Indy - May 18, 2023 Vol 31. No. 19

Mayor John Suthers will join a law firm that’s collected more than $570,000 from the city.

PRESIDENT: Ahriana Platten

VICE PRESIDENT: Dave Gardner

TREASURER: Fran Zankowski

SECRETARY: Ralph Routon EX OFFICIO: John Weiss

EDITORIAL INTERIM CO-PUBLISHERS

Ahriana Platten, Ralph Routon

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Bryan Grossman

MANAGING EDITOR Helen Lewis

COPY EDITOR Mary Jo Meade

SENIOR REPORTER Pam Zubeck

CULTURE REPORTER Nick Raven

CONTRIBUTORS

Jim Hightower, Mike Littwin, Matthew Schniper, Andrew “Shaggy” Warren

SALES

AD DIRECTOR Teri Homick

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Felicia Anzaldúa, Viktoria Costantino, Monty Hatch

ART AND PRODUCTION

EDITORIAL ART DIRECTOR Dustin Glatz

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Zk Bradley, Rowdy Tompkins

OPERATIONS

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Lanny Adams

DIGITAL/SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST

Sean Cassady

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Don Bouchard ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER

Jessica McMullen

MARKETING & EVENT DIRECTOR

Tracie Woods

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CORRECTION: We erroneously referred to Philadelphia instead of Pittsburgh in last week’s article “King Hedley II reigns at Ent Center.” The Indy regrets the error.

THE INFLUENCER

Mayor Suthers joins firm paid $570,000 for lobbying on city’s behalf

BY PAM ZUBECK | zubeck@csindy.com

ADENVER-BASED LAW FIRM HAS collected more than $570,000 since 2019 from the city for lobbying services on both the state and federal levels, and recently announced that Mayor John Suthers will join the firm as a shareholder after he leaves office in June.

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP was paid $571,758 by the city from 2019 through April this year. Most of that was paid under the current contract for which the firm was the only one to submit a proposal in late 2020, according to records obtained by the Indy through a Colorado Open Records Act request.

In 2019, records show, Brownstein was paid $59,928. In 2020, payments rose to $90,330. In 2021, the first year of the new contract, the firm collected $109,500.

Last year was the most lucrative for the firm; the city paid Brownstein $234,000. This year, through April 18, payments have totaled $78,000.

The 2020 contract was for one year, with four one-year options to renew.

Although the proposal from Brownstein said the annual fee would be $84,000 for 2021, and the contract also states $84,000 as the “firm fixed price,” the city paid more than that in the first contract year. The cost for subsequent years is stated in the contract as “TBD,” or to be determined.

THE FIRM HAS PROVIDED LOBBYING SERVICes to the city since 2015. A “Summary of Award” that accompanies documents surrounding the 2020 Request for Proposals (RFP) that led to Brownstein being hired notes “the selection process followed the policies and procedures as outlined in the RFP.”

The RFP was advertised for one month, from Sept. 16 to Oct. 20, and drew one proposal. The proposal was evaluated by the project manager and discussed in a meeting with division stakeholders, which included finance, the Police Department, City Clerk, City Council and Office of the Mayor, the summary says.

“All individuals on the call had signed an integrity certificate and had worked with the incumbent in various efforts. All felt that the firm could continue the work in the same capacity and do so quite capably,” the summary states. “Their proposed fee was in line with fees we have paid previously. It was unanimous to award the contract [to] Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck as they can provide the requested services at the greatest benefit to the City of Colorado Springs,” the summary said.

Brownstein shareholder Melissa Kuipers Blake, who has been called “the negotiator” and “a power lobbyist” by the media, wrote the firm’s Oct. 20 RFP cover letter to the city.

Specifically, she noted the firm’s institutional knowledge, integrated strategies and “sophisticated knowledge of our clients’ needs.” The proposal also listed other clients, including the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association, which pays Brownstein $8,000 a month; Colorado State University system, which pays $8,350 a month; and the E-470 Highway Project, which pays $5,750 a month.

BROWNSTEIN WAS FIRST CHOSEN IN 2015, the year Suthers was elected to his first term as mayor. During his 2015 campaign, Suthers received $2,200 in campaign donations from four Brownstein lawyers.

In his 2019 election, when he captured 72.5 percent of the vote in vying with three other candidates in the April election, a dozen Brownstein attorneys contributed a total of $5,350 to his campaign, records show.

This year, 12 Brownstein lawyers gave Wayne Williams, endorsed in the mayor’s race by Suthers, a total of $5,850 in campaign donations. All five Brownstein attorneys who are listed as the personnel providing contract services to the city are donors.

Kuipers Blake gave $1,000 to Suthers’ campaign in 2019, and gave $1,000 to Williams’ 2023 mayoral campaign.

Asked to comment on the contributions and the firm’s contract with the city, Lara Day, Brownstein’s chief culture and communications officer, says in an email, “We’re a bipartisan firm with politically engaged employees who contribute to candidates on both sides of the aisle. The firm’s Political Action Committee doesn’t contribute to mayoral candidates. Brownstein’s lobbying contract went through a procurement process.”

Asked about his personal arrangement with Brownstein in light of the city contract and the campaign donations, Suthers sidestepped the relationship question and instead talked about the city’s need for a lobbyist. He noted that Brownstein is “actively tracking” over 100 state bills that could impact the city.

“Brownstein has been lobbying on the City’s behalf very effectively not only at the state legislature, but also at the federal level for the retention of Space Command,” Suthers said.

Besides paying Brownstein for lobbying, the city is a member of the Colorado Municipal League, which provides its 270 member cities and towns with advocacy on pending legislation. Since 2017, the city has paid CML $1,005,787 for membership.

The Brownstein contract is managed by Deputy Chief of Staff Ryan Trujillo.

Courtesy city of Colorado Springs

Brownstein has been lobbying on the City’s behalf very effectively...

— John Suthers

John Suthers

How to navigate the region’s monthly art celebrations

STORY AND PHOTOS BY NICK RAVEN | nick@csindy.com

EACH MONTH — YEARround, rain, snow or shine, hot or cold — the local arts scene puts on a communitywide party: the First Friday art walk. Galleries build their calendars around it, preparing new shows for people to enjoy. For local creators, First Friday is like retail’s Black Friday, but 12 times a year.

“[It] leads the whole month,” says Robin Schneider, owner of Art 1eleven Gallery. “I love doing it, otherwise I wouldn’t do it.”

Art lovers make it out to the streets and sidewalks of Downtown Colorado Springs, Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs to breathe in the creativity, pick up something new, pop into a local restaurant or catch a show. For artists, it’s a unique experience to meet art admirers and potential buyers.

“You don’t just talk to them, you get to shake their hand, you get to know who they are,” says Karen Standridge, president of Gallery 113.

For First Friday, the Indy sets out on foot and by public transit to experience as much of the local art walk festivities as possible. We typically reach 10-12 galleries, swapping out venues where and when possible, but this month we visited 16 over the course of an evening. It’s a maximalist approach that’s not for everyone, but it gave us plenty of opportunities to chat with local artists, gallery owners and more about why it’s such a big deal and how it could be so much bigger.

TO REACH 16 GALLERIES IN ONE

night on First Friday, you need a strategy.

FIRST FRIDAY THE SURVIVAL GUIDE ON THE COVER

Many galleries don’t open their doors until 5 or 6 p.m., leaving you out in the cold (quite literally so in the winter months), but you also need enough time to absorb the art at each stop. If you’re the social type, you should also cut yourself some slack to mingle.

We’ve tried different approaches in the past year for our First Friday coverage, but the best way to kick off an art crawl is to start out west in Manitou Springs, a town where art is practically in the water supply and galleries are open early. As executive director of Creative Alliance Manitou Springs, Becca Sickbert knows First Friday goes a bit further than that for residents.

“First Friday is an all-day kind of experience in Manitou Springs. It starts with breakfast, and then it goes to brunch, lunch, the rest of the afternoon and for some people, it goes all night long.”

It’s quiet in the early afternoon as we tour Green Horse Gallery (729 Manitou Ave.) where Tina and Ken Riesterer show off new paintings. They give us a special tour of

their pottery studio in the back of the house and show us unfinished work.

Galleries, like the art they contain, come in a variety of formats, and the Riesterers are just a couple of the owners of this co-op space where they choose and display new work. Other galleries may be managed by sole proprietors who refresh their spaces entirely month to month, creating vastly different experiences with each new First Friday.

Across the street, the legendary Commonwheel Artists Co-op (102 Cañon Ave.) is a hybrid gallery. The owners have dedicated spaces up front but host rotating exhibits in the rear gallery. This month’s You’re My Cuppa Tea show by various artists (through May 29) laid out tea leaves and tea sets while Jean Cuchiaro’s vibrant oil-painted flowers bloomed on walls. Down the road at the city’s Manitou Art Center (513/515 Manitou Ave.), Luka Carter was putting the final touches on Art for Every Day.

Commonwheel Artists Co-op | Various works by Jean Cuchiaro and Kathy Sullivan

Green Horse Gallery Tina Riesterer and some of her unglazed pottery

Art 1eleven | “A-bruh-am” by Alexandra Feinstein

Filling the Hagnauer Gallery was an expansive set of painted and patched shirts, vibrant pottery featuring 8-balls, bowling pins and cow-patterned cups. The exhibit is so large that it came with a multi-page guide to keep track of everything.

THE ART SCENES OF Manitou Springs, Old Colorado City and Downtown Colorado Springs are unified in their branding as the Avenue Creative Circuit but divided by something much simpler: geography. Despite their easy access along Colorado Avenue, which becomes Manitou Avenue as you move west, roughly 3-mile gaps separate the three art districts, making a literal comprehensive walk impractical.

As a result, each district’s First Friday developed independently. Karen Standridge worked to create Downtown Colorado Springs’ First Friday in 2011 by coordinating with local galleries, handing out maps of participating venues and running around to each one with dollar store-bought balloons. She sent us a 2013 map that features a mishmash of venues and restaurants that still reside where advertised, moved into better facilities or shuttered entirely. Standridge was more than happy to relinquish organizing and promotional duties to Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs.

The transportation solution seems simple — a dedicated First Friday shuttle — but none are currently in operation. The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region unveiled a free service between the districts in 2018 that ran from April to Octo-

ber. It even wrangled in the mayors of Manitou and Colorado Springs to promote it, but discontinued the shuttles in 2020 as the pandemic settled in. Chatting with gallery owners now, there’s a strong desire to bring it back.

“We would just get busloads of people and it was great,” says Deena Bennett, co-owner of The Bridge Gallery. “They could go to every gallery. We knew when they were coming in and they knew when the buses were leaving.”

But a solution already exists in plain sight: The Indy ’s preferred route each month uses the city’s 3 bus route, which takes you straight from the Downtown Colorado Springs bus terminal to Manitou Springs’ Memorial Park through Old Colorado City. Mountain Metro Transit doesn’t advertise the route as an art walk opportunity, but it seems like a slam dunk promotion: Public bus fares are free over the summer thanks to state incentives to lower pollution.

