"We know we've had some challenges in the park," said Lauri Dannemiller, head of the Denver Department of Parks and Recreation, but thanks to $9.5 million in improvements -- part of the Better Bond project that now-Mayor Michael Hancock pushed through as head of Denver City Council -- Civic Center Park has returned to its status as an urban oasis at the confluence of Denver's cultural and commercial areas.
The park is not only looking good, it's tasting good, with a lineup of trucks that testify to "Denver's culinary and entrepreneurial spirit," said Lindy Eichenbaum Lent, head of the Civic Center Conservancy, which puts on Civic Center Eats. (Hancock refers to her as DD: "Denver Dynamo.")This year's incarnation of Civic Center Eats will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. most Tuesdays and Thursdays through September 27, with dozens of trucks at each installment. The inaugural event featured several favorites from last year as well as new trucks, including one from longtime Indian stalwart, Little India, and a host of new mobile barbecue vendors.
See the complete lineup of eats and live entertainment here. In the meantime, here's a taste of that first delicious day in Civic Center:
