Boulder Weekly 12.16.21

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Boulder artist Marisa Aragón Ware hits the small screen, p.15

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w w w. b o u l d e r w e e k l y. c o m

New Year’s Eve guide, p.19

All hands on deck

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December

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22,

There’s no “Great Resignation” in the cannabis business, p.38

Can tech giants fix Boulder’s housing crisis?

by Angela K. Evans

2021

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news:

What role can tech giants play in affordable housing?

by Angela K. Evans

Safe, full capacity dining, and outdoor patio.

Bar open.

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news:

The rent is too damn high, so cities are stepping in and filling the gap

by Caitlin Rockett

15

buzz:

Boulder paper artist takes her work to the small screen on the Discovery Channel

by Adam Perry

29

film:

Time to take another trip down ‘Nightmare Alley’

by Michael J. Casey

nibbles:

Knives, scalding liquids, slicers, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and other dangers that send young cooks to the ER

by John Lehndorff

31

departments 4 7

19 23 26 27 35 37 38

Guest Opinion: Why are workers quitting?

Guest Opinion: Failure to stop Gross Dam expansion is a travesty New Year’s Eve Guide: Maybe 2022 won’t suck?

Events: What to do when there’s ‘nothing’ to do . . .

Astrology: by Rob Brezsny Savage Love: Quickies Beer: Boulder County brews for the winter feast Food and Drink: Falafel sandwich and sesame treats @Mediterranean Market and Deli Weed: ‘The Great Resignation’ is affecting just about every industry in the country, except cannabis

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Publisher, Fran Zankowski Circulation Manager, Cal Winn EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief, Brendan Joel Kelley Managing Editor, Caitlin Rockett News Editor, Will Brendza Food Editor, John Lehndorff Contributing Writers: Peter Alexander, Dave Anderson, Emma Athena, Rob Brezsny, Michael J. Casey, Angela K. Evans, Jim Hightower, Jodi Hausen, Karlie Huckels, Dave Kirby, John Lehndorff, Sara McCrea, Rico Moore, Amanda Moutinho, Katie Rhodes, Leland Rucker, Dan Savage, Alan Sculley, Tom Winter, Gary Zeidner SALES AND MARKETING Market Development Manager, Kellie Robinson Account Executives, Matthew Fischer, Carter Ferryman Advertising Coordinator, Corey Basciano Mrs. Boulder Weekly, Mari Nevar PRODUCTION Art Director, Susan France Senior Graphic Designer, Mark Goodman CIRCULATION TEAM Dave Hastie, Dan Hill, George LaRoe, Jeffrey Lohrius, Elizabeth Ouslie, Rick Slama BUSINESS OFFICE Bookkeeper, Regina Campanella Founder/CEO, Stewart Sallo Editor-at-Large, Joel Dyer

December 16, 2021 Volume XXIX, Number 19 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-holds-barred 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.

690 South Lashley Lane, Boulder, CO, 80305 p 303.494.5511 f 303.494.2585 editorial@boulderweekly.com www.boulderweekly.com Boulder Weekly is published every Thursday. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. © 2021 Boulder Weekly, Inc., all rights reserved.

Boulder Weekly welcomes your correspondence via email (letters@ boulderweekly.com) or the comments section of our website at www.boulderweekly.com. Preference will be given to short letters (under 300 words) that deal with recent stories or local issues, and letters may be edited for style, length and libel. Letters should include your name, address and telephone number for verification. We do not publish anonymous letters or those signed with pseudonyms. Letters become the property of Boulder Weekly and will be published on our website.

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Why are workers quitting?

by Tom Mayer

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merican workers are quitting their jobs in record numbers.

In September 2021 (the last month for which reliable data are available), 4.4 million workers, or three percent of the employed labor force, quit their jobs. Both of these quitting figures are the highest ever recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Indeed, the number of workers who quit this past September is three times greater than the number who quit 10 years ago in September 2011.

The magnitude and duration of this job-quitting explosion has caused some observers to label the current economic period as The Great Resignation.

Of course, job quitting is not evenly distributed over the labor force.

DECEMBER 16, 2021

It is three times higher in private than in government employment. In terms of geography, job quitting is lowest in the Northeast region and highest in the South. In terms of occupation, job quitting is highest among restaurant and hotel workers. These are among the lowest paid employees, but restaurant workers have received a 5.6 percent and hotel workers a 9 percent (inflation adjusted) hourly pay raise over the past year.

Job quitting in a capitalist economy is hardly surprising. Many, perhaps most, employees dread their work and consider it a necessary form of slavery. Labor force participation in the United States has been declining for all groups (men, women, whites, people of color) for at least two l

decades. This persistent decline may be long term statistical evidence for the alienating and oppressive character of work under profit-obsessed capitalism. Here is how social analyst Shawgi Tell explains the current wave of job quitting: Burnout, years of poor working conditions, poor pay, poor benefits, poor treatment, fear of COVID, pandemic stress, lack of daycare options, lack of job mobility, and autocratic employers are just some of the many reasons millions in the U.S. and elsewhere have left work in a short time.

If all or most capitalist employment is inherently alienating, what explains the rather sudden job-quitsee JUST ECONOMICS Page 5

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

JUST ECONOMICS from Page 4

ting acceleration? The most plausible explanation emphasizes the special conditions created by the COVID depression of the last 20 months. The partial recovery from the depths of the COVID depression has produced a labor shortage that puts workers in a relatively strong position. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics figures, the number of available jobs exceeds the number of unemployed workers by about 36 percent. Although many of the available jobs are poorly paid and/or onerous to perform, the labor shortage means that a worker can leave employment with a reasonable expectation of finding another job.

The broad resistance to vaccination (and even mask wearing) plus the proliferation of COVID variants increases the emotional stress of many jobs. A survey conducted in September by the Harris Poll illuminates the job-quitting phenomenon. Seventy-six percent of the workers surveyed expressed concern about COVID and wanted their employers to make work more flexible in terms of schedule or location. Half of the workers surveyed intend to make career changes because of COVID. Sixty-nine percent of employed parents want their children’s schools to mandate vaccination for children, teachers, and staff, and 61 percent feel burned out from managing their children’s educational needs. Unexpectedly, far more employed men consider quitting their jobs due to COVID than employed women. The survey concludes that “the 9-to-5, in-the-office paradigm is outdated.”

In the past, retirement has often been a reason for job quitting, and the COVID depression has apparently increased early retirement. It is estimated that as much as 60 percent of current job quitters are retiring from the labor force.

Colorado is no exception to the job quitting phenomenon. Colorado workers are quitting their jobs at the state’s highest rate in the past two decades. In September, 4.4 percent of Colorado workers (1 in 23) voluntarily left their jobs, which made the Colorado quit rate fourth highest in the nation. Colorado also had the nation’s largest decline in employer layoffs and involuntary job discharges. Some of Colorado’s high quitting rate may re-

flect seasonal variation in tourism, an important industry in the Colorado economy. It may also reflect the aging of the Colorado population. Colorado was formerly one of the youngest states in the country. Now it is one of the fastest aging states, which may increase job quitting for retirement purposes. Although a considerable

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

number of Colorado workers object to vaccinations, there is no evidence that vaccination mandates contributed to job quitting in this state.

How will future labor historians interpret The Great Resignation? Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich suggests that it will be understood as a de facto general strike against

the alienating conditions of work in a capitalist economy. He could be correct.

Just Economics is written by members of the Economic Justice Collective of the Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center.

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

May your Spirits be Bright Gift Cards and Beer of the Month Club Memberships make great stocking stuffers!

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DECEMBER 16, 2021

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Failure to stop Gross Dam expansion is a travesty

by Seth L. Cousin, PhD

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ear Boulder County Commisdifferently. sioners, At the core of the 1041 legal The failure to stop the defeat lies one of the worst failures Gross Dam Expansion project of all. This is the failure of U.S. lawcan only be described as a terrible makers and then the justice system and constant string of failures, one to deliver and adjudicate fair and after another. sensible laws. Let me explain for Starting as far back as the origthose who have not had the time to inal failure in 1990, when the Two get into the details of this project.

Forks project was canceled, with a The Federal Power Act (FPA) conconcession being that Gross Dam tains components that essentially would be expanded. Clearly, no one say that the Federal government stuck up for Gross Reservoir back has the final authority (as opposed then. to the state or any local governing Next, the permitting agencies body) in any dam project, when the failed to validly include the effects dam has a hydroelectric plant on it. of climate change in their studies In the case of Gross Reservoir, there prior to issuing permits. This has is a hydroelectric plant on the dam, resulted in permits that essentially so the FPA trumps all local/state deny climate change’s influence on governing bodies. The expansion of the project.

Gross Reservoir has got absoluteDenver Water (DW ) has continuously failed to “do the right thing,” which of Gross is: despite having all the permits they need (which are based on outdated Reservoir has got data), reassess the validity of their plan. Remember to do with increasing DW is expanding Gross Reservoir because it lacks hydroelectric power generation. resiliency between its north and south supply systems. If in the very likely case that the expanded reservoir cannot be filled (due to lack of water in the Cololy nothing to do with increasing rado river and its tributaries), they hydroelectric power generation. will still not have the resiliency they DW, in their own application, states want. The modeling used to verify that there will be no change in the that there will be sufficient stream amount of electricity generated. It flow is based on weather patterns is not the reason for the expansion. from 1947-1991.

But all of this does not matter. The Virtually every court case has law says that if there’s a hydroelecsuffered failure in one way or anoth- tric power plant involved in the er. A glaring example of which was project, the Federal government the last-minute recusal of the judge are the ones in charge. Having an (the evening before the November inconsequential hydroelectric plant 2 Boulder County Commissioners is a golden ticket to avoid local/state public meeting), for having financial laws and regulation. What a terrible conflicts of interest pertaining to and unjust law! This law has been DW. This very judge had put unretested numerous times, including in alistic time constraints on the case the U.S. Supreme Court and has not and had he recused himself earlier, been defeated. i.e., the day he had been assigned My last sentence brings me to the case, things may have turned out the next appalling failure. For at

THE EXPANSION ABSOLUTELY NOTHING

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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least nine years now, Boulder County has known about DW’s FPA claim, but told us that they’ll fight the project with their comprehensive 1041 statute. The county has no doubt spent/wasted a lot of money preparing for the 1041 process too, first by having the County’s land use department verify and validate the specifics of the land use code with respect to DW’s claims (of not needing to go through the 1041 process) and then by litigating the facts in the Boulder District court and finally by actually starting the process of evaluating DW’s incomplete 1041 application. The county’s decision not to appeal the issuance of FERC’s hydroelectric amendment permit was also driven, in part, by its “knowledge” that the 1041 statute was the stronger tool for the job. What then comes as a huge shock to many of us is that the FPA’s overriding power is “settled” law and has been “settled” for some time now. How is it possible that the County and/or its attorneys did not know this until late 2021? DW had been saying it for years already. Why was the legal research not done to verify the FPA’s overriding power? If it was beyond the general legal scope of the county lawyers, why were FPA expert lawyers not consulted with, the instant that DW mentioned the FPA. One can now only dream and imagine the different fight that could have been fought if the County knew back then, that their 1041 statute was powerless against DECEMBER 16, 2021

the project. If legal incompetence is at play here, I hope there are serious consequences for those at fault. I do not know of any other profession or work place where a screw-up of that magnitude and consequence would go unaccounted for and/or unpunished.

The final and single most egregious failure presented itself at the November 2 Boulder County Commissoner’s public meeting.

In what is likely the most brazen example of anti-democratic behavior this county has witnessed in recent times, the county commissioners decided AGAINST THE REQUESTS of between 500-1000 county constituents to accept a settlement. Now unless the county also received >1000 letters/emails/ petitioners who wanted the settlement to be accepted (which did not happen), the commissioners refused the will of the people and instead did what was “better” for us. True democracy should mean following the will of the people, even when an elected official “knows” that it is the “wrong” decision.

Since the acceptance of the settlement, I have not heard anything more on what the county plans to do to keep DW in check as they destroy a part of Boulder County. It’s time now to cut the string of failures and start putting in place the monitoring systems and infrastructure needed to hold DW accountable for the next eight years.

Visit boulderweekly.com for a linked version of this op-ed.

