Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival

August 11-13, 2017 • Free Admission Anderson Park • 44th Ave & Field St

2 Nights of Spectacular Fireworks • Live Music Parade • Carnival • Zoppé Italian Family Circus Fine Art Show • Food Court • Beer & Wine Garden Car Show • Spaghetti Dinner • Chili Cook Off

thecarnationfestival.com

A special supplement of

Three Big Days • free admission!

2

Fri., August 11 • 4pm-11pm | Sat., August 12 • noon-11pm Sun., August 13 • 9am-4pm

Anderson Park • 44th & Field • Shuttles available • No pets!

thecarnationfestival.com

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Table of Contents Page Content

3.

SHEDULE OF EVENTS 4. ZOPPÉ FAMILY CIRCUS 5.

FESTIVAL MAP 6.

CARNIVAL & FIREWORKS 6.

WRCF PARADE 7.

WRCF HISTORY 8.

LIVE MUSIC 9.

FESTIVAL ROYALTY 10. CHILI, SPAGHETTI, BEER & WINE 10. CAR SHOW 11. FESTIVAL ART PROGRAMS 12. THANK YOU SPONSORS

Photo by Albert Aguirre

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2017Schedule of Events FRIDAY, AUGUST 11TH 3:00pm-9:00pm Zoppe’ Circus Box Office Open

3:30pm FREE SHUTTLES begin to and from nearby parking lots

4:30pm-6:15pm (OPENING SHOW!) Zoppe’ Circus Performance

4:00pm-10:00pm Wheat Ridge Art League Membership Show Anderson Building Gymnasium

4:00pm-11:00pm Beer Garden, Food Court & Vendors Carnival Open – rides, games and food

5:30pm-7:15pm Live Music – Austin Young Band Main Stage

9:30am-11:30am

7:00pm-8:45pm

48th Annual Carnation Festival Parade 38th Ave between Ames and Upham Streets

Zoppe’ Circus Performance

11:30am

Parade Awards – Main Stage

FREE SHUTTLES begin to and from nearby parking lots

Noon-3:00pm 7th Annual Chili Cook Off $5 tasting donation benefits the Wheat Ridge Community Foundation Soccer fields north of the carnival

Noon-9:00pm Zoppe’ Circus Box Office Open

Noon-11:00pm Beer Garden, Food Court & Vendors Carnival Open – rides, games and food

7:20pm-7:45pm 8:00pm-9:00pm Live Music – Swerve Main Stage

9:15pm FIREWORKS!

9:30pm-11:00pm Live Music – Swerve Main Stage

11:30pm Last Shuttle To Parking Lots

Noon-10:00pm Wheat Ridge Art League Membership Show Anderson Building Gymnasium

SUNDAY, AUGUST 13TH

11:00am-12:30pm

9:00am-4:00pm

Live Music – Wild Mountain Main Stage

Classic & Antique Car Show $15 pre-registration, $20 day of

Student Garden Bench Art Auction Tables in front of circus tent

1:00pm-2:45pm

9:00am–4:00pm

7:45pm-9pm

Zoppe’ Circus Performance

Food and Beverages Available

1pm-3:30pm

11:00am–1:30pm

4:30pm-8:00pm Famous Spaghetti Dinner Food Court

Live music – Buckstein Main Stage

7:00pm-8:45pm Zoppe’ Circus Performance

9:00pm-9:15pm Announcements / Sponsor Recognition

9:15pm FIREWORKS!

9:30pm-11:00pm Live Music – Buckstein Main Stage

11:30pm Last Shuttle To Parking Lots

SATURDAY, AUGUST 12TH 7:00am-9:00am Grange Pancake Breakfast 3850 High Ct. (Behind Wheat Ridge Cyclery)

Live Music – Delta Sonics Main Stage

Live Music – Jim Jamm Jimmy Main Stage

3:30pm-3:45pm

Noon–4:00pm

Announcements / Sponsor Recognition Chili Cook Off Awards Main Stage

4:00pm-5:30pm Main Stage

4:30pm-6:15pm Zoppe’ Circus Performance

Wheat Ridge Art League Membership Show Anderson Building Gymnasium

1:00pm-2:45pm Zoppe’ Circus Performance

4:30pm-6:15pm (LAST SHOW!) Zoppe’ Circus Performance

6:00pm-7:30pm Live Music – Rachel & the Ruckus Main Stage Famous Spaghetti Dinner Food Court

PLEASE, NO PETS ON THE FESTIVAL GROUNDS. NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES PERMITTED OUTSIDE OF FESTIVAL GROUNDS.

