Talking About Cubs Fans...

There was an article in the Denver Post this past Wednesday by sportswriter Patrick Saunders about how Cubs fans turn Coors Field into Wrigley Field West whenever the Chicago Cubs come to Denver to play the Colorado Rockies. It is believed that there are over 100,000 transplants from Illinois in Colorado, and Saunders interviewed a number of them for his article, including Skip Perry, who with his wife Paula own Wrigley's Chicago Bar and Grill in Golden, Colorado. Perry is originally from the Chicago suburb of Waukegan, while his wife is from Arvada, just to the north of Denver. They have run Wrigley's since 2008, and it is quite the Cubs fan hangout. After the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, 750 fans poured into their bar, which at the time had space for 400. Years ago, Skip and Paula would charter a bus and take 75 Cubs fans to Coors Field whenever the Cubs were in town, but decided to phase that out when rounding up those 75 fans after the game began to get problematic. In any case, I drove to Golden to check out that bar and grill yesterday. It is located on West Colfax Avenue, right up against the foothills, as seen in the photograph on the left.

I stopped in around 2:30 on Friday afternoon and found that every space in the parking lot had been taken. Now THAT is impressive. Fortunately, they have additional parking across West Colfax, which is where I and a number of others found spaces. I took the photograph on the right of their outdoor patio, which seems very nice indeed. I also looked in at the main dining room, which is equally very pleasant. I definitely have to suggest to my friend Stuart, who is originally from Lincolnwood (a northside Chicago suburb) and a devoted Cubs fan that we take a break from the Old Chicago in Lakewood the next time we have lunch, go to Wrigley's instead, and catch part of a Cubs game. I will definitely make sure to wear my Chicago White Sox cap.

Watching The Cubs Avoid A Sweep At Coors Field With Susan And Mark

I went to Denver's Coors Field with my sister Susan and friend Mark, seen in the photograph on the left, yesterday afternoon to watch the final game of the series between the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies. The Rockies took the first two games, and were hoping for a sweep of the series, but alas, it was not to be. They lost to the Cubs 9-3. Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner set the Cubs down in order the first three innings, but in the 4th gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases and then a grand slam home run to Seiya Suzuki. Relief pitcher Blas Castano gave up a two-run homer to Alex Bregman in the 7th, and the damage was done.

The Cubs have been struggling a bit lately, going 3 and 7 over the past 10 games, and I suspect Cubs fans would not have been happy if they were swept by the team currently sporting the worst record in baseball. There were 35,128 in attendance at yesterday's game, and almost all of them were Cubs fans. Coor's Field is known as Wrigley Field West whenever the Cubs play the Rockies, to the great annoyance of the Rockies' manager Warren Schaeffer and Rockies players. But let's face it - well over half the population of Colorado are transplants, and many of them come from Chicago. What do you expect? At least they didn't play Steve Goodman's "Go, Cubs, Go" over the loudspeakers after the Cubs victory. Thank heaven for small favors. And yes, that is indeed the Cubs in the photograph on the right celebrating their win yesterday afternoon as they headed to the dugout and moved above .500 in the standings.

Big Changes Are Coming For The University Of Denver

Today is the last day of finals at the University of Denver, and graduation ceremonies take place this Friday and Saturday. Things seemed pretty normal as I walked across the campus yesterday afternoon, but big changes are coming. Earlier this spring DU announced that it was dealing with a 20-to-30-million-dollar budget shortfall. Much of this is due to reductions in the number of international students, the overall decline in the number of college age students, and the Trump administration's funding cuts. DU has stated that it will be able to balance the 2027 fiscal budget by reducing expenses and leaving vacant jobs unfilled. Plus, over the past two years, 10% of DU staff and faculty have accepted buyouts as the university has cut staff. DU has gone from an enrollment of 14,130 in the fall of 2021 to 11,499 in the fall of 2025. And so yesterday, in order to deal with this trend, DU announced that there will be a major academic restructuring that will involve closing and merging departments and closing schools. This will, of course, result in more jobs being eliminated, but DU did not give out any specifics.

I take a special interest in all of this because I worked as the Finance Manager at the DU Bookstore for almost 30 years before the store was outsourced to Follett Higher Education Group and all bookstore staff were laid off. In my case, I "retired," but with the same result. It now appears quite a few DU employees will be experiencing the same fate. Of course, this financial crisis has not stopped DU from buying The Cable Center, a cable museum and event space located on campus, for 19.5 million, and constructing the STEM Horizon Building, an 80,000 square foot facility for 112 million. Private colleges and universities across the county are dealing with major challenges, and a recent survey has predicted that 442 out of the nation's 1,700 private institutions could close in the next decade. However, Chancellor Jeremy Haefner has stated that DU is not in that group in trouble of surviving, since it has an endowment of around $1 billion. Not much comfort for those who will be going through what Haefner calls "some rightsizing of our employees." And by the way, I took the photograph above of Driscoll South, where the DU Bookstore is located and I spent those nearly 30 years, from directly across the street in the University of Denver Community Commons, which became fully operational in 2021 and cost $54 million. 

