Sensi Magazine - Southern Colorado (December 2017) by Sensi Magazine

S OU T HER N COL OR ADO

12.2017

HOLY

smokes lifted THE

SP E CI A L RE PO RT

spiritual side

OF GET TING

expert

ADVICE

Throwing a Brilliant Elevated Gathering

gift S H O P L OC A L

FOR E V E RYONE ON YOUR L I S T

{ PLUS} Risky Business: Inside SoCoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Burlesque Scene Tips to Help You Be Highly Productive During the Holidays

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sensimag.com DECEMBER 2017 1

2 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

contents. ISSUE 8 / VOLUME 1 / 12.2017

38 42

S P E C I A L RE P O RT

Holy Smokes

This is the spiritual side of cannabis. For many, elevation leads to enlightenment.

The Renaissance Woman Southern Colorado’s own artistic maven, Betty Ross.

Risqué Business

Peaks and Pasties’ premier burlesque dance troupe performs weekly in SoCO.

BURLESQUE

THE INSPIRED + INSPIRING ISSUE

PRODUC T IVE WITH

cannabis? page 14

every issue 5 6 10 14 18 28 48

Editor’s Note SensiBuzz NewsFeed: NEW USER PROFILES CrossRoads: HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE LifeStyle: PARTY LIKE ROCK STARS AroundTown: LOCAL GIFT SHOPS SoCo: THE LANTERN FEST

sensimag.com DECEMBER 2017 3

mast sensi magazine

EXECUTIVE

Ron Kolb

CEO, SENSI MEDIA GROUP RON.KOLB @ SENSIMAG.COM

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PRESIDENT, SENSI MEDIA GROUP TAE.DARNELL@SENSIMAG.COM

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GENERAL MANAGER ALEX.MARTINEZ@SENSIMAG.COM

EDITORIAL Stephanie Wilson sensimediagroup

EDITOR IN CHIEF STEPHANIE.WILSON@SENSIMAG.COM

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MANAGING EDITOR RANDY.ROBINSON@SENSIMAG.COM

Leland Rucker

SENIOR EDITOR LELAND.RUCKER@SENSIMAG.COM

Ricardo Baca CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ART & DESIGN sensimagazine

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4 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

head. ISSUE 8 VOLUME 1 12.2017

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TIME TO

editor’s

Cozy

Wow, what a year, eh?

NOTE

Tweets at 4 a.m. set the weekly

news cycles, the first solar-powered plane flew around the globe, pandas fell off the endangered species list, Szechuan sauce turned our teens into raving maniacs, and 80s sensation Pennywise pulled off a surprising comeback. For some of us, 2017 made up for the hodgepodge that was 2016. For others, 2017 may have been a bit more bitter than the previous year. Either way, we’re nearing the home stretch, and before we know it, we’ll be cruising through New Year’s Eve and driving full-speed into 2018. Maybe 2018 will be the year, yeah? For Coloradans, this time holds a lot of promise. Red and green lights

GRND Staffing Solutions // RECRUITMENT

will illuminate our downtown districts, and everything comes in a pepper-

Happy-Kitchens // HOME EDIBLE MAKER

mint version. Some of us will reconnect with family we haven’t seen in ages.

Herbal Healing // COMPLIANCE

For others, this is the season we share with our closest friends and confi-

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dants. December marks the time when we shut ourselves indoors, shielded from the splintering winds of winter inside our heated adobes, equipped with a mug of steaming chocolate, a trusty blanket, and more binge-worthy Netflix shows than we could possibly watch in a single lifetime. With the approaching cold rolling in at full-power, Sensi thought it’d be good to bring some local “Inspired and Inspiring” stories your way, to keep the flames of creativity kindled. There’s a little something for everyone. For the deep-thinkers, our profile on artist Betty Ross looks at the life of a woman with a heart too big to fit into a single discipline. For entertainment, we talked to Peaks & Pasties, and how they went from obscure rapscallions to becoming the world’s largest performance troupe at the lavish Gold Room. If this is your season, get out there and own it. If you’d rather hibernate, that’s okay, too (isn’t that why we invented the internet?). The season of giving—and receiving—doesn’t have to end after December 25. We can continue to be excellent to each other long after this year closes—and we should. So, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Women Grow

Randy Robinson

MANAGING EDITOR

SENSI SOUTHERN COLORADO

sensimag.com DECEMBER 2017 5

THE NE W N O R M A L

Wish Upon a Million THE GEMINID METEOR SHOWER

Making its circuit roughly every year and a half, the Geminid Meteor Shower will swing around once again this month. Although most meteor showers follow orbiting comets, the Geminid follows the 3200 Phaethon asteroid, a giant chunk of rock tumbling through space. Beginning December 4 and ending sometime around December 16, the Geminid Meteor Shower will transform the night sky into a canvas of dazzling white streaks cutting across the heavenly spheres. The peak time to catch the shower should fall on the night of the 13th, when a waning crescent moon gives way to darker skies. Unlike the great total eclipse months ago, the Geminid Meteor Shower can be seen from anywhere on the earth. Your best bet, however, is to face south to catch the highest density of descending sparks. Dress warm, pack a snack, and fish out your list of wishes for this stellar interstellar event.

THE MONTH OF NON-STOP MUNCHIES

This time of year always brings family and friends together, for better or worse. Fortunately, in the age of mobile devices, there’s an app for, well, everything. Since food can often be a source of headaches (there’s always that one person who can’t make a choice), here are some apps to help everyone out.

FOR THE UNDECIDED: URBANSPOON

Urbanspoon takes the guesswork out of picking a place to eat. It’s kind of like roulette, but for restaurants. You simply give it a go, and it randomly selects a dining spot. Random, of course, can be filtered, with selection categories that include types of food, average price, location, dietary restrictions, and even on-site or nearby entertainments. 6 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

When no one can settle on a place to eat, whip out your phone and let Urbanspoon do the scooping.

FOR THE IMPATIENT: NOWAIT

These days, it’s common for restaurants to stay open on the holidays. The downside is that the most popular restaurants get flooded with patrons during these high-traffic periods, which means waiting in a queue to be seated. NoWait eliminates that step. Participating restaurants will add you on a waitlist from the app, then send you an alert when it’s your turn to step up to the plate, as it were.

in a

WINTER

WATER

Park

The Great Wolf Lodge in Colorado Springs acts as both a hotel and an indoor water park. Where else can you fly down a wet twisty slide when it’s below freezing outside? The one catch is the park is closed to the public. Only guests may traipse around the heated water world, although every guest may request a temporary pass for one friend or family member who is not staying at the hotel. 9494 Federal Dr. Colorado Springs (844) 553-9653 GREATWOLF.COM

Falling Stars

sensi

buzz

SWIMMING

FOR THE REMNANT: MY FRIDGE FOOD

If there’s one thing we can count on during the holidays, it’s leftovers. Tons and tons of leftovers, just sitting in the fridge, waiting for their final, dried up iterations out of the microwave. Thankfully, with My Fridge Food, those leftovers can be whipped up into fresh new dishes, for one last impressive foray for the in-laws. Simply punch in your wayward fridge ingredients into the app, and it’ll give you recipes based just on what you’ve got. The only drawback: we’re still waiting on a My Fridge Drink for mixing minimalist cocktails.

Durango’s WEEKEND OF

DEBAUCHERY THE WEEKEND OF DECEMBER 16 AND 17 BRINGS TWO HILARIOUS SHOWS TO DURANGO.

