Indy - June 1, 2023 Vol 31. No. 21

Missing mark the 4

Nearly a third of female police recruits don’t graduate the CSPD academy

BY PAM ZUBECK

writer Matt Schniper explores waterfalls, bubble waffles and chipmunk art A PUBLICATION OF CITIZEN-POWERED MEDIA June 17, 2023 | ALWAYS FREE

‘BOWL-LEAVE’ IT!

Our mission is to deliver the truth, build community and engage citizens.

PUBLISHER

Fran Zankowski

COVER DESIGN BY Dustin Glatz

EDITORIAL

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Bryan Grossman

MANAGING EDITOR Helen Lewis

COPY EDITOR Mary Jo Meade

SENIOR REPORTER Pam Zubeck

CULTURE REPORTER Nick Raven

CONTRIBUTORS

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

SALES

AD DIRECTOR Teri Homick

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Felicia Anzaldúa,

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EXIT PAY

Newly elected Mayor Yemi Mobolade inherits employment agreements for top city officials

BY PAM ZUBECK | zubeck@csindy.com

AFTER MAYOR-ELECT YEMI MOBOlade takes office next week, he’s said he’ll be “open to any changes that need to happen” among directors and department heads, though he doesn’t anticipate a lot of turnover.

Should he decide to send one or more of those top officials packing, he’ll be faced with employment agreements for seven of them that he inherits from the first strong mayor, Steve Bach, who inked five deals, and outgoing two-term Mayor John Suthers, who agreed to two.

Bach spent more than $1.5 million paying department heads and others to leave or retire so he could install his own appointees, though his communications staff said at the time he didn’t pay severance to anyone who was terminated for cause.

Among those who were paid severance on Bach’s watch were City Attorney Patricia Kelly, her successor City Attorney Chris Melcher, economic vitality officer Steve Cox, Police Chief Richard Myers, HR Director Ann Crossey and several others. They received six months’

pay; health insurance benefits for a time; and unused sick and vacation time, the latter of which is required by law. Less fond of severance, Suthers paid only three people to resign, according to agreements that surfaced during his tenure. Those payments went to former Fire Chief Chris Riley, Police Commander Fletcher Howard and Parks Director Karen Palus. They received six months’ pay and other benefits as well. (Riley’s and Palus’ agreements were put in place by Bach.)

The highest paid appointee, Chief of Staff Jeff Greene, who was hired by Suthers, earns an annual salary of $231,845. In addition, he’s racked up 425 hours of unused vacation time.

WHETHER ANY OF THE CURRENTLY SERVING directors will lose their jobs remains foggy, but it’s worth noting who they are and how much their departures could cost taxpayers.

All of the agreements contain clauses that allow payment of up to six months’ salary if terminated without cause. The agreements also disallow any severance pay should a person be terminated for cause, which is generally defined as refusal or failure to follow a lawful directive of the city; fraud; willful dishonesty or misconduct, act or omission in discharge of duties, or disclosure of confidential information.

Those with hold-over employment agreements courtesy of Bach, the date of the agreement, salary at the time of the agreement, and current

She also was given either a city vehicle or a vehicle allowance.

Suthers’ employment agreements cover two employees: Chief of Staff Greene: June 2015; $186,945 a year when appointed; $231,845 today. His agreement also allows him use of a city vehicle or a vehicle allowance.

Finance Director Charae McDaniel: September 2017; $160,000 a year when appointed; $211,237 today. She also is allowed a city vehicle or a vehicle allowance.

UPON RESIGNATION, ALL EMPLOYEES ARE entitled

to cash out their unused vacation time, which is required by state law.

HR Director Mike SulliJanuary 2012; $135,000 a year when appointed; $207,296 today. No severance amount was allowed in the original agreement, but six months severance was added in an amendment to the agreement dated September 2012. City Clerk Sarah Johnson: May 2012; $115,000 a year when appointed; $155,167 today.

Planning Director Peter Wysocki: November 2012; $130,000 a year when appointed; $211,520 today.

salary: van: appointed; today. No severance amount was months severance was added in an amenda appointed; $211,520 today. city vehicle or a

Public Works Director Travis Easton: August 2014; $150,000 a year when appointed; $211,520 today. He also was given a city vehicle or a vehicle allowance.

However, vacation time carrying over into the following year may not exceed the employee’s annual entitlement plus 40 hours, according to city policy, unless an employee is not granted time to take vacation due to operational requirements, or other special circumstances. The maximum allowed to be carried over into a new year is 400 hours. However, the city’s policy says, “The carry over above the maximum of 400 [hours] is not paid out upon termination or retirement from the City and is lost if not used in the following year.”

Vacation leave accrued for the appointees currently serving are as follows: Massey, 515 hours; Wysocki, 436; Easton, 278; Sullivan, 649; Johnson, 564; Greene, 425; and McDaniel, 471.

As for sick leave payouts, the city policy dictates no payment for accrued sick time when a person resigns or is terminated, or retires if they were hired after Dec. 31, 2010.

Those who retire and were hired before Dec. 31, 2010, are paid half of accrued sick leave hours in excess of 480 hours.

The only two people among current appointees whose employment began before Dec. 31, 2010, are McDaniel, who’s been with the city since 1995, and Massey, who’s been with the City Attorney’s Office since 1990.

today.

City Attorney Wynette Massey: September 2014; $192,276 a year when appointed; $227,969 today.

Their accumulated sick hours are 471 and 515, respectively, which means McDaniel would get no sick pay if she retires soon, and Massey would be paid for half of those hours in excess of 480, or half of 35 hours.

Wynette Massey:

Jeff Green.

[I'm] open to any changes that need to happen.

—Yemi Mobolade

Missing the mark

Nearly a third of female police recruits don’t graduate the CSPD academy

BY PAM ZUBECK | zubeck@csindy.com

AS THE COLORADO Springs Police Department struggles to fill its ranks, female recruits are washing out at a rate of 30 percent — twice that of male recruits.

In the last three academy classes, during 2021 and 2022, 11 of 37 female recruits didn’t graduate for a variety of reasons. For males, 17 of 120 (or 14 percent) didn’t make it to graduation.

Of those 11, five women failed because they didn’t pass the firearms test; one failed the driving test; two didn’t pass the physical ability test; and three were terminated “for other reasons.”

For male recruits, four failed the firearms test; two failed the driving test; one failed the physical test; two failed academic testing; two were injured; and six were terminated “for other reasons.”

(CSPD’s senior public communications supervisor Robert Tornabene says via email the recruits who left the academy for “other reasons” include those who chose to quit for personal reasons; to move closer to their families; or because they realized law enforcement wasn’t their thing.)

Of the 129 officers who graduated onto the force, 26 are female — that’s one

in five. When the classes began, women comprised 31 percent of recruits, though Tornabene says that usually 20 percent of applicants are women.

The data underscore the difficulty of the department to attract recruits at a time when the ranks are short by 79

officers. Authorized strength this year is 821, but only 742 officers are on duty. It also highlights the rigorous training recruits are expected to complete.

IT TURNS OUT THAT THE CSPD actually has a higher percentage of its

sworn officers who are women than the nation as a whole. National Public Radio reported last July that women make up 12 percent of the law enforcement officers in the country and that one effort to increase those numbers, the 30x30 initiative, strives to see

Colorado Springs Police Department Physical Ability Testing Standards

These standards were established in the year 2020 for use beginning with 2021 entry level testing processes. | Data via CSPD

Police recruits take part in an exercise.

Recruits hired

After that, a trial was scheduled to determine actual damages sustained by the female plaintiffs due to lost wages for overtime and other losses when duty was changed based on not passing the test, as well as emotional distress.

The lawsuit never went to trial. The next year, 2018, the city settled the case by paying $2.5 million to the 12 women who brought the action.

The CSPD does not currently use a physical ability test incumbent officers, Tornabene says.

CONSIDERING THE CITY HAS

been sued several times in recent years for excessive use of force and other issues, adding more women to its force could be a good thing.

As we previously reported in 2015, data at that time showed that male cops dominate the ranks of officers accused of using excessive force. Of the more than two dozen Colorado Springs Police officers named in excessive-force lawsuits against the city in five years prior to our report, all were men. Moreover, in the same period, women represented fewer than 1 percent of those under review for an “escalating pattern of conduct” that includes excessive use of force.

More recently, a look at 10 lawsuits filed against the CSPD and its officers between 2020 and this year shows that allegations of use of excessive force were lodged against 25 male officers and four female officers.

It’s worth noting that one of eight CSPD officers who received the department’s Medal of Valor in 2022 was a female officer, and 3 of 13 Distinguished Service Award winners were women.

Tornabene says those who start the academy but don’t finish shouldn’t be categorized as failures.

“Just because we have more females that do not finish the academy, does not mean that they ‘washed out,’” he says. “Some left for personal reasons but may have otherwise successfully completed the academy and field training.”

women comprise 30 percent of the recruits in police training classes by 2030, NPR reported.

At the CSPD, 16 percent of the sworn force is comprised of women.

Still, the department has a history of being accused of discriminating

against women. A group of female officers sued the department in 2015, alleging the Physical Ability Test, or PAT, didn’t moderate requirements for older female officers, who had successfully done their jobs for decades. When some of those women

failed the PAT test, some were given desk duty until they could pass, while others resigned.

But a U.S. District Court judge ruled in 2017 that the PAT test required of female officers violated federal law requiring equal treatment of women.

ONE INDY READER TAKES issue with some of the physical testing that’s required — most notably, the “vertical jump.” Upon entry to the academy, recruits have to be able to jump 15 inches off the ground from a standstill. To graduate, they must be able to jump 19 inches.

