic, a divisive election year, social justice movements, climate change.

This is “one of the most stressful times that many of us living have experienced,” said Vincent Atchity, president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado. “We’re in a critical moment for mental wellbeing for Coloradans.”

A news release states that a 2021 Colorado Health Access Survey revealed that 38% of Coloradans older than 16 “experienced a decline in mental health such as anxiety, depression or loneliness, as the result of COVID-19.” Atchity added that Colorado has experienced an “unacceptably high rate of suicide (and) opioid use and overdose, and overdose death.” Exacerbating the grief, Atchity added, is finding access for care — Colorado has ranked in the bottom third in the country for access to care.

“Colorado has been in a tough place for mental health,” Atchity

‘Colorado has been in a tough place for mental health ... There’s a concern for Coloradans of all ages.’

Vincent Atchity, president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado

said. “There’s a concern for Coloradans of all ages.”

Mental Health Colorado, which is a nonprofit that serves as a resource and advocates for mental health awareness, has launched a new campaign to help promote mental well-being among the greater statewide community.

The What’s Your Peace? is a crowdsourcing campaign that launched on Jan. 12 and will run through May, which is Mental Health Awareness month.

The idea is for people to share the real-life ways they “care for themselves and find joy, strength

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or peace,” states a news release.

“We’ve all got our own unique composition how we put our wellbeing together,” Atchity said. And “how we make peace for ourselves.”

It can be anything such as knitting, calling a friend, hiking, enjoying a cup of afternoon tea, flyfishing, singing in a choir, yoga or the many other activities that bring people happiness. Coloradans can share their pictures or videos of these activities by visiting Mental Health Colorado’s website, and Mental Health Colorado will assemble them and make

To learn more about Mental Health Colorado, visit mentalhealthcolorado. org.

Coloradans can follow the What’s Your Peace? campaign by opting into the Mental Health Colorado email campaign or by following Mental Health Colorado on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

them available via its social media channels.

Atchity is hoping for “a diverse picture of all the things” people do, he said.

People in Colorado’s southern plains may do different activities than those in the mountain communities or those in the heart of Denver, Atchity said. Additionally, someone in a rural community may have different struggles than someone in a more populated area.

“It all started with the notion that how we take care of ourselves and others is diverse,” Atchity said. The What’s Your Peace? campaign “can inspire others to try new things, but also bring the realization that there’s community in some of the things we do. This campaign will celebrate the things we each do, and will help inform others about how little things we work into our day can have a dramatic effect on our well-being.”

Local News , it makes a difference.

Thousands gathered in Denver on Jan. 17 to participate in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Marade and celebrate the life and legacy of King, Jr. This year’s in-person event included guest speakers and the marade — a parade and march — which began at City Park and ran along Colfax Avenue to Civic Center Park.

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Radon tests still available STAFF REPORT

The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment would like to remind all Colorado homeowners to test their homes for radon.

Low-cost radon test kits for $15 are available through the CDPHE year-round.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that has no color, odor or taste. It can enter homes and other buildings through small openings such as cracks in foundations, openings around pumps and drains, and crawl spaces.

According to a news release,

“radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers in America and claims the lives of about 21,000 Americans each year.

In Colorado, nearly half of homes have high radon levels, and more than 500 lung cancer deaths in the state each year are attributed to radon.”

In addition to regular testing, the CDPHE recommends that homeowners who have mitigation systems should retest their homes every few years to make sure the system is working properly.

To learn more about radon and the low-cost test kits, visit coloradoradon.info.

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4 Life on Capitol Hill

February 1, 2022

Welton Street Café’s family owners and restaurant staff gather for a photo for their GoFundMe campaign. The restaurant is asking for the community’s help to support PHOTO BY CHERMETRA KEYS its move to a larger, newer space.

Welton Street Café seeks community’s help with move

BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Welton Street Café is a family-owned and -operated restaurant that has been serving the Five Points community for nearly 23 years. It has outgrown its space and is asking for the community’s help in securing funding to move to a new space about a block PHOTO BY CHERMETRA KEYS and a half away.

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When someone walks into Welton Street Café, they’re not just customers.

“Welton Street Café means family,” said Fathima Dickerson, one of the restaurant’s co-owners. “We are here for family. We are here for community.

We are here to serve. We serve our community, and our community is our family.”

Welton Street Café, which is family owned and operated, got its start serving Denver’s Five Points community in 1986, eventually making itself known for being the place where one could get a pate — an island-style fried pastry stuffed with various fillings — and a Coke for $1.

People “got hooked,” said Chereka Dickerson, Welton Street Café’s communications manager, “and (the restaurant) became a staple.”

It opened a permanent location at 2736 Welton St. in July 1999. The space has served Welton Street Café well, however, it was known well before the pandemic hit that the establishment had outgrown the space, Dickerson said.

“The kitchen is so small,” Dickerson said. And “so many things need updated, it doesn’t make sense to stay.”

While the restaurant is surviving the pandemic, thanks to “the strength of our customers,” Dickerson said, a number of other issues have recently come about — namely, problems with the HVAC system in the old building, which Dickerson guesses was probably built sometime in the 1980s.

Welton Street Café’s current lease is up in March, and the restaurant is looking to move into a new, larger space about a block and a half away at 2883 Welton St., which it found in May 2021.

While the new location is secured, funding is an issue. Efforts to receive funding from sources such as government grants and loans, business loans and corporate grants have been unsuccessful, Dickerson said.