IN OLD COLORADO CITY, WE

visit a trio of galleries in the 2500 block of West Colorado Avenue: 45 Degree Gallery (2528), Laura Reilly Fine Art Gallery (2522A) and Hunter-Wolff Gallery (2510). These three venues alone present different interpretations of what an individual First Friday experience can be over such a small sliver of the walk.

“[First Friday] is a really fun night out,” says Laura Reilly, who’s been in her current gallery space for over 13 years.

“People will come out after work and

continued on p. 6 ➔

NoticetoPublicof 22-23Budget Notice of Public Hearing FY 2023-2024 Proposed Budget Academy District 20

Notice is hereby given the proposed budget has been submitted to the Board of Education of Academy District 20 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023. This budget is available for public review at www.asd20.org.

Noticeisherebygiventheproposedbudgethasbeen submittedtotheBoardofEducationofAcademy District20forthefiscalyearbeginningJuly1,2022. Thisbudgetisavailableforpublicreviewat www.asd20.org.

The Board of Education will hold a public hearing on the proposed budget on June 1, 2023, at 6 p.m. If you would like to comment on the 2023-2024 proposed budget at the June 1, 2023 Board Meeting, please visit www.asd20.org to sign up. You must sign up to speak between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on June 1st andspeakers must be present in-person and available to speak at the podiumwhen called upon.

TheBoardofEducationwillholdapublichearingon theproposedbudgetonJune2,2022,at6p.m.Ifyou’d liketocommentonthe2022-2023proposedbudgetat theJune2,2022boardmeeting,pleasevisit www.asd20.orgtosign-uppriorto4p.m.thedayof theboardmeeting.Pleasenotethatspeakersmustbe presentandavailabletospeakatthepodiumwhen calledupon.

The public can virtually attend the meeting, starting at 6 p.m. Those who view the meeting virtually are not able to present comments. The link to join the meeting is posted on www.asd20.org.

Thepubliccanvirtuallyattendthemeeting,startingat 6p.m.,butpubliccommentsmaynotbeprovided virtually.Thelinktojointhemeetingispostedon www.asd20.org.

The Board will adopt the budget during its meeting on June 15, 2023.

Theboardwilladoptthebudgetduringitsmeetingon June16,2022.

Any person paying school taxes in Academy District 20 may at any time prior to the final adoption of the budget, file or register his/her objections.

AnypersonpayingschooltaxesinAcademyDistrict 20mayatanytimepriortothefinaladoptionofthe budget,fileorregisterhis/herobjections.

Luka Carter

45 Degree Gallery | Emily Fair exhibition

enjoy art when they might not otherwise get around to seeing us. They bring their friends, they bring their family, they bring their kids — which I just love — and a lot of times, it’s the first time that people have had an opportunity to visit our galleries.”

As afternoon transitions to early evening, we’re still too early for the guest artist demonstrations. While galleries will pull out the adult beverages to bolster foot traffic — or just make art socialites happy — Standridge explains the importance of grabbing a bite to eat as galleries shy away from providing much in the way of refreshments.

“Out of respect for the restaurants that are certainly part of the backbone of Downtown Colorado Springs, we don’t give away food anymore,” she says.

WHILE THE OTHER DISTRICTS OFFER galleries on a mostly linear path, Downtown Colorado Springs’ grid layout turns an art walk into a game of Snake from a satellite view as we steer ourselves in 90-degree angles to acquire one artistic fruit after another.

Our first stop is right under the Colorado Avenue bridge where The Bridge and Commons galleries share space with the Chris Alvarez School and Jana Bussanich’s Yellow Couch Creative, among others. At this point, First Friday is usually busy as the crowds begin to catch up with us.

In Commons, Chris Alvarez and other artists present their third annual Fakes & Forgeries exhibit where they mimic and remix popular paintings. In the next space over, The Bridge pays tribute to local artists who crafted legacies in the region long before First Friday brought tourists into shops with the painted and sculptural work of Old Friends (both exhibits run through May 27).

“Sometimes there’s a history to the art that has been lost,” says Bridge Gallery co-owner Betty Atherton. “Some of the newer people in town, or some of the newer galleries, don’t have an appreciation for how rich this community was during the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s.”

UCCS Downtown features the students of St. Mary’s High School alongside their artwork, which came painted, crocheted, sculpted and, more than a couple times, enlisted pop culture as reference (through May 21).

The Eat Me Drink Me (through May 28) was perhaps the calmest section of an otherwise busy gathering of artists at Cottonwood Center for the Arts (427 E. Colorado Ave.). The vivid works there, sometimes depicting food and/or drink, probably evoked the strongest emotions of the night. Adrienne Bidula’s terrifying “Run” features a giant horse about to stomp down on a female jockey while Alissa Ivy’s “The Elephant in the (Waiting) Room” stopped us cold with melancholy.

From there, we returned to the center of Downtown, dropping into Gallery 113 (125½ N. Tejon St.) which featured artists Dana Lee Stoner and Denise Duker in their window displays this month and a bustling crowd.

“Making a friendship is really important,” says Matt Atkinson, one of the artist partners of their co-op. “I like to sell art — it’s how I support my family — but a lot of people who just connect with me as a person end up coming back because they’re curious about what I’m doing. A lot of the time, they eventually become collectors. The connection I make with another person is more important than a quick sale.”

Along East Bijou Street, galleries are lined up for the easiest of outings. The Look Up Gallery, inside Yobel boutique (11 E. Bijou St.), featured Nichole Montanez’s large and expressive new flower paintings. The new True North Art Gallery (31 E. Bijou St.) was so busy last month that we couldn’t get in. We fared much better this time around and ran into local artists Karen Mosbacher and Jasmine Art 1eleven (111 E. Bijou

media works featuring expressive creatures against (or behind) detailed digital elements.

Just a block north, the conjoined G44 and Kreuser galleries (121 and 125 E. Boulder St.) buzzed with crowds and ambient lo-fi music provided by local artist E J R M (real name: Drew Geiger).

“It’s something that most people don’t hear, but it’s one of those things where I’m like, ‘Well, this is what I love, so I’m just gonna do it and hopefully people appreciate it,” he says.

Meghan Wilbar’s Trinity at G44 produced incredible takes on empty countryside by employing paints and ragged layers of paper and then recreating some locations at different times of day. At the rear, Annaliese Allen’s more stark and brown-gold explorations of tea bags and slices of wood for Redemption stood in firm contrast to the bright, colorful tea collections we saw hours earlier in Manitou. (Both exhibits run through May).

As always, Kreuser had plenty to offer, whether explorations of the human form with Wendy Mike’s sculptures for Transcend, the graphic novel-esque and deeply vivid depictions of tree roots and nature for Lisa Wallace Deen’s Seeing, Into and Beyond or the hyper-vibrant portraits of Maynard’s Colors, Grease and Wait-eh. (All through May).

Our last stop of the evening was The Garfield (332 E. Willamette Ave.) where Dawn Eeh (pronounced with Fonzie’s “’eeey!”) presented small sketches and portraits on olive Beast, Banana & The Creamy while Jesse Stockman’s colorful abstracts provided a lot of contrast and saturation Experiment of Thought (both through May 27).

THE MORE CASUAL ART fan may wonder at this point: “Why visit so many galleries on a night?” and “Why head out month after month to see new works if it isn’t

Feinstein’s new

Art 1eleven | “Zues” by Alexandra Feinstein

The Look Up Gallery “I’ll Always Come Back for You” by Nichole Montanez

The Bridge and The Commons | A geometric sculpture by Bill Burgess UCCS Downtown

Cottonwood Center for the Arts

“The Elephant in the (Waiting) Room” by Alissa Ivy

literally your job?” These are fair questions. The answer, quite simply, is community.

Dropping by one or two galleries while you’re window shopping in Manitou Springs on First Friday is infinitely better than visiting none at all. But as you visit more and more galleries consecutively over the course of an evening, a kind of euphoria ferments. All art comes from the mind of a creative — someone with an idea or an agenda and then the motivation to conjure it into reality. Any individual piece may be amusing, exciting or even triggering, but taken as a whole, a First Friday tour can transcend tourism to become a

WHEN YOU’RE SERIOUS ABOUT REAL ESTATE

genuinely emotional experience.

If you step out to First Friday on a regular basis, you begin running into some of the same people, whether they’re the artists, fans or gallery owners themselves. And you’ll have plenty of reason to: Many artists display their work in part or in whole across the entire circuit. These days, I can usually spot a Shannon Dunn or Chris Alvarez work without reading the tag. An art walk provides the perfect excuse to share in a collective creative experience out in the open, said out loud, seen in public, that transcends the physically displayed artwork or the abstract, intangible

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wants and desires of a “local creative economy.”

The sad part comes as our night wound down and we retreated to our residence far beyond the conduit, where First Friday simply doesn’t exist. First Friday at an outpost like the Ent Center for the Arts requires a lot more work to attract visitors than a gallery Downtown that can rely on casual foot traffic.

As we pushed photos of our night’s adventure to social media, we lamented the fact that we missed local musician Jeremiah Walter’s set from artist-photographer Robert Gray’s birthday bash at Local Relic (320 S. Weber St.) among other venues we couldn’t reach. But Walter refused to let us feel even slightly remorseful.

“It’s a good problem to have: an arts scene with so much going on,” he says, “you can’t possibly see it all in one night.”

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Kreuser Gallery “Illuminated” by Lisa Wallace Deen

True North Art Gallery “Liquid Series #18” by Nathan Travis

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G44 Gallery | “54 Years” by Meghan Wilbar

Gallery 113 | Dana Lee Stoner window display

The Assault Shakers pound out jams at Garfield Gallery.

Summer Theatre Camps!

The Millibo offers BIG ADVENTURES for curious minds - All Summer Long! Join us as we explore the possibilities of the Performing Arts.

One & Two Week Camps - Starting June 5

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Songs to Save the Indy

Fundraising Concert to Keep Local News Local Saturday, June 3 4pm & 7:30pm

Tickets $19.93 – the year the Indy was founded!

Horticultural Art Society

Nonprofit

2023 Spring Plant Sales

FINAL WEEKEND!

May 19 & 20

Friday-9 am-5 pm

Saturday-9 am-4 pm

HAS Cottage in Monument Valley Park 224 Mesa Rd. & Glen Ave. COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, 80905 HAS.gardens.org/Plant-sale hasgardens@gmail.com

CALENDAR

ART EVENTS

Creepy film aficionado/County Coroner Leon Kelly invites us to “join the Six Feet Under Horror Fest crew for Vol. 3 of Schlockfest featuring Voyage of the Rock Aliens, ... described by critics as ‘heaps and heaps of catchy musical numbers and a frenetic, plausible choreography that lets the film serve as an emotional bridge between boomer beach flicks and cocaine-fueled maximalist ’80s musical theater.’ Who could ask for more?! Well, we are also super excited to be presenting two horror shorts by very talented local film students from Colorado College and Cheyenne Mountain High School! We’ve got trivia and prizes and a totally rad time!” Sunday, May 21, 7-9 p.m.; RoadHouse Cinemas, 3030 N. Nevada Ave.; see tinyurl.com/CS-schlockfest for tickets and more info.

