EDGEWATER COUNCIL Reflections And Update On November’s Election Page 4
40 WEST ARTS February First Friday with About the Body Reception Pages 7
ASK THE SUPER Looking Back – And Looking Forward
PRSRT STD U.S.POSTAGE PAID EVERGREEN, CO PERMIT NO. 36
******ECRWSSEDDM******* POSTAL CUSTOMER
Gazette Page 9
NEIGHBORHOOD
EDGEWATER
| SLOAN’S LAKE | WEST COLFAX | TWO CREEKS
January 16 — February 12, 2018 • ngazette.com • FREE
Civic Resolution for 2018: Be Active, Boards n By
J. Patrick O’Leary
W
heat Ridge City Council voted in October to do away with the existing baseball field at Anderson Park as part of a master plan for renovation, following a long evening of impassioned and contentious testimony by residents and park users. Although the fate of the field was ultimately determined by a vote of an elected city council, the detailed plan was the result of months of work by the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission. The commission is a group of eight appointed – not elected – citizens, two from each district, whose duties include reviewing all existing and proposed legislation relating to parks and recreation matters, and making recommendations on parks and recreation matters to the city council. In the case of the Anderson Park Master Plan, council Continued on page 10
SEVERAL PAINTED METAL SCULPTURES STAND at Mountair Park, including these neighborhood helpers. Sculptures of happy cows and a farmer and two young men pumping gas also add life and fun to the park. See “Integrating Art and Fun...” on page 6. PHOTO: TIM BERLAND
WEST COLFAX SKETCHES: Magic On West Colfax n By
I
Kris Autobee
n 2017, our sketches of West Colfax introduced our readers to visual artists from the past who lived, worked and exhibited their art in the neighborhood. My New Year’s resolution is to write about performing artists, such as dancers, actors and pianists. So let’s start with magicians. West Colfax has two kinds of magic. First, the wonder of it, and secondly, the prestidigitation. Over the last few years, we have watched with amazement as many individuals have worked hard to create a new West Colfax. Many people have asked themselves the question: what do we want West Colfax to have or to be? How do we create a vibrant, livable, economically diverse and boutique-rich West Colfax? The answers varied, and you have been watching (and hopefully supporting) new businesses up and down the Avenue. Aurora Hendrix, at Mint & Serif Coffee House, was a stay-at-home mom who felt isolated from the community. So she created a familyfriendly coffee house that has a storytime as well as participating in the artistic spirit of First Fridays. Anthony Martuscello wanted to brew better beer and created Westfax Brewery. Gene Kalesti's passion for food lead to Pure Colorado Pro’s Kitchen. Judy Cybuch, at the Gallery of Everything, wanted artists to experience hanging and selling their work in a gallery without membership fees. And Bob and I believe that every artist should have easy access to quality materials. We can once again associate words like momentum, change, discovery, enthusiasm and experience with West Colfax again. Is it sleight of hand? No, its hard work and the understanding that our investments will make our neighborhood a better place. In many ways, we are no different from the businesses that first occupied this neighborhood. In 1956, the ground
under Lamar Station Plaza was still mostly pasture. Open space. Then, as if by magic, in February 1957 the JCRS Shopping Center opened. At the same time, other changes were happening in the surrounding neighborhood. New apartment buildings were constructed on Lamar Street. Pierce Street was completed between West Colfax Avenue and West 20th Avenue to accommodate a new entrance to the JCRS Campus, the original cut off by the shopping center. Soon apartments sprang up on Pierce Street both north and south of Colfax. Seventeen years after it opened, the JCRS Shopping Center had few original tenants. In fact it seems that few stores lasted 10 or more years at JCRS. That doesn’t mean they went out of business. Eugene Rose Jewelers moved to greener pastures at Villa Italia in 1965, and Thompson’s Hobby
& Crafts moved further west. Casa Bonita’s owners spent a year excavating to create three stories where there had only been two, building an 85-foot-tall bell tower and a 30foot waterfall. The restaurant which seats 1,000 and opened in 1974. The fountain, imported from Mexico, was added later. Casa Bonita is the oldest tenant at JCRS/Lamar Station Plaza. Like West Colfax, Casa Bonita’s magic lies in discovery, wonderment and adventure. Anticipation builds as customers wait in switchback lines. Then the hike to your table, mariachis, sopapillas, Black Bart’s cave, puppet shows, magicians, sopapillas, arcade games, piñatas, sopapillas, the gorilla and divers. There have been several “house” magicians at Casa Bonita over the years. Arch Jefferies was the first, and Dave Elstun spent 10 of his 40-plus-year career there.
Brandon K. Parker, Jeff Jenson, Gregg Tabo and Bob Brown have all worked the Casa Bonita stage. But there was magic outside of Casa Bonita, too. For 18 years, Ned’s Mile High Magic and More was next door to Casa Bonita. Robert “Ned” Nedbalski is a well-known prestidigitator, stage hypnotist and magician. Originally from Denver, he graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Business Administration. He worked for many years for J. C. Penny’s in Denver and Salina, Kan. Even then he stayed active as a magician and entertainer. Nedbalski wrote the forward to “The Flourishman” by Jerry Cestkowski. Flourishes are the attention-getting moves like fancy cutting and shuffling, card fans, Continued on page 2
N E I G H B O R H O O D F E AT U R E
Berkeley Inn Turns 85 – More or Less n By
Mike McKibbin
A
THE BERKELEY INN, 3834 TENNYSON ST., will celebrate its 85th anniversary later this month, although the year is uncertain: some records show the dive bar establishment was granted a water tap in the 1920s, it opened after prohibition or gained its first license in the 1950s. PHOTO BY MIKE MCKIBBIN.
s dive bars go, the Berkeley Inn must be doing things right. The Urban Dictionary describes a dive bar as “A well-worn, unglamorous bar, often serving a cheap, simple selection of drinks to a regular clientele. The term can describe anything from a comfortablebut-basic neighborhood pub to the nastiest swill-slinging hole.” Believed to be one of the oldest bars in Denver, the Berkeley Inn, 3834 Tennyson St., opened in or around 1934 in the Berkeley neighborhood, a 4.2-square-mile unincorporated community in Adams County. Open every day from 10 a.m. until 2 a.m., it features a couple of pool tables, jukebox, several big screen TVs and live music Friday and Continued on page 2