Black Shirt Brewing – Chasing Perfection

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Click for Black Shirt Brewing Website. Source: BSB Facebook

Here at Denverspeax, we have always been drawn to people who are passionate. We recently had the opportunity to interview one of the most passionate breweries in town: Black Shirt Brewing (BSB). Our first visit to Black Shirt Brewing was on the Slow Roll Pub Crawl a few weeks back. We really enjoyed the beer and vibe in the short time we spent there, and wanted to experience more. We were given the opportunity to sit down and explore the mind of Chad Miller CEO and co-founder of Black Shirt Brewing.  Continue reading

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Babes in Bikeland 8 – Denver She Devils Take Minneapolis

Saturday, September 13th, marked the day of the 8th annual Babes in Bikeland event, bringing over 400 women / transgender / femme bike riders together to roam the streets of Minneapolis.

Take care to note that this was a 20+ mile bike race, the distance depending on the efficiency of your mapped route. With both a manifest of destinations and a time limit provided, how you finished (or mapped your route) was up to you! This is no small feat for even those familiar with the territory of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. So, you may ask, what made so many individuals want to participate in this annual race? What makes this race so special?

The answer to that definitely presented itself before the day of the race. Continue reading

Chalk it Up – Denver Chalk Art Festival Faves from 2014

Another reason why Denver is the coolest – the annual Chalk Art Festival on Larimer Square a few weekends ago (May 31 – June 1st). Free for all ages, artists gathered and created replicas of photos that were often displayed next to their work in the Square.

Here are some shots of our favorite moments and works from the festival:

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Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, June 2014.

 

Not only were there 200+ artists creating these beautiful works of art, live music, food, and beverage tents were also a part of the festival, much of which supported by Colorado businesses.

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Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, June 2014.

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Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, June 2014.

Many of the artists are local students competing for cash, backed by local businesses. Check back on the Denver Chalk Art website to find out who the winners are.

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Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, June 2014.

 

Chalk art, or street painting, dates back to the 16th century in Italy – it’s amazing this tradition is still prevalent all over the world today.

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Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, June 2014.

 

Yet another spectacular event in downtown Denver. We love having so many things to do and see downtown – it’s what makes the city great! What Festivals are you looking forward to this summer? Let us know!

 

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Get Ready – Denver’s City Park Jazz is BACK in June 2014

One of the coolest, FREE events in town, City Park Jazz in Denver’s City Park offers Denverites of all ages a great time outside.

Pack a picnic, ride your bike, and find a spot in the Park on June 1st, 2014 to kick off another season of FREE Jazz concerts.

Pavillion within City Park Credit: Kirsten Ebey May 2013

Pavillion within City Park Credit: Kirsten Ebey May 2013

 

A Few Easy Reminders: 

  • Yes, you can totally bring your furry friend! Make sure they’re on a leash.
  • Please, please, please don’t forget an extra trash bag to keep your trash concealed before throwing it away when leaving. Keep this beautiful place clean.
  • No, you don’t have to pay – it’s FREE! You can, however, always donate while at the concert (they have volunteers that collect) or on the website.
  • The show starts at 6:00 pm MST, but if you’re looking for a parking spot on a nearby street, you’ll need to head over a few hours earlier. We totally suggest riding your bike if at all possible!
  • No glass in the park, but canned beer is allowed.
  • Food trucks will be at the park so if you don’t pack you’re on food, you will not starve.
  • There are portopotties, and they’re usually pretty clean.

Click here for the 2014 season schedule. Get ready to have an amazing time! We hope to see you there.

DenverSpeax – A Reminder

 

 

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The power of reminder can be very interesting and thought-provoking, to the point of near meditation:

A song comes on the radio, and you’re instantly placed into a time previous of extreme joy, or maybe content, or possibly sadness.

You head west out of Denver to visit the Rockies, and you’re reminded of your first trip to Loveland Pass, or your first drive through the Eisenhower Tunnel.

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View from Arapahoe Basin – Click on the photo to see more beautiful pictures in this area.

These places serve as reminder for us as to why we moved here, and why we started DenverSpeax. It’s important to reflect, and have our reflection over the past (almost) year rejuvenate our spirits and provoke motivation. I thought it would be good to pass this along to you all who have supported us.
The Story:
When we moved here, we had a few friends from back home, but they were fairly new as well. It was difficult to find places to go or see because we didn’t know what we were looking for, per se – try using Yelp to find a restaurant when you’re in the mood for a certain atmosphere, or when you’re trying to make friends – is there a filter for those? Although we believe Yelp is a great application and very helpful, sometimes a star-rating just doesn’t cut it. Sure, there’s another great site called TripAdvisor – we use it when we are traveling…but we weren’t traveling any longer. We weren’t looking for advertised Bed & Breakfasts and their ratings – we were looking to call a place home.

 

The best way to learn and begin to understand a community is by fully emerging yourself. This is what we’ve learned in our various travels domestically and internationally, as well as with this move to Denver. Out of boredom, and lack of known resources within the Denver community & beyond, DenverSpeax was born.

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City Park hosts City Park Jazz for many Sundays each summer. Click on the picture to read more!

We roam around Denver and the surrounding areas looking for what’s good in the community. The good comes in all shapes, sizes, and experiences. We support small, local businesses when we eat out, and prefer to stay local with our purchases as well. Luckily, there are so many festivals, parks, food and beverage, volunteering, and natural beauty here that we’ll never run out of things to write about.

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Walking around on the 16th Street mall can be a ton of fun. Click on the picture to check out more!

DenverSpeax exists to promote positivity within the community, helping out natives and transplants alike with what to do, where to go, and how to experience all of the good that’s so aplenty here. Know someone who’s moving to Denver? Show ’em our website. Ran out of things to do and experience? Look through the site! Planning a trip to Denver and want the real feel of our diverse community? Well, we have a website for that!

Thank you for your endless support. We are devoted to continue to bring you the low down on what’s good in Denver. A few things we’re looking at tackling next:

  • Volunteering – how can we give back to the community we love so much? There are so many ways – we just need to DO IT.
  • Collaboration with other Colorado start-ups that need support with getting noticed in the community.
  • Visiting Bed & Breakfasts local to Denver so that we can provide our visitors with features on great places to stay.

How you can help: Come with us! Or, let us know…

What other features would you like to see on the website?

What is local and positive that you just can’t live without?

For more on what’s good in Denver, follow us in real-time on Facebook, Instagram (@denverspeax), or Twitter (@denverspeax).

 

 

 

 

The Denver Flea 2014 – Our Kind of Festival

Want to attend one of the most-anticipated, coolest Spring festivals happening RIGHT HERE in Denver, Colorado?

 

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Picture courtesy of The Denver Flea’s Facebook page – check ’em out and LIKE ‘EM!

 

Check out The Denver Flea 2014 on May 24th, and experience Colorado’s own home-made crafts, food, and craft beer – all brought to you in one beautiful setting: Denver City Park.

 

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Look at this gem, courtesy of the DenverSpeax archive!

 

Pavillion within City Park Credit: Kirsten Ebey May 2013

Pavillion within City Park Credit: Kirsten Ebey May 2013

Kick off Spring (almost Summer) by enjoying Colorado’s finest; feel great about supporting your community. Also, spend some cash and feel good about it because:

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Picture courtesy of The Denver Flea site – click on the pic to check it out!

All of the fun kicks off at 2 pm; make sure you view The Denver Flea website for additional information, including a full list of vendors, food trucks, and craft brews available MAY 1st, 2014.

Can’t wait to see you there!