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Best In-Fill Development

Stapleton

Sure, we miss having the airport close to the city -- but at least Denver got something out of the deal. Last year, the Stapleton redevelopment project received the James C. Howland Urban Enrichment Silver Award from the National League of Cities for its contributions to the urban environment. The old airport is being redeveloped into a combination of housing, shops, office buildings and parks, incorporating such elements of traditional neighborhood design as tree-lined streets, parks, front porches and old-time architecture, with 21st-century technology and sensibilities (including drought-resistant landscaping). And 21st-century capitalism: There was never a Wal-Mart on Main Street.

Best Drop-in Center

Sox Place

From the darkness of his troubled adolescence in Arkansas, Doyle Robinson found the light: He would draw upon his own pain to help troubled teens. From his early days handing out tube socks to homeless kids on the 16th Street Mall, Robinson's vision has grown to include Sox Place, a converted downtown auto shop that's now Denver's only daytime drop-in youth center, where kids can find a warm bowl of soup, a quiet place to crash, easy camaraderie and the occasional punk concert. And if they're seeking spiritual guidance, Robinson -- an ordained minister with the Assembly of God -- can offer that, too. But he prefers action to words, showing the power of faith rather than preaching it.

Best Drop-in Center

Sox Place

From the darkness of his troubled adolescence in Arkansas, Doyle Robinson found the light: He would draw upon his own pain to help troubled teens. From his early days handing out tube socks to homeless kids on the 16th Street Mall, Robinson's vision has grown to include Sox Place, a converted downtown auto shop that's now Denver's only daytime drop-in youth center, where kids can find a warm bowl of soup, a quiet place to crash, easy camaraderie and the occasional punk concert. And if they're seeking spiritual guidance, Robinson -- an ordained minister with the Assembly of God -- can offer that, too. But he prefers action to words, showing the power of faith rather than preaching it.

Best Example That the Lord Will Provide

The Word of Jesus Christ Church

Down in Pueblo, the Word of Jesus Christ Church needed money for a new building. And pastor Albert Struck thought he knew exactly where to get it: by auctioning off a 1986 Honda Accord that had been donated to the church. Normally, a 1986 Accord won't bring that much cash on eBay -- but this car had a critical extra. It had been driven, and donated, by the murderous Texas Seven while they hid out in Colorado two years ago. With the car came a note: "May God bless you the way he has blessed us."

Best Example That the Lord Will Provide

The Word of Jesus Christ Church

Down in Pueblo, the Word of Jesus Christ Church needed money for a new building. And pastor Albert Struck thought he knew exactly where to get it: by auctioning off a 1986 Honda Accord that had been donated to the church. Normally, a 1986 Accord won't bring that much cash on eBay -- but this car had a critical extra. It had been driven, and donated, by the murderous Texas Seven while they hid out in Colorado two years ago. With the car came a note: "May God bless you the way he has blessed us."

Best Colorado Souvenirs

Vail Manhole Covers
Municipal Building

Like just about everything else in Vail, the town's new manhole covers were pretty classy -- and after a few were stolen right out of the ground, town officials decided to change the way visitors procured their souvenirs. Now you can buy your own cast-iron Vail manhole cover, emblazoned with the original Vail logo, the resort's 1962 founding date and its elevation. The covers come in two sizes: a 52-pound, two-foot-diameter version that costs $295 (and definitely qualifies as extra baggage when you're flying home after a ski vacation), and a six-pound, eight-inch-diameter miniature that runs only $65.

Best Colorado Souvenirs

Vail Manhole Covers
Municipal Building

Like just about everything else in Vail, the town's new manhole covers were pretty classy -- and after a few were stolen right out of the ground, town officials decided to change the way visitors procured their souvenirs. Now you can buy your own cast-iron Vail manhole cover, emblazoned with the original Vail logo, the resort's 1962 founding date and its elevation. The covers come in two sizes: a 52-pound, two-foot-diameter version that costs $295 (and definitely qualifies as extra baggage when you're flying home after a ski vacation), and a six-pound, eight-inch-diameter miniature that runs only $65.

Best Appearance by a Coloradan on National TV

Ryan Sutter
The Bachelorette

Is it possible? Can nice guys finish first? Week after week, much of America pondered that question as bachelor after bachelor fell by the wayside on ABC's The Bachelorette. Meanwhile, hunky former football player and current Vail firefighter Ryan Sutter kept on keeping on, looking like a lovable lug, talking about how much he loves his dog and occasionally reciting poetry to bachelorette Trista Rehn, runner-up on last season's The Bachelor. When Ryan took Trista on a dream date to his adopted home town, for example, he wooed her with this:

Imagine a place fit for angels

Where laughter fills the air.

The whole place fresh and clean

Smells like it just washed its hair.

Apparently Trista's a Breck girl, because she picked Ryan. They're even talking marriage, and so far, theirs appears to be the only reality-TV romance that has a shot at surviving in the real world.

Best Appearance by a Coloradan on National TV

Ryan Sutter
The Bachelorette

Is it possible? Can nice guys finish first? Week after week, much of America pondered that question as bachelor after bachelor fell by the wayside on ABC's The Bachelorette. Meanwhile, hunky former football player and current Vail firefighter Ryan Sutter kept on keeping on, looking like a lovable lug, talking about how much he loves his dog and occasionally reciting poetry to bachelorette Trista Rehn, runner-up on last season's The Bachelor. When Ryan took Trista on a dream date to his adopted home town, for example, he wooed her with this:

Imagine a place fit for angels

Where laughter fills the air.

The whole place fresh and clean

Smells like it just washed its hair.

Apparently Trista's a Breck girl, because she picked Ryan. They're even talking marriage, and so far, theirs appears to be the only reality-TV romance that has a shot at surviving in the real world.

Best Appearance of a Coloradan's Work on National TV

Eight Simple Rules for Dating My Daughter

The sitcom Eight Simple Rules for Dating My Daughter doesn't bear a close resemblance to the book of the same title by W. Bruce Cameron, who honed his humor while raising a family in Evergreen and started his writing career by syndicating a column over the Web that was picked up by the Rocky Mountain News. True, John Ritter plays a writer. And true, he does have a nubile teenage daughter on the show -- two nubile teenage daughters, in fact, as well as the obligatory wisecracking son and a practical wife, played by Katey Segal. But that's where the similarity ends: Cameron's much funnier than the ABC show. Still, Eight Simple Rules is one of the few hits of the TV season and has opened new doors for the writer, who's currently working on a screenplay in Hollywood.

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