I spent about eight hours last Sunday watching the British Open golf tournament at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club won by American, Brian Harman. He won the tournament by six strokes and led during the entire championship. I have never seen such a tough course and it was interesting to see the views of Liverpool. It was well worth the time. I really enjoyed the great golf. Those sand bunkers are deep and menacing but the great golfers were usually able to hit the golf ball out of the sand if they could swing without hitting the high walls. Harman had not won a golf tournament since 2017 and was a compete underdog going into the tournament.
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Observing talent besides golf, the Cirque du Soleil is in Denver for a few more days next to the Ball Arena. The tent has been erected and the talented cast of players perform high-wire acts, contortionist, juggling, and amazing feats of strength and agility. Cirque is a Canadian company with shows in Las Vegas. Great family entertainment and well worth the time and ticket price. This year’s show is called “Kooza.”
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Mark your event calendar to take in “Art on the Green” that is at the Curtis Art Center in Greenwood Village Sept. 16-17. The major art show features food, music, and all Colorado Art Fair. More to come as the dates draw closer.
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Gerri and I were guests July 16 at the Centennial Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to hear a program presented by church members Paul and Carol Archer. They will undertake a church mission to Kenya. Interesting to us because our son-in-law Mike Lanam, and grandson Brennan, just returned from Nairobi, Kenya, where they spent a week at a rural school teaching and working with 200 African children.
I became a friend of the Archers during the last election where Paul was a candidate for the State Legislature. He was an excellent candidate but lost the election. All the Republican candidates lost in the Arapahoe County election. That didn’t deter the Archers from moving forward to leave 20 grandchildren and venture on a church mission to Africa. The Villager interviewed the Archers on the upcoming adventure.
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A copy of The Villager is in the cornerstone time capsule at the Latter-Day Saints Temple. Decades ago there was resistance to the construction and location of this Temple in Greenwood Village. The Villager defended the right and privilege of the LDS Church to build this magnificent structure in the area. I was invited to sit on the stage at the dedication of the Temple with Ezra Taft Benson, a significant leader of the church and well-known Washington figure.
Sunday morning it was very refreshing to see some longtime friends at the service and to admire the very congenial and well-dressed congregation. Myself, having been raised in Craig with nearby Utah, I had many Mormon friends, including a bishop who was our ranching neighbor. We shared many working days with the Lowry Seely family sharing cowboy chores and branding calves together. Mormons are good hard-working people who came across America in the last century walking while pulling carts. Brigham Young led the group to Salt Lake City where they have prospered as one of the largest and fastest growing churches in the world.
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We were at a yard party at the home of a good friend and the entertainment for the evening was provided by Terri Fisher from 5Star Talent and Entertainment Inc. The dance group wore awesome “Aztec” historical costumes with unique colorful designs. The dancers perform historical dance steps to a fast drumbeat. Azteca Arts Colorado promotes their people’s heritage through the use of dance, music, storytelling, and ceremony This is a non-profit organization under the Colorado Folk Arts Council celebrating over 50 years of service in Colorado. Contact Terri if you would like a colorful group to entertain your guests. 303-635-1210.
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Interstate 70, heading West from Denver, is becoming a traffic nightmare. The Floyd Hill project is underway, lanes are narrowing, and traffic backed up for miles, especially on weekends. The project is costing $700 million and will be underway for an estimated four-years as the granite rocks are blasted and new bridges constructed. But, beyond that project, the I-70 highway heading to Vail, and beyond, is full of ruts and potholes. Maybe the CDOT should take care of the existing highways surfaces first. The highway is worn out and an embarrassment for our state that we have a major highway so pitiful and in need of resurfacing.
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My friend Larry turned my sprinkler system on for the first time this summer last week. The rains have kept yards, trees, flowers, and lawns green for months without using the irrigation system. No doubt the Aurora and Denver Water departments are losing millions in water sales revenue, but at least our reservoirs are full and water flowing downstream to help the Colorado river dams that are in serious drought trouble. It is hard to believe that it is almost August and summer weather has just warmed up following one of the wettest years in Colorado history. Where has the summer gone?
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I see a new Cherry Cricket restaurant just opened on Littleton. Blvd. This famous brand stems from Cherry Creek, DTC, and now has expanded into Littleton. I note driving by that there is a large outdoor patio that appears to be busy already.
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South Metro Denver Chamber held a social event at Club Greenwood that was well attended last week.
This iconic John Madden family institution is one of the best and well-run facilities in America. The club has been adding additional food and beverage to their menu of physical fitness. Become a member of this great club.
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Lots of road construction ongoing across Arapahoe County with streets, bridges, and sink holes slowing traffic as city and county work crews do summer road and underground pipe projects. We owe these maintenance workers a big thank you for doing this hard labor in now warmer days.
Labor Day is approaching, and we should be appreciative of laborers who do the sweat equity projects. If it wasn’t for our Hispanic friends and neighbors some of this hard work wouldn’t be occurring. The influx of immigrants has made America great with the early day Irish who came to Boston in the 1700s being greeted with NINA signs, meaning “No Irish Need Apply” for work. Chinese workers came to America to do early day mining and railroad construction. America has a great melting pot of many nationalities and cultures who have become very successful here by their incredible work ethic. The nation is becoming more diverse as more immigrants arrive legally, or illegally. We wouldn’t have the crisis at the border if past presidents and Congresses would updated and refined our legal immigration system.
We should also not be sending the best and brightest foreign students back home after graduation.
Time to check your voting registration and get ready for the 2024 election that is rapidly approaching. Should Arapahoe County retain Tabor or reject it? This taxing issue will be on the ballot come November. We had two opposing views in last week’s Villager. Be informed and read this newspaper. I see that The Denver Post is discontinuing letters to the editor because they are too divisive.
We will take letters up to 300 words. No personal attacks allowed but reader input on local issues is welcome. If local newspapers disappear, it will be a sad day for transparency in government and local affairs, a that is a major reason to subscribe to The Villager. We do our best to stay abreast of local affairs and draw attention to both success and failures in our society. The printed word is still alive and reliable.