Student Garden Bench Art Auction Tables in front of circus tent

For up-to-date info: thecarnationfestival.com

4:30pm-8:00pm

facebook.com/WheatRidgeCarnation Festival

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4

CIRCUS INFO

Friday, August 11 4:30 & 7:00 pm

Saturday, August 12

1:00 & 4:30 & 7:00 pm

Sunday, August 13

1:00 & 7:00 pm

General Admission $20 bleacher seating

VIP $25

chair seating around the ring

Kids 2 and under are FREE!

Zoppé Family Circus is Back With its Big Top Experience

The circus is coming to town!

Sadly, not many of us will hear these words, now that the Ringling Brothers and other touring circuses have shut down permanently. Fortunately, for circus-lovers living in or visiting Colorado, the Zoppè Family Circus will perform under their Big Top Veneto. (Veneto is what this sixth generation of the Zoppè Circus Family christened their big top tent, in honor of the Italian town from which the family hails.)

A favorite among Carnation Festival-goers, Zoppè Circus is celebrating its 175th year anniversary of the family-run circus. Among the 54 individuals who make up the company of circus performers coming to Wheat Ridge are 10 blood relatives of the Zoppè family.

“We are the classic circus in America today,” said Giovanni Zoppè, who now runs the Zoppè Circus.

“We’re a complete circus, but we are what a circus was in the 1800s. That goes along with the costumes, music, and style of show…. everything we do takes you back to 1800s.”

Courtesy photo Courtesy photo

Photo by Albert Aguirre

Photo by Albert Aguirre

Zoppè likens Zoppè Circus to Christmas. Just as Christmas comes every year, with different presents under the tree, the Zoppè Circus also comes every year and brings different acts. Zoppè says this will be the freshest show they’ve performed in the past 10 years.

Among the new acts is a bareback-riding performance from

Zoppè’s sister Tosca. According to Zoppè, Tosca, who has been an amazing bareback rider since she was born, will create their father’s classic bareback riding act. Another new act, features four-to-five horses abreast, with a human pyramid of six-to-eight people on top of them.

“This is not an act you can see in America today,” says Zoppè.

The circus also will introduce an act this year that features a bicyclist riding around the sides of sides of a large bowl-shaped apparatus. The apparatus is 15 feet at the top and 10 feet at the bottom. As the bicyclist rides, the bowl goes up about 35 feet and continues to move. By the way, this “bowl” has a large hole in the middle of the bottom. Zoppè explains that this riveting act, which is 120 years old, has not been performed in at least 65 years. He felt it was time to introduce the act to modern-day circus-goers.

The Zoppè Circus’s performances will be Friday, Aug. 11, at 4:30 and 7 p.m.; Saturday, Aug., 12, at 1, 4:30 and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 13, at 1 and 7 p.m.

Tickets for each performance are $20 for general admission (bleacher seating), $25 for VIP (chair seating) and free for children 2 and under. The shows sell out quickly, so it’s a good idea to purchase your tickets soon.

–Elisabeth Monaghan

Visit https://thecarnationfestival.com/events-entertainment/ zoppe-circus/ for information and tickets

Three Big Days • free admission!

5

Fri., August 11 • 4pm-11pm | Sat., August 12 • noon-11pm Sun., August 13 • 9am-4pm

Anderson Park • 44th & Field • Shuttles available • No pets!

Tickets On Sale Now!

thecarnationfestival.com

Festival Map Carnival Rides Purchase Tickets

Vendo

r Villag

e

Chili Cookoff

Fireworks!

Friday & Saturday Nights 9:15 p.m.

Entrance

Purchase Tickets

Spaghe t Dinner ti

Food Co

urt

Beer & Wine Garden

Main Stage

Purchase Tickets

Pool

Anderson Rec Ctr

Art Show Fine Art Display

Entrance Field Street

Bike Corral

44th A

venue

$10 Parking

44th Avenue Shuttle Stop

Main Entrance

Shuttle Stop

Three Big Days • free admission!

6

Fri., August 11 • 4pm-11pm | Sat., August 12 • noon-11pm Sun., August 13 • 9am-4pm

Anderson Park • 44th & Field • Shuttles available • No pets!

thecarnationfestival.com

Tickets On Sale Now!

Bigger and Better: Carnival and Fireworks This year’s Carnation Festival carnival, spreading across the south side of Anderson Park, will have more of our favorite carnival games and carnival rides than ever. Of course, there will be endless concessions with funnel cakes, corn dogs, cotton candy and other favorite carnival foods.

