4 DECEMBER 4-10, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 7 RUNNING ON AIR Dante Liberato is high on psychedelics for superathletes. BY BRENDAN JOEL KELLEY 10 GOING IN CIRCLES Wash Park West residents are upset about the new roundabouts appearing in their neighborhood. BY BENNITO L. KELTY 12 GREAT EXPECTATIONS The Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance is preparing for its fi rst tamandua birth in more than a decade. BY KRISTEN FIORE 17 FUEL UP Fill your tank — and your belly — at these gas station restaurants. BY ANTONY BRUNO 19 A COWPUNK CHRISTMAS White Rose Motor Oil offers a new twist on the holidays. BY JUSTIN CRIADO 12 Culture 17 Cafe 19 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 22 27 Marijuana CANNABIS CALENDAR ............................ 28 HIGH NOTES ............................................. XX VOLUME 49 NUMBER 14 DECEMBER 4-10, 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 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 general information, call: 303-296-7744 For Editorial, email: [email protected] ON THE COVER DESIGN BY MONIKA SWIDERSKI 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! PHOTOGRAPH BY VALERIA MOONCH PHOTOGRAPHY “COMING HOME,” BENNITO L. KELTY, NOVEMBER 27 N A T I V E T R U T H S What a waste. Twenty million dollars would do better on reservations helping the elderly with home modifi cations...ramps, handles, home repairs. Fernando Begay Pueblo As a Choctaw and Cherokee, it’s beauti- ful to see so many tribes in this area, and I’m happy to see more funding go to the Rainbow Nation. Bella Bloodlust Instagram So you’re telling me the city is wasting $20M million on a special-interest guilt project that’s going to help no one beyond the contractors who build it and the few people who milk the city being employed there? Cool. And will it alleviate any of the fake suffering people pretend to have about “historical trauma”? No? Then yes, please, let’s dump $20 million down that hole. Bril- liant fund management. I swear, all you have to do to get money from Democrats in this state is say “Sand Creek” and immediately the coffers open. Eric Smith Facebook Considering what Colorado troops did to the Cheyenne and Arapaho at the Sand Creek Massacre, this is the least we can do for the descendants. Jerri Laws Denver “LENS OF THE LAW,” BENNITO L. KELTY, NOVEMBER 27 A G L A S S A C T Good to know that Jose Cardenas is get- ting help. But how did the Denver Police Department screw up the charges in the fi rst place? Weren’t there videos of the incident? Jane Nielsen Denver So, they never named the guy yelling the slurs? He must have had a lot of money to pay that off…he’s probably CEO of some company. Just bizarre that he’s never been named. In a world of internet sleuths where people can fi gure out who’s on a Jumbotron at a Coldplay concert, in a world where I don’t know how many Karens have been named, what does this guy have protecting him from all of this? Tim Vargo Arvada Come to someone else’s town and look for a fi ght. He found it. Mark Lawson Denver “A CUT ABOVE,” MOLLY MARTIN, NOVEMBER 27 F A N N I N G T H E F L A M E S Riot BBQ could be the bet new restaurant this year. I love the barbecue; thanks for sharing the story about the place. Tasty! Joel Frank Denver Denver does not need another dispensary, unaffordable restaurant, unaffordable con- certs or any more high-end condos for the wealthy. Denver needs carnivals, attractions, immersive exhibits and more affordable food options to stimulate a positive income fl ow for the locals. Randal Friedman Denver “FEELING HOUNDED,” HANNAH METZGER, NOVEMBER 20 G O I N G T O T H E D O G S Some dogs bark constantly, and at noth- ing. I have two standard poodles and, yes, they bark sometimes, but I actually do some- thing about it because it is annoying when they go on and on. I call them inside, train them or shush them. It’s called common courtesy, and it’s one aspect of being a decent neighbor. Michael Carr Denver
