4 APRIL 2-8, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 6 TOWERING AMBITION Could Asher Luzzatto save downtown Denver? BY BRENDAN JOEL KELLEY 12 100 RED BARNS Sandra Pratt believes that red barns can connect a divided America. BY MICHAEL ROBERTS 14 HOP TO IT The ultimate guide to Denver’s best breweries. BY RYAN PACHMAYER 17 NO FOOLING! A new nonprofi t pays Denver musicians a living wage for show. BY ZACHARY VISCONTI 12 Culture 14 Cafe 17 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 18 23 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 24 HIGH NOTES ............................................. XX VOLUME 49 NUMBER 31 APRIL 2-8, 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. Kelty, Hannah Metzger Senior Contributors Brendan Joel Kelley, Alan Prendergast, Michael Roberts Contributors Gil Asakawa, Teague Bohlen, Hyde Chrastina, Jacqueline Collins, Justin Criado, Audrey Ferrer, John Flathman, Susan Froyd, Jason Heller, Nick Hutchinson, Danielle Krolewicz, Karl Christian Krumpholz, Kristen Kuchar, Skyler McKinley, Abi- gail Nueve, Ryan Pachmayer, Kristin Pazulski, Adam Perry, Evan Semón, Amber Taufen, Toni Tresca, Kastle Waserman, Helen Xu Music Listings Matthew Jones Cover Designer Monika Swiderski P R O D U C T I O N Production Manager Michael Wilson Assistant Production Manager Erin Kirk Graphic Designers Kami Miller, Tori O’Connor 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 Senior Multimedia Account Executives Amy Camera, Aaron Lembke Multimedia Account Executives Remy Diamond, Rachel Gilmore, Keith Gordon, Trey Konsella, Kirby Quick, Dalton Wilson, Allison Wissink Operations Manager Carver Hodgkiss Digital Sales Coordinator Anne-Grace Hartman Director of Digital Sales Alan Heath C I R C U L A T I O N Circulation Manager Ty Koepke B U S I N E S S Director of Business and Operations Russell Breiter 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 Executive Editor Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek Editorial Operations Director Bridget Thomason Director of Membership and Community Development Jennifer Robinson Digital Operations & Audience Strategist Allison Stephenson Audience Strategist Lauren Antonoff Hart 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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ILLUSTRATION BY HATTIE BOYD “THE BEST OF DENVER,” MARCH 29 T H E R E S T O F T H E B E S T Just got a copy of the Best of Denver! Such a blessing to have this annual roundup of proper guidance for all sorts of things. Jared Wolf Denver The Best of Denver is always the best issue of the year. I think I’ve kept a copy of every one. The new one guides all the places I want to experience over the next year, and the old ones show how this city has changed. Thanks for all the work. Manny Logan Denver Many years ago I was the director of the Boulder Public Library Film Series – 1988- 1998, to be exact. In that time, the series was awarded three Best of Denver recognitions from Westword; one year I was even given the honor of being deemed “The Filmiester.” I cannot begin to express my appreciation for all Westword did to promote the series and the support we enjoyed from the community thanks to Westword and the role it played in bringing attention to the series. Thanks again for all you have done to shine a light on the community at large. Chuck Lomis Javea, Spain Just wanted to give some small feedback. I saw for your Best of Denver 2026 list that you named Stem Cider as Best Cidery. How- ever, the RiNo location sadly closed last year, though plenty of spots sell Stem around the city. Could another one be named? As someone who loves ciders, I was very sad to see Stem close! Sydney Williams Denver Editor’s note: The Best Cidery was chosen by readers who voted in the 2026 Best of Denver Readers’ Choice poll, and we are not going to override their selection – after all, the fl agship in Lafayette is still open. For the record, the Best of Denver includes two parts: categories and winners chosen by the editorial staff (which skipped Best Cidery this year), and other categories voted on by readers. You can read our FAQ at westword.com/best of denver/ if you have any questions...and we’re already taking suggestions for next year! And one last alert: Winners in either category will receive a free certifi cate honoring their reward; if a winner gets a call from someone trying to sell a plaque or banner, those businesses are not affi liated with Westword. “150 COLORADO CLASSICS,” PATRICIA CALHOUN, MARCH 29 S T U D Y I N G T H E C L A S S I C S Thanks to Patricia Calhoun for offering her list of 150 Colorado Classics in the Best of Denver edition. But she forgot one: Patricia Calhoun! Thanks for all you’ve done for Denver. Joyce Masters Denver More Colorado Classics: Cumbres & Toltec railroad, Roxborough park, Di- nosaur Ridge, St. Patrick’s Day Parade (undisputed second-largest – everyone else claims largest), Winter Park ski train, Brown Palace lobby, Mile High steps on the State Capitol, U.S. Mint (no pennies, but second-largest gold depository after Fort Knox), Clear Creek Trail, cheese- burger monument, REI rock-climbing rock, Golden Welcome Arch, Coors Brew- ery tours and samples, Mount Blue Sky highest highway (but no seven-sided log cabin snack bar, thanks to those goddamn idiots at Denver Parks). Oh, well. But I guess the challenge is you have to remove one to add one? Tough challenge. Maybe you should get the most infl uential 150 people living in Colorado (another fun challenge) and have them select from a list of, say, 300. Then you would have two lists — the top 150 people and the top 150 Colorado treasures. Now that you are almost retired, Patricia Calhoun, that should be easy! Rich Grant Denver