“So we are reaching out to our community for support,” states the

message on Welton Street Café’s Go Fund Me page. “If we have our village behind us, then we can continue to serve.”

The Go Fund Me was launched on Jan. 13 with a $250,000 goal. This will be enough to help the restaurant build out before opening, meaning the money will be used to purchase equipment, furnishings, fixtures and other supplies.

“We’re trying to secure (enough) to give us a running start,” Dickerson said.

Welton Street Café hopes to not be out of operation for too long, even if it temporarily operates out of a ghost kitchen, or does only catering or popup events during the time before it can reopen in its new space, Dickerson said. Knowing also that the new space will need to go through the city’s permitting and inspections, the hope is to have Welton Street Café reopened in the new space by mid-2022.

Within the first week of launching the Go Fund Me, Welton Street Café’ had reached about 25% of its goal. By Jan. 21, a little more than $79,000 had been raised.

“It’s so heartwarming that we’re receiving this amount of support,” Dickerson said. “People in Denver like to see these mom-and-pop shops survive.”

Welton Street Café is a beloved part of the community, and especially among Denver’s Black population.

Historically, Five Points is known as the Harlem of the West, Dickerson said.

“There’s a lot of Black history centered in Five Points. This is where Black folks lived, and frequented the businesses,” Dickerson said.

Welton Street Café is part of that legacy, she added.

“We know people’s names when they come in,” Dickerson said. “It means a lot to people.”

To learn more about Welton Street Cafe, visit weltonstreetcafe.com. The website includes a link to the restaurant’s Go Fund Me campaign to help with its move.

Life on Capitol Hill 5

February 1, 2022

‘Teaching your dog to be a good dog’ Ancillary K9 offers training from basic obedience to protection dog training

BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Indy had never been an aggressive dog, but he is a bit rambunctious.

Ryan Schnier knew he wanted to adopt a rescue, but was not particular on the breed.

He found Indy when he was 8 weeks old and adopted the pit bull mix in March last year. At the time, Schnier was living in New Jersey, and Indy had a yard to run around in.

“He was fairly well behaved,” Schnier said.

Schnier and his girlfriend moved to Denver with Indy in September last year. They now live in an apartment.

Though it has an indoor dog course and Indy gets taken out for a walk daily — if not more than once every day — he seemed to have what Schnier described as “sensory overload.”

“He wants to interact and play with all the other dogs,” Schnier said. “It was nearly impossible to take him for a walk or even out to use the bathroom.”

Schnier wanted to be able to take Indy to social places, like parks and brewery patios.

“I could take him, but it wasn’t a pleasant experience,” Schnier said.

Then one day, Indy was able to

Ryan Schnier and his dog, Indy, enrolled in a six-session program with Ancillary K9 last fall. Indy has always been fairly well behaved, but he is rambunctious and always wanted to play with other dogs.

Ancillary K9 has helped Indy learn to listen to Schnier and control his impulses.

To learn more about Ancillary K9, visit ancillaryk9.com. escape from his leash. He started running in and out of traffic, and wouldn’t come back to Schnier’s calls.

“That was the breaking point,” Schnier said.

He started looking into various trainers and found Ancillary K9, a small business in Cherry Creek that got its start in 2016.

Schnier enrolled in a six-session program in October last year, and it was like a “complete 180,” he said.

“After only one week, he (Indy) was listening to me. He’s learning to control his impulses.”

There is a common misconception that training isn’t much more than sit or stay, said Dion Studinski, dog trainer and founder of Ancillary K9, which serves Denver, Aurora and Thornton, but will travel anywhere within the E-470 corridor.

“It goes deeper than that,” Studinski said. “It’s teaching your dog to be a good dog.”

Ancillary K9 can help with anything from basic obedience training to obsessive barking and destructive behavior, and offers protection dog training.

Studinski has always been a dog owner. Ancillary K9 started out as a hobby — Studinski training people’s dogs because he enjoyed it and found that he was good at it — but then, to meet demand, it turned into his fulltime job.

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Ancillary K9 can work with any dog and dog owner, but specializes in dogs that were turned away from other trainers or kicked out of other programs.

“But it’s not just about the dog,” Studinski said. “We equip the owners with the tools and knowledge they need to be successful with their dog.”

Schnier is happy with the progress that both he and Indy have made, adding that Indy is now a well-balanced and well-behaved dog.

“Our connection is so much better,”

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he said.

Schnier said he plans on doing some ongoing training with Studinski so he can start taking Indy on future camping trips and/or to places that offer off-leash experiences.

He added that it’s so valuable to have a well-trained and well-behaved dog. People in Denver form a socialemotional relationship with their dog, Schnier said.

“They become part of the family,” Schnier said. “People in Denver give their dog a really good life.”

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6 Life on Capitol Hill

February 1, 2022

‘Mostly positive, though closer to neutral’

BY ELICIA HESSELGRAVE SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Denver is committed to continuing to work on lowering its recycling diversion rate.

But some residents believe that Denver’s overall recycling rate can be improved by increasing the number of bins available to people and better informing the public on how to recycle.

“If it’s the right number of plastic, but not the right shape or if there is tape on it, et cetera, I’m not sure it gets recycled,” said Abby Peterson, 35, who has lived in Denver for eight years. “I have noticed that most people just put every single thing in recycling, and I just don’t think that’s how it works.”

Diversion rate is the amount of product that is not sent to landfill, usually measured by weight. Denver has an ambitious goal of reaching the nation’s average diversion rate of 34%.