The first is “Jay and Silent Bob Get Old,” a storytelling session hosted by comedians Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes. After nearly two decades of churning out hit films like Clerks, Chasing Amy, Mallrats, Dogma, and—of course—Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, the two auteurs are coming to Colorado to share their insights and memories regarding some of America’s most insanely funny (and offensive) on-screen tales. Although Kevin Smith makes regular appearances in Colorado, Jason Mewes is a bit more reclusive these days, so catch him when you can. While you’re in Durango, you might as well stick around another day to catch “The Nutty Nutcracker,” a humorous spin on the old Nutcracker musical, told entirely from the perspective of Fritz. Both events will take place at the Community Concert Hall. If you don’t already live in Durango, trust us: it’s worth the trip. DURANGOCONCERTS.COM

LELAND’S

SENSIBILITIES

Sensi Senior Editor Leland Rucker comes home to Common Sense Colorado. Coming back from a vacation this fall, traversing the 300-mile swath of Interstate 80 between Lincoln and Ogallala, Nebraska, I began to long for the roadside sign that greets us at the state line on our way home: Welcome to Colorful Colorado. Though I had enjoyed cannabis with my friends while in Nebraska and Kansas, doing so is still illegal in both states. The quality might not have been what we’re used to around here (unless you count the stuff from the fellow who said he had Colorado weed), but despite the criminality, there is a significant market of adults in both states. In Kansas, getting caught with cannabis is a misdemeanor punishable by six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. (On the positive side, I found a recently opened store in Manhattan that legally sells vaporizers and CBD oil to fill them.) In Nebraska, a first offense for possession of one ounce or less is an infraction, but after that, it’s a misdemeanor with rising costs as the number of offenses mounts, with the third being seven days in the poky and a $500 fine. While laudable if you’re viewing it from the perspective of, say, 1950, this is just beyond silly. As we turned down onto I-76 south on our way back to town, I thought of the stories of Nebraska troopers trying to catch their own citizens coming back from Julesburg, which is midway between I-80 and I-76, with a purchase that is classified a misdemeanor. Instead of not worrying about such minor infractions, the state of Nebraska filed a lawsuit, joined by Oklahoma, complaining that Colorado legalization was making it harder for them to stop citizens from using cannabis. That suit was dismissed by judges who apparently could see that the state would be better off looking at its own approach to crime rather than blaming Colorado. Hopefully by now the state has decided it isn’t worth wasting resources on such folly. Suddenly there’s the sign just north of Julesburg. I could have sworn it read: Welcome to Common Sense Colorado. sensimag.com DECEMBER 2017 7

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Season’s GREENINGS

THE NE W N O R M A L

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{newsfeed} by L EL AND RUCK ER

NEW USER PROFILES A study on American attitudes toward cannabis sheds light on what the New Normal is starting to look like. As American attitudes toward cannabis use con-

jectors. The self-identified cannabis Users were asked

tinue to evolve, one enduring question remains unan-

lots of questions—how much they use, when they use,

swered: who are the people buying and consuming it?

what they use it for, and where they buy it—along with

Are they young partiers looking for kicks? Middle- aged

the typical demographic inquiries about age, income,

moms and dads reliving glory days? Old hippies com-

family, lifestyle, and other such things.

ing in from the black market? All of the above? None

While I’m naturally skeptical of studies, this particu-

of the above? A combined total of eight billion dollars

lar one has no particular bias. Rather, BDS has a credi-

will be spent on cannabis this year, but we know very

ble interest in gathering reliable information that can help

little about who’s doing the spending.

cannabis companies find out who their customers are

Despite its dubious legality and legitimacy, millions of

and what they want.

Americans have been using cannabis for years, of course.

“When I look at all this data, one thing that comes out

But since black-market dealers don’t conduct demograph-

at me as a branding person is that there is no can-

ic studies of their customers, there was no way to collect

nabis consumer,” says Linda Gilbert, the managing di-

that kind of info. In Colorado, where adult-use has been

rector of BDS’s consumer research division who coor-

legal for about four years, legal sales have generated

dinated the study. “There are very many people doing

over $200 million in tax revenue. The state collects the

it for very different reasons for very different bene-

money without knowing much about who the typical

fits—and using many ways to consume it.”

cannabis user is or why they use it.

That was a big takeaway for me, too. In general,

We are beginning to get glimpses, though. BDS

the survey found that Users in both states are slight-

Analytics, a Boulder-based firm focused on cannabis

ly more male than female, and though ages skew to

market data and consumer insights, is in the midst of

the younger side, more than half are over 35 and many

a survey of American attitudes toward marijuana in all

are college grads with higher-end incomes. Users also

50 states, designed to help cannabis companies better

seem generally happier than both Acceptors and Re-

understand their customers. Two states have been

jecters. Most are comfortable with their lives and don’t

completed: California and Colorado. BDS spoke to a

mind that their friends, colleagues, and doctors know

thousand people in each who fell into one of three cat-

about their use. They don’t necessarily want their boss-

egories: “Users” who have consumed cannabis in the

es to know though, which is understandable given that

past six months; “Acceptors” who don’t consume them-

many companies still drug test for pot. Most feel that

selves but are open to its use; and “Rejectors” who

marijuana is less impairing than alcohol, and one in

don’t use cannabis under any circumstances. Of those

three Users and Acceptors say they have had nega-

surveyed, 600 were Users or Acceptors; 400 were Re-

tive experiences with cannabis.

10 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

sensimag.com DECEMBER 2017 11

Anyone who has hiked a mountain trail or ridden a bike

pain, as a sleeping aid, or to relax after a long day at work.

while elevated knows that marijuana can be part of an ac-

One statistic that stuck out is that the most frequent

tive lifestyle. One out of every four Users in California said

consumers are parents and Gen-Xers, the post-baby-

it’s part of their fitness routines, whether that’s yoga, Pi-

boom generation aged 33-52. I wasn’t particularly

lates, or gym workouts. In Colorado, almost half use it

surprised that, in both states, more than 60 percent

while doing outdoor recreation or exercise, and more than

of Users were parents, and it brings up an interesting scenario in the new normal: Mom and dad get home

“When I look at the data, one thing that jumps out at me as a branding person is that there is no cannabis consumer. There are very many people doing it for very different reasons for very different benefits—and using very many ways to consume it.” L I NDA G I L B E R T // B D S A N A LY T I C S

from work. Mom heads out to the garage for a few minutes while dad watches the kids. Mom comes back in smiling, and it’s dad’s turn. Dinner and the evening rituals commence. And, as it turns out, parents who use cannabis worry about the same things that parents who don’t worry about: underage access to the products, how to determine whether a driver is impaired, and more safety and diligence in packaging and dosage of edibles. Though the most common way to imbibe is still flower marijuana rolled into joints or smoked from bongs and water pipes, even that is changing. Many now get their can-

30 percent said they use it for yoga or Pilates. Perhaps that

nabis through edibles, vaporizers, creams, salves, lotions,

helps explain the current rise of elevated yoga classes and

patches, and even suppositories for various conditions.

consumption-friendly gyms, and it might help further dispel the notion that pot turns people into couch potatoes.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the findings is the acceptance of cannabis use by other peo-

Along with barbells and treadmills, Users incorpo-

ple—even Rejectors. Part of this is likely because can-

rate cannabis into entertaining activities such as watch-

nabis has been legal in both states longer than most.

ing television, going to the movies, or fine dining. They

In California, 93 percent of all those surveyed, including

like pairing it with chocolate and carbonated drinks, as

Rejectors, agree there should be some form of legal

well as beer, wine, and spirits. Thirty-five percent of

marijuana. Three-fourths believe it has medical bene-

Californians say they use it with craft beer, while a quar-

fits, especially for relieving pain, and even more than

ter say they use it when they go to clubs and bars.

half of Rejectors would want a family member who’s

The tired concept of “getting high,” popularized dur

ill to be able to use it if it eased suffering. Those accep-

ing the Richard Nixon/Cheech and Chong era and still a

tance numbers are even higher in Colorado, where even

popular meme, continues to lose its caché (and I say good

80 percent of Rejectors feel it should be legal, and half

riddance). The biggest reasons given for cannabis use are

believe it has some medical value.

for pain, stress relief, and relaxation. More Californians say

This may be the real takeaway: The new normal

they use it for medical purposes, which makes sense since

doesn’t look much different from the old one. As more

the state hasn’t opened recreational stores yet. There

people notice the sky isn’t falling in states where can-

are disagreements among Users and Rejecters about

nabis is legal, the madness over marijuana’s perceived

whether cannabis has medical properties, but about half

dangers continues to fade. It’s been a long road. Cannabis

of all respondents said they consider it medicine.

has been demonized since at least 1937. Given all the

What this suggests is that there is a blurring of the

years of fake news, I’m encouraged that even Rejectors

concept of medical and recreational marijuana, perhaps

are embracing the idea that adults should have the

due to nomenclature. Even people who buy from recre-

right to choose to use a plant that seems to offer so

ational stores are using it for medical reasons: to manage

much to so many.

