Boulder Weekly 07.06.2023

Celebrating 125 years of Chautauqua P. 15

GOLD MEDALS AND PSYCHEDELICS

P. 38

DQ DIPPED

DOPPELGÄNGER

P. 33

DEAR WHOLE FOODS DADDY

P. 29

08 NEWS: Understanding the Supreme Court’s decision in the LGBTQ+ 303 Creative case BY KATE SOSIN, THE 19TH

15 COVER: Chautauqua celebrates 125 years of music at Boulder’s iconic hall on the hill BY JOHN LEHNDORFF 29

BY GABBY VERMEIRE

38 WEED: Olympic gold medalist Alex Kopacz on how psychedelics helped him deal with anxiety and depression

BY WILL BRENDZA

JULY 6, 2023

Volume 30, Number 46

PUBLISHER: Fran Zankowski

EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Caitlin Rockett

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR: Jezy J. Gray

GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REPORTER: Will Matuska

FOOD EDITOR: John Lehndorff

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Will Brendza, Rob Brezsny, Michael J. Casey, Sage Kelley, Dan Savage, Kate Sosin, Toni Tresca, Gabby Vermeire, Colin Wrenn

SALES AND MARKETING

MARKET DEVELOPMENT MANAGER: Kellie Robinson

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Matthew Fischer

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Chris Allred

SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER: Carter Ferryman

MRS. BOULDER WEEKLY: Mari Nevar

PRODUCTION

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Erik Wogen

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Mark Goodman

CIRCULATION MANAGER: Cal Winn

CIRCULATION TEAM: Sue Butcher, Ken Rott, Chris Bauer

BUSINESS OFFICE

BOOKKEEPER: Emily Weinberg

FOUNDER/CEO: Stewart Sallo

As Boulder County’s only independently owned newspaper, Boulder Weekly is dedicated to illuminating truth, advancing justice and protecting the First Amendment through ethical, no-holdsbarred journalism and thought-provoking opinion writing. Free every Thursday since 1993, the Weekly also offers the county’s most comprehensive arts and entertainment coverage. Read the print version, or visit boulderweekly. com. Boulder Weekly does not accept unsolicited editorial submissions. If you’re interested in writing for the paper, please send queries to: editorial@boulderweekly.com. Any materials sent to Boulder Weekly become the property of the newspaper.

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THE ANDERSON FILES

ANTI-LGBTQ TERROR, CORPORATE HYPOCRITES, MILITANT WORKERS

BY DAVE ANDERSON

Several years ago, corporate America began to celebrate LGBTQ Pride month with rainbow-patterned merchandise and participation in parades. Ryan Cooper, writing in The American Prospect, notes, “It left a bad taste in the mouth of many LGBTQ folks. Here was a tradition founded by downtrodden activists who struggled for decades for dignity and respect, when it was quite dangerous to be openly gay or trans. Now it was being colonized by money-grubbing

corporations trying to make an easy buck through a gesture at allyship.”

Today, a frenzied and increasingly fascist right wing is ruthlessly attacking corporations who have Pride displays, products and advertising.

Companies like Target, Walmart and Cracker Barrel are now dealing with boycotts, bomb threats and vandalism. Their employees are being attacked. Bud Light had a small sponsorship deal with trans influencer and actress Dylan Mulvaney. After an avalanche of rage, parent compa-

ny Anheuser Busch released what Vox writer Emily Stewart called a “quite tepid statement.” They didn’t bother to reach out to a terrorized Mulvaney, who claims she didn’t leave her house for months.

The right-wing intimidation has been somewhat successful, but it’s too early to tell. Still, the stakes are high.

Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America’s leading LGBTQ-advocacy group, has declared a state of emergency for the first time in its 43-year

THE ANDERSON FILES

history. HRC cites “a steady increase in anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures over the last several years — from 115 bills introduced in 2015 to more than 500 in 2023. This year, more than 75 bills have been signed into law — more than doubling last year’s number.”

A new report says there have been more than 350 anti-LGBTQ “hate and extremism incidents” in the United States from June 2022 through April 2023. There were 305 occurrences of harassment, 40 episodes of vandalism and 11 assaults. Undoubtedly, this is an undercount since many people don’t report their experiences. The incidents were documented across 46 states and the District of Columbia. They also included the mass murder at Club Q, the LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs.

The report was a joint effort by the Anti-Defamation League and GLAAD, a nonprofit advocacy group. The largest number of incidents targeted drag events and performers. Other common targets were schools and educators, health care facilities and providers, and government buildings and officials.

Almost half of the anti-LGBTQ events involved people associated with far-right groups like the Proud Boys or neo-Nazi organizations. There was important overlap with other forms of bigotry. Antisemitism was a factor in 128 incidents, while racism played a role in some 30 occurrences.

Sarah Moore, an analyst of anti-LGBTQ extremism for both the Anti-Defamation League and GLAAD, told The New York Times she thought it was significant that half of the incidents weren’t connected to any far-right group. She says that indicates how much anti-LGBTQ sentiment is “being mainstreamed in society and being picked up on by local church groups, local parents’ rights groups, whatever might be the local grass-roots movement for the Republican Party.”

The most commonly cited trope in the incidents involved accusations of pedophilia and “grooming” by transgender people. These slurs have been used against gays for decades.

Today, politicians and figures in right-wing media are regularly spreading these accusations without any facts or evidence.

Denver’s Channel 9 reported that the Colorado Republican Party sent an email to supporters which included an image where the words “Pride Month” combine into “demon” and they accused LGBTQ people and Democrats of trying to normalize pedophilia.

On June 30, The Washington Post reported that “many prominent Republicans have expressed criticism of [Pride month] celebrations and in some cases resurfaced opposition to same-sex marriage.”

Meanwhile, Starbucks workers have entered the fray. The coffeehouse company proudly claims to support LGBTQ rights. However, Starbucks Workers United (SBU) says Pride flags and decorations have been taken down at many stores around the country. In June, workers conducted rolling oneday strikes to protest.

More than 300 Starbucks stores are unionized. Workers face issues such as short staffing, unpredictable schedules, low wages and unaffordable healthcare. Trans employees were told their gender-affirming care would be withheld if they unionized.

Recently, Starbucks lost 16 of 17 cases decided by the National Labor Relations Board. The violations included worker intimidation, discriminatory rules and unlawful discipline and termination of union organizers.

If we want to beat the fascist bullies, we need fighting unions like SBU.

This opinion does not necessarily reflect the views of Boulder Weekly.

LETTERS

MESA SEEKS VOLUNTEERS

Moving to End Sexual Assault (MESA), a program of Mental Health Partners, has served the Boulder County community for over 50 years as a cornerstone of support for sexual assault survivors. To help accomplish this vital work, we are grateful to our passionate volunteers who are committed to helping survivors.

Currently, MESA is seeking community members to volunteer as hotline advocates. Advocates provide critical emotional support to survivors via our hotline and text line and may accompany survivors to hospitals and police departments.

If you or someone you know have a passion for supporting survivors of sexual violence and are willing and able to attend our 40-hour training, then we invite you to apply to be a Hotline Volunteer Advocate at: bit.ly/MESAvolunteers

LAB-GROWN MEAT = ANIMAL WELFARE

Any politician who claims to care about animal welfare should support increased federal funding for cultivated-meat research. For those who aren’t familiar with the term, cultivated meat is grown from livestock cells, without slaughter. It has the potential to relegate so much nonhuman suffering to a less enlightened past.

We kill more than a trillion aquatic and land animals for food every year. Numbers that large are almost impossible to comprehend. For a little perspective, only about 117 billion humans have ever lived, according to the Population Reference Bureau. While cultivated meat was recently approved for sale in America, increased public money for cellularagriculture development will help the product achieve price parity with slaughtered meat. This is crucial for widespread acceptance of humane alternatives. Compassionate legislators should support the effort.

Assault (MESA)

— Erin Devitt, Moving to End Sexual

— Jon Hochschartner/ Granby, Connecticut

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‘CIRCULAR LOGIC’

Colorado called out for failing to monitor wastewater from large-scale animal farms

BY SAGE KELLEY

Chris Kraft calls his 34-year-old dairy farming operation in Fort Morgan the “ultimate recycling program.”

The formula, he says, is simple: Cow manure is used to fertilize crops, which then feed the cows. Kraft says it’s been working for “millenia.”

But environmental groups beg to differ, claiming farms like Kraft’s pollute waterways. And on May 22, a Colorado court agreed, ruling that the state’s Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) violated both state and federal laws by failing to monitor water quality at large animal operations raising hogs, poultry and cattle.

“The factory farming industry has become very used to operating with a certain level of impunity that no other industry has enjoyed in our lifetimes,” says Tyler Lobdell, staff attorney with D.C.-based Food & Water Watch, a plaintiff in the case along with the

Center for Biological Diversity. “There’s very strong resistance to relinquishing that impunity, and Colorado is a great example of that.”

Per the general operating permit that governs more than 100 such facilities around the state, concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) in Colorado are not required to provide water testing and proof of compliance, but are instead directed to “eliminate” pollution entirely.

Lobdell calls it “circular logic.”

“These CAFO permits don’t allow the discharge of pollutants at all,” Lobdell says. “Because of that wording, there’s been this idea that you don’t need monitoring.”

Kraft disagrees, pointing to the regulations already in place.

“You already have to impound everything that touches manure on the farm,” he says. “You have to control it. The state checks this regularly. We have to account for all of the

waste that goes into the impoundment and all of the waste that goes out. That is monitoring. You’re already doing it.”

