25 minute read
JUNE
DENVER MUNICIPAL BAND AIMS TO PROVIDE
MUSIC FOR ALL The Denver Municipal Band performs at Mayfair Park in east Denver in a past year. The band recently announced that its free summer concerts in the park will take place in locations throughout the metro area this year.
COURTESY OF DENVER MUNICIPAL BAND
Community invited to attend concerts in the park this summer
By Christy Steadman
csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com
The sun sets over a beautifully landscaped park in Denver on a warm summer night.
Families spread blankets on the grass and start unpacking picnicstyle dinners. Neighbors sit on lowback lawn chairs in small groups, chatting about local goings-on. A cyclist pauses for a few moments to listen to the sounds from the stage. Children happily dance to the music of the Denver Municipal Band.
“These evenings in Denver turn into a wonderous time,” said Bob Shaklee, a longtime Denver resident. “It just becomes magical.”
The Denver Municipal Band recently announced it will be performing a regular concert series this summer, which includes a number of free concerts in city parks across Denver.
“What we like about it (attending Denver Municipal Band concerts) is that it’s a great way to build community within the city,” said Barb Shaklee. She and her husband, Bob Shaklee, have served on the Denver Municipal Band’s board since the mid-1980s.
The Denver Municipal Band has been part of the city’s fabric for about 160 years. It formed when people were coming to take “a shot at finding silver and gold in the mountains,” said Joseph Martin, the Denver Municipal Band’s conductor, executive director and artistic director. Martin, a trombone player and professor at the University of Denver, has been involved with the Denver Municipal Band for about 22 years.
Having earned the accolade of being the longest, continually performing band in the U.S., it got its start in 1861 as the Denver City Band to bring culture to the Wild West city of Denver. About 30 years later, the city of Denver guaranteed funding for the band to perform regularly at city ceremo-
SEE MUSIC, P5
UPCOMING CONCERTS
The Denver Municipal Band recently announced its summer concerts. The list below are the dates for the concerts that take place in the Washington Park Profi le’s coverage area. To fi nd more concerts for areas outside of the Profi le’s coverage area, visit https://denvermunicipalband.org.
JUNE 4
6-8 p.m. City Park, 2001 Steele St. (pavilion) Ice cream social in the pavilion and Jazz Band concert in the band shell. Sponsored by City Park Alliance, https://cityparkalliance.org.
SEPT. 11
6:30-8 p.m. Pulaski Park, 3300 E. Bayaud Ave. Jazz Band concert and neighborhood celebration, sponsored by Cherry
Creek East Association, www.cherrycreekeast.org.
JULY 9
7-9 p.m. Cheesman Park, 1900 E. 11th Ave. Concert Band concert and neighborhood celebration.
SEPT. 25
1-2:30 p.m.
Cheesman Park, 1900 E. 11th Ave. Jazz Band concert and neighborhood celebration.
By Christy Steadman
It boasts a variety of free community outreach and development programming — including a series of free classes for community members that take place in small business venues such as a neighborhood brewery.
During the school year, the band’s musicians will frequent schools across the metro area to perform or work with the students in the school’s music program. During the COVID-19 pandemic when many students were attending classes remotely, the Denver Municipal Band launched its online content for students and teachers — but accessible to all for free on the band’s website — to supplement a school or a student’s music education.
“I believe in the bene ts of the joy of music,” said Shane Endsley, who plays trumpet and drums in the Denver Municipal Band, and serves as its director of education. One mission, he added, is to promote “participation in live music and the arts.”
nies and summer park concerts, and the band changed its name to the Denver Municipal Band.
In the mid-1980s, the city faced a budget shortfall, so in 1985, the Denver Municipal Band became a nonprofit and formed its board, which consists of volunteers, the Shaklees said.
Barb Shaklee is a pianist, but using her background in law — she is a retired attorney — she helped with the legal filings for the nonprofit. Bob Shaklee “only plays the radio,” he said, but has always been a music fan and feels it’s important for all to be able to experience the joy of music.