May Art Hop in Monument, with local artists, live music and more in downtown Monument. Thursday, May 18, 5-8 p.m.; tinyurl.com/monu-hop.

Sound Séance, a “multi-sensory performance art piece” by Jasmine Dillavou and Drew Geiger. “Immerse in a multiparticipant group orchestrated sound session.” Saturday, May 20, 7 p.m.; The Sluice at The Surface Gallery, 2752 W. Colorado Ave., see tinyurl.com/SoundSeance for tickets and more info.

Your guide to events in the Pikes Peak region

218 W. Colorado Ave., #104, 719-629-7055, thebridgeartgallery.com. Old Friends, with works by Don Green, Bill Burgess and Michael Cellan, who “were good friends and made art together for years.” Includes drawing, painting and sculpture. Through May 27.

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, 30 W. Dale St., fac. coloradocollege.edu. Contested Terrains, the work of five artists reflects “how human intervention has shaped landscapes across the Americas.” Nina Leo and Moez Surani’s Lullabies for a Waning Empire, through July 7.

Commonwheel Artists Co-op, 719-6851008, 102 Cañon Ave., Manitou Springs, commonwheel.com. You’re My Cuppa Tea — all things tea, including ceramic teacups, saucers and teapots, plus paintings, prints, illustrations, calligraphy and felting work. Through May 29.

The Compulsion to Find Order in Disorder, a new series from artist/photographer Robert Gray. The Carter Payne, 320 S. Weber St., tinyurl.com/Gray-45th.

Through June.

Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 427 E. Colorado Ave., 719-520-1899, cottonwoodcenterforthearts.com. Eat Me Drink Me — “works that challenge our everyday notions of perception and scale.”

Through May 27.

WORSHIP SERVICES

Joe Uveges, Jeremy & Lindsay Facknitz, Mike Hogan, and Mary Sprunger-Froese present an evening of folk music and comedy based on songs of Lou & Peter Berryman whose work is described as “bitingly funny, endearing, wildly absurdist & vividly human.”

For refreshments, the famous Millibo Cheesecake will be available - along with other dessert goodies and a fine selection of adult beverages.

Don’t miss this special fundraiser - get your toes tapping in time with big laughs.… It is all for a good cause as we raise money and memberships for our beloved weekly independent newspaper.

MAT’S “BUBBLE PLAY” AREA will be at Meadow Grass Music Festival

FRI-SAT-SUN MAY 26-27-28

Art All Around, home studio tour through which you can “meet the talented artists of Colorado Springs, see what they are creating, check out their studios and leave feeling inspired... .” Saturday-Sunday, May 20-21; free; check out sites.google.com/view/csartallaround/ home for artist lineup, map and more info.

ROLL Bike Art Festival, with bikethemed art exhibit Pedal Play. Includes live music, craft vendors, food trucks and a chance to meet the artists. Stay late for the ROLL After Party. Friday, May 19, 5-9 p.m.; Buffalo Lodge, 2 El Paso Blvd., facebook.com/RollBikeArt.

ART EXHIBITS

45º Gallery, 2528 W. Colorado Ave., Suite B, 719-434-1214, 45degreegallery.com. New works by potter Carey Berry and painter Emily Fair. Through May.

Academy Art & Frame, 7560 N. Academy Blvd., 719-265-6694, academyframesco. com. Military Appreciation Show with works by military members or family. Opening Friday, May 19, 4-7 p.m.

Art 1eleven Gallery, 111 E. Bijou St., 719493-5084, facebook.com/Art1elevenGallery. Works by multimedia artist Alexandra Feinstein.

Bosky Studio, 17B E. Bijou St., 719-6405282, facebook.com/bosky.studio. Almost Maybe by Kurt Kieffer: “My goal is to create pieces that evoke emotions and inspire viewers to reflect on instances in their own lives that have enabled them to become better versions of themselves.” Through June.

The Bridge and Commons galleries,

Day Dreamers, featuring works by James Jerel Anderson — “the small day dreams that we experience throughout everyday life. The little things we see. And the inspiration that comes with them.” Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region, 121 S. Tejon St., #111; 719-634-2204, info@ culturaloffice.org; through June 30.

G44 Gallery, 121 E. Boulder St., 720-9510573, g44gallery.com. Trinity, by Meghan Wilbar, who “works with a pared-down sensibility to capture the experience of the land and sky through torn paper and drawn line.” Redemption, by Annaliese Allen: “In many of my relationships, vulnerable raw stories have been shared with a cup of tea in hand. Reflecting the slow process of tea practices, I have implemented collage and assemblage to tell the most vulnerable aspects of my story.” Through May.

The Gallery at Studio West, 22 N. Sierra Madre St., 719-502-3282, pikespeak.edu/ academics/studio-west/art-gallery.php. Pikes Peak State College Spring Student Exhibition. Through May 26.

Gallery 113, 125½ N. Tejon St., gallery113cos.com, 719-634-5299. Featured artists: Dana Lee Stoner and Denise Duker. Through May.

The Garfield Gallery, 332 E. Willamette Ave., 719-227-8836, garfieldgallery.com.

Beast, Banana & The Creamy ‘What

For’: Small Works by Dawn Eeh: She’s “primarily known for her expressionistic yet modern mixed-media paintings that capture the wide variety of emotions and experiences of humanity.” Experiment of Thought, works by Jesse Stockwell: “I had a quote stuck in my mind for years about

SPECIAL EVENT

Pikes Peak Paranormal Conference, three days of “speakers, movies, classes and special excursions,” including Frightday Film Fest, “a UFO SkyWatch” and “speakers presenting on topics from Bigfoot to Ghosts to UFOs and beyond.” Friday-Sunday, May 19-21; various locations in Cripple Creek; see pikespeakparanormal.com for tickets and more info.

spending one’s life dedicated to one’s art. I knew what I had to do.” Through May 27.

GOCA (UCCS/Galleries of Contemporary Art), Xi Zhang/Exit: Childhood, “affords an opportunity to take stock of the enormous evolution in Zhang’s work through the single largest collection of paintings from within the Metallic Leaf Garden series delivered to the public to date.” Through July 1; gallery talk with Ivar Zeile, Saturday, June 17, 4 p.m. , Marie Walsh Sharpe Gallery, Ent Center, 5225 N. Nevada Ave., 719-255-3504, gocadigital. org.

Hunter-Wolff Gallery, 2510 W. Colorado Ave., 719-520-9494, hunterwolffgallery. com. Sculpture by Fred Lunger.

Kreuser Gallery, 125 E. Boulder St., 719464-5880, kreusergallery.com. Colors, Grease, and Wait-eh, works by Maynard, “a self-taught artist who wasn’t afraid of color, and who spent his working years as a welder.”

Seeing, Into and Beyond, works by Lisa Wallace Deen: “The natural world and our physical bodies are battered by the struggle to survive. But there is something beyond physical matter.” Transcend, new works by Wendy Mike: “How far can I push the body? How compelling can it be without crossing the line into being either grotesque or innocuous?” Artist talks with Deen and Mike, May 17, 5:30 p.m. Through May 26.

LightSpeed Curations, 306 S. 25th St., lightspeedart.art. Tudor House of Kosmic Fun (back by popular demand): “Experience blacklight art that is bright, fun, interactive and sure to make you smile!”

The Look Up Gallery, 11 E. Bijou St. (inside Yobel), thelookupgallery.com. New largescale works by Nichole Montanez.

Manitou Art Center, 513/515 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, 719-685-1861, manitouartcenter.org. Art for Every Day by Luka Carter, featuring “collaborations with Bri McGrew and Kingsland Editions” and “Print Intervention by Graphics Research Lab.” Through May 26.

Surface Gallery, 2752 W. Colorado Ave., surfacegallerycos.com. SWIPE: Abstract Adventures with Dating Apps, new work

by Laurel Justice. Plus: recent works by Marisa White, “In the end, Mother Nature always reclaims what we abandon.” Through May 26.

Through Our Eyes, art from the frontlines of the foster care system for Foster Care Awareness Month. Featuring art from Kids Crossing foster youths, foster families/parents, caseworkers, therapists and home coordinators. Through May 31. PPLD’s Library 21c, 1175 Chapel Hills Drive, 719-531-6333 ext. 7012, kidscrossing.com.

True North Art Gallery, 31 E. Bijou St., 210-842-2476, truenorthartgallery@gmail. com, truenorthartgallery.com. “From encaustics and mixed-media to abstract paintings and even lipstick art.”

FILM

Fashion Reimagined, presented by Rocky Mountain Women’s Film: London fashion designer Amy Powney works to reduce the environmental damage caused by her industry. Saturday, May 20, 1:30 p.m.; free with registration at tinyurl.com/Fashion-re; PPLD/Ruth Holley Library, 685 N. Murray Blvd.; tinyurl.com/ rmwf-fashion.

Movie Night at Weidner Field: Top Gun: Maverick, the 2022 sequel with Tom Cruise. Includes backyard games on the field and pre-movie music by the Jake Loggins Band. Saturday, June 3, gates open at 6 p.m.; Weidner Field, 111 W. Cimarron St.; see switchbacksfc.com/tickets/concerts-events for tickets and more info.

KIDS & FAMILIES

For Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Pikes Peak Library District has compiled lists of picture books and chapter books for young readers; learn more at ppld.org/asian-pacific-american-heritage.

Fly fishing, learn the basics of fly fishing Saturday, May 27, starting at 10 a.m. For ages 8 and older; all equipment provided. Meet at Dragonfly Pond at Mueller State Park, 21045 CO-67, Divide; park pass is required; 719-687-2366. Find more park activities at cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/ Pages/Calendar.aspx.

Outdoor School: Backyard Birds, “we will go over bird identification, adaptations, how to attract birds to your yard, and even meet a couple residents right here at the Zoo!” For students in third through sixth grade; Thursday, May 25, 10 a.m.; $24.75; Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road; cmzoo.org/events.

Summer of Discovery: Back to the Moon, includes workshops best suited to kids ages 6-12. On Saturdays from June 3 to Aug. 5, “we will discover new facets of space travel, examine the importance of returning to the moon, learn how to use robotic technology, test our creative skills in engineering design challenges, and much more!” Space Foundation Discovery Center, 4425 Arrowswest Drive; see

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CALENDAR

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Mindful Being

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Adults start June 3: Sats 10-11:30am

Youth start June 7: Weds 10-11:30am

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THE U.S. OLYMPIC

& PARALYMPIC

EXPERIENCE

ONLY RIGHT HERE IN OLYMPIC CITY USA!

SPECIAL EVENT

The Colorado College Music Department celebrates the 30th anniversary of its Indonesian music program with a spring concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 21, in Packard Hall, followed by a reception. The concert includes Gamelan Tunjung Sari, CC Balinese dancers, alumni and friends. Above: CC Gamelan and Balinese dancers at a 2019 concert. See tinyurl.com/CC-Gamelan23 for more info.

