4 OCTOBER 9-15, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 10 ON THE HORIZON A Constant Sky by Andrea Carlson is now on view at the Denver Art Museum. BY KRISTEN FIORE 6 SMALL CHANGE Aurora tried to redirect pan-handling donations to a city-run charity. Three years later, how’s that going? BY BENNITO L. KELTY 8 NEW LIFELINE Colorado voters decriminalized ibogaine in 2022. But the journey for this natural medicine is just beginning. BY BRENDAN JOEL KELLEY 14 DEN-MEX DIARY The Mexican returns to his beloved Denver to eat after many years. He has thoughts. BY GUSTAVO ARELLANO 17 THE CLIMB Summit Music Hall celebrates fi fteen years with a rebrand. BY TONI TRESCA 10 Culture 14 Cafe 17 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 18 21 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 21 HIGH NOTES ............................................. XX VOLUME 49 NUMBER 6 OCTOBER 9-15, 2025 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 Brendan Joel Kelley, Bennito L. Kelty, Hannah Metzger Senior Contributors 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, Nate Easley, Trey Konsella, Kirby Quick, Christian Sanders, 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. Additional copies of the current issue may be purchased for $1, payable in advance at the Westword offi ce. Westword may be distributed only by authorized Westword distributors. No person may, without prior written permission of Westword, take more than one copy of each issue. C O P Y R I G H T The entire contents of Westword are copyright 2025 by Denver Westword LLC. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, with- out the express written permission of the Publisher, Westword, P.O. Box 5970, Denver CO 80217. Back issues may be purchased for $2 each plus postage from the Westword offi ce (issues older than six weeks subject to availability). The Best of Denver 2023 is $6 plus postage. Story reprints are available for $1 plus post- age; call 303-296-7744 to place an order, or check our archives at www.westword.com. Westword (USPS478230) is published weekly by Denver Westword LLC, 1278 Lincoln Street, Denver CO 80203. 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 general information, call: 303-296-7744 For Editorial, email: [email protected] ON THE COVER DESIGN BY MONIKA SWIDERSKI, ART FROM “CANNIBAL FEROX” BY ANDREA CARLSON 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! ILLUSTRATION BY MONIKA SWIDERSKI “UNBEARABLY GOOD,” MOLLY MARTIN, OCTOBER 2 C H I L E T O D A Y , H O T T O M O R R O W You can spout off all you want about green chile in Denver, but it’s all a disgusting mess compared to true green chile – which you’ll only get in New Mexico. Sam Rodriguez Albuquerque Thank you for your new green chile list! I wait for it every year to see who’s going to make the cut, and then get out there and start eating. Excited to try El Tejado, because I still miss Benny’s. Will it ever come back? Jan Martin Denver Being a big fan of the Cafe team’s work, I have found a lot of great spots through you all. (Glad Molly is back!). Santos Cafe & Mexican Grill at 1141 Syracuse Street of- fers a phenomenal Mexican breakfast; the breakfast burrito is the best I have had in the metro area after searching far and wide, and the lunch is dynamite too. (Azteca burrito is something else.) All of this is smothered and fi lled with the best green chile I have had not just in this city, but in the metro area. I have been waiting for Santos to get some recognition from Denver publications, but to no avail. It has a line out the door every day despite a residential location, and has gone viral on TikTok a few times for its giant concha and hot chocolate, but no write-ups or list recognition – which I fi nd truly inex- plicable. It’s also a family-run establishment with the nicest staff. Please check it out; you won’t be disappointed. Luke Dan Denver I guess it’s down to personal preference, but I think the best green chile recipes don’t include tomatillos. That drifts into chile verde territory. I know verde means green, but in my mind that’s two different recipes even if they basically have the same name. James Freeman Denver It’s more chile time! That’s a year-round dish! Monica L. Martinez Denver The Monterrey House in Arvada is my favorite, and I’ve tried many of those that made your list. Will Burt Lakewood Breakfast Queen on South Broadway. I’ve taken many people there, and they’ve all agreed that it’s the best green chili. You should check it out! Ronald Greene Green Mountain “BAN ON THE RUN,” BRENDAN JOEL KELLEY, OCTOBER 2 C O U R T I N G C O N T R O V E R S Y Conversion therapy is a horror. But so is the current Supreme Court, so who knows how the Kaley Chiles case will go. Thanks for the story. I’m hoping they make the right decision. Robert McNeal Boulder Trying to force someone to be some- thing that they aren’t, which is well documented at driving up suicide rates among LGBTQ young people, is hardly “Christian.” Damian Nivas Denver A true Christian wouldn’t pat a delusional person on the back and confi rm their delu- sion is true. They would point out reality and get them help. Dan Hunt Severance This bizarre practice is not backed by the American Psychological Association. It is bogus. If you need further proof, fi nd any “pastard” and look into their closet. David Whitten Facebook