However, numbers from 2020 reveal that Denver’s Solid Waste Management Division recycled and composted 62,931 tons of materials that year, achieving a 25.7% diversion rate, said Vanessa Lacayo, spokesperson for Denver’s Department of Transportation & Infrastructure. Figures for last year are not yet available, but Lacayo expects them to be roughly 27%, which is a continuous upswing, Lacayo said, but 7% lower than the national average.

Additionally, Denver’s waste numbers are frequently compared to surrounding areas such as Boulder, Loveland, Fort Collins and Pitkin County — areas that have achieved their diversion rate goals.

But as Lacaya points out, “the landscape in Denver is a lot different than (those) other cities in terms of size, population and other factors, making it hard to give an apples-to-apples comparison.”

Contamination also plays a significant role in reaching diversion rate goals. According to Lacayo, Denver’s contamination rate was historically 10%, but an audit performed last year reported an increase to 15%.

One of the more serious contamination offenders is plastic film material, such as grocery bags or trash bags. According to the video, “The Recycle Cycle,” which is found on the city and county of Denver’s website, when non-recyclables such as plastic bags, electrical cords and plastic utensils wind up at the recycling center, those materials disturb and disrupt the recycling process, resulting in lower diversion rates and potentially damaged equipment.

Despite the shortfalls, there are signs of improvement, and there are policies in place to help improve Denver recycling.

In the past 10 months, Denver’s composting rate has increased by 10% with 30,000 households participating in composting, Lacayo said.

She added that the city is also making efforts to encourage more sustainable behaviors, including the grocery bag fee which was implemented in July 2021. More recently, a new program in Denver called the Single-Use Accessory Restriction Ordinance requires vendors to provide single-use items such as straws, napkins and utensils only when requested, rather than supplying them to each customer automatically. According to the ordinance, this policy is expected to decrease the amount of landfill waste as well as save money for restaurants and other food vendors.

Through public education campaigns, seasonal programs and other initiatives, the city is also trying to make it easier and more efficient for residents to recycle and compost.

For example, the county has recently updated the type of recyclable products accepted to all plastics labeled 1 through 7. These numbers refer to the Resin Identification Code (RIC), usually found at the bottom of packaging material in the Mobius Loop, more commonly known as the “chasing arrows” triangle. Denver recycles plastic materials that other counties would reject, including clamshell berry containers and the plastic sleeves cradling Oreos.

After living in three different residences in Denver during the past two years, Matt Ardaiolo, 35, describes his recycling experience

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as “mostly positive, though closer to neutral.”

He has a few suggestions on how to improve the city’s recycling program, including clearer messaging, access to recycling and increased pick-up frequencies — he states that because recycling is only collected every other week, “it’s hard to remember if it’s (a) recycling week.”

Ardaiolo points out that some apartment complexes do not provide recycling bins, and that when “they do, they are not marked clearly enough as to what they are.”

Or, he added, there are not adequate instructions, “so people (end up) throwing trash in whatever bin they find.”

Ardaiolo also believes that bilingual recycling messaging would go a long way to help encourage Denver’s Spanish-speaking community to get more involved with recycling efforts.

Peterson agrees and advocates for environmental justice to break down systemic barriers, which she believes add to the low recycling rate.

“If you are living paycheck to paycheck, recycling is just not a priority,” Peterson said. “There needs to be a visible connection of how recycling impacts your life.”

Life on Capitol Hill 7

February 1, 2022

BY KIRSTEN DAHL COLLINS SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Winning the Unknown Writers’ Contest sent aerospace engineer Petra Perkins’ career on a new trajectory.

“It opened up a new world of possibilities,” said Perkins, who lives in Highlands Ranch and is now a professional writer specializing in memoir.

The competition, which is sponsored by the Denver Woman’s Press Club (DWPC), also helped Denver author Corinne Joy Brown launch her career as a novelist.

“I felt as if I had been recognized by women I respected and idolized,” she said. “Looking back, it was a life-changing experience.”

After a pandemic hiatus, the DWPC is again soliciting entries with a deadline of Feb. 23. All residents of Colorado, aged 18 and older, may enter as long as they have never been professionally published.

Founded in 1898, the DWPC is one of the nation’s oldest clubs for female journalists. While the Unknown Writers’ Contest doesn’t go back quite that far, the competition has been pulling unknown writers out of obscurity for decades.

“It is one of my favorite sources of surprise,” said Katherine “Kim” Millett, who serves as the contest’s chairwoman and is a nationally-published journalist and retired editor with The Denver Post.

“It reaches out into the unknown, all over Colorado.”

Said DWPC President, Mindy Sink, a freelance non-fiction writer, “we’re really interested in people’s stories whether they’re pandemic-related or not. It’s a wonderful time for our group to be sharing with the world again.”

Winners celebrate over a proper English tea Entrants can write their way to first, second and third prizes in three categories: Short Fiction, Non-Fiction and Poetry. The contest winners will be invited to read their work aloud at an April 10 awards ceremony held at DWPC’s historic clubhouse, 1325 Logan St., in Capitol Hill.

Contest winners often bring their families to the ceremony, something both Millett and Sink find especially touching.

“It’s wonderful to see adult children cheering for their parents,” Millett said.

After the readings, members and honorees adjourn for a proper English tea.

According to Millett, this tradition began years ago with an English club member who provided an authentic tea service with delicate porcelain tea cups and homemade scones.