➔ continued from p. 9

discoverspace.org/summer-of-discovery for fees and other info.

There’s Trout in Them Hills, “children, ages 4-5 with an adult, will enjoy handson activities, puppet shows or stories, crafts, and a hike”; $3 per person (including siblings and adults), preregistration and prepayment required. Wednesday, May 24, 10-11:30 a.m. and 1-2:30 p.m.; Bear Creek Nature Center, 245 Bear Creek Road, tinyurl.com/epco-fun.

PROSE & POETRY

SPECIAL EVENTS

Rocky Mountain Vibes vs. Northern Colorado Owlz: Opening Day, Saturday, May 27, gates open 5:35 p.m., UCHealth Park, 4385 Tutt Blvd.; see vibesbaseball.com/ landing/index for tickets and more info.

Horticultural Art Society plant sale, May 19-20 (Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). HAS Cottage Backyard, 224 Mesa Road. See hasgardens. wordpress.com/plant-sale for more info.

THEATER

U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center 1750 E. Boulder Street Colorado Springs, CO 719-866-4618

U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum 200 S. Sierra Street Colorado Springs, CO 719-497-1234

Take a tour of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center and get a glimpse of the day in the life of a Team USA Athlete training for Olympic and Paralympic glory. Want the full Olympic & Paralympic experience? Check out the Podium Package and save big on visiting the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum here in Colorado Springs!

For more details: www.TeamUSA.org/PodiumPackage

Colorado Book Awards: There are only three more Saturdays when you can hear Colorado Book Award finalists read from their works. May 20 — creative nonfiction and general nonfiction at East Library; May 27 — anthology, literary fiction and poetry at Library 21c; and June 3 — sci fi/ fantasy and thriller at Rockrimmon Library. Get your tickets now to attend the Finalists Celebration and Winners Announcement — Saturday, June 10, at Penrose House Garden Pavilion; for more information, see tinyurl.com/CO-books-23.

OUTDOOR REC

Guffey Gorge Stewardship Weekend, Rocky Mountain Field Institute volunteer opportunity, rated “strenuous.” Saturday-Sunday, May 20-21, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; ages 16+; register at rmfi.org/civicrmevent/2384; for more info: Calla Balliett, 719-471-7736 ext. 4#, calla@rmfi.org.

Star Party, “After the moon sets, the skies are so dark, you can almost see forever! The Colorado Springs Astronomical Society will bring their telescopes and give you a fabulous tour of the night sky!” Dress warmly, bring a chair and blanket; Saturday, May 20, 8:30-10:30 p.m.; park pass required; Mueller State Park visitor center, 21045 CO-67, Divide; 719-687-2366.

Cool bird thing! BirdCast lets you track birds as they do their spring migration over El Paso County: tinyurl.com/EPCOflybirds.

Silent Sky, presented by the Colorado College Theatre and Dance Department. By Lauren Gunderson: “The true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt explores a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific and heart-bound discoveries.” Through May 20; see tinyurl.com/cc-silents for tickets, dates and times; CC’s Cornerstone Arts Center, 825 N. Cascade Ave.

Free-For-All: Pericles, PPLD and Theatreworks’ traveling (through July) production of the Shakespeare play: “a fast-paced journey of heroes, villains, shipwrecks, pirates, jousting and more.” Friday, May 19, 6:30 p.m.; free; Black Forest Community Church, 6845 Shoup Road; see ppld.librarymarket.com/freeall-pericles-2 for more info.

King Hedley II, by Theatreworks, “follows the title character as he rediscovers relationships with his mother, his wife, and his community after a long absence. Examining legacy, destiny, and free will, Wilson uses family ties (and long kept secrets) to ask what most defines us: the blood we share, or the blood we spill?” Through May 21; $20 and up; Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theater, 5225 N. Nevada Ave.; tinyurl.com/TW-KingH.

My Fair Lady, Lerner and Loewe’s musical about a Cockney flower seller who wants to speak like a proper lady. Tuesday-Thursday, May 23-25, 7:30 p.m.; Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave.; see pikespeakcenter.com for more information and tickets.

Courtesy Colorado College

U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum

U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center

Focus Cyber

TOO PRICEY, TOO SCARY, TOO HARD

Which cybersecurity steps should small businesses tackle first?

BY HELEN LEWIS | helen@csindy.com

If you can’t afford bodyguards, don’t bother locking your doors.

Ridiculous, obviously. But that’s the attitude too many small businesses take to cybersecurity: Knowing they can’t do everything, they do nothing at all.

Post-pandemic, most small businesses are strapped for cash, or staff, or both; taking real steps to address cybersecurity seems too daunting and expensive on top of the challenges of staying afloat. Meanwhile hackers, phishers and scammers are busier than ever.

(In December, the FBI warned that small and medium-sized businesses face a growing threat from cyberattacks: As big businesses bolster their cyber defenses, cybercriminals are turning to more small and mid-sized businesses as soft targets.)

But small doesn’t have to mean vulnerable. Here we’ll give you a few low-cost starting points — to help you lock your doors. n CSBJ

BACK IT UP

On-site backups aren’t enough. Off-site, cloud-based backups are critical to protecting your business operations from disaster — including the human kind. If you’re hit with ransomware but your data is properly backed up off-site, there’s no need to pay the hackers. Carbonite is a good DIY option; a cyber professional can set you up with something better.

NO SUCH THING AS FREE WI-FI

Hackers love free Wi-Fi; it’s great for data theft, account theft, malware, ransomware. Don’t touch it. Use the mobile hotspot on your cellphone when you’re out and about.

KEEP IT CURRENT

Make sure your operating systems, software and firmware are up to date with the latest security patches and upgrades. Don’t forget your router. (Speaking of, you should have a business-class router and a business-class firewall; there are critical differences between those and the home versions.) Set antivirus and antimalware programs to update automatically.

2FA EVERYWHERE

NO PHISHING

Treat emailed links with suspicion, and remind your staff to do the same. And recognize any urgent-and-unusual request as a red flag, whether it’s via email or text, from outside or inside your organization. Check for email addresses that aren’t quite right. If you have a bad feeling about any message, or if money is involved, follow up with a phone call to a known number (not to a number given in the message!) An unsolicited call, email or text from “tech support” is always a scam.

Hackers have programs that can crack passwords in seconds, and that’s why you need two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication, or 2FA, cross-verifies by requiring two forms of identification (often an email address along with a code sent to your cellphone) to access an account. Use it for everything, everywhere — bank logins, all financial transactions, computer logins, Facebook, Office 365; wherever it’s an option, use it. Once you’ve enabled 2FA, don’t respond to any calls or emails asking for a code, even/especially if it appears to come from banks, friends or family. Hackers know about 2FA too, and they’ll get creative to grab that second factor. If they get it, you’re toast.

ROLE-BASED ACCESS CONTROL

With RBAC, employees can access only the systems they need for their specific roles — it prevents unauthorized access to data and misuse of data, and limits which systems are exposed in case of credential theft. You’ll need a cybersecurity professional to set it up.

FIX YOUR PASSWORDS

• Using the same password on multiple accounts is like having a single key for every apartment in the building. If hackers crack your reused password for one site, they’re in all your accounts.

• Never leave a device set to the default username and password. You might not remember what they are, but any hacker can find them with a quick Google.

• Making and remembering passwords is hard; password managers are here to help. They’ll generate complex and unique passwords for every site you use and store them in a “vault” which you can access with just one master password. (Check out Dashlane, Keeper, NordPass, LastPass.)

FIND A QUALIFIED CYBER PROFESSIONAL YOU CAN TRUST

It’s easy to assume cybersecurity support is beyond your budget, or that because things “seem to be working fine” you don’t need it. Three things to consider:

1. A cyberattack can obliterate your budget and your business (60 percent of small businesses that suffer a cyberattack fail within six months).

2. All too often, hackers have already broken into systems that “seem to be working fine.” Lying low, they can do damage you can’t even imagine. Cyber professionals can imagine the damage, and can show you how to prevent it. You don’t want to be scrambling to find help when you’re already in freefall.

3. Ask for credentials and certifications, ask a lot of questions, read your contracts (or better still, have an attorney read them). These aren’t relationships built on handshakes.

DON’T STOP THERE

These steps are the bare minimum. Keep closing gaps when you can afford to, focusing on the higher-risk holes in your cybersecurity defenses. The battle’s never won — but protecting yourself and your clients is just good business.

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Pueblo - $150,000

5 lots in classy upscale subdivision of 37 homes. Complex has clubhouse with pool table, kitchen, meeting area, & indoor pool. Build to meet HOA guidelines which include stucco exterior, stucco privacy walls & tile roof. Can buy 1 to 5 lots (package deals). Each lot can be sold individually for $35,000 each. Nice area in walking distance to shopping & dining yet quiet & tucked away.

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Aurora - $1,295,000

Stunning stucco and brick 6963 sq. ft. custom 2-story home on over 1/3 acre private lot in coveted Saddle Rock Golf Club neighborhood! Open floor plan with 5 beds, 6 baths, study, 4-car attached garage, & amazing 13,504 sq. ft. lot. Curved open staircase. Grourmet kitchen. Formal living & dining rooms. Ovesrized master suite. 3 fireplaces. Wet bars. Crown molding. Bay windows. Trex deck and balcony. Solar panels. Cherry Creek schools. Close to Buckley SFB, golfing, shopping, dining, parks, trails, pools, club house, playground, and tennis courts. MLS# 9907993

WHEN YOU’RE SERIOUS ABOUT REAL ESTATE

1601 N Billy the Kid Lane Pueblo West - $28,500

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719.491.4949

5 Questions: Harmony Cabie-Quinto

BY AMELIA ALLEN |

Harmony Cabie-Quinto heads the new Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Southern Colorado, which launched May 6 during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

How are you involved in the Filipino community in Colorado Springs?

I’m the vice president of a nonprofit called the Filipino American Community of Southern Colorado. Then there’s this online organization called Tindahang Filipino sa Colorado, which translates to ‘Filipino stores in Colorado,’ and that organization came into being during the pandemic. In February [2020] before the pandemic hit, we wanted to come up with an event that features the many Filipino vendors in Colorado Springs. It was supposed to be a fun run — and then the pandemic happened, and all in-person events got canceled. Edmond Viloria [founder of Tindahang Filipino sa Colorado] came up with this brilliant idea to organize the vendors online over at Facebook. The idea was just to have this common portal that all Filipinos here can access. A year later we had our first in-person anniversary [celebration] and then last year we had our second anniversary. People have showed up beyond our expectations.

What inspired you to start the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce here?

So it was actually that [second anniversary] event that somehow triggered the conversation about southern Colorado being ready for a chamber of commerce. The [Coalition of Filipino American Chambers of Commerce] from Southern California started knocking on our door. [Coalition President] Gerry Palon called me and then asked if I would be interested in forming the first Filipino American chamber here in southern Colorado. My initial impression was the chamber of commerce was solely and exclusively for entrepreneurs. Mr. Palon corrected that the chamber of commerce is actually made up of entrepreneurs — specifically the small business owners — and the professionals. So that was really interesting for me, because then that would be more inclusive. Now we have two directors for membership. One is for entrepreneurs, and one is for professionals.

