People & Places

Just like little old ladies, who like to share their whimsy through yard art, little old veterans like to share the grandiosity of their glory days through yard artillery. The strip of lawn surrounding the parking lot of the Ray R. Brannaman VFW Post is groaning with glory in the guise of three big guns, a troop transport vehicle, a jeep truck and a baby-dolphin-sized shell casing hanging beneath the front eave. A classic cannon protects the entrance, which is backed up by a pair of matching howitzers. Don't let the heavy armaments deter you from thanking these fellows for their service and letting them know this place is the bomb.

Leadville doesn't get a lot of attention these days — so the adopted home town of Jihad Jamie Paulin-Ramirez really didn't appreciate being labeled "nothing to write home about" and a "dirtball town" by a local reporter characterizing the place for Fox. Local lawmakers fought back by offering to host "A Day in a Dirtball Town" that would include tours of Leadville's art galleries and historic sites — including spots visited by Oscar Wilde in 1882. And he did write home about the town, reporting at one saloon, "I saw the only rational method of art criticism I have ever come across. Over the piano was printed a notice — 'Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best.'"

When America voted Lilly Scott off this season's American Idol, our hearts sank. Scott, a Littleton resident who previously fronted the band Varlet, was a breath of fresh air on a show otherwise known for churning out (with a very few exceptions) a steady parade of unmemorable artists who, in turn, produce mainstream pabulum. And while we were being unrealistically optimistic to think she'd make the finals, we couldn't help pulling for Scott. For the first time in years, she made Idol worth watching. We couldn't wait to see what songs she'd pick next: From "Lullaby of Birdland" to "Fixing a Hole" to "A Change Is Gonna Come" to "I Fall to Pieces," she kept things interesting. But that last song eventually proved to be her undoing; Scott's voice, which recalls Joanna Newsom's, was a bit too much for most folks. Your loss, America.

Now that texting while driving is illegal in Colorado, the legislature really should do something about drivers who listen to Caplis & Silverman while behind the wheel between 3 and 6 p.m. This odd couple of the airwaves can be dangerously distracting. While you're wondering just why former DA Craig Silverman doesn't execute a citizen's arrest for Caplis's shameless boosting of the University of Colorado, for example, you could wipe out a fleet of RTD buses. Still, it's almost impossible not to tune into their show during rush hour, and the impressive lineup of guests they book apparently all feel the same inevitable pull, because just about every politician and newsmaker in the state winds up yakking with these talk-show hosts.

He's still finding his voice on morning radio, and his attempt to click with players sometimes comes off a little shmoozy. Still, Channel 4 sports anchor Vic Lombardi overcomes these and any other faults you might be muttering about with his undeniable natural knowledge and feel for Denver sports. He was born with it: He's a native of Denver's north side and interned with the station as a student. But he balances his obvious fandom with honest, astute observations and a geniality that oozes from your flat-screen.

Colorado's real capitol dome is in trouble. It is rusting, rotting and cracking, and fixing it will cost millions. But a scale model of the building, made entirely of canned goods, is doing just fine. Located inside the dome museum — known as Mr. Brown's Attic — the replica is a version of one originally created for the 2004 People's Fair by Intergroup Architects of Littleton as part of Canstruction, a yearly contest held by the Society for Design Administration. Made from a variety of containers, including soup and tomato sauce cans and sardine tins, it's topped by a plastic water bottle. Canstruction projects are typically built as fundraisers, and the food is then donated to food banks, but this one is on permanent display — which may be more than we can say for the real thing.

It's not easy to smooth over the rocky road of race relations. Luckily, the nation has Blue Moon, a smooth, Belgian-style wheat beer first brewed in 1995 inside Coors Field at what is now called the Blue Moon Brewing Company at the Sandlot. And when President Barack Obama held his now-famous beer-diplomacy session last summer on the White House lawn with Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates and Cambridge, Massachusetts, police Sergeant James Crowley, Blue Moon was Crowley's brew of choice. Whether it's baseball or politics, Blue Moon makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Think Aspen's snooty? Well, you're not alone. To change both perception and reality, Aspen has adopted an "Adopt a Tourist" program, in which residents play host to visitors. Several Aspenites have signed on to make nice; sadly, none of them are Kurt Russell.