Beholding A Bevy Of Beautiful Bison At Genesee Park

I was driving past Genesee Park on Interstate 70 a few days ago, about 20 miles west of Denver, and noticed that the buffalo herd managed by Denver Parks and Recreation was out and about and very close to the fence that surrounds them, as seen in the photograph above, making for a perfect opportunity to take a few photographs. Denver maintains two bison herds, one at Genesee Park and the other at Daniel's Park in Sedalia, south of the city near Castle Pines, Colorado. These herds are descendants of the last wild bison in North America. When Europeans first arrived in North America, there were 30 million bison, but by the 1880s they had been nearly wiped out. By the beginning of the 20th century, there were only about 1,000 left. To try and save the species, a herd was established in 1908 at Denver's City Park by the Denver Zoo and the City of Denver.

The 18 bison at the Denver Zoo in 1908 were all that remained in Colorado. They were moved to Genesee Park, operated by Denver Mountain Parks, in 1914, and a second herd was established at Daniel's Park in 1938. Happily, there are now estimated to be 500,000 bison in North America today. Beginning in April 2021, the City and County of Denver began donating surplus bison to the Cheyenne and Arapahoe Tribes in order to help return wild bison to their native homes and tribal lands. While I was at Genesee Park, I noticed that there were a fair number of calves there, helping to increase the herd's numbers, such as the two in the photograph on the left.

As you can imagine, I was not the only person who was there observing the herd. When I drove into the parking lot, I saw a large number of children around a picnic table, who turned out to be part of an outing sponsored by the Denver Mountain Parks Foundation, getting ready to view the bison. And as I was walking back up the trail to the car, a large group of tourists passed me by, also heading to view the bison. There were three vans from three different sightseeing companies in the parking lot as I was leaving, which means tourist season is now in full swing in Colorado. And by the way, it was only this year that I discovered how to get to this particular bison viewing area. After passing by what looked like a road leading to a parking lot near the bison compound over a period of months as I drove west on I-70, I finally got off at the Chief Hosa exit, turned left onto Genesee Drive, took another left on Genesee Lane, and drove one mile to the parking lot and the Patrick House Trailhead, which is where the buffalo - I mean bison - roam. Of course, bison are native to North America, while buffalo are native to Africa. The song Home Home on the Range should go "Oh, give me a home where the bison roam," not buffalo. I would talk to someone about this, but have no idea who to contact.

The June Mutt Of The Month

I took the photograph above of the June Mutt of the Month up in Boulder, Colorado a few weeks ago. It was standing on a corner a block north of the Pearl Street Mall, waiting to cross the street with its owner. And as you can see, it was more than happy to pose for a portrait, smiling happily for the camera. And why not? It lives in Boulder, after all, a veritable paradise for both people and animals. Speaking of the Pearl Street Mall, I always find it amusing to see so many dogs there, despite the "no paws on the bricks" signs all over the place. Boulder has a reputation of being a very laid-back kind of town, and as far as I can tell, nobody seems to mind well-behaved dogs being on the mall, which is the heart of the downtown area, not even the police. Which is fine with me, just as long as those mutts are willing to have their photographs taken. Fair is fair, after all. Otherwise, I might just have to file a complaint.

The 2026 Denver Chalk Art Festival

The 2026 Denver Chalk Art Festival took place this past weekend in Denver's Golden Triangle neighborhood, on the streets surrounding the Denver Art Museum, Kirkland Museum, and Clyfford Still Museum. This festival started out back in 2003 as La Piazza Italian Chalk Art Festival at Larimer Square, a popular Denver gathering spot, and continued at that location until it was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. The next year it was part of the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, and in 2022 was moved to the current location. CherryArts, which co-produces the Denver Chalk Art Festival, expanded the event and added a music stage, food booths, and more artists, requiring a larger space. In any case, the basic elements of the festival are still there, namely hundreds of chalk art paintings on the streets of Denver.

My sister Susan and I attended the festival yesterday afternoon, and it was a bit of a challenge both for participants, vendors, and visitors. A series of wind gusts hit the event while we were there, spreading around large amounts of dust and rubbish, and blowing down some of the booths. A viewing platform, which allowed visitors to climb up about six to eight steps to see the art from a higher perspective, also blew down. As we passed by the wreckage, Denver Fire arrived with a stretcher, and so I assume some people were injured. In any case, after the first few major gusts, the next ones were not as bad, just annoying, and so everyone stayed around and kept viewing the art.