AT ODDS

A statement from CDPHE’s Water Quality Control Division called Colorado’s CAFO permitting requirements “some of the most stringent in the nation.”

Code of Colorado Water Control Regulation 81, last updated in 2017, says, “There shall be no discharge of manure or wastewater from the production area to waters of the U.S. without a discharge permit.”

But it doesn’t include requirements for monitoring wastewater.

Administrative judge Matthew Norwood ruled that the federal Clean Water Act demands tighter monitoring of so-called “point sources” like CAFOs, putting Colorado at odds with national law.

CDPHE plans to appeal the ruling.

“There’s an under-regulation in this industry despite the fact that it has a significant footprint,” says Hannah Connor, an attorney at the Arizonabased Center for Biological Diversity. “There’s an effort to improve water quality throughout the country by improving what these permits are supposed to be.”

Similar rulings were made in Idaho and Washington in 2021. Responding to a petition from Food & Water Watch and 10 other organizations earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency said it will be launching a study on the effects large-scale animal farming has on waterways.

“Our challenge to [Colorado’s] permit was to call out that there is no monitoring whatsoever,” Lobdell says. “Overall, the objective is to hold these facilities accountable so places like the state of Colorado, the general public, and organizations like Food & Water Watch can determine whether or not a facility is compliant.”

PAR FOR THE COURSE

The ruling has put the livestock industry on edge.

Zach Riley, CEO of the Colorado Livestock Association, says new requirements for water monitoring will put financial stress on smaller operations. He estimates the cost of groundwater testing could rise high into five figures if it requires drilling near waste storage impounds.

“It’s a costly and difficult thing to employ,” Riley says. “It’s just another way to compromise these feeding operations.”

Kraft says farms — more than 90% of which are still family owned and operated, according to Census of Agriculture data — already have an incentive to prevent pollution from seeping into water sources.

“This is land the families have had for generations,” Kraft says. “Many families are drinking that groundwater at their farm. Their kids are drinking that water, their animals are. So they have as much desire to do the right thing as anyone else.”

Lobdell says water testing costs are par for the course within the terms of the federal Clean Water Act. Regarding whether state or federal funding would help pay for testing,

Lobdell says “this should not be on the taxpayer — it’s the CAFOs’ responsibility.”

There is currently no requirement for the state to help fund testing obligations.

“These requirements for monitoring are how this permitting regime works for every other industry,” Lobdell says. “The generation of public reports of discharge is the primary device that creates accountability within the permitting structure. Without that, there’s no way to tell if a facility has met the various pollution limits that the permit lays out.”

‘A CATCH-22’

Both CDPHE and the Colorado Livestock Association say the ruling in this case is questionable due to a lack of data.

Environmental groups can’t present evidence, Lobdell says, because there is no requirement for monitoring.

“It’s a catch-22,” he says. “They are asking us to come to the table with the exact information that we claim the state has been failing to collect.”

Riley says that in 2022 the Colorado Livestock Association convened with CDPHE to reformat the permit to include a regulation around sewage discharge, but their attempts at finding middle ground were unsuccessful.

“Over 95% of the membership in this organization are all owned by single-family owner-operators,” Riley says. “These are good families that are now saying, ‘We did the best that money can buy, and now we have to come up with more?’”

Kraft wonders if the lawsuit will put more strain on the relationships between farmers and environmental advocacy organizations.

“It’s not an irrelevant question overall to ask if we are doing things right,” he says. “But, the way [environmental groups] chose to solve that problem was to take it to court and challenge the rules. Ask the question, but ask it in a different forum. When you take it to court, it creates an adversarial relationship.”

“At the end of the day,” Kraft says, “we’ll do what people say we should — whatever the public thinks we should do. But it’s just another bite out of the hand that feeds you.”

Lobdell says litigation was the only way forward.

“It has certainly been my experience in states throughout the country that this industry is exceptionally unwilling to yield to commonsense regulation,” he says. “So while I ... wish that more direct dialogue were a viable option, I simply have not seen that play out productively anywhere else.”

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THE SUPREME COURT’S DECISION IN THE LGBTQ+ 303 CREATIVE CASE

At issue was whether a Colorado web designer had a First Amendment right to reject making wedding websites for queer couples. The court ruled that she does.

KATE SOSIN, THE 19TH

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Friday, June 30 that Colorado could not force website designer Lorie Smith to serve LGBTQ+ couples seeking wedding websites.

The ruling in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis has massive implications for LGBTQ+ antidiscrimination protections and other civil rights laws, as legal experts say those policies are now vulnerable to reinterpretation by courts.

Justice Neil Gorsuch, a fourth generation Colordan from Denver, wrote for the court’s conservative majority, with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissenting. The justices ruled that the First Amendment shielded business owners from speaking against their conscience. Smith claimed that it was a violation of her religious beliefs to make wedding websites for same-sex couples.

Continued on page 12

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Continued from page 11

“Colorado seeks to force an individual to speak in ways that align with its views but defy her conscience about a matter of major significance,” wrote Gorsuch.

In her dissent, Sotomayor called the majority’s interpretation of the First Amendment “profoundly wrong.”

“Today, the Court, for the first time in its history, grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class,” Sotomayor wrote.

LGBTQ+ legal experts said the ruling does not grant businesses a widespread license to turn away LGBTQ+ couples. Instead, it creates a carve-out for business owners creating and selling art to reject specific commissions against their conscience.

Jenny Pizer, chief legal officer at Lambda Legal, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ legal group, said that in this case, the court viewed Smith as a fine artist, similar to an oil painter. A sketch artist working at a popular pier likely would not be included in the carve-out.

LGBTQ+ advocates say the ruling, while limited, marks a significant loss of anti-discrimination protection and will invite further eroding of civil rights law.

“The litigant aiming to blow a big hole in civil rights law has prevailed, and she’s prevailed with a very narrow win, unlikely to have anything like the results that she was seeking,” Pizer said. “But nonetheless, this extreme reactionary court majority predictably is handing victory to the litigant who was seeking to damage civil rights laws to obtain a license to discriminate.”

David Johns, executive director of the LGBTQ+ advocacy group the National Black Justice Coalition, said in a statement Friday that the ruling greenlights religious discrimination.

“It is important to recognize that this decision not only affects the LGBTQ+ community but also has far-reaching implications for the broader civil rights of all marginalized communities that have dealt with our country’s long history of prejudice and inequity,” Johns said.

What was this case about?

Smith sued the state, claiming that its anti-discrimination act forces her to

make art — in this case wedding websites for queer couples — that is contrary to her religious beliefs. Smith wants to post a notice on the webpage of her business, 303 Creative, noting that she won’t design websites for same-sex marriages. She claimed it is her First Amendment right to turn same-sex couples away because she is making custom websites, and the government can’t force her what to say.

The Colorado Civil Rights Division argued that businesses serving the public can’t choose to deny service to a group of people who are part of a protected class, including LGBTQ+ couples, and that Smith needed to serve all customers, regardless of their sexual orientation.

Who is Elenis?

Unlike similar cases that predate this one, there wasn’t a same-sex couple suing the business for discrimination.

Elenis in the case is Aubrey Elenis, director of the Colorado Civil Rights Division, who was sued in her professional capacity and listed first.

Members of the civil rights commission were also named in the complaint, as was state Attorney General Phil Weiser. The commissioners are tasked with enforcing Colorado’s antidiscrimination act, which says that a person cannot be treated differently because of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The fact that there wasn’t a couple alleging discrimination is part of what made this case so unique. Instead, Smith sued because she wanted to advertise that she wouldn’t make wedding websites for same-sex couples. In some ways, that thrust the case into the realm of hypotheticals, since no one had been turned away from her business.

Who was really facing off here?

As with a lot of big cases, this was not just about a disagreement between a small website business in Colorado and the state. Smith was represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a far-right legal organization that has brought similar cases. Some advocates, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, have designated

If you could see Colorado’s air, you would want to improve it.

ADF an extremist anti-LGBTQ+ hate group. Others who filed briefs in support of Smith include the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Association of Evangelicals.

Colorado was represented by Weiser. Others who have filed amicus briefs supporting the state commission include the American Bar Association, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Didn’t the court already decide this five years ago in a case about cake?

In some ways. In 2018, the Supreme Court took up a similar case, Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, and very narrowly ruled in favor of the baker, Jack Phillips, who refused to make a custom wedding cake for Charlie Craig and David Mullins. Phillips was also represented by ADF.

In that case, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission had ruled that Phillips violated the state’s anti-discrimination act by turning the gay couple away. Phillips’ lawyers argued that his religious beliefs and free speech rights shielded him from having to bake the cake. While the case could have had a profound and lasting impact on civil rights law, the Supreme Court declined to fully engage with larger legal questions. Instead, the court ruled that Colorado commissioners had displayed animus toward Phillips due to his religious beliefs. They ruled in Phillips’ favor, but shied away from a sweeping ruling on religious beliefs or free speech rights that would have impacted other businesses in Colorado or beyond.

What is different now?

Ever since the Masterpiece case, courts have seen a number of cases that seek to revisit the enforceability of state and local anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people. Religiously affiliated anti-LGBTQ+ legal organizations have argued that officials can’t force business owners to endorse same-sex weddings against their faith. Some legal experts have expressed that Smith’s case was particularly tricky because her services

include writing stories for each engaged couple, instead of just selling templates. Those stories, Smith and her attorneys say, are art.

What was the argument in favor of 303 Creative?