Who did you seek to fill the leadership positions in the new chamber?

I guess I give credit to my exposure both to the Filipino American community of Southern Colorado and TFC because I was able to see who the prime movers were in the community. I think that was the unique perspective that I was able to get by being active in those two organizations. Because I knew right away who I should be approaching to join me in the forming of the chamber. It’s a small community, and you get to see who is really working and whose heart is really in serving the community.

What did you do before moving to the United States?

I was born, raised and educated in the Philippines. I have a law degree. I have

Amnet has been absolutely amazing to work with. Everyone has gone above and beyond. I cannot say enough good things about the whole team.”

– Drew Anderson, IT Manager Town of Monument

an AB [Bachelor of Arts] degree from the state University of the Philippines. I got my law degree after that, thinking that my life would be in the Philippines. There’s this organization called the Association of Law Students of the Philippines, and during my time we had 10,000 law student members. I headed that association. Additionally, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, based in Jakarta, Indonesia, elected me to become the ASEAN Law Students Association President as the first Filipino and the first woman [to hold the position]. This recognition gave me a series of other awards back home. That allowed me to represent the Philippine Embassy and region in the International Law Students Association Conference in Washington, D.C.

What is it like seeking out Filipino communities in Colorado?

When you are in the military you live in a bubble — my husband is in the Air Force. He retired out of Cheyenne Mountain. The Cheyenne Mountain area is so small, there’s a small community right there and they’re all white. There were only three Filipinos when my husband got there and then one moved out of Colorado during that first year. The second Filipino retired in his second year. So we were the only Filipinos that we knew. Then the opportunity for us to run a shipping business happened — not even planned. We were in Denver, delivering a box to ship to the Philippines, and [the shipping company] told us they were looking for agents to help with shipping from Colorado Springs. We found Filipinos that way — from people giving their boxes to us. Then I got into the Filipino American Community of Southern Colorado, and I realized just how many Filipinos are here. If you see your people during festivals, during Christmas, during things that are important to your culture and your heritage — that’s when I started falling in love with the community.

CSBJ

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STORY AND

BY MATTHEW SCHNIPER

SUSHI ROW OPENS

SUSHI ROW (SUSHI-ROW. com) opened May 6 at 316 N. Tejon St., the former YMCA office space next to the Poor Richard’s complex.

The eatery’s coming from industry veterans Riley and Jason Wallenta, coowners of Dos Santos, Dos Dos and White Pie — all located Downtown. They started the original Dos Santos in Denver in 2015, followed by Denver’s White Pie in 2017. Then came the Springs Dos Santos in 2018, the Springs White Pie in 2021, and Dos Dos in late 2022.

This time they aren’t partnering with Jason’s brother Kris, but with minority partner and sushi chef for the venture Zaya Altbish. He’s coming from Denver’s Sushi Sasa, and has been a friend of the Wallentas for 15 years, they tell me. He was their go-to sushi chef in the area back when they first started dating, and “fell in love with the culture, food and romantic nature of sushi,” says Riley. “We’d said one day we want to open our own spot, and this is the right time, right place, right feel,” adds Jason. “This is our little baby, it’s the next level up from what we’ve been doing. More creative, the space is more refined… It’s sexy... a full sensory experience.”

That said, the couple aims to avoid a pretentious atmosphere with Sushi Row. They want to welcome new or seasoned sushi eaters and be all-inclusive, meaning they’re happy to sell you a California Roll if that’s your speed. But if you’re more adventurous, there’s plates for that, including some off-menu items. There’s also non-sushi items, such as pork belly

PHOTOS

Cocktails include a Matcha-Rita.

or eggplant bao buns, steak and cooked fish like miso cod. Additionally, there’s a section of vegetarian rolls and lunch specials like a chirashi bowl.

Also look for small plates that include West Coast oysters and caviar with Champagne service. They say they’ll let the neighborhood and demand dictate how they expand the menu in time. (I mention the fare at Denver’s Uchi as I try to gauge their ambition, and they say “Zaya would like to get us there in time.”)

“We’re always proponents of keeping it simple,” says Jason. “We get indecisive with long menus and find that tends to take away from the experience. But there’s certainly room for us to bring things in with specials.”

Sushi Row also features a custom cocktail menu with some plays off familiar drinks; for example a Matcha-Rita and a Japanese Old Fashioned. It also has an eclectic sake list that “covers all the bases, not just two of each genre,” both at entry-level and higher price points.

“And the patio’s amazing,” says Jason. “I’m excited to sit out there and eat caviar, oysters and a spicy tuna roll with a sake bomb.”

“It’s fun and cozy, a hot new date spot,” adds Riley. Given the story of their own special connection to sushi in their dating life, it makes sense that the couple is leaning on such romantic language to frame this latest endeavor. Cliché as it is to say, it’s clearly a passion project.

COME SIP WITH SCHNIP

I’M LOOSELY PARTNERING

(see full disclosure notes on my May 4 post at sidedishschnip.substack. com) with The Carter Payne for Sip with Schnip Happy Hour, third Thursdays monthly, from 5 to 7 p.m., starting May 18.

Mingle with me and fellow foodies. Join us for a drink or two, play some cornhole on the patio and just hang out real casual like. “I always say this is a place to be human together,” says co-proprietor (and self-described “guy with all the words”) Jeff Zearfoss.

The Carter Payne is of course home to Local Relic Artisan Ales, Immerse Cuisine/BFD, Crusade wine bar and Araucana cocktail bar. And in support of Side Dish, they’re offering the first beer, featured wine or cocktail free to any of my paid subscribers. ($7-$10 value; tip accordingly. My monthly subscriptions are $5, with two months free at an annual rate.) Free subscribers can get 20 percent off their first beverage.

While on the topic of The Carter Payne, their upcoming events include A Chef’s Heritage: Mexico dinner on May 21 ($125 before tax and tip). It’s seven courses in four acts, with paired drinks and a premeal salsa dancing class taught by Latin Grooves. It’s not being helmed by Chef

Brent Beavers, who’s Mexico traveled, but instead Sous Chef Marcus Herrera, who’s also spent time in-country and has Hispanic heritage. The menu’s being kept a surprise, but I know Herrera’s been refining his ideas for months to create it, so it should show a lot of heart. “We’re asking you to trust in us — trust in our artists, creators and cultivators to conceive a culinary experience that pushes the boundary of familiarity,” says The Carter Payne.

DUAL MISSION

‘THAT LEAVES US WITH the Quesa-Tacos, as stoney a stoner food or drunk a drunk food item as you will find — which is to say heavy comfort lavish yum yums. I mean, you’re talking about making quesadillas essentially then using them open-face as taco shells to hold [our choice of] carne asada with fixings. What could go wrong? Nothing. Especially when you pour the jalapeñotomatillo sauce over bites and elevate the heat level and tanginess. That layers in with the unctuous quality of rich cheese, much of it skirted through caramelization, and the saltiness of the chewy beef bits, some textures more akin to ground

beef than skirt or flank cuts...”

That’s an excerpt from my April 4 review of Sivar at The Well (wellinthesprings. com), which you can now read in full at sidedishschnip.substack.com — it’s out from behind the paywall. So you can learn more about this expansion from OCC staple Monse’s Taste of El Salvador (monsestasteofelsalvador.online). Sivar features influences from South American countries like Colombia alongside items hailing from Mexico, Guatemala and beyond. Business co-owner Tim Hines says Sivar evokes nightlife in El Salvador’s capital San Salvador, where there’s a melting pot of Latin American cuisines and a hungry young audience.

Tim and Monse are also working with Lutheran Family Services to provide jobs for Central American refugees living in our area. And since that review published, there’s already new menu items available at Sivar.

FOOD FODDER

• Roots Cafe (rootscafecos.com) celebrated its grand opening April 29 at 330 E. Colorado Ave., the space that was formerly legacy eatery El Taco Rey. Roots is a family-run Hawaiian eatery, serving everything from beloved spam musubi to kalbi, chicken katsu and teriyaki tofu.

• Westside Cottage Foods Market (tinyurl.com/wsfm-2023) kicked off on May 7 with its first and third Sunday markets at 1 S. 24th St. in Old Colorado City. They’ll run from noon to 3 p.m. each day, concluding for the season on Oct. 1. It’s billed as an “outdoor market for locals selling homemade foods under the Colorado Cottage Foods Act.”

• This is a reminder to get your early bird tickets to Taste of Pikes Peak (tasteofpikespeak.com) before prices

go up on June 1. The event takes place Downtown the evening of July 27, with “tastes from more than 60 local restaurants, breweries and distilleries with a concert from the Colorado Springs favorites, the SofaKillers.”

Matthew Schniper is the former Food & Drink editor and critic at the Indy You can find expanded food and drink news and reviews at sidedishschnip. substack.com.

Sivar’s new fried cheese starter with guava dip

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SOUTHWESTERN/MEXICAN STEAKHOUSE

JOSÉ MULDOON’S

222 N. TEJON ST. | 719-636-2311 | 5710 S. CAREFREE CR @ POWERS | 719-574-5673

Since 1974. Features authentic Tex-Mex & Mexican fare in contemporary Sante Fe-styled establishment. Across from Acacia Park, and west of Powers & Carefree. Josemuldoons.com. Support local restaurants! We are open for delivery, carry out, and dine-in at both locations! Please check our Facebook page for hours daily, as they are subject to change.

THE FAMOUS 31 N. TEJON ST. | DOWNTOWN | 719-227-7333

Colorado Springs’ finest upscale steak house and lounge located in the center of downtown. Dine in an elegant and classic steak house environment. Award winning prime steaks, fresh seafood, premium wines, craft brews and piano bar provide a provocative mix of atmosphere and entertainment. Reservations suggested.

MACKENZIE’S CHOP HOUSE

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Offering half off all bottles of wine under $100! Voted Best Power Lunch, Steakhouse and Martini! Downtown’s choice for quality meats and mixed drinks. Mackenzieschophouse.com. Open Mon.-Fri. 11:30am-3pm for lunch, and 5pm- close every day for dinner!

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PLAYING AROUND

Grapefruit Moon, acoustic; 1 p.m., The Well, wellinthesprings.com/happenings.

The Last Men on Earth, classic rock dance party ; 7 p.m., Stargazers Theatre, stargazers-theatre.com/upcoming-events.

Leadville Cherokee, rock/roots, with Joe Johnson Electric Trio, Tonewood String Band; 7 p.m., Oskar Blues, coloradosprings.oskarbluesfooderies.com.

Mahler 9, Colorado Springs Philharmonic; 7:30 p.m., Pikes Peak Center, csphilharmonic.org.

Manitou Strings, Americana; 6 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort.com.

A Minor Detail, with Stony Jamal; 9 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com/events.

Shwarma, “kebab-rock monstrosity,” with Sonic Vomit, Get The Axe; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

SUNDAY, 5/21

WEDNESDAY, 5/17

Acoustic Hour, acoustic; 6 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort.com.