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

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O All hands on deck What role can tech giants play in affordable housing?

by Angela K. Evans ANGELA K. EVANS

EXPANDING TECH COMPANIES are building and investing in affordable housing developments to offset their impacts on places like Boulder.

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ver the last few years technology giants have announced major pledges to affordable housing efforts in the cities where they office. Starting in January 2019, companies like Microsoft, Facebook, and Google all pledged substantial resources to address the housing crisis—$750 million, $1 billion, and $1 billion respectively. Apple surpassed them all with a $2.5 billion pledge in November 2019, and this year Amazon almost matched it with its $2 billion Housing Equity Fund. While these pledges are welcome in major tech centers in Washington state and California’s Bay Area, the companies are simultaneously expanding in cities across the country.

Boulder is home to several large tech companies: Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon all have a presence here. Of course so do Google and Twitter, both of which often make headlines with plans for expansion.

With its Colorado offices based in Boulder, Google has more than 1,500 employees in the state. In 2020, it grew its Pearl Place Campus and in September 2021, the company announced it purchased 125,000-square-feet of office space at the Rêve development at 30th and Pearl Street across the street, which includes luxury apartments. In November 2020, Twitter announced it is expanding its Boulder footprint by leasing a 65,000 square-foot office space in the Railyards at S’Park development in Central Boulder.

When a tech company decides to office in any area, they attract highly paid employees, who often relocate and can put extra demand on the local housing supply, often driving up costs to the detriment of middle-, low-, and extremely low-income earners. Large corporations didn’t create the affordable housing crisis plaguing so many jurisdictions around the country, but they have intensified it, says Andrew Aurand, vice president of research at the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), which focuses primarily on housing for renters existing below the federal poverty line.

“No community has an adequate supply [of affordable housing],” he says. “That problem is exacerbated in communities that have large tech companies, or large companies in general, moving in and increasing the demand for housing.”

Citing studies from a few years before the pandemic, Aurand adds, regions with high income inequality have greater challenges in affordable housing, as the market tends to respond to demand at the higher end and is slower at the lower end.

“The market on its own is not going to produce housing that is affordable to extremely low-income or low-income renters,” he says.

The presence of technology companies in a region can come with benefits, but it’s often associated with growth that’s unequally distributed. Now these tech companies are promising to help, but how exactly will they do that?

• • • Like the rest of the country, the majority of affordable housing in Boulder is dependent on the federal low-income housing tax credit, or LIHTC, purchased by corporations and investment funds. Replacing direct government funding, the Reagan-area program is designed to incentivize the private sector to invest in affordable housing, hoping that doing so will improve public housing.

“We all use that same resource: the low-income housing tax credit is definitely the critical piece,” says Ian Swallow, project manager for the development

DECEMBER 16, 2021

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ANGELA K. EVANS

team at Boulder Housing Partners (BHP). “Without it, there’s no way to build [affordable housing].”

Run by the IRS, (not HUD like all other housing programs in the country), the program distributes a certain amount of tax credits to each state based on population. The states then award the credits to jurisdictions, housing authorities, and private developers in a competitive process. In Colorado the program is typically oversubscribed—by about twoto-one in 2020, meaning only half of the proposed affordable housing projects in the state were funded, according to Kathryn Grosscup, housing tax credit manager for the Colorado Housing Finance Authority. The state also runs a similar program modeled after the federal one. In 2014, Colorado’s legislature reauthorized $10 million a year in state tax credits through 2024. Between the two programs, the tax credits have been used to preserve roughly 71,000 affordable units in Colorado. In Boulder County, $61.8 million in federal and state housing tax credits has been awarded to support 6,589 affordable apartments across 81 developments since the program’s inception.

Once an agency, like BHP, is awarded the credits, they can then solicit investors to benefit from them over 10 years. Often through syndicator agencies running investment funds, big banks like JP Morgan Chase and Capital One, as well as some insurance agencies, are the ones currently investing in the LIHTC program. (Banks are particularly driven to invest in affordable housing due to the Community Reinvestment Act that passed after the 2008 financial crisis, and requires banks reinvest in areas of high foreclosures, defaults, and bad lending practices.)

“It’s these big, big companies that have massive federal income tax liability,” Swallow says. “Not that Google and Twitter and those companies don’t, but we haven’t seen that [investment].”

According to the state, Google, Twitter, or tech companies in general haven’t purchased any tax credits in Colorado over the last three years. But tracking corporations investing in the program can be tricky since the state doesn’t do it regularly and even if the data is pulled, most of the corporations are one-step removed as the credits are often pur-

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

underfunded for decades, Aurand says, and without more resources, the problem is only going to intensify.

Currently, one out of every four eligible families actually receive housing assistance across the country, Some of these programs are funded through tax dollars, like federal housing vouchers, but others have the opportunity for more private investment, he says.

Investment in production programs and soft funding sources can go a long way in trying to fill the gap between demand and supply.

• • • Microsoft was the first of the large tech companies to announce an official affordable housing initiative in early 2019, and, since its partnership with the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, has won national awards for its multi-pronged strategy directly attempting to address gaps defined by the state.

“They haven’t tried to just reinvent the wheel or go off on their own to try to figure out where they fit in,” says Lisa Vatske, the director of Multifamily Housing & Community Facilities at the Housing Finance Commission about Microsoft. “They came to us as a statewide finance agency to say: What’s working, what’s not working? How do you do business? Where do you think the gaps are?”

Having invested in LIHTC for a while through a syndicated fund, the first thing Microsoft did as part of the partnership was directly purchase tax credits for a development in 2019, she says. But the company has also pledged upwards of $750 million in innovative ways to address affordability in the Seattle region.

By directly extending a no-fee line of credit to the Housing Commission, Microsoft helps remove a barrier for the state to recycle private activity bonds in future developments. It essentially allows the state to use current resources more strategically and effectively, Vatske says. Like Colorado, Washington’s private activity bond cap is limited and the program is oversubscribed, but the partnership with Microsoft helps. (Colorado is one of the few states that also utilizes bond recycling, albeit without a single investor like Microsoft.)

The program is rather technical and behind the scenes, making it difficult to directly attribute

chased by syndicators.

While BHP has yet to do a project where a tech company has stepped in as an investor or lender, Google was indirectly involved in a 2016 $63 million project that added to the city’s affordable housing program by renovating 238 units at Osage Apartments and Thunderbird Apartments in south Boulder and The Nest in central Boulder, all developed by the privately held Element Properties.

Functioning much like a mortgage, Google invested $41.7 million in the tax-exempt bonds through Red Stone Tax Exempt Funding, capital that will be paid back with rental revenues over 40 years.

But these investments aren’t entirely altruistic.

Turning a profit is a critical piece to the entire tax credit incentive, Swallow says.

“Google is making more doing whatever Google does than on any affordable housing deals,” he says. “So there is probably some value in that, but it’s not like they’re just giving money away either.”

While LIHTC is a necessary program in the realm of financing affordable housing across the nation, Aurand from NILHC says there are plenty of other ways large corporations could contribute. In general, LIHTC resources fund about a third of an affordable housing development, covering certain eligible expenses like construction. Another third is financed through state-issued private equity bonds that serve as a low-interest loan and are tax-exempt for the corporations that fund them. The remaining third is paid for through what is known in the industry as “soft” funds, resources from local jurisdictions, nonprofits, and granting agencies, which don’t turn a profit for anyone.

Affordable housing programs have been

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more affordable units to Microsoft’s investment.

“But we have been able to stretch the resource,” Vatske says. “They got us unstuck.”

Microsoft also invests in a fund with the Seattle Foundation that provides gap financing to private developers, since most of the local soft dollars go to housing authorities and nonprofits that develop affordable housing. So far, it’s been used in four affordable housing developments.

And the company is channeling funds through the Commission to specifically bolster a land acquisition program on the East Side of King County, where most of the company’s offices are based and where land and development costs are through the roof. To date, Vatske says, they have purchased one parcel of land and are in negotiations on two more, paid for directly with Microsoft funds.

“Especially in high-cost cities, [affordable housing is] complex. It’s expensive, it’s not easy to build stock and that’s what we need,” Vatske says. “I would just say all hands on deck. It’s going to take a village. Anyone and everyone should come to the table. So [investments from large tech corporations are] one of the opportunities we have.”

Most of the other tech giants are focused on affordable housing around Silicon Valley, where many of them started out (except for Amazon, which is investing its Housing Equity Fund in its major centers of Puget Sound, Arlington, and Nashville.) For example, Google’s $1 billion pledge for affordable housing is geared toward the Bay Area, promising 20,000 homes over 10 years.

“Our goal is to be a helpful neighbor in the local communities where we operate,” a company spokesperson tells Boulder Weekly. “Solving a complex issue like the housing shortage will take collaboration across business, government, and community organizations. To help tackle this shortage in the Bay Area, our approach focuses on land, investments, and grants, areas where Google has a unique opportunity to positively impact the housing crisis.”

A large majority of Google’s investment will come in the form of land, most of which was zoned commercial when the company made its announcement in 2019. While land is a huge barrier in affordable housing development, rezoning efforts can take years and the company received intense blowback for attempting it in Mountain View where it’s based. However, while making a large expansion into San Jose, Google successfully helped with a rezoning effort in the city’s Downtown West neighborhood allowing for mixed-use development.

With offices nearby, Google could employ up to 20,000 people within the neighborhood, and has plans to develop 4,000 homes, a quarter of which will be affordable. It also recently gave the city three parcels of land for affordable housing near its proposed transit village. Combined, up to 240 10

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affordable units could be built on the land.

Additionally, the tech giant has contributed to affordable housing in other areas in the Bay Area.

Earlier this year the company announced a $30 million investment that will support construction of about 1,800 units in partnership with the Housing Trust Silicon Valley.

For now, Google’s housing pledge focuses on its presence in California. But it has the potential to inform projects in other communities where Google offices, like Boulder, according to the Google spokesperson.

“We’ll continue to work closely with local leaders and elected officials on ways we can be a helpful community partner in Boulder for many years to come,” they say.

These investments show good faith on the part of the company to help alleviate some of the market pressures on housing, but some analysts are skeptical the money will go as far as the press releases say. Writing for Next City in 2019, architect Andrew Hudson warns that the cost of construction, rezoning, and permitting will likely reduce the impact of Google’s pledge over the years. “From my calculations, $1 billion may only lead to 6,000 homes over 15 years. Meanwhile, affordable and abundant housing in the Bay Area will become less and less probable,” he writes. Additionally, it depends on large amounts of additional capital from other sources to complete, and requires political will from local, state, and federal policymakers.

Twitter is another large player in Boulder’s tech scene, but a spokesperson confirmed with Boulder Weekly that the company is not directly involved in any affordable housing projects. (Although, more than 20 percent of the overall 11-acre S’Park development where the company is leasing office space will be affordable.) But Twitter regularly invests in the Boulder Together program through the Chamber of Commerce. Meant to retain and attract the workforce that local businesses need, the initiative works to increase the availability of diverse housing stock and the investment of mobility programs and alternative commute options, according to John Tayer, president and CEO of the Boulder Chamber.

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(Both Twitter and Tayer declined to comment on exact figures.) Google is also listed as an investor for Boulder Together.

“Any business that operates in Boulder—and this is technology, biotech, whatever—we all recognize that there’s a footprint of significant benefit, but also impact,” Tayer says.

“But I find that the businesses that are operating here feel a responsibility and invest in it as they can to help ameliorate those impacts . . . They also recognize that it’s a symbiotic relationship and that to the extent that Boulder continues to be an attractive place to live and work that benefits them strategically in their business operations.”

When it comes to the tech sector specifically, Tayer argues that these companies are doing their part as community members—they are involved in environmentally sustainable mobility initiatives and alternative commute options, and they develop in areas consistent with infill goals.

“I would argue that our larger tech industry businesses’ ethic is consistent with the values of our community,” Tayer says.

One could also make the argument that large corporations indirectly contribute to Boulder’s affordable housing fund through the city’s commercial linkage fee—whether that’s paid as part of developing their own property or in leasing other office space from developers who paid it. But it can be hard to directly correlate one company’s commercial linkage fee funding any particular affordable housing development, says Swallow of BHP. “I’ve definitely seen the headlines from West Coast cities,” about large affordable housing investments, he says, “but I haven’t seen the actual implementation and it certainly has not made its way here quite yet.”