“What’s not to love about a carnival?” commented Leah Dozeman, Secretary and Parade Chair of the Carnation Festival. “They have rides that are just right for kids of all ages, for teens, and for thrill-seeking adults, too. My son really enjoyed the fun houses last year.”

Young guests will enjoy the inflatables. There will be bubble balls this year, too. Bubble balls are giant inflatable balls that fun-lovers climb inside of and use to walk on water. A Euro Bungee will be available for guests to try, also.

Carnival rides vary from $1 to $5, but an unlimited daily pass is available for $20. Parents always enjoy watching chil-

dren rush onto a ride and climb off laughing. If the next words they hear are, “Can we go again? Please, please?” purchasing a wristband allowing a day of endless rides may be a great choice.

The fireworks show at this year’s 48th Carnation Festival will be bigger and better, also. Both Friday and Saturday nights at 9:15 p.m., two graduates of Wheat Ridge High School will orchestrate an amazing fireworks show. Two days before the festival, Steve Shriber and Jeff Hendricks of Firestorm Pyrotechnics will bring the fireworks over Loveland Pass, because a semi-truck full of fireworks can’t go through the tunnel.

When Shriber was growing up in Wheat Ridge, he loved every firework show. Eventually, he began saving his money and driving to Wyoming to buy fireworks – a lot of fireworks. He then returned to Wheat Ridge and sold fireworks to his friends.

After years in school and in the aerospace industry, Shriber

and Hendricks began Firestorm Pyrotechnics in Springville, Utah. Firestorm Pyrotechnics produces choreographed shows combining music and fireworks. Hendricks designed the computer system to create the complex coordination of each show.

The timing and matching of music and multifaceted fireworks displays are what draws the ooohs and aaahs at every show.

Once the 100 shows for Firestorm Pyrotechnics on the Fourth of July and the Carnation Festival are over, Shriber and Hendricks still cannot sit back and relax. There are still many, many events with fireworks scheduled for Firestorm throughout the year. Each show requires building the music and fireworks choreography for that show. Shriber continues to build on the computer programming for choreography. Hendricks has a yearly buying trip to China, because he still loves fireworks!

There will certainly be food, fireworks, and fun that we can all enjoy at the 48th Carnation Festival! –Nancy Hahn

‘Rockin’ Carnations’ More Than ‘Just a Parade’ Parades in the U.S. date back a long way: Pequot Lakes, Minn., claims the first parade in the U.S. took place when legendary Paul Bunyan – circa 1834 – moved logging camps from old locations to new by sledding a stream of buildings over snow on skids pulled by the Great Blue Ox. The first parade on record was a St. Patrick’s Day Parade held in New York City in 1762.

Completing the top four most anticipated annual parades in the U.S., the Mystick Crew of Comus society held the first Mardi Gras Parade in New Orleans in 1856, the Valley Hunt Club’s first Tournament of Roses Parade was held in Pasadena in 1890 and the “World’s Largest Store” staged the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City in 1924.

Following a long line of firsts, 2019 will mark the 50th consecutive year of the Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival Parade held to commemorate the first year of the city’s founding in 1969. The 2017 Carnation Festival Parade is the first to have a theme: “Rockin’ Carnations.”

Recently, chaired for 12 years by Steve Keller (husband of Moe Keller, former Wheat Ridge City Council member, as well as House District 24 and Senate District 20 representative) and, currently, chaired by Leah Dozeman, assisted by festival board member Ruth Baranowski, the parade functions as one of the most visible way the city honors service groups, local schools and businesses, the fire and police departments and local, state and national politicians and candidates as well as church groups and hobby clubs, including auto, horseback riding, biking, walking, martial arts, cheerleading and dance. The parade also honors distinguished residents by selecting a Grand Marshal, Count and Countess who serve as royalty and ride in convertibles

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along the parade route. Optimist Ron Benson will be the Parade Announcer.

Engaging residents in all aspects of the parade is a main goal of the 2017 parade. Community groups and individuals who want to participate need to register online by Tuesday, Aug. 1, to secure one of 80 total spots. On the day of the parade, two resident judges will randomly select three attendees from the crowd to help judge the winning entries in the categories of Best Marching Band, Marching Unit, Musical Group, Business, Vehicle and Float as well as Most Creative and the Community Award. This year, even the commemorative plates given as awards were selected from local artists’ designs. Shirley Nakamoto of the Wheat Ridge Art League submitted the winning design. Parade winners, royalty, the city and the Carnation Festival board will receive plates at the Awards Ceremony at the Saturday evening concert from 7:20 to 7:50 p.m.