In arguing Smith’s case, the attorneys at the ADF claimed that if Smith was forced to provide wedding websites to same-sex couples, any working artist would lose the right to control their commissions. One example attorneys raised was a Democratic speechwriter being forced to write speeches for a Republican candidate. Attorneys said Smith would be happy to provide nonwedding websites to LGBTQ+ people, but she isn’t willing to create custom wedding narratives for same-sex couples who want to marry.

What was the argument against 303 Creative?

Lawyers for the state and LGBTQ+ legal organizations countered that under the criteria presented by Smith, it would’ve been nearly impossible to differentiate between what is art and what is a public accommodation or service. More than that, they added, political parties are not protected classes. Business owners can choose not to take commissions because they don’t agree with a political candidate.

“If somebody looks at a wedding website or receives a wedding invitation … whose information do they think it is?” asked Pizer, with Lambda Legal. “Do they really think that it’s the information of the person who created the website or did the design? It’s a work for hire by people who have information to distribute.”

Why is this such a big deal?

Olivia Hunt, policy director for the National Center for Transgender Equality, said the ruling could impact protected groups for generations to come.

“It would potentially carve out a new and really dangerous loophole in civil rights protections, not just for LGBTQ people, but it could potentially create a precedent that would weaken civil rights protections for all people on any basis,” she said.

HEARING HISTORY

You can’t walk into Chautauqua Auditorium without feeling the grand sweep of history thrumming within its walls, according to local musician Nick Forster.

“Just seeing the wooden bones of the hall and the daylight coming in through the sides reminds you of all the people who’ve played at Chautauqua and attended events [here] for over a century and a quarter,” he says.

A diverse who’s-who of speakers, preachers, dancers and musicians from William Jennings Bryan to Lyle Lovett have stepped onto that stage. Forster himself has been a recurring performer at the auditorium since the 1970s, initially as a member of the Boulder band Hot Rize, opening shows for bluegrass legends John Hartford, Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley. Hot Rize started headlining annual shows there in the 1980s.

Forster may be best known as the co-founder and host of the nationally distributed eTown radio show, which has been taped in Boulder since 1991. His shows at Chautauqua over the years have included artists like Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Joan Baez and more.

Chautauqua celebrates 125 years of music at Boulder’s iconic hall on the hill

BY JOHN LEHNDORFF

“I was always proud to do shows [here] knowing that our guests would feel part of the shared history that Chautauqua embodies,” he says.

That legacy began on July 4, 1898, when 13,000 attendees came to Boulder for the grand opening of Chautauqua Auditorium. Early performers in the space ranged from magicians, jugglers and animal acts to cultural institutions like the Kansas City Orchestra, opera and folk singers, African American acapella vocalists and more.

The anniversary will be celebrated July 8 with a daylong festival at

Chautauqua Park, featuring local food vendors and outdoor live music by Dead Floyd, Banshee Tree, Chain Station and more — capped off with a sold-out auditorium concert that evening with Los Lobos and Ozomatli. The 125th birthday gathering is the first time a large, free summer event has been held on the site in decades.

BACK FROM THE DEAD

Chautauqua Auditorium and other adjacent historic structures may be revered now as icons, but in the 1970s they had fallen into disrepair. The city of Boulder once actually considered tear-

ing them down to put up a resort and convention center with a great Flatirons view.

“For close to 30 years before all that happened at the auditorium, every year [there] were a few movies and an annual barbershop quartet concert,” says Kate Gerard, a Boulder native and Chautauqua’s resident archivist.

A major community effort to landmark and preserve the property was undertaken, but the single biggest thing that saved Chautauqua from the wrecking ball was the sound of music in the resonant wooden hall, she says.

In 1978, the Colorado Music Festival — returning this summer with violinist and artist-in-residence Joshua Bell — started performing orchestral and chamber works in concerts that brought thousands of locals to the auditorium for the first time. Then, Gerard says, a series of primarily acoustic shows by international artists introduced the venue to many more concertgoers. Funds to rebuild the hall started flowing along with community support to preserve the remarkable cultural institution.

Boulder may have still been somewhat rural near the dawn of the 20th

Featuring local talent and touring stars, Chautauqua Auditorium seats approximately 1,000 people in its historic listening space.

Photo courtesy Colorado Chautauqua.

“[Chautauqua Auditorium is] a … sacred space,” says Nick Forster, whose band Hot Rize opened for bluegrass legends John Hartford, Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley and more. Photo courtesy John Lehndorff.

MID SUMMER SALE

COVER

century, but when Chautauqua opened, it was a technological wonder. “The auditorium was constructed with electric wiring in place for lighting and to showcase a new form of entertainment: motion pictures,” Gerard says. “Some of the very earliest movies shown in Colorado were screened there.”

Since 1986, Chautauqua has continued the tradition with Silent Film Festival screenings featuring live musical accompaniment. And besides the parade of national acts, the auditorium has been the Boulder venue where locally launched bands have found the spotlight — ranging from Leftover Salmon, the Takács Quartet and Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra to The Wood Brothers, who played a sold-out show on the hallowed local stage in 2022.

“Oliver and Chris Wood were born and raised here, but they didn’t find music success until after they left Boulder,” says Danny Cohen, Chautauqua’s general manager and a longtime fan of the band, ahead of their slated return to the auditorium

on July 22. “They finally found themselves on this stage in their hometown, a place where they had seen events, but never performed. … They were so happy. They were freaking out. That was really special.”

‘A SACRED SPACE’

As it has been for multiple generations of Boulder residents, Forster’s connection to Chautauqua runs deep. He and his wife, eTown producer Helen Forster, were married at Chautauqua Community House. His daughters worked at the dining hall back when it was only open in the summertime.

Thanks to efforts spearheaded by Forster, a tribute to his late friend and Hot Rize guitarist, Charles Sawtelle, is installed outside the auditorium’s north end. A bench is inscribed with a pithy Sawtelle saying — “Never turn anything all the way up” — with oversized bronze guitar picks embedded in the concrete base.

“I had brunch there with my family last week and I went to see Mary Chapin Carpenter,” Forster says. “I

AT A GLANCE: CHAUTAUQUA 125TH BIRTHDAY BASH

1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 8, Chautauqua Park

ITINERARY:

1 p.m. | Introduction by Jordan Dresser

1:15 p.m. | Jeff and Paige

2:10 p.m. | Mile High Brass Band

FOOD AND DRINK VENDORS:

- Pupusas Familia

- Big Wheel Beverages

- Georgia Boys BBQ

- Susan’s Samosas

- Zoe Ma Ma

- Upslope Brewing Company

- Luna Bay Hard Kombucha

- Curation Canned Cocktails

PLUS:

- Artisan maker market

- Chautauqua walking tours with archivist Kate Gerard

- Kids’ activities (face painting, three-legged races, corn hole, etc.)

- Tintype portrait photographer and more

PARKING: Very limited parking available in the area. City of Boulder free weekend summer shuttles run from downtown parking garages and other lots, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

was running across the green with our youngest granddaughter and playing on the swings just like I did with her mom.”

For Forster and others whose lives have been touched by this Boulder institution over the last century-plus, it all adds up to something much greater than the sum of its parts.

“Chautauqua is more than just a

concert hall or a restaurant,” he says. “It’s a touchstone for me, a sacred space.”

ON THE BILL: Chautauqua 125th Birthday Bash. 1-6 p.m. Saturday, July 8, Chautauqua Park, 900 Baseline Road and 9th Street. Free

Chautauqua Band, July 9, 1899. Photo courtesy Colorado Chautauqua Association. Below: Celebrating its 125th anniversary this summer, the Colorado Chautauqua is one of only 26 National Historic Landmarks in the state. Photo courtesy Colorado Chautauqua.

‘A STORY OF OUR TIME’

World premiere workshop shares personal reflections on the climate crisis

BY TONI TRESCA

When visiting professor Emily K. Harrison’s students at the southern liberal arts college of Sewanee in Tennessee suggested producing a play about climate change, she was initially hesitant.

“That idea filled me with dread. I was like, ‘Uh, nobody wants to hear us talk about that,’” she says of her Spring 2022 devised theater students’ request to tackle the climate crisis on stage. “But they were really passionate about the topic, and I became really interested in making this with my students because their lives will be so much harder if people don’t wake up to the severity of the moment.”

Following this initial collaboration at Sewanee, Harrison put together a team of multigenerational artists from across the country to produce the world premiere of Things We Will Miss: Meditations on the Climate Crisis through her Boulderbased, award-winning company, Square Product Theatre.

The collage-style work is a nonlinear exploration composed of the performers’ personal reflections on living amid worsening climate change. Through a collection of vignettes, Things We Will Miss invites viewers to consider what will be remembered as the world we know disappears.

“It’s postmodern at times and realistic at others,” Harrison says. “We are sharing incredibly intimate stories, but there is no plot — just our reflections on the climate crisis, the mess we are in, and what options we have left. ... The climate crisis is very much a story of our time, one that many of us are trying to make sense of, and so we’re exploring theatrical tools that share the experience, that tell the story, in new and exciting ways.”

The upcoming workshop presentation at the Dairy Arts Center, running July 7 through July 22, greatly expands upon the work Harrison did with students at Sewanee. Square Product Theatre has continued to work on its script in Zoom meetings with a variety of student and professional theater creators across America to expand Things We Will Miss into the company’s first fulllength, original work since Everything Was Stolen in 2019.

‘THE BEAUTY OF WHAT COULD BE’

According to Harrison, Things We Will Miss has evolved a lot since its development at Sewanee. “I think the main difference between the original and what it’s become now is that the original had a kind of heavy, depressing nature and this one is much more optimistic,” she says. “We weren’t willing to look on the bright side or consider that a brighter side could exist. Things We Will Miss is still serious, but I want people to know that it’s not going to be a total downer.”