Today, the Denver Municipal Band collectively consists of a number of bands — the 40-piece Concert Band, the 20-piece Jazz Band, the eightperson Show Band and a combination of smaller groups such as trios, quartets and quintets.
The band members are professional and include the Denver-metro’s top-ofthe-line musicians, Martin said. In fact, many also play with other well-known ensembles such as the Colorado Symphony, the Colorado Ballet Orchestra, Central City Opera, Denver Brass and the Queen City Jazz Band.
The Denver Municipal Band continues to be the cornerstone for major city celebrations, Martin said.
Staying true to its original mission of providing free access to live music for all, the Denver Municipal Band performs all over Denver, and its suburb cities, at all sorts of events.
One can see the Denver Municipal Band at the Five Points Jazz Festival, Littleton’s Western Welcome Week, northeast Denver’s Taste of Ethiopia and the Westminster Latino Festival, to name a few.
These are not to mention the hundreds, if not thousands, of free concertin-the-park events that have taken place through the years.
“We’re here for the people of Denver,” Martin said. “This music, of the highest quality, is here for everybody. It’s who we are as Denverites.”
Equity, and being able to share music with all, is important to the organization, he added.
“Music has the power to bring in issues of social justice,” Martin said, “and be a vehicle to open up those conversations of moving forward as a community.”
The Denver Municipal Band did not have the large-gathering concert in the park events in 2020, but it continued provide music to local communities. For example, small groups of musicians would perform — socially-distanced and unannounced to the general public — in parking lots of nursing homes, and the facility would air the music through its PA system for its residents.
Though all the Denver Municipal Bands make their way around the city for free concerts, the mainstay band is probably the Concert Band.
The Concert Band performs a variety of music that appeals to a broad audience — Broadway tunes, jazz/swing, patriotic music and marches, and movie themes, for example. This year, the Concert Band has something special in store for concert-goers, said Dan Leavitt, the principal trumpet player for the Concert Band who also serves as the Denver Municipal Band’s manager, and director of the Jazz Band, Show Band and brass quintet.
New this summer, Leavitt said, the Concert Band will feature the music of James Reese Europe, who helped form the Clef Club — a union of African American musicians — and was the first African American to conduct at Carnegie Hall in New York City with the Clef Club orchestra, Leavitt said. Europe, who lived from 1881 to 1919, is “extremely important to the history of American music transitioning from ragtime to swing and jazz,” Leavitt said.
But his music has been lost for about 100 years, Leavitt said, adding that arranging Europe’s music is a project that he had been wanting to do for a long time. Leavitt was finally able to dedicate more time to it during the COVID-19 shutdowns, he said.
Music brings people together, enriches peoples’ lives and has the ability to engage people in culture — that of their own, and introduce them to other cultures that exist nearby, Leavitt said.
“We’ve been doing this for over 150 years. It’s a strong tradition long supported by the (Denver) mayor and parks and rec,” Leavitt said. “Music, and art in general, can define a culture. The more people who participate in music, the richer the whole culture is.”
The Denver Municipal Band has been part of the city’s fabric for about 160 years. With a focus on equity, the band makes its way around the metro area for all to be able to enjoy its free concerts. PHOTOS COURTESY OF DENVER MUNICIPAL BAND
The Denver Municipal Band performs at the Denver Botanic Gardens in a past year. The band will again be making its way around the city this summer to perform its free concerts in the park.
The Denver Municipal Band’s rich history
By Christy Steadman
and for many of the grand openings and dedications of Denver’s major venues, including the Pepsi Center (now the Ball Arena), Coors Field and the worldrenowned Red Rocks Amphitheater. e Denver Municipal Band performed at the 2008 Democratic National Convention for former President Barack Obama, and continues to entertain attendees of the Denver Mayor’s State of the City address each year.