It’s hard to imagine when an officer would need to jump that high from a standstill, rather than getting a running start at it, so we asked why this is a requirement.

continued on p. 6 ➔

Data via CSPD

Says Tornabene, “The vertical jump measures a person’s overall explosive power. It is an important area for pursuit tasks that require jumping and vaulting.”

He later elaborated in an email, saying, “There are hundreds of things officers do in their day to day lives that the public would never imagine doing, nor want to be doing. The law enforcement profession is a challenging and demanding career that is not suited for everyone. While many individuals claim they can handle police work, the reality of confronting armed suspects, investigating deaths, or responding to gunfire may prove otherwise. The purpose of training academies is to equip recruits with real-world experiences and prepare them for their future roles within the police department.”

Among other physical requirements in the physical test is bench pressing 74 per-

cent of a person’s body weight, a timed agility run, performing at least 31 sit-ups in one minute, running 300 meters in 64 seconds and doing 25 push-ups.

Considering the last three academies have seen 18 percent of those who entered not graduate, what’s to be done?

There’s really not much room to make concessions, Tornabene says, because the academy follows the Peace Officer Standards Training board’s requirements for driving, arrest control and firearms. A person cannot be a CSPD officer without POST certification.

That said, Tornabene says the POST requirements allow additional attempts at the test for each skills area, followed by remedial training and then additional attempts at the test.

“If a recruit does not successfully pass the POST standards, they must go through the entire skills program again at a later date,” Tornabene says.

or Pueblo. MLS# 5628454

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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

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

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

729 S. Institute Street – Cheyenne Addition - $289,900

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2336 Conservatory Point – Springs Canyon - $549,900

The purpose of training academies is to equip recruits with real-world experiences.

— Robert Tornabene

Recruits go through intensive training.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MATTHEW SCHNIPER

WATERFALLS, BUBBLE WAFFLES AND CHIPMUNK ART

Appetizers

PAID

TONY’S

Pillars of Hercules on the left

R

Wouldn’t ya know, they’re feeling festive and invited the media to a preview recently. Drinks were poured. Tapas-like food samples served. Ice cream scooped. Dapper staff stood at attention to greet guests. Waterfowl bathed in South Cheyenne Creek, and Broadmoor leadership gave a presentation in front of the iconic falls. Then, an array of chipmunks were unleashed.

OK, not real chipmunks, like doves at a wedding. No, these 4-foot-tall chipmunks, painted by third-grade student finalists in a countywide contest, are on display through Labor Day so visitors can vote on their favorite.

The media event was quite a colorful affair for an otherwise gray day, bring ing back fond memories of past visits, like in 2015 when I first reviewed 1858 for the Indy. This is the first year since 2019 (pre-pandemic days) that 1858 is open, and they’ve created new menus. Among

the samples were barbecue-glazed, River Bear bacon-wrapped shrimp. (So what if I ate four of these? The staff kept offering. How was I to say no?) And the hardwood-smoked Colorado trout dip on crostini with avocado and Broadmoor Farms tomato and caper relish. (OK, so I think I only scarfed two of these.)

For drinks we sipped a sparkling, nonalcoholic raspberry limeade and a Moonshine Mule made with 291 Fresh whiskey. For dessert we visited the new Falling Waffles bubble waffle sundaes food truck. (Is it even possible to jam more fun into a name than that?) I tried

326 N. TEJON ST. | 719-228-6566 | TONYSDOWNTOWNBAR.COM

COLORADO’S

FUJIYAMA 22 S TEJON ST. | 719-630-1167

AMERICAN ASIAN BBQ

SERVING COLORADO SPRINGS SINCE THE TURN OF THE CENTURY OVER A QUINTILLION SERVED PAID ADVERTISEMENT • 719.577.4545

SAIGON CAFÉ 20 E. COLORADO AVE. | 719-633-2888 | COLORADOSAIGONCAFE.COM

Open for Lunch and Dinner Mon-Sat. Welcome to the Saigon Café the award winning Vietnamese restaurant in Colorado Springs. Our cuisine is cooked with fresh vegetables, herbs and meats in authentic Vietnamese style. Try our renowned noodle bowl, a lunchtime favorite. M-Th 11AM–3PM; 4PM–8:30PM F-Sat 11AM–3PM; 4PM-9:30PM

BIRD DOG BBQ

3 LOCATIONS + CATERING | BIRDDOGBBQ.COM | 719-573-7671

Bird Dog now offers online ordering from the location of your choice! Order and pay online, then skip the line when you pick it up! Visit our website at www.BirdDogBBQ.com and click ORDER ONLINE to place your order. We also offer our award-winning catering services in individuallyboxed meals! Call 719-573-7671 for details.

ESTAURANT 1858 AT Seven Falls (sevenfalls.com) might be named in tribute of Colorado’s Gold Rush, but 1883 is the year the beloved local attraction (at 1045 Lower Gold Camp Road) opened. That makes this year the scenic park’s 140th anniversary.Undercover: the giant chipmunks

continued on p. 8 ➔

a special Chipmunk Sundae made with Broadmoor Creamery caramel ice cream topped with candied almond and sesame crumbles, chocolate-covered pretzels, peanut brittle, caramel popcorn and Nutella sauce.

Oh and I also got a delicious bite of the Pillars of Hercules signature waffle creation, made with double chocolate chunk ice cream, marshmallow, Oreos, chocolate sauce and sweetened condensed milk. It’s named for the dramatic Pikes Peak granite canyon cliffs at the terminus of the snaking road up South Cheyenne Cañon.

All of which is to say, go if you’ve somehow never been. Return if it’s been too long. And skip it if you have a chipmunk phobia.

“YOU BETTER BOWLLEAVE IT!”

THIS ONE’S ACTUALLY NOT my pun. It’s on a press release about the May 19 opening of Teriyaki Madness (teriyakimadness.com) at 7895 Silicon Heights, out east near the intersection of Highway 24 and Marksheffel Road.

Teriyaki Madness is a fast casual Asian

food franchise with more than 130 locations in the U.S. and a couple each in Canada and Mexico. They call themselves Seattle-style teriyaki in a nod to their origins and the city’s seafood reputation. Proteins on the customizable bowls include steak, salmon, all-natural chicken and tofu with stir-fried veggies over yakisoba noodles or white, brown or fried rice.

Related to the Springs’ new location, it’s operated by Randy and Charity Stauffacher. From the release: “After two decades in their respective careers in IT and trauma therapy, the couple looked for a new opportunity that would get them more involved in the community.”

WHISKEY SUNDAYS

YOU’VE PROBABLY heard the news by now of Axe and the Oak ’s expansion into Arkansas. The company (axeandtheoakdistillery.com) plans to “keep things going strong in Colorado Springs,” says co-owner Casey Ross in a recent article by Arkansas-based media

company TB&P (Talk Business & Politics, tinyurl.com/axe-oak).

Back here in the Springs, they’ve launched a new Summer Sundays patio series at their Ivywild School Whiskey House taproom. Nab $7 cocktails and $1 off whiskey ice cream from 1 to 6 p.m. Sundays through Labor Day.

COFFEE AND CIDER

BOXING BROTHERS

Ciderhouse (boxingbrotherscider.com) recently announced some big changes to its operations after seven years, specifically related to growing its product

Teriyaki, Seattle style

lineup and focusing efforts on its motor sports-themed Daredevil Coffee (daredevil.coffee) brand. They’ve changed up their retail offerings at 4655 Town Center Drive (just across from Ranch Foods Direct’s east location).

“It is no secret that hard seltzers, rising food cost (apples), and supply issues have weakened the hard cider market over the past year,” they share in a Facebook post. “Please know that this is not the end of Boxing Brothers cider, and we plan to continue its manufacturing at our new production facility that goes online in 2024. We also will continue to work on opening a retail wine bar and coffee shop on the northside of Colorado Springs, and there will be more details on that project to come.”

To be clear, the shop is not a coffee café, but says it will host Rides & Coffee meetups, and sell “a wide variety of our exclusive coffee and ciders to the public [during limited taproom hours]. You will also be able to purchase swag items and pick up online orders, and even rent out the space for events.”

AMERICA’S MOST WANTED

‘THERE’S TACO TRUCK vendors that have stood out in unique ways to me over the years, like El Chapin, Tepex, El Poblano Mobile, and more recently Moctezuma Mexican Grill. And to that list, I can now add Native Grill (nativegrillcolorado.com), which celebrated its first anniversary in May.

“The talented owner/chef behind the business is America Campbell, a Springs resident of 30 years, who tells me she’s “pursuing a passion” with this truck. Her menu features flavors from all over Mexico. She travels to the Juarez area quarterly to purchase ingredients, including seven varieties of dried chiles, cinnamon sticks, vanilla, and a special Mennonite cheese that gets prominently utilized on her menu.

CATERER

PICNIC BASKET CATERING COLLECTIVE PBCATERING.COM | 719-635-0200

Picnic Basket Catering Collective including sister companies Cravings

Five Star Events and Buffalo Gals Grilling Company provide full-service catering for open houses, family reunions, business meetings, weddings and rehearsal dinners. Distinctively different styles sure to please any palate. Voted Best Caterer (Gold) by Indy readers.

CRAFT PUB

ODYSSEY GASTROPUB

311 N. TEJON ST. | 719-999-5127 | ODYSS EYGASTROPUB.COM

Voted Best New Restaurant 2015 by Indy readers. Specializing in an eclectic mix of craft food, craft beer, and craft cocktails. Odyssey Gastropub is a downtown gem with a warm, intimate atmosphere and awesome staff. Start your adventure with us! Mon.- Fri. 11am - 10pm, Sat. & Sun. 10am - 10pm

GERMAN

EDELWEISS RESTAURANT

34 E. RAMONA AVE. | (SOUTH NEVADA & TEJON) | 719-633-2220

“She presses her own tortillas onboard the truck. She’s proud of her from-scratch approach, which leaves almost nothing that’s not completely fresh and made-toorder. Her sauces/salsas are Mayan-style, and I’m super impressed by the bright punch each offers. There’s a blackened pineapple habanero for sweet vegetal heat; a phenomenal hibiscus morita pepper (my favorite) that’s smoky and faintly fruity and tart; an earthy-nutty peanutchile de árbol; and milder, more acidic roasted tomatillo-serrano.

“I order the Fantastic Four plate — not a comic book thing, but a mashup of Native Grill’s pastor, asada, quesabirria and Chilaco shrimp tacos.”

That’s an excerpt from my dining review of Native Grill, which is now available to read for free at sidedishschnip.substack.com. Find out where they regularly park and discover Campbell’s 1,500-year-old method for birria, available in goat or beef form.

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.

For 50 Years Edelweiss has brought Bavaria to Colorado Springs. Using fresh ingredients, the menu invites you to visit Germany. Support local business! We’re open and doing drive-thru and takeout with a limited menu that can be found on our website! www. edelweissrest.com.

SOUTHWESTERN/MEXICAN

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.

STEAKHOUSE

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

128 S. TEJON ST. HISTORIC ALAMO BUILDING | DOWNTOWN | 719-635-3536

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!

A 1,500-year-old method for birria

All this, from scratch

Y our o ne -Stop S hop F or A rt

INDY FUNDRAISER

Songs to Save the Indy, “a Folk FUNdraiser concert to keep local news local.” With live music from Joe Uveges, Jeremy and Lindsay Facknitz, Mike Hogan and Mary Sprunger-Froese, performing the music of Lou and Peter Berryman. Saturday, June 3, two shows, 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; tickets $19.93 (the year the Indy launched) benefiting the nonprofit Colorado Springs Independent, available at themat.org or 719-465-6321; Millibo Art Theatre, 1626 S. Tejon St.

ART EVENTS

Art on the Streets Scavenger Hunt, “get to know the new Art on the Streets public art exhibit through a passport-guided scavenger hunt featuring art, trivia, an activity, or treats.” Ages 5 and older; free ($10 donation requested); Friday, June 2, 5-8 p.m., pre-registration required at downtowncs.com/first-friday to receive map/passport.

C.H. Rockey: A Presentation by David Ball, “learn more about Manitou Springs’ legendary artist, writer and illustrator” at Manitou Springs Heritage Center; Saturday, June 3, 10 a.m.; registration required at tinyurl.com/CHR-Manitou. Portraits of Manitou by C.H. Rockey, “features original town views and significant historical buildings including The Cliff House, Barker House, The Wheeler Town Clock, Miramont Castle, Craftwood Inn as well as individual residences, parks, bridges and neighborhood scenes.” Opening reception Friday, June 2, 4:30-7 p.m.; Manitou Springs Heritage Center, 517 Manitou Ave.; through November.

ART/FIRST FRIDAY

45º Gallery, 2528 W. Colorado Ave., Suite B, 719-434-1214, 45degreegallery.com. Works by soft pastels artist Patrick Kochanasz and potter Clyde Tullis. Opening Friday, June 2, 5-8 p.m.; through June.

Academy Art & Frame, 7560 N. Academy Blvd., 719-265-6694, academyframesco. com. Military Appreciation Show with works by military members or family. Through May 31. New show opens June 16.

Anita Marie Fine Art, 109 S. Corona St., 719-493-5623, anitamariefineart.com. Atmospheric, works by Chuck Mardosz and Richard Dahlquist. Opening Friday, June 2, 5-7 p.m.

Art 1eleven Gallery, 111 E. Bijou St., 719493-5084, facebook.com/Art1elevenGallery. With large abstract oil paintings by Faith Gilbert. Opening Friday, June 2, 4-9 p.m., with live music from 6 to 8 p.m.

Bella Art & Frame, 251 Front St., #11, Monument, 719-487-7691, bellaartandframe. com. 2023 Spring Show, with works by oil painter Steve Weed. Reception Thursday, June 15, 5-8 p.m.; through June 24.

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

ART EXHIBIT

Kreuser Gallery, 125 E. Boulder St., 719464-5880, kreusergallery.com. Anchors that Weigh, featuring works by Kearston Corey: “Anchors can be anything that weighs a person down; a relationship, children, mortgage, job, commitments, chores, addiction, this list is endless. ... the choice to carry them is met with grace and beauty even as they drag us to the depths.” Chelsea Boucher’s Ghosts in the Blood, “a journey through ... my own selfhood and experiences, interpreted through themes of nostalgia, societal and personal expectation, neurodivergence, death, and whimsy.” Altoids, two works each by a dozen artists — one created in an Altoid container and one 10-by-10-inch work. Opening Friday, June 2, 5-9 p.m.; through June. Artist talks with Kearston Corey and Chelsea Boucher, Wednesday, June 21, 5:30 p.m.

inspire viewers to reflect on instances in their own lives that have enabled them to become better versions of themselves.”

Through June 30.

The Bridge Gallery, 218 W. Colorado Ave., #104, 719-629-7055, thebridgeartgallery. com. Assemblage/Found Art, 2D and 3D art made from everyday objects and materials by Chris Alvarez, Dave Armstrong, Betty Atherton, Michael Bailey, Ron Burnham, Alan Burton, Nancy Burton, Jana Bussanich, Michael Cellan, John Lawson, Bob LeDonne, Marc Shereck and Phil Vallejo. Opens Friday, June 2, 5-8 p.m.; through July 1.

“The Depth of Grace” by Kearston Corey

Colorado Springs

Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, 30 W. Dale St., fac.coloradocollege.edu.

ART EXHIBIT

shape, shadow and color.” Opening Friday, June 2, 5-9 p.m.

Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 427 E. Colorado Ave., 719520-1899, cottonwoodcenterforthearts.com. Pantone Color of the Year, a juried show with works of all styles and mediums incorporating Pantone’s Viva Magenta, which, says Pantone, “represents reassurance, confidence and connection in a world trying to get back on its feet.” Opening reception, Friday, June 2, 5-8 p.m. Through July 1.

p.m. Museum free admission

Wildlife Art by Alan Baccarella; live music by Korean-FilipinoIrish-American musician and storyteller J. ChangTablada; drinks and snacks for purchase; and free admission — Friday, June 2, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Museum free admission days: June 10 and 16.

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.

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.

Gallery 113, 125½ N. Tejon St., gallery113cos.com, 719-634-5299. Featured art-

ists: jeweler and sculptor Suzy Gardner, and Wendy Iaconis who creates both functional and horsehair pottery. Opening Friday,

ists: jeweler and

both functional and horseJune 2, 5-8 p.m.

The Garfield Gallery, 332 E. Willamette Ave., 719-227-8836, garfieldgallery.com. Not That You’d Care, a fundraiser featuring photography and paintings from visual artist Brian Tryon; proceeds benefit Shutter and Strum — “Empower Youth with Expressive Arts!” Having a Sense of Confidence, photography by Community Prep student Bernardo Rascon Jr. Opening Friday, June 2, 5-9 p.m.

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. Featured artist Kathy Beekman will demonstrate pastel painting. Opening Friday, June 2, 5-8 p.m.

Kinship Landing, 415 S. Nevada Ave., 719203-9309, kinshiplanding.com/events/ kinship-events. Works by local artist Tyler Dixon; music 7-9 p.m. by Strouds Run. Friday, June 2, 5-10 p.m.

The Look Up Gallery, 11 E. Bijou St. (inside Yobel), thelookupgallery.com. Paintings by Boulder artist Steve Morrell: “ Steve is currently enthralled with the human form, in his perspective the ultimate vehicle for expression, in all its infinite

Manitou Art Center, 513/515 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, 719-685-1861, manitouartcenter.org. Hiraeth: A Longing for Home That Never Was, K8E Orr’s “stories of being raised by an untreated schizophrenic mother.” In the Hagnauer Gallery, opening reception Friday, June 2, 5-8 p.m.; through July 1. Plus a new show in the First Amendment Gallery and music by Emily Navarro.

The Money Museum, 818 N. Cascade Ave., 800-367-9723, money.org/moneymuseum. The Medal in America and History of Money, with free Mini Mint demonstrations. Friday, June 2, 5-7 p.m. with free admission from 4 to 7 p.m.

The Philanthropy Collective, 315 E. Pikes Peak Ave. (next door to The Well), 719-389-1251; info@ppcf.org, ppcf.org/ the-philanthropy-collective. Biannual local artist showcase: works by over a dozen local artists, including Lelia Davis, Cymon Padilla, Lorelei Beckstrom and Kevin Johnson; artist talk with painter Sarah Wright; and self-guided tours of the building’s curated art collection. Friday, June 2, 5-7 p.m.

“Pussy Riot” by Nitra Olsen

CALENDAR

➔ continued from p. 11 see tinyurl.com/rmwf-Michelle for tickets and more info.

Surface Gallery, 2752 W. Colorado Ave., surfacegallerycos.com. Walking in Wonder, monotypes by Tricia Soderberg: “Much of the work in this exhibition is inspired by my love of botanical gardens. I’ve always felt a spirit of energy and renewal when visiting these places. I think of my process as being akin to planning and planting a garden.” Reaching In, by Joseph Liberti, includes “28 pieces of art (includes 14 miniatures) infused into metal and wood prints ... about exploring the nature of the moment using a closer look into the essence of flowers, plants trees and landscapes of Colorado.” Opening Friday, June 2, 5-9 p.m.; through June.

True North Art Gallery, 31 E. Bijou St., 210842-2476, truenorthartgallery@gmail. com, truenorthartgallery.com. Works by the collective’s 14 member artists and a rotating community exhibition. Friday, June 2, 5-9 p.m.

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

Unique & Differing Needs Camp, “specially designed for campers ages 7-11 with autism spectrum disorders, sensory processing disorders, developmental disabilities/delays or medical fragility. Campers, their caregiver, and Camp Mentors will skip, boogie, and roll through Cheyenne Mountain Zoo as we learn the different movements our animals make and why it is beneficial to their well-being. (One caregiver may also attend this camp without an additional fee.)” Saturdays, June 10 and July 15, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; registration required online; 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 discoverspace.org/summer-of-discovery for fees and other info.

Sustainability Series: Watershed Wonders, “join staff from the Fountain Creek Watershed District for a presentation and activities to learn about our watershed then visit Bear Creek with nature center staff to search for life in the water! All ages and families welcome.” Saturday, June 10, 10 a.m. to noon.; $5/person, $4/ member; Bear Creek Nature Center, 245 Bear Creek Road, tinyurl.com/epco-fun.

ART EXHIBIT

Commonwheel Artists Co-op, 719-6851008, 102 Cañon Ave., Manitou Springs, commonwheel.com. Colorado Colors, the annual member show by Pikes Peak Pastel Society, and Belonging, featuring sculptural works by Patti Paiz-Jones, inspired by the “rugged and resilient beauty of cacti.” Opening Friday, June 2, 5 p.m.; through July 3.

FILM

Film in the Community: Being Michelle, presented by Rocky Mountain Women’s Film. “Follows the astounding journey of a deaf and disabled woman who survived incarceration under unimaginable circumstances by a system that refused to accommodate her needs as a deaf person with autism.” Tuesday, June 20, 6:30 p.m.; RMWF Screening Room at Lincoln Center, 2727 N. Cascade Ave., #140; FOR

Milkweed Magic, “Milkweed is an important plant to many creatures (more than just the Monarch). An abundance of insects and animals use and depend on this plant. Come explore the milkweed meadow and see how many uses it has for the many creatures that share its habitat. Geared towards all ages!” Saturday, June 24, 10 a.m. to noon; $5/person, $4/ member, prepaid registration required. Fountain Creek Nature Center, 320 Peppergrass Lane, Fountain, tinyurl.com/ epco-fun.

PROSE & POETRY

Colorado Book Awards: There is only one more Saturday when you can hear Colorado Book Award finalists read from their works. 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.

Patti Paiz Jones

CALENDAR

ART EXHIBIT

G44 Gallery, 121 E. Boulder St., 720-951-0573, g44gallery.com. Around Us Swirls Dust, mixed-media works by Brenda Stumpf “are archetypal and symbolic and came about through deep and somber introspection about memory, loss, loneliness, aging, and ultimately, death.” Sites of Transformation, works by abstract painter Becca Day: “I aim to capture the essence of life’s transformations — the sometimes messiness and wrestling involved.” Opening Friday, June 2, 5-9 p.m.; through June.

OUTDOOR REC

Get Outdoors Day, “hosted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the City of Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance, Get Outdoors Day inspires greater participation in the outdoors by offering free activities such as kayaking, fishing, archery, climbing, etc., from local outdoor businesses & nonprofits.” CPW will distribute free fishing poles to the first 800 attendees. Saturday, June 3, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; free; Memorial Park, 1605 E. Pikes Peak Ave.; see ppora.org/get-outdoors-day for more info.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Sheep Shearing Day, “In the 1880s, El Paso County boasted the largest population of sheep in the state. 120,000 sheep produced about 560,000 pounds of fleece.” Sheep will be sheared with traditional and modern equipment, and there will be a sheepdog handling demo; wool carding, spinning and dyeing; and weaving demonstrations. Saturday, June 3, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site, 3105 Gateway Road; see rockledgeranch.com/event/sheep-shearing-2 for more info.

Hillside Hub Birthday Bash, “From 3 to 4:30 we’ll host farm tours, kid-focused activities, and a cookoff featuring local greens. From 4:30 to 6, the event will focus on dinner, music, dancing, speeches and awards.” Saturday, June 3, 3-6 p.m.; Food to Power, 1090 S. Institute St.; see foodtopowerco.org/events/hillside-hubbirthday-bash for more info.

THEATER

The Boys in the Band, the Mart Crowley play presented by Springs Ensemble Theatre, “revolves around a group of gay men attending a birthday party in New York City. When it premiered off-Broadway in 1968, it was groundbreaking for its intimate portrayal of gay life.” June 1-18; PPSC’s Downtown Studio, 100 W. Pikes Peak Ave. See tinyurl.com/SET-June for times and tickets.

Free-For-All: Pericles, PPLD and Theatreworks’ traveling production of the Shakespeare play. Panorama Park, Thursday, June 1, 6 p.m., 4540 Fenton Road. Deerfield Hills Community Center, Saturday, June 3, 10:30 a.m., 4290 Deerfield Hills Road. See entcenterforthearts.org/theatreworks/events/free-for-all for more info.

Becca Day

Focus Manitou Springs Start your engines Tourism season has arrived in Manitou Springs

The busy summer season in Manitou Springs kicks off with the 20th Annual Colorado Wine Festival, which is expected to sell out its 3,000 tickets for the June 3 event.

While Manitou will be buzzing Memorial Day weekend with overflow traffic from Territory Days in neighboring Old Colorado City, the Wine Festival marks Manitou’s first official event of the season. And Manitou is a town that thrives on its summer activity.

More than 52 percent of the City’s 2022 sales tax revenue came June through September, with some winter months

coming in at less than half the sales tax revenue generated during individual summer months.

“Summer is absolutely our busiest season,” says Alex Trefry, public information officer for the city of Manitou Springs. “We have 4,800 to 4,900 residents living in Manitou, but in the peak summer months it can double or triple.”

Typical summer traffic is dense in Manitou, but special events like the wine festival, the summer concert series, the Ice Cream Social and Pie Baking Contest in July, the Heritage Brew Festival in August, and the Pikes Peak Marathon & Ascent in September can really make the city swell.

BY AMANDA MILLER LUCIANO

The events and celebrations are a huge draw for Manitou; Jenna Gallas, special events coordinator for the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce, says they attract visitors from the surrounding region and farther afield. Their success leans heavily on small-town charm, natural beauty and enthusiasm for tradition, thanks to what she describes as “very limited” budgets.

Concert series musicians will be paid for the very first time this year, after the Manitou Arts, Culture and Heritage Board received grant funding for the event. And the popular pie-baking contest and ice cream social, which today is a

spirited contest among area bakers of all ages, grew from informal get-togethers a couple of decades ago.

Even the Colorado Wine Festival can point to the town’s charm as a significant part of its success.

When Bill Conkling, owner of Ten Bears Winery northwest of Fort Collins, started offering tastings at the festival in 2009, he was taking part in 10 to 15 wine festivals a season.

Summer is absolutely our busiest season.

Now, he says, “we’ve narrowed it down to my favorite two or three” — and Manitou is in that handful. “It’s a great atmosphere,” Conkling says. “The park is kind of small, which makes it more intimate.”

Aspen Peak Cellars has been attending the festival for more than a decade. “It’s a nice park with some great shade trees,” says Tracie Schaefer, tasting room manager at the winery, “and there are so many volunteers working the event to help you load up.”

— Alex Trefry

Beyond the comforts and the festive feel, Schaefer says it’s also a very successful event.

“We’re busy all day long and there’s a line all day long,” Schaefer says. “There’s never a place in the day where we don’t have people waiting.”

She says visitors usually come by for tastings early in the festival and come back later to buy bottles and cases.

With 3,000 ticket holders and hundreds of vintners in town for the event, Gallas says there are a lot of logis-

tics involved, chief among them being parking — additional event shuttle parking is added at the middle and high school.

Of course, parking is a constant challenge in Manitou even when there isn’t a special event.

“Parking mobility and transportation around Manitou Springs is absolutely one of our top priorities,” Trefry says. “Definitely one of our biggest issues for people who live

continued on p. 17 ➔

Only 70 teams can enter the Emma Crawford Coffin Races, but crowds make it Manitou’s biggest event.

here and also for people who visit, is parking. No one likes driving around looking for a spot.”

The city has invested heavily in parking lots, shuttles, alternative transportation options like ebikes, and in technology to help alleviate congestion.

“Our approach toward parking is not one thing,” Trefry says. “There’s no silver bullet.”

To reduce the time people spend “cruising” around looking for parking, the city has partnered with a company called Parking Logics. Anyone can visit the city’s website (manitouspringsgov.com) to see how many spaces are left in each of the public lots.

“We have a progressive pricing rate structure that incentives people to park outside of downtown Manitou and then walk in or ride a bike,” Trefry says.

To help making parking in farther out lots like the Hiawatha Gardens lot on Old Mans Trail more appealing, the city relies on free regular shuttles operated by Mountain Metro. Route 33, which runs from the Hiawatha lot through downtown to the Manitou Incline and Broadmoor Pikes Peak Cog Railway. Route 36, which runs from Beckers Lane on the east edge of the city to downtown, is also one of Mountain Metro’s busier routes even though it only operates in the summer.

While the city has statistics and counts based on parking numbers and shuttle passengers, it doesn’t know what visitors do when they get out of their cars or off the shuttles.

But sales tax figures indicate that all that traffic generates a positive economic environment for local business owners.

Gallas said the chamber has recently started trying to survey business owners after big events to see if those big events are the boost that would be expected, or if they could be overwhelmed.

The Emma Crawford Coffin Races & Festival in October is Manitou’s biggest event, and Gallas says some businesses close for it because it’s just too much.

But with other events — and even after the latest coffin races — Gallas says many businesses have been very posi-

tive about the economic impact of Manitou’s big events.

“We had several restaurants report that 2022 was their best year ever, right on the heels of COVID,” Gallas says. “For events, we’ve definitely gotten a warmer temperature from businesses — especially the eating establishments.” n CSBJ

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

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

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

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

WHEN YOU’RE SERIOUS ABOUT REAL ESTATE

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Pueblo West - $299,900

Colorado Wine Festival is a big draw for Manitou Springs each year.

File photo

It’s the third consecutive year Manitou has been nominated.

MANITOU SPRINGS ONLY COLORADO CONTENDER FOR BEST SMALL TOWN ARTS SCENE

Manitou Springs has once again been ranked in the Top 10 Best Small Town Arts Scenes in America by USA TODAY ’s 10Best editors and travel experts.

“When visitors come to Manitou Springs, they know they can expect extraordinary scenery and arts experiences because those two elements are a fundamental part of what it means to spend time in this community,” Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Leslie Lewis said in a news release.

This is the third consecutive year that the town has earned a nomination. Manitou Springs and nine other small towns across the county qualified based on an evaluation of their museums, art galleries, performing arts and busy event calendars.

“The vitality of our small town arts scene is hard to beat,” Creative Alliance Manitou Springs Executive Director Becca Sickbert said. “On any given day, we have lively music performances, gorgeous art exhibitions, terrific galleries and classes, not to mention a town filled with creativity of every kind. There’s a reason we’re a Colorado Creative Industries State-Certified Creative District.”

Voting opened May 15 and ends on June 12 at 9:59 a.m. Mountain Time. Manitou Springs supporters can sign up for daily text alerts through June 12 by texting “best” to 844-241-0719. Find more at manitouspringscd.org/SmallTownArts.

NEW BUILDING CODE TAKES EFFECT JUNE 30

Construction in the Pikes Peak region will soon come under a new regional building code.

All eight of the jurisdictions served by the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department have now signed off on the new 2023 Pikes Peak Regional Building Code.

The new code will take effect on June 30, and will bring numerous changes to the construction industry from home building and remodels to commercial construction. The majority of changes aim to make structures more energy efficient, while others are designed to make things safer. “Another benefit to updating the building code is it can save a community money in reduced insurance premiums, lower bond ratings, and can help when applying for federal grant funds,” according to a PPRBD news release.

PPRBD has been working on the draft for more than two years. “Countless hours were invested in order to come up with affordable and logical code requirements that best suit our local community, while also addressing any new construction techniques, methods, and materials,” the release said.

The draft was unveiled last summer, followed by an extensive public comment period in the fall. PPRBD has spent the past few months presenting the new code to all eight of the jurisdictions it serves including Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Monument, Manitou Springs, Fountain, Palmer Lake, Green Mountain Falls, and Woodland Park in Teller County.

A copy of the new code and a list of the significant changes is at pprbd.org. Projects already underway will be reviewed and inspected under the old code, but any plans submitted after June 29 must meet the new code.

PPRBD adopts a new Regional Building Code every six years, which is every other cycle of the International Codes.

Class of 2024 CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

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Application Deadline: December 1, 2023 5:00pm MST Learn more at: cshispanicchamber.com

PLAYING AROUND

WEDNESDAY, 5/31

A Carpenter’s Daughter, mountain folk/Americana ; 6:30 p.m., Front Range Barbeque, frbbq.com/events.

Ingrown, metal, with 10 to the Chest, Victim of Fire, Skull; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Dave Mensch, singer-songwriter ; 6 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhall. com.

The Sleeping Giants, traditional Irish; 6 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/ quinnspub/events.

Sofakillers, cover band; John Wise & Tribe, New Orleans R&B/blues/jazz/ island; Roma Ransom, “eclectic bohemian world folk”; 6 p.m., Hillside Gardens, hillsidecolorado.com/upcoming-events.

THURSDAY, 6/1

Blackthorn, ceilidh/folk ; 7 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/q uinnspub/ events.

The Emo Night Tour, emo; 8 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

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

Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs, bluegrass, with Jade jackson; 8 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com.

Steve Langemo Trio, jazz/guitar; 7:30 p.m., Summa, dizzycharlies.com/ events-1.

Meet Me @ the Altar, pop punk, with Chloe Lilac, Kid Sistr; 6:30 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Roma Ransom, “eclectic bohemian world folk”; 8 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com/events.

Since Masada, metalcore, with Ovira, Violence in Violet, Last Chance for First Place; 6 p.m., Sunshine Studios Live, sunshinestudioslive.com.

WireWood Station, Americana; 6 p.m., Notes, notesbar.com/events.

FRIDAY, 6/2

The Apollo Chamber Players, string quartet; 7 p.m., The Venue at Almagre, epicmustsee.org/product-page/theapollo-chamber-players.

Eternal Temples, jam rock/space funk; 8 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/ quinnspub/events.

FinalEyes, rock covers; 5 p.m., Promenade Shops at Briargate, tinyurl.com/ Prom-summer-23.

Katchafire, New Zealand roots reggae, with Fia, Rasta Stevie 7 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

Jimkata, synth-washed electro-rock , with Moon Veil; 8 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com.

Liliac, heavy metal, with Silver Moon Riders, Burning The Fieldz, Aughter; 6 p.m., Sunshine Studios Live, sunshinestudioslive.com.

Martini Shot, pop/rock ; 7 p.m., University Village North, uvcshopping.com/ concert-series.html.

Harry Mo & the Cru, reggae, with Logal LaValley, Coronation; 7 p.m., Oskar Blues, coloradosprings.oskarbluesfooderies.com.

Mr. Mota, jam/funk/reggae/Americana; 9 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com/events.

Sir Woman, R&B/soul/pop; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Sofakillers, cover band; 5 p.m., First & Main Town Center, firstandmaintowncenter.com/stories-events.

Sean Stemaly, singer-songwriter ; 6 p.m., Whiskey Baron Dance Hall, tinyurl.com/whisk-dh.

Juanito Vargas, DJ; 6 p.m., The Well, wellinthesprings.com/happenings.

Craig Walter, singer-songwriter/guitar; 6 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort. com.

Sandy Wells, country ; 7 p.m., Notes, notesbar.com/events.

SATURDAY, 6/3

Best Night Ever: Taylor’s Version, “from 1D, to Taylor Swift, to the biebs, and everything in between”; 9 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

Boogie Nights, summer disco party; 8 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com.

Mike Clark and the Sugar Sounds, singer-songwriter; 7 p.m., Brues Alehouse, Pueblo, bruesalehouse.com.

Collective Groove, funk/soul dance band; 7 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhall.com.

Drifting Roots, reggae, with Weege; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Frog & Fiddle, Americana/jam; 6 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort.com.

Rhett Haney, singer/songwriter/bassist; 6 p.m., Whiskey Baron Dance Hall, tinyurl.com/whisk-dh.

Deirdre McCarthy, violin/vocals; 7:30 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/ Quinnspub/events.

Hazel Miller, Aretha Franklin tribute; 7 p.m., Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts, trilakesarts.org.

Rado, psych rock/dance; 9 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch. com/events.

Joe Slivek, DJ ; 6 p.m., The Well, wellinthesprings.com/happenings.

Still the Same, Bob Seger tribute; 7 p.m., Stargazers Theatre, stargazerstheatre.com/upcoming-events.

SUNDAY, 6/4

719 Band, blues; 1 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com/events.

Blue Frog with Julian Dillon, Americana/jam; 6 p.m., Front Range Bar-

beque, frbbq.com/events.

Buckcherry, rock, with Sabbatar, Cryptic Writings, So Gone; 6 p.m., Sunshine Studios Live, sunshinestudioslive.com. Lack Luster, live jams, 7 p.m., Dog House, doghousecos.com.

Brett Darby Price Trio, Latin jazz; 4 p.m., The Well, wellinthesprings.com/happenings.

Forté Handbell Quartet, “Into the West”; 4 p.m., First Baptist Church, fortehandbells.org.

Sara van Hecke, singer-songwriter ; noon, The Well, wellinthesprings.com/ happenings.

Welshly Arms, blues rock, with Walden; 8 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks. com.

WireWood Station, Americana (FUNdraiser for Women Partnering); noon, Mount St. Francis Auditorium, womenpartnering.org/newpage.

Young Artist Winners Showcase, top four winners in the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs’ competition; 2:30 p.m., Broadmoor Community Church, tinyurl.com/young-artists-23

MONDAY, 6/5

Look’ee Here, blues/ragtime/old-time jazz; 5:30 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com/events.

TUESDAY, 6/6

Three-Headed Monster Tour: Violent J, Ouija Macc, Esham, rap/hip-hop; 6:30 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks. com.

The Moldy Figs and PPSEL Jazz Band, jazz; 6 p.m., Bancroft Park, tinyurl.com/ classic-Bancroft.

WEDNESDAY, 6/7

Acoustic Hour, local musicians; 6 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort.com. Boostive, dubhop/reggae/world/soul, with Get Some; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Sarah Brunner, singer-songwriter ; 5 p.m., The Well, wellinthesprings.com/ happenings.

Colorado College Summer Music Festival, June 7-23, kicks off at 7:30 p.m. in Packard Hall with the Festival Artists Concert. See tinyurl.com/CC-summer23 for full festival lineup and tickets.

Courtesy Mike Clark

Mike Clark and the Sugar Sounds play Pueblo’s Brues Alehouse on June 3.

Deirdre McCarthy & Friends, fi ddle, mandolin, bass and guitar; 6:30 p.m., Front Range Barbeque, frbbq.com/ events.

The Drones Band, ’80s; 6:30 p.m., Limbach Park, Monument; townofmonument.org/calendar.aspx?CID=14.

Manitou Library Lawn Concert: Edie Carey, singer-songwriter ; 6 p.m., Manitou Carnegie Library, ppld.org/ library-lawn- concerts.

Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band, former Beatle and friends; 7:30 p.m., Pikes Peak Center, tinyurl.com/Ringo-23.

