Idaho Springs

Clear Creek Rapidgrass Music Festival lineup

Dig your bluegrass? Banjos and mandolins make your heart swell? Great. You're gonna love this shindig, two days of banjo goodness up in the hills: Clear Creek Rapidgrass is slated to go down on the first weekend of July at the Shelly/ Quinn Baseball Fields in Idaho Springs, on Friday, July 5 and Sat ... More >>

Beau Jo's Pizza: After forty years, don't go changing....

I'm not at all sorry I missed being an adult in the 1970s. There were terrible fashion trends with bell bottom pants and clogs with heels, and worse hairstyles with that feathered look; the porn was all sweaty and hairy, and the food trends were...well, Irma Rombauer's Joy of Cooking came out and fo ... More >>

Beau Jo's celebrates its fortieth anniversary with $19.73 pies and free pizza for a year

The year 1973 brought some good things: Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon was released, the first mobile phone call was made, the original U.S. space station was launched, and homegrown Colorado chain Beau Jo's Pizza was born. To celebrate its fortieth anniversary, Beau Jo's is now offering 1973 pr ... More >>

Animal cruelty case: Shelter upset at deal that returned animals to part-time Santa Bill Lee

Last week, we told you the latest in the case of Bill Lee, an Idaho Springs rancher and mall Santa whose animals were seized in a cruelty investigation. Lee has agreed to plead guilty to one count of animal cruelty and has been granted a two-year deferred judgment -- meaning that if he complies with ... More >>

Bill Lee, mall Santa charged with animal cruelty, pleads guilty to one count, gets reindeer back

Bill Lee, the Idaho Springs rancher and mall Santa charged with 32 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty, has agreed to plead guilty to one of those counts. He's been granted a two-year deferred judgment, meaning that if he complies with a set of conditions for two years, he won't be convicted of any ... More >>

Loving Loveland

Even a miracle may not bring Bill Lee's animals back

See also: Bill Lee, mall Santa whose animals were seized, gets two of his reindeer back

Meet the winners of Great American Beer Festival 2012

This year's Great American Beer Festival played temporary home to 580 breweries -- and with more than 2,700 beers poured, the fest's professional judge panel had its hands (and mouths) full when making decisions on the winners of all 84 categories. Continue reading for the full list of the weekend's ... More >>

Who's keeping local hop farmers in business?

Echo Mountain: Denver's closest ski resort up for sale

After one of the mildest winters in recent years, leaving some areas of the parched high country with less than 10 percent of normal snowpack -- not to mention forests ravaged by drought and pine beetles, ready to explode into wildfires like the rapidly expanding High Park blaze -- this may not sou ... More >>

Photos: F*ck Yeah Colorado! celebrates the state you're in

For those not already in the know, allow us to introduce you to Fuck Yeah Colorado!, a tumblr site that celebrates Our Fair State's beauty and quirks with equal enthusiasm. Look below to count down ten shots that prompted us to declare, "Fuck Yeah Colorado!"

SnowBall Music Festival 2012: Day 1 travelogue

SNOWBALL MUSIC FESTIVAL, DAY 1 @ VAIL VALLEY | 3/2/12It took about four bone-chilling minutes, starting at the opening of gates, to remind me of the frigid misery I signed up for again this year. Did I learn my lesson from last year in regard to snow boots, multiple layers, cash, and festival planni ... More >>

I-70 pace cars experiment is working, CDOT says -- just not all the time

The Associated Press is reporting that the Interstate 70 pace car program was suspended Sunday in lieu of a review by the Colorado Department of Transportation. But while that's true in a technical sense, it's also a bit misleading. The CDOT program has only been officially shelved for this next wee ... More >>

The ten worst skateparks in Colorado

The November issue of Thrasher included the results of a contest in which the magazine had asked readers for the worst skateparks in their towns for a list titled "Certified Piece of Suck: Doo-Doo Skatepark Construction." One of these pieces of suck is located in Colorado.

Battery 621 celebrates The Launch of Winter and The Business of Fun

"Your job should be something you're pumped on," says Preston Strout, co-owner of the High Cascade Snowboard Camp. He's the guest moderator at The Business of Fun, a free event starting at 6 p.m. tonight that's the kick off for the three-day Launch of Winter celebration at Battery 621 (click those l ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Dispensary license fees in Breckenridge as much as double Denver's?

​Breckenridge is known as one of the most pot-friendly cities in the pot-friendly state of Colorado. But that doesn't mean opening up a medical marijuana dispensary in town is cheap. Licensing costs there could potentially be more than double the amount charged in Denver, which critics often ... More >>

Medical marijuana dispensaries in the high country about to get Colorado's blessing

​Despite rumors that state licenses wouldn't be issued until next year at the earliest, several medical marijuana clinic owners in the mountains say they have reached the final stages of the application process and are within weeks of getting the final okay from the Medical Marijuana Enforceme ... More >>

Treehouse Collective's annual Pitch a Tent party, September 3 near Idaho Springs

Ten other local beers that John Hickenlooper could have chosen to toast Colorado's birthday

​There is no brewery in Colorado that has a longer history than Coors, no beer maker that has employed a higher number of locals, and no company that is more associated with our state. On the other hand, Coors has a checkered history here, from its labor policies to the personal beliefs of it ... More >>

Dance Card: Inception, Electric Daisy Carnival, Full Moon Gathering and more this weekend

Marcus Worgull will spin his first Denver set this weekend.​We sincerely hope you got in some recovery time and beauty sleep last weekend and this week, because this weekend's Dance Card is out-of-control. Between the Electric Daisy Carnival, Inception and the first Full Moon Gathering of the ... More >>

The Denver Art Museum prepares for the big one, Marvelous Mud

Part of Linda Sormin's yet-to-be-titled installation.​Clay is arguably the first medium ever invented by humans -- one of the oldest prehistoric artifacts ever found was a drinking vessel made of sun-dried clay -- and it'll soon be the star of the largest single-subject exhibition the Denver A ... More >>

Restaurant roll call for April

Larkburger is now open in West Washington Park.​The metro area gained a cheesesteak spot and lost a cheesesteak spot, it gained a Larkburger and lost a Walk-In Burger (although that venture promises to relocate)...and Hart's Corner made a comeback. Here's the Restaurant roll call for April:

Tommyknocker Brewing doubles its output, changes its look

The old logo.​Many of the bigger craft breweries across the country overhaul their image every three or four years, adding beers to the lineup, changing their look or their labels. But time moves a little slower in Idaho Springs. "We are doing a whole image revamp," says Steve Indrehus, the ... More >>

Free ski buses to mountain resorts? Ace King thinks it's an idea whose time has come

​In seventeen years of avid snowboarding, Ace King has heard all the bright ideas about how to fix the weekend traffic logjam on I-70. Monorail, zipper lanes, double-decker lanes -- all costly, all dubious as hell, and none of them right around the corner. What King lusts for is a bus.

Top 10 list of Colorado movies a ten-cent ticket fee didn't subsidize

"The Searchers."​The Colorado legislature just nixed a plan to tack a ten-cent fee onto movie tickets, money that would have been used to provide financial incentives for film companies that want to make movies in this state. As revised, the bill would now ask for donations from movie-goers -- ... More >>

This Weekend In Stoke: Happy Winter Trails Day to you

​Need a good excuse to get out of town this weekend? Here are our six sweet reasons to head up to yonder hills.

Restaurant roll call for December

Lori MidsonLou's Food Bar was a late entry in the new restaurants of 2010​Just as he did two years ago with Bones, Frank Bonanno opened a new restaurant, Lou's Food Bar, in the last days of the year. But there was much more action on the Denver dining scene, as documented in our Restaurant rol ... More >>

Restaurant roll call for 2010

Lori MidsonChoLon Modern Asian Bistro was one of the big restaurants to open in 2010.​While many restaurants closed in 2010, many more restaurants opened -- including such hot spots as ChoLon, Euclid Hall, Green Russell, Lou's Food Bar and, on the very last day of the year, Bittersweet. Here' ... More >>

Get Gnarly

Beer-jolais Nouveau: Could fresh hops do for beer what Beaujolais Nouveau does for wine?

The Tommyknocker crew.www.sanjuanhopfarms.com​On the third Thursday of every November (today), vintners in France have been releasing a kind of red wine called Beaujolais Nouveau. The wine isn't powerful or rich or even that all that good. Its main quality is light freshness. It's fermented f ... More >>

Human smuggling: In first case after '06 state law passed, federal prosecutors took over

​ Most human smuggling cases in Colorado are handled by state prosecutors using a 2006 state law -- the effectiveness of which is questioned in this week's feature story, "Disappearing Act." But human smuggling remains a federal crime, as well -- and in cases where there are aggravating facto ... More >>

Old Chicago drinks from the mug of craft beer relevance

​Fifteen years ago, Old Chicago was the place to go in Denver if you wanted to try unusual beers. Known for its World Beer Tour, the restaurant -- a part of what is now the Colorado-based Rock Bottom empire -- offered unusual and international brews. And while the craft-beer scene hadn't real ... More >>

Get fresh with fresh-hopped beers this weekend

​It's Friday afternoon. Do you know where your fresh-hopped beers are. If not, then here are two suggestions. All 27 Old Chicago locations began pouring Colorado IPA Nouveau this week. It's a limited release that was made especially for Old Chicago by Tommyknocker Brewing in Idaho Springs. T ... More >>

Culinary calendar for the week ahead: St. Germain cocktails, Tasty Colfax and teen cooking classes

​There are plenty of dinners and tastings for oenophiles this week -- plus some beer and St. Germain action thrown in for good measure. Here's a taste of what's to come: Monday, July 26: Frasca Food and Wine, 1738 Pearl Street, presents its weekly Monday Night Wine Dinner. This week, winemak ... More >>

Is There an Echo in Here?

The Edge: A handy calendar of winter events

The digital conversion will leave some Coloradans in the dark

Mining the Past for the Future

Jibulation Jamboree

Troubled teens were banished to the Monarch Center wilderness program. Then their troubles really started

All Aboard!

Head up to Georgetown for some historic fun.

Climb Every Mountain

Conquer Mount Evans on the Bob Cook Memorial.

Letters to the Editor

From the week of 3/22/07

Bite Me

War and Pizza

Bite Me

In the Suds

Consumed

Drinking High on the Hog

The Bite

The British are coming! The British are coming!

Colorado Cooking

Dude ranch serves up more than mere beans.

Mais, Oui

French chefs are out there--if you know where to look.

MOUTHING OFF