In its mission to illuminate the climate crisis for audiences, Things We Will Miss incorporates text from other media into real-life stories to help make the play more engrossing. “It’s a combination of devised and found text,” Harrison says. “We draw from Twin Peaks, poetry, speeches from

op the work. “We’re a Colorado-based company, so it just makes sense for us to premiere it here in Boulder and see how our audience responds,” Harrison says. “The goal is for us to keep working on it and do it again in other places.”

Since the production is still being workshopped, Harrison decided to include minimal technical elements. Keeping Things We Will Miss light on design allowed the creative team to easily make changes to their blocking and script.

“It is easier to change things around in the development when you don’t have a lot of shit,” Harrison says. “We have some handheld lights we are playing with, and the costume will be simple clothes you would see in real life. The most active technical elements are the sound and projection design, which showcase the beautiful things that we will miss in the wake of the climate crisis.”

Ahead of the workshop’s upcoming debut on July 7 at the Dairy’s Carsen Theater, assistant director Irmak Sagir says working on the show has offered an opportunity to reflect on the severity of the looming crisis and the power of the stage to affect social change.

“I learned so much from working on this show,” Sagir says. “It forced me to imagine what the future will look like, and it got me thinking a lot about theater’s powerful world-building ability and how it can help people understand climate change. Theater has the power to show the world of destruction — so you can see what to be afraid of — as well as the beauty of what could be if we make a change.”

“I’ve loved seeing how this piece has evolved in the year since we began devising, and getting everyone together in Boulder is going to send it in some incredible new directions,” says Nathaniel Klein, an artist based in Madison, Wisconsin, who has worked on the project since its inception. “Everyone has to put a little bit of themselves into the piece, and that kind of sharing is transformative.”

conferences at the United Nations, lines from previous plays we’ve produced and Laurie Anderson songs — just kind of random shit that some people will recognize, and some people will not, but everything connects back to this central theme.”

After performances at the Dairy, viewers are encouraged to offer feedback to the creative team, which they will use to improve and further devel-

ON STAGE: Things We Will Miss: Meditations on the Climate Crisis by Square Product Theater. 7:30 p.m. July 7–22, and 3 p.m. July 15. Carsen Theater, Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder. Name your price: $5-$50

‘Things We Will Miss: Meditations on the Climate Crisis’ runs at the Dairy Arts Center, July 7 through July 22. Rehearsal photo by Jun Akiyama.

What’s in Boulder’s headphones?

BY BOULDER WEEKLY STAFF

Sound hounds, rejoice! We’re back with another round-up of the latest bestsellers at Paradise Found Records and Music (1646 Pearl St., Boulder). From a posthumous release by late art-pop auteur Arthur Russell to a new anthology from alt-country queen Neko Case, these are the new releases flying off the shelves in Boulder this week.

Live albums are notoriously hit-or-miss, but I’ve been getting lots of mileage out of Tim Heidecker and the Very Good Band: Live in Boulder. Recorded during last year’s stop at the Boulder Theater, the new release from the celebrated comedian-musician is a must for anyone who loves the sophisticated dad-rock of artists like Warren Zevon and Randy Newman. And if you missed last week’s Q&A with Heidecker, you can always find it online at boulderweekly.com

FOUND SOUNDS STAFF PICK

— Jezy J. Gray, arts and culture editor

For the complete list of top new local vinyl releases, visit bit.ly/FoundSoundsBW.

1. KHRUANGBIN & NUBYA GARCIA Live at Radio City Music Hall

2. PHISH Farmhouse (reissue)

3. ARTHUR RUSSELL Picture of Bunny Rabbit

4. JOE HISAISHI Spirited Away OST (reissue)

5. NEKO CASE Wild Creatures

TIME CRISIS

The latest ‘Mission: Impossible’ installment is one-half of a somber story

BY MICHAEL J. CASEY

For 30 years, Ethan Hunt has been living in an augmented reality. Everywhere he turns are deceptions, lies, trickery, false narratives and people who are not who they say they are. It’s all in a day’s work for Mr. Hunt, but this time, it’s different. This time, those lies and deceptions are being manufactured by something that isn’t human, doesn’t have a knowable agenda, and isn’t tethered to a state or a bank account. This time, Hunt is up against The Entity, an artificial intelligence algorithm that threatens humanity’s existence simply through its self-awareness.

Lucky for the world, Hunt is once again played by ageless wonder Tom Cruise, who will run any distance necessary to accomplish his task. And for Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part I, he’ll run down the narrow alleys of Venice, up the winding mountain roads of the Alps, across the sand dunes of Abu Dhabi and through the streets of Rome. Hot on his heels are enemies foreign and domestic, and

in his ear are Benji (Simon Pegg) and Luther (Ving Rhames), doing whatever they can to ensure Hunt never wanders into a trap.

Somewhere under the northern ice caps lies a submarine with a computer program more powerful than even the inventor probably intended. As a failsafe, the program can only be accessed with two specially made keys that join as a cruciform to unlock the program. Hold the keys, and you hold the fate of the world. That’s the MacGuffin Hunt and everyone else is chasing. As an added boost of mystery, the keys are a MacGuffin even to the characters. They know they need them, but not what they do nor where they go. Only one does, and his name is Gabriel (Esai Morales).

Gabriel and Hunt have a history. That makes it personal for Hunt. For Gabriel, nothing’s personal. You can think of him as a detached knife-wielding high priest who functions as a spokesman for The Entity — which plays on the screen as odd as it reads on the page.

That’s not the only odd choice in Dead Reckoning. Lorne Balfe’s score casts a pall over what is otherwise a rousing globetrotting adventure yarn, while Eddie Hamilton’s editing during dialogue sequences is so bizarrely all over the place you start to wonder what they’re covering for. We could also get into all the various doublecrosses, double agents, whose-side-isthis-guy-on? business, but you probably would rather watch that than read about it.

And you would probably enjoy watching the various chases (there are many) and stunt set pieces (which deliver) rather than reading about them here. They’re pretty damn good. As a physical performer, Cruise is one of the best working today. And with Cruise pulling double duty as star and producer, he makes sure the $290 million budget ends up on screen.

But it doesn’t leave much room for

director and co-writer Christopher McQuarrie, which might explain why character motivations are murky and the narrative has a stop-and-start quality. There are some bright spots: Hayley Atwell’s Grace brings levity to a story constantly beset by the threat of annihilation. Though there’s a way that McQuarrie’s script slides Grace into the role of precious cargo that feels old hat. Then again, this edition is only one half of the story, so all these loose threads, ill-defined motivations and “we’ll get ’em next time, partner” moments are partly by design. So it goes in the ever-expanding world of franchise cinema.

ON SCREEN: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part I opens in wide release on July 12.

Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part I.’ Photo courtesy Paramount Pictures.

EVENTS

6

MOVIES ON THE LAWN

6-9:30 p.m. Thursday, July 6, The Rock Garden, 338 W. Main St., Lyons. Free

Sit back, relax and enjoy a movie at Lyons’ outdoor screening area on Main Street. The Rock Garden invites showgoers to vote on their website between three films: The Princess Bride, Spaceballs or Star Wars: Episode IV Whichever title prevails, it will be that much better under a summer evening sky with popcorn in hand.

7

UNDERGROUND COMEDY SHOWCASE

7 p.m. Friday, July 7, License No. 1, 2115 13th St., Boulder. $25

7

NOBO FIRST FRIDAY

6-9 p.m. Friday, July 7, NoBo Art District, 4895 Broadway, Boulder. Free

Head to the NoBo Art District to usher in the weekend during this monthly creative celebration. Live music and artist demos by painters, sculptors, photographers and more will be on the docket during this self-guided tour of artist studios and creative businesses in North Boulder.

Ready to bust a gut with the headlining comics of tomorrow? Head to License No. 1 on Friday for its regular Underground Comedy Showcase, featuring the best emerging standups from Boulder and beyond.

6

SOLAR SUPERSTORMS: NARRATED BY BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH

7-8 p.m. Thursday, July 6, Fiske Planetarium, 2414 Regent Drive, Boulder. $12

Superstorms on the surface of the sun make the rain and hail we’ve been getting look like child’s play. Dramatic flares, violent solar tornadoes, fire tsunami waves and more will be on display during Solar Superstorms, narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, presented as part of the Fiske Planetarium’s Fulldome Film Series.

7

ODESZA: THE LAST GOODBYE CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE

8 p.m. Friday, July 7, Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder. $12

ODESZA’s blend of dance music and live instrumentation has netted awards and headlining festival spots since the duo first came onto the scene in 2012. If you haven’t gotten the chance to see them yourself, they’ll be on the big-screen at Boulder Theater for one night only.

8

CHAUTAUQUA 125TH BIRTHDAY BASH

1-6 p.m. Saturday, July 8, Chautauqua Park, 900 Baseline Road and 9th Street. Free

Celebrate more than a century of Boulder’s iconic Chautauqua Auditorium with a day of local food vendors and outdoor live music by Dead Floyd, Banshee Tree, Chain Station and other local favorites — plus kids’ activities, a guided history tour and more.

Want more Boulder County events? Check out the complete listings online by scanning this QR code.

EVENTS

LIVE MUSIC FRIDAYS!

