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Second Act

The return of The Book of Mormon to Denver this month has us longing for a few other Mile High comebacks.

5280 Magazine
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Rocky Mountain News
RIP: 2009
We miss the fruits of friendly competition: Denverites seemed a bit more informed, anecdotally at least, when the Post and the Rocky were duking it out for their attention. Besides, we were suckers for the Rocky’s tabloid style, not to mention the reporting and photography, and, oh yeah, those four Pulitzer Prizes.

Mile High Stadium
RIP: 2001
We get it; there’s money to be had in naming a sports stadium. But Mile High Stadium had such a nice ring before Invesco (and now Sports Authority) messed up the melody. Still, it could be worse. We could be stuck with monstrosities like Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland) or the Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis).

5280 October 2013
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Clair De Lune
RIP: 2004
Denver diners hadn’t quite caught on to the tiny Sixth Avenue bistro’s local, sustainable eating ethic when celebrated chef Sean Kelly debuted this gem in 2002. Two years later it was gone, and we’ve been craving Kelly’s potato chips with blue cheese fondue ever since.

Doug Bruce
RIP: 2008
This former Colorado representative (not actually dead), who lasted only a year in politics and was later convicted of tax evasion, makes the current landscape of political dirty tricks look practically pastoral.

The Big 12
RIP: 2011
The University of Colorado Boulder football team was already struggling when the Buffs left the Big 12 for the Pac 12. But when they traded up, they really took the team’s chance of a winning season with them. The Buffs’ predicted finish in the Pac 12 South this season? Dead last.

Stapleton International Airport
RIP: 1995
A casualty of city growth (yay!), we know. But we still miss the days when our drive to the airport wasn’t nearly as long as our flight.

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Second Act

Boulder’s iconic, old-timey radio show finally gets its long-awaited home.

Luc Hatlestad
Luc Hatlestad

To get Boulder officials to give in, Nick Forster had to convince them he’d found God. For 21 years, Forster and his wife, Helen, have headed up eTown, an internationally syndicated radio show based in Boulder. And for almost that long, Forster had his eye on an old church at 16th and Spruce streets. He envisioned it as an all-in-one performance space: the ideal blend of near-perfect acoustics, a first-rate recording studio, and a coffee bar that would serve as a local gathering spot. It should have been a slam dunk in the indie-music haven of Boulder.

But the city resisted—that is until 2006, when Forster spent about $15 online to become an ordained minister, which eased the city’s concerns about preserving the property’s spiritual roots. “That was the tipping point,” Forster says. Using stringent green principles—the complex was constructed with recycled building materials, and you can track the output of its 236 solar panels on the organization’s website—the church’s renovation into eTown Hall will be completed this month. (Forster has deployed his ministerial talents just once: to marry rockers Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed
in 2008.)

5280 July 2012
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On July 1, eTown will unveil the new theater with a taping with City and Colour (aka singer-songwriter Dallas Green). The Hall—which will host shows by lesser-known artists as well as intimate performances with recognizable bands—is less than a quarter of the size of the Boulder Theater, where eTown historically produced most of its programs. (The show will still do occasional broadcasts from the Boulder Theater as well as from larger venues like Red Rocks). The coffee bar will showcase local and regional musicians. Swapping some audience capacity to satisfy a grander vision is a trade Forster was happy to make: “It’s both a media- and music-oriented community center,” he says. “I don’t believe anything like this exists anywhere else in the country.” etown.org

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Upcoming Etown Shows

• July 14 • Brandi Carlile (Red Rocks)

• July 18 • Emmylou Harris, Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers, Arlo Guthrie (Red Rocks)

• August 9 • Dr. John (Lincoln Center, Fort Collins)

• September 22 • The Head and the Heart, Gregory Alan Isakov (Boulder Theater)

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