He didn't win season five of American Idol, but long-locked Boulder boy Ace Young landed the role of Berger, the leader of a band of '60s hippies, in the Broadway revival of Hair in March. And his hair wasn't the only thing hanging down in the infamous nude scene.

Known almost as much for his afro as for his penchant for local music, Nerf still mans the fort at KTCL as both program director and afternoon-drive guy. Musicians should be glad he's stuck around; Nerf was an early champion of bands like the Fray and Meese, and he remains committed to pushing the scene. But he also does his bit for bad music, too: "Make It Stop," a 4:05 p.m. daily feature during which he plays a song that sucks and doesn't pull the plug until a caller correctly names the artist and title.

Eric Kahnert, who joined the Channel 9 weekend team late last year from an NBC affiliate in Albuquerque, is young and serious — and very, very slick. In fact, he sports a mini-Ed Grimley oil-slick cowlick in front. It's a popular look these days: bed head for the post-college crowd.

Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory has nothing on NetDevil. The Louisville-based video-game company is developing LEGO Universe, an online game based on everybody's favorite building toy, and as part of its research, the toy manufacturer sent the outfit a sampling of some of the building blocks it would be working with. NetDevil now boasts in the vicinity of ten million LEGO bricks, one of the largest known collections in the world. Not surprisingly, the company's HQ is like a super-sized version of every kids' dream: LEGO models everywhere, video games stacked sky-high, energy-drink-guzzling techies zipping around the cavernous space on scooters. The bad news is that aside from VIPs and a handful of very lucky local school groups, very few outsiders have gotten a chance to see this stash. Still, when LEGO Universe comes out later this year, Coloradans can be content in the knowledge that the inspiration for this wacky online world is just down the road.

Coming or going, rush hour on Leetsdale Drive is a toxic sea of traffic and exhaust. Which makes Belcaro Paint's changing electronic sign a breath of fresh air. Not content with simply offering the temperature and time, this sign will occasionally make you laugh out loud by flashing such come-ons as "We shake our cans for you," "We have big tints" or "Pick up gals. here." We brake for funny.

It took Gallup two years to do all the research for its Well-Being Index, asking 1,000 Americans key questions about aspects of their lives ranging from emotional health to physical health to work environment. The result of all that nosiness? Boulder was crowned the happiest city in the country.

Yeah, he co-founded the Wynkoop Brewing Company and ran it for many years thereafter, but mayor and now gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper didn't turn his back on beer after becoming a politician. In fact, Hick can be seen imbibing around town every so often, whether it's at an event, a personal dinner or even a political fundraiser. Hell, Hick even served beer at the grand opening of his campaign headquarters in February. At last, a politician we can drink to. And with. Cheers.

Now that business boy Gregg Moss has rejoined longtime co-anchors Gary Shapiro and Kyle Dyer, as well as affable sports reporter Susie Wargin and weathercaster Becky Ditchfield, it's once again safe to turn on the television when you wake up. This low-key crew delivers news and morning chit-chat in equal measure, without becoming strident or silly. We'd missed Moss, whose informative, entertaining business reports are a real pleasure. With him back in the fold, local TV's most functional family is back in top form.

Longtime local radio personality Gloria Neal is a welcome sight on television — particularly now that she's contributing reports at 6 p.m., when we're a little more awake than we were during her morning appearances and able to appreciate her down-home delivery. Since Neal's hair is shorter than that of most male anchors, viewers can stay focused on the story and not an impossibly complicated spray job.

No one wants to have to take their kid to the Children's Hospital, but the facility has done all it can to make the experience a brighter one, and that includes the colorful layout — from the glass elevator to the kids' artwork on the walls to the 12,000-LEGO brick scale model of the hospital, built in August 2007 by a LEGO Master Builder to 1:89 scale. The 21-inch-high replica stands on the second floor of the atrium — right outside that glass elevator — and faithfully represents many details of the real hospital and its grounds, from trees to helicopter landing pad.