This festival took place on both Saturday and Sunday, but we decided to go on Sunday, since we would be able to see the completed works of art. Going on Saturday, people would see the artists creating the drawings, which I am sure is fascinating, but too much like watching paint (technically chalk) dry for my taste. This festival is open to both professionals (called Featured Artists) and amateurs. Many of the chalk drawings have the names of businesses chalked above the piece. I have always assumed that the businesses actually commissioned a specific artwork to be drawn, but that is not the case. Sponsors who donate $500 can specify which artist's work they want their name placed above but are not allowed to dictate what the artist will draw. If no artist is specified, the business name will be placed above a random work of art. Which could be dangerous, since the subject could turn out to be anything. I suppose the people deciding which business names will be placed over which chalk drawing would not do something like putting the name of an HMO like Kaiser above a skull and crossbones, but you never know.  In any case, this is always a fun festival to attend, and it was this year, too, despite the 100 mile per hour winds or whatever the hell they turned out to be. Like I said, damned annoying.

The 13th Annual Park Hill Art Festival

Yesterday afternoon I attended the 13th annual Park Hill Art Festival, which is being held on the grounds of the Park Hill Masonic Lodge, located on Denver's East Side. This festival is produced and promoted by a company called ColoradoArtWeekend.com, the same one that produced the Centennial Art Fest last weekend. I recognized a number of booths from last week, but with over 100 artists displaying fine art and crafts from Colorado and beyond, there were, happily, plenty of booths I didn't recognize to check out. This festival is more compact than other art festivals I have attended, but being held in such a nice residential neighborhood only adds to the ambience.

The Park Hill neighborhood is divided into South Park Hill, North Park Hill, and Northeast Park Hill. This festival is taking place in South Park Hill on East Montview Boulevard, a tree-lined street filled, for the most part, with what can only be called mansions. On the eastern border of Park Hill is what used to be Stapleton International Airport. Back in the 1990s, the residents of that neighborhood had so much political clout that they were able have Denver's airport moved to what seems like the Colorado-Kansas border instead of allowing Stapleton to expand onto a large empty tract called the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, a former chemical weapons plant, now a national wildlife refuge. And so now, Park Hill is free of the sound of commercial jets taking off and landing. Of course, instead of being able to get to the airport from most parts of Denver within 20 minutes, it now takes far longer. And instead of a quick and cheap cab ride, it takes an expensive Uber to get there. However, I am certainly not bitter about that. Not at all. No way. In any case, the Park Hill Art Festival continues today from 10:00 until 5:00. It is definitely worth a look. Enjoy the art and the serene ambiance of one of Denver's more quieter neighborhoods. 

Visiting Eldorado Canyon State Park

Like many people, I use Microsoft Edge as my web browser, mainly because that was what was provided when I bought the computer. The home page is filled with all kinds of articles and videos, including news stories, various features, top 10 lists of this or that, you name it. Yesterday I read an article in which the author listed her 5 favorite state parks in the country, and one of them was Eldorado Canyon State Park, located just to the south of Boulder, Colorado. I have known about Eldorado Canyon, and how popular it is, for years, but never got around to visiting it. But after reading that article, I decided it was finally time to drive up there. You reach it via Eldorado Springs Drive, which starts out paved and then turns into a gravel road as you approach the town of Eldorado Springs, a strange little town with a lot of old homes from around the turn of the 20th Century. Just beyond the town the state park begins, and you wind up a road past trailheads and technical climbing spots to the visitor's center, passing spectacular scenery along the way, such as the view of South Boulder Creek in the photograph on the left. Evidently the state park and the town were all part of a very popular resort complex, with the Crags Hotel located a thousand feet above the town, reached by train or a funicular, and the Eldorado Springs Resort in what is now the town of Eldorado Springs. Glen Miller played at the dance hall at that resort, and President Dwight Eisenhower and his wife Mamie honeymooned there. The pool from 1906 and the ballroom are still there today. This resort complex had its ups and downs in later years, and in 1978 the State of Colorado purchased the land to the west of town and made it into a state park to prevent it from being turned into a rock quarry. And good for them! It is definitely worth a visit. Just don't take 45 years to do it.

Man One: An Amos Walker Mystery

I just finished reading Man One, Loren D. Estleman's latest Amos Walker hard-boiled private eye novel. I've always enjoyed reading this series, which takes place in modern-day Detroit. This time, a young widow named Sage Holland drives non-stop from Alaska to Detroit to seek out Walker's help with a stalker. Holland was accused of poisoning her husband and convicted of manslaughter, but the verdict was overturned. However, her husband's brother, a police officer, believes she is guilty and has been following her cross-country, wanting her to pay for the crime. Insisting she is innocent, Walker agrees to take the case. This is a good noir style mystery, and Estleman really does a great job of evoking Detroit in the wintertime, giving us a good feel for what it is like there these days. It is a short novel, 192 pages, and really holds your attention. Estleman, a former police-beat reporter, is the author of eighty novels (33 in the Amos Walker series) and two hundred short stories, but is not as well-known as other mystery writers, at least outside the Detroit area. Which is good for readers, since you can usually find even his latest books on the library shelf and not have to put your name on a waiting list. I recommend picking up a copy today.

