Sakura Square

Denver, like any other city, is made up of many diverse peoples from all over the world. Each of these people bring a little something to help make the city what it is today. If you head up Larimer Street in downtown Denver, you will find a small area that celebrates Denver's Japanese community known as Sakura Square.

Before 1940, Denver's Japanese community was quite small. This would change, though, during World War II. At a time when Japanese Americans on the west coast were being taken to internment camps, including Amache near Granada, Colorado, Governor Ralph Carr opposed the internment of American citizens. This stance may have cost Carr his political career, yet thousands of Japanese Americans came to Denver. A statue of Carr now stands in Sakura Square, recognizing his stand against injustice during the war years.

The square also features statues of two important Japanese Americans who made an impact on the Denver Community. The first is of attorney Minoru Yasui. Yasui fought against the discrimination of the war years and spent his later years in Denver. The second statue is of the Reverend Yoshitaka Tamai. He was a native of Japan who came to Denver in 1930 and served the Buddhist community of Colorado and the surrounding states for the next 53 years. Sakura Square is adjacent to the Denver Buddhist Temple, which dates back to 1916.

The square also features a small shopping center featuring a few shops and Japanese eating options. The square also hosts an annual Cherry Blossom Festival each summer. There is talk of some improvements being made to the Sakura Square site in the coming years. For now it's a quaint little spot that celebrates the history of one of Denver's many unique communities.

9News Parade of Lights 2021

A Denver tradition returned last night as the 9News Parade of Lights made its way through the downtown. The parade has been an annual tradition since 1975, but like many events, it was put on hold last year. The parade usually takes place a week after the Thanksgiving weekend, on Friday night and again on Saturday night, but for this return, it was just a Saturday event. With the unseasonably warm start to winter we've been having, this was a perfect year to check out the parade and not freeze your butt off.

Many local institutions sponsor floats each year, and many local schools participate with their marching bands. It's a big parade, but not too big. We showed up about an hour and early and were able to find a great spot without having to fight mobs of people. 

The parade is a fun Denver tradition. It was great to see it back this year!

The Giant Pencil

Downtown Denver is the home of many unique sights: architecture, public art, and even a giant pencil! You read that correctly, a giant pencil is a favorite landmark of many Denverites. However, many folks are a bit unsure of what it actually is. Some say it's a smokestack, others say it's one of those chutes for dumping garbage. One article I found refers to it as a coal stack.

The pencil runs up the backside of the University Building, hence why the words "University Building" can be spotted on the bright yellow icon. The building, designed in 1910 by Fisher & Fisher Architects, was originally known as the A.C. Foster Building. In 1920 it was donated to the University of Denver. The school sold the building in 1980. Though the University building sits on the 16th Street Mall, the pencil is best viewed from one block over on 15th.

A few years ago, there were rumblings that changes to some of the neighboring buildings would result in the pencil being removed. For the time being, though, it stands proud in downtown Denver.

The University Building is found at 910 16th Street in Denver, but head over to 15th and Curtis for a better view.

A Night at the Symphony

Every year my family and I try to go to Door's Open Denver.  This is an event run by the Denver Architecture Foundation where various buildings around town open their doors for the day so people can come in an experience the architecture and history of the structures.  During this event few years ago, I was able to step inside the Boettcher Concert Hall, home of the Colorado Symphony, for the first time.  It was a great experience to see the concert hall, but not quite the same as experiencing a concert there.  I felt kind of pathetic touring the building but realizing that I had spent over twenty years in Denver without taking in a concert there.  Well, over the last few months I have been able to change that.

This past Friday, Valentine's Day, my wife and I took in A Symphonic Valentine at the Boettcher.  The concert featured selections by Mozart, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, and more.  Several of the selections featured vocals from soprano Laquita Mitchell.  This was actually my second concert at the Boettcher in the last few months.  Last fall I went with my kids to see a screening of The Goonies with the score performed live by the Colorado Symphony.

Even without experiencing the music, the Boettcher is quite an impressive hall.  Built in 1978, it was the first symphony hall constructed in the round.  From most spots in the hall, you end up feeling quite close to the musicians.  The Boettcher is just one of no less than eight theaters that make up Denver's Center for the Performing Arts.

A Symphonic Valentine was a great concert, but the best part was just getting to spend the night out with my wife on Valentine's Day.  We don't get to do that as much as we would like

Scottish Angus Cow and Calf

No visit to the Denver Art Museum is complete without checking out the gigantic sculpture known as Scottish Angus Cow and Calf.  Beasts like this have played a huge part in Denver's history.  They still do, in fact, with the annual National Western Stock Show taking place here each January for well over one-hundred years.

These two sit in a courtyard on the 12th Avenue side of the museum.  There are a few benches nearby, so my family and I have had many a picnic lunch under their watchful eyes.  Turkey sandwiches, usually, so as not to offend.