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Best Way to See Water Being Used and Abused

South Platte River trail

If you want to see how Denver transformed itself from a high-plains cactus patch into the West's leading cowtown, grab a bicycle and head for the South Platte River trail. Start at Chatfield Dam, built after the devastating flood of 1965, which created a crucial water source for the metro area. Heading north toward downtown, you'll pass acres of suburban bluegrass lawns soaking up enough of that water to float a cruise ship. Make a pit stop at Colorado's Ocean Journey, where you can witness an even more extravagant use of water to support sharks, tigers and assorted other creatures that were never meant to live here. Finally, just over the Adams County line, you'll come to the Metro Wastewater treatment plan, where a frothy waterfall cascades into the river and the abuse of the South Platte reaches a smelly finale. Bottoms up!

Best Press Agent

Andrew Hudson
Spokesman for Mayor Wellington Webb

Denver mayor Wellington Webb has deftly navigated one crisis after another over the past year, and Andrew Hudson, his public mouthpiece, is a big part of the reason why. He's Denver's most effective spin doctor, and the source of more news in this city than most journalists would care to admit.

Best Press Agent

Andrew Hudson
Spokesman for Mayor Wellington Webb

Denver mayor Wellington Webb has deftly navigated one crisis after another over the past year, and Andrew Hudson, his public mouthpiece, is a big part of the reason why. He's Denver's most effective spin doctor, and the source of more news in this city than most journalists would care to admit.

Best Old Kitsch Landmark

The Big Cowboy

When they needed a model American town for Main Street, USA, Disneyland's designers looked to Old Town in Fort Collins. But Disney was willing to return the favor, in the form of the Big Cowboy who's stood over Federal Boulevard for almost fifty years. In 1955, sculptor John Sutton, who'd done much of the early work at Disneyland, stopped off in Colorado and created the giant fiberglass cowboy guarding the Rustic Ranch trailer park (as well as a frog in Rocky Mountain Park) before moving on to even greater works at the Bronx Zoo. Ride 'em, cowboy.

Best Old Kitsch Landmark

The Big Cowboy

When they needed a model American town for Main Street, USA, Disneyland's designers looked to Old Town in Fort Collins. But Disney was willing to return the favor, in the form of the Big Cowboy who's stood over Federal Boulevard for almost fifty years. In 1955, sculptor John Sutton, who'd done much of the early work at Disneyland, stopped off in Colorado and created the giant fiberglass cowboy guarding the Rustic Ranch trailer park (as well as a frog in Rocky Mountain Park) before moving on to even greater works at the Bronx Zoo. Ride 'em, cowboy.

Best Local TV Commercial

Rocky's Autos

Don't get us wrong: We're as sick as you are of Shagman (both the original and his replacement and the original who's back again), Audra, Officer O'Dell and the whole Rocky's Autos commercial crew, including those Detroit hitmen who took forever to get to Denver in this winter's tedious series. That's why Rocky's holiday commercial, which consisted of thirty seconds of a babbling brook and a simple written greeting from Rocky's Autos, came as such a welcome, blessed relief. (A confession: We're also partial to the current Rocky's Autos ad that stars former Westword scribe John Ashton as an attorney who puts Shagman on trial.)

Best Local TV Commercial

Rocky's Autos

Don't get us wrong: We're as sick as you are of Shagman (both the original and his replacement and the original who's back again), Audra, Officer O'Dell and the whole Rocky's Autos commercial crew, including those Detroit hitmen who took forever to get to Denver in this winter's tedious series. That's why Rocky's holiday commercial, which consisted of thirty seconds of a babbling brook and a simple written greeting from Rocky's Autos, came as such a welcome, blessed relief. (A confession: We're also partial to the current Rocky's Autos ad that stars former Westword scribe John Ashton as an attorney who puts Shagman on trial.)

Best New Web Site for Urban Vigilantes

www.lutac.org

For those Denverites who are vigilant about land use and transportation planning, lutac.org is the place to vent about everything from traffic to zoning to affordable housing. The site, which was created by Brian Brainerd and is hosted by the Upper Larimer Neighborhood Association, encourages public dialogue -- polite, please -- about the city's Land Use and Transportation Plan (currently under development, and set for release this spring) as well as other hot topics; postings include letters, comments, documents and downright rants from the neighborhood. It's the 21st-century equivalent of the town crier. While talk is cheap, Web postings can be very valuable to the public discourse.

Best New Web Site for Urban Vigilantes

www.lutac.org

For those Denverites who are vigilant about land use and transportation planning, lutac.org is the place to vent about everything from traffic to zoning to affordable housing. The site, which was created by Brian Brainerd and is hosted by the Upper Larimer Neighborhood Association, encourages public dialogue -- polite, please -- about the city's Land Use and Transportation Plan (currently under development, and set for release this spring) as well as other hot topics; postings include letters, comments, documents and downright rants from the neighborhood. It's the 21st-century equivalent of the town crier. While talk is cheap, Web postings can be very valuable to the public discourse.

Best Hair on a TV News Personality -- Female

Libby Weaver, Channel 31

Best hair. And best cheekbones. And best eyes. And best wardrobe. And -- well, you get the picture. Libby Weaver is so astoundingly telegenic that it's a wonder the other anchors in town haven't hired Tonya Harding to make sure at least one part of her anatomy looks less than perfect.

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