Memorial Day

Video: Elitch Gardens debuts new roller coaster, shows and beer this summer

Elitch Gardens Theme and Water Park has started its 123rd season with a new family-friendly roller coaster, seven more shows and a third custom-craft beer. The park's new Blazin' Buckaroo allows cowboys and cowgirls as short as 36 inches high to climb aboard (but they'll need to be accompanied by a ... More >>

BolderBOULDER and Colfax Marathon runners determined to take part despite Boston attack

The Denver Police Department says that at this time, there's no known local link to the horrific attack at the Boston Marathon yesterday. Yet the images currently blanketing news broadcasts can't help striking a chord with local runners expecting to participate in the BolderBOULDER and Colfax Marat ... More >>

East Ohio Avenue murder is fourth Aurora homicide in a month (13)

As Denverites worry about increasing gang violence in the wake of Denver Police officer Celena Hollis's murder, Aurora is in the midst of a veritable homicide spree, with at least four slayings since Memorial Day weekend -- and none of them has generated an arrest thus far. The latest involves the k ... More >>

Harris Donkor and Shawn Hicks murders: No suspects named in Aurora PD investigations

Two homicides took place in Aurora over Memorial Day weekend -- a shooting in the parking lot of the duRoss Lounge and a man found dead in a car near East Alameda and Ironton Street. The victims -- Harris Donkor (seen here) and Shawn Hicks, respectively -- have now been ID'd. But the same cannot be ... More >>

Review: The Say So at The Hi-Dive, 6/9/12

THE SAY SO @ HI-DIVE | 6/9/12The Say So ended its release for show for The Romantic last night at the hi-dive with one of the best songs from its previous release, Something Like Wild. "Fools" was replete with the melodic, triumphal tone that is part of the band's overall sound, but also with what s ... More >>

Ugly Goat Milk Company farm tour: healthy boobies, raw milk and plenty of cavorting

There's a whole lot of spring "cavorting" going on at Ugly Goat Milk Company's farm. And that means plenty of milk, butter, cheese and good times for both the animals and humans.

Street style: What's in your bag? Novels, sandwiches and more!

While many people laid out by the pool or devoured BBQ on Memorial Day weekend, wearing nothing more than a bathing suit or old T-shirt and shorts, true street fashion never takes time off. For proof, look no further than these stylistic movers and shakers we found downtown over the holidays, who c ... More >>

Reader: We scream for ice cream -- but in Berkeley or Harkness Heights?

Just in time for the Memorial Day weekend, Matt and Rosemary Lopez, who've owned Taza de Cafe for the six years, finally opened Charlie's Ice Cream Social right next door in the hot Berkeley neighborhood. Or is it?

Weekend's best nightlife: Riddle of the Sphinx, Solution Showcase#6, PillowTalk and more

The long weekend is here, and there are more dance related activities and parties over the next few days than you can probably handle. From the Hive's grand opening tonight to the Solution Showcase#6 tomorrow night, along with the Riddle of the Sphinx party, some funk/soul sessions and dance music g ... More >>

Makan Malaysian Cafe will open at the end of the month on South Pearl Street

The former Pearl Street Grill may still be dark, while Yasu and Toshi Kizaki, the brothers who own Sushi Den and Izakaya Den, retool that space to make way for the relocation of Izakaya Den, but down the block, at 1859 South Pearl Street, Karen Wee Lin Beckman is gutting a small storefront that will ... More >>

Elitch Gardens rings in its new season today with new rides, more flowers and a fresh coat of paint

Elitch Gardens opens today for its 122nd season, but you wouldn't know this institution is that old by looking around the current park. With 25,000 new flowers, three new shows and three new rides, it looks as though this season's opening could be its grand opening. "We've been doing a lot of resto ... More >>

The Gold Hill Inn opens for its fiftieth season this weekend

In 1962, husband and wife Frank and Barbara Finn purchased the old Bluebird Lodge and its dining hall, nestled in the mining town of Gold Hill (ten miles west of Boulder, up Sunshine Canyon). The couple turned the almost-century-old spot -- now known collectively as the Gold Hill Inn -- into a gourm ... More >>