Back in the '70s, when the specter of school busing was scaring the double-knit pants off of suburbanites, Colorado passed the Poundstone Amendment, to prevent the City and County of Denver from annexing land. As a result, while other metropolitan areas swallowed suburbs (and their tax revenues), Denver suffered from stunted growth and seemed doomed to never pass the half-million mark in population. But now, with new-urbanism projects at Stapleton and Lowry and more infill in the Platte Valley and RiNo, Denver's growing again. In fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, it's now the fourth-fastest-growing county in the country, with a population of just over 600,000.

He represents a college town, so he might as well do it right. Second District Representative Jared Polis barely balked last August when comedian Stephen Colbert brought out a six-pack of Coors Light and a red funnel and challenged him to do a beer bong during taping of The Colbert Report. Polis, who had described Congress as "like going back to college," slammed part of the beer — and then Colbert finished it. That's bipartisan support!

The basic theory about Colorado's volatile climate: If you don't like the weather now, wait a minute. But when it comes to weather forecasts, TV viewers have always had to wait more than a few minutes, since local news broadcasts traditionally like to put weather news at the end of the show, compelling viewers to stay tuned through everything else. But finally this year, Channel 4 decided to experiment with presenting the entire forecast early in its evening broadcast — at the behest of KCNC's chief meteorologist, Ed Greene. Combined with the always dependable Jim Benemann, along with solid performances by new co-anchor Karen Leigh and sports lead Vic Lombardi, Channel 4's new format makes the forecast look bright for this nightly news show.

The Pfitzer juniper is a vigorous evergreen that homeowners love to sculpt into amorphous lawn blobs and multi-balled bushalabras. The octogenarian homeowner of this tidy green Mediterranean-style bungalow on Cherry Street had a much more definitive topiary treatment in mind: a tribute to the beloved mascot of his alma mater. Ralphie the Buffalo was sculpted out of the shrubbery years ago and requires periodic "haircuts." The aging artist admits that he doesn't barber his bush quite as often as he used to, but even so, this bison looks buff.

This amazing cache of photographs was intended to announce the October 1963 grand reopening of "the world's largest variety store," the Woolworth in the heart of downtown Denver, newly expanded to 174,000 square feet, with two miles' worth of counter dis­plays on two floors. In this virtual time capsule, each of the vividly colored images can be enlarged for detailed viewing of ten different departments. Baby boomers will want to search for their lost youth among the Toyland department mer­chandise, while Capitol Hill-dwelling Millennials will get garage-sale boners from looking over the wall-clock selection in housewares. Banjos, ukuleles and trumpets were available alongside a slim assortment of TVs in the record department. In the future, the best grand reopenings may be opening up such looks to the past.

After a fellow legislator suggested screening the use of American Indian mascots in Colorado high schools, House Minority Leader Mike May came up with his own idea: banning "cougars" as mascots. Currently, seven high schools in the state have cougar mascots. "Under his proposal," May's office noted, "offending mascots must be approved by the newly created Cougar Council, which meets every Saturday night at Elway's in Cherry Creek."

The ganja's all here. At 8 Rivers, the restaurant they moved to LoDo in 2008, Wanda James and Scott Durrah serve up the flavors of the Caribbean. But their interest in that area's lifestyle isn't limited to the cuisine, as the portrait of Bob Marley on the wall proclaims. This politically connected couple opened a dispensary, Apothecary of Colorado, in December, where they feature homegrown strains, offer industry nights for restaurant workers and tout the very practical cooking class for medical marijuana patients they hold at 8 Rivers. While many medical marijuana advocates exude so much hot air, James and Durrah are the toke of the town.

Tom Green has been on the air in Denver for more than 25 years — an impressive record in a shrinking industry that's buffeted by the changing marketing winds. But Green's low-key delivery, easy style and quick one-liners remain a constant, and he's stayed a pro — whether he's doing sports for channels 9, 7 or 31, or news on Channel 2, where he currently leads the station's morning show. With or without a tie, Green is a survivor. Let's hope he stays that way.

The gorillas are good and the rhino is respectable, but the best animal artist at the Denver Zoo is clearly Dolly, one of two painting pachyderms that show their stuff every so often for special events and fundraisers. Despite Dolly's partially paralyzed trunk, her work stands out for its expressive palette and an abstract style that can evoke a variety of emotions, from anger to nostalgia to a desire for more peanuts. Bravo, Dolly!