Sunset Patio Session: Randy Keira, acoustic; 6 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhall.com.

Craig Walter, singer-songwriter/guitar; 7 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/ Quinnspub/events.

Wirewood Station, country; John Wise & Tribe, New Orleans R&B/blues/jazz/ island; John Hewitt, singer-songwriter; 6 p.m., Hillside Gardens, hillsidecolorado.com/upcoming-events.

THURSDAY, 6/8

Mike Coy, “Red Dirt Texas Country and some Nashville Gold”; 6 p.m., Notes,

notesbar.com/events.

PLAYING AROUND BIG GIGS

De’Wayne, hip-hop/rap, with Not A Toy, Crooked Teeth, Strung Short; 8 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

The Long Run, Eagles tribute; 6 p.m., Banning Lewis Ranch Vista Park Pavillion, tinyurl.com/BL-music-23.

Out Loud, Colorado Springs Men’s Chorus: One Night Only, cabaret experience; 7:30 p.m., Stargazers Theatre, stargazers-theatre.com/upcomingevents.

Red Moon Rounder, indie folk-rock /album release, with Deidre McCarthy; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Silver Moon Riders, country/rock/funk/ blues; 8 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com/events.

The Sleeping Giants, traditional Irish; 7 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/ quinnspub/events.

Ricky Sweum Quarter, jazz; 7:30 p.m., Summa, dizzycharlies.com/events-1.

Aaron Tippin, Collin Raye & Sammy Kershaw, “Roots and Boots tour”; 7 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhall.com.

Westrock, country/bluegrass/originals; 5 p.m., The Well, wellinthesprings.com/ happenings

Upcoming music events

feat. Edgar Winter, Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, and others, Pikes Peak Center, June 7

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 7-8

Deadphish Orchestra, Lulu’s, June 9

Nekrogoblikon, Black Sheep, June 9

The Sisters of Mercy, Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, June 9

Big Head Todd & the Monsters, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 10

Rodrigo y Gabriela, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 11

Barenaked Ladies, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 13

Mike Love, reggae, Black Sheep, June 14

Robyn Hitchcock, Lulu’s, June 15

Koe Wetzel, World Arena, June 15

Umphrey’s McGee, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 16-17

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

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 3-4

Yeah Yeah Yeahs with Perfume Genius, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 5

Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band,

Giovannie & The Hired Guns, Black Sheep, June 17

Oliver Tree, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 20

Cody Johnson, Weidner Field, June 22

Shakey Graves, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 22

Widespread Panic, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, June 23-25

AJR and Jeremy Zucker, Weidner Field, June 24

George Strait with Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town, Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, June 24

Continued at csindy.com

Ambar Lucid plays Denver’s Bluebird Theater on Sept. 24.

The Living Room

Bring Life to Your Home Plants, ceramics, home decor, and more!

Songs to save

the

Fundraising concert to Keep Local News Local

Theatreworks’ new Pericles is coming to a venue near you... for free!

BY NICK RAVEN | nick@csindy.com

AH! SPRING IS TURNing to summer, the birds are chirping, the moths are definitely here and UCCS’ Theatreworks is touring its Free-For-All production of Shakespeare’s Pericles around the Pikes Peak region. Away from the predictable environment of the Ent Center for the Arts, director Max Shulman and his cast of eight are embracing the outdoors and inviting the public for free performances.

“The uniqueness of it is not only that we get to breach communities and people that normally we wouldn’t see at the theater, but there’s also the challenge of being outside and doing Shakespeare in these locations,” says cast member Brooke Callahan. “It’s such a fun opportunity for us as actors.”

Pericles is “a play about the comingof-age journey of this young prince

Saturday, June 3, 4 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Tickets $19.93 - the year the Indy was founded!

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

Don’t miss this special fundraiser - get your toes tapping in time with big laughs...

It’s all for a good cause as we raise money and memberships for our beloved weekly independent newspaper.

All ticket proceeds go to support the Indy Get tickets online or call the Millibo

www.themat.org • 719.465.6321 • 1626 S. Tejon St.

as he travels the world, trying to find himself,” says Shulman. “It’s an easily accessible, really fun jaunt where lots of different people play lots of different characters.”

He says it’s literally called a “trunk show” because the entire production could fit into a trunk, which forces them to be creative with their use of props, their venue and the natural environment. As a Free-For-All production, Pericles is being performed in parks, libraries, community centers and more over the course of a month and a half, connecting with the audience that doesn’t need tickets, but might need to bring chairs.

While there are eight players in this production, only six are required in any one show, so each actor is tasked with memorizing multiple roles as they’re exchanged in and out. Shulman says that over the course of their tour, each

Courtesy Theatreworks

show will be truly unique as they rotate venues and cast members.

“Theoretically, if you could see this show in almost every performance this summer, you would probably never see the same show twice,” Shulman says.

Brooke Callahan and Creston Cooper both play the same characters in different shows: the narrator, Gower, and the unsavory Boult.

“It’s a really fun exercise to see someone else doing the same part that you’re doing,” says Cooper. “And instead of being like, ‘Oh man, I want to try to compete with that person. I want to try to be better than that first,’ it’s really an exercise of, ‘Man, Brooke did really good in that scene, what did she do?’”

Despite the name, Pericles is not a Greek tragedy, but for over three cen-

Courtesy

turies was the Bard’s most

popular play. Over this tour, Theatreworks is hoping, in some small part, to revive its popularity.

So what should crowds look forward to from Pericles, especially those who may have had a less-than-stellar experience with its author in school?

“They should expect to have a lot of fun and to probably be surprised by how accessible, wild and adventurous the play is for being written in the 1600s,” Shulman says. “This play is so well suited for the way we’re performing it.”

Cooper says, “when you see Shakespeare live outside in the sunshine, [being] a lot of fun, I think it really changes people’s minds on what Shakespeare can be, and what Shakespeare can do.”

Olympic & Paralympic Training Center

FAIR AND UNBALANCED

By Mike Littwin Courtesy The Colorado Sun

Nuggets fans: THIS IS YOUR YEAR?

Editor’s note: Due to the Memorial Day holiday, this column went to press May 26, before the Nuggets’ opponent in the NBA Finals was determined.

TODAY, MAY 24, I WRITE in honor of the Denver Nuggets, who have made it to the NBA Finals — the league’s championship round — for the first time in, well, literally forever.

It’s not a story of perseverance exactly. It’s not a story of overcoming the odds — the Nuggets had the best record in the Western Conference this season. It’s not a story of lovable Chicago Cubs-like futility, although the Nuggets have endured their share of futility since entering the league in 1976 and for years before in the late, lamented American Basket-

ball Association.

But mostly, Nuggets fans have suffered through a different kind of futility — all the years of having a good team, but never one quite good enough; of making the playoffs 38 times (including their time in the ABA, mostly as the Denver Rockets) and never winning a championship.

Apparently, no team in any major professional sport has made it to the playoffs so often without a season ending in a parade.

And yet, there’s no moral here. There’s no real lesson to be learned. Certainly, no bootstraps. A billionaire who got his start by marrying into the Walton family owns the team and — I’ll let you pick the villain here between Comcast and Stan Kroenke — has somehow managed to keep the Nug-

gets’ (and the Colorado Avalanche’s) games off cable TV since 2019.

So, no moral. Only joy, and, let’s face it, even the joy would be tempered if the Nuggets don’t manage to actually take home the championship against the winner of the MiamiBoston series.

The Broncos have won three. The Avalanche has won three. Even the poor Rockies got to a World Series once, even if they were swept in four games.

APPARENTLY,

NO TEAM IN ANY MAJOR PROFESSIONAL SPORT HAS MADE IT TO THE PLAYOFFS SO OFTEN WITHOUT A SEASON ENDING IN A PARADE.

But whether or not you’re a sports fan, you probably get this Nuggets vibe. You can feel it in the air, even if you can’t quite see it through all the smoke. The Nuggets are improbably good. They’re improbably fun.

Nikola Jokić, the Nuggets’ best player and arguably the league’s best player, is a huge, hulking 7-footer who plays the game in what can be described as a tantalizingly slow motion ballet, and yet is all but unstoppable, with skills that defy stereotype and logic and several laws of physics. He may not jump well, but he shoots, he scores, he drives, he rebounds, he passes, he has Webbtelescope-like vision. He is a walking, talking triple-double, which, for you non-basketball fans, is, um, a good thing to be.

But before I get too deep into the wonders of Jokić — has there ever been a superstar with a nickname anything like Joker? Couldn’t he be Dr. J Jr.? — let me first apologize to the boss, who must think I’m writing today about the home stretch of the mayor’s race, which is, I admit, kind of a big deal. I mean, the winner of the Kelly Brough-Mike Johnston runoff on June 6 will become only the fifth mayor elected in Denver since 1983.

But, come on.

Four mayors in the past 40 years,

sure. How about no NBA Finals appearance, no championship in forever?

During the mayor’s race, we’ve been hearing for months about Denver as a city in crisis. I just want someone to explain this: How can a city with Nikola Jokić on its side be in crisis?

If you’re a fan, you know the Nuggets couldn’t have gotten this far without the brilliance of Jamal Murray, who (measured by height, in any case) plays Robin to Jokić’s Batman and who played stopper to LeBron James in a game-saving defensive play. He also averaged 32 points a game in the Laker series.

And the Nuggets couldn’t have gotten this far without a team that goes eight deep, plays real defense and runs, both at home and at sea level, in a nod to the great Doug Moe teams that may have won a few land-speed records, but never any titles.

These guys are legit. The real deal. They’ve raced through the playoffs and will probably be favored in the finals.

And yet, they’re a team that virtually everyone has assumed would never win it all, just because they never have, not even back in the ABA days when they were favored to win the league’s final championship in 1976, but lost it to Dr. J and the then-New York Nets.