12 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

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sensimag.com DECEMBER 2017 13

{crossroads} by RICARDO BACA

This is the story of my

PRODUC T IVIT Y- BASED REL ATIONSHIP with

cannabis.

RICARDO BACA is a veteran journalist and the founder and original editor-in-chief of The Cannabist. His content agency Grasslands works primarily with businesses and individuals in the cannabis and hemp industries on thought leadership and messaging via thoughtful and personalized content campaigns.

14 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

HIGHLY PRODUC TIVE Changing the narrative of the lazy stoner. The lazy stoner. My head hurts every time I hear about that couch-locked archetype. Not that it’s entirely baseless. Certain strains of cannabis and pot products have deeply sedative effects and can mostly render a person speechless and motionless for minutes if not hours. Unsurprisingly, those same products are often among the most effective natural alternatives to opiates, too—legitimate painkilling properties that have been chronicled in the highly selective Journal of the American Medical Association. But too often the lazy stoner is evoked to represent most if not all cannabis consumers, though as legal marijuana becomes our new normal, we’re disproving that anachronism daily. And I’m honored to present yet another rebuttal to this outdated concept — my own discovery that marijuana substantially contributes to my personal productivity in specific situations. As recently as five years ago, I was not consuming cannabis at all. I don’t smoke and that’s how marijuana was mostly offered to me, a passed joint or bowl. But when a friend offered me a cannabis-infused mint-chocolate bar he purchased in a state-regulated medical dispensary in 2013, I was immediately enamored with how marijuana made me feel compared to other intoxicants. It helped me relax, and if I had a little more, it gave me the giggles. But it also brought on a focus that immediately had me contemplating how I might be able to harness this concentrated energy, this single-mindedness. I’d heard about lazy stoners for decades, and I’d certainly known some — but I also knew people who incorporated daily marijuana use into their busy and productive lives, and for the first time in my life I envisioned myself as someone who prefered weed over booze. At first, I was uncomfortable as that person. After a childhood of Just Say No and Hugs Not Drugs and D.A.R. E. and a journalism career of seeking out reputable sources, many of whom serve in var sensimag.com DECEMBER 2017 15

ious levels of government, I thought I knew all I needed to know about marijuana.

I CAN

HONESTLY SAY

Of course I was wrong. Because so many of those sources, those government officials, were dead-wrong

self alone, of course, as we all know others whose rit-

on cannabis. And while my four years of cannabis con-

ualistic wake-and-bake positions them in a mindset

sumption have taught me many lessons, here are a

for a productive day. But that’s not me.

couple I still employ today—about the improbable productivity of marijuana consumption.

L ESSON NO. 2 : PACKING SUCKS, THOUGH IT SUCKS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS WHEN YOU’RE HIGH

L ESSON NO. 1 : PSYCHOACTIVES AND WORK WORK DON’T MIX—FOR ME, AT LEAST.

After spending the weekend picking up recycled boxes from friends who had recently moved, my then-girl-

The first lesson about my productivity-based rela-

friend and I set the game plan: She would pack up the

tionship with cannabis was rooted in a lack of produc-

kitchen if I started in the spare bedroom, which was also

tivity. I remember staring down the barrel of a free-

home to our bookshelves and home office. I remember

lance deadline in 2013, and I wondered if a microdose

taking a bite of an infused baklava, feeling like a domes-

of edible cannabis might help my lingering writer’s block.

tic Timothy Leary, wondering about its potential impact

An hour after ingesting 5mgs of activated THC, I knew

on the next few hours.

the marijuana wasn’t helping me write.

When Melana (now my wife) poked her head into

While certain substances can be great for brain-

the spare bedroom two hours later she was dumb-

storming seshes, weed included, they’re not always the

founded to see two towers of meticulously labeled

best fuel for the execution that follows. I speak for my-

boxes stacked against the wall and empty bookshelves

16 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

CANNABIS HAS MADE ME A MORE ORGANIZED INDIVIDUAL. pushed against a moving truck-ready desk and stand-

progress I’d made in the yard. It’s worth noting here: I

alone closet. I had been working with unparalleled fo-

am not one of those homeowners who loves yard work,

cus, only breaking for water (so much water!) and the

who finds it meditative. But add some cannabis to that

occasional steering to our Spotify playlist.

equation and I’m a flipping zen master, reveling in work

I was as surprised, and as pleased, as my lady was.

I’d normally find tedious.

And suddenly my perspective of cannabis was changing. L ESSON NO. 4 : BET TER (AND MORE L ESSON NO. 3 : YARD WORK SUCKS, THOUGH … YOU SEE WHERE I’M GOING WITH THIS

ORGANIZED) LIVING THROUGH CHEMISTRY

I can honestly say cannabis has made me a more or-

After renting my house for two years to some young

ganized individual. I’m more conscientious about my pets,

dudes and their giant dog, my yard was more of a disas-

making sure the cat’s litter box is cleaned regularly and

ter than I left it. With my fiancee working a long Satur-

the dogs are walked—even after late evenings at the

day at the salon, I decided to do something I rarely did—

office. I’m more attentive to my family’s long-term plan-

consume cannabis before noon — and hit the yard with

ning, setting aside time to vote and talk finances and

some work gloves, an endless supply of ice water and a

plan our week’s (and month’s and year’s) social and trav-

YouTube loop of TED talks cycling through my Bluetooth

el calendars to ensure my wife and I are in sync.

speaker. Four hours of sweaty, grueling work flew by quite enjoyably, and I was immensely gratified by the

Cannabis as a productivity tool deserves to be celebrated, and I know I’m not alone in thinking that.

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{lifestyle} by ROBYN GRIGGS L AWRENCE

PART Y L IKE ROCK STARS How to properly throw an elevated gathering

I’ve thrown some damn good parties since I start-

For me, hosting a cannabis dinner is a lot like teach-

ed cooking with cannabis in 2009. I’d even say some

ing a yoga class. As the leader, I’m responsible for ev-

were epic. There’s nothing like reaching the crescendo

ery person’s well-being and experience, from under-

of a meal orchestrated to open people’s minds and

standing their physical limitations and apprehensions

senses and connect them with their dinner partners,

to curating a playlist that keeps them motivated, re-

the food’s tastes and aromas, and the finer notes of

laxed, and flowing. They should leave happier than

everything. Everyone blossoms, blissed and blessed.

they came.

This is no small thing to pull off, and of course I’ve

That level of culpability makes me nama-cray-cray. It

had disasters—thankfully none TOO epic and way

kept me from teaching yoga after I got certified and could

less frequent now than when I first started. In the

have strangled my inner canna-hostess, too, if I hadn’t

beginning, serving cannabis to guests was cripplingly

stumbled onto the opportunity to learn from the very

intimidating.

best while writing and promoting The Cannabis Kitchen

18 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

Cookbook. When you need confidence, there’s nothing

being overwhelmed,” a skill anyone who entertains

like going straight to the rock stars—and a beautiful

with cannabis should be honing. Stupefied or paranoid

thing about the cannabis community is how willing any-

guests suck the soul out of a party as quickly as ob-

one who loves this plant is to educate and share.

noxious or passed-out-drunk ones—and then there’s

Eight years after I started entertaining with can-

that part about being responsible for their well-being.

nabis, normalization and shows like Viceland’s Bong

If you haven’t had nightmares about diners slumped

Appétit are inspiring would-be Snoop Marthas around

over their plates and leaving in wheelbarrows like the

the world. Mainstream media are stepping out with

hobbits at Bilbo Baggins’ 111th birthday party, you

how-to articles, which is encouraging but not terribly

probably shouldn’t be hosting a cannabis shindig.

enlightening when you consider lines like this one in

Jeff the 420 Chef, who travels the country feeding

Bon Appétit ’s magazine’s October 2017 entertaining

people fine cannabis food, is well aware of his respon-

etiquette guide: “Getting your guests high shouldn’t

sibility. He finds out every diner’s experience, tolerance

feel like unearthing a bong from a pile of sweatshirts

level, and fears about what might happen before the

in a dark corner of your closet.”

meal begins, always serves “virgin sisters” (non-in-

Do we have to keep saying this? It’s 2017, people. Let’s talk to the homies.

fused versions of the cannabis-laced dishes), and limits the overall amount of THC to 10 milligrams—which he says sends guests home with a solid, drama-free buzz.