• • • These large investments by tech companies are intended to fund affordable housing over the next decade or more and the success of their efforts may not be known for some time. Along the way, the impact of these initiatives could easily morph based on lessons learned and changing economics of development. What is clear is that the need for affordable housing, and housing in general, greatly outpaces the current stock, and the largest barrier to matching supply with the demand is financing, so investment from the federal, state, local, nonprofit, and private entities is crucial.

As Aurand says: “There are things that have to be done by each of these actors so we can have an adequate supply of affordable housing.”

This series was funded by the Solutions Journalism Network, which receives financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Boulder Weekly maintains strict editorial independence in all reporting projects that are supported by outside funders.

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The rent really is too damn high

Cities are having to step in and fill the gaps left by the federal government

by Caitlin Rockett

S

ection 8 isn’t enough anymore.

That’s one (admittedly oversimplified) way to look at the housing crisis in America.

Federal housing vouchers—often referred to as the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program— have been helping very low-income families (people making 50 percent or less of the area median income) pay rent since the mid-’70s, but things have changed a lot since then.

For starters, Section 8 has been systematically gutted since the Reagan era. The number of renters in the U.S. has grown steadily since the Great Recession of ’08, climbing to 36 percent, according to 2019 Census data. Plus, the cost of rent has ticked up, up, up over the last decade, with the national median rent skyrocketing more than 16 percent in 2021 alone—far more than the mere 3 percent increases seen in preceding years.

Combine that with decades of stagnant wages, and you’ve got yourself a whole mess of Americans barely hanging on, including middle-income families who count teachers and CNAs among their ranks.

So city governments have stepped in and created their own housing vouchers—often in partnership with nonprofit organizations and landlords— to fill the gap.

One such program that garnered lots of praise in its infancy back in 2017 was Lower-Income Voucher Equity (LIVE) Denver, an ambitious plan to help some 400 moderate-income families—those earning between 40 and 80 percent of area median income—get into empty market-rate apartments.

“Because at the time that we were designing the LIVE Denver program,” says Erik Soliván, “Denver had some 30,000 vacant units in the metro area—not just within the city, but within the metro area—that were vacant because they were built to meet a market demand purely at the quote unquote luxury end.”

Soliván is the former director of Denver’s Office of HOPE, or Housing and Opportunities for People Everywhere, an initiative formed in 2016 to address homelessness, affordable housing and BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

gentrification. Soliván collaborated with then-executive director of Denver’s Housing Authority, Ismael Guerrero, to develop LIVE Denver as a way to transition more people into affordable homes, to essentially “release more inventory” on the lower end of the rental price spectrum so folks holding traditional federal vouchers had more of a chance to find housing—a rising-tides-lift-all-ships approach.

But the piece that made LIVE Denver interesting—city employees called it “innovative” at the time—was its collaboration with local employers and landlords. St. Joseph’s hospital brought $100,000 to the table for the program in an attempt to help some of its employees afford housing in the city where they work.

But the benefit was a two-way street, according to Soliván.

“With St. Joseph’s specifically, they had to have their frontline employees closer to their hospital because their response rate for emergencies was going through the roof,” he says. “And their attrition rate was ever increasing because their employees had to drive so far to get to affordability outside the city, so [LIVE Denver] became an incentive for employees to live closer to the hospital,” and for the hospital to improve its business.

Participants would receive financial counseling and, at the end of the program, get back a small portion of the rent they’ve paid to use on housing.

But by spring 2019, nine months after LIVE Denver launched, the program had aided only three families. The city was already downshifting its goals, from 400 families to 125. Soliván and Guerrero have both since left Denver for different positions, in Tulsa and D.C., respectively, with Soliván citing misconceptions and a lack of political will as nails in the coffin for LIVE Denver. (Guerreo couldn’t be reached for comment.) In a November interview, Sabrina Allie, with the City of Denver, said about 30 families have taken part in LIVE Denver, and when the pilot project wraps up next year, the city will be able to analyze its full impact.

In the same interview, Debra Bustos, Denver’s director of Housing Opportunity—the office that l

DECEMBER 16, 2021

Soliván’s Office of HOPE transformed into around 2018—counters the notion that city leaders lacked the will to give LIVE Denver longer legs.

“This is my opinion, because I wasn’t a part of that initial launch, but I think the buy-in just wasn’t there,” she says. “I think it needed more explanation, getting people to understand what it was and what it meant and how employers could have better utilized that. . . . Anytime you launch something new, there’s always going to be bumps.”

Soliván says LIVE Denver was modeled loosely off of work he’d spearheaded while with the Philadelphia Housing Authority, and that other somewhat similar municipal housing vouchers exist in Los Angeles, Seattle and Portland.

In Portland, Denis Theriault says the city’s Long-Term Rent Assistance Program has helped 40 senior citizens secure housing and lessen dependence on federal vouchers.

“Most of the vouchers that we have that aren’t federally funded are rapid re-housing that timeout at 12 or 24 months, so for someone who’s on a fixed income, they’re not gonna get stable and back to the job market—this is where they are now,” Theriault says.

Boulder city employees echo the limitations of federal housing vouchers “First of all, many vouchers don’t come with funding for wraparound services,” says Kurt Firnhaber, Boulder Housing and Human Services director. “And the amount of individuals that we needed to get housed that need wraparound services is much higher than the current voucher capacity.”

So Boulder created its own voucher program that could not only help house those experiencing homeless, but provide them with medical and case management services. So far, Firnhaber says, the program has assisted 48 clients.

Firnhaber also expressed interest in LIVE Denver’s model, though there are no current plans to mimic it.

“In some ways,” he says, “I kind of wish what we had was similar to [LIVE] Denver, because at least in Denver, whether it’s working or not, there’s some sort of buy in from sources other than the taxpayer.”

Of course vouchers at any level don’t address more fundamental issues, like stagnant wages and a soaring cost of living, but as long as capitalism demands fealty to the market, municipal vouchers offer a chance to get more people into housing they can afford.

This is part of a series on affordable housing funded in part by the Solutions Journalism Network. l

13

REDISCOVER YOUR

Holiday Spirit

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Local is more than a place - it's who we are. Put your money where your heart is this holiday season. The Downtown Boulder Gift Card is issued by MetaBank®, Member FDIC. The card is accepted at over 100 downtown businesses and can be purchased in amounts from $10 to $500 - funds do not expire.

This holiday season, give a gift that supports local businesses. One size fits all - making it a great option for everyone on your holiday list! Buy online or in person - shipping available. Enjoy a special SURPRISE $10 gift card for every $100 Downtown Boulder Gift Card purchase while supplies last!

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TARA KERZHNER

On paper wings Boulder artist takes her work to the small screen on the Discovery Channel

by Adam Perry

B

oulder’s Marisa Aragón Ware didn’t know what to expect when she was chosen as a contestant on the Discovery Channel’s Meet Your Makers earlier this year after the show found her work on Instagram. A unique and brilliant artist who delves into numerous mediums, from extraordinarily intricate paper sculpture to commercial illustration, concert posters and even children’s books, Ware was initially told she

ON THE BILL:

Watch episode four of Discovery Channel’s Meet Your Makers Showdown, featuring Boulder paper artist Marisa Aragón Ware, on Amazon Prime or Discovery Plus.

“The producer of the show emailed me, and they wanted me to apply,” she explained recently during a conversation in her basement studio in South Boulder. “The application process was intense. I applied and they told me I didn’t get selected.”

“A week or two later, they contacted me and said, ‘Actually, we want you to be on competition. They picked us up from the hotel at 6:30 in the morning and we didn’t get dropped off until 9:30 that night. It was the longest, most stressful day. The whole competition was in one day.”

From the moment the four artists arrived at the Meet Your Makers set, a 20-minute lunch break was the only pause in their 15-hour day. Every episode of Meet Your Makers focuses on a different medium, and for the one Ware was chosen for, artists see PAPER Page 16

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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DECEMBER 16, 2021

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MICHAEL ALLEN

“TREE OF LIFE,” Boulder native’s whimsical and intricate paper sculpture work.

PAPER from Page 15

time constraints.

University of Colorado Boulder before switching to journalism and working at the Rocky Mountain News crossroads.

only commented but tried to commission work surprised her.

expressed pessimism and anxiety about the prospect of becoming an artist.

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DECEMBER 16, 2021

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

see how me being an artist is going to help anybody,’ and he looked at me very bemused and compassionately and said, ‘You’re gonna have to get over that.’”

“He said, ‘Art is a form of service and it is a high form of service. If you feel called to do that, I want you to promise me that you will.’ I promised him and I shook his hand, and he said, ‘Just so you know, you didn’t just promise me, you made a promise to the lineage, so you should probably do it.’”

Ware says she “didn’t know a single artist” at that time, but befriended Bryce Widom, who is known for his beautiful chalk art for Mountain Sun and Southern Sun. She also got to know local painter and graphic designer Nathan Spoor, who recommended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Ware moved to the Bay Area where she was particularly moved by a three-dimensional paper-sculpture class she took with the incredible Japanese-American artist Jeff Nishinaka.

“I had been doing two-dimensional, Scandinavian-style cut-paper,” she remembers.

“Jeff Nishinaka is an extremely successful paper artist, and I took this class with him.

He just was so open about his technique. He taught us exactly what he does, and he was super open about, like, how much he charges for things.”

That lack of what Ware calls “pettiness” and “competitiveness” in virtually all of the artists who have been her mentors and peers made it easier to move forward with a career in art that was really sparked, she says, when she was a small child “with this little chubby hand wanting all the lines to be straight.” The paper sculptures that Ware ended up learning how to create are awe-inspiringly detailed, exquisite works that combine borders on the spiritual.

Ironically, this year the path that the blissfully non-competitive Ware took from walking beloved Boulder trails with her father—who sparked her “passion for botany Meet Your Makers, where the competitive atmosphere was literally heated.

“At one point I ended up taking my shoes off, because it was hot in there,” she laughs. “I somehow employed this hyper-focus that I know is in me but only gets turned were three cameras on me at all times, and people snapping photos.” drinking out of a columbine (no surprise for a Colorado native). The judges (including actress Chrissy Metz and country star and candlemaker LeAnn Rimes) went around giving feedback, complimenting and criticizing.

Ware recalls that when Rimes approached her work, “she was saying how the piece I made gave her chills. It was very surprising how positive they were about my work. One person got eliminated and then they announced they won that round. I was very surprised.”

The two other remaining artists created huge, ambitious paper sculptures for the tale. One made a giant paper gown inspired by The Little Mermaid, and the other went even bigger.

“The other contestant actually made paper on the set,” Ware remembers, “and dried it and had these LEDs inside the paper with this Thumbelina thing where the paper was water.” She was part astonished and part exhausted, bending over a desk with her knees wobbling, hyper-focused.

“There’s a level of perfection I have in my work,” she says. It usually takes Ware Meet Your Makers Snow White, complete with a gold-leaf mirror and a poison apple, and it made her the winner. Ware, who also teaches art at the University of Colorado Boulder, brought home the kind of championship that the CU football team has been unable to deliver for decades, and she didn’t even have to wear a helmet or pads.

“Going into it, I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to complete the things on time,” she says. “I was happy with it, and I’m so glad I did it.”

“I just think I have a real proclivity, a propensity for precision, and that applies to this medium really well,” she says when asked why paper sculpture has become her signature. “There’s something about it that really works for me. It just makes sense. If a three-dimensional form with that. It’s a puzzle I have to solve my way out of.”

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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2425 Canyon • 303-443-2421 • www.christinasluxuries.com Mon-Sat 10-6 DECEMBER 16, 2021

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Happy New Year

BOULDER WEEKLY THANKS THE COMMUNITY FOR ITS ONGOING

2021-2022 All events take place on December 31, 2021

BOULDER WOW!’s New Year’s Eve Party Party No. 1: 10 a.m.-noon; Party No. 2: 1 p.m. -3 p.m. WOW! Children’s Museum, 110 N. Harrison Avenue, Lafayette, wowchildrensmuseum.org Ring in the New Year at WOW! before bedtime! Join us for noisemaker crafts, face/arm painting, balloon animals, and more, all leading up to a grand countdown celebration to ring in 2022! Tickets: $11 per child / $7 per member child / $6 per adult / Free for infants (under 1 year).

