Happenings October ’24
Pumpkins Ready To Carve
It’s October, and the Park Hill United Methodist Church pumpkin patch is loaded and ready for picking. Beginning Sept. 30, the pumpkin patch, in front of the church at 5209 Montview Blvd. (at Forest Street) is open Sundays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (or dusk). Saturdays the pumpkin patch opens at 9 a.m. 2024 Park Hill Pumpkin Patch Coordinator Jacqui “O’Lantern” Shumway says the money the church raises from the pumpkin sales is used for youth mission trips, which are open to any youth who wants to join. The church has several upcoming social justice trips for youth planned, including one in February and another next summer.
Blessing Of The Animals
Augustana Lutheran Church is holding a Blessing of the Animals service on Oct. 6 at 10:30 p.m. The service is in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, who was well-known for his love for all creatures, and people are encouraged to bring their pets to the church. “As we bless the animals that day, we witness to God’s love, care, and concern for all of creation,” said Assisting Pastor Kent Mueller. “We will give thanks to God for the animals that bring us joy, emotional support, and companionship.” A pet-free seating zone will be available for those who must keep their distance for allergies or other reasons. Augustana Lutheran is at 5000 E Alameda Ave, just east of the Greek Orthodox gold dome. For more information check out augustanadenver.org.
Park Hill Fall Fest Oct. 13
The second annual Park Hill Community Fall Festival is Sunday, Oct. 13 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The free, family-friendly event is at City of Axum Park, at the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Birch Street and features free food, face painting, bubbles, games and more. The event celebrates the 275 volunteer blockworkers who deliver the Greater Park Hill News, connects neighbors with neighbors, and promotes a healthy community Everyone is welcome. The Fall Fest is presented by Greater Park Hill Community, Inc, and sponsored by Be Well, the AMP-athy Project and Denver Councilwoman Shontel Lewis. For more information call 303-388-0918.
Turn Guns Into Garden Tools
Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church and Temple Micah are hosting an anonymous drive-through firearms safe surrender event on Saturday, Oct. 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in their parking lot at 1980 Dahlia St. The event is facilitated by community organizations Guns to Gardens and RAWtools and is part of the Guns to Gardens movement, which works to reduce gun violence by reducing the number of guns in homes and communities. Unwanted guns are destroyed and the leftover parts are forged into garden tools, art and jewelry. For the Oct. 19 event, unloaded guns should be placed in the back seat or trunk. The firearms will be removed from vehicles and transferred to a station to be destroyed according to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives guidelines. Gun owners remain anonymous, and grocery gift cards will be distributed while supplies last. No ammunition will be accepted. For more information go to gunstogardensdenver.org.
Archway Party Is Oct. 24
Archway Communities is holding a grand opening celebration and community party on Thursday, Oct. 24 for its new affordable housing project at the Mosaic Community Campus. The campus, formerly Johnson & Wales, is at the corner of Montview Boulevard and Quebec Street. Archway has converted four of the former campus dorms into 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments. In all, 154 families began moving in at the end of August. The celebration kicks off at 3 p.m. with building tours, and a ceremony will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. A fundraising reception follows. Everyone is welcome.
JAAMM All Fall
The 17th season of the Neustadt Jewish Arts, Authors, Movies and Music Festival continues its three-month festival through November with multiple events focused on arts and culture and culminates with a Nov. 14 presentation by author and speaker Aimee Ginsburg Bikel. Other planned events include a book sale, musical performances, film screenings and a fall family concert. The events will be held in various venues in and around Denver and ticket prices vary. Check out jccdenver.org/jaamm for the complete schedule and ticket information.