Sports Art

Aurora is a big place! The only cities with more people in the state are Denver and Colorado Springs. With so many people, there's always a lot of activity going on in Aurora, and for many families that means sports. With so many different sports going on each weekend, Aurora decided to create a huge park devoted to providing space for all these activities. It's called Aurora Sports Park, go figure! However, in a cool stroke of genius, the city of Aurora chose to bring together both the sports and arts communities, as there are several unique sports-themed art installations on the grounds. 

First, just a little ways inside of the main entrance to the park, is a piece called Trophy. It was created in 2002 by artist Rafe Ropek. Made of painted steel, it includes abstract versions of various types of balls. If you look close you'll find a baseball, soccer ball, and a football.

Next, we have a piece called Ball Caddy. It was created by artist Don Mitchell in 2002. It's made of painted steel and aluminum and depicts a child pulling a cart full of soccer balls.

Finally, nestled among the baseball fields we have Glove Two. This concrete sculpture was created by Rik Sargent. I'm sure many teams have used this feature for team photos.

Aurora Sports Park is located at 18601 E Sports Park Drive in Aurora. The main entrance, though is off of Colfax at Dunkirk...about half a mile east of Tower Rd.

Chapel Hill Cemetery

Yep, I'm at it again. Hanging out in cemeteries. Call it creepy if you want, but I enjoy it. Plus, I've always found cemeteries to be intriguing subjects when it comes to photography...and snappin' pics is very much my thing. This time we spent a little time at Chapel Hill Cemetery in Centennial. It doesn't have quite the history of some of the older cemeteries we've visited, but it's a nice place to visit, nonetheless.

The cemetery sits on 75 acres nestled in a residential area. Supposedly, it is at the highest point in Arapahoe County. As it is a newer cemetery, most of the markers are at ground level, so there aren't as many impressive headstones to be found here. Still, there are a few unique sites, as well as an impressive veterans memorial.

One of the most notable features of Chapel Hill, though, is a memorial to the victims of the shootings at Columbine High School in nearby Littleton. This is one of at least two Columbine memorials I know of in the south metro area. This one exists on private property, but there is also one on public property in Clement Park, just adjacent to the school itself. 

At the time of the incident in April of 1999, there was no such place as the city of Centennial. The area where Chapel Hill sits was an unincorporated area that most residents referred to as being part of Littleton. Centennial didn't come into existence until early 2001. So while this memorial is not in Littleton itself, it makes sense to have it in this location. The memorial consists of thirteen black granite crosses, one for each of the victims. Their names and pictures appear on each marker. The memorial is easy to spot as it is just a few yards in from the main entrance of the grounds.

Chapel Hill Cemetery is located at 6601 South Colorado Blvd in Centennial, though the main entrance is actually off Caley Ave.

Savery Savory Mushrooms Water Tower

North of Denver, in the city of Westminster, there sits one of the most unusual water towers you will ever see. Basically, it looks like a giant can of mushrooms. It is the only thing that remains of a large mushroom farm and cannery that operated in this spot for 30 years, from 1923 to 1953.

The operation was the brainchild of Colorado's "Mushroom Magnate" Charles William Savery. Savery moved to the Denver area in 1909, but he was originally from Chester County, Pennsylvania, which is the heart of mushroom country. In fact, at this time, 80% of the country's mushroom crop came from Pennsylvania. The cool and humid air of that region is perfect for mushrooms. Now, if you've spent any time in Colorado, you probably know that we don't have that same level of humidity. Our dry climate is not really suited to mushrooms, but that didn't stop Savery. Though the first few years of his operation were a failure, he returned to Pennsylvania to learn all he could and eventually turned his Colorado mushroom operation into a success.

The 80-acre farm was a big operation, and in many ways was its own little community. There were well over 40 structures, including residences, a general store, and a schoolhouse. Most of the over 80 laborers were Mexican immigrants, with men, women, and children all working on the farm.

The water tower was an important feature of the farm, as the nearby irrigation canals were not at all adequate for the water needs of the farm. In the years since the farm shut down, the water tower had its share of difficult times. However, the city of Westminster restored the tower to its original look back in 2006. Now the tower stands above a subdivision of relatively new houses. 