New Year’s Eve at Avalon Ballroom 6:45 p.m. Avalon Ballroom, 6185 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder. Tickets: $45 in advance, $55 at the door, dancelaughlove.com With three rooms featuring jazz, salsa and kizomba dancing, live music, free snacks, a salsa class and midnight champagne toast, Avalon Ballroom is the place to dance your way into the new year.

Crumb’s New Year’s Eve Boulder Bash with Ramakhandra 7 p.m. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th

SUPPORT Street, Boulder. Tickets: $35-$39.50, z2ent.com/boulder-theater-venue From the start, the members of Crumb knew that cohesion was best achieved through plumbing their individual strengths—frontwoman Lila Ramani’s earliest songwriting; Bri Aronow’s knack for building (dis)affecting soundscapes; the hypnotic grounding of Jonathan Gilad’s drums; and Jesse Brotter’s distinctive bass playing.

New Year’s Eve Dance Party 7 p.m. Gold Hill Inn, 401 Main Street, Boulder. Tickets: $45, brownpapertickets.com/event/5318534 Featuring: Foxfeather with special guests Greg Schochet Swing Band with Jeremy Mohney. $45 tickets include casual dinner buffet, music, and champagne at midnight. Music at 8 p.m.

Buffet served 7-9 p.m. Cash bar—no credit cards.

St Julien Hotel & Spa 2021 New Year’s Eve Party Masquerade Ball 8 p.m. St. Julien Spa & Hotel, 900 Walnut Street, Boulder, stjulien.com Tickets include: Five global food stations; four cocktail bars, including a Veuve Clicquot ice bar; three music venues, with Quemando Salsa Band live in the Ballroom; Bossanova/Brazilian dance party in the Great Room and

live jazz in Jill’s; two balloon drops; party favors, a champagne toast and much more. Tickets are available for $149 per person (plus tax), with room packages starting at $599 (inclusive of two tickets to the party and a late 2 p.m. checkout).

License No. 1 New Year’s Eve Party 8 p.m. License No. 1, 2115 13th Street, Boulder, license1boulderado. com Dress to Impress and ring in the New Year at License No. 1 with live music, a pizza buffet, and a champagne toast at midnight. Tickets: $25 per person.

The Crystal Method with GODLAZER 8:30 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th Street, Boulder. Tickets: $25-$30, z2ent.com/fox-theatre-venue For more than two decades, The Crystal Method has remained at the forefront of the worldwide dance music industry as pioneers of the big beat genre, innovators of the ’90s electronica movement and current-day global ambassadors of the American electronic sound.

DENVER Bunk with the Beasts (ages 5-12) 6 p.m. Denver Zoo, 2300 Steele Street, Denver. Tickets are $68-$86, denverzoo.org/family-bunks Children are invited to celebrate New Year’s Eve with a sleepover at a Denver Zoo Bunk with the Beasts adventure! They will explore Zoo Lights, learn about animals and celebrate the New Year in a safe and fun environment. Parents can enjoy a night out on the town.

My Morning Jacket with Neal Francis 7 p.m. Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop Street, Denver. Tickets: $56$110.50.

Back in 2014, the members of My Morning Jacket spent time up in Stinson Beach, a tiny Northern California town set right on the ocean and near the majestic Muir Woods. Inspired by their idyllic surroundings, the Kentuckybred five-piece ended up creating over two dozen songs that became The Waterfall, a 2015 full-length that earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Music Album, and the upsee NEW YEAR’S EVE GUIDE Page 20

Special Holiday and New Years Eve Menu!

5pm - 10pm

12oz 300 Prime Rib • Slow Roasted Prime Rib, Baked Potato, Asparagus 8oz Filet Mignon • Demi Glaze, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Vegetables Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass • Soy Buttered Sea Bass, Blanched Bok Choy, Basmati Rice Roasted Duck Breast • Peruvian Mash Potatoes, Fresh Baby Root Vegetables Free Range Airline Chicken Marsala • White Mushroom Blend, Sage Risotto Seafood Spaghetti Pasta • Jumbo Shrimp, Scallops & Crab, Spicy Lobster Essence Plus Appetizers • Soups & Salads • Delicious Desserts!

Visit our website for the Full Menu HOURS: Monday - Thursday 11am - 10pm • Friday 11am - 11pm • Saturday 9am - 11pm • Sunday 9am - 8pm

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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300 Main St. Longmont, CO • (303) 834-9384 • dickens300prime.com DECEMBER 16, 2021

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19

Happy New Year

BOULDER WEEKLY THANKS THE COMMUNITY FOR ITS ONGOING

2021-2022 All events take place on December 31, 2021

BOULDER WOW!’s New Year’s Eve Party Party No. 1: 10 a.m.-noon; Party No. 2: 1 p.m. -3 p.m. WOW! Children’s Museum, 110 N. Harrison Avenue, Lafayette, wowchildrensmuseum.org Ring in the New Year at WOW! before bedtime! Join us for noisemaker crafts, face/arm painting, balloon animals, and more, all leading up to a grand countdown celebration to ring in 2022! Tickets: $11 per child / $7 per member child / $6 per adult / Free for infants (under 1 year).

New Year’s Eve at Avalon Ballroom 6:45 p.m. Avalon Ballroom, 6185 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder. Tickets: $45 in advance, $55 at the door, dancelaughlove.com With three rooms featuring jazz, salsa and kizomba dancing, live music, free snacks, a salsa class and midnight champagne toast, Avalon Ballroom is the place to dance your way into the new year.

Crumb’s New Year’s Eve Boulder Bash with Ramakhandra 7 p.m. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th

SUPPORT Street, Boulder. Tickets: $35-$39.50, z2ent.com/boulder-theater-venue From the start, the members of Crumb knew that cohesion was best achieved through plumbing their individual strengths—frontwoman Lila Ramani’s earliest songwriting; Bri Aronow’s knack for building (dis)affecting soundscapes; the hypnotic grounding of Jonathan Gilad’s drums; and Jesse Brotter’s distinctive bass playing.

New Year’s Eve Dance Party 7 p.m. Gold Hill Inn, 401 Main Street, Boulder. Tickets: $45, brownpapertickets.com/event/5318534 Featuring: Foxfeather with special guests Greg Schochet Swing Band with Jeremy Mohney. $45 tickets include casual dinner buffet, music, and champagne at midnight. Music at 8 p.m.

Buffet served 7-9 p.m. Cash bar—no credit cards.

St Julien Hotel & Spa 2021 New Year’s Eve Party Masquerade Ball 8 p.m. St. Julien Spa & Hotel, 900 Walnut Street, Boulder, stjulien.com Tickets include: Five global food stations; four cocktail bars, including a Veuve Clicquot ice bar; three music venues, with Quemando Salsa Band live in the Ballroom; Bossanova/Brazilian dance party in the Great Room and

live jazz in Jill’s; two balloon drops; party favors, a champagne toast and much more. Tickets are available for $149 per person (plus tax), with room packages starting at $599 (inclusive of two tickets to the party and a late 2 p.m. checkout).

License No. 1 New Year’s Eve Party 8 p.m. License No. 1, 2115 13th Street, Boulder, license1boulderado. com Dress to Impress and ring in the New Year at License No. 1 with live music, a pizza buffet, and a champagne toast at midnight. Tickets: $25 per person.

The Crystal Method with GODLAZER 8:30 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th Street, Boulder. Tickets: $25-$30, z2ent.com/fox-theatre-venue For more than two decades, The Crystal Method has remained at the forefront of the worldwide dance music industry as pioneers of the big beat genre, innovators of the ’90s electronica movement and current-day global ambassadors of the American electronic sound.

DENVER Bunk with the Beasts (ages 5-12) 6 p.m. Denver Zoo, 2300 Steele Street, Denver. Tickets are $68-$86, denverzoo.org/family-bunks Children are invited to celebrate New Year’s Eve with a sleepover at a Denver Zoo Bunk with the Beasts adventure! They will explore Zoo Lights, learn about animals and celebrate the New Year in a safe and fun environment. Parents can enjoy a night out on the town.

My Morning Jacket with Neal Francis 7 p.m. Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop Street, Denver. Tickets: $56$110.50.

Back in 2014, the members of My Morning Jacket spent time up in Stinson Beach, a tiny Northern California town set right on the ocean and near the majestic Muir Woods. Inspired by their idyllic surroundings, the Kentuckybred five-piece ended up creating over two dozen songs that became The Waterfall, a 2015 full-length that earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Music Album, and the upsee NEW YEAR’S EVE GUIDE Page 20

Special Holiday and New Years Eve Menu!

5pm - 10pm

12oz 300 Prime Rib • Slow Roasted Prime Rib, Baked Potato, Asparagus 8oz Filet Mignon • Demi Glaze, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Vegetables Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass • Soy Buttered Sea Bass, Blanched Bok Choy, Basmati Rice Roasted Duck Breast • Peruvian Mash Potatoes, Fresh Baby Root Vegetables Free Range Airline Chicken Marsala • White Mushroom Blend, Sage Risotto Seafood Spaghetti Pasta • Jumbo Shrimp, Scallops & Crab, Spicy Lobster Essence Plus Appetizers • Soups & Salads • Delicious Desserts!

Visit our website for the Full Menu HOURS: Monday - Thursday 11am - 10pm • Friday 11am - 11pm • Saturday 9am - 11pm • Sunday 9am - 8pm

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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300 Main St. Longmont, CO • (303) 834-9384 • dickens300prime.com DECEMBER 16, 2021

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19

Happy New Year 2021-2022

BOULDER WEEKLY THANKS THE COMMUNITY FOR ITS ONGOING SUPPORT

NEW YEAR’S EVE GUIDE from Page 19

coming The Waterfall II, an unforeseen and timely continuation of a psychic and sonic journey begun long ago.

Resolution New Year’s Eve 2021 7:30 p.m. McNichols Event Center & Art Gallery,144 W. Colfax Avenue, Denver. Tickets are $119-$199, resolutiondenver.com

Wynkoop Street, Denver. Tickets are $95-$699, unionstationindenver.com/ event/new-years-eve-party Prepare to embark on a legendary journey on the Union Station Orient Express to 2022. Our New Year’s Eve soirée will transport you to an age of timeless nostalgia and boundless glamor

Denver NYE Cocktail Party 2022 8 p.m. Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, 1550 Court Place, Denver. Tickets are $110, nyenightdenver.com This opulent and upscale party in the middle of downtown Denver features a premium open bar, live bands, DJs,

New Year’s Eve Gala at Gaylord Rockies

This year, we’ll ring in 2022 with LED party favors, blacklight face paint, amazing festival style lighting and sound, immersive experiences with photo-ops, world-class club-style DJs, and the pinnacle: a jaw-dropping midnight countdown featuring a giant balloon drop filled with $2,022 in glowing $2 bills, cryogenics, cold sparks, and a laser light show.

9 p.m. Gaylord Rockies, 6700 N. Gaylord Rockies Boulevard, Aurora.

Tickets are $50-$200, bignightrockies. com/buy-tickets Multiple floors, DJs, open bars, snacks and party favors.

BoomBox featuring The BackBeat Brass

Railroad Earth & The Dustbowl Revival

9 p.m. Ogden Theatre, 935 E. Colfax, Denver. Tickets: $37.50-45, ogdentheatre.com

7:30 p.m. Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 N. Clarkson Street, Denver, fillmoreauditorium.org

Lee Fields & The Expressions 9 p.m. Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Avenue, Denver. Tickets: $39.75, bluebirdtheater.net

Denver New Year’s Eve Black Tie 2021

Elmer Lee Fields is an American soul singer, sometimes nicknamed “Little JB” for his physical and vocal resemblance with James Brown. He has worked with Kool and the Gang, Hip Huggers, O.V. Wright, Darrell Banks, and Little Royal.

8 p.m. Mile High Station, 2027 W. Colfax Avenue, Denver. Tickets are $110-$120, newyearsevenight.com

Celebrate the New Year on the Orient Express at Denver Union Station

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DECEMBER 16, 2021

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The

Last Chance

Gift Fest

New Year’s Eve Fireworks inspired by the world’s most iconic train.

