Announcements May ’23
Walkabout On Colfax May 6
The Colfax Mayfair District is hosting a walkabout on Saturday May 6 that is designed to highlight 10 independent businesses along Colfax, at the southern border of Park Hill. Participating businesses include Ceramics in the City, Moss Pink, The Phoenician Kabob, Tessa Delicatessen, Antiques, Etc., The Local General, Mod Livin’, The Shop and Park Hill Treasures.
The walkabout begins at 11 am and wraps up at 3:30 p.m. with a drawing for several prizes and drink specials at Mozart’s Denver, at 14th and Krameria Street. Participants are urged to stop in that day at some or all of the participating businesses to browse, get a bite and get their raffle cards punched for the prize drawings at the end of the day.
Helen Wolcott’s Spring Show & Sale Is May 6-7
Helen Wolcott’s Spring Show and Sale — a 50-plus year extravaganza featuring artisans and craftsman 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.
The event, at 2309 Clermont St., includes the work of artists and artisans who display and sell their creations. Wolcott specializes in costume and silver jewelry. Other participating artists include Cristina dePalma-Vega (fabric and paper art), Carmen Curtis Basham (pottery), Robin Wilton (weaving), Anne Heine (knitting), Pamela Bliss (hand-made soaps), Anita Kienker (quilted creations), Patricia Foster (fine art/painting and cards) and Darrell Wunderlich (homemade salsa and jams).
Everybody is welcome. Bring a friend, stop by, and celebrate the hope of spring with a glass of sangria or a cup of herbal tea.
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.
Get Your Hands Dirty May 21
Park Hill School Community Garden organizers are hosting a free composting demonstration at the garden on Sunday, May 21 at noon. (The garden is behind the school, at 5050 E. 19th Ave.) A Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) master composter will be on hand to teach attendees how to home compost effectively, as well as share information, updates, and best practices for how to use the green bins provided by the City and County of Denver. The public is invited and is asked to kindly RSVP to parkhillschoolcommunitygarden@dug.org. Or, just show up.
PHNEE’s One Park Hill Day On Track For May 30
After a three-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the group Park Hill Neighbors For Equity In Education are bringing One Park Hill Day back to the neighborhood. The event is for all third graders in Park Hill elementary schools and will include a performance and lessons from The School of Breaking, along with some outdoor activities.
This year’s event will be on Tuesday, May 30 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hiawatha Davis Recreation Center, at 33rd and Holly Street. Reach out to PHNEE at info@phnee.org if you are interested in helping or getting involved. The last One Park Hill Day was held in 2019, and brought together all 3rd graders from Hallett, Park Hill Elementary, Smith and Stedman schools for a day of fun and community building. Check phnee.org for details and updates.
Golfers To Their Carts!
It’s the kickoff of golf season. Which means it’s time for the City Park Alliance’s Annual Golf Tournament. This year’s tourney is Tuesday, June 13 at City Park Golf Course, just west of Park Hill. Register for the tournament and check out sponsorship opportunities at cityparkalliance.golfreg.com/. The schedule for the day includes registration and breakfast at 6:30 a.m., golfers to their carts at 7 a.m., and shotgun start at 8 a.m. A lunch and awards ceremony follows the tournament. The City Park Alliance is dedicated to preserving and improving the park experiences for all.
RTD Seeks Feedback On New Transit Fares
Regional Transportation District (RTD) is seeking public feedback on its recommended new fare structure and programs. The public can review the recommendations at farefeedback.rtd-denver.com and submit comments through May 22.
The recommendations include:
• Full-fare customers would pay an airport fare ($10) for SkyRide and A Line trips. All other destinations would carry a standard fare ($2.75 for a 3-hour pass; $5.50 for a day pass). Full-fare monthly pass customers would travel anywhere, including to and from the airport, for one price ($88).
• Adult customers using discount fares would travel to any destination, including the airport, for $1.35 for a 3-hour pass; $2.70 for a day pass and $27 for a monthly pass). This includes people 65 and older, individuals with disabilities and Medicare recipients.
• Youth ages 19 and younger would travel at no cost. College students attending schools that are not participating in CollegePass would pay $70 per month.
• Income-eligible customers using paratransit services could receive discounts on Access-a-Ride fares ($2.25 standard fare; $9.50 airport fare).
Four virtual public hearings are scheduled in May for feedback, as well as two in-person open houses. Check out farefeedback.rtd-denver.com/get-involved for details.
4th of July Theme Shaping Up: Are You Ready To Deal?
The cadre of organizers (OK, Justin Bresler) of the city’s largest and most extravagant 4th of July Parade is jigging around his desk with excitement over the way the event is shaping up so far. Reports from the home office indicate that an AMAZING lineup of marchers and floaters and riders have already signed up to participate this year. “Far better,” says Bresler, “than we’ve ever been at this point in the registration process in terms of both the number of entries and their variety and creativity.”
Here are the details: The 13th Annual Park Hill Parade takes place on Tuesday, July 4 beginning at 1:30 p.m. The route, as always, stretches along 23rd Avenue beginning at Dahlia and ends at Kearney Street. Registration is open and free for all groups — sign up at ParkHillParade.com. Then, get ready to march/skip/float/ride the route on July 4 while thousands of adoring fans cheer you along from the sidelines.
The always-popular Westernaires are confirmed to return this year. A marching band is coming all the way from from Bemidji, Minn. to perform. Also witness the return of the Guerilla Fanfare brass band, Black Pearl Entertainment and the Platinum Diva Princesses cheer squad, a perennial crowd-pleaser. Another dance team — the Dancin’ Dreams — has signed up, along with the Denver Ford Model A classic car club and a large family bike group.
New this year are some fun and exciting-sounding entries. A group of neighbors has formed the Park Hill Euchre Club and they’ll be playing cards on a flatbed during the event. Another group called Monster Rummy will have a car decorated to promote a new card game of the same name. Apparently it’s a year for cards!
The Park Hill Parade is supported 100 percent by the donations of our sponsors, and is an event of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. See you on the 4th!
WeeCycle Needs Baby Gear
The Denver nonprofit WeeCycle, which helps provide families in need with essential baby supplies, is asking for help restocking many of its most-requested items in order to keep up with a significant increase in demand. Specifically, WeeCycle needs cribs (manufactured in 2012 or newer), strollers, bassinets, pack ‘n plays, baby monitors, humidifiers, safety gates, and car seats.
In the last month alone, WeeCycle has experienced a 63 percent increase in requests for cribs, toddler beds and bassinets. There has also been a 27 percent increase in requests for car seats in the first quarter of 2023 versus the same time last year.
While these are currently the most in-demand items, WeeCycle also accepts many other gently used items for babies and toddlers, as well as donations of new, unopened diapers, wipes, formula and baby food. One in three families reports lacking enough diapers to keep their baby clean, dry and healthy.
Donations can be brought to the WeeCycle warehouse at 20 S. Havana St., Suite 210, in Aurora on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon, and every Thursday from noon to 4 p.m.
At this time, WeeCycle does not need toys or clothing. Check out weecycle.org for a list of all the items the organization accepts.
10th Annual Park Hill Yard Sale Is Happening June 3
There was some chatter about the community-wide Park Hill Yard Sale not happening this year, as the event’s longtime organizer’s plate is overflowing. However, as we were going to press Park Hillian Blair Taylor stepped up to offer to take on the organizing details this year.
And so … drumroll … the 10th Annual Park Hill Yard sale is happening, and set for Saturday, June 3 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Spring is the perfect time to purge all that has been collected over the long winter (OK, maybe several winters). If you want to hold a yard sale on June 3, shoot Blair an email at blair.taylor@8z.com or call 646-584-1033. She’ll add you to the official map and send out additional info and updates.
You can also connect with the handy QR code below to get added to the map of yard sales. In May shoppers can check out the map at greaterparkhill.org, and make a plan to head out June 3 and snag some smoking deals!
The Shelves Are Getting Bare
Requests For Assistance Are Way Up This Year. Can You Help Greater Park Hill Community Restock The Food Pantry With Some Basics?
Between January and April of this year, visits to the Greater Park Hill Community, Inc.’s food pantry increased by nearly 300 percent compared to last year. The registered neighborhood organization’s food pantry shelves are bordering on bare and can use an influx of donations.
If you’re at the grocery store, consider donating a few items from the list below, or shop directly from GPHC’s Amazon food pantry needs list:
tinyurl.com/GPHCpantry.
• Boxes of dry cereal
• Bags of white rice
• Ramen
• Cans of tomatoes and tomato paste
• Jarred pasta sauce
• Canned fruit (peaches, pineapple, mandarin oranges and mixed fruit)
• Canned tuna and salmon
• Canned corned beef hash
• Cans of hearty soups and stew
• Bottles of juice
• Granola bars and kid-friendly snacks
• Small can openers
• Eggs
• Bags and blocks of cheese
• Fresh vegetables (potatoes, onions, carrots, tomatoes and asparagus)
• Frozen proteins (chicken, family packs of fish, ground beef and pork)
• Hygiene products/toiletries
The food pantry is at 2823 Fairfax St. Food and toiletry donations can be dropped off between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and between noon and 5 p.m. on Tuesdays. Donations are also accepted by appointment. If you’d like to schedule a donation outside of office hours, email director@greaterparkhill.org, or call 303-388-0918. Out of respect for clients, please only donate items that have not expired, and please do not leave donations outside the office door.
If you are in need of supplies, call the number above to inquire about hours of food pantry operation and other details.