Best Of :: People & Places
When retired University of Colorado history professor Joyce Lebra learned that she'd be receiving the University Medal, a service award given by CU, she sent a letter to the Board of Regents. It was not a thank-you note. "The massive concrete stadium structure looming over the campus stands as a symbol of the gross distortion of priorities at the university and moreover is incongruent with the architecture of the campus," Lebra wrote. "The football program has proven, moreover, to foster a culture of sexism and misogyny where harassment and rape of women has occurred repeatedly."
She turned down the award.
Metro boosters keep fretting that the rest of the world doesn't really understand Denver. Outsiders see those nice pictures of Aspen, and they assume this city's in the mountains, too. Or they watch all the coverage of Colorado's assorted sex-assault scandals -- the Air Force Academy, Kobe Bryant, CU recruiting -- and they assume that topography isn't the only thing elevated here. (Colorado: What happens here stays in the national news for years to come.) Isn't it about time to mix those two not entirely incorrect assumptions together with our one tried-and-true, if unofficial, slogan -- "The Mile High City" -- for a brand that's fun, friendly and just a bit frisky?
Metro boosters keep fretting that the rest of the world doesn't really understand Denver. Outsiders see those nice pictures of Aspen, and they assume this city's in the mountains, too. Or they watch all the coverage of Colorado's assorted sex-assault scandals -- the Air Force Academy, Kobe Bryant, CU recruiting -- and they assume that topography isn't the only thing elevated here. (Colorado: What happens here stays in the national news for years to come.) Isn't it about time to mix those two not entirely incorrect assumptions together with our one tried-and-true, if unofficial, slogan -- "The Mile High City" -- for a brand that's fun, friendly and just a bit frisky?
Tom Clark, head of the Chamber of Commerce's new eco-devo unit, the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, isn't all about numbers. He can rock and roll, too, as evidenced by his song "Branding," performed by his band, TC and the Destroyers (celebrity edition), at Denver 360, the city's summit on marketing in February:
There's a Mayor, by the name of Hick,
Said, "Denver, you need a brand-new shtick.
"Find some words, take your pick
And send the world the news."
Find the words, like "Mile High Smile"
"Queen City," or "Denver by a Mile."
There's "Altitude With Some Attitude"
Which one will we choose?
The flaks say, "Branding, you're a fine word"
We'll find the new words, you'll see
How about "DenverŠa great place to be"?
In Vegas, it's wine, women and song
Chippendales, strippers dressed in thongs
In Denver, we still know it's wrong
to "Come to the Cabaret"
Let's make it edgy, make it cool
We've got the nation's best "Party School"
We're where Brother Doug Bruce Rules!
There's no taxes to pay!
We got great fires, we give great drought
Eco-tourism's what it's all about
Let's all stand up and shout
"Our water's owned by L.A.!"
The flaks say, "Branding, you're a fine word"
We'll find the new words, you'll see.
How about "DenverŠbetter than therapy"?
We got traffic, ain't got no trains
We're even "Colorful" if it ever rains
We still attract all the nation's brains
We just hope they'll stay!
At night, when Denver's LoDo is packed
Mayor Hick revs up all the acts
With his changer, he brings us back
To the LoDo we all love.
Got no incentives, except life with quality
Mountain views are part of your salary
We're here today to change the economy
And be a Mile High above the rest.
The flaks say, "Branding, you're a fine word"
We'll find the new words, you'll see
How about "DenverŠa great place to be"?
Tom Clark, head of the Chamber of Commerce's new eco-devo unit, the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, isn't all about numbers. He can rock and roll, too, as evidenced by his song "Branding," performed by his band, TC and the Destroyers (celebrity edition), at Denver 360, the city's summit on marketing in February:
There's a Mayor, by the name of Hick,
Said, "Denver, you need a brand-new shtick.
"Find some words, take your pick
And send the world the news."
Find the words, like "Mile High Smile"
"Queen City," or "Denver by a Mile."
There's "Altitude With Some Attitude"
Which one will we choose?
The flaks say, "Branding, you're a fine word"
We'll find the new words, you'll see
How about "DenverŠa great place to be"?
In Vegas, it's wine, women and song
Chippendales, strippers dressed in thongs
In Denver, we still know it's wrong
to "Come to the Cabaret"
Let's make it edgy, make it cool
We've got the nation's best "Party School"
We're where Brother Doug Bruce Rules!
There's no taxes to pay!
We got great fires, we give great drought
Eco-tourism's what it's all about
Let's all stand up and shout
"Our water's owned by L.A.!"
The flaks say, "Branding, you're a fine word"
We'll find the new words, you'll see.
How about "DenverŠbetter than therapy"?
We got traffic, ain't got no trains
We're even "Colorful" if it ever rains
We still attract all the nation's brains
We just hope they'll stay!
At night, when Denver's LoDo is packed
Mayor Hick revs up all the acts
With his changer, he brings us back
To the LoDo we all love.
Got no incentives, except life with quality
Mountain views are part of your salary
We're here today to change the economy
And be a Mile High above the rest.
The flaks say, "Branding, you're a fine word"
We'll find the new words, you'll see
How about "DenverŠa great place to be"?
When you're a tiny town in the least-populated county in Colorado, you have to make the most of what you have. And for Lake City, that's not just spectacular scenery. It's Lake City's most notorious short-term resident, Alfred Packer, the "Colorado Cannibal" charged with eating five of his traveling companions while stranded on Slumgullion Pass in 1874. The truth of that tale -- like the correct spelling of Packer's first name -- is still a matter of some dispute. But slap Packer's glum mug on a T-shirt over the slogan "Eat Your Heart Out!," as Lake City has just done, and throw an Alferd Packer Days festival complete with skull-throwing and "mystery meat" barbecue -- and you've got a marketing campaign that tourists will eat right up. The rest is history.
When you're a tiny town in the least-populated county in Colorado, you have to make the most of what you have. And for Lake City, that's not just spectacular scenery. It's Lake City's most notorious short-term resident, Alfred Packer, the "Colorado Cannibal" charged with eating five of his traveling companions while stranded on Slumgullion Pass in 1874. The truth of that tale -- like the correct spelling of Packer's first name -- is still a matter of some dispute. But slap Packer's glum mug on a T-shirt over the slogan "Eat Your Heart Out!," as Lake City has just done, and throw an Alferd Packer Days festival complete with skull-throwing and "mystery meat" barbecue -- and you've got a marketing campaign that tourists will eat right up. The rest is history.
"What interstate highway goes from Colorado to Hawaii?"
"What interstate highway goes from Colorado to Hawaii?"
"Hi, I'm calling from Houston, and we're coming to visit. Can you tell me if it is appropriate to wear capris there?"
"Hi, I'm calling from Houston, and we're coming to visit. Can you tell me if it is appropriate to wear capris there?"
"I was told there was a restaurant in Denver called Casa Bonita. Are they still open, and do they really have naked divers?"
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