It seems like it's been well over twenty seasons since construction started on the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences on the corner of 14th and Arapahoe streets in downtown Denver — but you can watch the tower, billed as the most expensive property ever built in Colorado, go up in twenty seconds on the website. A time-lapse camera recorded the construction from the pouring of the foundation to the raising of the roof, and while the brisk erection speed may entertain promiscuous web surfers, more technically astute architecture lovers can click on the convenient photo-gallery link to access hundreds of construction photographs taken by amateurs and profes­sionals. There is also a heavenly description and handy tutorial on how to live a Four Seasons Life, which only seems fitting after watching life flash before your eyes.

It wasn't that funny in 1873, when Alfred Packer killed and ate his fellow prospectors after they became stranded in a snowstorm near Lake City. But, as they say, pain plus time equals humor. Today, Alfred (the historically accurate spelling) Packer is a macabre local celebrity, remembered in song and film and at the Alferd G. Packer Memorial Grill in Boulder. His actual gravesite is in the Littleton Cemetery, where teens regularly stole it in the 1960s and '70s. Eventually, the U.S. Department of Defense got tired of replacing the marble marker (since Packer was a veteran, the agency paid for it), so the cemetery encased the marker in cement. The current stone is chipped from the last time someone tried to take it, but the cemetery has one remaining replacement, just in case anyone decides to resurrect this prank.

Californians will vote on whether to make marijuana legal this fall, and Mason Tvert has plans to bring the issue to Colorado voters next year. But with upsets predicted at the ballot box in November, Cali's unlikely to legalize marijuana this round, and Colorado can count on at least two more election cycles before voters surrender to the inevitable. We're betting on pot to become legal in 2014.

Lisa Hidalgo is a Colorado native who grew up watching Mike Nelson, the veteran weathercaster at Channel 7, so she knows which way the wind is blowing in this state. She's easy on the eyes, but goes easy on the cute happy talk that so often can get in the way of delivering a straightforward weather report. In fact, she presents the news the way we imagine the cool girl in college would do it: breezy.

Having public artworks replace private cars could be the perfect example of Mayor John Hickenlooper's plan to transform Denver from an outpost of the automotive age into the very model of a creative-class city. The empty parking lots of this shuttered John Elway Ford dealership are separated from the City Park neighborhood to the north by an aging wooden security fence hung with lively works of contemporary art. The artwork east of Gar­field Street consists of colorful constructions that handily show what a good artist can do with leftover mate­rials and scraps of time; the pieces hanging on the fence east of Jackson Street are assembled from repurposed wooden screen doors and discarded housewares. This gallery is open at all hours; art lovers are encouraged to bring their own wine and cheese.

It's easy to think of Bastien's as a time machine perpetually dialed to 1958. That was the year Bastien's opened, and it's been run by the same family for the past five decades — which means it hasn't been subjected to the regular remod­eling that comes with new owners trying to hook trendy prima diners. From the outside, the folded-plate roof and neon-embellished sign reflects Denver architect Bernard N. Cahlander Jr.'s interpretation of the Googie movement of Southern California coffee-shop design. And now those touches have landed the building on the National Register of Historic Places. Once the very definition of contemporary, the sunken circular bay, the hemispherical skylight and the metal screens seem as quaint as the tufted ottomans in a Victorian mansion — and they're just as important to preserve.

Who knew marketing geeks could be so much fun? The Denver Egotist blog bills itself as a one-stop shop for news and job opportunities relating to Denver's advertising and marketing scene. But the people behind it — Denver Egotist doesn't reveal the names of those involved — don't mind getting down and dirty when the need arises. Take the Great Chipotle War of 2009. Last year, when the local burrito-chain-done-good unveiled a new "Low Roller" menu and marketing campaign and did away with its long-cherished, big-ass foil-wrapped burrito ads, the Egotists took it personally. That's why they launched a counter-offensive on Cheapotle.com, a site full of hypothetical ads with slogans like "Bring back the ads with balls" and "Your new ad campaign is made with 100 percent chicken shit." Who knows? Maybe Cheapotle was one of the reasons Chipotle soon toned down its "Low Roller" campaign. After all, hell hath no fury like an ad guy scorned.