KEEP THEM IN THE EUPHORIC ZONE

“No one’s hallucinating or going to the hospital,” he says. “It’s a really nice moment.”

In legal states, where a thriving cannabis hospitality industry employs professionals in everything from

HAV E AN OH , SHIT KIT

event planning to budtending, most party people ha-

Overconsumption happens, even to the pros. Though

ven’t touched a bong in decades, unless they were

he rarely has to use them, Scottsdale, Arizona-based

bringing it to a green elephant exchange. They dab in

chef and restaurateur Payton Curry, owner of Flourish

elegant lounges, sip canna-mocktails, and indulge in

edibles, stocks up on water with electrolytes and Un-

CBD coffee stations and s’mores bars stocked with in-

doo softgels (a mixture of vitamin E, olive oil, and olive-

fused chocolate. They taste cultivars as they’re paired

tol that promises to “unhaze the blaze”) when he hosts

with courses like wine, and they dine on infused foie

cannabis-infused dinners. For a few larger events, he’s

gras custard while inhaling from bowls of terpene va-

even hired nurse practitioners to administer IV bags.

por at $500-a-plate dinners where the only sweatshirts are by Vetements.

“Americans have been programmed to sleep it off or make themselves throw up if they have too much

Chris Sayegh, the Herbal Chef and the man behind

to drink,” Curry says. “With cannabis, it’s different. We

those half-G-a-head banquets, considers himself a

say, ‘Here’s a pizza, a movie, and six gallons of water.’”

shaman. He conducts every dinner, explaining at the

At Denver-based Irie Weddings and Events, owner

beginning how the night will go and how the journey-

Bec Koop and her staff have an Oh, Shit Kit full of ho-

ers can expect to feel. His servers are trained to act as

meopathic rescue remedies; lavender, eucalyptus and

guides, keeping people on track and helping them if

chamomile essential oils; 5-Hour Energy; and ground-

they get uncomfortable or overwhelmed. Diners’ glass-

up pepper (said to mitigate anxiety and paranoia).

es are constantly filled with water throughout a dinner

Sometimes they offer a CBD-dominant flower cultivar

engineered to keep them in what Sayegh calls the “eu-

or tincture, but that can be scary for people who don’t

phoric zone.” Afterward, they retreat to a decompres-

understand CBD’s ability to mitigate THC’s psychoac-

sion lounge, where they can wipe their faces with cold

tive effects. The heat of the moment is not the time for

eucalyptus-scented towels and get a massage.

a cannabinoid lesson.

Sayegh says his specialty is “understanding how people can get this really beautiful effect without ever

“If they’re already uncomfortable,” Koop says, “they’re like, ‘Hell no! No more weed!’” sensimag.com DECEMBER 2017 19

Budtenders at Koop’s events always ask about

ings based on tolerance questionnaires and active-

guests’ experience and tolerance, and signs at the bud

ly monitor guests’ consumption using a ticket or

bars remind people to sit down or call over a friend if

wristband system. Should someone have a bad trip,

they feel lightheaded or dizzy (which happens a lot at

the team can help them ride it out.

Colorado altitude).

Mieure specializes in serving first-timers and peo-

No matter what, Koop’s staff never lets anyone

ple returning to cannabis after a long while, and

suffer alone. “If you’re too drunk at a bar, they kick

they heighten his sense of obligation to deliver only

your ass out,” she says. “If you’ve overconsumed at

smooth, groovy adventures.

one of our events, you’re probably going to get 90 percent of our attention.”

“Their experiences,” he says, “can make or break the future of cannabis in America.”

SAYEGH SAYS HIS SPECIALT Y IS

“ UNDERSTA N DING HOW PE OPLE CA N GE T

THIS REALLY BEAU TIFUL EFFECT

W IT HOU T E V ER BEING OV ERW H ELM ED ,”

A SKILL ANYONE WHO ENTERTAINS WITH C ANNABIS SHOULD BE HONING.

KNOW YO UR OP ER ATIO NAL CONSUMPTIO N LEVELS Hosting with the most means being there for

YOUR BEST PARTY EVER HIRE PROS IF YOU CAN. It sounds a little

self-serving. But cannabis has been legal for less

someone who thinks they’re dying. (It’s physically im-

than a decade, and laws vary by state. Experienced

possible to overdose on cannabis, but again, the time

professionals can walk you through legal and logisti-

for a biology lesson is not while someone thinks it’s

cal gray areas and customs, plus do the hard work

happening.) You need to control your own consump-

during the event so you can socialize. “You get to

tion—or even wait until after the party—and you bet-

simply show up and be the butterfly,” says Irie

ter know your “operational consumption levels,” says

Weddings and Events’ Bec Koop.

Philip Wolf, whose company Cultivating Spirits hosts cannabis-pairing dinners and other events. The heart-racing energy you feel after consuming a

IF YOU’RE USING AN OUTSIDE VENUE, know its

cannabis policies. This should be the first thing you ask about, well before you book.

high-THC cultivar with energetic terpenes infects ev-

FOR LARGER AFFAIRS, GET SECURITY. It’s

eryone, Wolf says. “If people recognize an anxiousness

required at some venues now, and it’s CRAZY not

within you and you’re the focal point of the event,

to have professionals watching the door and

they’ll feel the anxiousness within themselves, and

checking IDs and/or medical cards.

your party has bad vibes.” That’s why you hire pros, says Andrew Mieure, owner of Colorado’s Top Shelf Budtending, a service

HAVE A POLICY FOR MINORS. Are kids allowed?

Do they need to be isolated from the area where adults are consuming?

that offers certified “cannabis sommeliers” who pres-

CREATE A DESIGNATED consumption room or

ent a holistic introduction to the plant’s botany, tastes,

area. A dab or smoking lounge protects other guests

aromas, and effects. Top Shelf budtenders tailor serv-

from fumes and frames a ceremonial space. “People

20 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

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can celebrate their coming together, even if only for

effects. Offering CBD-domi-

15 or 20 minutes,” says Cultivating Spirits’ Philip Wolf.

nant food lets newcomers

“There’s a more memorable aspect to it than getting

and people who don’t want to

high on the back stoop.”

get high experience infused food.

GET TO KNOW YOUR GUESTS. Top Shelf

“CHEAT” WITH STORE-BOUGHT

Budtending’s Andrew Mieure suggests including

INGREDIENTS. With all the premade tinc-

a questionnaire with your RSVP that will help

tures, oils, butters, chocolates, beverages, and even

you understand how you should serve guests,

water-soluble additives on the shelves these days,

individually and collectively.

there’s no reason to spend hours making your own

TAILOR CONSUMPTION METHODS to your

infusions. Accurate servings are easier to pull off with

revelers. Dabs are probably a little much for

tested ingredients from a trusted establishment.

Midwestern relatives who haven’t smoked since

When Jeff the 420 Chef makes his 420 Irish Cream

senior prom. Wolf prefers flower because it’s the

for the holidays, he grinds and sprinkles one Kiva

least potent, and Koop says half-gram minijoints

Confections chocolate-covered espresso bean on top

are popular because they’re familiar, shareable,

of each mug, guaranteeing 5 milligrams of THC.

and guests can try several strains without overdoing

START WITH A CANNA-MOCKTAIL. A nonalcohol-

it. Canna-mocktails allow for accurate microservings

ic drink made with cannabis tincture takes effect

and are more discreet.

in 15 minutes and might discourage guests from

CHOOSE THE RIGHT STRAINS. Work with a

professional budtender or grower to find cultivars

starting the night with booze. MODERATE ALCOHOL. Drinking alcohol thins

with terpene and cannabinoid profiles that will

blood, allowing for more active THC to enter, says

drive the mood you want throughout the night.

Mieure, whose slogan is: “Alcohol before cannabis

CREATE A SOUNDTRACK. If you won’t have a

gets you higher, cannabis before alcohol is wiser.”

DJ or a band, make a playlist long enough to last

If both are being served, he suggests limiting the

throughout your soiree, and test it. Even at opera-

servings and potency of each.

tional consumption levels, you don’t want to be messing with the music—or worse, not have any. THINK BRUNCH INSTEAD OF DINNER. Chef

WATER, WATER, MORE WATER. Keeping

guests hydrated is beyond crucial. KEEP IT CLEAN. If guests are smoking, keep

Randy Placeres of Aspen Culinary Solutions prefers

ashtrays emptied. Glass one-hitters are more

late-morning gatherings when he serves infused

sanitary than joints, especially during cold and flu

food so his guests have the afternoon to enjoy

season. At Top Shelf, budtenders wear gloves and

being high and happy. “After dinner,” he says,

clean dab rigs between every guest, no exceptions.

“you kind of just go to bed.”

BE A WITNESS PROTECTOR. Make sure you have

COOK WITH CANNABIS that has at least a 1:1

ratio of THC to CBD. Flourish’s Payton Curry tells people CBD is their “seatbelt” because it can mitigate THC’s psychoactive

22 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

every guest’s consent (in writing for larger events) before photos and videos are taken and posted. GIFT YOUR GUESTS. Cheri Sicard, author of

The Cannabis Gourmet Cookbook, sends them home with cannabis-infused cookies during the holidays. MAKE SURE NO ONE DRIVES HOME IMPAIRED.

Lyft and Uber make it so easy.

sensimag.com DECEMBER 2017 23

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sensimag.com DECEMBER 2017 27

{aroundtown} by RANDY ROBINSON

O T E D I U G Y A HOLIDA T S H O P S F I G S ’ O C O S tire

spent the en u o y d n a , s c he on pidly approa t par ties (or a g o Christmas ra n g g e n on binging o u). Oh noes! o y o d holiday seas u o y ent— ut e, no judgem m o h t a r gifts witho x u li o tf -h Ne th n e v se ele d ou snag tho y n a c e’ve rounde re W e ? h e W m o h m o ad too far fr ns for you. o having to he ti p o l a c lo the best up some of e the last minut l scramble at ng, when we al vi gi of on own-toas se Ah, the holiday lists. D r ou on ne yo an e-honr everyone and rcel of this tim to grab gifts fo pa d an rt pa st ju personpurchases are the-last-wire thoughtful and ng hi et m so ng The trick is findi ored tradition. le. ing it affordab hing local. able while keep finding somet e: er th in m e more criteriu coworkLet’s throw on r a loved one, a fo t en es pr a r on the hunt fo ore than Whether you’re r area offers m ou e, at st of t se some visiting from ou er, or a friend fts that showca gi ilt bu or , ed crafted, design you’ll find enough locally llowing pages, fo e th n O . re fla hern Colorado ops where thoughtful Sout le yet fitting sh ab or ad t os m of some of our just a handful this season. e perfect gifts th r fo e ur oc pr you can

28 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

CACAO CHEMISTRY

QUACKER GIFT SHOP

What happens when you combine two chocolat-

Manitou Springs sports no shortage of small, inti-

iers—one with a background in culinary arts and an-

mate shops up and down Manitou Avenue. One, how-

other from the computer sciences field—and put them

ever, sticks out from the others, and it specializes in

together? You get Cacao Chemistry, a chocolate shop

rubber ducks. And by rubber ducks, I mean all kinds:

founded right in Colorado Springs. Every piece of con-

robot ducks, rock star ducks, and even Trump ducks

fection the chocolatiers make is carefully crafted with

(“Make Bath Time Great Again,” it says on the box).

science in mind, combining complementary flavors based

Besides boasting the largest assortment of rubber

on the molecular makeups of the ingredients. Choco-

ducks in the state, Quacker Gift Shop has plenty of oth-

lates can be bought individually or in specially wrapped

er gift options, including statues of rubber ducks, plush-

gift boxes. Cacao Chemistry has two locations in Colo-

ie duckies, rubber-duck jewelry, framed pictures of

rado Springs, but if you’d like to sample the wares,

rubber ducks, and a collection of other rubber and

head to the downtown location.

stuffed animals of the not-duck variety. The in-

6455 OMAHA BLVD., COLORADO SPRINGS

store photos come with heaping spoonfuls of wit,

(719) 596-6495

too—a gift for your Instagram followers. You’ll find a lot of moose gear here, too, because the Quacker doubles

109 N. TEJON ST. (DOWNTOWN),

as an outlet for Moose Mountain Fudge—perfect place

COLORADO SPRINGS

to pick up a treat for your friend with a constant sweet

(719) 633-3686

tooth hankerin’.

CACAOCHEMISTRY.COM

738 MANITOU AVE., MAINTOU SPRINGS (719) 685-9990

THE BRITISH PANTRY AND TEA ROOM

QUACKERGIFTSHOP.COM

On an average day, the people of Great Britain drink more than 150 million cups of tea. So, they may know a

THE VINTAGE GROOMING COMPANY

thing or two about the world’s most popular beverage.

In the age of Axe Body Sprays and discount shaving

At the Colorado Springs-based British Pantry and

creams, modern men have lost touch with the art of

Tea Room, you too can get in on the tea and crumpets

self-grooming. As the saying goes, only men with

craze. Order from the à la carte menu or treat yourself

steel reserves possess the patience to grow a beard,

to the full High Tea experience (you deserve a break from

something exemplified by all the No Shave November

all the holiday shopping madness, after all) with finger

participants posting photos of their clean-cut faces on De-

foods, cakes, scones, and, of course, a hot pot of tea.

cember 1. Although beards go in and out of fashion

(Don’t get it twisted; nothing is infused with THC here.)

seemingly by the month these days, there’s one place in

Adjacent to the tea room lies the pantry, where you can

Southern Colorado that not only preserves the tech-

choose from dozens of prepackaged British teas, mar-

niques of maintaining a healthy beard or mustache but

malades, biscuits, chocolates, curds, and shortbread.

also handcrafts its own superb grooming products.

Since the British Pantry and Tea Room is a rather

Vintage Grooming supplies scented and unscent-

fanciful affair, feel free to break out your wide-brimmed

ed waxes, oils, and pomades for today’s whiskeran-

party hats for the occasion. And beware the white rabbits.

does. You can also find brushes, shaving cream mugs,

2403 W. COLORADO AVE., COLORADO SPRINGS

bamboo combs, old-school safety razors, and pearl-

(719) 473-6659

handled straight razors here. For the men on your list

THEBRITISHPANTRY.NET

with simpler approaches to self-styling, Vintage sensimag.com DECEMBER 2017 29

SEABEL’S

Grooming offers specialG ty soaps made for slath-

This adorable shop along the Historic Union Avenue

ering both the love han-

District carries locally sourced items, such as Colorado

dles and the han handlebars

Kernels’ gourmet popcorns and Pueblo Salsa made from

—no need to switch be-

the region’s world-famous chilis. Seabel’s women’s ap-

tween shampoos and

parel rocks the Four Corners’ flavors while remaining

body wash. True to the

incredibly fashionable (think: southwest flair with a Ma-

ideals of contemporary

rie Claire mindset), and their coffees and teas smell as

mas culinity, all of Vintage

good as their jewelry looks.

Grooming’s products are made

For gift bundles, you can purchase signature baskets

from natural, cruel cruelty-free in-

which come packed with balanced mixes of snacks, can-

gredients, so you look good

dies, and other goodies. Basically, if you’ve only got time

while staying woke. 4650 N. NEVADA AVE., COLORADO SPRINGS (719) 428-1900 VINTAGEGROOMING.COM

to hit up one store for everyone’s high-time presents, consider Seabel’s your priority. 105 W. C ST., PUEBLO (719) 543-2400 SEABELSONLINE.COM

Showcase your dispensary with great photos and video! Indoor/Outdoor Grows Strains Products Headshots & Portraits Harvest Trimming Retail Space Events & Parties Blown Glass jacquelinecollinsphotography@gmail.com jcollinsphotography.smugmug.com @jackie_collins_photography 30 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

FRANCESCA’S UNIQUE GIFTS If you happen to be a significant distance south of Pueblo, then Francesca’s Unique Gifts is another onestop shopping spot. Packed with home decorations such as antique and brand-new china, vases, teapots, and much, much more, there’s one category of item you’ll find at Francesca’s that you won’t find at the other places listed here: furniture. Rocking chairs, cabinets, tables, and display cases are available here, which can make unexpectedly delightful gifts for that new college student leaving the nest. Or that longtime graduate who needs to move out. 200 N. COMMERCIAL ST., TRINIDAD (719) 845-8508 FRANCESCAS-TRINIDAD.COM

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report S P EC I A L

by LELAND RUCKER

3232 Southern SouthernColorado ColoradoDEC DEC EM EM BB ER E R2017 2017

This is the SPIRITUAL SIDE of cannabis. For many, ELEVATION leads to ENLIGHTENMENT.

ANYBODY WHO

decides TO USE CANNABIS EVENTUALLY REALIZES THAT THERE’S MORE

GOING ON THAN JUST “GETTING HIGH.” IT’S MORE MIND - OPENING THAN THAT. MORE AND MORE BOOKS AND ESSAYS OUTLINE HUMAN’S LONG HISTORY WITH THE PLANT, AND MODERN YOGA TEACHERS AND HERBALISTS ARE INCORPOR ATING IT INTO THEIR CL ASSES. THERE’S EVEN AN INTERNATIONAL CHURCH OF CANNABIS THAT OPERATES OUT OF A FORMER CHURCH IN DENVER. AFTER DECADES OF REPRESSION, CANNABIS IS IN A PERIOD OF RENAISSANCE, AND IT’S NOT THAT SURPRISING THAT MANY ARE LOOKING INTO ITS INTROSPECTIVE QUALITIES. Stephen Gray, editor of a recently published book of essays, Cannabis and Spirituality: An Explorer’s Guide

have been experimenting with cannabis for at least a few thousand years—and perhaps much longer.

to An Ancient Plant Spirit Ally, and author of The Pot

“What cannabis does is to open the doorway be-

Book, sees two elements pushing the enthusiasm around

tween the conscious and the unconscious,” says Chris

the plant these days. The first is the psychological and

Bennett, who’s published several books on the histori-

emotional tendency people have to get excited about

cal use of cannabis in religion, ritual, and magic. When

new things. “It could be called projection or transfer-

most people think of cannabis and religion, they prob-

ence, where you look outside yourself for salvation and

ably think of Rastafarianism, Bennett says, which uses

get all excited when you think you’ve found some-

cannabis as a sacrament today.

thing,” he explains.

But research indicates that the cannabis plant dates

But the other factor he mentions is that the cannabis

back to ancient history and that humans have been

plant has been badly underappreciated and misunder-

interacting with it for thousands of years in Asia, the

stood in recent history. “For me personally,” Gray says,

Middle East, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Ben-

“rather than coming first from that gung ho place, I

nett has found evidence of religious ceremonies that

have become increasingly impressed with the multiple

used cannabis dating back at least 5,500 years. At one

benefits of the plant.”

point or another, he says, cannabis has been used as

I have talked with people over the years who get very

part of major religious traditions like Taoism, Zoroas-

enthusiastic, excited, and emotional about any one of

trianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and even

those multiple benefits. But the passion for this plant is

Judaism.

hardly new. There is mounting evidence that humans

Bennett’s research leads him to believe that the or sensimag.com DECEMBER 2017 33

igin of all religions was more based on the individual using entheogens (psychedelic, mind-altering substances like peyote, mushrooms, LSD, ayahuasca, and psilocybin) to enhance the religious experience. Gradually, over time, that began to change. “It became a threat to fundamental religion, just as Darwin was to Adam and Eve,” he says. “Magicians and shamans even today use the plant as something bigger than yourself. That is something that Abrahamic religions have eliminated. Today, the church needs to be the source of the divine.” The divine, like most of the terms we’re using here, can be interpreted in many ways. The International Church of Cannabis opened its doors in a vacant Protestant church building in Denver on April 20, 2016. Outside, it looks like any other church until you notice the windows. Elevation Ministries commissioned colorful psychedelic paintings by graphic artist Kenny Scharf, who also created a marvelous colorful ceiling in the nave. There is also a video arcade downstairs. Services are held weekly, and the church’s founder, Lee Molloy, says there are about 500 members, called elevationists, with about 40 regular worshippers. In no sense does this church consider itself the source of the divine. “We wanted to create a safe and diverse interfaith church for anybody that uses cannabis as part of their personal spiritual journey, regardless of the culture, religious tradition, or body they were born into,” Molloy says. “When a person ritually uses cannabis with the intention of exploring their spirituality, it is virtually impossible for them not to become elevated, which means to rise above the petty and destructive distinctions manufactured by most organized religion.” In the foreword to the 2016 book Cannabis and Spirituality, Dr. Julie Holland writes: “There are many among us who are addicted to greed, to power, to newer, to more… And this is where pot comes in—it’s a way to opt out, temporarily, from the rat race. Cannabis can unlock us

LEA DS from our habitual way of doing things, and more importantly, of thinking about things… It enables contemplation and reflection.” Gray says the focus of the essays in the book is aimed more at this kind of spiritual awakening that cannabis can help provide. “I think of it as advanced spiritual meditation. One of the reasons for the book is to put perspective on what it can do if you use it skillfully.” Perhaps the most important part of using cannabis skillfully is putting yourself in the right state of mind and in a comfortable place. I 34 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

the C H UR C H of

CANNABIS remember reading The Natural Mind , a book by Andrew Weil, when I first started using cannabis and entheogens in the 1970s. Weil wasn’t advocating for drug use—he was partial to meditation—but he acknowledged mankind’s universal quest to alter consciousness, whether spinning about until you fall down as a child or drinking alcohol or using drugs as adults. Weil used the terms set and setting, which Gray incorporates in his book, too. “Set refers to everything you bring to the encounter: your history, your personality, your psycho-spiritual makeup, your intention, and the preparedness you undertake related to the taking of the medicine. Setting is the actual environment and conditions in which you meet the plant,” Gray writes. Clearly, we’re not talking about hitting the bong and falling back on the couch with a bag of chips. Gray says that used correctly, what cannabis can do is to help put you in the right mood for spiritual amplification. “Kathleen Harrison talks about an attitude of respect and reverence,” he explains. “When you do that—use respect and reverence—then you’re more likely to have deeper, richer experiences with it.” Becca Williams holds monthly cannabis elevation ceremonies from the website cannanaut.com, and she says that creating a comfortable environment for participants is an essential component. We all experience trauma in our lives, she says, and the ceremonies are intended to help people explore the inner reaches of their consciousness with the help of cannabis. “It’s not spirituality as we know it,” she says. “You see people who are triggered, constantly in a state of hyperarousal. We are creating a framework using ancient Indian traditions and the group dynamic for individual work.” Ultimately, she says, we need to create our own ceremonies. “We’re all looking for meaning in life, and it can be pretty empty out there.” Brigitte Mars, an herbalist, teacher at Boulder’s Naropa University, author, and a longtime cannabis ad

“ We wanted to create a safe and diverse

INTERFA ITH CHURCH for A N YBODY that uses cannabis as part of their personal

SPIRITUA L JOURNEY, regardless of the culture, religious tradition, or body they were born into.”

L E E M O L L OY // FOUNDER, THE INTERNATIONAL CHURCH OF CANNABIS sensimag.com sensimag.comD ECEMBER DECEMBER 2017 20173535

vocate, says she encourages people to experience cannabis as a sacrament, whether by themselves or with others. “It’s a really special plant. I don’t know another herb that has as many possibilities of use,” she says. “Using it with good intentions in a safe setting with people you know and trust can be a powerful thing.” The more people I talked with, the more I realized that just like we’re just starting to learn about how cannabis can impact everything from creativity to the body’s endocannabinoid systems, we are learning more about the plant’s spiritual side, too. The plant isn’t the end itself, but rather a means to an end. “It opens me up to a different perspective,” Bennett says. “It just increases my power of intuition and totally helps me grab ideas and expand realms of association.” Other, stronger psychedelic entheogens like LSD and psilocybin tend to grab you by the throat and won’t let loose, Gray says, but cannabis is different, with an effect that can almost be described as gentle. “When you’re there, you want to get out of your own way and be present. I consider it a flexible, gracious kind of ally.”

