Announcements April 2023
Helen Wolcott’s Spring Show & Sale May 6-7
Helen Wolcott’s Spring Show and Sale — a 50-plus year extravaganza featuring artisans who gather at her Park Hill home — is set for Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 7. The show and sale runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
Wolcott’s twiceyearly art and crafts shows began in the 1970s during the thick of the court battle over school integration, in which Park Hill was at the heart of the struggle. “During all those hours in court, we realized that we were all artists of a different kind,” she says. The artists/social justice warriors thus banded together for another purpose: promoting art and beauty. The tradition was briefly interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since resumed in full force.
The event, at 2309 Clermont St., includes the work of artists and artisans who display and sell their creations. Wolcott specializes in jewelry. Other participating artists include Cristina dePalma-Vega (fabric and paper art), Carmen Curtis Basham (pottery), Robin Wilton (weaving), Anne Heine (knitting), Pamela Bliss (soaps, candles and tie-dye), Anita Kienker (quilted creations), Patricia Foster (paintings and cards), Darrell Wunderlich (homemade salsa and jams) and Cindy Noel (fused glass).
Everybody is welcome. Bring a friend, stop by, and celebrate the hope of spring with a glass of sangria or a cup of spiced tea.
Steppin’ Out On Colfax
Several stores along Colfax teamed up for a “Sip and Shop” event in December and organizers report it went so well that they are sponsoring a spring version — this one with warm weather and daylight hours.
The Sidewalk Sale on the ‘Fax is Saturday, May 6 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Beginning at 11 a.m., you can enter the raffle and pick up a “punch card” at Park Hill Treasures, 6035 E. Colfax Ave., or The Abbey Tavern, at 5151 E. Colfax. For the next several hours, stop in at these participating shops on Colfax — all of which are between Forest and Kearney at the southern edge of Park Hill — where you can browse, enjoy some refreshments and get your cards punched:
• Mod Livin’
• Moss Pink
• Ceramics in the City
• Antiques Etc.
• The Shop
• Park Hill Treasures
• The Local General
At 3:30 a raffle drawing for several prizes will be held at Mozart’s Denver, 1417 Krameria St. If you turn in a completely filled-out punch card, you’ll receive two more entries in the raffle.
Park Hill Art Fest June 3-4
It’s hard to believe, but the Annual Park Hill Art Festival turns 10 this year. The juried fine art and fine craft show is set for Saturday and Sunday, June 3 and 4.
Close to 100 professional artists from Colorado and beyond participate in the two-day show, which was founded by Darren Skanson. The artists’ work range from paintings to fine jewelry, woodwork to sculptures, textiles to photography.
The Art Fest is outside, on the grounds of the Park Hill Masonic Lodge on Montview Boulevard between Dahlia and Eudora streets. The event is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m both Saturday and Sunday. There is no entry charge.
Calling All Artists
Join neighborhood artists throughout the neighborhood for the Park Hill Open Studio Tour. The show, held each fall, features artists demonstrating their skills and selling their creations. Past participants have included painters, sculptors, potters, glass artists, fiber artists and jewelry makers. You may choose to exhibit in your own studio and open it to the public, or be a guest artist in another artist’s studio. The two-day tour will be Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 14 and 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Typically, traffic and weather are good for this fall weekend event. Application fee of $90 covers the cost of flyers, signs and other advertising. Participants are asked to help distribute signs and flyers. The deadline for applications is July 1. For questions or more information, contact Karrie McBryde (303-204-7787), or Erika (shaxper22@yahoo.com).
Jazz In City Park Schedule Announced
City Park Jazz kicks off its summer free concert series on June 4 with Sarah Mount and the Rushmores and continues each Sunday through Aug. 6 in City Park, just west of Park Hill.
Eleven concerts are in this year’s schedule. Pack a picnic and ride or walk or otherwise get yourself over to the park for a a jolt of what Sunday summer evenings in Denver are all about. The shows run from 6 to 8 p.m. All ages are welcome, and no RSVP is required. For more information or to volunteer, visit cityparkjazz.org.
Here’s the 2023 lineup:
• June 4: Sarah Mount and the Rushmores
• June 11: Stafford Hunter & Jazz Explorations
• June 18: Dotsero
• June 25: Ritmo Jazz Latino
• July 2: Wellington Billings
• July 8: Chris Daniels and the Kings
• July 16: 4th Annual Brass Band Extravaganza feat. Guerrilla Fanfare and Bourbon Brass Band
• July 23: Otis Taylor
• July 30: The Burroughs
• Aug. 6 – La Pompe Jazz
Join The Garden Brigade
For the third year, the City Park Adopt-a-Flowerbed volunteers will again keep the City Park garden beds blooming. Last year, the program expanded to 55 volunteers, who put in a total of 1,877 volunteer hours. Organizers are hoping for more volunteers this year, as there is lots of work to make City Park beautiful.
The season kicks off in late April with a City Park Greenhouse tour for volunteers conducted by Denver horticulturist Julie Lehman and her staff. A rose care and pruning workshop will be held in early May, led by Peggy Williams. In mid-May City Park horticulturists provide an orientation for volunteers. And then, let the gardening begin!
During the summer months, volunteers pull weeds and prune and deadhead lilacs and other plants, and otherwise help maintain the city’s flowerbeds, as well as assisting park staff with occasional special projects. It’s also a great opportunity to exchange news and gardening tips, make new friends and rediscover acquaintances. Join the fun by contacting Maria Flora at mjflora@msn.com or Jacqueline June at jjdenco5008@gmail.com. The program is sponsored by Greater Park Hill Community, Inc., City Park Friends and Neighbors and City Park Alliance. Coordinators are Georgia Garnsey, Maria Flora and Jacqueline June.
Colfax Bus Rapid Transit Open House Set For April 18
Public Meeting To Detail The Latest On Controversial Project
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced last month that it will recommend $126.9 million in federal funding for the Colfax Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project — which Denver officials recently branded the Lynx.
The city must still apply for the federal funding for the project, which is estimated to cost approximately $250 million to $300 million. Still, Denver officials are ecstatic about the latest development, which they described in a media release as “a strong vote of confidence for a project that will transform how people move and connect along East Colfax Avenue.”
The controversial project would reduce the lanes from two in each direction to one lane in each direction along the 9.9 mile-stretch of Colfax Avenue between Broadway to Yosemite Street, which is the eastern edge of Denver. The removed lanes would be replaced by a high-speed bus that city officials say would encourage higher transit use along the busy corridor.
Critics, however, question the impacts of reducing Colfax to a single lane of car traffic going each way along the busy thoroughfare. It is unclear how much additional car traffic would spill over to the east-west corridors of 17th Avenue and 13th and 14th avenues, as well as impacting other residential streets. In addition, many have expressed concern that the BRT would negatively impact the many independent businesses along Colfax that rely on foot and car traffic.
Still, Denver officials have moved forward with the project, which is now in its final design phase. A community open house is scheduled for Tuesday, April 18, during which city officials will present updates on the project, including streetscape designs, the selected Lynx logo and the public art selection process.
The meeting will begin with an overview presentation followed by an open house where the public will be invited to engage directly with project team members.
The meeting is from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Carla Madison Recreation Center, at 2401 E. Colfax Ave. People who cannot attend in person can register and attend via Zoom at this link: tinyurl.com/ColfaxBRT. The city-sponsored link to more information about the Colfax BRT project is here: DenverGov.org/ColfaxBRT.