10 minute read
SEE CIRCUS
to introduce his plucky troupe of acrobats and performers.
“Dreams have a way of bringing good people together,” Venardos said.
Performers included aerialists and acrobats Lexi Powell, Eric Allen, Lady Beast, and husbandand-wife team Duo Acosta, performing a dizzying array of stunts, culminating in a Houdini-esque straitjacket escape.
The old-school circus performs beneath a classic redand-white striped tent, and the whole shebang carries a vintage
SEE CIRCUS, P7
Venardos Circus founder and ringmaster Kevin Venardos warms up the
crowd. PHOTOS BY DAVID GILBERT
Husband-and-wife team Duo Acosta put on an exciting act.
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Manuel Acosta attaches a harness to Lady Beast as she prepares for a daring straitjacket
escape. PHOTOS BY DAVID GILBERT
Spectators watch an aerial act.
vaudeville fl air.
In an age with plenty of ways to be entertained, Venardos Circus commanded a captivated and giddy audience, who at the end of the show leaped to their feet for a standing ovation.
“It was just the perfect welcome back to living life again,” said Karin Leonard, who brought her mom and a friend for one of their fi rst outings in ages. “What a circus. When I retire I’m running away to join them.”
Venardos told the crowd that the magic of the circus is a chance to remember the joy of connection.
“The way the last year has gone, it felt like we’ve been looking away from each other,” he said. “But when you look at the faces of these performers, they’re of people who are different sizes and shapes and colors working together to make something we hope you fi nd beautiful. We hope it reminds you of yourselves, your families, your community. You can make something special too.”
Venardos Circus will host numerous performances in Littleton through July 24, though tickets are quickly growing scarce. From there the show will move on to Longmont and Colorado Springs.
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Council requests change to proposed electoral districts
BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Town of Parker is hoping to be made whole again after a preliminary congressional redistricting map proposed splitting the community between two members of Congress.
And the town’s proposed remedy could have an impact on Littleton and other nearby communities.
The town council on June 12 agreed to send a formal request to the independent commission charged with redrawing the boundaries of the state’s congressional districts.
It comes as the state undergoes a once-in-a-decade redistricting process for congressional and state legislative districts -- including Colorado’s new 8th Congressional District. This time, the lines are being drawn by twin independent redistricting commissions established by voters.
In the fi rst draft of the congressional map from commission staff, one portion of Parker, with an estimated 25,000 residents, would be included in the 6th District, while the other 32,000 Parker residents would be in the 7th District.
The proposed 6th District portion of Parker loosely includes areas east of Jordan Road and Parker Road, and around Mainstreet and downtown. Most of the town that lies west of Jordan Road and south of Mainstreet is proposed to be in the 7th District.
“Parker being split in half just doesn’t make sense,” Parker Mayor Jeff Toborg said. “I think they’re going to see that too.”
Parker currently lies within the 4th District, now represented by Republican Ken Buck. The 6th and 7th districts are currently represented by Democrats Jason Crow and Ed Perlumutter respectively. All seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election next year.
‘A stronger voice’
In the July 12 meeting where Parker Town Council approved the request, Toborg pointed out that under the proposed map, Councilmembers Anne Barrington and Cheryl Poage would be under a different representative in Congress than the rest of the council.
“I don’t want to have to go talk to one Congress member while two other councilmembers go talk to another Congress member,” Toborg said. “It just dilutes the process a little bit.”
The Colorado Constitution’s Amendment Y, passed in 2018, established the new redistricting commissions, one for congressional seats and the other for legislative districts. Under the amendment, communities of interest and political subdivisions, such as counties and towns, are to be kept together in their congressional districts. Each district must also hold an equal population while also creating as politically competitive a district as possible.
“I think keeping Parker whole gives us a stronger voice,” Councilmember Anne Barrington said in the meeting.
Toborg planned to submit the resolution in written form and also speak during an Aug. 18 public input meeting held by the two redistricting commissions in Highlands Ranch. (Details on how to submit a written public comment, submit a recommended map or speak during an input meeting are available at redistricting.colorado.gov.)
A preliminary draft map of Colorado’s proposed congressional district boundaries shows Parker split between the 6th District (orange) and the 7th District (brown).
The 4th District is shown in yellow. MAP BY COLORADO INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSIONS STAFF
SEE MAP, P16
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