2 westword.com WESTWORD FEBRUARY 8-14, 2024 | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 10 MILES TO GO Pioneering track star Kelley Dolphus Stroud made a run at the Olympics...but came up short. BY JOHN FLATHMAN 4 NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Businesses in the 1400 block of Ogden Street are not ready for crime time. BY CHRIS PEREZ 13 BE MINE An ode to some of our favorite places to eat and drink. BY WESTWORD STAFF 17 MIC DROP Wolf Wednesdays are amping up Denver’s hip-hop scene. BY JULIANNA O’CLAIR 4 News 10 Culture 13 Cafe 17 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 18 24 Marijuana TOKE OF THE TOWN ................................ 24 ASK A STONER ......................................... 26 STRAIN GANG .......................................... 28 VOLUME 47 NUMBER 24 FEBRUARY 8-14, 2024 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun Editorial Operations Manager Jane R. Le Culture Editor Emily Ferguson Food and Drink Editor Molly Martin Cannabis Editor Thomas Mitchell Social Media Editor Katrina Leibee Senior Staff Writer Chris Perez Staff Writers Catie Cheshire, Bennito L. Kelty, Hannah Metzger Senior Contributors Alan Prendergast, Michael Roberts Contributors Amy Antonation, Teague Bohlen, Hyde Chrastina, Jacqueline Collins, Linnea Covington, Justin Criado, John Flathman, Susan Froyd, Lizzie Goldsmith, Nick Hutchinson, Danielle Krolewicz, Karl Christian Krumpholz, Kristen Kuchar, Abigail Nueve, Julianna O’Clair, Ryan Pachmayer, Kristin Pazulski, Adam Perry, Evan Semón, Amber Taufen, Toni Tresca, Kastle Waserman, Helen Xu Music Listings Chris Speed A R T Art Director Jay Vollmar P R O D U C T I O N Production Manager Michael Wilson Assistant Production Manager Erin Kirk Graphic Designers Chris Arneson, Tori Bohling C R E A T I V E S E R V I C E S Senior Graphic Designer Allie Seidel A D V E R T I S I N G Account Manager Jack Baker Senior Multimedia Account Executives Amy Camera, Aaron Lembke, Danelle Trujillo Multimedia Account Executives Trayl Chaffee, Nick Naglic, William Savoie, Allison Wissink Marketing and Promotions Manager Heyward Manning Event Marketing Manager Britton Sacharski House Account Manager Anna Schoening Operations Manager Maddie Miller Digital Coordinator Carver Hodgkiss Digital and Advertising Sales Manager Taylor Wheeler Advertising Director Teri Driskell C I R C U L A T I O N Circulation Manager Ty Koepke B U S I N E S S Business Manager Sarah Dunahay Financial Accountant Robert Scribner AR Coordinator Stacy Phillips IT Systems Manager Kris Robinson Receptionist Cindy Perez Associate Publisher Tracy Kontrelos Publisher Scott Tobias V O I C E M E D I A G R O U P Editorial Director Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek SEO Specialist Jenna deJong Membership Manager Lily Black Corporate Controller Beth Cook Legal Counsel Steve Suskin Chief Financial Offi cer Jeff Mars Chief Executive Offi cer Scott Tobias V M G N A T I O N A L National Advertising: 1-888-278-9866, www.voicemediagroup.com Senior Vice President of Sales Operations Joe Larkin D I S T R I B U T I O N Westword is available free of charge. 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Peri- odicals postage paid in Denver. Domestic subscriptions may be purchased for $100/year or $50/six months. Postmaster: Send address changes to Westword, P.O. Box 5970, Denver CO 80217. Mailing address: P.O. Box 5970, Denver, CO 80217 Street address: 1278 Lincoln Street, Denver, CO 80203 For retail or classifi ed advertising, call: 303-296-7744 For general information, call: 303-296-7744 For Editorial, email: [email protected] “WAR OF THE WORDS,” TEAGUE BOHLEN, FEBRUARY 1 B A N N E D O N T H E R U N Thank you for Teague Bohlen’s interesting story on the library challenges. It is good to know that unlike so many places, Colorado does not cave to would-be book-banners. Heidi Martin Denver “LIFE OF THE PARTY,” HANNAH METZGER, JANUARY 25 D E M B O N E S You published “Life of the Party” too early! The Democrats may have skeletons in their closets, but the Republicans have put them in the center ring. With Dave Williams as ringmaster. The 4th Congressional District race is certainly a clown car. Ramona Parks Greeley Did anyone else see the recent debate where Colorado GOP candidates (the party of law and order) all tried to outdo each other bragging about how many times they’ve been arrested? John Uhr Boulder Why don’t you tell everyone that voted Democrat to take an illegal alien into their home. Feed them, let them stay there until Donald Trump wins 2024 and sends them all back home. Ryan Faulkner Denver “HIGH AND DRY,” THOMAS MITCHELL, JANUARY 11 H I G H T I M E Thanks for the great articles, Thomas. I’m a boomer in Ridgway; we have four rec dispen- saries and 2,500 people in our whole county. I grew up in SoCal with Mexican brick weed mostly, until Humboldt buds started making it down south. It was interesting to read about Curaleaf selling to Mammoth, and all grows going to infusion and vapes. Too strong for me. I grow my own fl ower — all organic. None of our lo- cal dispensaries have gone under, but there are a lot less cars in their parking lots. I’ve bought some, but I think it’s all the same. It’s been so cross-bred I don’t think there’s any pure sativa or indica anymore! I remember when I got my fi rst receipt for buying weed in Durango. I thought, ‘Wow, crazy, I had friends that got busted for seeds and dust!’” Keep up the good work. Interested to see if schedule change happens and whether it is good or bad. Bob Klein Ridgway “THE TEN BEST BURGERS IN DENVER,” MOLLY MARTIN, JANUARY 25 B R I N G O U T Y O U R B E S T I can tell that the Best of Denver is coming soon. That burger list made me hungry. Another “best of” list that doesn’t have my favorite and won’t ruin it. Grant Gentry Denver I notice you have a Best Hamburger on your Best of Denver Readers’ Choice Poll, but you’re missing a lot of the categories I usually look for...and you have a lot of new ones. But Best Roofi ng Company? Best Hair Transplant/Restoration? I always liked the weird ones, but you’re looking a little like the Yellow Pages. (And I’m sounding like an old man. Get off my lawn!) Jake Martinez Denver Editor’s note: Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you, Jake. For the fi rst time in forty years, the Readers’ Choice Poll is completely separate from the hundreds of editorial picks that will be in the Best of Denver 2024. You can fi nd the poll at westword.com/bestof, and if you don’t see a category that fi ts one of your favorites, you can write it in there. But if you want to bring something special to the attention of the Best of Denver team that’s been working on this issue all year, send it to [email protected]. ON THE COVER AI RENDITION BY FRANK SHINES LETTERS T O T H E E D I T O R YOU CAN COMMENT ON ANY STORY AT WESTWORD.COM; SEND LETTERS TO [email protected] Don’t miss a word! The stories in this print edition are just a fraction of the pieces we publish every week on westword.com. 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