I didn’t live in Denver in ’76, but I

was in town covering what is probably the city’s most iconic professional basketball moment, when Dr. J — Julius Erving, if you need reminding — beat the fabled David Thompson in the firstever, All-Star-Game slam-dunk contest. Yes, the most iconic moment. Yes, another Nuggets’ defeat.

When they arrived in the NBA, one of only four ABA teams to join the league in 1977, they were among the elite. They won their division in their first season. They made the Western finals the next season. In fact, they made the playoffs 11 of their first 13 NBA seasons. And, yes, they went home early every time.

In 1994, the Nuggets, as a No. 8 seed, defeated the No. 1 Seattle SuperSonics — then coached by future Nuggets coach George Karl — in what is probably still the greatest playoff upset in NBA history. Not as many may remember the next round when the Nuggets fell behind three games to none to the Utah Jazz, only to win the next three games to tie the series. I don’t have to tell you what happened in Game 7.

The Nuggets have had great players. They swept the Lakers — a team they’ve never beaten in a playoff series — on the same day Carmelo Anthony, who couldn’t quite take the Nuggets all the way, officially retired. With Anthony, they went to the conference finals. Once. And lost.

You know most of the others. Alex English and Dan Issel and Thompson and Dikembe Mutombo and Fat Lever and Kiki Vandeweghe and Chauncey Billups and, for you ABA fans, Ralph Simpson and Byron Beck. You probably even know the legendary trainer and even more legendary character, Chopper Travaglini. If I’ve left someone out, I apologize in advance.

But none can match Jokić. If he’s not

the best player in the league — and, whatever you’re hearing, there are other legitimate candidates — he’s certainly the best player ever to be chosen No. 41 in the draft. That was in 2014. You’ll hear this over and over again, but at the moment Jokić was drafted, ESPN was airing a Taco Bell commercial. Yo quiero the Joker?

It might have been fitting. As Nuggets coach Mike Malone put it at the time Jokić was drafted out of Serbia, he “was out of shape, 300 pounds … and no one could see that he’d be a twotime MVP, passing Wilt Chamberlain [in the record books] it seems like every other night.”

As an aside here, for all those Nuggets fans complaining that Jokić, who is in much better shape now than he probably looks, should have won his

third consecutive MVP award this year, please let it be noted — even more often than the Taco Bell commercial story — that only three players have won three consecutive MVP awards. They are Bill Russell, Wilt and Larry Bird.

Not Michael Jordan. Not Magic Johnson. Not Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Not Shaquille O’Neal. Not Steph Curry. Not Oscar Robertson. Not Kobe Bryant. Not Hakeem Olajuwon. Not LeBron James, who must have been so shocked that the Nuggets swept the Lakers, he says he’s considering retiring. Not anyone else. So Jokić, who has defended the MVP award going this season to Joel Embiid, is in good company.

When Jokić finally plays in the NBA Finals, he’ll have the opportunity to stamp his future Hall of Fame greatness on the league’s biggest stage, being

watched by the season’s largest audience. If there are still people left who think Jokić is overrated, I’m guessing they’ll have to apologize, too.

This is a young team with great talent, a very good coach and that guy named Joker and his other-worldly game. There’s every chance they’ll be back in the finals again. But whatever comes next, what matters now is that for the first time in Nuggets history, they can say if you’ve missed all the excitement so far, you can still have time to hop on the bandwagon.

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

Chef Brother Luck is an author, James Beard nominee, a fan favorite on culinary competitions shows and a passionate restaurant owner in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Join us to hear and learn from his inspiring

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LOWDOWN

By Jim Hightower jimhightower.com

Manchin, Biden and a DIRTY-FUELS PIPELINE

IF POOHBAHS OF THE NATIONal Democratic Party wonder why working-class families — which once formed the party’s solid base of political support — have gone astray, they might ponder the awful message they’re sending by constantly smooching Sen. Joe Manchin’s flabby tail.

The multimillionaire West Virginia coal baron and anti-democratic “Democrat” is demanding that a massively polluting pipeline, named Mountain Valley, be rammed through rivers, watersheds, national parks, towns, farmlands, homesteads — and down the throats of the people of West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. Why? Money. The senator’s fossil fuel funders, who own the project, want the federal government to mandate construction of their corporate boondoggle.

For a decade, gutsy grassroots groups have rebelled and defeated these Wall Street profiteers, and the people of this Appalachian region are still adamantly opposed. But here comes Biden to rescue Manchin and his fossil fuelers with a dirty backroom deal overruling the will of the people. Proclaiming that he wants to advance America’s conversion from fossil fuels to renewable energy, Biden is pushing a bill to make it easier and faster to get federal approval for new energy projects. Fine. But his bill specifically greases the skids for more fossil fuel projects. And guess which one is first in line for quick approval? Yes, Brother Joe Manchin’s Mountain Valley Pipeline.

COME CELEBRATE WITH US!

Continually pumping fracked gas across three states would produce a mess of leaks and spills, but the project would also emit some 40 million metric tons of planet warming gas a year — equivalent to the annual pollution of 10 coal plants. As the Natural Resources Defense Council puts it, “We won’t build the clean energy economy of the future by doubling down on the dirty fuels of

the past.”

For information and action on this raw deal by the two Joes, connect with Appalachian Mountain Advocates: appvoices.org

MEANWHILE... IT’S AN ODD MARketing strategy for an industry to assail its own consumers.

Yet that’s what the monopolistic meatpacking industry (led by such huge conglomerates as Tyson, Smithfield, JBS and Hormel that control nearly 70 percent of America’s pork market) is doing. “Just shut up and eat your bacon,” the industry shrieks! The target of their corporate tantrum is the growing grassroots movement of consumers, animal rights advocates, farmers, chefs, retailers and others who are dismayed and disgusted by Big Pork’s profiteering on animal cruelty.

“None of your business!” shout the executives, lobbyists, lawyers, and forrent politicians who run the torturous system.

But gutsy groups like the Humane Society made their way inside the industry’s animal factories, videoing such mass horrors as thousands of pregnant sows locked for 16 weeks at a time in gestation crates so small the animals can’t even turn around. In 2018, such exposés prompted 60 percent of California voters to approve a ballot initiative outlawing the use of the inhumane crates.

Adding plutocratic stupidity to their greed, the pork barons then sued the people for overreaching their power! Yes, the pork profiteers actually asserted that democracy (i.e., people power) must not interfere with “sound business practices.”

Never mind that few of us uncorporatized commoners consider animal suffering to be a sound practice. Even the corporate-coddling Supreme Court gagged at the industry’s claim that it has the sovereign power to dictate what type of pork chops are available to the public. This month, in an odd-bedfellow 5-4 decision rendered by two progressive judges and three corporatists, the court ruled that “policy choices like these usually belong to the people.” Well, yes, and to the animals!

This is an example of how grassroots activism matters in important ways. To stay involved in this issue, go to humanesociety.org.

Colorado Springs Business Journal readers have chosen their favorite businesses in the Pikes Peak region. Join us for an evening of networking and for an opportunity to honor these exceptional companies, leaders and organizations for this outstanding achievement.

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

News of the WEIRD

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL

Fuzzy on the concept

When cake-baker Brianna Romero of El Paso, Texas, got an order for a birthday cake this spring, she was on board, NBC New York reported on May 10. The customer wanted an emo cake, so Romero put her newly perfected black icing to the test and constructed the confection. Before she delivered it, she said, she asked the client if they wanted a number on the cake. “Yes,” the client answered, “it’s for my granddaughter and she’s turning 4.” Romero “thought it was a little bit weird ... but maybe she just likes Wednesday or something like that.” Still, wanting to cover her bases, she asked the client for party theme. When she got the answer — Sesame Street — it all became clear. “I misread emo and it says ‘Elmo cake.’” Romero rushed to a local grocery, where the bakery topped the cake with an Elmo image; Romero gave the cake to the client for free. Social media ate the story up, with more than 10 million views on Twitter.

Field report

On May 9, officers from Boone County and Watauga County, North Carolina, tried to chase down Joshua Minton, 34, after he was pulled over for reckless driving, CBS News reported. Minton ran into an “undeveloped area,” where law enforcement got some bovine help. Cows in the field “quickly assisted our officers by leading them directly to where the suspect was hiding,” police announced in a Facebook post. “The cows communi-

cated with the officers as best they could and finally just had the officers follow them to the suspect’s location.” Minton was arrested on multiple charges.

Precocious

Two brothers in Langkawi, Malaysia, were detained after crashing the car one was driving into a lamp post on May 10, CNN reported. It’s not hard to imagine why driving might have been difficult for them: They are 6 and 3 years old. Police Chief Shariman Ashari said the Toyota Vios they were in attracted attention from other drivers, who thought the driver might be intoxicated. The boys sneaked out of their home and took the car, hoping to buy a toy car at the local shops. “Mama is at home and we are going to the store,” the 6-year-old said.

“We want to buy a black car,” the 3-yearold elaborated. The only injury was a cut to one boy’s chin.

News you can use

Not a moment too soon, Oscar Mayer announced on May 17 that it is changing the name of its iconic Wienermobile to the Frankmobile, CNN reported. The company says the name change “pays homage” to its new recipe for hot dogs, which will roll out this summer. Uhhuh. A company spokesperson said the change is a test; they’ll have “to see if it cuts the mustard” with fans. The Wienermobile first appeared in 1936; 23 of the eye-catching vehicles now travel around the country.

STUDENTS WILL GO TO JUST ABOUT ANY LENGTHS TO GET OUT of a test — even outer space. So it was in Hemlock, Michigan, on May 16, when an enterprising student reported an alien invasion to avoid a math test, according to KTVZ-TV. The student reported that ETs came from the skies in flying saucers and landed on the playground, and the rumors quickly began circulating amongst the student body on social media. But Superintendent Don Killingbeck wasn’t having it: “We have thoroughly investigated the situation, and there is no evidence of any alien activity on our school grounds,” he said. The prankster has been disciplined, he added.

