Harbinger of Spring

A Change of Seasons

Spring is rushing to greet us.

 

Spring is Coming

Some Things Never Change

Sledding down Pennsylvania St., Denver, Colorado ~ 1910

Christmas Mansion

The Colorado Governor’s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion is an elegant home fondly known as “Colorado’s Home,” located at 400 E. 8th Avenue in Denver. Built as a private residence in 1908, the house has been available for use by Governor since 1960, both as a home and for official Governor’s Functions. The 2006 renovation of the original Carriage House, and additions of the Tebo Visitors Center and Viki and Jack Thompson Gardens, have brought this stately house to a new level of beauty and service to the people of Colorado.

This gorgeous home is all decked out for Christmas, and tours are free.  No reservations are accepted, but groups larger than 10 may wish to contact the Colorado Historical Society at (303) 866-3682, to inform them of their expected arrival time and numbers.

Holiday Tours

December 10th – 16th

10:00am – 2:00pm

 

And… if you haven’t gotten your 2012 Firefighter Calendar yet, it’s not too late! You can purchase them at The Big Chili. 100% of the proceeds from every calendar sold through the end of the year goes to our local fire departments.

3eatles, Bucktones, & Joe Bye

Today we highlight three more bands from The Big Chili Cook-Off. The community was really thrilled with the music. Kudos to the musicians and the singers!

The Bucktones are one of the most versatile bands in the Denver area. The band includes Evergreen locals Jeff Scarborough and Jerry Grannell, along with John Bertalan on percussion and Kathleen Widlund singing. They will be appearing December 16th at Crossroads in Pine, Co. Check here for contact information.

The 3eatles are the Denver area’s authentic Beatles tribute band. You can listen to the music of The Beatles the way it was intended to be heard! Check here for their set list.

We also loved listening to Joe Bye and Friends. Joe Bye’s infectious style of high energy acoustic rock has made him a local favorite with a diverse fan base. Every show is different depending on which “Friends” Joe brings along. You can connect with Joe on facebook. Joe Bye will be at Crossroads Pub & Grill tonight, November 25th, at 6:30. 

24/7

“The funny thing about firemen, night and day, they are always firemen.” Gregory Widen, Backdraft

Hiwan Homestead

Dr. Josepha Williams was one of the first female doctors in Colorado in 1889, operating her own sanitarium in Denver for tubercular and lung ailment patients. The mountain getaway that is now Hiwan Homestead Museum was intended to be her place of refuge. Josepha and her mother acquired the property in 1893, using the property as a summer getaway.

The homestead originated as a hay barn, which wasn’t demolished, but refurbished. Dr. Jo, as she was known, hired a Scottish carpenter who harvested materials for the restoration from the local mountain area. The only items imported were rosewood windows in the upstairs chapel. Everything else, including pine and fir wood, was locally collected. 

In 1938, Dr. Jo died and her husband Charles, an Episcopal priest, died a few years later. The home was purchased by the Buchanan family which also acquired additional land for a cattle ranching business that spread to 30,000 acres. By 1973, most of that land had been sold for housing. Fearful that Hiwan would be demolished, Jefferson County bought it with an eye toward making it into a museum, and in 1974 it was added to the register of Historic Places.

Hiwan Homestead now houses a beautiful Native American collection, a historical library, photo collection, and archives. One may participate in guided tours and educational programs. The quirky feel of the home, which was enlarged over the years room by room, as well as the lovely art and furninshings (many purchased by the original owners) make a day at Hiwan feel like a visit to a friend’s home. It is easy to imagine the people who lived in these rooms and chose these things to decorate them. Step in to Hiwan Homestead, and step back in time to touch a piece of Colorado History.

Hiwan Homestead Museum is at 4208 South Timbervale Drive (just off Meadow Drive) in Evergreen, Colorado.

Lookout Mountain Nature Center

The Boettcher family name can be seen all accross Denver, from the Boettcher Concert Hall to the C. Boettcher and Company building at 12th and Pearl in Boulder, to the Claude K. and Edna C. Boettcher Conservatory at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Charles Boettcher was a prominent Denver entrepreneur and philanthropist, and his was a founding family of Colorado commerce. He lived in Denver but built his family’s summer home on Lookout Mountain in 1917.  In 1968, his granddaughter, Charliene Breeden, donated the home and 110-acre property to Jefferson County.  Today, the Boettcher Mansion is a rustic, yet elegant setting for social and business events, and on the property is the Lookout Mountain Nature Center.

Lookout Mountain Nature Center (LMNC) was housed humbly first in one room of the Boettcher Mansion, then in the garage.  In 1990, it moved to the servant’s house.  In 1997, the new LMNC opened its doors. The facility demonstrates sustainable design by using earth-friendly building products including floors from recycled train boxcars, decking of recycled soda bottles and sawdust, floor tiles from recycled windshields, locally quarried rock, native plant landscaping and more!

Connect with nature at this 110 acre park.  Inside, experience exhibits that depict migrating birds and reveal secrets of the ponderosa pine forest.  There are beautiful dioramas and educational displays.  Outside, stroll trails winding through forest and meadow, picnic beneath towering pine trees or join a naturalist-guided program. There is something for everyone, from toddlers through seniors. Come and see local wildife, and discover and learn about Jefferson County’s natural treasures.

Mile High Magic

It’s springtime in the Rockies, which means … snow. And since springtime in America means baseball, baseball in the Mile High City becomes something special, but not just because of the unpredictable weather patterns here. There’s something else quite special about being a mile high – and that’s how far a baseball will travel. A ball travels 9 percent farther at Coors Field than at sea level. This means that a home-run hit 400 feet in Yankee Stadium would travel 440 feet in Denver. When Coors Field was built, the designers ‘compensated’ for this by creating an outfield that is much larger than other stadiums; yet, in spite of this, in 1999 Coors Field achieved a record of 303 home runs, the most ever in a season at one venue. Then ten years ago, since dried-out baseballs fly farther, a climate-controlled storage room (the Coors Field humidor) was installed at the Field to keep the baseballs moist. Although this helped even the playing field, so to speak, Coors Field remains a hitter’s park. This is the magic of being a mile high.

But, there is something else spectacular about seeing a game at Coors Field. Even those who don’t love baseball can sense it. It’s as if there is an electric spark in the air. The crowds, the noise, the dads with their children, the hot dogs – it all creates an infectious sense of excitement and a true feel of Americana. And although this probably exists at other ball parks, here we have something extraordinary, because we have all this with a piercing blue sky, the backdrop of the majestic Rocky Mountains, and as the first stars come out and the umpire calls, “Play Ball!” , we recognize in that moment the indescribable sense of … magic.