Beginning at 8:00 p.m., step aboard the festivities as we depart Venice for an enchanting adventure to arrive in Paris just before the stroke of midnight. Every guest aboard the Union Station Orient Express to 2022 will enjoy a glass of Chandon Brut bubbles for the grandest of midnight countdown toasts.

8 p.m. Denver Union Station, 1701 20

Shop Local for the Perfect Gift from over 150 Vendors

A little house, a little blues, a little funk, a little rock, and a whole lot of soul blast through BoomBox.

The members of Railroad Earth aren’t losing sleep about what “kind” of music they play—they just play it. They can jam with the best of them and they have some bluegrass influences, but they use drums and amplifiers.

Attendees will enjoy an open bar with popular brands all night and live music from incredible local cover bands, live DJs spinning Top 40 hits, EDM, hip-hop, R&B and all-time classics. The second floor will feature Las Vegas-style casino games and prizes for the top chip holder. Say cheese at the complimentary photo booth. There will be a giant 2,000 balloon drop on the main floor at midnight.

Flapper dresses, stylish sequins and fancy fedoras for NYE? White Rose Gala is a high end and elegant charity event where you are enveloped by musical and theatrical performances.

Celebrate New Year’s Eve in the classic elegance of art deco of the Roaring ’20s.

Be transported to an era of a modern renaissance where style, opulence, and grace were the only way to swing.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

casino games, photo booths, party favors, confetti blast, champagne toast, steps from the 16th street fireworks and much more.

19th Annual White Rose Gala 9 p.m. Ellie Caulkins Opera House Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Champa, Denver. Tickets are $80$299, whiterosegala.org

9 p.m. and midnight, 16th Street Mall, Denver Fireworks launch simultaneously from two separate rooftops, creating one ultimate celebration, which happens twice. Come early for the 9 p.m. fireworks, then dance to live DJs until the clock strikes midnight, at which point the sky lights up again.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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Sat & Sun DECEMBER 18 & 19 Sat: 10am - 6pm Sun: 10am - 5pm

At The Boulder County Fairgrounds 9595 Nelson Rd. Longmont

FREE ADMISSION LIVE MUSIC www.GiftFestivals.com DECEMBER 16, 2021

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Happy New Year 2021-2022

BOULDER WEEKLY THANKS THE COMMUNITY FOR ITS ONGOING SUPPORT

NEW YEAR’S EVE GUIDE from Page 19

coming The Waterfall II, an unforeseen and timely continuation of a psychic and sonic journey begun long ago.

Resolution New Year’s Eve 2021 7:30 p.m. McNichols Event Center & Art Gallery,144 W. Colfax Avenue, Denver. Tickets are $119-$199, resolutiondenver.com

Wynkoop Street, Denver. Tickets are $95-$699, unionstationindenver.com/ event/new-years-eve-party Prepare to embark on a legendary journey on the Union Station Orient Express to 2022. Our New Year’s Eve soirée will transport you to an age of timeless nostalgia and boundless glamor

Denver NYE Cocktail Party 2022 8 p.m. Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, 1550 Court Place, Denver. Tickets are $110, nyenightdenver.com This opulent and upscale party in the middle of downtown Denver features a premium open bar, live bands, DJs,

New Year’s Eve Gala at Gaylord Rockies

This year, we’ll ring in 2022 with LED party favors, blacklight face paint, amazing festival style lighting and sound, immersive experiences with photo-ops, world-class club-style DJs, and the pinnacle: a jaw-dropping midnight countdown featuring a giant balloon drop filled with $2,022 in glowing $2 bills, cryogenics, cold sparks, and a laser light show.

9 p.m. Gaylord Rockies, 6700 N. Gaylord Rockies Boulevard, Aurora.

Tickets are $50-$200, bignightrockies. com/buy-tickets Multiple floors, DJs, open bars, snacks and party favors.

BoomBox featuring The BackBeat Brass

Railroad Earth & The Dustbowl Revival

9 p.m. Ogden Theatre, 935 E. Colfax, Denver. Tickets: $37.50-45, ogdentheatre.com

7:30 p.m. Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 N. Clarkson Street, Denver, fillmoreauditorium.org

Lee Fields & The Expressions 9 p.m. Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Avenue, Denver. Tickets: $39.75, bluebirdtheater.net

Denver New Year’s Eve Black Tie 2021

Elmer Lee Fields is an American soul singer, sometimes nicknamed “Little JB” for his physical and vocal resemblance with James Brown. He has worked with Kool and the Gang, Hip Huggers, O.V. Wright, Darrell Banks, and Little Royal.

8 p.m. Mile High Station, 2027 W. Colfax Avenue, Denver. Tickets are $110-$120, newyearsevenight.com

Celebrate the New Year on the Orient Express at Denver Union Station

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DECEMBER 16, 2021

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Last Chance

Gift Fest

New Year’s Eve Fireworks inspired by the world’s most iconic train.

Beginning at 8:00 p.m., step aboard the festivities as we depart Venice for an enchanting adventure to arrive in Paris just before the stroke of midnight. Every guest aboard the Union Station Orient Express to 2022 will enjoy a glass of Chandon Brut bubbles for the grandest of midnight countdown toasts.

8 p.m. Denver Union Station, 1701 20

Shop Local for the Perfect Gift from over 150 Vendors

A little house, a little blues, a little funk, a little rock, and a whole lot of soul blast through BoomBox.

The members of Railroad Earth aren’t losing sleep about what “kind” of music they play—they just play it. They can jam with the best of them and they have some bluegrass influences, but they use drums and amplifiers.

Attendees will enjoy an open bar with popular brands all night and live music from incredible local cover bands, live DJs spinning Top 40 hits, EDM, hip-hop, R&B and all-time classics. The second floor will feature Las Vegas-style casino games and prizes for the top chip holder. Say cheese at the complimentary photo booth. There will be a giant 2,000 balloon drop on the main floor at midnight.

Flapper dresses, stylish sequins and fancy fedoras for NYE? White Rose Gala is a high end and elegant charity event where you are enveloped by musical and theatrical performances.

Celebrate New Year’s Eve in the classic elegance of art deco of the Roaring ’20s.

Be transported to an era of a modern renaissance where style, opulence, and grace were the only way to swing.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

casino games, photo booths, party favors, confetti blast, champagne toast, steps from the 16th street fireworks and much more.

19th Annual White Rose Gala 9 p.m. Ellie Caulkins Opera House Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Champa, Denver. Tickets are $80$299, whiterosegala.org

9 p.m. and midnight, 16th Street Mall, Denver Fireworks launch simultaneously from two separate rooftops, creating one ultimate celebration, which happens twice. Come early for the 9 p.m. fireworks, then dance to live DJs until the clock strikes midnight, at which point the sky lights up again.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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Sat & Sun DECEMBER 18 & 19 Sat: 10am - 6pm Sun: 10am - 5pm

At The Boulder County Fairgrounds 9595 Nelson Rd. Longmont

FREE ADMISSION LIVE MUSIC www.GiftFestivals.com DECEMBER 16, 2021

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EVENTS

Butterfly Pavilion’s Living Lights 5:40-9 p.m. (last entry at 8:15 p.m.)

Pavilion, 6250 Promenade Drive, Westminster. Member price: $10-$20; non-members: adults $20, children

If your organization is planning an event of any kind, please email the managing editor at crockett@boulderweekly.com

aerial artists and performers, glowing

The Nutcracker (virtual and in-person)

the exhibits and see the world of invertebrates in a new and enchanting way.

2 p.m. Saturday, December 18; 1 p.m. Sunday, December 19, Niwot High School Auditorium, 8989 Niwot Road, Niwot. Virtual Event URL: b.link/TheNutcracker2021 Family, fantasy, and magic unite in this timeless ballet when Clara’s dream more sweeten this story of battles, blizzards, and a land of sweets. It’s the perfect holiday entertainment for children and adults to share live in the theater or in the comfort of your home with a livestream ticket.

conservation around the world.

Solstice Full Moon Snowshoe Hike

6-8:30 p.m. Saturday, December 18, Wild Bear Nature Center, 20 Lakeview Drive, Nederland. Price: $20 ticipants will explore some of the incredible lifestyles of nocturnal animals, their

Boulder Opera: ‘L’enfant et les sortileges’ by Ravel

warm, snow-appropriate clothing and snowshoes if you have them. Snowshoe

December 17-19, Dairy Arts Center, Grace Gamm Theatre, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder. Tickets: $25-$30, thedairy.org A lazy child has been grounded. Ordered to stay in his bedroom until dinner time, he takes out his anger on the animals and objects around him. Suddenly, as if by magic, these innocent victims come to life and decide to get their revenge. Sung in French with English subtitles.

wildbear.org/events/cold-moon-snowshoe-hike

Wreaths Across America Ceremony 10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, December 18, Mountain View Cemetery, 620 11th Avenue, Longmont Join in the annual Wreaths Across America Ceremony & Community Wreath Laying at Mountain View Cemetery in Longmont. Wreaths Across America is

Dairy Comedy in the Boe—Holiday Edition

remember fallen U.S. veterans, honor those who serve, and teach children the value of freedom. Wreaths Across America raises funds throughout the year for remembrance wreaths to lay on veteran graves every December. For the second year in a row, the organization has raised enough for every single veteran grave to receive a wreath. For those interested in marking graves prior, you are welcome to meet at Mountain View Cemetery on Friday, December 17 at noon.

Ghosts of Christmas Past

Native American Holiday Gift Drive for Wounded Knee

8 p.m. Saturday, December 18, Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder. Price: $15 Spend an evening with Zoe Rogers and friends with their answer to holiday stress: laughter. On the bill this time are: Matt Baca, Steve Vanderploeg,

6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, December 17, Callahan House, 318 Terry Street, Longmont. Price: $30-$35 Kindred Spirits Society presents a Haunting History tour and talk at the historic Callahan House close and personal the former inhabitants of this historic mansion.

TinkerMill’s Winter Open House

4-8 p.m. Thursday, December 16, TinkerMill, 1840 Delaware Place, Longmont. Price: Free, tinkermill.org Learn more about TinkerMill at this open house, where you can meet some makers and shop their products, take guided facility tours, enjoy light refreshments, and make your own crafts.

Drop-off from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. through December 21, Unity of Boulder, 2855 Folsom Street, Boulder Every year, Unity of Boulder hosts a Holiday Gift Drive for the Lakota children and elders of the Community of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, collecting food items for the Community Holiday Dinner and gift items for the Children’s List of needed items: unityofboulder.com/community-involvment see EVENTS Page 24

For more event listings, go online at boulderweekly.com/events BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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DECEMBER 16, 2021

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EVENTS

EVENTS from Page 23

CONCERTS NATHANIEL RATELIFF BY BRANTLEY GUTIERREZ

JUST ANNOUNCED

JUST ANNOUNCED

JAN 22 ..................... TENTH MOUNTAIN DIVISION + FLASH MOUNTAIN FLOOD JAN 23 ................................................................. SCHOOL OF ROCK BROOMFIELD FEB 4 ................................................. DRUNKEN HEARTS + BUFFALO COMMONS FEB 11 ............................................................................. ANDY FRASCO & THE U.N. MAR 2 ........................................................................................................ DOPAPOD MAR 3 ............................................................................................. SCARY POCKETS APR 16 ....................................................................................................... RIVERSIDE

FEB 12 .................................................................................................... JOSH RITTER FEB 28 - MAR 2 ............................... BANFF CENTRE MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL MAR 20 ............................................................................................. SARAH JAROSZ MAR 21 ............................................................................................ COLBIE CAILLAT MAR 22 ................................................................................................. YVES TUMOR

