4 JANUARY 22-28, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 8 THE NEXT STEP After fi ve decades, Cleo Parker Robinson has danced her company into a big new healing arts center. BY KRISTEN FIORE 6 BUGGIN’ OUT Bedbugs have infested a senior living facility for a year, one resident claims. BY HANNAH METZGER 14 EAT UP HAVANA One year visiting 47 restaurants representing fourteen cultures along a four- mile stretch in Aurora. BY ANTONY BRUNO 17 ALT-METAL MADNESS Doomy Denver band Old Deer will play the Federal Theater on January 31. BY JUSTIN CRIADO 8 Culture 14 Cafe 17 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 18 23 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 24 HIGH NOTES ............................................. XX VOLUME 49 NUMBER 21 JANUARY 22-29, 2026 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun News Editor Thomas Mitchell Food and Drink Editor Molly Martin Music Editor Emily Ferguson Culture Editor Kristen Fiore Social Media Editor Katrina Leibee Staff Writers Bennito L. 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PHOTO BY VALERIA MOONCH PHOTOGRAPHY “HOLDING DOWN THE FORT,” PATRICIA CALHOUN, JANUARY 8 F O R T B R A G I wanted to extend my heartfelt admiration for the wonderful January 8 cover story, “Holding Down the Fort,” by Patricia Calhoun. The narrative was not only an engrossing journey through Colorado history but also a vivid celebration of how places like The Fort in Morrison occupy a cherished place in our cultural fabric. The depth of research, the graceful weaving of historical context, and the lively way the story unfolded made it a joy to read and a tribute to Colorado’s rich heritage. The piece thoughtfully highlighted the fascinating arc from Bent’s Old Fort, an 1833 trading post that helped shape the Santa Fe Trail, to the creation of the Fort restaurant and its role as a living piece of history for genera- tions of Coloradans and visitors alike. That blend of historical gravitas and human story — served with equal parts insight and warmth — honored both landmark and restaurant in a way that felt deeply respectful and engaging. I also want to acknowledge Patricia Cal- houn herself — not only as a writer on this piece but as the founding spirit of Westword. Her enduring commitment to storytelling, to celebrating Colorado’s culture and to thoughtful journalism shines through in every page of this article and is a testament to her decades of leadership in Denver’s media landscape. For those like me who can’t get enough of Patricia Calhoun, I recommend you watch Colorado Inside Out (CIO) on PBS 12 every Friday evening at 8 p.m. This is the one show I never miss. I record it weekly in case I miss it when it airs. Or you can sim- ply go to the Colorado PBS 12 website and play the recording anytime 24/7/365. Kyle Dyer and her panel of local perspectives is always entertaining but more important, usually spot on. Thank you, Westword, for continuing to produce journalism that informs, inspires and deepens our connection to the places we love. Tim Jackson Denver I sometimes disagree with Patricia Cal- houn’s view, but the “Westword woke-tard loser bitch” label in last week’s letters section seems a little harsh. Olly Marx Boulder “TOP 50 RESTAURANTS,” MOLLY MARTIN, JANUARY 15 F O O D F O R T H O U G H T Thanks for the Top 50 Restaurants! After Molly Martin listed the “bygone restaurants” we miss last month, it’s good to see that there are so many worthwhile places still around. Sarah Parks Denver Do you remember when Denver actually had restaurants? Ones that mere mortals could afford to eat in? Even if they weren’t all that great, they were at least interesting. The sad thing about Denver is that the barbarians are no longer at the gates. They’ve breached the walls and ruined the town. For your consideration: Breakfast King, Breakfast Queen, Denver Diner, Tom’s Diner, Le Central, Racines, Goodfriends, Golden Tempura Bowl, Benny Blanco’s, Gabor’s, Barricuda’s, Streets of London, Tooey’s, Benny’s, the Lancer Lounge. Denver never really had much of a food scene, but at least it wasn’t inundated with douchebags. Unfortunately, our fair city has been inundated with douchebags. And it sucks, because they’re making me hate on Denver...and I’ve always loved this town. I used to call Denver the city where freaks moved to live a normal life. Sad. K. Michael Bierwirth Denver Atmosphere comes and goes. New own- ers can’t put their fi nger on how to market nostalgia to a largely migratory population now. Venture capital is buying up everything post-crash, and you will just be making bil- lionaires richer, so why even support that? Seek mom-and-pops. Defy the status quo. Don’t listen to infl uencers. Doug Bohm Denver