Mile Highlights: Denver/Boulder area concert news, local radio playlists and top album sales

Here's what's hot this week in music on the Front Range: On the concert front, new shows featuring Girl Talk, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Battles, Bon Iver and Feist, LMFAO, Destroyer, Anders Osborne and Classix were announced; the Swayback, Coles Whalen and Strip the Stars got spins on local radio; ... More >>

Eight great Denver bars that opened in 2011

CDOT is looking for help with an I-70 phone app

Beautiful Ordinary

Elitch Gardens fireworks show tonight will be a real blast

​Get out your earplugs! All summer long, Elitch Gardens has been ending every night with a fireworks show -- although the amusement park modified the display, muting the "high-percussive" explosions when some neighbors complained about the noise. But tonight, as part of a competition, the park ... More >>

Gil Spencer, R.I.P.: Neil Westergaard remembers legendary Denver Post editor

Gil Spencer in a 1992 Denver Post photo.​Gil Spencer, former editor of the Denver Post, who died early this morning at the age of 85, was a rarity: a veteran journalist who was beloved by one and all -- and especially by the people with whom he once worked. That's certainly true of Neil Weste ... More >>

Dirtbikers can stake out their turf at Cheapskates Action Sports Bar

The Grand Rapids LipDub: A tribute to my hometown

That's right, Newsweek.​Few could have anticipated a decade or two ago, when I was a kid growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, what kind of toll the decline of the Big Three automakers would take on the whole state; back then, it was a solidly middle-class and blue-collar place to be from, a p ... More >>

A hazy look back: May 2011 in photos

Aaron Thackeray​Oh, how the time does fly. Next thing we knew it, Memorial Day was over and it was time to pay rent, and yet again, all our memories of all the fun we had are pretty much completely blotted out by a thick haze of roofies and blow. Luckily, we have a dedicated staff of photograp ... More >>

Chris Power Bain spoke for Denver

Chris Power Bain.​Memorial Day is still three days away, but all week I have been carried away by memories. The extended Westword family lost one of its members this week when Chris Power Bain, who'd served as advertising manager in the early '80s, passed away. There's much more to her story ... More >>

This Weekend in Stoke: Top five reasons to hit the road for Memorial Day weekend

Magic Trip is a featured film this weekend at Mountainfilm in Telluride​Road trip! The 32nd annual Mountainfilm in Telluride film festival gets into full swing today at 9 a.m. with opening remarks from filmmaker Tom Shadyac and a Moving Mountains "Awareness into Action" symposium. The first sc ... More >>

Happy Friday: Here's a good place to find a date

Jonathan ShikesThe patio at Ale House at Amato's is usually packed.​In the Best of Denver 2011, we named Common Grounds the Best Coffeehouse for Finding a Date, thanks to the constant crowd of young professionals who mingle over cappuccinos. And because we're big proponents of ditching online ... More >>

National slam champ Rudy Francisco says "hey" to SlamNUBA on Memorial Day

​Denver is one slammin' town, and that's to our advantage: It means we're not under the radar of the national slam poetry community. Rather, Denver is a destination: Touring poets make it a point to stop over here, say "hey" to their Denver brothers and sisters and perform for them in an appre ... More >>

Big Boi and Rusko join the Disco Biscuits for Bisco Inferno

Denver's five best spots for ice cream

​The Memorial Day weekend is upon us, which means that many of you are firing up the grills and planning to hit the parks for a weekend of frolicking in the sunshine. As for us, we're getting ready to celebrate the holiday -- and what feels like the beginning of summer -- with a cold, sweet tr ... More >>

Forest Room 5 starts up a summer concert series

Mr. Midas gives a sneak peek of his upcoming Flight Risk mixtape, due out on Memorial Day

​Still riding high off the success of his full length album, Son of the Crack Era, Mr. Midas is gearing up for a Memorial Day release of his latest project, a mixtape titled Flight Risk. Conceptually, he says the mixtape is an extension of his debut, while others open doors to a different them ... More >>

Jesse Hodgson: Firefighter guilty of forcing 11-year-old to watch him urinate in diaper