As much as the band’s focus is on catering to the local communities, the Denver Municipal Band has received some fanfare beyond Colorado. It performed at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair and for the Allied Forces during WWII. Between roughly 1930 and 1950, the Denver Municipal Band participated in nationwide radio broadcasts. More recently, the jazz quintet was set to go to Japan to honor Denver’s sister city, Takayama, in October 2020, but that was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Congrats, Class of 2021
The graduating class of 2021 overcame a lot of obstacles throughout their senior year, including a switch from remote learning to in-person and a hybrid of the two. All made the best of their senior year, but here is a spotlight on a few of them.
Samuel Geovany Hunsinger Elise Rebecca Meara Arielle Montoya Kevin Jareth Muruato Venegas Quintin Yates
Denver East High School
Future plans: Employed at the YMCA this summer.
“I made many interesting friends throughout my high school experience and I learned that we could stay in touch even through a pandemic.”
Cherry Creek High School (resident of Denver’s University neighborhood)
Future plans: Enter into the Human Development and Family Studies program at Colorado State University.
“I will take the importance of all the friendships that were built in high school and bring that with me to learn how to make and keep new friendships in the future.” DSST: Cole
Future plans: A trip to Germany and attend the Colorado School of Mines in the fall as the rst in her family to go to college on a scholarship covering full tuition.
“I have learned that I am very independent — I worked and did school full-time. As di cult as this was, I always completed my work on time without any extensions. I will take this dedication with me in my future because it has pushed me to move forward and know that I am capable of balancing my time management to successfully accomplish my goals.” DSST: Cole
Future plans: Study sports medicine at Colorado State University and obtain a job to help his mom pay bills.
“No matter what circumstances you face, you have to continue. Sometimes life is going to be hard, but you have to use those obstacles as motivation to continue and not let those obstacles stop you from meeting your goals and purpose in life.” Denver South High School
Future plans: Attend Loyola Marymount University in California this fall and double major in physics and philosophy.
“No matter the environment you wind up in, a little compassion and understanding goes a long way for getting what you need.”
We’ve got a shot to reunite as families.
GET THE COVID-19 VACCINE. APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE.
If we all get vaccinated, we can soon return to the life we love. We’ve got a shot—if you get one. Appointments are available now, and you can schedule your COVID-19 vaccine at one of our vaccine sites by visiting centura.org/vaccine.
By Christy Steadman
csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com
This year, it’s all about uniting.
And so that everyone can do so safely, e Center on Colfax is hosting a hybrid Denver PrideFest celebration this year with both in-person and virtual events.
“We believe it’s crucial to provide the community with a range of options to safely connect and celebrate PrideFest this year,” said e Center’s CEO Rex Fuller. “While some people might feel comfortable interacting in small gatherings, others may feel safer staying at home. We hope our hybrid approach o ers something for everyone.”
Denver PrideFest takes place June 26-27.
It will feature a virtual parade — which will be broadcasted at 9:30 a.m. on June 27 on Denver7’s and e Center’s social media channels — a virtual marketplace, a 5K and Pride Hubs. ose who wish to participate in the 5K can do so in their own neighborhood by registering to participate virtually, or they can participate in-person at Cheesman Park. Both the virtual and in-person 5K will take place on June 26.
Micro-events — being called Pride Hubs — will take place at a variety of venues throughout the city. Just a few examples include a Saturday night pool party a with a deejay at the Jewish Community Center, family-friendly activities at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and a mini festival in e Center’s parking lot featuring food trucks, exhibitors and roo op entertainment.
Admission to most Pride Hubs events are free, but there will be capacity limits. Some require pre-registration and some venues will be using a ticketing system to manage attendance. Denver PrideFest’s website has links to each Pride Hub for people to register for the events.
“Pride events are an important opportunity for community members to come together and speak out on issues that are important to the LGBTQ+ community. Pride is also an opportunity to celebrate one’s identity without fear or shame,” Fuller said. “I’m so proud of our PrideFest committee members and sta who have been so creative in nding safe ways to celebrate pride.”
Denver PrideFest is e Center’s largest fundraiser that supports the nonpro t’s programming for LGBTQ+ youth, seniors and Colorado’s transgender community. Getting its start as a march, and now in its 44th year, Denver PrideFest is the largest pride celebration in the Rocky Mountain Region.