Show starts at 7pm NO COVER Happy Hour

8

LEFT HAND SUMMER LUAU & BIKE MS FUNDRAISER

4-8 p.m. Saturday, July 8, Left Hand Brewing, 1265 Boston Ave., Longmont. Free

Eat, drink and fight Multiple Sclerosis at Left Hand Brewery’s Luau fundraiser on July 8. Throw your name in the raffle for more than $10,000 in prizes or participate in the silent auction, both of which will forward all proceeds to Team Left Hand and Bike MS. Festivities also include live music by Dollhouse Thieves.

8

BOULDER COUNTY ROLLER DERBY

5-10 p.m. Saturday, July 8, Boulder County Fairgrounds, 9595 Nelson Road, Longmont. $10

Head to Boulder County Fairgrounds on Saturday, when Boulder County Roller Derby returns for a night of hardhitting fun. Whether you’re a devoted fanatic or a curious newcomer, you’ll have a blast at this night of derby action featuring food trucks, beer and the best show on eight wheels.

9

MORNING YOGA AT THE MUSEUM

10-11 a.m. Sunday, July 9, Museum of Boulder, 2205 Broadway, Boulder. $10

There’s no better time than the present to return to the present — and what better place to do it than the rooftop at the Museum of Boulder? Led by alternating instructors Zayd Atkinson and Soul Lorain, this regular yoga session with a view is the perfect way to re-center, and the ticket price includes access to all Museum of Boulder exhibitions.

HELP WANTED

KBI Biopharma, Inc. seeks an Engineer III in Boulder, CO to apply engineering expertise to process engineering projects in support of process development, process transfer, and clinical and commercial manufacturing. BS & 6yrs. $199.766 per year. For full req’s and to apply visit: https://www. kbibiopharmama.com/ careers Job Reference Number: R00005138

HELP WANTED

8

SIZZLE + DANCE PARTYCIRCUS VARIETY SHOW

7:30-11:59 p.m. Saturday, July 8, NiCHE Event Space, 4571 Broadway, Boulder. $25

Arts Caravan is rolling into Boulder again, and this time, they’re inviting you to the big top. Sleight-of-hand work from magician James Lopez, a hypnotic routine by performance artist Flowpunzel and a wild juggling act by Richard Deanda are just some of the fun you can expect from this freewheeling circus variety show.

8

RMP LIVE PRO WRESTLING

8-9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 8, Romero’s K9 Club & Tap House, 985 South Public Road, Lafayette. $15

RMP stands for Rocky Mountain Pro, and true to their name, this local wrestling federation puts on a professional act of high-flying fun. Enjoy a drink ringside as athletes bring the pain in the ring, vying for a chance at the championship belt.

11

A RARE DINNER

6-9 p.m. Tuesday, July 11, Blackbelly, 1606 Conestoga St., Boulder. $325

Join Blackbelly Market for a special collaboration with the best chefs across Denver and Boulder at this fundraiser for Sophie’s Neighborhood, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting research for rare diseases. Enjoy unforgettable cuisine and support a good cause, all in one night.

KBI Biopharma, Inc. seeks an Associate Program Manager in Boulder, CO. KBI Biopharma, Inc. seeks an Associate Program Manager in Boulder, CO to act as key client account and relationship manager for projects of limited scope. BS & 2yr or MS & 1yr. 2-3 days per week of remote work permitted. $88,878 - $90,000 per year. For full req’s and to apply visit: https://www. kbibiopharma.com/careers

Job Reference Number: R00005142

ON STAGE ON VIEW ON THE

R&B legend Ruth Brown died in 2006, but her music lives on in the world premiere of Miss Rhythm: The Legend of Ruth Brown at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) through Oct. 15. The cabaret show uses songs from Brown’s illustrious catalog to trace her quick rise to fame from modest beginnings in Portsmouth, Virginia. Scan QR code for a BW feature on the show. See listing for details.

ALICE @ WONDERLAND. Broomfield Auditorium, 3 Community Park Road, Broomfield. 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 7 and 2:30 Saturday, July 8. $7

THINGS WE WILL MISS: MEDITATIONS ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS 7:30 p.m. July 7–22, and 3 p.m. July 15. Carsen Theater, Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder. Name your price: $5-$50. Story on p. 18

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

BDT Stage, 5501 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder. Through Aug. 19. $75. Story at boulderweekly.com

WILLY WONKA Jester’s Dinner Theatre, 224 Main St., Longmont. Through Aug. 6. $30

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING & KING LEAR PRESENTED BY COLORADO SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre, Broadway St. & College Avenue, Boulder. Through Aug. 13. $25

MISS RHYTHM: THE LEGEND OF RUTH BROWN. Denver Center for the Performing Arts (Garner Galleria Theatre), 1101 13th St. Through Oct. 15. $46. BW Pick of the Week

ANNIE JR The Arts HUB, 420 Courtney Way, Lafayette. 7 p.m. Friday, July 7 and 7 p.m. Saturday, July 8. $12

Memory, identity and resilience collide in Tomboy and Old Salty: New Work from the Studio of Allyson McDuffie, on display at Bus Stop Gallery in Boulder July 7 through July 30. Celebrate the work of this local artist with an opening reception as part of NoBo First Friday, and be among the first to experience “an exploration of hardships and a celebration of the beauty in our contradictory society.” See listing for details

ONWARD AND UPWARD: SHARK’S INK CU Art Museum, 1085 18th St., Boulder. Through July 2023. Free

agriCULTURE: ART INSPIRED BY THE LAND. BMoCA, 1750 13th St., Boulder; and Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Road. Through Oct. 1 (BMoCA) and Jan. 7 (Longmont Museum). $2 / $8

CRAFTED: SUBVERTING THE FRAME. Firehouse Art Center, 667 4th Ave., Longmont. Through July 23. Free

NO BOUNDARIES: WOMEN TRANSFORMING THE WORLD Jerry Crail Earth Science & Map Library, 2200 Colorado Ave., Boulder. Through May 2024. Free

TOMBOY AND OLD SALTY: NEW WORK FROM THE STUDIO OF ALLYSON MCDUFFIE. Bus Stop Gallery, 4895 Broadway, Boulder. 6-9 p.m. July 7 through July 30. Free. BW Pick of the Week

BREAKING FREE BY SHOOT CAMERAS NOT GUNS NoBo Art Center, 4929 Broadway, Unit E, Boulder. 6-9 p.m. Friday, July 7. Free

Blending ecology, history and mythology with a first-person account of her travels, author and CU grad Gloria Dickie explores our relationship with one of nature’s most misunderstood creatures in Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future. Dickie will read from her new work during a signing event at Boulder Book Store on July 11. See listing for details

A YEAR IN THE HEART BY MICHELE DILLON 7 p.m.

Saturday, July 8, Longmont Books, 624 Main St., Longmont. Free

EIGHT BEARS: MYTHIC PAST AND IMPERILED FUTURE BY GLORIA DICKIE. 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, July 11, Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl St., Boulder. $5 BW Pick of the Week

UNRAVELED: A CLIMBER’S JOURNEY THROUGH DARKNESS AND BACK BY KATIE BROWN.

WOMEN OF THE J BOOK

CLUB: THE GREAT BELIEVERS

7-8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, July 12, Boulder JCC, 6007 Oreg Ave., Boulder. Free

AN EVENING WITH TRAVEL WRITER ROLF POTTS.

7 p.m.

Wednesday, July 12, Longmont Books, 624 Main St., Longmont. Free

ROBIN F. SCHEPPER IN CONVERSATION WITH REP. MEGHAN LUKENS. 6 p.m.

6 p.m.

Tuesday, July 11, Tattered Cover – Aspen Grove, 7301 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton. Free

Thursday, July 13, Tattered Cover, 2526 E. Colfax Ave. Free

TO THE MOVIE MOVIE RACE

This year, the Downtown Boulder Triple Crown Race Series (West End Mile, East End Mile and the Pearl Street Mile) is back and better than ever. Run (jog, skip or walk) a mile then stick around for a movie under the stars! Check out the webpage for more information!

WEST END MILE | JUNE 22 | 5 PM

(Followed by a FREE outdoor screening of Top Gun Maverick at dusk)

EAST END MILE | JULY 13 | 5 PM

(Followed by a FREE outdoor Local Short Film Festival and Filmmaker Q & A at dusk)

PEARL STREET MILE | AUGUST 5 | 5 PM

(Come back on August 10 for a FREE outdoor screening of Inside Out at dusk)

LIVE MUSIC

ON THE BILL

Legendary art-rock duo Sparks bring their freewheeling synth-pop stylings to Boulder Theater for an unforgettable night of live music at the city’s iconic downtown venue on Sunday, July 9. The “ultimate cult band” comes to the Front Range on the heels of their 26th studio album, The Girl is Crying in Her Latte, released May 26 via Island Records. See listing for details

THURSDAY, JUNE 6

NICOLAI LUGANSKY. 7 p.m. Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder. $18

LAURIE DAMERON. 7 p.m. R Gallery + Wine Bar, 2027 Broadway, Boulder. Free

TWENTY HANDS HIGH Noon. Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Road, Longmont. Free

JORDAN LYN 5 p.m. Omni Interlocken, 500 Interlocken Blvd., Broomfield. Free

TSURUDA WITH NOER THE BOY, GANGUS, BASURA AND ASAU 8:30 p.m. Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, 2635 Welton St., Denver. $25

GRADY SPENCER AND THE WORK WITH SHAWN HESS 8 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. $20

TELEKINTETIC YETI WITH STINKING LIZAVETA, SOMNURI AND HASHTRONAUT 7:30 p.m. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver. $22

FRIDAY, JUNE 7

NICOLAI LUGANSKY. 6:30 p.m. Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder. $18

THE AVETT BROTHERS WITH IRIS DEMENT 7:30 p.m. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison. $110