The tea is served under the approving gaze of Mary Elitch Long, whose formal portrait graces the club’s main meeting room. A turn-of-the century entrepreneur and society hostess, Long was also an enthusiastic booster of DWPC. Before the club acquired its permanent quarters in 1912, she hosted many gatherings at her picturesque cottage on the grounds of Elitch Gardens, the amusement park and zoo she co-founded with her husband, John Elitch. Elitch Gardens originally occupied 16 acres of farmland in northwestern Denver.

Coaching instead of criticizing Who enters the Unknown Writers’ Contest? According to Millett, entries arrive from towns large and small, throughout

Colorado. Some contestants write while struggling with poverty or homelessness, including people served by Denver’s nonprofit daytime drop-in center, The Gathering Place, where DWPC members have led writing workshops. The center, located at 1535 High St. in the City Park West neighborhood, provides supportive services to women, children and people who are transgender. Millett noted with pride that some writers from The Gathering Place have gone on to win awards, join DWPC and become published authors.

Whether they win awards or not, all entries receive constructive written feedback from two professional writers who are members of DWPC. This was especially important to former contest winner Corinne Joy Brown.

“There are very few places where you get peer-reviewed recognition,” she said.

According to Millett, DWPC judges undergo special training to ensure that contestants get supportive coaching — rather than criticism.

“As judges, we are not teachers or editors, we are there as sensitive readers,” she said. “Our mission is to encourage.”

Club dates back to Woman’s Suffrage era Not to be confused with the Denver Press Club, originally intended for men, the Denver Woman’s Press Club was founded as a haven for female journalists in a repressive era of bustles and poke bonnets.

“It was these women’s equivalent of going out for a beer,” said Millett. “They used the club as a way to let loose and have fun with their writing.”

The club was born amidst the woman’s suffrage movement, when leading female journalists such as Minnie J. Reynolds, the society columnist for the Rocky Mountain News, urged male editors throughout Colorado to write editorials in favor of granting women the right to vote. Those efforts paid off when 70% of state newspapers complied. Her efforts helped women gain full voting rights in 1893, making Colorado the first state to enfranchise women through popular referendum.

A striking poster in the club’s foyer depicts Reynolds elegantly attired and seated at her typewriter. She went on to become a national advocate for women’s suffrage and DWPC’s first president.

Many prominent women joined, including Helen Ring Robinson, Colorado’s first woman state senator and Mary Coyle Chase, who won the Pulitzer Prize for her 1944 Broadway play, “Harvey.”

Today, the club occupies a landmarked building that was once the former home and studio of professional artist George Elbert Burr. Burr was known for his etchings of Colorado and they are on display in the main room, near the portrait of benefactor Mary Elitch Long. Bookshelves are lined with volumes written by club members.

Every time the Denver Woman’s Press Club meets, it is surrounded by the history it helped to make.

To learn more about the Denver Woman’s Press Club, or for more information on the Unknown Writers’ Contest, visit dwpconline. org.

Rocky Mountain News journalist Minnie J. Reynolds worked to help Colorado women gain full voting rights in 1893. Over the next five years, she played a major role in organizing the Denver Woman’s Press Club and COURTESY OF WOMAN’S PRESS CLUB became its first president.

Denver Woman’s Press Club member Kelli Marko, at the podium, welcomes invitees to a reception for winners of the Unknown Writers’ Contest in a COURTESY OF WOMAN’S PRESS CLUB previous year.

Katherine “Kim” Millett, chairwoman of the Unknown Writers’ Contest sponsored by the Denver Woman’s Press Club, wants to open the door to PHOTO BY TIM COLLINS new writers.

8 Life on Capitol Hill

February 1, 2022

LOCAL

VOICES

Experience something new with SCFD Free Days FROM THE EDITOR

Christy Steadman

A

nybody who has lived in Denver for the past 40 years or so is probably familiar with the SCFD, which makes many of our favorite cultural organizations possible.

SCFD is an acronym for Scientific & Cultural Facilities District. It is a sales tax that collects one penny on every $10 to support cultural organizations in the seven-county metro area — Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Jefferson and Douglas.

The SCFD supports more than 100 organizations in Denver County alone, and about 300 throughout the seven counties. According to its website, the “SCFD distributes more than $60 million each year” to these 300-ish organizations.

But what that means to us, is thanks to this funding, there are a lot of cool things to do and experience in our own backyard!

Something that’s important to the SCFD is ensuring that everyone has access to these fun places and experiences. One way it makes that happen is by offering SCFD Free Days. It’s important to note that some

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dementia training needed When my husband, John, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, our family was devastated. There was so much for us to learn. When it was time to look for help with his care, we wanted to know the staff was well-prepared to provide for his needs.

The most important factor in quality dementia care is the staff. When choosing a care community, I assumed that the staff was knowledgeable in all aspects of dementia care. Sadly, there were times when I observed that lack of training impacted my husband’s (or another resident’s) care. I was surprised to learn that Colorado does not require staff at nursing homes, assisted living residences or adult day centers to have a specific number of hours of training in dementia.

While some facilities do make dementia training a priority, I believe all providers of these services should require it.

Please join me in thanking Senator Kolker, Senator Ginal and Representative Young for supporting the Alzheimer’s Association’s proposal to require a minimum of four hours of initial training and two hours of additional training every two years after that for direct care staff at every nursing home, assisted living and adult day centers across the state. I urge Speaker Garnett, Senators Smallwood, Fields and Buckner, and Representatives Lontine, Ortiz and Titone to also support this proposal.

Without proper training, we cannot ensure appropriate care for the thousands of Coloradans living with Alzheimer’s in assisted living facilities.