FRI. DEC 17

THU. DEC 16

WESTWORD, TERRAPIN CARE STATION & BELL’S BREWERY PRESENT

KINGS OF PRUSSIA + TUMBLEDOWN SHACK

AN INTIMATE EVENING OF IMPROVISATION

LACUNA: TOM HAMILTON & HOLLY BOWLING

FRI. DEC 17

FRI. DEC 31

MORSEL

RADIO 1190, WESTWORD, PARADISE FOUND & TERRAPIN CARE STATION PRESENT

SAT. DEC 18

RAMAKHANDRA

HIGH COUNTRY HUSTLE, BUFFALO COMMONS

ARLO MCKINLEY SENORA MAY, EXTRA GOLD FRI. DEC 31 WESTWORD & TERRAPIN STATION PRESENT: THE TRIP OUT TOUR

THE CRYSTAL METHOD GODLAZER

FRI. JAN 7

SUMMER CAMP ON THE ROAD TOUR FRI. JAN 14 SLOW BURN WINTER TOUR

BUMPIN UGLIES

ARTIKAL SOUND SYSTEM, JOEY HARKUM SAT. JAN 15

THE PETTY NICKS EXPERIENCE MOUNTAIN ROSE

CRUMB’S NEW YEAR’S EVE BOULDER BASH SAT. JAN 15 RELIX, 97.3 KBCO & GRATEFUL WEB PRESENT

THE JERRY DANCE PARTY FEAT. DJ JERRBROTHER MON. JAN 17

THE SECOND CITY THE ABSOLUTE BEST FRIGGIN’ TIME OF YOUR LIFE TUE. JAN 18 105.5 THE COLORADO SOUND PRESENTS

LUCINDA WILLIAMS AND HER BAND BUICK 6 WED. JAN 19 ROOSTER & PARTY GURU PRODUCTIONS PRESENT

FISHER

HARVE B2B KAEGI, RYNE SAT JAN 22 88.5 KGNU & PARTY GURU PRODUCTIONS PRESENT

DIRTWIRE

GONE GONE BEYOND, BLOSSOMN TUE. FEB 1

THU. JAN 20 CHANNEL 93.3 PRESENTS

ANAÏS MITCHELL + BONNY LIGHT HORSEMAN

AMZY

WED. FEB 2

FRI. JAN 21

STEVE VAI

THE UNLIKELY CANDIDATES

INVIOLATE TOUR

ROOSTER PRESENTS

THU. FEB 3

BURY MIA

105.5 THE COLORADO SOUND PRESENTS

MON. JAN 24

JESSE FARRAR OF OLD SALT UNION

EIVØR

CHANNEL 93.3 PRESENTS

THE LOSERS CLUB, DAYSHAPER, HELLOCENTRAL

SON VOLT TUE. FEB 8

BAD SUNS

EMILY JANE WHITE

KID BLOOM, LITTLE IMAGE

THU. JAN 27 ROOSTER & PARTY GURU PRODUCTIONS PRESENT

WOOLI

SUN. FEB 20 105.5 THE COLORADO SOUND & 88.5 KGNU PRESENT

TRIVECTA, ACE AURA, SHANK AARON FRI. JAN 28

SAM BUSH SAT. FEB 26 88.5 KGNU PRESENTS

JIMKATA KRONEN

GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR

SAT. JAN 29

MON. MAR 7

ROOSTER PRESENTS

LOS LOBOS

97.3 KBCO PRESENTS

MELLOWPUNK

TENTH MOUNTAIN DIVISION

SUN. FEB 6

BUDDHIST ARTS AND FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTS

BLUSH, DRY ICE, JACKSON CLOUD ODYSSEY

WED. MAR 16

KRISHNA DAS

PASSAFIRE DUBBEST

MAR 18 ............................................................................ MARCHFOURTH MAR 26 ........................................ ANDERS OSBORNE & JACKIE GREENE MAR 31 ................................................................................. DEAD FLOYD APR 6 ................. MARTY STUART AND HIS FABULOUS SUPERLATIVES APR 20 .................................................................................. MURA MASA

SAT. FEB 12 88.5 KGNU PRESENTS

WOOD BELLY + PIXIE & THE PARTYGRASS BOYS FEB 16 FEB 18 FEB 19 FEB 25 FEB 26

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............................................................... THE CACTUS BLOSSOMS ................................................................... THE RIVER ARKANSAS ................................................................... JANE AND MATTHEWS ............................................................................................ SPORTS ............................................................................................ MEMBA

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December 16

Tony Crank & Friends. 6 p.m.

Bootstrap Brewing Company, 142 Pratt Street, Longmont. Free.

Nathanial Rateliff & The Night Sweats. 7 p.m. Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop Street, Denver. Tickets: $56.50-$99.50.

Bonnie and Taylor Simms. 7 p.m.

Jamestown Mercantile, 108 Main Street, Jamestown.

John Craigie with Hunter Burnette. 8 p.m. Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Avenue, Denver. Tickets: $23.

Kings of Prussia & Tumbledown Shack. 8:30 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th Street, Boulder. Tickets: $15-$18.

December 19

December 17

Nathanial Rateliff & The Night Sweats. 7 p.m. Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop Street, Denver. Tickets: $56.50-$99.50.

Jason Mraz with Toca Rivera. 8 p.m.

Macky Auditorium, 1595 Pleasant Street, Boulder. Tickets: $50.95-$90.95.

Milky Chance with Giant Rooks. 7 p.m. Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop Street, Denver. Tickets: $55-$70.

The Jacob Jolliff Band 7 p.m. Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder. Tickets: $25.

Los Bohemios. 7 p.m. Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder.

Tickets: $15.

Big Richard. 7:30 p.m. Gold Hill Inn, 401 Main Street, Boulder. $15 cash cover.

Lacuna: Tom Hamilton & Holly Bowling. 8 p.m. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th Street, Boulder. Tickets: $25-$30.

L.A. Witch. 8 p.m. Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Avenue, Denver.

Tickets: $22.

Morsel with High Country Hustle, Buffalo Commons. 8:30 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th Street, Boulder.

Tickets: $15-$18.

December 20

Lindsey Buckingham with Sammy Brue. 7 p.m. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th Street, Boulder. Tickets: $55-$90.

The Alcapones. 8:30 p.m. Gold Hill Inn, 401 Main Street, Boulder. $15 cash cover.

December 22

December 18

A Winter’s Eve featuring Sturtz, Megan Burtt, and Cole Scheifele. 5:30 p.m. Gold Hill Inn, 401 Main Street, Boulder. Tickets: $25.

Lettuce with Brasstracks. 6:30 p.m.

Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop Street, Denver. Tickets: $29.50-$60.

Kate Farmer. 7 p.m. Gold Hill Inn, 401 Main Street, Boulder. Free.

Arlo McKinley with Senora May, Extra Gold. 8 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th Street, Boulder. Tickets: $20-$25.

First Annual Winterfest featuring Bonnie and Taylor Sims, Dave Tamkin & CO., and Paul Kimbiris. 6:30 p.m. Roots Music Project, 4747 Pearl Street, Suite V3A, Boulder. Tickets: $22.

For more event listings, go online at boulderweekly.com/events 2028 14TH STREET NOW FT. MCDEVITT TACO SUPPLY SUPER HEADY TACOS! 303-786-7030 | OPEN DURING EVENTS

DECEMBER 16, 2021

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

• 4,000+ monthly events • Streamlined search • Comprehensive details • Social sharing features

Avery Brewery. Photo by Susan France.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Food • Drink • Entertainment • Music • Classes • Art • Sports • And More!

Looking for something to do?

Head to Boulder County’s Definitive Guide to Local Events Boulder County Events .com brought to you by l

DECEMBER 16, 2021

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BY ROB BREZSNY ARIES

LIBRA

and throughout 2022: 1. What do you need to say, but have not yet said? 2. What is crucial for you to do, but you have not yet done? 3. What dream have you neglected and shouldn’t neglect any longer? 4. What sanctuary is essential for you to visit, but you have not yet visited? 5. What “sin” is it important for you to forgive yourself for, but you have not yet forgiven yourself? 6. What promise have you not yet fulfilled, even though it’s getting late (but not too late!) to fulfill? 7. What secret have you hidden so well that you have mostly concealed it even from yourself?

counsel: “Imaginary obstacles are insurmountable. Real ones aren’t.” I bring this to your attention because I believe the coming weeks will be an excellent time to identify the imaginary obstacles you’ve erected in your inner world— and then smash them or burn them or dispose of them.

Once you’re free of the illusory interference, I think you’ll find you have at least twice as much power to neutralize the real obstacles.

MARCH 21-APRIL 19: Key questions for you, beginning now • Gifts for any cook • Fun and colorful kitchenware • Specialty foods, local and imported • Gadgets, cookware, and kitchen essentials • Louisville’s one-of-a-kind kitchen shop 728 Main Street • Louisville • 720.484.6825 www.SingingCookStore.com

1882) took one of his manuscripts to a publishing company, hoping it would be made into a book and sold to the public.

A few weeks later, he got word by mail that his masterpiece had been rejected. He took a train to the publisher’s office and retrieved it. On the train ride home, he turned the manuscript over and began writing a new story on the back of each page.

He spent no time moping. That’s the spirit I recommend you embody in the coming weeks, dear Taurus.

advice to those with a strong need to express their imaginative originality. Since I expect you will be a person like that in 2022, I’ll convey to you one of his exhortations. He wrote, “If you want to create, you must be the most sublime fool that God ever turned out and sent rambling. I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon you.” Keep in mind that Bradbury was referring to *constructive* craziness, *wise* foolishness, and *divine* madness.

GEMINI

SAGITTARIUS

APRIL 20-MAY 20: Taurus novelist Anthony Trollope (1815–

MAY 21-JUNE 20: “John Coltrane was an addict,” wrote

author Cornel West about the renowned jazz saxophonist and composer. “Billie Holiday was an addict. [Nobel Prize-winning author] Eugene O’Neill was an addict. What would America be without addicts and post-addicts who make such grand contributions to our society?” I welcome West’s sympathetic views toward addicts. Many of us who aren’t addicts understand how lucky we are not to have the genetic predisposition or the traumatic experiences that addicts often struggle with. We unaddicted people may also have been spared the bigotry and abuse that have contributed to and aggravated some addicts’ addictions. Having acknowledged these truths, I nevertheless hope to do whatever I can to help you convert any addictive tendencies you might have into passionate obsessions. Now is an excellent time to launch a new phase of such work.

Invitation: Make a list of three things you can do in the coming months to nurture the process.

CANCER

JUNE 21-JULY 22: Actor and model Kate Beckinsale unleashed a cryptic boast: “My best feature is unfortunately a private matter, although I’m told it is spectacular. But you can’t really walk it down the red carpet. What can I say?” Are you imagining what I’m imagining? I bring this oddity to your attention in the hope that I can convince you to be more forthright and expressive about your own wonderful qualities. It’s time to be less shy about your beauty, less secretive about your deep assets.

Show the world why you’re so lovable.

JULY 23-AUG. 22: Leo-born Edna Ferber (1885–1968) was a

celebrated author who won a Pulitzer Prize. She was witty and outspoken. Her stories featured strong women and characters struggling against discrimination. “I never would just open a door and walk through,” she said about her career. “I had to bust it down for the hell of it. I just naturally liked doing things the hard way.” At least in the coming weeks, Leo, I urge you NOT to adopt Ferber’s attitude. In my view, you’ll be wise to do everything possible to open doors rather than bust them down.

And the best way to do that is to solicit help. Cultivate your ability to ask for what you need. Refine your practice of the arts of collaboration, synergy, and interweaving.

VIRGO

AUG. 23-SEPT. 22: “No one has ever written, painted, sculpted,

modeled, built, or invented except literally to get out of hell,” wrote Virgo dramatist Antonin Artaud. That’s a ridiculous generalization, in my opinion. For example, I occasionally generate songs, stories, and horoscopes to help me escape from a momentary hell. But most of my creations are inspired by my love of life and a desire to inspire others. I’m very sure that in the coming weeks, your own motivations to produce good things will be far closer to mine than to Artaud’s. You’re in a phase when your quest for joy, generosity, blessings, and fun could be fierce and productive.

DECEMBER 16, 2021

NOV. 22-DEC. 21: The coming months will be a favorable time for you to redefine the meaning of the term “sacred” and to deepen your relationship with sacredness. To spur your imagination, I offer four quotes: 1. “Recognizing the sacred begins when we are interested in every detail of our lives.” —Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa 2. “When you notice something clearly and see it vividly, it then becomes sacred.” —poet Allen Ginsberg 3. “Holiness begins in recognizing the face of the other.” —philosopher Marc-Alain Ouaknin 4. “Modern culture, in its advertising of sex, is in a misguided fashion advertising its longing for the sacred.”