Clear Creek Opens To Tubers Early This Year!

Clear Creek, which runs through the heart of Golden, Colorado is open to tubers and kayakers much earlier than usual this year. I took the photograph above of a tuber and his kids this past Monday. They had the creek all to themselves that afternoon, but the scene will be much different this weekend, when everyone is off work and the temperatures will soar to almost 90 degrees. Of course, there is a downside to this favorite recreational activity beginning early: it is happening because of the lack of snow this past season in Colorado and other western states. With a much smaller snowpack, there has been much less melt off, which usually causes Clear Creek to rise and the water to run fast, making conditions too dangerous to be on the river. Getting a few weeks more tubing in this year is a high price to pay for water shortages and increased wildfire danger. It might very well be a long long summer this year.

The View From Willis Case

I drove up to Denver's Willis Case Golf Course the other day to take a few photographs. This course dates from 1929 and is located on a hill overlooking Colorado's Front Range. You can also see historic Lakeside Amusement Park from there. Lakeside is a family-owned amusement park located in Lakeside, Colorado, and opened in 1908. It is the oldest amusement park in Colorado still operating at its original location. In the photograph above can be seen the Tower of Jewels, an original building from 1908, and the Cyclone roller coaster, added back in 1940. The great thing about this park is that you can get in for $5.00, and then if you want, purchase individual tickets to the various rides. There was a major renovation back in the 1930s, with additional rides added and new buildings and ticket booths built, all in the Art Deco style, making a visit to the park at night, with all that neon, a really fun experience. The park is most famous for the Cyclone wooden roller coaster, which I have ridden a number of times. Sadly, back in 2022, someone injured their wrist while riding it, sued, and as a consequence, state regulators had Lakeside close down the Cyclone until they were able to make it safer. It has been closed ever since, but I read on the website of KYGO, a local FM radio station, that a social media page called American Coaster Enthusiasts has reported the coaster is "being tested," leading to speculation that the Cyclone might be back in operation this summer. Lakeside has no comment about that, but at least there is a glimmer of hope. 

Meanwhile, Back In Chicago At Rate Field

My South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, have been playing great baseball of late. They just finished a very successful homestand at Rate Field against the Twins and Tigers, and went 18-10 in the month of May, the second-best winning percentage (.643) in the American League after the Tampa Bay Rays (18-8, .692). They traveled to Minneapolis yesterday to start a series against the Minnesota Twins sporting a five-game win streak. And, I might add, the White Sox are currently 32 and 28 and are a game and a half out of first place in the AL Central. However, their rookie sensation, Munetaka Murakami, who has 20 home runs and is tied for the American League lead, went on the injured list with a right hamstring strain on Saturday, and is expected to miss four to six weeks. And last night the Sox lost to the Twins 9-6. Oh no! Can the White Sox continue their winning ways without Murakami? Could the curse of the Black Sox (the result of the White Sox throwing the World Series back in 1919) be rearing its ugly head again? Only time will tell. We White Sox fans are a pessimistic lot, with good reason. It is going to be a long six weeks.

Watching The San Francisco Giants Hammer The Colorado Rockies With Mark And Susan

I went to Coors Field here in Denver with my friend Mark and sister Susan yesterday afternoon to watch the Colorado Rockies play the San Francisco Giants, and it wasn't pretty. The Rockies won the first two games of the series, and if they won yesterday, they would have swept the Giants at Coors Field for the first time since 2018, not to mention escape last place in the National League West, leaving the Giants in the cellar. But it was not to be. Rockies pitchers gave up 25 hits, nine doubles, one triple, and three homers (one a grand slam) on the way to a 19 to 6 loss. And it took 3 hours and 38 minutes to do it. The only seats we could get were in right field behind the foul pole, which is where a fellow fan took the photograph above of the three of us (from left to right, myself, Susan and Mark). We could not see the action quite as well as from our usual seats, but that was probably for the best, considering the combined 6 errors and the fact it took 6 Rockies and 5 Giants pitchers to struggle through this game. Attendance was almost 38,000, and I was surprised at how many people stayed until the end, until we were heading for the exits. And realized it was Kids Day, when after the game all kids in attendance could run the bases. The line to do this completely circled the main concourse. There may have been 38,000 fans at the game, but a good 30,000 of them seemed to be in that line. Just another fun day at the ballpark.