Debra Wells Centennial SEE LETTERS, P9

A publication of

Mailing Address: 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110 Phone: 303-566-4100 To subscribe call 303-566-4100 or visit www.lifeoncaphill.com/subscribe

organizations are always free to visit — the SCFD’s website points to the Broomfield Veterans Museum and Foothills Art Center in Golden — but others charge a fee for entry. But not on SCFD Free Days!

SCFD Free Days, like the name implies, is a specific day that people can visit a museum or experience the arts for free.

Just about anything you can imagine — from the Colorado Railroad Museum to the Denver Center of Performing Arts — offers SCFD Free Days.

SCFD Free Days take place throughout the year, and usually happen on different days at the various organizations. For example, the Denver Botanic Gardens has an upcoming SCFD Free Day at both its York Street and Chatfield Farms locations on Thursday, Feb. 17, and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science is offering an SCFD Free Day on Sunday, Feb. 27. It’s worth it to browse the calendar, because most places offer a number of SCFD Free Days throughout the year.

SEE EDITOR, P9

Me with the SCFD bear in summer 2016 during a free concert in the park performance of the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra in Parfet Park in Golden.

Proposal to expand residential recycling and composting services

T

he trash we throw away and bury in our landfill has a direct impact on air quality and the rate of climate change, because landfill waste produces one of the most harmful greenhouse gas emissions - methGUEST ane. Reducing landfill waste will fight rising temperatures and COLUMN poor air quality, as recycling uses 92% less energy than creating the same products from raw materials.

Fires and drought on the Front Range over the winter months point to worsening climate impacts that are poised to upend our expectations of temperatures and seasonal weather patterns, not Councilmember just on coasts and in other counRobin Kniech tries, but right here in Denver.

S

And the health effects of these changes are hitting Black, indigenous and other communities of color especially hard with disproportionate asthma rates, less access to air conditioning and other risks. Denverites care deeply about our natural environment and have overwhelmingly supported pro-environment ballot initiatives and council actions in the past. Together, we’re moving toward renewable energy, energy efficiency, electric vehicles and electrification plans - but we haven’t moved the needle on recycling and composting habits of Denver residents to reduce the landfill waste we bury every year.

We’ve been trying to get there for years through education campaigns and fee-based compost services for residential customers, but it hasn’t been enough. Improvements have been too slow to make SEE KNIECH, P9

Germination tricks of the trade

eeds are quite amazing little capsules of information — it’s mind boggling that something that fits in the palm of your hand, or on the tip of your finger, can hold the information needed to grow something GUEST as large as a tree.

All the while, seeds do not only COLUMN act as a container of genetic Brooke Palmer information, but they also contain mechanisms to make sure that the embryo will start growing exactly when conditions are just right for it to thrive, even if that means waiting for years to get it right.

While seeds “wait” to germinate at the right time in the right place, they will go into types of dormancies to help preserve the information it contains inside. As gardeners, we strive to manipulate environments and grow plants when we want them to. Breaking these dormancies can take a little expertise, and time, but it’s so rewarding once the deed is done.

Here are a few simple tricks I have found over the years as a horticulturist in propagation and production: SEE GERMINATION, P11

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager

lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

LISA SCHLICHTMAN Editor-in-Chief

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Email letters to csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

AUDREY BROOKS Business Manager

Deadline 5 p.m. on the 20th of each month for the following month’s paper.

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Columnists & Guest Commentaries Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of Life in Cap Hill.

We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.

Life on Capitol Hill 9

February 1, 2022

EDITOR FROM PAGE 8

Something to pay attention to is how the different organizations operate their SCFD Free Days. Some may require an advance ticket, while others may do it as a first come, first served basis. The Denver Zoo, for example, does a lottery system for its SCFD Free Days.

I love the SCFD Free Days because they truly accomplish what they’re meant to - I believe everyone should get to see a theater production, visit a museum or attend a concert, no matter if

LETTERS FROM PAGE 8

Protect Medicare program My grandfather spent more than three decades working to support our Colorado economy.

After retiring, the years of hard labor started to take a toll, and his health began to decline.

At 91 years old, he handles a host of health issues, including frequent falls. This past year, he has had to be hospitalized seven times. And while these incidents used to result in high-priced medical bills, he has been able to access the care he needs for minimal costs since switching to Medicare Advantage earlier this year.

In addition to covering the majority of his medical bills, he is

they wouldn’t normally have the financial means to do so. Culture and arts enrich us as a society.

But another reason that makes the SCFD Free Days so great is that they offer an opportunity to experience something new.

Maybe there’s something you think is not really your “thing,” but there’s no harm in checking it out free-of-cost during an SCFD Free Day. And who knows, after that experience, it just might become your new “thing.”

To learn more about the SCFD, visit scfd.org. To browse its calendar of SCFD Free Days, hover over the ‘Find Culture’ tab to get the drop down menu, and select ‘Free Days.’ able to access free transportation to and from his doctor appointments, which helps him get to all the appointments he needs since he can no longer drive. The benefits he receives have been helpful for our family too, as we know he is getting the care and assistance he deserves.

Coloradans should all have access to quality health care, like the coverage that is provided through Medicare Advantage. That is why I hope our representatives in Congress will continue to advocate for this program and protect it from potential funding cuts.

After so many years of supporting our state, our lawmakers should be doing everything they can to assist outstanding citizens like my grandfather.