—teacher Sobonfu Somé

CAPRICORN

DEC. 22-JAN. 19: Capricorn author E. M. Forster wrote, “The

only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which have gone a little further down our particular path than we have yet gone ourselves.” I propose we universalize that statement: “The only people, information, and experiences that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which have gone a little further down our particular path than we have yet gone ourselves.” I believe this principle will be especially fruitful for you to embrace during the next three months. Prepare yourself for lessons that are vital for you to learn—and on the frontier of your understanding

AQUARIUS

JAN. 20-FEB. 18: Among America’s Founding Fathers was

LEO

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OCT. 23-NOV. 21: Prolific author Ray Bradbury liked to give

TAURUS

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SEPT. 23-OCT. 22: Author Barbara Sher offered this wise

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Aquarian William Whipple (1730-1785). He was one of 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, instigating war with Great Britain. Unlike many of his colleagues, however, Whipple believed it was hypocritical to enslave human beings while fighting for freedom. That’s why he emancipated the person who had been in bondage to him. The coming months will be a favorable time to make comparable corrections, Aquarius. If there are discrepancies between your ideals and your actions, fix the problem.

PISCES

FEB. 19-MARCH 20: According to Piscean author Ryunosuke

Akutagawa, “People sometimes devote their lives to a desire that they are not sure will ever be fulfilled.” So true!

I can personally attest to that behavior. Is such a quest misguided? Delusional? Naive? Not in my view. I see it as glorious, brave, and heroic. Akutagawa did too. He said that those who refrain from having inspirational desires are “no more than mere spectators of life.” In any case, I recommend you think big in 2022, Pisces. From an astrological angle, this could be the year you home in on and refine and upgrade the single most important desire you will ever have.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

BY DAN SAVAGE Dear Dan: My wife and I are in a great ENM marriage. We have two couples that we are friends with and get together regularly for sex, and we each pursue solo FWB relationships.

During Covid, we started posting pictures on Reddit, which were well received.

This morphed into my wife starting an OnlyFans account because why not? So, at what point do we spill the beans to our FWBs? We don’t show our faces on OnlyFans, we use fake names, and we only post content made with people that know it’s going up on OnlyFans. Is this just “our secret” and doesn’t hurt anyone, so, who cares? Or do our FWBs have a right to know?

—Posting Intimate Content Dear PIC: You’re under no obligation to tell your casual sex partners that you have an OnlyFans account where you share photos and videos you make with your other casual sex partners. OnlyFans seems like something you should be able to share with your FWBs, but “you should Dear Dan: Cis-het black woman.

I have been working on myself for a while and a side effect of that is now I have standards and I am unwilling to settle for mediocre partners. For me a quality partner is a cis or trans man (a penis haver) who is an ally to equality movements (sex, gender, race, etc.), emotionally healthy, kink-positive, and can afford their own life. Where does one I’ve tried Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid, and FetLife, etc., with no luck.

—Never Gonna Settle Dear NGS: There is no settling down without some settling for. If you’re lucky, you’ll meet someone who comes close enough to what you want—an employed penis-having person, for instance, who’s an ally to equality movements everywhere but isn’t exactly kink-positive but has an open mind and could get there. Or an emotionally healthy, kink-positive penis-having student who isn’t rolling in dough right now but has a realistic career plan. And where do you find that guy? Well, you might get lucky and find him on one of the sites you’re already on—keep those profiles up and updated—or you might get lucky and meet him through friends, at work, in a bar, etc. Keep at it, NGS, because you never know when your bad luck is

going to run out.

Call 720.253.4710

Dear Dan: I’m a 34-year-old female and my husband (of only two years!) blindsided me by asking for a separation on my birthday in June and a divorce via text message a month later. We owned a home and ran a business together. Needless to say . . . this all sucks. I’ve had to start my entire life over again. I’ve settled into a new home with a new job and I’m trying to be a badass about the whole situation. But it’s been a lot. I’ve gone back and forth on when to start dating again. I feel mounting pressure to “get back out there” and I’m on the apps again but I bail about a week into every new flirtation. Why am I hesitating?

—Balking At Love, Knowing I’m Nervous, Gah!

All credit cards accepted No text messages

Dear BALKING: Hm. . . my guess is you might be hesitating, BALKING, because your soon-to-be-ex-husband stomped on your heart and turned your life upside down LESS THAN SIX MONTHS AGO. And you’re doing great: you got a new place to live, you got a new job, and you recently got back on the apps. Maybe you’re not ready to start dating again right this minute but getting back on the apps is a sign you will be soon. Lowering the temperature with the guys you’re connecting with online might you are ready (a quick coffee, not a dinner). You can do this!

Dear Dan: I recently read this in your column: “PIV or PIT or PIB.” Okay, I know PIV (“penis in vagina”). But the other two? I’ve been reading you for years and I’m stumped on this!

—Creative Acronyms Totally Confound Him Dear CATCH: Hm. . . you probably could’ve worked this one out on your own, CATCH, if you’d given it a moment’s thought. Besides vaginas (PIV). . . where else do penises go?

PIT stands for “penis in throat” and PIB stands for “penis in butt.” I could’ve gone with PIM (“penis in mouth”) and PIA (“penis in ass”), I guess, but why not go for the rhyme? (Oh, and ENM means “ethical non-monogamy.”)

Send questions to mail@savagelove. net, follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage, and visit savage.love.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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eeks are not found; they are made. This is the lesson Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), a drifter

nightclubs for hundreds. Psychiatrist Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett) sees more. Why bother with hundreds when you can scam thousands? And armed with privileged

like any other: A strong man, a contortionist, the electric lady, the small person, the mentalist, and the geek. All are attractions, but only the geek is the true sideshow.

Today, the term “geek” is branded with positivity. Twenty years ago, geeks were picked on. One hundred years

what Ritter and Carlisle can accomplish.

If that sounds like a jaundiced view of exploitation,

SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

Gresham’s novel has seen the silver screen. In 1947, matinee idol Tyrone Power brought Gresham’s book to 20th Century Fox with a desire to show the world how serious an actor he could be. Studio boss Darryl Zanuck was skeptical. He knew what the audience wanted when they came to see a Power picture, and it wasn’t a scheming charlatan preying on people’s was in Zanuck’s best interest to keep his star happy.

Prestige director Edmund Goulding was hired to helm the project, and cinematographer Lee Garmes gave it its signature noirish visuals. But with one 1947’s Nightmare Alley

The geek shall inherit the Earth Time to take another trip down ‘Nightmare Alley’

by Michael J. Casey ON THE BILL: 2021’s Nightmare Alley opens in theaters ber 17. 1947’s Nightmare Alley is available in a new 4K restoration from The Criterion

ago, they had it even worse.

Where do these geeks come from? Well, according to Nightmare Alley, directed by ing vets struggling with PTSD and a thirst for the bottle. Carnies in need of a geek check of Nightmare Alley for likely candidates and offer them the job. Just temporarily, mind you, until they can hire a real geek. But the offer is hard to resist: Two hots and a cot, and hooch when you need it—if you can stomach the role. other positions open. Adapted from William Lindsay Gresham’s 1946 novel of the same name, Nightmare Alley niless Carlisle drifting into the same town (Ron Perlman) needs help tearing down

and DVD.

lem Dafoe) educates Carlisle on the ins and outs of the business, and mentalists Zeena (Toni Collette) and Pete Krumbein (David Strathairn) teach him the tricks of the gag. Carlisle has both the face and a lack of ethics for the role, and when he sees a chance to leave the carnie circuit and swindle some real dough, he convinces Molly Cahill (Rooney Mara) to hightail it out of there and start running the mentalist scam on the wealthy. The same gag run on rubes in

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Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley isn’t as fatalistic as Goulding’s version, but it’s far from happy. He and screenwriter Kim Morgan tease out more of Carlisle’s backstory, making him more haunted and less redeemable—which kind of undercuts the punch of Goulding’s ending. But the problem with del Toro’s Nightmare Alley is the same problem with Goulding’s Nightmare Alley: The carnival sections are just more interesting than the sections of Carlisle running the gag on the rich. Still, both versions are expertly directed and photographed (Dan Laustsen lens the 2021 version), and the performances in both movies are all good down to the character actors. Even down to that geek. ing what it was the geek did that was so scandalous people just had to see it. It certainly wasn’t an act for the faint of heart—not that that stopped the barker from drawing in patrons with the promise of glimpsing “the missing link.” “Is he man or beast?” the baker cried as at a miserable, smelly, soiled wretch in a cage bite the head off a living chicken.

“Who would do such a thing,” you ask? Well, Nightmare Alley ing: The hideousness of the geek’s transformation. For that, we turn to Gresham’s novel and the explanation of how the gag worked. You see, the geek hid a razor blade in his mouth, and when showtime rolled around, he slit the chicken’s throat and made a good scene with the blood. Patrons thought they saw something geek got a place to stay and plenty of booze to drink. baker took the bottle out of his hands and said: “Now you do it for real.”

And they do. They all do. Because the geek wants ence wants the show. That’s what Nightmare Alley is.

And, as far as Greshman is concerned, it runs through all of America.

DECEMBER 16, 2021

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FOOD LAB

Fingers roasting on an open fire

Knives, scalding liquids, slicers, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and other dangers that send young cooks to the ER

by John Lehndorff

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

W

hile writing this column I took a break to do some dinner prep. As I chopped onions, I put my chef’s knife too close to the counter’s edge and watched it twist point-down in cinematic slow motion, missing my socks-covered toes by inches. I was trying to do too many things at once.

Not to be alarmist, but kitchens are hotbeds of danger, even when you are an experienced cook like me. It’s especially true for children.

The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) looked at 2019 emergency room visits resulting from home kitchen incidents.

Almost 50 percent of the visits were caused by knives, followed by tableware and accessories, hot liquids, and ovens.

As the Medical Director of Emergency Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Colorado in Colorado Springs, Dr. David Listman has seen a wide range of kitchen-related injuries to kids ranging in age from toddlers to teenagers.

“We see some burns with 3- to 4-year-olds.

They’ll see a handle on a pan on the stove and pull it over on themselves when parents leave the room for a minute. Or they’ll grab cups of hot coffee,” Listman says.

A steady parade of the same kind of injury brings teenagers to the ER. “They get a job at a deli and get hurt using electric slicers to cut meats and cheeses. Sometimes it’s really hard to get it to stop bleeding because it’s a clean, deep slice. Sometimes we put a blood pressure cuff on the arm as tight as it will go and use anti-clotting

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DECEMBER 16, 2021

agents, but it bleeds through the pressure bandage and we have to start over,” Listman says.

While some cuts and burns may occur, Listman says the best thing parents can do is to spend time in the kitchen teaching your children how to cook.

Besides adult classes, Boulder’s Food Lab offers weekly hands-on cooking classes, after-school sessions, and seasonal camps for kids. Virtually every class begins with safety, says Casey Easton, Food Lab’s founder.

“We always tell the kids that the kitchen is an adult space, so you have to act like an adult. No running. No horseplay,” Easton says.

The instruction around using knives is detailed.

“When you’ve got a knife, be aware of all the people around you. We don’t walk around the kitchen with a knife. We tell everyone that the knife is expensive but not as expensive as your foot or your hand. If it falls off the cutting board just move out of the way. Do not try to grab it!” she says.

Speaking of feet, she tells kids to keep their shoes on, and they should be closed toe shoes, not sandals.

“We remind them to always pay attention. Use warning words like ‘Knife!’ or ‘Open oven!’ or ‘Hot behind you!’ like they do in professional kitchens,” Easton says.

The most common injuries she sees are burns. “Everybody reaches into the oven and burns their arms. I used to have burns up and see NIBBLES Page 32

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down my arms,” she says.

“Hot liquids are scary, too. Whenever possible we deal with them near the cooktop.

The least amount of moving hot liquids around is the best. It’s always good to turn pan handles inward so you don’t bump into them hurrying around.”

At a certain age, it gets harder to get the safety message communicated. “Teenagers are almost harder to teach because they are in their own world and they know what they are doing. Then they burn themselves,” she says.

The reality of cooking is this: Whether you are a kid, an adult of a chef, you will

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immersion blender that she will never repeat.

“Unfortunately, that’s how you learn what not to do. I tell parents to give their kids space to learn and do it without helicoptering,” she says.

With her own children—now aged 11 and 14—Easton says she has a 10-point sliding scale of injury danger when she is deciding whether to say something or intervene. “You don’t want them to really injure themselves but you need to let them do it. When you let them do it, kids feel a special sense of accountability and responsibility and it gives them kitchen,” she says.