The parade runs Saturday morning from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. With staging from Ames to Depew streets, the route continues to Upham Street along West 38th Avenue. Dominick Breton and The Grange board will serve a $7 donation Pancake Breakfast at The Grange from 7 to 9 a.m., with parking available in front of Wheat Ridge Cyclery and at Stevens Elementary. Additional parking is available along the side streets of the parade route.

The Festival Board welcomes everyone in the community and surrounding communities to join in the celebration of Wheat Ridge. –Vicki Ottoson

303-421-6111

6650 W 38th Ave., Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 - 6:00 Saturday 9:00 - 12:00 | Closed Sunday

Free Delivery within 5 mile radius.

Small fee outside of 5 miles.

Festival History

7

A Little History of the Festival, Flower and Farmers Every August in Wheat Ridge there’s a community shindig for a few thousand of the city’s closest friends.

The party, The Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival, is nearing the half-century mark – and is one of the longest running festivals in Colorado. The festival derives its name from the post-World War II period when Wheat Ridge was home to a thriving carnation industry. The last carnation grower in Wheat Ridge phased out their operation in 2008.

The event has changed and grown, but has always been a free locally driven and family-friendly event. In 2016, there were around 30,000 attendees at Anderson Park. Now a threeday festival, it attracts residents and visitors from around the state.

The festival is and has been a long-time of supporter of many local Wheat Ridge focused nonprofits, service clubs, as well as student and senior organizations. All monies generated by the festival go to these local entities or back into the costs of the festival itself.

The festival is a registered nonprofit with the state and is managed and ran by a board of Wheat Ridge volunteers.

The city of Wheat Ridge was incorporated and officially become a city on Aug. 15, 1969. In honor of the city’s birthday, the area’s agricultural history (the Wheat Ridge High School sports teams are the Farmers) and carnation production, a CarnationFestAd_WR_4.73x5.15_print.pdf 1 7/27/17 festival was born.

The carnation flower has its own lengthy history. The scientific/Latin name is Dianthus Caryophyllus, which translates into Flower of Zeus or Flower of the Gods. The carnation is one of the world’s oldest cultivars. It’s first mentioned in ancient Greek literature, as growing on hillsides.

Colorado’s abundant sunshine made for a near-perfect place to grow carnations. Carnations need ample sunlight.

Wheat Ridge is close to Denver and provided the needed space for greenhouses.

In the 1960s, the city had 32 different carnation growers and sent flowers to the White House every Monday morning.

The bouquet was displayed in the front foyer with a card stating: “With compliments to our nation’s capital, Wheat Ridge Colorado, Carnation City,” per the Wheat Ridge Historical Society.

The city’s moniker as being the “Carnation City,” prompted a group of people to organize an official agricultural and floricultural weekend celebration. Thus, the Carnation Festival and Parade become an annual tradition, first held on 38th Avenue.

The parade remains on 38th Avenue, with a brief hiatus to 44th Avenue at one point. The parade over the years has featured floats with mounds of carnations from the local growers. The greenhouses are gone, but the connections to the past remain. The world now receives its carnations primarily 3:49 PM from South America.

Courtesy photo

The festival itself has had a few sites since the beginning, until finding its present home at Anderson Park.

Like so many traditions, occasions and festivals, finding the exact origins of the festival and historical specifics are as steeped in unknowns as the carnation flower itself. So many of the city’s founders and festival originators have passed – but their legacy continues. –Cyndy Beal

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Live Music

8

Colorado Favorites Rock the Stage, All Festival Long The energy and excitement between a live band and the audience is always magical, but when you add the thrill of homegrown music, the community really snaps to attention. There’s a huge sense of pride in actually knowing the people on stage and sharing the music our friends and family perform.

That pride of ownership takes the stage of the 48th Annual Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival. A variety of musical styles – country, rock, blues and even something called “greengrass” – calls to music lovers of all genres, and each band hails from the Centennial State. Acts this year include Austin Young, Buckstein, Silver and Smoke, Wild Mountain, Rachel and the Ruckus, the Delta Sonics, Swerve, and Jim Jam Jimmy.

Carnation Festival Musihc Coordinator Stefany Garner said she and her committee intentionally chose bands that

would appeal to a wide audience and have a local following.

“We look for people who have been in the community and played at the festival before and everyone loved,” Garner said. “We try to have a little something for everybody.”