Last year, Denver PrideFest took place as an all-virtual event, and reached about 3 million people, said John White, events director for e Center.
Whether virtual or in-person, the Denver PrideFest celebration always o ers something to forward to, White added.
But “pride is not just one weekend, or one month,” White said. “It’s all year long.”
The Center on Colfax is hosting a hybrid Denver PrideFest celebration this year.
It takes place June 26-27.
For more information on any of this year’s virtual or in-person Denver PrideFest events, visit https://denverpride.org/.
To learn more about The Center on Colfax, 1301 E. Colfax Ave., visit www. lgbtqcolorado.org.
2021 Denver PrideFest to offer in-person and virtual events
Kalyn Heffernan of Wheelchair Sports Camp addresses the crowd of a previous year’s Denver PrideFest. This year’s Denver PrideFest takes place June 26-27 and features a hybrid celebration with both in-person and virtual events.
PHOTO BY ERIK HOLLADAY/ HOLLADAY PHOTOGRAPHY
ere are many Pride events taking place throughout the metro area in June. Here are a couple suggestions.
Loud & Proud: A Celebration of Pride Bands from Coast to Coast
is live-stream concert will feature 13 LGBTQIA+ bands part of the international Pride Bands Alliance, including Colorado’s own Mile High Freedom Bands — MHFB Winds, MHFB Swing and MHFB Corps & Guard.
Performances for Loud & Proud will range in musical genres including pop, symphonic, classical, modern, soundtrack and more.
Loud & Proud will be broadcasted twice on June 26. In mountain time, the times are 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.
It is free to live-stream view the concert, but donations are appreciated. All proceeds will be split evenly among the 13 bands to support their missions of building pride and inclusivity through music.
Loud & Proud is being coordinated by the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band. Registration is required, and can be done by visiting www.s g .org and clicking on the registration link from the home page, or by visiting https://loudandproudconcert.s g .org/.
To learn more about the Mile High Freedom Bands, visit https://mh .org/.
Bands participating in the Loud & Proud concert:
Blazing River Freedom Band (Ohio)
Central Florida Sounds of Freedom Band and Color Guard (Florida)
DC’s Di erent Drummers (Washington DC)
Desert Winds Freedom Band (California)
ENCANTADA - e Band of Enchantment (New Mexico)
Gay Freedom Band of Los Angeles (California)
Mid America Freedom Band (Missouri)
Mile High Freedom Bands (Colorado)
Queen City Freedom Band (Ohio)
San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band (California)
South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble (Florida) e Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps (New York)
Triangle Pride Band (North Carolina)
DJ Blaque Gurl performs at a previous year’s Denver PrideFest. This year, The Center on Colfax is offering both virtual and in-person events for Denver PrideFest, which takes place June 26-27.
PHOTO BY ERIK HOLLADAY/HOLLADAY PHOTOGRAPHY
Loving You: Documenting Kia Lopez and Chella Man
is solo exhibit inside Union Hall in Denver features the photography of MaryV Benoit — known as MaryV — who is a queer femme photographer and performance artist.
MaryV, 23, is a Denver native who currently resides in Brooklyn, and the Loving You exhibit is her rst solo exhibit outside of New York. Her work “focuses on the documentation of self-identity, bodies, intimacy, compassion, relationships, sexuality and self-love,” states a news release. e Loving You exhibit documents the lives and transitions of Kia Lopez (she/her), who is MaryV’s childhood friend; and Chella Man (he/him), who is MaryV’s partner.
MaryV hopes that viewers of the exhibit “ nd within themselves a new connection with their mind, their heart or their bodies,” she said, “or the people they see in the images.”
She also wants to remind people that vulnerability is OK, and hopes that the exhibit might inspire people to “ nd their power within their vulnerability,” MaryV said.
Loving You opened on May 14 and will run through July 10. Union Hall is open from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
It is free to attend the Loving You exhibit and its coinciding programming. However, reservations are required. To make a reservation or learn more about coinciding programs, visit https://unionhalldenver.org/.
