2 westword.com WESTWORD NOVEMBER 28-DECEMBER 4, 2024 | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 6 NATIVE TRUTHS Danielle SeeWalker blurs the lines between art and activism. BY EMILY FERGUSON 4 EMPTY PROMISES Two state senators resigned weeks after being re-elected to their seats. A third is stepping down halfway through his four-year term. BY HANNAH METZGER 13 NOODLING AROUND Colfax favorite Lucky Noodles is feeling the squeeze of rising costs. BY HELEN XU 15 HEAVY FRUIT Independent label Braeburn Records returns after decades on mute. BY JUSTIN CRIADO 6 Culture 13 Cafe 15 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 16 24 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 24 ASK A STONER ......................................... 24 VOLUME 48 NUMBER 14 NOVEMBER 28-DECEMBER 4, 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 Staff Writers Catie Cheshire, Jason Heller, 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] ON THE COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRISTIAN HUNDLEY 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 ANTHONY HECKER “TOP 100 BARS,” NOVEMBER 21 D R I N K U P ! My liver and I thank you for the holiday gift of the Top 100 Bars list. Although I’ve been to many of them, I see I need to get busy if I’m going to hit them all before next year’s version. Joe Vigil Denver Do you people do anything other than drink? Not judging by your stories or your cover story last week. Don’t you feel a re- sponsibility to provide readers with more serious content? Jill Minor Boulder “ALWAYS FORWARD,” ALAN PRENDERGAST, NOVEMBER 14 P E A K P E R F O R M A N C E Always a pleasure to see Alan Prendergast’s byline. His story on the 10th Mountain Divi- sion was another winner. John Goldstein Denver Thanks much for publishing this article on this very important piece of Colorado history. The article is great overall, and I read every word of it thoroughly. The descriptions of training at Camp Hale (Hell), the actions in battle, etc., were excellent and accurate as far as I can tell from all the reading I have done. It was also great that you went into some detail about the legacy of 10th Mountain, the ski areas, ski patrols, gear companies, etc. One correction: In the “Welcome to Camp Hell” section, you mention “making their way over Independence Pass to Aspen....” They didn’t really go over Independence Pass; they went over the Continental Divide from the Halfmoon Creek drainage, between Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive. A couple of omissions: You made no mention of the 10th Mountain Division hut system, a whole huts system right here in Colorado: “The name ‘10th Mountain’ honors the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army. Five of the 10th Mountain Division Huts were built with donations from family and friends to honor soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division who died in World War II.” I’m always amazed how little attention the hut system gets, given that it is the only organization specifi cally named after the 10th Mountain Division. You also did not mention the Colorado Snowsports Museum & Hall of Fame in Vail that has a 10th Mountain exhibit and holds an annual 10th Mountain Celebration with descendants of 10th Mountain soldiers and the Hale to Vail Traverse. Otherwise, a great article, and thanks for publishing it. Bill Blazek Morrison “WINNER TAKE ALL,” PATRICIA CALHOUN, NOVEMBER 7 T R U M P T R I U M P H A N T Westword has always been a fun, positive magazine. Please don’t waste your time talk- ing about Donald Trump and his minions. Randal Friedman Denver Westword has literally always talked about politics. We can thank Westword for legalization of recreational cannabis; that was very political. It literally shifted public perception across the nation about how dangerous cannabis is. And they reported in a very fair fashion. They let people like Mason Tvert explain their reasoning behind want- ing legal cannabis for adult consumption. I personally am critical of our food scene and have been critical of some of that cover- age by Westword. With that said, their political coverage has been accurate and fair. They have cov- ered Trump extensively, and they should. It affects locally. Graeme Smith Highlands Ranch Westword is a liberal diaper that’s only good for the weed deals around town. Michael Madden Denver