Slade E. Mills Denver

KNIECH

- the smaller the cart, the smaller the fee. All customers would receive weekly composting and recycling for free, which has been a growing need for many years and became increasingly apparent during the pandemic as households recycled more cardboard and plastics from online orders and deliveries. The current proposal includes an affordability index with instant rebates to support lower-income households or those on fixed incomes. Denver would be the only city in the nation that discounts trash fees for low-income residents. Additionally, tens of thousands of residents would simply be able to switch from the compost fee they are paying today to a smaller fee for selection of the smallest trash cart.

Residential waste policy change isn’t the only step we need to take.

Multi-family condo and apartment building residents in neighborhoods like Capitol Hill, who already pay for their waste service if their building has more than seven units, should also have better access to recycling and composting to reduce their trash waste. Expanding residential waste services first is the city’s opportunity to lead by example before tackling ways to reduce private waste hauling.

Increasing Denver’s diversion rate is a common-sense way to improve quality of life and reduce climate impacts in Denver. Stakeholder outreach is underway to answer questions and identify any challenges we would need to overcome to take this policy change on as a community.

FROM PAGE 8

a meaningful difference in our diversion rate, or the amount of waste being recycled or composted rather than landfilled. Denver’s current diversion rate of 26% is below the national average of 34%, less than half of Boulder (53%) and less than a third of San Francisco (80%) and Los Angeles (76%). We know that Denver can and must improve our recycling and composting rate.

Denver has been exploring the best policy to achieve this outcome for more than a decade, including recommendations for policy change from the community-led Climate Action Task Force, the city’s Sustainable Food Policy Council and many community organizations and leaders.

Denver’s current policy has made it harder for residents to do the right thing, because it has charged residents to compost and only picked up recycling every other week, while making it free to throw away as much as they want - eliminating any incentive to compost or recycle.

In response, Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency (CASR), in partnership with Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure and Division of Solid Waste, has researched and is exploring a proven expanded waste service approach that would provide Denver residents free, weekly recycling and compost services, while charging people less if they throw less trash away. Customers would choose a small, medium or large trash cart size, and the monthly fee would vary accordingly

Robin Kniech is an at-large member of Denver City Council. She can be reached at kniechatlarge@denvergov. org or 720-337-7712.

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10 Life on Capitol Hill

February 1, 2022

Denver Jewish Film Festival returns in February 34 films and shorts from 14 countries to be featured

BY BRUCE GOLDBERG SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Yes, Richard Cowden does have some favorites among the 34 films that will be shown at the 26th annual Denver Jewish Film Festival, to be held from Feb. 14 to March 1.

“When I first started at the job, I appointed myself to the film selection committee. I’m so glad that I did. I ended up watching over 75 films,” said Cowden, 51, the new general manager of the Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center’s Mizel Arts and Culture Center, which runs arts, culture and community programming. “So I’ve seen every minute of every film. The thing that strikes me is the entire lineup is

extraordinarily strong, especially on the narrative feature side.”

One such film, based on a true story and the opening-night choice, is titled “Persian Lessons.”

“It’s a really remarkable, funny, profoundly heartbreaking film about a young Belgian Jew who gets taken captive by the SS and avoids being executed by convincing them he is Persian because he has a book that was written in Persian One,” Cowden said.

There’s one catch: The protagonist didn’t speak Persian and couldn’t read the book, so he invented a nonsense language, taught it to the commandment, and thus saved his life and others.

Cowden, who was hired in August, also sought some family films and found them in “The Crossing,” which is about children trying to reach Denmark’s border to get away from the occupation; and “When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit,” which is about a

family on the run because the father was a journalist and a critic of the Nazis and Hitler.

“Both movies are great for families because they’re historical, they move very fast and focus on the kids,” Cowden said.

“Mighty Ira” also caught Cowden’s attention. It’s about Ira Glassman, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union for many years.

“It looks at his life through the lens of baseball,” Cowden said. “He was a Dodger fan and it shows him kicking around in Brooklyn where Ebbets Field used to be.”

Another unique film is “A Father’s Kaddish,” which is about pottery-maker Steven Branfman paying homage to his son, who died from brain cancer at age 23.

Branfman, 69, used his pottery to help him work through his grief.

Each day, for one year, he said a Kaddish prayer for his son and also created a Japanese tea bowl

called a chawn.

Making the bowls “was my personal tribute, my personal Kaddish,” Branfman said. “They were the only pots I made for a year (and) each piece is unique.”

Branfman’s pottery will be on display at the Plinth Gallery, 3520 Brighton Blvd. in Denver, starting Feb. 4. Plinth Gallery will host a special opening from 7-9 p.m.

Feb. 19, leading up to the film being screened at the JCC’s Elaine Wolf Theatre at 1 p.m. Feb. 20.

Branfman will attend the screening and conduct a question-andanswer session.

He will also have a selection of the remaining Kaddish tea bowls for sale. Proceeds will benefit organizations that fight cancer.

“Each piece reflected how I felt that day, what the weather was, how I was feeling physically,” Branfman said. “It gave me something I knew I was committed to do each day, no matter where I was.”

in-person; and Feb. 23 to March 1, virtual only. From Feb. 14-22, virtual films will be available through Eventive the day after the in-person screening for seven days. Films to be shown only virtually will be available from Feb. 23 to March 1. Virtual films can be seen through Chromecasting

on your television, or with the Eventive Smart TV apps for Roku or Apple TV. Tickets: Visit www.jccdenver.org/ film. Tickets can also be purchased both online and in-person at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center Box Office, from noon-5 p.m. Monday-Friday

and one hour before all in-person screenings.

