City Cast Denver

Every Friday on City Cast Denver, our newsletter editor Peyton Garcia joins the crew to offer some event recommendations, and we collectively pick the Official City Cast Denver Maybe For Your Weekend — aka the one weekend event where you’re most likely to see us. So for this second installment of our summer entertainment guide, City Cast editor Adrian González returns to help Peyton, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi pick City Cast Denver’s Ultimate Summer Maybe. Because there’s a zillion cool things happening around Denver this summer, and we narrowed it down to one rock solid recommendation.

Here are all the events Peyton recommended:

Arts

Food

Mountain Adventure

Misc.

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866

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UPDATE 6/13/23: After this episode was published, we learned that the location of the Jor'Dell Richardson community memorial and procession planned for Friday 6/16 has been moved to Aurora Municipal Center. The event is still set to begin at 5 p.m.

It’s Tuesday and we’re breaking down all the local stories that matter. First, the Aurora Police Department released bodycam footage of the killing of 14-year-old Jor’Dell Richardson, but questions still remain as to what happened. Also, Denver School Board director Auon’tai Anderson announced that he won’t be running for re-election; instead, he’ll be running for House District 8, where Democratic representative Leslie Herod is term-limited. Speaking of politicians, a new Colorado law says your elected officials can block you from their personal accounts on social media if they want to — but legal or not, the ACLU still thinks it's a free speech issue. Plus, producer Paul Karolyi tells host Bree Davies about a new brunch spot in LoHi that he’s excited about, which comes from Denver celeb chef (who beat Bobby Flay!) Carrie Baird. 

We mentioned the GoFundMe for Jor’Dell Richardson’s family, as well as a community gathering and memorial for Jor’Dell on the steps of the capitol. 

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866

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Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬

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AI is everywhere right now — at least that’s how it seems. The technology has a lot of people worried, but we wanted to know: What does it actually mean for us as Denverites? Will our jobs be taken over by AI? How will it impact our daily lives? One local company has been on the cutting edge of this technology for years before the recent hype, and they recently deployed their AI at four local fast-food restaurants. So today on the show, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi take a trip to the Carl’s Jr. drive-thru in Lakeside to test out “Holly.” Then, Bree chats with Rob Carpenter, the CEO of Colorado’s Valyant AI, to learn more about how Holly works, how worried you should be about her taking your job, and what this technology is going to mean for Denver’s future. 

Bree mentioned the Marshall Fire investigation findings. 

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866

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Chat with other listeners on Reddit: r/CityCastDenver

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• badboyboards

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It’s Friday and we’re talking about all the local stories that grabbed our attention this week — aka, the election. Mike Johnston is officially Denver’s mayor-elect, and he made a lot of promises along the campaign trail, so which ones will he keep? Plus Casa Bonita gets a write-up in a little paper called the New York Times, Governor Jared Polis vetoes a housing bill, and the last drive-in theater in the Denver metro is closing. Producer Paul Karolyi is joined by host Bree Davies and founder of investigative news outlet The Lever and Academy Award nominee David Sirota for a rundown of everything Denver’s talking about. As always, stick around until the end for a round-up of the coolest events happening this weekend in the Mile High, curated by Hey Denver newsletter editor Peyton Garcia. 

If you haven’t read the Times’ take on Casa Bonita, here’s a link. Paul talked about Colorado’s changing drive-in movie theaters, including this one in the San Luis Valley, and predatory towing. Bree mentioned about a story from Nate Minor in Denverite about RTD’s bad bus stop management.

Follow our weather guy for all your weekend weather needs: Rain or Shine, it's Andy Stein! P.S. CONGRATS ON GETTING MARRIED, ANDY!!!!!!

Here are links to the weekend events Peyton recommended: 

For even more weekend event recs and local stories that matter, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866 or by visiting our website. 

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866

Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Or instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

When nightclub owner Steven Alix bought the old Irish Snug, he didn’t know anything about Sid King or his famous Colfax strip club, Crazy Horse. But he soon learned that the bar at the corner of Colfax and Marion had been a staple of the strip’s infamous — and often debaucherous — nightlife scene from the 1940s to the 1980s. A few decades have passed, but now the man behind Colfax’s hottest LGBTQ bars is bringing Crazy Horse Kitchen + Bar back to life, complete with King’s original Googie-style neon sign. Host Bree Davies is joined by Steven and Keith Garcia, a fellow Colfax aficionado and artistic director at the Sie FilmCenter, to dig into the myths and magic of Colfax, Sid King’s lasting imprint on the street, and why Crazy Horse (and its companion basement nightclub) are important to the current landscape of Denver’s queer-welcoming establishments. Plus, Keith and Steven share their recs for celebrating Pride Colfax-style.

Did Playboy actually call Colfax the “longest, wickedest street in America”? Bree mentioned this Denverite article investigating the infamous claim. 