INGRID AVISON 6 p.m. Trident Cafe, 940 Pearl St., Boulder. Free

LADY ROMEO WITH AMARYLLIS 9 p.m. Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder. $13

GOOD MUSIC MEDICINE 6 p.m. Left Hand Brewing, 1265 Boston Ave., Longmont. Free

JOHN OSBORNE FARLEY 6 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Boulder. Free

BEN KWELLER WITH ROBERT ELLIS 9 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. $27

REZN WITH GRIVO AND ORYX 9 p.m. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver. $18

LIVE MUSIC

SATURDAY, JULY 8

A.J. FULLERTON 8 p.m. Roots Music Project, 4747 Pearl, Suite V3A, Boulder. $15

CHAUTAUQUA 125TH BIRTHDAY BASH FEAT. CHAIN STATION, BANSHEE TREE, DEAD FLOYD AND MORE. 1-6 p.m. Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder. Free. Story on p. 15

THE AVETT BROTHERS WITH IRIS DEMENT 7:30 p.m. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison. $110

ANNA CUTLER 6 p.m. Museum of Boulder, 2205 Broadway, Boulder. $20

RUSS MOHR 7 p.m. Bridgetown, 2675 Northpark Drive, Lafayette. Free

THE WILDWOODS 7 p.m. eTown Hall, 1535 Spruce St., Boulder. $20

STRANGEBYRDS 7 p.m. 300 Suns Brewings, 335 1st Ave., Unit C, Longmont. Free

HIGH LONESOME WITH FASTFLOYD 9 p.m. Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder. $15

DOWNTOWN SUPERIER SUMMER CONCERT SERIES 6:30 p.m. Superior Commons Amphitheater, 2130 Creek View Way, Superior. Free

HIGH COUNTRY WITH MAGOO AND DEREK DAMES OHL 8 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. $15

JUAN WAUTERS WITH LOS NARWHALS, FLORA DE LA LUNE AND MOVETE CHIQUITA VINYL CLUB 9 p.m. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver. $18

SUNDAY, JULY 9

SPARKS 7 p.m. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder. $40. BW Pick of the Week

THE AVETT BROTHERS WITH IRIS DEMENT 6:30 p.m. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison. $110

FALL OUT BOY WITH BRING ME THE HORIZON, ROYAL AND THE SERPENT AND DAISY GRENADE 6:30 p.m. Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, 6350 Greenwood Plaza Blvd., Greenwood Village. $120

GEORGE RAY RUSSELL 1:30 p.m. Left Hand Grange #9, 195 2nd Ave., Niwot. $10

CAT 5 4 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder. Free

MONTANA SAND 7:30 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder. Free

YES BABY WITH BELLADONNA AND IDIOT CHILD 4 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. $14

MONDAY, JULY 10

BOULDER CONCERT BAND 7 p.m. Scott Carpenter Park, 1505 30th St., Boulder. Free

THE FAMILY CREST WITH THE STUDY ABROAD. 8 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. $20

TUESDAY, JULY 11

JACK QUARTET 7:30 p.m. Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder. $18

FALLING IN REVERSE WITH ICE NINE KILLS, UNDEROATH AND CATCH YOUR BREATH 6:30 p.m. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison. $60

DRAYTON FARLEY WITH TRAVIS

ROBERS AND KAINEN KELLUM 8 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. $25

WEDNESDAY, JULY 12

RAGGED UNION 5 p.m. Sunflower Farm, 11150 Prospect Road, Longmont. Free

DEER FELLOW WITH STURTZ AND ROBIN LEWIS 7:30 p.m. Roots Music Project, 4747 Pearl, Suite V3A, Boulder.

$15

AL GREEN WITH THE COLORADO SYMPHONY AND KEB’ MO’. 7:30 p.m. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison.

$78

DEAR WHOLE FOODS DADDY

BY GABBY VERMEIRE

Your burning Boulder questions, asked and answered

We all have questions and need advice, but sometimes the pseudo therapy in the Instagram stories of astrology girls doesn’t cut it. Or maybe the gatekeeping culture of adventure bros has you fearing the judgment that comes with revealing yourself as a newbie at anything. This advice column exists to hold space for you and your Boulder queries — especially the uncool ones.

How do you stop associating Boulder locations with exes?

Was it the Bernie bro who gave you the ick when he judged you for voting for Hillary in the general election, but always sang great Pete Seeger karaoke at the Outback Saloon? Or was it the stick-and-poked MFA grad student who broke up with you via open mic poetry at Innisfree coffee shop (RIP)?

Existing in a small town with a soft heart sucks when ghosts of exes past lurk inside the climbing walls of the gym you once frequented together (or just the actual exes climbing the walls, since there are only three gyms).

The solution is to make more sexy memories at the sad ex places until they become unremarkable ex places. Do you get misty-eyed every time you go to the cafe where the emotionally unavailable long-distance runner dumped you to Gregory Alan Isakov’s “Amsterdam”? Shoot your shot with the actual Gregory Alan Isakov at the same spot, and replace the sad-y vibes with folk daddy vibes.

Should I move to an L-town if I’m in my late 20s and trying to make friends?

For the uninitiated, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville and Lyons are, respectively, Boulder’s cottagecore, Second Amendment-core, American Beauty suburb-coded and weed-libertarian cousins. There comes a time in every Boulderite’s life when their friends become domesticated by marriage and make the move to one of these rel atively more affordable L-towns. You could always follow them, but you will be a far more attractive friend if you stay in Boulder and embrace your new role as the for ever-single friend with a couch to crash on after mommy and daddy’s trashy night out in Boulder.

How do you pick up shorties at Trident?

A word of warning: Do not use the highly effective pick-up techniques below unless you are ready to be violently swarmed by ovulating women at the city’s brainiest cafe, book store and event space:

1. Casually ask a young woman reading alone if you can share their table (with other tables clearly available) and lay down some rejected Žižek material before asking for her Snapchat.

2. Give a witty comment to a CU student about their niche laptop sticker.

3. Tell her she could look like a young Jane Birkin if she only smiled.

My ex put me on blast in their Strava run caption. How

We matched on Hinge and we had photos of us climbing the same route. Is it meant to be?

“It wasn’t the worst line she’d heard on a dating app, even if his himbo selfie made her physically cringe. Still, he was liberal and wasn’t in an ENM relationship — not that there’s anything

Taste The Difference

ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Genius physicist Albert Einstein said, “The formulation of a problem is often more essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old questions from new angles, requires creative imagination and makes real advances.” What he said here applies to our personal dilemmas, too. When we figure out the right questions to ask, we are more than halfway toward a clear resolution. This is always true, of course, but it will be an especially crucial principle for you in the coming weeks.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): “Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority.” So said Taurus biologist and anthropologist Thomas Huxley (1825-1895). I don’t think you will have to be quite so forceful as that in the coming weeks. But I hope you’re willing to further your education by rebelling against what you already know. And I hope you will be boisterously skeptical about conventional wisdom and trendy ideas. Have fun cultivating a feisty approach to learning! The more time you spend exploring beyond the borders of your familiar world, the better.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Hooray and hallelujah! You’ve been experimenting with the perks of being pragmatic and well-grounded. You have been extra intent on translating your ideals into effective actions. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you so dedicated to enjoying the simple pleasures. I love that you’re investigating the wonders of being as down-toearth as you dare. Congratulations! Keep doing this honorable work.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): I wrote my horoscope column for over 10 years before it began to get widely syndicated. What changed? I became a better writer and oracle, for one thing. My tenacity was inexhaustible. I was always striving to improve my craft, even when the rewards were meager. Another important factor in my eventual success was my persistence in marketing. I did a lot of hard work to ensure the right publications knew about me. I suspect, fellow Cancerian, that 2024 is likely to bring you a comparable breakthrough in a labor of love you have been cultivating for a long time. And the coming months of 2023 will be key in setting the stage for that breakthrough.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Maybe you wished you cared more deeply about a certain situation. Your lack of empathy and passion may feel like a hole in your soul. If so, I have good news. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to find the missing power; to tap into the warm, wet feelings that could motivate your quest for greater connection. Here’s a good way to begin the process: Forget everything you think you know about the situation with which you want more engagement. Arrive at an empty, still point that enables you to observe the situation as if you were seeing it for the first time.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): You are in an astrological phase when you’ll be wise to wrangle with puzzles and enigmas. Whether or not you come up with crisp solutions isn’t as crucial as your earnest efforts to limber up your mind. For best results, don’t worry and sweat about it; have fun! Now I’ll provide a sample riddle to get you in the mood. It’s adapted from a text by David Wallechinsky and Irving Wallace. You are standing before two identical closed doors, one leading to grime and confusion, the other to revelation and joy. Before the doors stand two figures: an angel who always tells the truth and a demon who always lies. But they look alike, and you may ask only one question to help you choose what door to take. What do you do? (Possible answer: Ask either character what the other would say if you asked which door to take, then open the opposite door.)

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): I found a study that concluded just 6.1.% of online horoscopes provide legitimate predictions about the future. Furthermore, 62.3% of them consist of bland, generic pabulum of no value to the recipient. I disagree with these assessments. Chani Nicholas, Michael Lutin, Susan Miller and Jessica Shepherd are a few of many regular horoscope writers whose work I find interesting. My own astrological oracles are useful, too. And by the way, how can anyone have the hubris to decide which horoscopes are helpful and which are not? This thing we do is a highly subjective art, not an objective science. In the spirit of my comments here, Libra, and in accordance with astrological omens, I urge you to declare your independence from so-called experts and authorities who tell you they know what’s valid and worthwhile for you. Here’s your motto: “I’m the authoritative boss of my own truth.”