Cost: Individual tickets cost $15 for adults and $13 for students and seniors. Virtual films cost $20 per household per film. A variety of film festival all-access passes are also available at different price points.

IF YOU GO What: 26th annual Denver Jewish Film Festival, featuring 34 films and shorts from 14 countries.

Where: The Mizel Arts and Culture Center at the Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center, 350 S. Dahlia St., in Denver.

When: Feb. 14-22, both virtual and

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Life on Capitol Hill 11

February 1, 2022

Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods’ S.E.E.D. helps fund eight community projects

“The students, staff and community gardeners at Morey would love to see the school function as a community gathering space but there is no outside seating and little shade. With the help of the CHUN grant, we will be able to finish our new outdoor classroom space, including tables for sharing meals and seating for small class groups.” — Gigia Kolouch, garden leader at Morey Middle School Community Garden.

Learn more: dug.org

BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods, a registered neighborhood organization that serves the greater Capitol Hill area, presented its annual S.E.E.D. awards on Jan. 6 with a virtual presentation.

This is the third year for the S.E.E.D. Awards Program, which exists to help organizations meet immediate funding needs for smaller projects that encourage civic entrepreneurship and/or promote neighborhood engagement. To be awarded S.E.E.D. funding, a project must enhance the greater Capitol Hill community and align with CHUN’s mission and values. S.E.E.D. is an acronym for Smart development, Enrichment, Environmental sustainability, and Diversity in the community.

Since the program’s inception, more than $20,000 have been directed to the community — this year’s amount being $8,000.

“The S.E.E.D. awards are an opportunity for our organization to fuel creativity through local solutions and community-based impact investments,” said Travis Leiker, CHUN’s president and executive director, in a news release. “As Denverites continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainty on myriad fronts, this initiative is an opportunity for us to make a positive impact.

This is how Denverites can come together and make meaningful change.”

Dora Moore PTSA The project: purchase books for the Dora Moore school’s Little Free Library. The books will depict diverse main characters to help encourage students to develop a healthy self-image.

Dora Moore is located at 846 Corona St. and serves children in early childhood education to eighth grade.

Learn more: moore.dpsk12.org Our Savior’s Lutheran Church The project: support Our Savior’s Lutheran Church’s Helping Hands program, which purchases much-needed items such as socks, clothing, and toiletries, for those living in shelters in CHUN neighborhoods. The church is located at 915 E. Ninth Ave. Learn more: oslchurchdenver.org

ReCreative Denver The project: host Head Room Sessions at various locations around Capitol Hill. Head Room Sessions are intimate live music sessions featuring BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ artists.

Learn more: recreativedenver.org

2022 S.E.E.D. recipients B-Konnected The project: form partnerships with neighborhood groups to support B-Konnected’s work that focuses on housing access and housing stability by increasing housing retention rates among marginalized renters.

Learn more: bkonnected.org Denver Community Fridges The project: Purchase a refrigerator and build a shed with built-in pantry shelves to house the refrigerator. The end result will establish and maintain an outdoor pantry aimed at combating food insecurity and food waste by offering food 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The pantry and refrigerator will be “stocked daily with food, diapers, menstrual products, hand warmers and other essentials for anyone to use,” said Eli Zain, Denver Community Fridges’ founder.

“Some of our most special relationships come from community members who drop off items to our fridges. These refrigerators are vehicles for community building, and we are very excited to expand our project into new areas of Denver.” — AJ Boglioli, Denver Community Fridges operations.

Learn more: denvercommunityfridges.com

GERMINATION FROM PAGE 8

Cold stratification Seed dormancy can be regulated by the environment or by the seed itself. In Colorado where we experience a temperate climate — which generally have wider temperature ranges throughout the year with distinct seasonal changes — many plants are used to a cycle of blustery, winter temperatures followed by the fluctuations that spring, summer and fall bring about. We can mimic this through a period

Denver Community Fridges received a Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods S.E.E.D. grant to purchase a refrigerator and build a pantry to stock with food and non-food essentials to provide to the community in need, free-ofCOURTESY PHOTO charge.

Denver Park Trust The project: organize a spring park clean up at Alamo Placita Park, partnering with Ready to Work, which provides work opportunities for recently homeless.

Learn more: denverparktrust.org Denver Urban Gardens The project: Transform the community garden at Morey Middle School into an outdoor classroom and gathering area, featuring native pollinator plants, edible perennials and native berries.

Senior Housing Options The project: procure outdoor heaters at the Olin Hotel Apartments, 1420 Logan St., to provide comfort to residents who socialize in the outdoor courtyard. The Olin Hotel Apartments provides affordable housing for older adults and individuals with disabilities.

Learn more: seniorhousingoptions.org CHUN also recognized its Good Neighbor Award recipients during a virtual presentation on Jan. 27.

“These awards give CHUN an opportunity to recognize and show appreciation for the dedication of individuals, nonprofits and businesses who invest their time, talents and resources to move our community forward in a transformational way,” Leiker said in a news release.

