4 OCTOBER 19-25, 2023 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 9 HANKY PANKY Fifty years ago, the Triangle opened in downtown Denver and established a stronghold for gay liberation. BY PHIL NASH 16 DREAM TO REALITY Rocky Mountain Punk Nature Art & Oddities crafts works honoring life and death. BY JULIANNA O’CLAIR 19 IT’S CHILE! ’Tis the season for making a big batch of Denver’s favorite fall dish. BY MOLLY MARTIN 23 KEEP IT REAL INTHEWHALE doesn’t care about going viral. BY JED MURPHY 6 News 14 Culture 19 Cafe 23 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 26 32 Marijuana TOKE OF THE TOWN ................................ 32 ASK A STONER ......................................... 34 STRAIN GANG .......................................... 36 VOLUME 47 NUMBER 8 OCTOBER 19-25, 2023 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun Editorial Operations Manager Jane R. Le News Editor Chris Perez Culture Editor Emily Ferguson Food and Drink Editor Molly Martin Cannabis Editor Thomas Mitchell Social Media Editor Katrina Leibee Staff Writers Catie Cheshire, Bennito L. Kelty Senior Contributors Alan Prendergast, Michael Roberts Contributors Amy Antonation, Staci Berry, Teague Bohlen, Jake Browne, Hyde Chrastina, Jacqueline Collins, Linnea Covington, Justin Criado, John Flathman, Susan Froyd, Lizzie Goldsmith, Nick Hutchinson, Marty Jones, Danielle Krolewicz, Karl Christian Krumpholz, Kristen Kuchar, Conor McCormick-Cavanagh, Cleo Mirza, Abigail Nueve, Julianna O’Clair, Ryan Pachmayer, Michael Paglia, Kristin Pazulski, Adam Perry, Ashlee Redger, Evan Semón, Amber Taufen, Toni Tresca, Kastle Waserman, Juliet Wittman Editorial Intern Aubrey Cox 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. 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 2022 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 retail or classifi ed advertising, call: 303-296-7744 For general information, call: 303-296-7744 For Editorial, email: [email protected] “ALL ABOARD!,” KARL CHRISTIAN KRUMPHOLZ, OCTOBER 12 S T A T I O N B R E A K Thanks for another great cartoon by Karl Christian Krumpholz. They always teach me a lot about this city. The pages about Union Station were particularly interesting; I go there all the time, but did not know the history. I wish Denver would bring back the MIZ- PAH arch. That’s the kind of welcoming message the world needs today. Hillary Stein Denver Union Station is my favorite place to take visitors to Denver. The restaurants are always good (as long as you’re not waiting for breakfast at Snooze) and the people- watching is always entertaining. Sally Standish Lakewood Thanks! I plan to use this link in my Colo- rado history class next semester. Kevin Eades Denver Can’t forget the original Terminal Bar of Tom Waits fame! Christopher Bullock Denver “HELPLESS AND HOPELESS,” CHRIS PEREZ, OCTOBER 5 R O O M T O G R O W Here are some facts: A lot of people have come to Colorado, overwhelming jails, prisons, mental hospitals and medical hospitals. The health-care system is highly understaffed. People have left working at state hospitals due to personnel issues, pay, high caseloads and safety concerns. Staff in health care are constantly being assaulted. There are short- ages of nurses, psychologists, providers and competency evaluators. State administrators and politicians need to recognize these issues and implement a complete overhaul. Also, substance-induced psychosis is increasing. Think about that. Felicia Amor Pueblo I wish we paid as much attention to the victims as we do to the perpetrators. Josh Hamill Denver I very much appreciated your “Helpless and Hopeless” article in Westword. Thank you for your time and thoughtfulness around this issue. What a mess! I have reached out to my community contacts throughout Boulder County, in- cluding a housing coordinator at the Sher- iff’s Offi ce of the 20th District. However, I wanted to also get in touch with you, as we provide safe, sober housing that allows medication or MAT. Our houses are located in north Longmont and are furnished, within walking distance to major grocery chains and public transit. We house men and women 18+ years and older. They are peer-run and -managed. Beds start at $895/month, all utilities included. My professional background is in real estate investing and sales. And my personal experience with mental illness, DV and substance use has compelled me to start Shiela’s Sanctuary. Shiela Roberts Boulder “A WINNING SEASON,” CATIE CHESHIRE, OCTOBER 12 A L L B E T S A R E O F F It takes two, and the coach seems happy to play in the hypocrisy. That’s because Deion Sanders will be gone as soon as a better op- portunity comes along. They are both using each other. Stephen Giles Denver The NCAA is a cesspool. Coach is helping his kids and others negotiate this cesspool...extorting labor is the business model of the NCAA. Football programs exist to generate revenue, nothing more, nothing less. Coach might wear sunglasses, but he sees/knows the reality. Tobi Dauber Englewood ON THE COVER THE TRIANGLE/WESTWORD PHOTO ILLUSTRATION 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! ART BY KARL CHRISTIAN KRUMPHOLZ