36 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

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the by RANDY ROBINSON

woman

IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHO

Betty Ross IS, YOU SHOULD. HER PAINTINGS HAVE

ADORNED THE WALLS OF CORPORATIONS, MANSIONS, UNIVERSITIES, AND GALLERIES ACROSS THE US FOR NEARLY HALF A CENTURY. AND SHE CREATED THE BULK OF HER WORK RIGHT HERE IN SOUTHERN COLORADO. Madame de Pompadour, patron of the master sati-

refused to rouge for a week,” says Betty Ross, one of

rist Voltaire, was also maîtresse en titre (chief mis-

the world’s only artists to depict the Madame with-

tress—an official position) to King Louis XV and his

out her famous deep pink cheeks. Or, at least, I think

only trusted advisor. Considered one of the most pow-

there’s no rouge. It’s hard to tell. After all, Ross draws

erful figures of 18th century France, she also held a

much of her inspiration from the abstractions of de

lifelong obsession with rouge. Her deep fixation with

Kooning, Motherwell, and Matisse, where concept takes

powdered blush followed her to her deathbed, where

prominence over form. I can pick out at least three or

she brushed it across her cheeks during her last rites

four shapes in the acrylic that could be Pompadour’s

just before consumption took her at the age of 42.

undone face.

Pompadour’s rouge became a central motif in the soft-

“That was her reaction, her sacrifice,” Ross contin-

lit pageantry of Rococo paintings, a symbol of the

ues in half meditation. “I always found that amusing—

French royalty’s idée fixe toward otiose projections

the aristocrats who couldn’t be bothered.”

of power. In 1755, when Pompadour was 33, unprecedented

Democratic VISTAS

devastation rocked Europe. The Great Lisbon Earth-

I’m following Ross through the Gallery of Contem-

quake, a three-and-a-half-minute cataclysm that like-

porary Art at the University of Colorado at Colorado

ly hit 9.0 on the Richter scale, killed nearly 100,000

Springs. [Full disclosure: UCCS is my alma mater.]

people and sent towering tsunamis as far as Moroc-

Known locally as GOCA, the school’s gallery opened

co. It almost wiped Portugal off the map. That it oc-

in 1981. The space has hosted some of this city’s most

curred on All Saint’s Day eroded Europe’s trust in the

fantastical, whimsical, critical, and downright strang-

Church. That scientists failed to predict it chiseled at

est pieces of art over its 36-year run. Ross’s Demo-

the Enlightenment’s confidence in reason. No human

cratic Vistas exhibit will be GOCA’s last show in this

endeavor could have foreseen or prevented it.

space before the gallery permanently relocates to UCCS’s

After the Lisbon earthquake, “Madame Pompadour

38 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

new Ent Center for the Arts next month.

1420 Austin Bluffs Pkwy. Colorado Springs (719) 255-3504

UCCS GALLERY OF CONTEMPORARY ART

UCCS.EDU/~GOCA

THEATREWORKSCS.ORG

3955 Regent Cir. Colorado Springs (719) 255-3232

THEATREWORKS AT THE DUSTY LOO BON VIVANT THEATER

Betty Ross has been a fixture of Colorado Springs’s

Center in Pueblo, the Manitou Art Center in Manitou

arts scene since the 1970s, when she moved here from

Springs, and, of course, the Fine Arts Center in Colora-

Berkeley with her husband, Murray. From 1960 to

do Springs.

1972, she was an art historian who ultimately chose

Earlier in her career, she played with watercolors,

the art over the history—at the suggestion of legend-

then moved to oil, then acrylics, then mixed-media,

ary sculptor Ruth Asawa.

always incorporating new methods without ever aban-

“She looked at me and said, ‘Why aren’t you mak-

doning the old ones. While highlighting a watercolor

ing art?’” Ross recounts from her days as an art histo-

of a hill on the Greek island of Lesbos—one of her ear-

ry student. “She was right. I had already started in

liest works—the historian in her comes out.

that direction. I wasn’t really a scholar. I didn’t feel like it was me, like I could be myself, making art.”

“Could you imagine what it must’ve been like to look across that sea and see Troy?” she asks, pointing

Making art panned out quite nicely for Ross. She’s

to her painting as if it were a window through time. I

a former affiliate member of the Spark Gallery in Den-

follow up with a question about Turkey. She laughs,

ver and the revolutionary SOHO20 in New York City.

reminds me to imagine, and we move on.

Her productions have been showcased at Artemesia in

“A lot of my work has to do with political issues, even

Chicago, Vertex in Taos, the Sangre de Cristo Arts

though they’re really just kind of an excuse to do some

sensimag.com DECEMBER 2017 39

work,” she says while glancing back at Madame Pom-

Murray Ross founded UCCS’s award-winning profes-

padour. “I don’t know if they’re going to change any-

sional theater company, Theatreworks.

thing, but they’re my take on what’s going on.”

Back to the VELVET Underground

Murray, who passed away in January 2017, worked as Theatreworks’ artistic director from the time of its inception in 1975. Theatreworks operated out Crag-

es inspired by the Roma, better known as Gypsies. In

when it moved to the Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theater

the early 1990s, she received a grant from the Nation-

about half a mile down the road. In July, his final pro-

al Endowment for the Arts to travel to her birthplace,

duction, Marivaux’s The Game of Love and Chance,

Romania. “The premise of the grant was, ‘Are gypsies

won the Henry Award—Colorado’s version of the To-

and artists alike? Are they similar because they’re both

nys—for Outstanding Production of a Play. It was nom-

outsiders? Or are they different?’” she says. “Gypsies

inated in 11 other categories as well, including Out-

are opportunists. I guess artists, to be really successful,

standing Direction, Actor, Actress, Ensemble Perfor-

have to be as well. Artists have to have a hustler side.”

mance, and Costume Design in a Play.

mor Hall and other makeshift locations until 2003,

While there, she followed the Roma through their

Although Theatreworks has put on a variety of

mundane endeavors, capturing their daily moments

plays from differing eras, it's most notable for its Shake-

in photographs. She became fascinated by their prag-

spearean productions—and launching the career of

matism, describing them as “marginal yet elegant.”

at least one TV big-wig. Paul Redford, Theatreworks’s

These images, which demonstrate Ross’s surprising

first actor to play the doomed Danish Prince Hamlet,

aptitude with a camera, were used to construct some

eventually became an executive producer for hit NBC

of her first mixed-media pieces to incorporate items

series The West Wing.

the Roma scavenged, such as fabrics, rugs, and, in one

Ross’s artistic talents drove the costume and set

untitled piece, a rusty iron scythe. If you look closely

designs at Theatreworks. She lent her colored sketch-

at some of her later paintings, you can see scraps of

es for most of the company’s productions, and many

cloth embedded in the acrylics and oils, physical rel-

of her costume illustrations are on display at the Dem-

ics of her memories literally painted right into the piece.

ocratic Vistas exhibit.

Some may see Ross’s use of scavenged objects as

Murray’s mixed media pieces can be found at the

mere offal, but she sees immense power in mere

exhibit, too. His work composed toy figurines, photo-

“junk.” She cites an incident from 2013 that made in-

graphs, wires, and lights to create scenes that resem-

ternational headlines, where protesting Ukrainians

ble recondite renditions of what resemble miniature

erected a wall from detritus to prevent Putin’s forces

stage performances within boxes and frames. Mur-

from invading the country. “The barricade was com-

ray kept these works to himself, but they were includ-

plete junk,” she explains. “They threw all their old toast-

ed in Betty’s exhibit for the first time this year.

ers, and their old tires, and their old clothes on it. It kept the Russians out of Kiev.”

THEATREWORKS

It’s indelible that Ross’s exhibit, which also includes art from her “Saints” period, will be GOCA’s last

“He got better, and better, and better at what he did,” says Ross about both Murray’s mixed media and his plays. “And I think I got better as a painter. If you keep doing something with intensity and care and love, you can get better.”

Democratic Vistas will be open until December 9.

hurrah. Ross and her late-husband have been integral

The Ent Center for the Arts will open sometime in

to the university’s identity. That’s because, along with

January 2018, acting as the new home for not only GOCA

her contributions of harlequin canvases, Betty and

but for the Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theater as well.

40 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

One of Ross’s outstanding periods concerns her piec-

sensimag.com DECEMBER 2017 41

BUSINESS by RANDY ROBINSON

GOING ON A

full decade SINCE ITS INCEPTION, ONE HOMEGROWN PERFORMANCE

TROUPE PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES OF LIVE ENTERTAINMENT—AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BEAUTIFUL IN A SOCIETY OBSESSED WITH ONE-SIDED EXPECTATIONS.

