2 westword.com WESTWORD MARCH 28-APRIL 3, 2024 | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 5 ARMED AND DANGEROUS Colorado’s youngest criminals aren’t kidding around. DAs and other experts unpack why. BY CHRIS PEREZ 10 FUN BUNS The Keester Club is for the love of butts and art. BY JOHN FLATHMAN 13 ORDER OF OPERATIONS Local restaurateurs dish on the importance of menu design. BY HELEN XU 15 MOVIES TO MUSIC Behind the curtains of the Bluebird Theater’s storied history. BY TONI TRESCA 10 Culture 13 Cafe 15 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 16 24 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 24 ASK A STONER ......................................... 26 VOLUME 47 NUMBER 31 MARCH 28-APRIL 3, 2024 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun Editorial Operations Manager Jane R. Le News Editor Thomas Mitchell Culture Editor Emily Ferguson Food and Drink Editor Molly Martin Social Media Editor Katrina Leibee Senior Staff Writer Chris Perez Staff Writers Catie Cheshire, Bennito L. 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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] “RENTAL BREAKDOWN,” CATIE CHESHIRE, MARCH 21 B I G R E S E R V A T I O N S “Rental Breakdown” was a horrifying story. A boy dead, and then his father kills himself? Why is a house like that allowed to continue to operate? Suzy Higgins Denver Denver’s short-term rental program is a mess. People following the rules are kicked out of the program, and even though the city pulled the license of this place, it’s appar- ently still in business? It should be closed as a public nuisance. Herb Gomez Denver “IN THE DARK,” PETER JONAS, MARCH 21 R E F I L L , P L E A S E We used to go to the Denver Diner after punk-rock shows and go hang out, but that shit doesn’t exist anymore. Thanks, Denver. Aaron Betcher Denver Bars barely stay open anymore...much less coffee shops! We went out in Boulder for St. Paddy’s Day, and there were hardly any bars open. And all-night pizza places and eateries barely exist. Michelle Rodriguez-Porter Westminster Paris on the Platte was this place for me, along with Leela European Cafe, plus Stella’s and City, O’ City when it was half its current size. I’m glad those last two are still around. Denver has lost a lot of really good coffee shops in the last decade or so. Andrew Bisset Denver When I was in high school, we went to the Village Inn in Cherry Creek and only bought a pot of coffee between us. We were there for hours. And I can’t believe the owner of Muddy’s didn’t throw us high school students out when we just played cards and didn’t order much. Great, patient person! I’d pay a late-night subscription fee for this type of late-night place. So would high school parents. Ann Burke Denver “BREAKING THE MOLD,” MOLLY MARTIN, MARCH 14 M E A T A N D G R E E T If it tastes like popcorn, why not just eat popcorn? I eat beef because I want and like the taste of beef, no? Mel Rocks Denver So gross and horrifying. Go vegan. Josh Valentine Longmont Meat aged with this process is much healthier than chain-store meat. Doug Bokelman Denver Moldy and macabre. The way he talks about cows as though they are just things to be used and bought and used again is cruel and sickening. Never mind the mold! Dan Conway Lakewood “IS EL CHAPULTEPEC HISTORY?,” PATRICIA CALHOUN, MARCH 14 T A K E N O T E I, for one, want to save any piece of old Den- ver that’s still left. It that means the walls of El Chapultepec surround another baseball bar, so be it. Something is better than nothing. James Hanrahan Denver Editor’s note: A Save the ’Pec rally will be held outside what remains of 1962 Market Street at 4 p.m. Friday, March 29. In the meantime, you can sign a petition to support landmark designation at historicdenver.com. ON THE COVER ILLUSTRATION BY JAY VOLLMAR 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. For a cheat sheet on all that content, subscribe to our daily newsletter at westword.com/profi le. You can also follow @denverwestword on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. And it’s all free! GETTY IMAGES/WESTWORD PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
