Attending The Last Oktoberfest of the Year

This past Sunday my sister Susan and I went to Oktoberfest - The Denver Wiesn, which took place at Denver's National Western Center. I am pretty sure it was the last Oktoberfest of the year, at least here in Colorado. This festival was sponsored by the Bavarian Guild and the National Western Center, and featured a beer hall, German food, artisan vendors, and family-centered activities, such as the Ferris wheel seen in the photograph on the left. There were a fair number of people at this event, but not anywhere near the crowds at the other Oktoberfests we attended. Which makes sense, since it was a bit chilly out there, with a wind making it feel even colder. I can just imagine what it felt like on that Ferris wheel.

This year Susan and I also attended the Oktoberfest in Denver's Platte Park neighborhood and the Denver Oktoberfest in the Ballpark neighborhood. Susan enjoyed them both but kept asking me why Oktoberfest takes place in September instead of October. And I kept explaining that the first Oktoberfest was to celebrate the wedding of Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria. It was such a success, they decided to have it again every year, but in September instead of October to avoid harsh weather. I had originally thought the Denver Wiesn would be an indoor event, since every other time I have attended a function at the National Western Center, it has been inside, including the long-gone Denver County Fair, and was very surprised to arrive and find it outdoors. But happily, Susan finally learned firsthand why Oktoberfests mostly take place in September.

All in all, it was worth checking out this final Oktoberfest, but it was a much smaller festival than I anticipated and far less boisterous than the other Oktoberfests we have attended. Plus, the National Western Center, which is where the National Western Stock Show takes place every January, is in an industrial area where the Denver Stockyards used to be located. Which makes it a great place for seeing livestock and attending rodeos, but for a festival like this, having it take place in an interesting neighborhood on a lively street makes a lot more sense. And so, will I attend this festival again next year? Probably not. As my old DU Bookstore boss Ed once said about attending a rodeo, once is interesting, twice is a mistake.

Dia De Los Muertos At Civic Center Park

I went to Dia de los Muertos at Civic Center Park in downtown Denver this past Saturday afternoon. This is a traditional Mexican holiday that honors deceased loved ones and is very popular here in Denver. This particular celebration was sponsored by the Denver Botanic Garden, and featured a community alter, art installations, live music, dance, Mexican and Latin American food trucks, and a marketplace with booths selling all manner of items, such as the one in the photograph on the left. There were a lot of people at this festival, which kind of surprised me, since it was a cold day with a nasty wind. Denver festival goers are nothing if not a hardy lot.

There were a number of Calacas (Spanish for skeletons) and Catrinas (female skeletons) on display at this event, which are the symbol of Mexico's Dia de los Muertos celebrations, two of which can be seen in the photograph on the right. Some of the works on display were from the collection of the Museo de los Americas, located in Denver's Art District on Santa Fe, and others were from the collection of the Denver Botanic Garden. My favorite Dia de los Muertos celebration takes place in November during the First Friday Art Walk on Denver's Santa Fe Boulevard. In addition to Calavera face-painting stations, artist made alters, and dance and music performances throughout the district, there is a procession from 7:00 to 8:00 which includes many people dressed as Calacas and Catrinas, which makes for great photo opportunities. Unfortunately, I will be out of town, or I would be there with camera ready. Hopefully many of you readers can make it there that night (Friday, November 6th). It is definitely worth it.

Watching Leeds Play Sunderland With The Leeds United Colorado Supporters Group

I went to the DNVR Bar at the corner of York and Colfax here in Denver with my friend Mark, seen in the photograph above, yesterday morning to watch Leeds United play Sunderland with the Leeds United Colorado Supporters Group. The Leeds fans are a nice bunch, a mix of young, old, and families with children, and I must say, the DNVR Bar is a very pleasant place to watch a soccer match. It is located in a building built in 1925 that once housed the Capitol Hill State Bank and has a nice old time feel about it, with a wall of windows looking out on York Street. Leeds did their best to score against Sunderland, which is currently in last place (20th) in the Premier League standings, but the best they could do was finish with a 0-0 tie. But Leeds is still in 7th place, and everyone left confident their team would win next week. At half time, Mark got to talking with John, the man wearing a yellow jersey in the background of the photo, and it turns out he is a big baseball fan, originally from the North Side of Chicago. And, of course, a Cubs fan. I mentioned that I was from the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago, and we had a nice chat about the Cubs and White Sox and players from back in the day. John was sure that with the Pope's support the Sox would go all the way to the World Series, but, of course, it was not to be. There are some things not even the Pope can arrange. All in all, a very pleasant start to a Sunday morning.