2022 Good Neighbor Award recipients

Roger Armstrong Volunteer of the Year Award: Barbara DeJong Neighborhood Character Award: Castle Lion Development Tom Knorr Community Leadership Award: Charles Nusbaum Historic Preservation Award: City Street Investors Affordable & Accessible Housing Award: Colorado Village Collaborative Neighborhood Safety Award: Rainbow Alley at The Center on Colfax

of moist, cold stratification. Here at the Denver Botanic Gardens, we sow flats of seeds, water and cover them up, and either place in a cooler or outside in cold frames in winter. At home, you can do the same by either placing seed in wet sand or vermiculite in a baggy and storing in your fridge or freezer until you are ready to sow. Alternatively, you can take advantage of our spring snowstorms and broadcast seed directly into your garden just before an expected snow to let seeds get a taste of real winter.

and legumes — have a thick, tough seed coat protecting the seed until prime conditions occur. Scarifying, or mechanically breaking down the seed coat, can also give you a higher percentage of germination in a quicker process than mother nature does. The goal is to expose the tender tissues hiding inside. This can be done several ways and you can get creative in the process. In our greenhouse workspace, we have several tools to scarify, including sandpaper, nail files and clippers, and even needles to poke and nick.

Scarifying Many seeds — think tree seeds

Water baths Soaking your seeds in

water is another simple trick to germination. Soaking in water can either help soften the seed coat to wake up the hiding embryo or can leach out chemicals in the seed coat that are preventing germination until conditions are right. A technique I have fallen to recently is an aerated bath, where seeds soak in a bath of water being turned by an aquarium air pump, which provides required oxygen to the seeds as their coats soften.

Brooke Palmer is a horticulturist and the Denver Botanic Gardens’ greenhouse production coordinator.

12 Life on Capitol Hill

BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

February is cookie time, and the Girl Scouts will be offering a new cookie this year.

Called Adventurefuls, it represents “all the adventures that cookie sales fund for Girl Scouts,” said Denver Girl Scout Bianca Morris, 12, who has been a Girl Scout for five years. “I think they’re going to be a hit.”

Adventurefuls is a brownie-inspired cookie with a combination of chocolate and caramel flavors, and smooth and crispy textures. It joins the cookie lineup of favorites such as Thin Mints and Tagalongs, and the gluten-free Toffee-tastic.

Cookie sales begin this year on

February 1, 2022

Feb. 6 and will end on March 13.

People can purchase cookies in a number of ways, both online and in-person.

People love Girl Scout cookies, but cookie season is not just the time of year that people get to indulge in these sweet treats. Girl Scout cookie sales is when girls are able to apply and practice lifelong skills, said Robin Morris, Bianca’s mom, such as goal-setting, decision-making, money management, people skills and business ethics.

“It starts with the girls,” said Robin Morris. And “the skills build upon each other as they (the girls) grow.”

Bianca Morris’ troop, which serves central Denver, works toward what they call the Three S’s — Spend,

Share and Save — with their cookie sales.

Spend is the money the troop can use to buy things they need, such as supplies. Share is the money that they give back to the community.

Save is the money the troop will put toward an adventure or trip, which, currently, the plan is to go to Hawaii once it is safe to do so, concerning COVID. Bianca Morris has a goal to sell between 500-700 boxes of cookies this year. Considering reasonable time management, this is a smaller goal than last year — 1,000 boxes, which she met — because she has more going on this year with school and coursework.

Plus, Bianca Morris added, “I can always get more boxes if needed.”

HOW TO GET GIRL SCOUT COOKIES Girl Scout cookie season is Feb. 6-March 13. Cookies can be purchased through booth sales or online through a Girl Scout’s Digital Cookie platform. To locate an inperson booth, visit girlscoutsofcolorado. org, and select Find Cookies.

Bianca Morris is looking forward to selling cookies at school and booth sales because she enjoys connecting with the community, she said.

“People know about Girl Scouts and know it helps girls out. It makes people happy knowing Girl Scout cookies are the same and that they can still get them,” Bianca Morris said. “But I also like getting to eat the cookies myself. That’s always a great part of cookie season.”

Athena Project hosts annual Cocktails & Comedy Fundraiser STAFF REPORT

The Athena Project is inviting the community to celebrate its 10th anniversary and mark Women’s History month with its annual Cocktails & Comedy Fundraiser on March 5.

The Athena Project is a local nonprofit organization that “empowers women through the arts and creates a world with gender equity where women’s voices are amplified,” states a news release. It consists of “creates a world where women’s voices are powerfully expressed and recognized for artistic merit in the community,”

states the news release.

Athena Project’s Cocktails & Comedy Fundraiser takes place at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 7 p.m., March 5 at the Maven Hotel Windsor Ballroom inside the Dairy Block at 1850 Wazee St. in Denver. Parking is available at the Dairy Block underground garage parking — the entrance is on 19th between Blake and Wazee streets.

The event will feature several local comedians, heavy appetizers, desserts, a specially-created Athena Project cocktail, games and prizes.

Mannequin heads designed by Denver artists will be available for sale at the

event and throughout the month, as featured at the Dairy Block in an art Installation called “Women In Their Infinite Forms.”

All COVID health and safety protocols, including required masks, will be observed.

Tickets cost $75 in advance and $80 at the door. A special ticket price for artists is offered at $25. Artists must show proof with a business card, website or headshot/resume at the door.

“Athena Project was founded to shine a spotlight on the underrepresentation of women in the arts, so it’s an honor reflecting on the past

10 years of our impact and service with both joy and pride,” said Angela Astle, executive founder and producer of Athena Project. “We know that we have been a beacon of light throughout the Denver community for women artists. By uplifting their voices and creating more paid opportunities for them, we now have a network of support for years to come. We look forward to the next 10 years of connection and community building.”

To learn more about the Athena Project, or to purchase tickets to the Cocktails & Comedy Fundraiser, visit athenaprojectarts.org.

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