A summer of musical adventure at the Arvada Center

Over the years, the Arvada Center’s Summer Concert series has consistently proven itself to be a true gem of the summer. It’s like your favorite neighborhood spot has thrown open its doors for a few hundred friends to get together and hear some great music.

As it gears up for its 2023 season, that feeling is even stronger and more appreciated by audiences, as Philip C. Sneed, president and CEO of the Center, can attest.

“Concerts are back in full force after the pandemic,” he said. “We’re so pleased with the acts we have this year, which includes some returning favorites and some that have never been here before.” e initial wave of concerts at the Arvada Center, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., is:

Coming Attractions

June 3 — Denver Gay Men’s Chorus: Divas – Icons and Justice Warriors

June 24 — e Denver Brass: In Pursuit of Leisure

June 30 — A Night at the Movies with the Colorado Sym-

July 3 — Toad the Wet Sprocket with special guest, Cracker

July 7 — Indigo Girls with full band and Garrison Starr

July 15 — Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra

July 21 — George orogood and the Destroyers: Bad All Over the World – 50 Years of Rock Tour

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

MICHAEL DE YOANNA

Editor-in-Chief michael@coloradocommunitymedia.com

July 28 — Mozart Under the Moonlight with the Colorado Symphony

July 29 — Face Vocal Band

Aug. 12 — Boz Scaggs

Aug. 13 — Ben Folds

Sept. 8 — Keb’ Mo’ ere will also be some special performances that haven’t been announced yet.

Longtime attendees may notice the Center is pulling more well-known national acts in the last years and Sneed attributes this to steady growth in the venue’s reputation.

“Even a few years ago, I don’t think we’ve have been able to get some of these acts,” he said. “A big part of it is the venue, which feels intimate but still has a lot of seats. Word is getting around about how great a place the Center is.” e variety of performers allows music fans to indulge in any style they like and local favorites like the Colorado Symphony and Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra are always exploring new ways to draw listeners in, like performing selections from popular lm scores. e Center itself is also a key factor in what makes seeing a performance so special — there are art shows at the indoor galleries and students all over the place taking a variety of arts classes.

“I love the energy here and the concerts allow people to experience that energy,” Sneed said. “I love sitting outside and listening to the music and seeing people lighting up for their favorite artists. It’s just a great place to be.”

ERIN ADDENBROOKE

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FROM PAGE 12

For information and tickets, visit https://arvadacenter.org/musicand-dance/summer-concerts.

Find the best food of the year at City Park Farmers Market ere are many signs that summer is o cially back, but one of the most exciting for those looking for delicious foods is the return of City Park Farmers Market, 2551 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver, which opens for the season on Saturday, May 13.

Now in its third season, the event features more than 100 local produc-

Letter To The Editor

Prioritize Coloradans impacted by Alzheimer’s and related Dementias

Today, 76,000 Coloradans live with Alzheimer’s disease, a number expected to rise by 21% in the next few years. Congress is considering ways to help and I urge them to take immediate action on some important policies.

I lost my dad to Alzheimer’s. I know the e ects of this unrelenting disease and how hopeless it feels to watch the steady decline of a loved one. More must be done before we will see the growing numbers begin to slow and families nd hope and relief.

Congress is considering reauthorizing two laws that have helped our nation make progress in research, care and awareness about Alzheimer’s disease – the National Alzheimer’s Plan Act and the Alzheimer’s Accountability Act. ese important laws have helped researchers and care providers understand the disease and the needs of the families struggling with it. Extending them