Some kitchen-related ER visits are not quite as serious. Dr. Listman reports there have been cases of one particular problem: Kids rushed to the ER because their stool is red with parents worried about internal bleeding.

“We’ve had a couple of cases involving Red Flaming Cheetos which can turn your Listman says.

Local food news

The Viet Kitchen has opened at 2770 Arapahoe Road, former location of the Super Mini Walnut Cafe . . . Coming soon: Mono Mono Korean Fried Chicken, 599 Crossing Drive, Lafayette (in the former U-Turn BBQ location). Also: Ghost Box Pizza, 103 S. Public Road, Lafayette; and Curtis Park Deli, 3000 Pearl Parkway, Boulder.

Words to chew on

“The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live . . . It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human . . . Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite.”—Joy Harjo John Lehndorff hosts Radio Nibbles at 8:20 a.m. Thursdays on KGNU (88.5 FM, streaming on kgnu.org). l

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What to drink with what you eat, Christmas edition Boulder County brews for the winter feast

by Michael J. Casey

T

hough the carols, decorations, and gift-giving might appear standard on the surface, no holiday feast on the calendar is as varied as what makes it to the Christmas table. Every family has its own tradition, and the bigger the family gets, the more traditions and the more meals you’re likely to enjoy.

At this point in my life, my family has introduced and broken Christmas meal traditions so many times it’s hard to keep track. These days it’s a multi-family event spread over three or four days with brunches, dinners, desserts, and plenty of drinks. I suspect some of these dishes will adorn your table as well. Should that be the case, here are a few local beer pairings to explore.

Red chili and The Post Brewing’s Dry Stout

As far back as I can remember, my mother always made a pot of red chili on Christmas Eve. Easy on the tomatoes but heavy on the beans and ground meat, it’s the kind of chili that is immensely satisfying and of piping hot chili on a cold, wintery night?

Plan on serving up a pot at your house? You’re going to want a beer that smooths that punch out: stout. I would avoid the heavier imperial versions and the overly sweet offerings and aim for something that exhibits dark chocolate and roast to harmonize with the seasoned beef, the soft beans, and the spicy chilies. So get your hands on The Post Brewing’s Dry some bittersweet chocolate, some coffee), and with a another bowl.

Oyster soup

Speaking of stout on Christmas Eve, one of my aunts makes oyster soup for those in the family who don’t care for spicy things. Should you fall into that category, lucky for you, stout goes as well with oyster soup as it does with chili. There’s even a version of

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stout brewed with oyster shells called—what do you know—Oyster Stout. Brewers ’round these parts don’t have a lot of excess oyster shells used to make one for Jax Fish House years ago), but it’s worth checking your local liquor shelves for a bottle or two from beyond county lines. Of course, you could head down to Denver and try Wynkoop Brewing’s Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout, but those are oysters of a different kind.

Enchiladas/tamales and Wibby Brewing’s Home Team Pilsner

My father-in-law grew up in New Mexico with a love for Southwestern cuisine. I lived in Los Angeles for a spell and fell head over heels for the Mexican dishes populating the Golden State. So for him, Christmas is for enchiladas: piled high and smothered in silky red sauce. For me, it’s masa rich tamales, dabbed with scalding hot sauce or buried under a mountain of pico de gallo. These plates beg for the cooling surrender of lager: crisp and clean, malty and sweet. Wibby Brewing has plenty to choose from, but reach for Home Team Pilsner if you also plan on stacking something spicy on with sweet cereal grain in the mouth. It’s a winning combination.

Hawaiian ham and Southern Sun Brewery’s Colorado Kind Ale

When my godmother makes the ham, she pins on enough pineapple to send you off to the island state

with whispers of Bing Crosby in your ear. It’s a personal favorite, as is Southern Sun Pub & Brewery’s Colorado Kind Ale. Sometimes Kind comes across like a caramel-ly, malty amber; sometimes the Cascade hops pop through and put it in the pale ale category. Either way, it’s damn good, and those piney hops clean up the syrupy pineapple while the sweet malt blankets the salty swine.

Roast goose and Primitive Beer’s French News Wave

For years, my grandfather would lie in wait next to a freezing pond in the windswept gray of a South Dakota morning for the chance to bring home the Christmas goose. You don’t have to go through all that rigmarole to get the goose to your table, but if you do, grab one of Primitive Beer’s spontaneously fermented beers, and it’ll be a yeasty, funky, fruity pairing for the ages. I’d go with French News Wave—Malbec, but anything with the Méthode Traditionnelle) will do the trick.

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JOHN LEHNDORFF

TASTE OF THE WEEK:

Falafel sandwich and sesame treats @ Mediterranean Market and Deli

by John Lehndorff

D

uring this season of carbs and sweets, the lunch I craved needed to be satisfying while also being substantially healthy. That took me to an old favorite, the under-the-radar Mediterranean Market and Deli, 2690 28th Street, for a falafel sandwich. Garbanzo and fava bean patties—crisp on the outside and soft on the inside—are tucked inside a warm pita bread with the fresh crunch of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cukes.

You get the tart creaminess of hummus, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce.

For more greenery, I added a tender kopita and grabbed some sweet honey sesame seed snaps Other Mediterranean Market menu items include Greek salads, gyros, beef samosa, and a rarely seen delight: merguez lamb sausage sandwiches. Sweets include pastries like baklava and European chocolate bars On the Saturday afternoon I visited a steady flow of customers checked out flatbreads (including Turkish semit), Eastern European cherry jams, olive oils, date syrup, pomegranate molasses, and bins of

fresh olives and blocks of Bulgarian feta.

Roadfood attractions: Ethnic bakeries

I’ll excuse the many newcomers, but I get mighty irritated with locals who whine that the Boulder/Denver area doesn’t have the great ethnic neighborhood bakeries like they grew up with back East or out West. If they had poked around a little, they’d know there is a wealth of independent bakeries in the Boulder-Denver area run by immigrant families.

This is the season to visit and taste the authentic pannetone, buche de JOHN LEHNDORFF Noel, king’s cake, and other special goodies that make the holidays.

For instance, there is a tiny Norwegian bakery hidden off I-25 in Centennial offering treats from Norway. Ana’s Norwegian Bakeri offers authentic iced lemon cakes, cardamom-laced boller buns, and a remarkable yeasted loaf that is swirled with cinnamon, sugar, and raisins and dusted with lots of cinnamon.

It makes truly exceptional toast and French toast.

This bakery hosts a Norwegian

conversation group on Saturday mornings. One of the charms of visiting the following spots is that you will often hear tion of the state’s many large immigrant communities.

Here is just a sampling of the other local ethnic bakeries: • Mexican: Sabor A Mexico Bakery, Boulder; Panaderia Guanajuato, Longmont • German: Rheinlander Bakery, Arvada; Old Fashioned Bavarian Bakery, Longmont • French: Le French Café, Boulder; Babette’s, Longmont • Japanese: Enchanted Oven, Broom-

Culinary calendar

A

fter two years of necessary caution, 2022 will be a year of expanding educational opportunities in Boulder County and beyond that when it comes to culinary learning opportunities.

For an upcoming feature, we want to know about local cooking schools, classes, immersive learning experiences, apprenticeships, and internships that involve food, beverages, baking, dining, farming, and food insecurity on any level.

Send details to: lehndorffj@aol.com.

• Argentinean: Rincon Argentina, Boulder Italian: Dolce Sicilia, Wheat Ridge • Danish: Taste of Denmark Bakery, Lakewood • Greek: Omonoia Greek Bakery, Denver • Polish: Royal Bakery, Arvada • Armenian: House of Bread, Denver • Cuban: Cuba Bakery and Cafe, Aurora • Peruvian: Azucar Bakery, Denver • Dutch: Boonzaaijer Dutch Bakery, Colorado Springs

JOHN LEHNDORFF

Holiday hack: How to roast chestnuts

Y

ou’ve heard the holiday tune every year, but have you ever actu-

First, get fresh chestnuts and cut an X shape into the round side of each to vent steam. You can roast them in a perforated pan over a

herbs before roasting. Roast chestnuts on a baking sheet on the top shelf in a preheated 425-degree oven for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the oven. It has to be long enough to make sure the interior has softened and gotten toasted. Roasted chestnuts make the season bright if you peel and enjoy them while they are still warm.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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Growing through a labor shortage

shutdown, but it also made the industry a refuge for many employees who’d lost their jobs or who simply wanted a change.

“When COVID shut things down, a lot of people retooled or relocated, and they went out to look for other opportunities,” Czarkowski says.

And the cannabis industry was ripe with such opportunities. So ripe, Czarkowski says, that some cannabis businesses actually are

“The Great Resignation” is affecting just about every industry in the country, but cannabis is still growing strong

by Will Brendza

I

t isn’t news at this point so much as common knowledge: Businesses are struggling to hire the help they need. Restaurants, bars, cafes, grocery stores, gas stations, retail shops, and others spanning different

time when there are more than seven million unemployed Americans. It seems that inside just about every commercial window hangs a “Help Wanted” or “Now Hiring” sign.

Except, that is, in the windows of cannabis businesses. The cannabis industry has been largely insulated from what is becoming known as “The Great Resignayear, the cannabis industry added thousands of new jobs in places like Colorado—roles ranging from retail, to cultivation, marketing, testing, packaging, and management.

That growth probably would have happened anyway, according to Jay Czarkowski, a founding partner at Canna Advisors, a cannabis business consultancy in Boulder. But the fact that the cannabis industry was deemed “essential” by state government during COVID absolutely accelerated the industry’s growth—for a multitude of reasons, according to Czarkowski.

“While restaurants shut down entirely, cannabis dispensaries never shut down,” he points out. “And there’s just so many job opportunities in cannabis.”

That not only means that the people working in cannabis got to keep their jobs through quarantine and the

them fast enough.

“I don’t think there will ever be a problem with these jobs not being desirable,” Czarkowski says. industry added 4,338 jobs in 2020 alone. In California, where the most new jobs were created by the cannabis industry, that number was 23,707. All told, across states with some form of legal cannabis, more than 77,000 jobs were created last year, bringing the total number of people employed by the cannabis industry in the U.S. to 321,000.

“To put that in perspective: In the United States there are more legal cannabis workers than electrical engineers,” the report reads.

Cannabis is drawing all kinds of people from diverse professions and industries, Czarkowski says. He uses his own vice president of marketing as an example: She came to Canna Advisors from a Fortune 500 company, managing a $50 million budget with 40 people working under her, he says.

“There’s people with real talent out there that really come from the corporate world that are certainly interested in cannabis,” Czarkowski says.

Joe Wright, one of the co-owners of 14er Boulder, a vertically integrated artisanal cannabis company, has seen similar trends in his own business. backgrounds,” Wright says.

14er has had lawyers with MBAs apply for positions in their dispensary, and people from tech that have applied to their sales department, he explains.

“The number of people from other highly respected professions that are coming in that want an entry level position in cannabis is mind-boggling,” Wright says.

“These are folks that are wanting to leave law, wanting to leave the professional sales group that they’re with, to make [less money] to work with us. But that’s just the risk that they’re willing to take.”

Wright believes that the power dynamic between employee and employer has shifted since the pandemic started. Pay doesn’t seem to be the most important factor to people anymore, he says. To Wright, it seems like people are more widely taking into account things “Monetary value is kind of taking a little bit of a backseat for just being happy in your position,” Wright says. “People are realizing that making 150 thousand and being miserable, it’s not worth it.”

Cannabis business owners like Wright and Czarkowski also take really good care of their employees, which naturally attracts people to their industry as well. Wright likens growing healthy cannabis partnerships to growing healthy cannabis plants.

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side, he says, “it’s greener where you take care of it, where you water it, and you cultivate it.”

Of course, there’s also the draw of getting in on the U.S. is only going to get bigger and more lucrative for those who’ve gotten in early. For many who lost or left their jobs during the pandemic, the prospect of shifting into an industry with as much potential as cannabis has, is attractive—even if it is still federally illegal.

“As humans we’re constantly looking for something that’s a little bit more exciting and a little bit more colorful, if you will, a little bit more dangerous,” Wright says. “And I think cannabis represents that.”

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