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): Is it a fact that our bodies are made of stardust?

Absolutely true, says planetary scientist Dr. Ashley King. Nearly all the elements comprising our flesh, nerves, bones, and blood were originally forged in at least one star, maybe more. Some of the stuff we are made of lived a very long time in a star that eventually exploded: a supernova. Here’s another amazing revelation about you: You are composed of atoms that have existed for almost 14 billion years. I bring these startling realities to your attention, Scorpio, in honor of the most expansive phase of your astrological cycle. You have a mandate to deepen and broaden and enlarge your understanding of who you are and where you came from.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): I foresee that August will be a time of experiments and explorations. Life will be in a generous mood toward you, tempting and teasing you with opportunities from beyond your circle of expectations. But let’s not get carried away until it makes cosmic sense to get carried away. I don’t want to urge you to embrace wild hope prematurely. Between now and the end of July, I advise you to enjoy sensible gambles and measured adventures. It’s OK to go deep and be rigorous, but save the full intensity for later.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): Is there a crucial half-conscious question lurking in the underside of your mind? A smoldering doubt or muffled perplexity that’s important for you to address? I suspect there is. Now it’s time to coax it up to the surface of your awareness so you may deal with it forthrightly. You must not let it smolder there in its hiding place. Here’s the good news, Capricorn: If you bring the dilemma or confusion or worry into the full light of your consciousness, it will ultimately lead you to unexpected treasure. Be brave!

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): In Larry McMurtry’s novel Duane’s Depressed, the life of the main character has come to a standstill. He no longer enjoys his job. The fates of his kids are too complicated for him to know how to respond. He has a lot of feelings but has little skill in expressing them. At a loss about how to change his circumstances, he takes a small and basic step: He stops driving his pickup truck and instead walks everywhere he needs to go. Your current stasis is nowhere near as dire as Duane’s, Aquarius. But I do recommend you consider his approach to initiating transformation: Start small and basic.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): Author K. V. Patel writes, “As children, we laugh fully with the whole body. We laugh with everything we have.” In the coming weeks, Pisces, I would love for you to regularly indulge in just that: total delight and release. Furthermore, I predict you will be more able than usual to summon uproarious life-affirming amusement from the depths of your enchanted soul. I believe you will have more reasons than ever before to throw your head back and unleash your entire self in rippling bursts of healing hysterical hilarity. To get started, practice chuckling, giggling, and chortling for one minute right now.

SAVAGE LOVE

BY DAN SAVAGE

DEAR DAN: I’m the other woman. His wife doesn’t know. When I met my lover five years ago, he talked about how he had a platonic marriage. He had every reason to expect a sexless marriage. They started therapy and are now having “scheduled sex.” I cautioned against this approach but didn’t call it what I think it is: consensual rape.

I fell in love with my lover. When I see a text coming in from him, a wonderful warmth courses through my body and I feel loved. He says he feels a similar excitement — “melt” is the word he uses when I text him — but he is emotionally unavailable because he “loves the wife who won’t blow him.”

From the outside they look like a happy family and he wants to keep his family whole. I am conflicted. I love him, I don’t think she loves him, and I know he loves her. He says he just wants someone who wants to have sex with him. They’ve been married less than 10 years and have three young children.

In your experience, has scheduled sex ever helped a sexless marriage?

— The Other One

P.S. Stop the presses! My lover asked his wife about an open marriage. He said she “cried bitterly.” At first, I felt sympathy for both of them, but then it occurred to me that she might be manipulating him. I’d love to hear what you think.

DEAR TOO: If you wanna start fucking this dude again, TOO, you can fuck this dude without constructing selfserving rationalizations or casting aspersions on your lover’s wife. His wife burst into tears when he asked about opening their marriage — something he’d already done, which she may suspect, and something many people take as a sign their marriages are about to collapse, which she may fear. Being asked to open a marriage can be an upsetting conversation, particularly for someone with small children. I think you should give this woman you’ve never met, who’s done you no harm, the benefit of the

doubt and not see her reaction as emotionally manipulative.

Scheduled sex can be good, great or awful, just like spontaneous sex. One thing scheduled sex isn’t is “consensual rape.” There are good reasons why a couple might choose to have sex at a set time. Lots of sex therapists and marriage counselors recommend scheduled sex to couples whose marriages have drifted into sexlessness.

I shouldn’t have to explain to you, someone who’s been sleeping with a married man for five years, that scheduled sex can be consensual sex and good sex. To keep an affair going for five years you have to create opportunities. Affair sex is scheduled sex.

But scheduled sex can’t work miracles. If one spouse is no longer attracted to the other spouse and/or one spouse has lost interest in sex and/or sex has become impossible or painful and the lost-all-interest spouse refuses to do anything about it, scheduling sex isn’t going to help.

Both halves of the sexless couple on the therapist’s couch often identify being busy as the problem. But often one half of the couple isn’t telling the truth; it’s not that they can’t find the time, it’s that they don’t want to. It can be hard for someone to say out loud that they’re no longer sexually attracted to their spouse. No one wants to hurt someone they love (doesn’t wanna fuck ≠ doesn’t love). And since opening up a marriage is a non-starter for most couples, the marriage has to end if celibacy is a non-starter for the other spouse.

This dude loves his wife, she loves him, and they love their kids and want to keep their home together. But your lover also needs to fuck someone who wants to fuck him, and he can love you for that. Resist the urge to justify your choices by making assumptions about your lover’s wife. You’re in no position to judge the sincerity of her feelings for her husband, which are probably every bit as complicated and conflicted as your own feelings for him.

THE BIG DIPPER

DQ disappointment begs the question: Is there a tastier way to craft a chocolate ice cream shell?

BY JOHN LEHNDORFF

The muggy summer afternoon snapshot features a back seat crammed with bathing-suit clad siblings united in a desperate plea: “Dairy Queen, please!”

Going out for ice cream as a kid was great, and my town was home to some fine scoop shops, but Dairy Queen occupied a separate category of chill pleasure, from Mr. Misty floats to banana splits. Soft serve — with its silky texture and slightly warmer serving temperature — was superb.

Free rainbow sprinkles upped the ante, but I was there for the swirled ice cream dipped in a dark chocolate pool to create an instant hard shell. The first taste of a DQ dipped cone ranks right up there with buttered corn, field tomatoes and ripe peaches on the summer palate playlist.

TASTE BUD TIME TRAVEL

A food critic’s life has introduced me to the joys of gelato, mochi, sorbet, kulfi, ices and the whole artisan ice cream universe.

But, one recent sweaty Boulder afternoon, I instinctively turned toward the Dairy Queen sign, memory winning

over any gourmet pretensions.

Stepping into that time warp again, I could have ordered a cherry-dipped or churros-dipped soft serve cone, but chocolate dipped won the day.

As I sat down to snap a cell phone portrait, a small boy walked into Dairy Queen with an older relative. He stopped and gaped wide-eyed at my large, chocolate-dipped cone.

“I want what he has,” he said.

I know exactly how that kid feels. Ice cream envy is a real thing.

The first bite into the top of the cone was a perfect flashback, the familiar crack of the thin chocolate shell and the first lick of that super-creamy soft-serve.

But halfway through the cone I started noticing that the “chocolate” was not especially chocolate-y. The sweet, waxy stuff is the same as seasonal chocolate coins, hollow Santa Clauses and Easter bunnies.

Soft serve ice cream is nostalgic, but pretty bland. By the time I bit into the last of the single-note cake cone and melted ice cream, a thought-balloon appeared above my head:

“How hard could it be to make something tastier?”

DQ DIPPED DOPPELGÄNGER

Attempts have been made to bring the chocolate-dipped experience into home kitchens, including Smucker’s Magic Shell. Unfortunately, it tastes the same as the DQ dip. For an education, read the ingredients on the side of the bottle.

After a little research and experimentation, I discovered it is surprisingly easy to make chocolate-dipped ice cream that will earn you bonus points at family gatherings. The better the chocolate and ice cream, the tastier and more impressive the results will be.

Start by melting roughly 1 and onequarter cups of finely chopped (dark, milk or white) chocolate in a glass or metal bowl over a pan of simmering water. I used Kroger-brand organic 70% dark chocolate bars, on sale at King Soopers. Avoid using the microwave. Add about 3 tablespoons of coconut oil to the liquified chocolate. Grapeseed or another flavorless oil can be substituted. Add a little more oil if it is too thick to dip. Other ingredients can be added to the chocolate including chopped freeze-dried strawberries or toasted nuts.

For the ice cream, you could get all DYI and make your own. Just Google “no-churn ice cream.” I scooped local Sweet Cow Ozo Coffee ice cream.

To dip the scoops, soften the ice cream, scoop, and then refreeze the scoops — make sure they’re frozen hard. To dip, use a fork to grab the scoop and dunk it in the chocolate. Then pop it in a cone. For extra oomph, dip the cone in the chocolate first.

If you spoon the coating over a scoop in a bowl, you can add grated chocolate, whipped cream, cherries, fresh pineapple and bananas for a banana split effect.

TASTE OF THE WEEK: DOUG’S DELICIOUSNESS

After one visit with friends, I’ve added Doug’s Day Diner (2574 Baseline Road) to my list of Boulder’s best brunch destinations. The sunny spot in Basemar Center takes a made-from-scratch approach to everything on the menu, including some excellent biscuits — dense and chewy, not fluffy — served griddled with mango or blueberry jam. My huevos rancheros, served Christmas-style (red and green chile sauces), was a substantial platter of eggs over corn tortillas with cheese, served alongside hash browns, refried beans and a flour tortilla.