Keith mentioned Sie FilmCenter’s slate of Pride events all month long, including a block party with Black Pride Colorado, and teased the return of the CinemaQ Film Festival in August. Steven highlighted the week of events planned at X Bar, Tight End, and Crazy Horse. 

Bree commented on the protests outside the new Drip Café on Santa Fe and recommends listening to our episode on Denver’s best coffee shops.

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866

Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

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Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

The people of Denver have elected Mike Johnston to become their first new mayor in 12 years. While the results won't be official until June 20, former CEO of the Denver Chamber of Commerce Kelly Brough conceded after the belt buckle-wearing former state senator won a majority of the votes counted by 10 p.m. on Tuesday. “Tonight we start a chapter about a city that is going to be big enough to care for all of us, to support all of us, to house all of us,” Johnston declared in his victory speech. “That is our dream of Denver.” Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi discuss the results of the mayor’s race and what to expect from mayor-elect Johnston, as well the City Council runoffs in districts 8, 9, and 10. 

Follow Denver Elections for future updates on the races that were still too close for us to call.

What are your hopes and dreams for mayor-elect Johnston? The Mayoral Madness Hotline is still open... for now. Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear your comments on the show: (720) 500-5418‬

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866

Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Or instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Summer is finally here! But no need to stress if your calendar’s not already full of summer fun. Over the next three weeks on the podcast and in our newsletter Hey Denver, we’re presenting our Summer Entertainment Guide to help you make this a season to remember. First up, John Moore has been covering local arts and culture for decades, and he’s got a voracious appetite for all kinds of entertainment, from tiny backyard plays to blockbuster arena-filling concerts. He’s on today with host Bree Davies to share his personal recommendations and a heads-up about that local staple you might want to skip. 

Read John Moore’s work in the Denver Gazette, including this recent piece he mentioned about Denver’s many outdoor film series.

Here are links to all of John’s other recommendations:

Do you have a summer entertainment rec? Text it to us or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866

Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Or instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Yes, Red Rocks is a world-famous concert venue, drawing music-lovers from all walks of life to the Denver suburbs. But there’s plenty more great venues in town to catch any kind of concert you want. So which one has the best sound? The best vibes? The best seating? Host Bree Davies sits down with two local musicians — Kalyn Heffernan and Gregg Ziemba of Wheelchair Sports Camp — who know all these venues inside and out to get their hard-earned tips for enjoying any kind of show and how to do Red Rocks right. 

We’re doing a survey to learn more about our listeners, so we can make City Cast Denver an even better, more useful podcast for you. We’d be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey — it’s only 5 minutes long. You’ll be doing us a big favor. Plus, anyone who takes the survey will be eligible to win a $250 Visa gift card.

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866.

Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Or instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

What will the next mayor do when it comes to housing and homelessness? There are so many important issues at stake in this election, but those two might be the biggest. That's why we're so grateful that our friends at Elevated Denver were ready to go deep. Their organization aims to humanize the issue of homelessness and bring new ideas to the table through relationships with our unhoused neighbors. So please enjoy this episode of their podcast featuring in-depth interviews with the two remaining mayoral candidates — Kelly Brough and Mike Johnston -- on housing and homelessness.

Here’s how they described this episode: “The Elevated Denver team is bringing you an extra special, time-sensitive, bonus episode. In Denver, we are in a runoff Mayoral election, with ballots due on June 6th. We spoke with each candidate — Kelly Brough and Mike Johnston — specifically focusing on housing and homelessness in Denver. The questions were deeply informed by our unhoused neighbors and this conversation answers questions about each candidate’s values and philosophies about this crisis in our community. Read the full transcript here.”

New episodes of the Elevated Denver podcast drop biweekly. You can learn more and subscribe to Elevated Denver at elevateddenver.co. 

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866

Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Or instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

It’s Friday and we’re chatting about all the local stories that caught our eyes this week. With Election Day looming, the mayoral mudslinging has begun, and both the Kelly Brough and Mike Johnston camps are getting messy with their ads. Will these late-in-the-game attacks matter to Denver voters? And why go negative now? Producer Paul Karolyi is joined by host Bree Davies and City Cast Denver politics and green chile correspondent Justine Sandoval to parse the unfolding election drama. Plus, the crew picks their Mile High wins and fails of the week, then Hey Denver newsletter editor Peyton Garcia shares her recommendations for your weekend. 

Paul mentioned a Western Slope graduate and the new culture of the Broncos’ locker room. Bree talked about D3 Arts. Justine shared the mystery of the missing hat and good news from RTD.

We’re doing a survey to learn more about our listeners, so we can make City Cast Denver an even better, more useful podcast for you. We’d be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey—it’s only 5 minutes long. You’ll be doing us a big favor. Plus, anyone who takes the survey will be eligible to win a $250 Visa gift card.

For even more weekend event recs and local stories that matter, subscribe to our weekday morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866

Follow our weather guy for all your weekend weather needs: Rain or Shine, it's Andy Stein!

Follow us on Twitter: @citycastdenver

Or instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:

• badboyboards

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise