Community Annoucements
This Year’s 4th Of July Is Lucky 7
With an estimated one million orange-clad fans attending the Broncos Super Bowl victory parade earlier this year, it’s clear that Denver knows how to throw a large-scale street celebration. But the Mile High City is also the kind of place that will never forget its small-town roots.
Witness The One, The Only … Park Hill 4th of July Parade. This year the parade turns Lucky 7 – that is, seven years old. More than 50 registered groups have signed up, with 800 participants, and an estimated crowd of 5,000 lining the route – including you.
Alongside the requisite scout troops and classic cars, there may be a women’s semi-pro football team sashaying behind a legion of Imperial Storm Troopers. Chrome-gilded low riders will rev right along beside the Platinum Diva Princesses cheer team. One entry is, mysteriously, entitled “Fabulous Parade Queens.”
The parade will again be presided over by various elected officials, neighborhood groups and other grassroots organizations.
Things may get a little hairy, as the Denver Zoo and Urban Farm at Stapleton join the parade for the first time this year. The Urban Farm will march with their furry friends, then meet parade-goers on Kearney with a special petting zoo. Two huge marching bands will help viewers keep the beat—and Park Hill’s resident cupcake truck, Clementine, will ensure that the parade stays sweet. Add to that a gaggle of cheer squads and tae kwon do black belts and the stage is set for a memorable day.
The parade begins at 1:30 and ends at 3 p.m. As always, the route runs along 23rd Avenue from Dexter Street to Krameria Street. There, the festivities culminate in a street fair on the 2200 block of Kearney, offering up sweet treats from Cake Crumbs Bakery, savory snacks, live music, children’s activities and more. Parade visitors are encouraged to set up blankets, chairs, umbrellas and coolers anywhere along the route. Additional details can be found at www.parkhillparade.org.
The Parade, an event produced in conjunction with Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. (GPHC), the Registered Neighborhood Organization for Park Hill, could not be held without the generous support of our sponsors.
This year’s title sponsors are Claire Family Dentistry and Cake Crumbs. Premier sponsors include Tables Restaurant, Dee Ciancio Realty, The Hills Church, Wills & Wellness Client Care, Spinelli’s Market & Coffee Shop and the Dexter Whiskey Council. Thanks also to our sponsors: Dardano’s School of Gymnastics, Dental 911, Hakala Family Dentistry, Twinkle Together/Music Together, The Tai Chi Project, Westword, Oblio’s Pizzeria, Park Hill Dance Academy, Denver Water, Denver Public Library (Park Hill Branch), Summer Snow Colorado Shaved Ice and Masek Golf Carts.
Get Your Street Fair Space Today
This year’s annual Park Hill Home Tour and Street Fair is Sept. 11. Make sure you’re there! As of press time, half the 100 spaces for the Street Fair have already been claimed, and seven sponsors have signed up to support.
The 38th Annual Street Fair is an all-day event on Forest Parkway between 17th Avenue and Montview Boulevard. The fair draws crowds to enjoy the day and includes vendors hawking homemade and beautiful crafts and wares, food trucks, live music, a wine & beer garden and activities for the kids.
A map and all of the vendor information is at www.ParkHillStreetFair.com. If you have any questions, email Lisa at Lisa@LisaCClark.com or Kate at krsultan@comcast.net.
It’s Summer. It’s Fun. It’s Free.
Thanks to Denver voters, all of Denver’s kids have access to the MY Denver Card. The MY Denver Card works as a recreation center membership and library card, and provides access to cultural facilities throughout the city. This summer, Denver recreation centers are offering everything from painting to soccer to drumming, plus free meals and snacks.
From sports and wellness to urban arts and culture, and from science, technology, & education to youth engagement, community engagement, and social recreation, drop-in activities typically last 30 minutes to an hour, allowing youth to participate in three to four diverse activities each day.
MY Denver cards are available at no cost to any Denver resident ages 5-18. For a complete list of benefits, please visit www.denvergov.org/mydenvercard. Schedules for activities, as well as meal and snack schedules, are available at individual recreation centers. Locate the nearest center at the website.
On Wednesday, July 13, MY Denver is hosting a free event for teens, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Congress Park, south of Park Hill at 9th and Josephine Street. Festivities include a pool party, sumo suits, bubble bowling, henna tattoos and caricature artists, and other activities. The first 100 teens to attend will get a free entrée from onsite food trucks.
It’s Summer. It’s Music. It’s Free.
Asset Management Corporation Brookfield presents Summer on the Plaza, a free concert series every Wednesday in July on the plaza in front of 1801 California in downtown Denver. It’s designed to help the suits-and-ties crowd – and everyone else – unwind mid-week.
Beginning at 4 p.m., KBCO DJ’s will provide entertainment before the bands take the stage at 5 p.m. and play until 6:30 p.m.
Here’s the concert line-up:
• July 6 – Wendy Woo – a poly-ethnic, power pop band with sweet vocal harmonies and shuddering grooves
• July 13 – The 14ers – a musical adventure with lively lyrics and catchy acoustic-based rock songs
• July 20 – Petals of Spain – a blend of musical influences pulled from many genres, pushing the pop idiom to new plateaus
• July 27 – Strange Americans – no frills rock and roll with a matching aesthetic that is heavy on songwriting and storytelling
Hydes To Perform At Swallow Hill
Park Hill natives Joanna and Iain Hyde are releasing their debut album, “Green & Blue” this summer. Joanna (fiddle, vocals) and her brother Iain (guitar, mandolin, vocals) merge Irish, bluegrass, swing and other styles into an eclectic musical landscape.
They are releasing their CD with a concert at Denver’s Swallow Hill Music on July 23 at 8 p.m. (and will have the album available online the same day via their website hydesmusic.com. The concert is at Swallow Hill’s Daniels Hall, at 71 E. Yale Ave. Tickets are available online at swallowhillmusic.org.
A recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Graduate Arts Award, Joanna Hyde completed her MA in Irish Traditional Music Performance at the University of Limerick in 2014. She was featured in the March 2015 issue of the Greater Park Hill News, and currently splits her time between Colorado and Ireland, performing, recording and teaching. In concert, they Hydes will be joined by musicians Tadhg Ó Meachair (Dublin, Ireland) as well as Colorado native Eric Thorin.
Arts Fest In Cherry Creek
The 2016 Cherry Creek Arts Festival takes place July 2, 3 and 4 in the streets of Cherry Creek North. A number of family-friendly activities are scheduled throughout the weekend. Families can visit Artivity Avenue, a full block of interactive activities located on Steele Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. Kids can create flowers and critters, design sculptures out of vegetables, color velvet art sheets, finger paint, create a artistic button, and more.