- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Denver and help keep the future of Westword free.
Just in time for the near-inevitable clusterfuck of the DNC, 8 Rivers -- the Caribbean/Jamaican concept that’s been pushed in Denver by chef Scott Durrah for years -- is set to open the doors on its newest location on August 20th. The space at 1550 Blake Street, a former sporting-goods store, is ready to go, the chef is excited, the staff assembled. So why the wait?
Durrah’s wife and partner, Wanda James. A serious political activist (and member of Barack Obama’s Colorado finance team), James wanted to schedule the ground-zero opening in tandem with the DNC so that the two things she and Scott loved—politics and grub—could come together.
And you know what? It can’t hurt. Compared to the other 8 Rivers location (at 32nd and Lowell in Highland, with space for maybe thirty inside and reviewed here [LINK] if you’re interested), this one is huge: seating in excess of 135 and claiming to offer one of the largest selections of rum in the city. All those extra seats in Lodo certainly won’t hurt when the 50,000 people (and alleged 40,000 prostitutes) descend on Denver in the coming days. And seeing a hundred-some democratic conventioneers gone loopy on rum-heavy umbrella drinks and jerk chicken, getting down to Bob Marley on the PA? That might be one of the best shows of the entire week. -- Jason Sheehan
Keep Westword Free... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Denver with no paywalls.