Hodgson.​ Jesse Hodgson, a former firefighter for Mountain View Fire Rescue in Longmont, will have to register as a sex offender. The 37-year-old has pleaded guilty to instructing his 11-year-old stepdaughter to wear an adult diaper as punishment. Authorities say he also asked her to watch him ... More >>

Bedbugs: Fort Collins man invents ThermalStrike, a box to bake bedbugs to death

​ When Mike Lindsey and his family traveled to Mexico in 2008 for Christmas, they brought home more than memories. Bedbugs, the subject of this week's cover story, "Bug Bedlam," hitched a ride from their rental house to the Lindseys' Fort Collins home.

Note to the Twitter world: Colt & Gray is closing...but only on Mondays

​Ah, Twitter, where rumors spark rumors. Last Friday, @GuruDenver posted a tweet hinting that Colt & Gray, one of our favorite local dining dens and watering holes for pig trotters, charcuterie, cheeseburgers -- which won a coveted Best of Denver award -- and clever cocktails, might be shutter ... More >>

Bob Wiltshire, exec chef of Morton's LoDo, talks about foams, cinnamon rolls and the dearth of napkins and coasters in Denver bars

Lori Midson Morton's LoDo executive chef Bob Wiltshire​ Bob Wiltshire Morton's Steakhouse 1710 Wynkoop Street 303-825-3353 www.mortons.com This is part one of Lori Midson' Chef and Tell interview with Bob Wiltshire, To read part two of that interview, check back here tomorrow. Blame Bob W ... More >>

Bobby Flay grills Applebee's

Flay's Dallas Burger​What with his Food Channel fame and a restaurant empire stretching from Las Vegas to New York City, it was bound to happen: Bobby Flay is now king of all he surveys. At least he thinks so. Applebee's recently introduced a menu concept of "regional American burgers" from ... More >>

Tom Tancredo and his band to star at Arizona immigration rally: Kenny Be's Fotochop Friday

​ While many of America's celebrities announce their Arizona boycott plans, Colorado's most famous performer is preparing a big show of support. Inspired by the new immigration law passed by the Arizona state legislature, Tom Tancredo is getting the band back together.

Memorial Day Playlist: Ten patriotic (and vaguely patriotic) songs that don't suck

​ As we all prepare to take time out from our hurried lives to remember the brave men and women of the armed forces who fought (and continue to fight) to keep us all free to live our lives as we please, we came up with a list of ten tunes to cue up this Memorial Day as you fire up the grill. ... More >>

Washington Park will soon have the Local Daylight Diner

Lori Midson Washington Park will soon have a Daylight Diner ​Back in March, Dino's Soda Bar, the Washington Park ice cream parlor at 2217 East Mississippi, was shuttered for non-payment of taxes, a move that shattered the lives of god knows how many children. But according to Jeff Estey, who ... More >>

Loop the Loop

Wild Ivories will bring another dueling piano bar to LoDo

Burning down the house: Just in time for Memorial Day, our ten favorite barbecue joints

Memorial Day is all about barbecues: in the backyard, at the park and in the woods, near the pee tree, if you're so inclined. But if you don't feel like throwing wood chips on the grill this year, there are plenty of barbecue barns in and around Denver that can feed your brisket, hot link, ribs and ... More >>

Cheeky Monk to open new Westminster location, add American craft beers

​The Cheeky Monk has discovered the New World. The Belgian beer café, which has spots on East Colfax and in Winter Park, plans to open its third location over Memorial Day in Westminster, and the new place will feature more than a dozen hard-to-find American craft beers alongside its Belgian ... More >>

A Day At the Park(s)

The Aetna Park to Park 10 Miler runs its course through the city.

Brothers BBQ

It’s the pits.

Hey, Rube!

Visit to a culinary tourist trap.

Beta

Beatport gives birth to a new club.

Back to the Future

From the Ranch

Salida hosts an art party like no other.

Chi Bistro

What’s love got to do with it? Not much.

It's a Mall World

Denver's strip-mall restaurants explore new territories.

Mouthing Off

Downtown residents are still in the market for a good grocer.