How tweet it is! Since December, it's been illegal to use a cell phone to text or send e-mail while driving — and for drivers under eighteen, it's now illegal to use a cell phone at all while driving. "Today drivers will have to start breaking a bad habit," said Governor Bill Ritter. Now, about using that cell phone while on a bicycle...

When Stacey Donaldson came to Channel 31 six years ago, her naughty-librarian look immediately won fans. And those fans are still crying over Donaldson's ouster from Channel 4, where she moved to the morning show three years ago — before being let loose in February. Despite her minxish looks, Donaldson offered up her weather report with a minimum of shtick.

Perched in a quiet garden above the chaotic exchange where Federal Boulevard and West Sixth Avenue meet I-25, the Mother of Our Lord has the mother of all views. The small statue stands with bowed head beneath a stately pine tree in a grotto near the rectory of the Presentation of Our Lady Catholic School and parish. Though she is slightly turned away from the photogenic view of the city, she does look over the busy exchange, a position that may help in the speedier delivery of prayers for commuters negotiating the tangle of roadways.

Like a suitcase stored between vacations, the A.E. Meek Trunk and Baggage Company Building sits empty, waiting for its next big adventure. And like an antique steamer trunk, the structure is decorated with stylish graphics commemorating its passage through time. The storefront sign replicates the century-old script originally used by the suitcase seller, while the alley sign is a genuine vintage metal-and-neon masterpiece of a now-lost Denver. Although the neon has been pulled off, the original paint and deco-moderne styling still shine, illuminating how the color and fashion trends of a bygone era have come almost full circle. The next time you visit downtown to see the sights, take a side trip through the alley between Stout and California streets to view a true treasure.

Over the years, Survivor has gone to a lot of exotic places: Borneo, the Amazon River region of Brazil, the Pearl Islands. By choosing outer space as its next location and putting the cast of contenders on a decommissioned space shuttle, Survivor executive producer Mark Barnett could simultaneously save the space program and send Richard Heene exactly where so many would like to see him go. Off the planet. Let's do it for the show!

There is, admittedly, slim competition in this category. Perhaps because they're too busy doing stuff out in the real world, Denverites don't produce an overwhelming number of consistent, competent blogs. But even if the crowd is meager, ColoradoPols stands out, with its constant stream of smart, in-the-know insights into the local and statewide political scenes. Whether it's breaking news, commenting on it or just synthesizing the work of other journalists, Pols injects each post with a sense of authority and writes with just enough attitude to make the blog readable without being annoying.

It was uncomfortable to watch Dave Fraser have to perform his job without the suit and tie that's the uniform of most professional weathercasters. It was like watching a man with his zipper down. But now that Channel 2 has dumped the hip Deuce concept, Fraser is free to tie one on.

The official title is "Left-handed Hummingbird," but there is nary a bird in sight in this mural of mother and child sur­rounded by corn stalks and purple fingernails. Borrowing from ancient Aztec and modern art-deco design mo­tifs, the mural is named for Uhzilopochtli, the warrior and Aztec deity. The imagery pays homage to its south-facing position, since that's the direction of the warrior who holds the center for growth, energy and creation; it is also the place of the child, music, poetry and art. All of this is amazingly illustrated by Denver's most talented and under-appreciated mural artist, David Ocelotl Garcia. The artwork was commissioned by the Sisters of Color United for Education and strikes the perfect balance between an artist's skill and a community organiza­tion's mission.

A concrete retaining wall separates customers from businesses in the Washington/Virginia Vale neighborhood. This cozy residential area centered on South Ivy Street and East Virginia Avenue lies on a hill overlooking shops located along Leetsdale Drive. But to get to Santiago's or Starbucks, cravers of tacos and lattes either had to jump in their cars or venture several blocks out of their way to cross the steep, sloping divide. In the spirit of harmony, residents and business owners joined together to build the Great Staircase, a secret trade route behind Santiago's that fosters peace through better economic relations. But please, as the stairway sign urges, do not leave trash or make loud noises.