DU Homecoming 2026 - A Very Soggy Affair

My friend Stuart and I, both DU alums, decided to skip the University of Denver's Homecoming Pregame Party this year, due to having to purchase a $20 ticket to attend, which we thought was too high a price to pay to mix with fellow alums we didn't even know. But when I was entering the lobby of my condo building yesterday afternoon, I ran into a friend just coming back from that event, who said she enjoyed it very much, especially the food, and she was only coming back early because it was just too cold outside. And so just for fun, since the event was going on for another hour and a half, I decided to check it out. That turned out to be a bit of a problem, since the main walkway from my building, located across the street from DU, to the Campus Green, where the event was being held, was closed off due to a men's soccer match, and you needed a ticket to enter the area. That necessitated a detour around the soccer, lacrosse, and practice fields, which is usually not a big thing, but a cold drizzle was starting to fall, which made me kind of grumpy. When I got to the entrance to the Homecoming Pregame Party, as seen in the photograph above, I was not impressed. A number of tents were set up around the green, where I assumed everyone was taking shelter from the rain. I could just imagine having bought a $20 ticket to this event and then spending the entire time standing in a dark tent, drinking a cold beer in even colder temperatures, and staring out at the rain coming down. That would have made me even grumpier, which actually would have been appropriate - it would have reminded me of my days at the University of Denver, when I was working at the DU Bookstore and going to graduate school at the same time. Back then I was a very grumpy person indeed. So much for nostalgia. No wonder I never want to mix with my fellow alums.

Garden And Gun Magazine

I dropped off my car at an autobody shop here in Denver a few weeks ago to have the bumper replaced, and while waiting for the service person, spotted Garden and Gun Magazine on a table in the waiting room. And I thought to myself, "Oh sure, some damn redneck publication glorifying guns and the Second Amendment." I did not have time to look at it, but when I returned to pick up the car, I was able to go through a couple of issues and saw that my original impression was quite wrong. This magazine was started in 2007 by the Evening Post Publishing Company, located in Charleston, South Carolina, and the name comes from a popular 1970s era Charleston disco called the Garden and Gun Club. Garden and Gun is actually all about the South, and covers "art, skeet-shooting, gardens, Southern tradition, and land conservation." I looked through several older issues with articles such as "A Quail Hunting Revival in 'Bama," "Get Lost on Georgia's Ossabow Island," "Our Favorite Antiquing Towns," and "New Twists on the Old-Fashioned." In other words, kind of like a Southern version of Chicago Magazine. And on November 1st, the second annual edition of G and C Weddings: Celebrate in Southern Style, comes out. I do have to note that the title of this special edition is G and C Weddings, not Garden and Gun Weddings, which to me would imply it was about another Southern tradition, the shotgun wedding. Now THAT would be a very interesting issue.

Walking The DU Campus With Stuart

My friend Stuart and I had lunch at QDOBA Mexican Eats here in Denver yesterday afternoon and afterwards, just for old times' sake, decided to walk the University of Denver campus. Stuart got a master's degree at DU back in the early 1980s, and I myself got an MBA while working as the Finance Manager of the University of Denver Bookstore. DU was $30 million under budget last year and this year had to reduce staff and cut expenses in order to achieve a balanced fiscal 2027 budget. Nevertheless, the campus itself still looks really good. This is Homecoming Week at DU, and Stuart and I were originally planning to attend the Homecoming Pregame Party this Saturday. I attended this event a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. At that time, you could hang out at the party with the option of buying food and drink tickets if you so chose, but this year I read that you have to purchase a $20 ticket to gain entrance to the event, and so we decided to skip it. Having to pay $20 to be able to mix with fellow alums does not sound like a bargain to me. But no matter - it was still fun just to walk around the campus. Stuart was very impressed with the new buildings, especially the student center, which has great views of the campus and the mountains from the 4th floor rooftop deck. And yes, that is indeed Stuart in the photograph above, with University Hall, built in 1892 and the first building to be built on this campus, in the background. I suggested to Stuart that he make a donation to his old alma mater to help it through its financial difficulties, but he did not seem enthusiastic about it. As for me, I worked at the DU Bookstore for almost 30 years and feel I have already donated enough.

The Oriental Theater: Still Weird After All These Years

I took the photograph above of the Oriental Theater this past Saturday while attending the Tennyson Fall Fest. The festival took place on Tennyson Street in Denver's Berkley neighborhood, and since the Oriental was only half a block away, I decided to check it out. This theater opened in 1927 as a movie theater but closed in 1960. After standing empty for 45 years, it was purchased by Scott Labarbera, who turned it into a live music venue in 2005. It closed for renovations for a period of time after part of the structure almost fell on concert goers, which is almost always a negative, but reopened in 2012, which was the year I went to the theater for the first and only time to see a documentary called Grandma Goth. This documentary was about Suelynn Gustafson, the owner of an antique and costume store on South Broadway here in Denver called Flossy McGrew's, which she decorated with several coffins, skeletons, and skulls. Suelynn was an acquaintance of my friend Valarie, who was the Operations Manager of the University of Denver Bookstore when I worked there and invited me to attend. As I recall, there was a bit of a controversy that night because Gustafson did not attend. Valarie was not pleased. And the documentary? Definitely kind of weird. And as I looked at the Oriental's marquee this past Saturday, I saw that Lords of Acid are appearing there tonight. I looked up Lords of Acid on Wikipedia, which says that "the band is known for their provocative lyrics, blending techno, acid house, and industrial music with themes of sexuality, drug use, and hedonism." Glad to know the Oriental is still as weird as ever. And as a public service, I checked online and found that the doors open at 6:30 P.M., the show starts at 7:30, and YES! -  tickets are still available. And it is an "All Ages" event, so bring the kids! Like I said - weird.