If you think elections don't matter, then consider the past. In May 1912, Denver citizens went to the polls and voted in favor of a mill levy, backed by Mayor Robert Speer, that provided funding for the acquisition of a park system in the foothills and mountains where people could go to get away from city life. Today that system includes 14,000 acres spread out among 46 properties in four counties, including Genesee Mountain Park, home to a small bison herd, Red Rocks Park, home to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the Winter Park Ski Resort and Summit Lake, high up on Mount Evans. In 2012, the city celebrated the hundredth anniversary of Denver Mountain Parks. Here's to one hundred more.