2 westword.com WESTWORD JULY 17-23, 2025 | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 4 CAN DENVER RISE AGAIN? A progress report on ten suggestions for how this city can again fl y high (and one more trial balloon). BY PATRICIA CALHOUN 6 IS THIS MOVE ALL WET? Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado will lose its longtime home in the Washington Park bathhouse. BY BENNITO L. KELTY 10 OH, THE HUMANITIES Colorado organizations fi ght to survive in the wake of lost NEH funding under the Trump administration. BY KRISTEN FIORE 14 WHAT THE BUCK? Raise a glass: The legendary Colorado saloon is back. BY SKYLER MCKINLEY 17 HOME IN HARMONY Walden frontman Richard Becker discusses his upcoming solo record. BY JUSTIN CRIADO 10 Culture 14 Cafe 17 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 19 21 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 21 HIGH NOTES ............................................. 21 VOLUME 48 NUMBER 47 JULY 17-23, 2025 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun News Editor Thomas Mitchell Food and Drink Editor Molly Martin Interim Food and Drink Editor Gil Asakawa Music Editor Emily Ferguson Culture Editor Kristen Fiore Social Media Editor Katrina Leibee Staff Writers Catie Cheshire, Brendan Joel Kelley, Bennito L. Kelty, Hannah Metzger Senior Contributors Alan Prendergast, Michael Roberts Contributors 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, Abigail Nueve, Ryan Pachmayer, Kristin Pazulski, Adam Perry, Evan Semón, Amber Taufen, Toni Tresca, Kastle Waserman, Helen Xu Music Listings Matthew Jones Editorial Intern Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez 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, Nate Easley, Martin Ellison, Trey Konsella, Kirby Quick, Allison Wissink Operations Manager Carver Hodgkiss Digital Sales Coordinator Anne-Grace Hartman Director of Digital Sales Alan Heath 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 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 Editorial Director Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek Editorial Operations Director Bridget Thomason Director of Membership and Community Development Jennifer Robinson Audience Strategist Allison Stephenson Audience Development Director Dallon Adams 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 KARL CHRISTIAN KUMPHOLTZ Join the Club T A K E N O T E Summer is one of the best times for live music in Denver, whether you’re heading to a show at Red Rocks or to one of the many music festivals in town or in the mountains. And Westword is happy to get in on the action with our members-only offi ce concerts. Our concert series, which kicked off this year with a performance from Blanks- late in April, followed by DNA Picasso and Dominique Christina in May, is designed to spotlight local musicians in an intimate setting so that members can really soak up the sound and become familiar with the performer. On Friday, July 18, we’ll host Dzirae Gold, the jazz singer who won a 2025 Best of Denver award for Best Debut Album. Gold’s vocals are some of the best in the scene, as you’ll hear on Right on Time, her fi rst solo album; they carry the freeing spirit that summer brings. Doors will open at 1278 Lincoln Street at 6 p.m., with the performance starting at 6:30 p.m. That will be followed by a Q&A session when members will have a chance to ask any burning questions they have for Gold, who blends her operatic training with her love of jazz, blues, funk and disco. — Emily Ferguson And that’s not all a membership gets you... R O L L E R D E R B Y As Denver’s longest-running indepen- dent media outlet, Westword has always done its best work on paper. Now we’re doubling down. Anyone who’s picked up a Westword over the last fi fteen years has seen our strong connection with cannabis, from pages of dispensary ads to local industry and political coverage as well as our long- running Ask a Stoner column. The next step? A trio of tasty, terpy, solventless joints with Meraki and Mighty Melts, and a kickoff party on August 7 at Tetra Lounge. Y Yup. We’ve partnered with one of Den- ver’s best cultivations and hash operations to create a package of infused joints fi lled with Meraki fl ower and Mighty Melts bubble hash. Each strain of fl ower and concentrate was picked with purpose: Golden Goat, a timeless hybrid of Hawai- ian, Romulan and Island Sweet Skunk, will be mixed with bubble hash from the Fizz, a hybrid of Sherb Cake and Strawberry Guava. Expect an energetic high with this one. Golden Goat’s tropical, zesty fl avor plays well in the sandbox with the Fizz’s fruity, sherbet characteristics. Grease Bucket, a sticky, powerful hy- brid, will be infused with bubble hash from Black Maple, a popular strain among extractors and dabbers. Mighty Metls has a rare phenotype of Black Maple, the #11 cut, while most hash operations are work- ing with Black Maple #22. All of that gas, cream and funk make for a true palate- cleanser, and the high brings moldable effects any time of day, as long as you’re ready for a unique punch that leaves you in the stratosphere. For a fi nal round intended for a relax- ing puff, Meraki and Mighty Melts have paired Grape Mountain bubble hash and fl ower. Heavy on the grape Kool-Aid fl avor with an aroma reminiscent of Big League Chew, Grape Mountain is one of the hot- test strains in Meraki’s and Mighty Melts’ rotations. You won’t hike a Fourteener after summiting it, but you’ll probably sleep as if you did. Combining classic and modern can- nabis qualities, Westword joint packs will be sold in select dispensaries later this summer, but Westword members can roast some of our bones on Thursday, August 7, at RiNo cannabis venue Tetra Lounge, at 3039 Walnut Street, where we’ll be hosting a party with food trucks, a DJ, games and a joint-rolling contest. The event kicks off at 7 p.m. Westword members (21+) can get into Tetra for free, with general admission tickets sold at a later date. To become a Westword member and become eligible for passes to any of our events, sign up for as little as $7 a month. See you at the roller derby! — Thomas Mitchell