The festival, does, however, host some more renowned names as well. Acts such as Austin Young and Buckstein have received national attention and recording contracts.

“We wanted to have these bigger bands play, especially for the opening night so that we could get the crowd really excited for the weekend,” Garner said. “And we wanted to have something for everybody, no matter what your musical tastes are. These artists have songs that appeal to someone who loves lots of different styles of music.”

Whether a passerby is strolling through the vendor booths or a family is enjoying the carnival, the sound of the

music will fill the air. It enhances the overall festival experience and complements other festivities such as the fireworks display, NASCAR Furniture Row show or EuroBungy circus.

“It’s nice to have something that everybody can come together and enjoy with a beverage or food and just hang out,” Garner said. “Music is something that brings everyone together. It’s something that people can relate to. It’s something that brings life to the festival.”

There is no charge for admission to the music acts at the Carnation Festival.

“We look forward to everyone coming out and just enjoying themselves,” Garner said. “They really are going to get to see some of the bigger bands like Austin Young Band and Buckstein that they may not get to see for free anywhere else.”

–Gwen Clayton

Here’s Our Music Lineup Buckstein The 6-foot, 4-inch American Idol contestant Matt Buckstein keeps busy these days crooning his bass-baritone voice as lead singer of the country/rock band that bears his name – Buckstein. The band is a favorite at the Grizzly Rose, and even did a professionally produced video for a song he wrote about the Mile High honkytonk.

Showmanship and stage presence are part of the group’s persona. Buckstein himself studied theater in college, earning his Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Fullerton. He made it as far as the finale of Season 5 of “American Idol,” and then returned to Denver to pursue music.

Since then, Buckstein and his band have toured throughout Colorado and the Midwest, sharing the stage with Charlie Daniels, Dustin Lynch, Old Dominion, Eli Young, John Michael Montgomery, Mark Chesnutt and many others. He’s also a regular guest on Denver country station KYGO 98.5 FM. Buckstein is set to release a five-song album titled “Country Side” this year.

Austin Young Band “Playing at the Carnation Festival is always an event I look forward to seeing on my calendar!” said Austin Young. “I am always amazed at how the community in Wheat Ridge is always so closely-knit! I love seeing families and friends gather together to listen to music and enjoy the festival.”

Hailing from Colorado Springs, Young brings his high energy, guitar-based blues rock to Wheat Ridge for the Carnation Festival Aug. 11. Young has built a local, statewide and national reputation for his fiery guitar licks, soulful sounds and crowd-pleasing experience, making sure each show is personable and memorable to anyone

within earshot. While traditional blues remains the backbone of his music, Young makes his music stand out by adding elements of contemporary rock, jazz, and gospel. The Austin Young Band has released two studio albums containing original music: “Blue as Can Be” in 2013 and “Not So Simple” in 2016. Young was named Best Guitar Player from 2012 through 2015 from the Colorado Blues Society Listeners Choice Awards.

Silver and Smoke Silver and Smoke is a western rock/blues band from Denver comprised of Ty Bray on vocals and guitar, Dino Ianni on lead guitar and saxophone, Diego Valenzuela on drums, and Rick Brown on bass. The diverse sound of their songwriting and performance includes blues, classic rock, soul, folk, country, alt rock, pop, ska, punk, bluegrass, jazz and classical. They formed in 2015 and have since released a debut EP titled “Workhorse” in March 2016, and four months later came out with another EP called “Marking Time.”

The band has toured extensively along the West Coast and have shared the stage with The Mavericks and Asleep At The Wheel. The band is currently working on a third album.

Wild Mountain Wild Mountain is a Colorado-based Celtic bluegrass band formed in 2016 with multi-instrumentalist/composer Mike Nile, violinist Renee Fine, banjo player/guitarist David Potter, lead vocalist Sarah Jones, bass player Dave Sweeney and percussionist John Ware. The band’s debut album “Greengrass” was recorded at Grapevine

Studios in Wheat Ridge and was produced by Nile and Neale Heywood of Fleetwood Mac fame.

Rachel and the Ruckus Rachel and the Ruckus bring their blues/ rock/funk to Wheat Ridge from Boulder. Singer/ keyboard player Rachel Alena leads the band comprised of guitarist Alec Sims, bassist Vince Carmellini, saxophonist Andrew Vogt and drummer Jimmy Yozell. Alena grew up in Los Angeles, listening to her parents’ band. Her father played guitar with classic bands, such as the Ronettes and the Crystals, and he was an original member of Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound.” Rachel moved to Colorado in 2000 and formed Rachel and the Ruckus in 2010.