It’s worth dining at Doug’s just for a side order of brick-red chile sauce as a dip for the thick bacon strips. The menu at Doug’s Day Diner also features eggs Benedicts, burritos, pancakes and papas: crispy hash browns smothered in cheese, red or green chile or gravy, and meats like carne asada.

And the small 99-cent mimosa (with meal) was just right for a birthday toast.

Credit: John Lehndorff

NIBBLES

LOCAL FOOD NEWS: ICE CREAM HEAVEN

● In the dining world, a restaurant that stays open five years is a rarity. Chautauqua Dining Hall (900 Baseline Road, Boulder) has been serving locals and visitors since July 4, 1998. See page 15 for a feature on Chautauqua’s 125th Birthday Bash.

● The 2023 Boulder County Fair (9595 Nelson Road, Longmont) will once again feature competitions for home baking, cheesemaking and other categories. Enter by July 13.

● The Flagstaff House Restaurant (1138 Flagstaff Road, Boulder) has received the 2023 Wine Spectator Grand Award for its wine cellar and service, as it has annually since 1983. Only 93 eateries worldwide earned the award this year.

● Coming soon: Heaven Artisan Creamery, 2525 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder.

● Plan ahead: Festival del Mole, July 22 at Denver’s Cultura Chocolate (3742 Morrison Road) will feature more than 30 varieties of the complex Mexican sauce plus artisans and performances.

NIBBLES INDEX: BANANAS APPEAL

What is the top-selling grocery product for the past decade, according to Instacart? It’s bananas, and Instacart claims to have delivered 1 billion of them. Almost 40% of its banana orders included ripeness instructions. No details from Instacart about whether it delivered on those requests for ripe, ready-to-eat bananas.

WORDS TO CHEW ON: ICE CREAM ZEN

“My advice to you is not to inquire why or whether, but just enjoy the ice cream while it is on your plate.”

Thornton Wilder

John Lehndorff hosts Radio Nibbles and Kitchen Table Talk on KGNU. Podcasts: bit.ly/RadioNibbles

Oliver Toussaint and his staff in front of Chautauqua Dining Hall, which opened in Boulder 125 years ago on July 4. Toussaint was the restaurant’s original manager.

Photo courtesy Colorado Chautauqua Association.

A RARE DINNER

Culinary dream team assembles to support local chef’s daughter

BY COLIN WRENN

In March of 2020, as the world plunged into chaos, Chef Hosea Rosenberg and his wife Lauren Feder Rosenberg were dealing with an independent crisis. Their daughter Sophie had just been diagnosed with multicentric carpotarsal osteolysis (MCTO) syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes progressive destruction of the carpal and tarsal bones. Up until that point, her parents and doctors had assumed Sophie was dealing with juvenile arthritis. Then just over a year old, Sophie had shown signs of difficulty standing up and walking, and was clearly suffering when she tried to get mobile.

In an effort to figure out what was at play, the Rosenbergs turned to whole genome sequencing, where doctors assessed all 20,000 genes in order to figure out the root cause of her pain. The diagnosis of MCTO placed Sophie among 30 to 60 other individuals worldwide who were coping with the same condition.

Chef Hosea owns and operates Blackbelly and Santo, and Lauren acts as the director of marketing. Both have been community fixtures for their commitment to sustainable and ethical

sourcing, outreach and civic involvement. In 2022, Blackbelly was awarded the Slow Food Snail of Approval, signifying the company’s commitment to the environment and local purveyors while espousing the values of antiracism and anti-oppression.

When the Rosenbergs got the news about Sophie’s condition, they sprang into action.

“All these crazy things were happening — it felt so out of control,” Lauren says. “Our reaction was, ‘No! We’re gonna do something about this.’”

Exactly one month later, the pair had established Sophie’s Neighborhood, “a nonprofit dedicated to fundraising for research into the development of an effective treatment or cure” for MCTO.

In the years that have followed,

Lauren, who acts as president of Sophie’s Neighborhood, has established a scientific advisory board with professionals from the fields of biotech, genetics and academia. The group conducts monthly meetings where they discuss advancements in cell model systems, drug screening and other lab research.

On Tuesday, July 11, the Rosenbergs will host A Rare Dinner, featuring an absolute powerhouse ensemble of some of the best culinary talent on the Front Range. The nine-course meal will be served in Blackbelly’s recentlyrevamped private dining room. All but a few of the 32 seats are already sold out, though at the time of this article’s writing, there are still tickets available for $325 each. All proceeds from the

dinner will be directed to Sophie’s Neighborhood.

Over the course of three hours, the participating chefs will all present dishes responding to the question “what does rare mean to you?” The cast includes Rioja’s Jen Jasinski, Sheila Lucero of Jax Fish House, OAK at Fourteenth’s Steven Redzikowski, Tajahi Cooke of Ms Betty’s Cooking, The Fifth String’s Amos Watts, Theo Adley of Marigold and Glo Noodle House’s Ariana and Chris Tiegland. Steve Lewis of the Giuliana Wine Company will be providing libations.

“I will say that the coolest thing about Boulder and Denver chefs is how kind and giving everyone is,” says Lauren. “All these people already had offered their help,” so the local star-studded roster came together with ease. Many of the participants also donated to a silent auction that will be going on in tandem with the event. An online auction will be open to the public from midnight of July 10 until 9:15 p.m. on July 11, when the dinner will come to a close. Items include special dinners at Spuntino, Santo, Ultreia and Fruition alongside packages for days and nights out for four people in Boulder, Denver and Estes Park.

On top of the dinner, the fourth iteration of the annual Sophie’s Ice Cream Social will take place on July 16. Participating restaurants will serve dessert specials with correlating donations being sent to Sophie’s Neighborhood. For those unable to attend these events, Sophie’s Neighborhood accepts donations year round.

(Left) Lauren and Hosea Rosenberg with their daughter Sophie. Photo by Gaelle Glass Photography.

(Right) Blackbelly’s recently remodeled private dining room will host a fundraiser for research into a rare genetic disorder. Photo by Carrie King Photography.

SPORTS MEDICINE

Olympic gold medalist Alex

BY WILL BRENDZA

Alex Kopacz had just come off the high of his life. After four years of training, unyielding dedication and single-minded determination, the Canadian athlete was standing atop of the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic podium, the Canadian national anthem playing over the speakers, his heart thumping beneath his hand.

Kopacz and his partner Justin Kripps had just won gold in the two-man bobsledding event.

It was a high watermark in Kopacz’s already accomplished life. But that wave of joy receded quickly when he came home. Kopacz says he fell into a deep depression after the games. He had nothing to train for, he didn’t know what to do with himself, and, he says, he was likely suffering from some level of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disorder likely caused by repeated head injuries.

Then COVID happened. Kopacz says he became a poster child for the danger the new disease posed — even to healthy, athletic, young adults like him. When he came out the other side, he took a hard look at his future.

Now he’s a proponent for psychedel-

ics and a spokesperson for the Canadian clinical research company KGK Sciences. Kopacz recently spoke at the 2023 Psychedelic Science Conference in Denver about his introduction to psychedelics and how they changed his life. Boulder Weekly caught up with him afterward.

“That [near death] experience, it was jarring,” Kopacz says. “And it definitely made me question, ‘What am I doing? I want to do something useful.’”

He mentions two works of media he consumed during this time that had a deep effect on him: Michael Phelps’ documentary The Weight of Gold and Michael Pollen’s book How to Change Your Mind

“I went from being an athlete who was abstinent from everything to leaning into different experiences,” he says.

He started experimenting with psychedelics — psilocybin in particular — and felt a turnaround in his depression.

“I was a very curious guy. So the selfdiscovery piece set me up; that’s how I was introduced to KGK Science eventually,” Kopacz says. He now works for the science company as a spokesman, advocating for the use of psychedelic

assisted therapy and the benefits it can provide for athletes like himself.

According to KGK Sciences’ website, the clinical research company has helped “hundreds of companies with custom-designed clinical trials and claim-substantiation strategies to move products efficiently into global markets.”

production, sale and possession of magic mushrooms remains illegal in Canada — for now.

From the perspective of an athlete who has personal experience with depression and anxiety, the potential for a natural drug and therapy regimen that could treat those issues is compelling. Especially since psilocybin — like lion’s mane, reishi and chaga mushrooms — has been scientifically shown to help grow and repair brain nerve cells more quickly. In Kopacz’ mind, that represents a huge potential for athletes like himself who are worried about CTE.

“A big push for me was how do I fix my brain? How do you ‘Change Your Mind?’ That book was a big part of me trying to understand what I need to do to fix my brain,” Kopacz says. “That’s one of the most exciting things about that specific form of psychedelics: Could athletes benefit from that in the context of CTE?”

Kopacz sees the potential for these kinds of drugs to help treat other issues as well, like addiction. The U.S. and Canada both struggle with opioid and fentanyl epidemics, and psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca and ibogaine have all shown promise in helping addicts kick their habits (Weed Between the Lines, “The addiction therapy drug,” April 6, 2023).

Many of those companies were in Canada’s cannabis industry. But now, as more municipalities and states in the U.S. start decriminalizing psychedelics, like Colorado has, KGK is positioning itself to start moving these substances into global markets — even though the

Many people are saying we are living in a “psychedelic renaissance” and Kopacz agrees. He sees potential around every corner, because the list of mental health issues these natural substances could help address only grows as we learn more about them.

Kopacz on how psychedelics helped him deal with anxiety and depression, and how other athletes could benefit