It’s a Thursday evening in Colorado Springs, and

“Did you enjoy that little dance party we just had

the sumptuous Gold Room is packed with a mélange

in all your faces?” Hazel Humdinger asks once the mu-

of patrons: young couples, senior couples, queer cou-

sic dies down. Humdinger is a model, dancer, and to-

ples, interracial couples, and gaggles of club-hoppers

night’s emcee. The crowd replies with a roar of cheers.

stumbling in from Nevada Avenue. Some come in

Humdinger then preps everyone for the main event,

professional attire. Others come in casual dress. Most

which includes a quick review of the rules: whistling,

everyone sips rosé or dirty martinis as the preshow

clapping, and screaming are required, and catcalling

countdown nears zero hour.

is strongly encouraged—but absolutely no touching

At first, as the audience settles, chillaxing electro-jazz plays over the Gold Room’s speakers. Once 8

the talent. Audience participation is part of the show, as is consent.

p.m. strikes, the tunes abruptly switch to something

“They’re all nervous,” Humdinger says of the danc-

more poppy, more upbeat. Louder. A group of scantily

ers hiding backstage. “They’re about to strip for their

clad women encircle the audience, and suddenly ev-

friends and family.” She pauses then adds with a heap-

eryone is thrust into a spontaneous dancing-by-ta-

ing dose of irony, “Sorry, that took a weird turn.”

bleside display. There’s nothing terribly revealing or

Peaks and Pasties is Southern Colorado’s premier bur-

scandalous about this seemingly impromptu erup-

lesque dance troupe. Founded in 2008 by Lola Spitfire,

tion by the Peaks and Pasties’ Champagne Cabaret.

Peaks and Pasties has matured over the last decade

Instead, this is just the warm-up, an opening act to

from a small band of amateur devotees dancing in dive

get everyone riled for the performance principle—

bars to a fully fledged group of professionals filling seats

the troupe’s graduation ceremony.

at one of downtown’s most lavish venues. By last count,

42 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

Peaks and Pasties

performs at The Gold Room every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. On December 1 and 2, catch them tickling the Dickens during their take on A Christmas Carol. On December 7 to 9, they will ruin our collective childhoods by poking (all good) fun at one of Hollywood’s most cherished Christmas stories. We’re pretty sure that show will include a leggy lamp in tight hosiery.

PEAKSANDPASTIES.COM The Gold Room 18 S. Nevada Ave. Colorado Springs (719) 634-4653

sensimag.com DECEMBER 2017 43

among the largest performance troupes in the world. When Peaks and Pasties first started, the political atmosphere in Colorado Springs was much different

they had just over 130 active members, making them

than it is today. During those early days, the performances brought on complaints by locals, who called the cops for alleged incidents of indecent exposure, even though the performers never—ever—get fully nude. (Every performer’s finale reveals only undergarments, in accordance with both the law and burlesque best practices.) Since then, Southern Colorado has evolved into a much more accepting place, and nationally, Peaks and Pasties has gained recognition through several coveted awards. At the local level Peaks and Pasties has taken first place in The Indeyears running, and, in 2017, they came in second in the “Best Dance Company” category. Mr. Valdez, Peaks and Pasties’ executive director, started at the bottom rung of the troupe’s hierarchy back in 2008. “I got tricked into it,” he says with a chuckle. His partner at the time was one of the troupe’s first dancers, and Mr. Valdez found himself volunteering

pendent’s “The Best Naughty Business” award for eight

to pick up clothes that had been discarded on the stage during performances. Later on, Lola Spitfire invited him to dance, and he soon became one of the troupe’s headlining “boylesque” acts. These days, along with managing the company, performing, and emceeing shows, he also teaches the art of burlesque through Peaks and Pasties’ workshop for newcomers. His six-week course covers the basics of burlesque: conceiving a character, making costumes, styling hair and makeup, and choreographing a killer routine. Upon completion, students may perform their first strip tors, or they can opt out of the ceremony, too. Reasons for joining Peaks and Pasties, according to Mr. Valdez, vary as wildly as the dancers’ stage names. “It’s different for everybody,” he says. “We get a lot of folks who were really insecure about their bodies at first, but then they saw what we had going on here.” Overcoming these insecurities is one of the first items on the course’s itinerary. “We do this activity where we ask them to tell us about a part of their body they don’t like,” Valdez continues. “They’ll tell us, then we tell them to rub that part of their body, and

44 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

tease at a graduation ceremony alongside their men-

Providing quality

son what they like about that person.” As to why Mr. Valdez has been with the troupe for almost 10 years, he says, “I need a creative outlet. My day job is corporate, and I just needed something that was the complete opposite.” Among Peaks and Pasties’ veteran performers, the reasons for shaking it

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for strangers diverge as well. Romeo Uncaged, another of the troupe’s boylesque dancers, has been with them for two years, and he’s currently one of the production directors. Before joining Peaks and Pasties, Romeo, whose real name is Chris Metzgar, fought in professional MMA matches before he retired in 2010. “I wanted to try something that scared me,” says Romeo. “I already knew how to do the thing I was doing,” which was pummeling his cage opponents to a tap-out. “What I didn’t know how to do was dance.” And, boy, can Romeo dance these days. For his routine at the graduation ceremony, Romeo emerged in a boxer’s robe, swinging his fists as the garment’s hood concealed his chiseled face. As wall-rattling hip-hop bass blasted, he stripped down to hot pink boxers, suggestively pounded at the floor while doing push-ups, and, midway through the act, let an older woman hold one end of his black hand wrap as he chacha’ed back to the stage, unwinding nearly 15 feet of elastic fabric, like a springy tether that temporarily bound him to a crowd on the brink of delirium. Yeah, it’s like that at these shows. Later in the evening, one of Peaks and Pasties’ most recognizable faces was up: Bunny Bee. The former Playboy model is the troupe’s director and co-producer, and she’s a current member of the world-famous Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas—an impressive résumé for a woman from Trinidad,

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Colorado. She was decked out in a sci-fi cyberpunk outfit equipped with flashing lights and hand beams for her performance. As she twirled, crawled, and leapt around the stage, the lights drew trailing lines through the air, making it appear as if she had spun herself in a web of pure fluorescence. Despite her esteemed modeling background, Bunny says she came to Peaks and Pasties in 2008 with the same insecurities toward her body as the average novice. “I found all these women of different shapes, sizes, ages—and they all felt beautiful about who they were,” she says. “That’s what started it for me. Definitely.” As a member of the Burlesque Hall of Fame, Bunny actively works to keep the art form alive so it never again gets as close to extinction as it did in the 1970s. For her, burlesque isn’t just a means to express oneself, it transcends mere entertainment. It elevates the soul by pushing back against society’s preconceived notions of perfection. “What it does to men, women, everyone you can think of, and what it does to the human spirit, what it does to your confidence to have people— no matter who you are—cheering you on to the end result, which is your body,” Bunny says, inspired. “That’s what we want when you leave a show: we want you to love everything about you.”

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sensimag.com DECEMBER 2017 47

{soCO} by RANDY R OBINSON

BASK IN THE GLOW

The Lantern

FEST The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival began as a ritual of reverence for the moon, signaling the harvest period. Centuries ago, the Chinese believed the twinkling stars were the progeny of the moon and the sun. The act of sending the lanterns toward the heavens brought blessings to mothers and mothers-to-be. Other fables say the festival encouraged a dragon to summon seasonal rains. Another story claims Changâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;e, the wife of the great archer Hou Yi, drank an elixir of immortality to escape from danger, then flew to the moon where she resides to this day. Modern day lantern festivals are secular affairs both in China and the United States, and their luminous spectacles continue to enchant young and old alike. On December 2, a family-friendly gathering in Pueblo begins with an afternoon of music entertainment and marshmallow roasts followed by a beautiful moment of release soon after sunset when the revelers let go of their lanterns and all that they representâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;personal symbols collectively lighting the sky above a community of revelers.

{ WHAT } Lantern Fest { WHEN } December 2, Sundown

48 Southern Colorado DEC EM B E R 2017

{ WHERE } I-25 Speedway 400 Gobatti Pl. Pueblo, Colorado THELANTERNFEST.COM