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Go on a magical adventure with El Espiritu Natural e plot of Su Teatro’s “El Espiritu Natural; the Spirit of Nature,” sounds straight out of classic Disney — sisters NitaLuna and NeldaRio face o against “ e Absence,” which, according to provided information, is “an overpowering memory-reducing force that threatens their history, traditions, and very existence.” e story also features appearances by La Llorona, Ehecatl and Barack Obama. is transporting show will appear at Northglenn’s Parsons eatre, 1 E. Memorial Parkway, at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 12 and 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 13. Information and tickets can be found at https://northglennarts. org/.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Caroline Polachek at Mission Ballroom at’s the case with Caroline Polachek, who formed her rst band, Charlift, while a student at the University of Colorado Boulder. When I rst wrote about her all the way back (kidding) in 2021, she was playing the Bluebird and then she opened for Dua Lipa at Ball Arena last year. And now in support of her fantastic sophomore album, “Desire, I Want to Turn Into You,” she’s headlining Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St. in Denver. Polachek will be performing at 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 14, and she has a killer lineup joining her — openers are indie rock legend Alex G and upand-coming talent Indigo De Souza. is has the potential to be one of the season’s best shows, so get tickets at www.axs.com. will enable this progress to continue at a time when even more people could bene t from it. ank you to Congresswoman Brittney Pettersen for her support in advocating for access to treatments by signing the Congressional Letter to CMS. We are excited to continue

It is always fun to trace a performer’s arc, especially when you get to see them really grow into themselves.

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

Additionally, the Comprehensive Care for Alzheimer’s Act would streamline the fractured, everchanging healthcare maze that Alzheimer’s families must navigate to get care they need.

Coordinating delivery of care can reduce costs while providing improved quality of care.

I fear I will face my dad’s grim diagnosis one day. As a volunteer advocate for the Alzheimer’s Association, I feel more empowered than ever to continue to ght for a cure and to help all those whose lives have been turned upside down to care for su ering loved ones. We need Congress to keep the train of progress moving to end this devastating disease.

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She was born in Maryville , Missouri on August 5, 1936 to Herb and Twila Dieterich. She joined her 2 brothers, Herb Jr. and Jack.

She is survived by her daughters, Lisa Leicht (Gerhard), Kristin Rowley, and Sonja Maher (Rich), her stepdaughter, Kim Peterson and stepson, Mark Peterson and her much loved grandchildren, Jessica Leicht, Nicole Leicht, Michael Maher and Brandan Maher.

A memorial service will be held on May 25th at 4 p.m. at the Arvada United Methodist Church at 6750 Carr St. Arvada. In lieu of owers, please consider a donation to the food pantry, Broom eld FISH, an organization Shirley loved and supported for many years as a volunteer.

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Pools around the metro area are gearing up to open for the summer. at is, if there are enough lifeguards.

e years-long trend where pools have cut hours or closed altogether appears to be waning, though it’s still a possibility in some places, according to aquatics managers across the Denver area, who are more optimistic than in past years, but still concerned as summer nears.

For instance, South Suburban Parks and Recreation needs 250 lifeguards for its peak summer season but has only 183 ready to go.

Karl Brehm, the recreation dis- trict’s aquatics manager, hopes to get closer to the goal as summer approaches but wonders why applications are so slow to roll in.

“I have seen, more and more, less interest in the position,” Brehm said.

He’s been in the business for a long time. Brehm worked at Elitch Gardens for ve seasons and the Highlands Ranch Community Association for 16 years. He said he’s seen a general lack of interest, generationally, from young people who want to do the job. Fewer people are becoming CPR certi ed as well, he added.

“I’ve often wondered why we were having those issues,” Brehm said. “Back in the day, I remember if you didn’t have your job by spring break, you weren’t getting a summer job.” e problem could a ect South Suburban pools across the district, which serves more than 150,000 residents in Bow Mar, Columbine Valley, Littleton, Sheridan, Lone Tree and parts of Centennial and Douglas, Je erson and Arapahoe counties.

If he can’t hire enough lifeguards, hours at pools could be cut, Brehm said. It’s not for a lack of trying, though. e district has introduced incentives, bonuses, pay bumps and more in hopes of luring in more lifeguards.

South Suburban isn’t alone. ere’s a national lifeguard shortage, which was exacerbated by the pandemic. Lifeguard shortages a ected roughly a third of public pools throughout the country.

In response last year, Gov. Jared Polis announced a “Pools Special Initiative 2022,” in which Colorado introduced incentives. Chief among them was a $1,000 payment to those who completed lifeguard training to ght pool postponements and decreasing operating hours.

Now, out of necessity, hiring lifeguards is ongoing throughout the entire summer season, Brehm said. Lifeguards for South Suburban make between $15 and $19.14 per hour, per South Suburban’s website. A head lifeguard makes $15.75 - $19.93 per hour.

But there are additional costs to South Suburban. ough life-