Denver International Airport invites kids to "please play" -- if they know how to pick locks

"Please play," urges the sign by the display of three playhouses at Denver International Airport, an exhibit officially titled "Form, Fun & Function," and created by Colorado architects and builders. The kids waiting for their parents to grab bags at DIA last night would have loved to spend some time...

By Patricia Calhoun

February 22, 2011

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"Please play," urges the sign by the display of three playhouses at Denver International Airport, an exhibit officially titled "Form, Fun & Function," and created by Colorado architects and builders. The kids waiting for their parents to grab bags at DIA last night would have loved to spend some time in the playhouses, but it was tough to do when one was locked up tight. The three playhouses include an old-time mercantile, which was padlocked: What, were DIA officials worried that a couple of adults might indulge in some playtime of their own? Also on view: a mock Conestoga wagon and a Red Rocks-inspired playhouse vaguley reminiscent of an outhouse, which might explain why no kid was playing in it last night.

As DIA art goes, "Form, Fun & Function" is a pretty mild display -- especially compared to a killer horse. Still, where's the fun in a form that can't function as a playhouse when the door's locked?

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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