Delta Sonics Local blues band Delta Sonics can frequently be found playing the main room of Clancy’s

Irish Pub in Wheat Ridge. Led by singer and harmonica player Al Chesis, the band has been entertaining audiences and winning awards since the 1990s. They have opened for many nationally known blues artists, including Junior Wells, Taj Mahal, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, The Radiators, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Tommy Castro and Charlie Musselwhite. Most recently, The Delta Sonics have also backed “Steady Rollin’” Bob Margolin, Big Bill Morganfield, Bo Diddley (2004), and Pinetop Perkins on their recent club and festival performances in Colorado.

Swerve

Denver-based Swerve covers modern country and classic rock tunes that keep the dance floor jamming with what they call “redneck yuppie biker party music.” –Gwen Clayton

Three Big Days • free admission!

9

Fri., August 11 • 4pm-11pm | Sat., August 12 • noon-11pm Sun., August 13 • 9am-4pm

Anderson Park • 44th & Field • Shuttles available • No pets!

thecarnationfestival.com

Tickets On Sale Now!

Congratulations

2017 Carnation Festival Royalty Grand Marshals

Countess

Count

THE PETTIT FAMILY

WANDA SANG

DOMINICK BRETON

This year there are a nine grand marshals, which represent three generations.

Walter and Carole Pettit, (both retired) graduated from Wheat Ridge High School.

They raised two children in Wheat Ridge, Jennifer Starkovich, and David Pettit.

They have three grandchildren Ava, Sam and Lily.

Walter and David are both active members of the Rotary Club and on the Carnation Festival Board.

Walt has been part of the Carnation Festival for 40 years.

Beginning in 1963, Walt was as a board member of several local water and sanitation districts. He later was hired as manager of the Wheat Ridge Water District. He has served on many boards and commissions including the Mayor’s Economic Round Table, (Mayor Dan Wilde), the Richards-Hart Estate Advisory Board, and currently is on the Wheat Ridge Urban Renewal Authority, (aka Renewal Wheat Ridge), the Wheat Ridge Business District, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Wheat Ridge Sanitation District.

Dominick Breton has lived in Wheat Ridge his entire life.

He was born at Lutheran Medical Center and attended local schools – Stevens Elementary, Wheat Ridge Middle and graduated from Wheat Ridge High School. He presently works as a manager at Safeway.

Dominick’s community participation is longstanding and abundant. He is a former Boy Scott Troup Master of local troop 240. He regularly volunteers for Local Works. He is the current president of the Wheat Ridge Kiwanis Club, and the program director for the Wheat Ridge Grange. This year he has become part of the Carnation Festival Board, as well.

The Wheat Ridge Grange is celebrating its 100year anniversary this year. It will be having its Annual Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, Aug. 12, from 7 to 9 a.m., at 3850 High Court, right before the parade.

“I am honored to live in such a great community,” he said.

Wanda Sang has lived in in area now known as Wheat Ridge most of her life.

She moved to the area when she was seven years old.

Wanda is a Wheat Ridge High School graduate, and has been an active and involved member in the community for 34 years. She is retired from the work world, but continues to volunteer and participate in various capacities.

She first served as City Clerk in 1982 and was reelected multiple times through 1999. She was elected to and served on City Council 2003 through 2008.

She is now presently serving on the Election Commission.

“I want only the best for Wheat Ridge and its citizens. I have made so many wonderful friends over the years and feel very humble to have this honor bestowed upon me,” she said.

The Pettit family welcomes everyone to attend the festival, “and above all have a good time.”

Compiled by Cyndy Beal

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Three Big Days • free admission!

Fri., August 11 • 4pm-11pm | Sat., August 12 • noon-11pm Sun., August 13 • 9am-4pm

Anderson Park • 44th & Field • Shuttles available • No pets!

thecarnationfestival.com

Tickets On Sale Now!

Chili & Spaghetti, Beer & Wine, and Much More Did you know that carnations are as sweet as they are beautiful? Not all flowers are edible, but the carnation, which is one of my favorites in flower arrangements, offers a unique flavor that enhances the look and taste of salads or desserts. But as tasty as carnations are, the 2017 Carnation Festival will focus on other, more substantial food options for you and your family to enjoy.

On Aug. 12, for the seventh year, there will be a chili cook-off. If you have never been to a chili cook-off, you are in for a treat. This is a charity event sponsored by Wheat Ridge Poultry and Meats and sanctioned by the Colorado Chili Pod branch of the Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI). The donations will benefit the Wheat Ridge Community Foundation. Entry fees for cooks are $15 for red or green chili; $20 for both. There are trophies and prizes for the top three cooks in both the red and the green categories, with one overall People’s Choice. There’s a $5 suggested donation for the public tasting, with children younger than 6 free. In the area just north of the carnival rides in the soccer fields, the public can taste and vote for their favorite chili from noon to 3 p.m., with winners announced at 3:30 p.m. For further details or to enter, contact Tim Berland at 303-995-2806 or chili@ngazette.com.

The Carnation Festival Beer Garden, despite the name, will offer a wide variety of beverages for the entire family. They will have two locations: one in1 the7/27/17 beer garden CarnationFestAd_WR_4.73x5.15_print.pdf 3:49near PM the Main Stage, the

other in the center of the Food Court. Water, diet and regular soft drinks are available for $1 each. Beer and wine will be available for adults. The Rotary Club has teamed up with Budweiser and Breckenridge Brewery to offer a great selection of beers. In addition to Bud and Bud Light on-tap, the craft beers include Agave Wheat, Mango Mosaic, Avalanche and IPA Lucky U. Craft beers and wine are available for $6 each and Bud and Bud Light for $5. This is the only major fundraising event for the Wheat Ridge Rotary each year. Funds gained at the festival remain in the community by way of scholarships and funds to local non-profit organizations.

The food event that has been around the longest, and is so big that it has its own tent, is the Spaghetti Dinner. A benefit for the Colorado Professional Firefighter’s Foundation, two dozen volunteers from West Metro Fire Rescue work in shifts to feed the crowds.

“Last year the festival donated $500 to the Foundation,” said West Metro’s Anthony DiTullio. “The spaghetti dinner has always been a well-known component of the festival, especially now that we serve for both evenings.”

The dinner takes place on both Friday and Saturday from 4:30 to 8 p.m., in the tent located in the Food Court, close to the Beer Garden. Prices are $8 for adults and $3 for kids.

–Sally Griffin

Car Show Revs up to Make Comeback A modern birth center. Built on evidence.

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What’s that sound? That’s the sound of engines revving up for this year’s car show. After nearly a decade of absence from the Carnation Festival, the car show makes a comeback this year at Mach speed. And they saved the best for last!

Hoods will be up, paint will shimmer and cars will be decked out.

This event rolls in (loudly) on Sunday, the final day of the Carnation Festival, and can’t be missed. Cars will be parked in the grass right in the heart of festivities – surrounded by food trucks, vendors, the main stage and more. You can also expect special appearances by Furniture Row Racing and Mack Trucks. So it’s guaranteed there will be enough eats, entertainment and activities for everyone in the family.

on the board have ensured plenty of space for the car show with up to 300 spaces available.

While there will be plenty to gawk over, there will also be contests among the different car classifications. Custom-made trophies will be handed out for multiple categories including one for each car class, a People’s Choice Award and more. There will be a range of car classifications, such as Stock class vehicles to pre-war hot rods, muscle cars to exotics, and even air-cooled for Volkswagens and vintage Porsches.

Whatever the classic/vintage car type, this show is sure to have a category for it.

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Speaking of family, make sure you stop by and say hello to Carnation Festival Chairman, Joe DeMott who will be showing off his love of cars through his family heirloom – a 1957 Chevy bought new by his grandfather. Handed down through the generations, even the original interior remains! DeMott and other car enthusiasts

Vehicles can be registered online at www.thecarnationfestival.com and those who enter will receive a “grab-bag” full of goodies including food and beverage vouchers to be redeemed at the festival. Early registration is $15 online and will be $20 to register on the day of the event. So, it’s time to start polishing up those classics (as if you don’t already) and get them ready to shine at this year’s Carnation Festival.

–Tawny Clary

Student Garden Bench Auction, Art Show Are Back After a successful debut last year, the Student Garden Art Bench Auction and student art show will again be part of the Carnation Festival.

Art departments of participating local schools have decorated garden benches for the fundraiser. Volunteers will haul them to the Festival grounds Thursday afternoon, arrange them for display and set up bidding sheets. Like last year, the benches will be displayed in the front area to the east of the circus tent.

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The bidding opens on Friday from 4:30 to 8 p.m., and continues Saturday from 4:30 to 8 p.m. – the highest bid on each bench wins. Winning bidders can pick up their benches on Sunday between 2 and 7 p.m. Proceeds go directly to each school’s art department.