Free Will ASTROLOGY

GEMINI

(May 21-June 20): I am weary of gurus who tell us the ego is bad and must be shamed. In my view, we need a strong and healthy ego to fuel our quest for meaning. In that spirit and in accordance with astrological omens, I designate June as Celebrate Your Ego Month for you Gemi-

nis. You have a mandate to unabashedly embrace the beauty of your unique self. I hope you will celebrate and flaunt your special gifts. I hope you will honor your distinctive desires as the treasures they are. You are authorized to brag more than usual!

ENJOY OUR “BUBBLE PLAY” ZONE Meadow Grass Music Festival

MAY 26-27-28

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CANCER (June 21-July 22): One study reveals that British people own a significant amount of clothing they never wear. Other research suggests that the average American woman has over a hundred items of clothing but considers just 10 percent of them to be “wearable.” If your relationship to your wardrobe is similar, Cancerian, it’s a favorable time to cull unused, unliked and unsuitable stuff. You would also benefit from a comparable approach to other areas of your life. Get rid of possessions, influences and ideas that take up space but serve no important purpose and are no longer aligned with who you really are.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In July 1969, Leo astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first human to walk on the moon. But he almost missed his chance. Years earlier, his original application to become part of NASA’s space exploration team arrived a week past the deadline. But Armstrong’s buddy, Dick Day, who worked at NASA, sneaked it into the pile of applications that had come in time. I foresee the possibility of you receiving comparable assistance, Leo. Tell your friends and allies to be alert for ways they might be able to help you with either straightforward or surreptitious moves.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Great shearwaters are birds that travel a lot, covering 13,000 miles every year. From January to March, they breed in the South Atlantic Ocean, about halfway between Africa and South America. Around May, they fly west for a while and then head north, many of them as far as Canada and Greenland. When August comes, they head east to Europe, and later they migrate south along the coast of Africa to return to their breeding grounds. I am tempted to make this globe-trotting bird your spirit creature for the next 12 months. You may be more inclined than ever before to go on journeys, and I expect you will be well rewarded for your journeys. At the very least, I hope you will enjoy mind-opening voyages in your imagination.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): One of the central myths of Western culture is the Holy Grail. For over 800 years, storytellers have spun legends about the search for a precious chalice with magical qualities, including the power to heal and offer eternal youth. Sober scholars are more likely to say that the Holy Grail isn’t an actual physical object hidden away in a cave or catacomb, but a symbol of a spiritual awakening or an enlightening epiphany. For the purposes of your horoscope, I’m going to focus on the latter interpretation.

I suspect you are gearing up for an encounter with a Holy Grail. Be alert! The revelations and insights and breakthroughs could come when you least expect them.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): June is Dare to Diminish Your Pain Month for you Scorpios. I hope you will aggressively pursue measures to alleviate discomfort and suffering. To address the physical variety, how about acupuncture or massage? Or supplements like boswellia, turmeric, devil’s claw root, white willow bark and omega-3 fatty acids? Other ideas: sunshine, heating pad, warm baths with Epsom salts, restorative sleep, and exercise that simulates natural endorphins. Please be equally dynamic in treating your emotional and spiritual pain, dear Scorpio. Spend as much money as you can afford on skillful healers. Solicit the help of empathetic friends. Pray and meditate. Seek out activities that make you laugh.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): A hungry humpback whale can hold more than 15,000 gallons of water in its mouth at once — enough to fill 400 bathtubs. In a funny way, their ability reminds me of you right now. You, too, have a huge capacity for whatever you feel like absorbing and engaging with. But I suggest you choose carefully what you want to absorb and engage with. Be open and receptive to only the most high-quality stuff that will enrich your life and provide a lot of fun. Don’t get filled up with trivia and nonsense and dross.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Funny story: A renowned Hollywood movie mogul was overheard at a dinner party regaling an aspiring actor with a long monologue about his achievements. The actor couldn’t get in a word edgewise. Finally, the mogul paused and said, “Well, enough about me. What do you think of me?” If I had been in the actor’s place, I might have said, “You, sir, are an insufferable, grandiose and boring narcissist who pathologically overestimates your own importance and has zero emotional intelligence.” The only downside to speaking my mind like that would be that the mogul might ruin my hopes of having a career in the movie business. In the coming weeks, Capricorn, I hope you will consistently find a middle ground between telling the brazen truth to those who need to hear it and protecting your precious goals and well-being.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When faced with important decisions, most of us benefit from calling on all forms of intelligence. Simply consulting our analyti-

cal mind is not sufficient. Nor is checking in with only our deep feelings. Even drawing from our spunky intuition alone is not adequate. We are most likely to get practical clarity if we access the guidance of our analytical mind, gut feelings and sparkly intuition. This is always true, but it’s extra relevant now. You need to get the full blessing of the synergistic blend. PS: Ask your body to give you a few hints, too!

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Has your intuition been nudging you to revise and refine your sense of home? Have you been reorganizing the domestic vibes and bolstering your stability? I hope so. That’s what the cosmic rhythms are inviting you to do. If you have indeed responded to the call, congratulations. Buy yourself a nice homecoming present. But if you have resisted the flow of life’s guidance, please take corrective measures. Maybe start by reorganizing the décor and furniture. Clean up festering messes. Say sweet things to your housemates and family members. Manage issues that may be restricting your love of home.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): History tells us that Albert Einstein was a brilliant genius. After his death, the brain of the pioneer physicist was saved and studied for years in the hope of analyzing the secrets of why it produced so many great ideas. Science writer Stephen Jay Gould provided a different perspective. He said, “I am less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.” I bring this to your attention, Aries, in the hope it will inspire you to pay closer attention to the unsung and underappreciated elements of your own life — both in yourself and the people around you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Human life sometimes features sudden reversals of fortune that may seem almost miraculous. A twist in my own destiny is an example. As an adult, I was indigent for 18 years — the most starving artist of all the starving artists I have ever known. Then, in the course of a few months, all the years I had devoted to improving my craft as a writer paid off spectacularly. My horoscope column got widely syndicated, and I began to earn a decent wage. I predict a comparable turn of events for you in the coming months, Taurus — not necessarily in your finances, but in a pivotal area of your life.

HOMEWORK: Tell a loved one a good secret about them. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com.

BIG ADVENTURES for curious minds! Join us as we explore the possibilities of the Performing Arts.

STARTING JUNE 5

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Songs to Save the Indy

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AGES 4-18 Kinect Dance Collective

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$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.

EMPLOYMENT

Microsoft Dynamics

CRM Developer

Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Developer – (Colorado Springs, CO) – Be responsible for designing, developing, testing, implementing, & supporting PowerApps, D365 CRM Online, CRM On-Premises & Business Central applications that are built to support & streamline business operations; propose solutions for implementation within Dynamics 365 CRM, Power Platform & Business Central; find solutions for integrations with other systems or Data sources inside or outside of Power Platform (Salary $95,638).

Travel to various unanticipated client sites. Req. Master’s deg. (or foreign equi. degree) in Computer Science,

MARKETPLACE

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)

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 844-5140123 for a free in-home consultation.

SHOP

...The Indy classifieds from handymen to homes, psychics to pets, art to acupuncture, etc.

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.

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

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)

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.

National Pest Control

Are you a homeowner in need of a pest control service for your home?

Call 866-616-0233

WHAT TO DO?

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

QUALITY EMPLOYEES

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

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

“It is hard to fail, but “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

Computer Information Systems or related with knowledge of at least 7 technologies from the following list: C, ABAP, C#, JavaScript, Python, Visual Studio, HTML, CSS, MySQL, SSRS, SOAP Services, VB.Net, CAL (Client Application Language) & AL (Application Language). Apply HR, HR, Maven Companies, Inc., 1155 Kelly Johnson Blvd., Suite 111, Colorado Springs, CO 80920.

REAL ESTATE

1820 E San Rafael Street – Grandview

Addition - $495,000

Large well maintained stucco duplex close to Memorial Hospital & the Olympic Training Center. 2753 sq. ft. total.

Main level has 3 beds & 1 bath. Lower level has 2 beds & 1 bath. Live in one & rent the other or just rent both. Has been rented for years at under market rents but both tenants are moving out.

MLS# 3815436 (CENTRAL) Call Bobbi Price. The Platinum Group. 719-499-9451.

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

6943 S

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!

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. MLS# 9907993

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

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)

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.

it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”

~Theodore Roosevelt. Take the next step towards your success! Advertise in The Independent. Call 719-577-4545

213 Coffee Pot Drive – Crystal Park$64,900

Build your dream home on this beautiful forested ½ acre lot backing to open space in Crystal Park. Towering pines & aspen. Mountain views & plenty of sunshine. Located in safe gated community of over 2000 acres with only 350 homes sites. Close to stocked fishing lake, club house, pool, & basketball & pickleball courts. Perfect mountain living close to town, located just outside of Colorado Springs. MLS# 4046587 (LAND) Call Bobbi Price. The Platinum Group. 719-499-9451.

DEADLINE FRIDAY, 9:00 A.M. | CALL 719-577-4545

CASH FOR CAMERAS

We buy cameras & photo gear -working or not. Buy, Trade, Consign. Cameraworks 5030 N. Academy. CALL FIRST 594-6966

100% of our readers eat. SHOULDN’T THEY BE EATING AT YOUR PLACE? Advertise in the Indy by calling 719-577-4545

113

Road –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) Ph: 719-4999451 OR 719-201-6749

MLS# 5628454 (LAND)

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

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

Picadilly

Steep