Union Hall is a non-pro t arts exhibition space located inside e Coloradan at 1750 Wewatta St., Suite 144, in Denver.
Proceeds from the sales of Loving You prints, t-shirts and stickers will bene t Union Hall and a to-be-determined Denver-based queer organization. e Loving You exhibit contains sensitive images, mature content and nudity. All forms of photography and documentation is strictly prohibited.
rently resides in Brooklyn, and the Loving You exhibit is her rst solo exhibit outside of New York. Her work “focuses on the documentation of self-identity, bodies, intimacy, compassion, relationships, sexuality and self-love,” states a news release. the lives and transitions of Kia Lopez friend; and Chella Man (he/him), who is MaryV’s partner.
Keeping the community in Colorado Community Media
As the new owners and operators of this newspaper, we want to give you an opportunity to hear directly from us and learn about our plans.
With an eye toward retirement, grandkids and new adventures, Ann and Jerry Healey sold their collection of 24 community newspapers — Colorado Community Media — to the newly formed Colorado News Conservancy. e Conservancy is a partnership between the National Trust for Local News and e Colorado Sun, a local digital news organization that some of you may already know.
We were aided by a network of Colorado organizations who share our commitment to keeping newspapers in local hands and to ensuring that you continue to bene t from the unique, hyperlocal coverage that you have come to expect from this newspaper and the others in the CCM family. One of the Colorado Community Media newspapers has been serving its community for more than 150 years, and others have decades of history. We feel a deep responsibility to continue that legacy and ensure your paper is still providing quality news and information for decades to come, as well as bringing the businesses that provide the core nancial support for these publications together with readers in the local communities they serve.
So what will change, and what won’t? We’ve already heard those questions from readers and local business owners who feel strong ties to the reporters, editors, sales sta and others who bring the news to you.
For starters, we are seeking to ll the big shoes of Jerry Healey in the role of publisher. We are looking for someone who is as passionate about community and local service as Jerry has been. We are so grateful that he agreed to stay on in May to help ensure we have a smooth transition.
We do not plan the sta cutbacks, cost-cutting or layo s that have become far too common in the news business these days. In fact, we are looking to bolster the ne work already being done to serve you, the readers and supporters of this paper. Our job is to keep your local media strong and growing. e Colorado Community Media name will stay the same, as will the name of the newspaper you know and trust. e same goes for the phone numbers, email addresses and the website of your paper. You can reach out to the hard-working people here at the paper in the same ways you always have.
We purchased Colorado Community Media because we are committed to serving our readers, our local businesses and our communities and to sustaining the important community role played by these papers.
We want to thank Ann and Jerry once again for their hard work and dedication over the years to providing community media to your town and others.
We promise them — and you — that we will work hard to serve you and make you proud.
Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro Co-founder of NTLN Larry Ryckman Colorado Sun editorin-chief
ABOUT THE COLORADO NEWS CONSERVANCY
The Colorado News Conservancy is a public benefi t corporation formed to preserve Colorado Community Media and ensure that its 24 weekly and monthly newspapers remain locally owned. The Conservancy is a joint venture by the National Trust for Local News and The Colorado Sun. The Trust is a new, national nonprofi t organization formed to provide the fi nancing, new ownership structures and expertise needed for established news organizations around the country to become sustainable and deeply grounded in their communities. The Sun is a journalistowned, award-winning digital news outlet that strives to cover all of Colorado, bring understanding to important issues and contribute to a more vibrant, informed and whole Colorado. To contact us, call 303-566-4100 or email CNC@ColoradoCommunityMedia. com.
Tips and tricks for pruning your trees
With spring upon us, many residents are eagerly planning their gardens and starting to spruce up their yards. Pruning helps trees live longer, which allows them to grow taller and contribute to Denver’s urban canopy.