Cold, alternative rock, with The Ocean Effect, Awake for Days, Sygnal to Noise, Divide the Fall; 6 p.m., Sunshine Studios Live, sunshinestudioslive.com.

Countywyde, bluegrass; 6:30 p.m., Front Range Barbeque, frbbq.com/events.

Sunset Patio Session: The Moldy Figs, acoustic; 6 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhall.com.

Thelma and the Sleaze, “all-female, queer Southern rock band,” with Grimmly, The Short T.E.R.M. ; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Trash Panda, neopsychedelia/soul/indie rock/pop, with Nordista Freeze, Plain Faraday; 7 p.m., Oskar Blues, coloradosprings.oskarbluesfooderies. com.

Craig Walter, acoustic ; 7 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/Quinnspub/ events.

John Wise & Tribe, New Orleans R&B/ blues/jazz/island; Tenderfoot Bluegrass; Brandon Henderson, singersongwriter; 6 p.m., Hillside Gardens, hillsidecolorado.com/upcomingevents.

THURSDAY, 5/18

Brendan Abernathy, singer-songwriter, 8 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com.

CC Tiger Jazz Concert, jazz; 7:30 p.m., CC/Packard Hall, tinyurl.com/CCtigjazz.

Nico Colucci, jazz/saxophone; 7:30 p.m., Summa, dizzycharlies.com/events-1.

Dead Floyd, Grateful Dead/Pink Floyd mashup; 8 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com.

Full Throttle Band, blues rock/classic rock/country/R&B; 6 p.m., Notes, notesbar.com/events.

Brandon Henderson, singer-songwriter; 5 p.m., The Well, wellinthesprings. com/happenings.

The Manitou Strings, Americana/rock; 8 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com/events.

Nerea the Fiddler, world music/fiddle; 7 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/ Quinnspub/events.

Pop Punk Prom, wear your prom attire, with Strung Short, Keep Me Speech-

less, Series Break; 8 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

FRIDAY, 5/19

Amanda V’s Material Girl, Madonna tribute; 7 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhall.com.

Bad Anatomy, punk , with Disnvalor, WarGrime, Hivemind, Aubrykill; 8 p.m., Dog House, doghousecos.com.

Blah Blah Blah, rock ; 8 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/Quinnspub/ events.

Brick & Mortar, indie rock duo, with Jhariah, Pollyanna, Krew ; 7 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

Claude Bourbon, guitar — medieval/ Spanish/progressive blues; 7 p.m., TriLakes Center for the Arts, trilakesarts. org.

Dallas Alley, ’60s-’90s; 7 p.m., Notes, notesbar.com/events.

The Long Run, Eagles tribute; 7 p.m., Stargazers Theatre, stargazers-theatre. com/upcoming-events.

Messiahvore, “Organized noise makers ,” with Cobranoid, Worry; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Trevor Michael, mountain folk/ bluegrass ; 5:30 p.m., The Well, wellinthesprings.com/happenings.

Mr. Specific, jams/covers; 8 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch. com/events.

Spur, Americana folk ; 5 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort.com.

SATURDAY, 5/20

Jeffrey Alan Band, original/country/ classic rock ; 6 p.m., Whiskey Baron Dance Hall, tinyurl.com/whisk-dh.

Atreyu, metalcore, with Within Destruction, Lylvc, Deathride; 6 p.m., Sunshine Studios Live, sunshinestudioslive.com.

Avourneen, Irish acoustic ; 7:30 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/ Quinnspub/events.

Canyon Winds: From Broadway to the Movies, community band; 3 p.m., Coronado High, canyonwindsband. com.

Andy Clifton, singer-songwriter/guitar; 6 p.m., Palmer Lake Pub, palmerlakepub.net.

Dreamers, cosmic rock, with Robert DeLong, Carr; 8 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

Blue Frog, Americana/jam, with Bill Snyder; 6 p.m., Front Range Barbeque, frbbq.com/events.

D.R.I., hardcore punk , with Intent; 7 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks. com.

A Family Elephant, blues; 1 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch. com/events.

Our Favorite Things, Pikes Peak Philharmonic; 3 p.m., Ent Center for the Arts, pikespeakphil.org.

Krew, indie rock , with Wilted Greens, My Human Perspective; 7 p.m., Dog House, doghousecos.com.

Mahler 9, Colorado Springs Philharmonic; 2:30 p.m., Pikes Peak Center, csphilharmonic.org.

Re-buried, “Disgusting, misanthropic, filth-ridden old school death metal,” with Drouth, Alone, Victim Ritual; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Tidal Breeze Hot Club Jazz Trio, jazz; noon, The Well, wellinthesprings.com/ happenings.

MONDAY, 5/22

Nico Colucci and Friends, saxophone/ jazz; 6 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com/events.

TUESDAY, 5/23

Hennessy 6, jazz; 7:30 p.m., 3E’s Comedy Club, dizzycharlies.com/events-1.

Skating Polly, “alt-rock with classic D.I.Y. punk and indie pop,” with Lord Friday the 13th, Tiny Tomboy; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Stryper, hard rock , with Dirty Kings; 7 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks. com.

WEDNESDAY, 5/24

Acoustic Hour, acoustic; 6 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort.com.

Rachel Baiman, singer-songwriter; 6:30 p.m., Brues Alehouse, Pueblo, bruesalehouse.com.

Al Chesis, blues; 7 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/Quinnspub/events.

The Jorgensens, rock/ blues/Americana/soul; 6:30 p.m., Front Range Barbeque, frbbq.com/events.

Kepi Ghoulie, punk rock, with Total Cult, Goodmorningaccordiannemesis ; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Brick & Mortar will hit The Black Sheep stage Friday night.

Playing with Smoke, rock; John Wise & Tribe, New Orleans R&B/blues/jazz/ island; Shadow River Band, ’60s-’90s rock/folk/country; 6 p.m., Hillside Gardens, hillsidecolorado.com/upcomingevents.

South for Winter, “dreamy acoustic duets, foot-stomping folk and bluesy murder ballads”; 8 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com.

Sunset Patio Session: Jacob Christopher, country; 6 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhall.com.

THURSDAY, 5/25

Mitch Carter, country ; 7 p.m., Notes, notesbar.com/events.

The Elders, Celtic rock; 7 p.m., Stargazers Theatre, stargazers-theatre.com/ upcoming-events.

Grapefruit Moon, acoustic duo; 8 p.m.,

PLAYING AROUND BIG GIGS

Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com/events.

HRZN, alt-punk , with Between The Heart, Interrobang, Keep Me Speechless ; 8 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

Hot Boots Duo, rock/country/pop/Latin; 5 p.m., The Well, wellinthesprings. com/happenings.

Kung Fu Vampire, rap, with Wil E Haze, Conman Kitty, Affliction Music; 7 p.m., Oskar Blues, coloradosprings.oskarbluesfooderies.com.

Kevin McDeviant, Irish rock; 8 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/Quinnspub/ events.

Worldwide Panic, heavy metal, with So Gone, Thrash Hard City, Any State, Honey and The Hive Mind; 6 p.m., Sunshine Studios Live, sunshinestudioslive.com.

Upcoming music events

Kali Uchis, Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, May 18

Rico Nasty, Bluebird Theater, Denver, May 21

Shania Twain, Ball Arena, Denver, May 23

Stryper, Black Sheep, May 23

Nate Bargatze, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, May 24

Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade with Fishbone, Mission Ballroom, Denver, May 24

Overtime, Legends Rock Bar, May 24

South for Winter, Lulu’s, May 24

Chromeo with Hot Chip, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, May 26

Tejon Street Corner Thieves, Lulu’s, May 26

Gasoline Lollipops, Bluebird Theater, Denver, May 26

MeadowGrass Music Festival, La Foret Conference & Retreat Center,

Black Forest, May 26-28

Old Dominion, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, May 27-28

Sarah Shook and The Disarmers, Lulu’s, May 27

Helloween, Ogden Theatre, Denver, May 30

Ondara, Bluebird Theater, Denver, May 30

Joshua Ray Walker, Lulu’s, May 30

Lord Huron, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, May 31

Katchafire, Black Sheep, June 2

Michael Franti & Spearhead, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 2

Wood Belly, Fox Theatre, Boulder, June 3

Yeah Yeah Yeahs with Perfume Genius, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 5 Continued at csindy.com

EDM artist Gryffin plays Red Rocks on Oct. 24.

Courtesy Gryffin

By Mike Littwin Courtesy The Colorado Sun

Trump town hall was A NECESSARY REMINDER

ALLOW ME TO VOICE A MINORity opinion here about the fiasco that was Donald Trump’s CNN town hall. Even though CNN went, as Tom Nichols wrote in The Atlantic, full Jerry Springer in its 70-minute presentation, and even though management’s motives — ratings, money, expanded audience, whatever — are more than questionable, and even though Trump relishes the opportunity he was given to steamroll a helpless moderator before a worshipful audience, I think the network did a good thing with this town hall, even if accidentally.

By airing Donald Trump in his full Trumpiness, which is to say in all his inglorious lack of simple humanity, they allowed us an unfiltered look at Trump and Trumpism in its present form and showed the former president has lost nothing in his proclivity for lying, for demagoguing and for committing, in full view, random acts of cruelty. There is no good way to cover Donald Trump. We in the media have tried for years to find the secret sauce. Yes, he manipulates the media. But more than manipulating the media, he manipulates nearly half the country. It’s not only that attention must be paid — especially when there’s the real possibility that he could be president again — but that there’s no reasonable way to avoid it.

I watched, of course, and not just because it’s my job. I watched — and hoped others watched — because we apparently are in need of a reminder of who and what Trump is. I would have thought that no one could have forgotten. Not after two impeachments. Not after Jan. 6. Not after all that has been revealed about Trump’s scheme to upend democracy in his attempt to steal the 2020 election.

I watched because there’s no wishing Trump away or hoping that he’ll collapse under the weight of a wave of indictments. I watched because there’s no denying Trump is far and away the leading GOP contender for the 2024 presidential nomination and because of the recent (and, yes, very early) Washington Post-ABC News poll showing Trump leading Joe Biden by six points.

And I watched, most of all, because I desperately want to believe there must be some advantage in people seeing Trump display, in the clearest way possible, that he is both unfit to be president and, worse, a clear and present danger to the American democratic project, not to mention the Ukrainian

dream of building a project of their own.

If I’m wrong about that — and I concede I have been wrong about Trump and his hold on Republican voters too many times to count — I’m not sure what more there is to say, although I’ll keep trying.

LOOK, IF

THOSE WHO WATCH

TRUMP display the kind of behavior you’d expect from a jury-determined sexual abuser, are a majority of the country — or close enough to a majority for Trump to get another Electoral College win — then we are truly screwed.

I’m not talking simply about the Trump cultists who crowd Trump’s rallies and cheer on his Putinlike affair with authoritarianism and his dismissal of a free press and, for that matter, free elections. These same cultists — meaning, Trump’s base of support that has helped him capture the Republican Party — are so fierce that Ron DeSantis, who is bold (deluded?) enough to take on Mickey Mouse, is afraid to even mention that it might be, um, unseemly for Republicans to nominate a sexual predator for president.

No, I’m talking about the 70-odd million people who voted for Trump in 2020 even after his four disastrous years in the White House. Yes, 70 million. How do you explain that number?

There’s a real argument that Trump benefited from the MAGA-friendly crowd, that, in his mind, gave him license to say whatever he wanted. But does Trump really need any encouragement to be Trump? Did anyone who tuned in think Trump, whatever the setting, would be anything but Trump?

Still, here’s another minority view. Trump was not the most dangerous person in the room. And this is something else that everyone needs to see and understand.

More dangerous than Trump were those in the audience who laughed at Trump’s ugly jokes — on E. Jean Carroll, whom he called a “whack job” days after a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming her; on Trump’s puerile nicknames for Nancy Pelosi and Ron DeSantis; on CNN moderator Kaitlan Collins, whom Trump called “nasty” for her attempt to do the thankless and ultimately futile job of real-time fact checking a serial liar; on the supposed inevitability of the United States defaulting on its debts because,

I’m talking about the New Hampshire crowd of Republicans who attended the town hall and cheered him on as if the place were packed with Lauren Boebert clones. (Let that visual sit with you for a while.)

CNN

Trump said, “our country is dying. Our country is being destroyed by stupid people, by very stupid people.”

Let’s agree — if we can agree on anything — that it’s not very smart to call people “stupid.” It’s better, though, than what Trump usually implies and sometimes says outright about his opponents — that anyone who disagrees with him is traitorous, unlike, say, the convicted Jan. 6 insurrectionists whom Trump has not only praised, but promises, in many cases, to pardon if he’s elected again. Do not doubt his assault on democratic norms.

But those in the room, seemingly normal people in the main, laughed at Trump’s jokes. They nodded in apparent agreement when Trump — who, you’ll remember, once called Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine “genius” — refused to say he wanted Ukraine to win the war against Russia. They didn’t seem to blanch when Trump repeated his absurd claim that he would end the conflict in Ukraine in “24 hours.” There was no blanching either when Trump couldn’t bring himself to say his old buddy Vladimir Putin had committed war crimes. And I didn’t hear any boos when Trump tried to defend his indefensible policy of separating immigrant families at the border, taking children from their parents.

Those in the room were clearly content to see Trump spend so much time on the Big Lie of a rigged 2020 election, which is not surprising when polls show that as many as 70 percent of Republicans tell pollsters they still believe in the lie. When you try to explain Trump and how he came to hold so much power, you have to be able to explain that very fact — that the Big Lie, which both the free press and the former House of Representatives clearly showed to be a Gigantic Lie, is still believed by so many people. If you’re not puzzled by this, please help me understand why.

IT DOESN’T PUZZLE ME, THOUGH, WHY MANY ARE offended

by CNN’s decision to give Trump this platform, particularly given CNN’s unforgivable history of televising so many of Trump’s 2016 campaign rallies — not for journalistic reasons, but for the ratings. As Trump will tell you, Trump sells, except, you know, when he manages to go bankrupt — and stiff his creditors — in the process.

If you were as pained as I was watching Trump bully Collins or as pained as I am to think so many people believe Biden’s stumbles with names and dates and places are more of a danger to the country than Trump’s anti-democratic ramblings, I don’t blame you for wishing you could just ignore Trump. I mean, there’s every reason to believe that a new term for an untethered Trump could be a far greater disaster than the first.

And I’m certainly not here to defend cable TV news. I don’t depend on TV talking heads or multi-headed panels for interpretation of the news. But I am ready to listen to someone like MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, a bright guy who slammed CNN’s town hall, saying that a seditious candidate can’t be debated, only defeated.

But I’d argue that if you truly can’t beat a seditious candidate with debate — putting the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers aside, it’s not as if Trump has an actual army these days — what kind of democracy do you have left?

Mike Littwin’s column was produced for The Colorado Sun, a readersupported news organization committed to covering the people, places and policies of Colorado. Learn more at coloradosun.com

More dangerous than Trump were THOSE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO LAUGHED AT TRUMP’S UGLY JOKES.

SAY WHAA?!

El Paso County Commissioner Holly Williams said the quiet part out loud at the Redistricting Commission meeting on May 8. Ignoring pleas to not appoint themselves as the Redistricting Commission, El Paso County commissioners did just that on April 18. On May 8, the five commissioners — including Williams — met for criteria discussions ahead of redrawing the boundaries of their own districts. House Bill 21-1047 — which aimed to stop partisan gerrymandering at the county level and is new since the last county redistricting — demands “fair criteria for drawing of dis-

tricts, plans drawn by nonpartisan staff, robust public participation, and where practicable, independent commissions.” Over the years, the commissioners have redrawn their own districts in ways that make them unwinnable for Democrats. No Democrat has been elected county commissioner since the 1970s. HB 21-1047 states: “The people are best served when districts are not drawn to benefit particular parties or incumbents, but are instead drawn to ensure representation for the various communities of interest and to maximize the number of competitive districts.” Maybe Holly forgot that part.

Presented by:

...one of the criteria I have liked from the beginning was MINIMIZING THE ABILITY FOR SOMEONE TO VOTE ME OUT OF OFFICE EVERY FOUR YEARS… although I’m term limited now, so…

HOLLY WILLIAMS

EDITORIAL BOARD: Bryan Grossman, Helen Lewis, Mary Jo Meade, Ralph Routon

June 2 - 8, 2023 PLAY HARD. WIN BIG.

For event details and registration, go to PikesPeakSBDC.org/sbw

DAY 1

JUNE 2

FRIDAY

SMALL BUSINESS BASH & AWARDS CELEBRATION

Switchbacks Weidner Field

Awards Ceremony: 3:00-4:00PM

Networking & Refreshments: 4:00-6:00PM

Game Starts: 7:00PM | Three Ticket Levels: $25, $50, $100

Kick off Small Business Week 2023 with fun, festivities, and soccer as the Switchbacks take on the Oakland Roots SC! Join us in honoring our local business community with the following awards:

•Small Business Person of the Year

•Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year

•Family-Owned Small Business of the Year

•Young Entrepreneur of the Year

•Small Business Champion of the Year

DAY 3 FLYING AT THE SPEED OF BUSINESS: HOW TO BUILD FOR THE FUTURE

JUNE 6

TUESDAY

iFLY Colorado Springs

9:00-9:30AM: Networking & Light Breakfast

9:30-10:30AM: Workshop | Tickets: $20

As technology advances and the global workforce continues to evolve, the future of work is becoming increasingly uncertain. As we navigate this rapidly changing landscape, it’s important to explore what the future holds and how we can adapt to thrive in a new world of work. Our experts will provide insights into the trends and challenges shaping the future of work, and offer their perspectives on how individuals, businesses, and governments can prepare for what lies ahead. Join us as we delve into this critical topic and chart a path forward for the future of work.

DAY 5 CLOSING CEREMONY

JUNE 8

THURSDAY

U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum

DAY 2

JUNE 5

MONDAY

BECOME A MARKETING CHAMPION!

ProRodeo Hall of Fame

9:00-9:30AM: Networking & Light Breakfast

9:30-10:30AM: Workshop

Tickets: $20

Chat GTP and AI are revolutionizing business and marketing by enabling personalization, automation, predictive analytics, chatbots, image and speech recognition, and content creation. These advancements allow businesses to operate more efficiently and effectively, better understand and engage with their customers, and ultimately drive growth and profitability. As AI technology continues to advance, it is likely to become an even more essential tool for businesses and marketers in the years to come. Join us for this cuttingedge discussion on the emerging marketing trends that are likely to become increasingly important in 2023.

DAY 4 BUILDING A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM: HOW TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN MVPs

JUNE 7

WEDNESDAY

Rocky Mountain Vibes UCHealth Park

11:00-11:30AM: Networking & Light Lunch

11:30AM-12:30PM: Workshop | Tickets: $25

In today’s fast-paced and competitive business world, having a strong team is essential to achieving success. However, building a winning team is not always easy - it requires a combination of leadership, communication, and collaboration skills; as well as a deep understanding of what motivates and inspires each team member. Our panel of experts brings a wealth of experience in building and leading successful teams and will share their insights and best practices for creating a highperforming team culture. Whether you’re a manager, entrepreneur, or simply interested in learning more about effective team-building strategies, this panel discussion promises to be both informative and engaging. Join us as we explore the key elements of building a winning team and discuss how to apply them to your own organization.

4:30-6:00PM: Cocktails, networking, & short presentation | Tickets: $25

Let’s get together one last time to socialize, celebrate, and meet athletes from local sports clubs and Team USA.

THANK YOU SPONSORS!

Presented By

HOSTED BY

PUZZLE ANSWERS

Crossword

of the WEIRD

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL

AWESOME!

● Freebies: Fill in single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

● Freebies: Fill in single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

● Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating.

● The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners.

● The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners.

FROM THE TOO-GOOD-TOpass-up file: Photographer Ken Pretty of Dildo, Newfoundland, had the extraordinary luck on April 27 to capture a 30-foot-tall iceberg floating in Conception Bay. (Nearby towns include Spread Eagle and Placentia.) Live Science reported that the berg, “a column with a domed head protruding up from two oval rafts of ice,” resembled a phallus. “I knew I’d get a lot of comments,” Pretty said, “but I didn’t expect this much.” Sadly, the “dickie berg,” as locals named it, didn’t last: It collapsed the next day.

● Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating.

Bright idea

Eco-activist Rob Greenfield has stopped using toilet paper, and he wants you to, too. People reported on May 4 that Greenfield is touring the country as part of his Grow Your Own Toilet Paper Initiative, introducing people to the blue spur flower plant. The leaves are “soft as can be,” he said. “I call them the Charmin of the garden.” Greenfield sets up a compost toilet in a busy area and gives his spiel: “Hey, did you know you can grow your own toilet paper? I want to show people that another way is possible.” Each leaf is about the size of a piece of toilet paper, and the plant supplies an abundance of them. They can’t be flushed, but they can be thrown in the trash or buried in the yard. Passersby who get sucked in will also hear Greenfield’s views on composting human waste rather than using flush toilets.

Point of law

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled on May 3 that a man who was serving eight to 12 years in prison did not, after all, commit a burglary. In September 2020, Donald Bertram approached the home of Timothy Huff as Huff was working in his yard, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Bertram walked into Huff’s open garage, picked up a $500 leaf blower, got in his car and drove away. But the court said that because Bertram committed the act without “force, stealth or deception,” it wasn’t a burglary. Instead, justices told Scioto County Com-

mon Pleas Court that he could be charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing. Sentences for misdemeanors typically result in less than a year in jail.

Bare Bahr and the bill

Minnesota state Sen. Calvin Bahr of East Bethel garnered some unwanted attention on May 1 after he cast a vote via Zoom — camera on, lying shirtless in bed with, inexplicably, an “I’m Just a Bill” character from “Schoolhouse Rock!” virtual background behind him. The Associated Press reported that immediately after casting his vote, Bahr switched off his camera.

Fuzzy on the concept

Jerry Martin had what he thought was a winning idea for a retail shop: The Drug Store, where people could buy cocaine, heroin, meth and MDMA that had been tested for fentanyl. Vice reported that Martin’s mobile shop, in Vancouver, Canada, was open less than 24 hours when he was arrested for drug trafficking. The store, housed in a mobile trailer that Martin parked next to a police van, featured bright yellow boards with prices listed for all the drugs. Martin wore a stab-proof vest as he sold the items from behind a Plexiglas window. According to him, his plan included getting arrested so that he could challenge “laws that prevent a safe supply and result in death by poisoning” in Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

426 South Tejon Street

All words to be constructed pertain to the topic to the right. To your advantage one word has already been traced. You must trace the three remaining words, using only the letters designated by the darkened circles. Words may begin and end from either column but each letter can only be used once.

Each puzzle has a difficulty rating (right). Four stars signify the highest degree of difficulty.

Given to the right are the point values for each word. Your words must correctly match these point values.

MINI SUDOKU X

SUDOKU X

1 Some book fair organizers, for short

2 Body part that becomes an animal when its vowels are swapped

3 Ctrl+Z, on a PC

4 Mountain range, in Spanish

5 Life energy

6 Snoopy’s imaginary antagonist

7 Domain

8 Things you can hit or pump

9 Org. with a Sixth Man of the Year Award

10 “Don’t trust them!”

11 Author Gaiman

12 Precious material frequently buried with the dead in ancient China

13 Visa alternative, for short

18 Collar insert

19 Slinky, say

24 Fancy-sounding apple cultivar

26 “Cousin ___ Visits the Addams Family” (1965 TV episode title)

27 Pizza parlor purchase

28 Wonder Woman accessory

29 Tabloid tidbit

30 Like the Mandarin and Punjabi languages

31 Wide variety

32 “___ Got Mail” (1998 rom-com)

33 Use a wheelchair’s push rims, for instance

38 Supportive pillows in a yoga class

40 Irregularly

41 It’s used to walk the dog

44 Co. behind the podcast “First Person”

48 Former T-shirts, perhaps 49 Wetland waders

50 Over-the-top sorts?

51 “The Queen of Soul”

54 One unlikely to enjoy a dive bar

55 Trip with many stops

56 Palindromic flour

58 “___, am America” (Langston Hughes line of poetry)

60 Screenwriter/actress

Michaela

61 Snake eyes

62 Ctrl+Y, on a PC

64 Help line?

65 Superfan

CLASSIFIEDS

BODY & SOUL AUTOMOTIVE

CASH FOR CARS!

We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled – it doesn’t matter! Get free towing and same day cash! NEWER MODELS too! 1-866-535-9689

“The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.” ~Earl of Beaconsfield. Don’t miss your opportunity to reach over 142,000 readers with your ad in the Indy. Call 719-577-4545

MARKETPLACE

Gutter Guards and Replacement Gutters Inbound.

Never clean your gutters again! Affordable, professionally installed gutter guards protect your gutters and home from debris and leaves forever! For a FREE Quote call: 844-947-1470.

THE BOBBI PRICE TEAM

Price 719-499-9451

Jade Baker 719-201-6749

Member of Elite 25 and Peak Producers

www.BobbiPrice.com

bobbipriceteam@gmail.com

Viagra & Cialis

Alternative

$99/50 Pills Promo Bundle. Bundled network of Viagra, Cialis and Levitra alternative products for a 50 pill for $99 promotion. Call 888-531-1192.

SUPPORT OUR  ADVERTISERS!

Tell them you saw their ad in the INDY!

Hi, I’m Walt, an adorable little orange and white boy with classic tabby swirls and gentle yellow eyes. I’m ready to weave my way into your heart! HappyCatsHaven.org or 719362-4600.

4G LTE Home Internet

Now Available!

Get GotW3 with lightning fast speeds plus take your service with you when you travel! As low as $109.99/mo! 1-888519-0171 (AAN CAN)

READY-SET-ACTION!

“Heaven never helps the man who will not act.” ~Sophocles.

Take action today! Place your ad in the Independent and reach over 142,000 readers. Call 719-577-4545

ATTENTION

HOMEOWNERS!

If you have water damage to your home and need cleanup services, call us! We’ll get in and work with your insurance agency to get your home repaired and your life back to normal ASAP! Call 833-664-1530 (AAN CAN)

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY!

Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months!

Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. 1-866-3702939

BCI Walk In Tubs are now on SALE!

Be one of the first 50 callers and save $1,500! CALL 844-514-0123 for a free in-home consultation.

Denied Social Security Disability?

Appeal! If you’re 50+, filed SSD and denied, our attorneys can help! Win or Pay Nothing!

Strong recent work history needed. 1-877311-1416 [Steppacher Law Offices LLC Principal Office: 224 Adams Ave Scranton PA 18503

DISH TV $64.99

For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/21/24. Call 1-866-566-1815.

QUALITY EMPLOYEES

We reach smart, active locals. Advertise your open jobs in the Indy by calling 719-577-4545. Affordable and effective.

DONATE YOUR VEHICLE to fund the SEARCH FOR MISSING CHILDREN.

FAST FREE PICKUP. 24 hour response. Running or not. Maximum Tax Deduction and No Emission Test Required! Call 24/7: Call 855-504-1540

100%

Of our readers eat. Shouldn’t they be eating at your place? Advertise in the Indy by calling 719-577-4545

LONG DISTANCE MOVING: Call today for a FREE QUOTE from America’s Most Trusted Interstate Movers. Let us take the stress out of moving! Call now to speak to one of our Quality Relocation Specialists: Call 855787-4471. (AAN CAN)

113 Steep Road

WHAT TO DO?

The Independent has the best calendar of events in town. Check them out or submit your own at csindy.com.

Men’s Sport Watches Wanted.

Advertiser is looking to buy men’s sport watches. Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe, Here, Daytona, GMT, Submariner and Speedmaster. The Advertiser pays cash for qualified watches. Call 888-320-1052.

FSBO

Get it in this week’s Indy! CALL 719-577-4545

National Pest Control Are you a homeowner in need of a pest control service for your home? Call 866-616-0233

Spectrum Internet as low as $29.99; call to see if you qualify for ACP and free internet. No Credit Check. Call Now! 833-955-0905

TOUCH THE CROWD!

142,000 Await You. From Monument to Colorado Springs to Pueblo touch ’em with the Indy. We are the South-Central Front Range Alternative. For all your advertising needs call 719-577-4545

Crystal Park - $100,000

Build your dream home on this totally private 0.7 acre lot in Crystal Park. Hard to find flat building site surrounded by towering trees & 360 degree views of the city, mountains, & rock formations. Electricity is by the lot & driveway is cut in. Less than 1 mile from the stocked fishing lake, club house, heated pool, & tennis & basketball courts. MLS# 9785523 (LAND)

729 S. Institute Street

Cheyenne Addition - $289,900

Fix me please! Cute 1108 sq. ft. 2 bed, 1 bath rancher. Den or office. Carport. Shed. 600 sq. ft. exterior basement for storage. Bring your paint brush & imagination to make it own. Sold as is & priced accordingly. Walking distance to Memorial Park. MLS# 8675884

1954 E Frying Pan Drive

Pueblo West - $309,900

Investor special with a lot of potential! 1620 sq. ft. stucco 2-story new build on 1.17 acres with no back neighbors. 3 beds, 2 baths, 2-car garage. Granite counters. White cabinets. Wood laminate floors. Stainless steel appliances. UL is master suite with custom bath & walkout to 36x8 deck. A/C. Priced to reflect what still needs to be done: lights, trim, baseboards, & hardware installed; master bath finishes; concrete driveway poured; & septic installed. MLS# 5769245 (OTHER)

2336 Conservatory

Point – Springs

Canyon - $549,900

Open concept 2673 sq. ft. 3 bed, 3 bath rancher townhome with total

1-level living. No neighbors behind or in front –only deer, pines, & scrub oak. Finished walkout basement. Spacious master suite. A/C. Gas log fireplace. Vaulted & 9’ ceilings. Attached 2-car garage. Stucco & stone exterior. Trex deck & covered patio. $300/ mo HOA covers everything outside for you. Move-in ready. Seller will contribute $5000 towards buyers closing costs. MLS# 8308112

(CENTRAL) Call Bobbi at 719-499-9451 for more information.

SELL MORE HOUSES

Place an ad in the Independent Real Estate section & reach 24% of the People planning to buy a home. Call today!

719-577-4545

REAL ESTATE

GET NOTICED — ADVERTISE!

Grab your spot in the lime light. Advertise in the Indy & reach 142,000 readers in Colorado Springs. Call today

719-577-4545

6943 S Picadilly Street – Aurora -

$1,295,000

Stunning stucco and brick 6963 sq. ft. custom 2-story home on over 1/3 acre private lot in coveted Saddle Rock Golf Club neighborhood!

1408 Tierra Berienda – Pueblo - $25,000

4310 sq. ft. lot in upscale subdivision of 37 homes. Close to I-25, shopping, and dining. Complex has clubhouse with pool table, kitchen, meeting area, & indoor pool. Small park. Must conform to blend in (stucco, tile roofing, & privacy walls). May purchase 1 to 5 lots. Call Bobbi at 719499-9451 for more information. MLS# 5093736 (LAND)

OFFER A HOME SERVICE?

Get it in this week’s Independent for less than $20 per week!

3179 County Road

61 – Cripple Creek$80,000

Open floor plan with 5 beds, 6 baths, study, 4-car attached garage, & 13,504 sq. ft. lot. Curved open staircase. Gourmet kitchen. Formal living & dining rooms. Oversized master suite. 3 fireplaces. Wet bars. Crown molding. Trex decks. Solar panels. Cherry Creek schools. Close to Buckley SFB, golfing, shopping, dining, parks, trails, pools, club house, playground, and tennis courts.

1601 N Billy the Kid Lane – Pueblo West$28,500

1.47 acre lot at end of quiet cul de sac with sweeping unobstructed mountain & Pikes Peak views. Flat at front of lot & moving back the lot gently slopes to allow for a walkout. Backs and sides to open space. Easy commute to both Colorado Springs or Pueblo.

MLS# 5628454 (LAND)

MLS# 9907993

(OTHER) Call Bobbi Price. The Platinum Group. 719-499-9451.

Call Bobbi Price. The Platinum Group. 719499-9451.

Beautiful 5.25 acre lot in a small gated community called Rainbow Ridge with only 9 parcels. Pikes Peak & mountain views. Community stocked fishing pond on lot. Towering pines & aspen. Lots of sunshine. Located approximately 10 miles south of Divide off Highway 67. Easy commute & privacy on several possible building sites. This subdivision is off grid.

MLS# 8657980 (LAND) Call Bobbi Price. The Platinum Group. 719499-9451.