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!

Denver Art Museum - Martin Building Level 4

The last week for me has been filled by a major project at home. Putting in new carpet is exhausting. So, I got a bit distracted from our floor-by-floor look at the Denver Art Museum's newly re-opened Martin Building. So, now let's jump back in with a look at Level 4.

This floor features the Latin American Art and Art of the Ancient Americas Galleries. With more than 1,000 rare works and artifacts, ths is one of the most comprehensive collections of Latin American art in the US. The works span a time frame of over 3,500 years.

The art on this level offers some unique contrasts, as it features both ancient artifacts as well as a great deal of religiously themed items that came after Europeans brought their cultures and beliefs to the region.

Denver Art Museum - Martin Building Level 3

Today we climb the stairs of the Martin Building up to Level 3. Seriously, we do climb the stairs, because even now with two new elevators added during the renovations, the elevators in this museum take too long! Hey, with people getting off and on up and down seven floors it's gonna be that way. Anyhow, Level 3 brings us to the Indigenous Arts of North America Galleries.

One of the things that has always appealed to my family about the Denver Art Museum is that even though art is the focus, it is also very much a history museum. The gallery on Level 3 is a great example of this as it displays objects from more than 250 indigenous nations across the US and Canada.

Here is a small sample. See you again on Level 4!

Denver Art Museum - Martin Building Level 2

My family and I have found that a good way to tackle the seven stories of the Denver Art Museum's Martin Building is to start at the top and work your way down. But, rather than confuse everybody, we're going to do the opposite for this series of posts. Since Level 1 is pretty much an entry level, we begin here on level 2.

Level 2 features two main exhibit areas. The first is devoted to the Northwest Coast and Alaska Native Gallery. Then, shifting gears in a big way, you can make your way to the Design Galleries features unique chairs, tables, and other household items. They don't necessarily appear comfortable to sit on, but they are cool to look at.

Enjoy a few pics I grabbed and come back next time as we go up to Level 3.

Denver Art Museum - Martin Building Reopening

This was a big weekend for the folks at the Denver Art Museum! After a four-year renovation project, the museum's Martin Building has finally been reopened to the public. My family and I made sure to be there on the goodbye weekend for the Martin Building four years ago, so we absolutely had to show up this weekend for the big reopening.

The museum has two buildings which are across the street from each other, connected by a bridge. The Hamilton Building is the newer structure. It was opened in 2006 and is one of the bizarre structures in all of Colorado. The Martin Building, on the other hand, has been around since 1971, so it celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year. It was designed by Italian architect Gio Ponti and is the only completed building in North America by this well-known architect. Many say it resembles a tall castle.

With seven floors of exhibits, it has a lot of vertical ground for visitors to explore. We'll go floor by floor through the building over the course of the next few posts. For this post, though, we're just taking a look at the new Sie Welcome Center, which will serve as a new entry point for the museum. Come back in the days to come for a look at some of the unique exhibits spread throughout the Martin Building.

Meyer Ranch Park

It's the time of year when the leaves start to change. In Colorado, that means that people flock to the mountains to see the aspen trees, with their leaves that change to a bright gold color. It's quite different than the fall colors I grew up with in the midwest.

There are many places you can go to see the aspen. This weekend, my family and I took a short drive to the small mountain community of Aspen Park in Jefferson County. There you will find Meyer Ranch Park, which offers some nice trails that give a great view of the aspens at this time of year.

The land was once the homestead of the Duncan McIntyre family in the mid-1800's.  In 1883 the land was purchased by Louis Ramboz who built a house that still stands today known as Midway House. It served as a stagecoach stop between Denver and Fairplay. There are reports that in the late 1880's the ranch served as the winter home for PT Barnum's circus animals. In the early 20th century the property became a working ranch and included a ski area known as Mount Lugo.

Today the property is a part of Jefferson County Open Space and is open to the public to enjoy. The trails are great for those who want something mountainy, but not too strenuous. The park is located at 10490 S Turkey Creek Rd, just off highway 285 near Aspen Park.

Denver Chalk Art Festival 2021

There was a lot going on in Denver this Labor Day weekend. This year, we saw the return of several events that didn't happen last year, because...you know. One such event was the Denver Chalk Art Festival. Usually, the festival takes place downtown at historic Larimer Square. It's a great environment, but truth be told, it does get to be pretty tight quarters. Folks are usually shoulder to shoulder as everyone jockeys for position to get the best views of the art. Needless to say, that's not really what the organizers are going for as we try to ease back into large group events. So, this year the festival was scaled back and was incorporated into the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, which also took a much different form this year. Though having the chalk art masterpieces in a mall parking lot, as opposed to along one of Denver's oldest streets, does not really have the same vibe, it was still good to see this event return. Check out a few examples of great works on display.