GUEST With this in mind, Denver’s O ce
COLUMN of the City Forester is o ering helpful tips for pruning. It’s important to keep in mind that if you cannot safely prune your tree from the ground, it’s best to hire a licensed tree care professional since they use specialized equipment and have the necessary eld knowledge. When you prune a tree, you are planning for the future, and with pa-
Paul Cancik tience, you will ultimately have results that bene t generations to come.
Why should you prune your trees?
Pruning helps ensure that your tree develops a strong form/structure and prevents breakage in the future. inning your tree makes the crown (top) healthier by allowing more air and sunlight to pass through it.
Pruning, much like watering, helps give your tree longevity — future generations will be able to enjoy it.
Removing deadwood from your tree helps prevent insect infestation.
If pruning is neglected, a tree can become susceptible to breakage, making the tree potentially dangerous.
What should you prune from your trees?
Follow the “3 D’s” of pruning: only remove Dead, Damaged and Diseased wood, especially if the tree is not estab-
SEE TREES, P9
Mitigating climate change locally
As Coloradans live through summers that climate experts con rm are indeed hotter and drier than the past, we are reminded of the urgency of mitigating climate change by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that cause it. GUEST While it is a relief to see national leadCOLUMN ers re-engage on climate protection, Denver is hard at work implementing local action. Here is an overview of what is happening locally:
Climate Protection Fund
In November 2020, Denverites voted in favor of Ballot Initiative 2A, which raised the local sales and use Councilmember Robin Kniech tax by 0.25% to create the Climate Protection Fund (CPF). anks to you, the voters, the CPF is expected to raise an average of $40 million per year to help eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution in Denver, support climate adaptation and create new jobs. e measure is centered in equity and prioritizes the communities most harmed by climate change — low-income households, communities of color and Indigenous people, babies, children, pregnant women, the elderly, people with disabilities and people with chronic health conditions. e CPF is managed by Denver’s o ce of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency (CASR), which is in the early stages of developing the required spending plan with community input from a Sustainability Advisory Council. For speci c questions or inquiries about the Climate Protection Fund, visit bit.ly/ DENCASR.
Energize Denver Task Force
Buildings and homes are responsible for 63% of the greenhouse gas emissions in Denver. Renewable energy is important, but we must also reduce overall demand for energy by improving e ciency in buildings. I served on the stakeholder committee that led to the passage of a 2016 policy that requires large commercial and multifamily building owners to measure and publicly report their building’s energy performance. Energy use has already been reduced by an average of .4% annually, just by raising owner awareness. e next critical phase is now underway — developing higher standards for buildings with low energy-e ciency scores to take actions to reduce their climate impacts. To learn more about the work of the current task force, please visit bit.ly/EnergizeDEN.
Disposable bags
Denver residents use more than 100 million disposable bags per year, but fewer than 5% are recycled. In order to cut down on the use of non-recyclable, pollution-prone plastic bags, Denver City Council passed a disposable bag fee to incentivize use of reusable bags. Implementation was delayed last year due to the pandemic, and it will now go into e ect this year on July 1. Most retail stores in Denver will charge 10 cents for each disposable carryout bag provided at checkout. e mandatory fee will apply to paper, plastic and even compostable bags. Shoppers can avoid the charge by bringing their own bags. Cities who have adopted similar policies have seen an increase in use of reusable bags and sharp reductions in disposable bags and the litter and waste they cause. e bag fee will be charged at places like grocery, convenience, hardware, liquor and department stores, but does not apply to restaurants, beauty salons and other businesses where retail sales are not the primary business activity. e fee will not apply to bags used to package bulk grocery items, produce or meat. Participants in state and federal food assistance programs will not be charged for carryout bags. More information is available online at www.DenverGov.org/BagFees and at 311 (720-913-1311).
SEE KNIECH, P9
A publication of
JERRY HEALEY
Board Member
jhealey@coloradocommunitymedia.com
CHRISTY STEADMAN
Editor
ERIN ADDENBROOKE
Marketing Consultant
eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com
AUDREY BROOKS
Business Manager
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.
Email letters to
csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Deadline
5 p.m. on the 20th of each month for the following month’s paper.