The student art show runs concurrently with the three-day Carnation Festival Art League Exhibition, inside the Anderson Building. Exhibition times are Friday, Aug. 11, 4 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 12, noon to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 13, noon to 4 p.m.

To promote their schools, kids are encouraged to take selfies in front of their school’s bench and post them on their school website, Wheat Ridge Education Association Facebook page, or the Carnation Festival Facebook page.

New this year is a “school row” next to the picnic tables, where each school can pitch a tent promoting itself – information only, no fundraising or sales allowed, however. The showcase is open for viewing Friday and Saturday only.

The Best-Kept Art Secret in Town It’s been said that art is never an extravagance but if hanging an original on your wall has seemed out of reach in the past, it’s just one reason to head to the Wheat Ridge Art League’s threeday exhibition during the Carnation Festival.

More than two dozen members of the Wheat Ridge Art League are exhibiting their best pieces – watercolor, oils, pastels, pencil, abstract, modern, still life. It’s all there this year, and many, though not all, works of art will be for sale with prices ranging in affordability that makes it easy for a beginning collector to pick up a piece, and hard for a seasoned one to resist.

“This is the best kept secret in town,” said Juanita Gutierrez, Chairwoman of the Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival Art Show.

While the art show is not a juried event, one in which an artist submits a piece to be accepted by a board, this is a members-only show.

The Art League, organized in 1974 and now in it’s 47th year, has more than 40 members, with most, if not all, hailing from Jef-

ferson County, according to Gutierrez.

Artists pay a nominal $30 annual membership fee and together contribute to fulfilling the purpose of league, which is “To pursue the study of the arts, to encourage originality, and to provide members with the opportunity to obtain public recognition.”

The league offers its members a visiting artist demo during the monthly meetings, in addition to other workshops and of course, the Carnation Exhibition.

The Carnation Festival serves as the league’s exclusive art show. Throughout the year, member artists may be on exhibit at any one of the seven regular exhibit spaces around Wheat Ridge, Arvada, and the Highlands, including the Arvada Motor Vehicle Department at 6510 Wadsworth and the Wheat Ridge Municipal Building.

The league commissions a judge to present awards to members for their show submissions, from Best in Show to Honorable mentions, and fulfilling the league’s mission to offer its artists, from ametuer to professional, the opportunity to earn recognition

for their artwork. This year’s judge is Colorado-based artist Tracy Wilson.

In addition to the annual exhibition, the League collaborated with the Carnation Parade Committee in announcing a firstever commemorative plate design contest.

Traditionally, the first place parade winner is awarded a commemorative plate designed by a selected local artist. For the first time, the committee called on local artists and designers to submit a piece that reflects the theme of this year’s parade: Rock-n-Carnations. All submissions will be displayed during the art show.

The Carnation Festival Art League Exhibition offers the public the opportunity to experience art and interact with local artist on an intimate level, explained Gutierrez, underscoring the value to the public in obtaining their own original artwork.

“We have some really wonderful artists here,” she said.

“Why not have a real piece of art?” –Jennifer Duc

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2017 Sponsors and Contributors!

Gazette NEIGHBORHOOD

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CONSTRUCTION T H E

P R O F E S S I O N A L S

Boatright & Ripp, LLC The McDonald Group

THOMAS R. RIPP JOSEPH H. LUSK

SPECIAL THANKS to the 2017 Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival Board and Committee Joe DeMott, Festival Chair Walt Pettit, Vice Chair David Pettit, Member-at-Large Chris Miller, Treasurer Leah Dozeman, Secretary and Parade Chair Juanita Gutierrez, Fine Art Show Tim Berland, Board Member, Chili Cook Off and Marketing Ruth Baranowski, Board Member and Parade Coordinator Cyndy Beal, Board Member

Dominick Breton, Board Member Emily Smith, Board Member Ron Benson, Board Member & Midway Beer Mike Papantonakis, Board Member & Rotary Liaison Gale Schrag, Optimists Liaison Matt Anderson, Parks and Rec Liaison Brian Wilkinson, Wheat Ridge Police Department Liaison Genevieve Wooden, Student Garden Bench Art Auction Stefany Garner, Administrator, Entertainment/Volunteers

Thanks to all the Friends of the Festival especially our Sponsors, Parade Donors, Wheat Ridge Police, Wheat Ridge Parks Department, West Metro Fire, Arvada Fire, Wheat Ridge High School Poms and Cheerleaders, Young Marines and ALL THE VOLUNTEERS!