It is easy to spot the tower as you drive by on Federal Blvd. Luckily, there is a small parking area just a bit south of the tower, with a path that leads to it and even a sign that details some of the history of the mushroom farm. 

You'll find the water tower about a quarter of a mile south of the intersection of 112th and Federal in Westminster.

Buffalo Bill Days - Best of the West Parade

My family and I have always loved parades. To me, there's just such a great sense of community that comes with watching all sorts of folks march down the main street to celebrate a holiday or a local festival of some sort. Last weekend was Buffalo Bill Days in Golden. One of the highlights of this celebration each year is the Best of the West Parade, which flows right down Washington Avenue, right underneath the city's famous welcome arch. After a couple of years without the parade (cuz, you know...COVID), it was great to have it back.

The origins of this annual celebration began back in the 1960's, but its genesis has to do with trail rides to Buffalo Bill's grave that began in the 1940's. Buffalo Bill's final resting place sits atop Lookout Mountain, which towers over the city of Golden. One year, the riders went up the mountain, but when they came back down they continued through town. Shazam, the first Buffalo Bill Days Parade!

Nowadays the festival features the parade as well as events like a golf tournament, car show, muttin bustin, and more. It's a fantastic celebration of our Colorado western heritage, in one of my favorite Denver area spots! So what's not to love?

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.

Riverboat Car Wash

Back in the 70's, when I was a kid, not every gas station had a car wash. In fact, they were pretty rare. You had to specifically go to a car wash, or do it yourself. My dad always did it himself and it was a blast for us as kids to help. Grandma and Grandpa, on the other hand, had moved beyond washing the car themselves, so it was always a treat to go with them to get the car washed. After all, when you're a kid, the simple things are extremely entertaining. So riding in Grandma's car while it gets suds upped and slapped with a bunch of big blue brushes, that's like the coolest thing ever. In Denver, though, there's an extra level to the coolness when you can have that experience in a car wash shaped like a giant riverboat!

It's called the Riverboat Car Wash, for obvious reasons. I mean, what else do you call a car wash that looks like a giant white, three-level riverboat? It's even got two big black smokestacks popping out of the top! It is an odd sight, for sure, to be driving down a busy Denver road and suddenly see a large riverboat parked just behind Grease Monkey.

I guess part of what makes it such a weird sight is that Colorado is not an area that is really known for that Mark Twain sort of river culture. Sure, the Platte River goes right through Denver, but it's not the sort of waterway that could handle a vessel this size. I'm not complaining, though. This is just the sort of roadside oddity that I love to experience. 

You'll find the Riverboat Car Wash about three-quarters of a mile east of I-25 on Hampden Technically, the address is 3480 S. Poplar in Denver.

Fairmount Cemetery

On the far east side of Denver, almost right on the border with Aurora, is the city's second-oldest cemetery, Fairmount. With 280 acres to explore, it is a place where you can enjoy a long peaceful stroll. That is, if you're not creeped out by walking around a cemetery. If you've followed any of my other posts, you know that I rather enjoy walking around in cemeteries, and Fairmount is one of the best in the Denver area for doing just that.

Founded in 1890, the cemetery is known for being the final resting place of many of Denver's more well-to-do past residents. That means you will find many large and impressive tombstones, statues, and mausoleums. Among those who now call the cemetery home, you will find several Colorado Governors, Senators, Representatives, Denver Mayors, and other notable citizens.  As you walk around the grounds you will find several markers that echo names of Denver area streets and landmarks, such as Speer, Boettcher, Buell, Elitch, Byers, Lowry, and Iliff. You'll also find one notable grave that brings to mind one of Colorado's darkest days; that of John Milton Chivington, the army colonel responsible for the Sand Creek massacre. 

At times the cemetery hosts some unique events that you wouldn't necessarily expect to find at a cemetery. Outdoor movie screenings have become a recurring feature at Fairmount, as has an annual classic car show.

The pictures in this post were taken last fall, when the leaves were dropping. Honestly, though, Fairmount is beautiful at any time of the year. Fairmount is at 430 South Quebec St in Denver.