Meet and greet at Civic Center Eats

The recent rains have greened up -- and cleaned up -- Civic Center Park, which was looking good for today's first installment of Civic Center Eats, the weekly market and cafe that's moved to mid-day Tuesday this year. The lineup of booths should increase through the summer, but already includes...

By Patricia Calhoun

June 16, 2009

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The recent rains have greened up -- and cleaned up -- Civic Center Park, which was looking good for today's first installment of Civic Center Eats, the weekly market and cafe that's moved to mid-day Tuesday this year. The lineup of booths should increase through the summer, but already includes a barbecue joint, a creperie (that also offers Mexican food), a cheesesteak truck, a bread shop/bakery and assorted beverage purveyors, as well as booths selling fresh produce (tormatoes, beets and greens right now), aprons and organic soaps, and handing out literature about the Civic Center Conservancy, which is putting on the market. Most inventive booth: The Girls Inc. smoothie stand, which uses pedal power to mix the drinks.

Less predictable are the people who'll be frequenting the market, which will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Tuesday through September 29. Today's lineup included:

Mayor John Hickenlooper, fresh from playing a senator in a new movie being made by his cousin, George Hickenlooper.

Rich Grant of Visit Denver, who was talking fondly -- perhaps a little too fondly -- of how in Paris, they tote in tons of sand and drop it by the Seine, so that women can sit topless under umbrellas and pretend that they're in Saint-Tropez.

A faithful Westword reader who is 82 and wonders why Jason Sheehan uses such bad language: "If he were my son, he wouldn't get away with that."

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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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