Your neighborhood merchants are still opening their doors for your donations

of useable supplies for the teachers of South High.  The collection drive runs April 24 through May 7.  Teacher Appreciation week is May 6 – 10.  We will present our collection of items to South High on Friday, May 10.  Stay tuned for more information.  In the meantime help us support the teachers by dropping off your items at any of the following locations.  Ask for the purple box decorated by students at South High School!

Birds & Belles Boutique  -  1113 S. Pearl St.

Charles F. Simmons Allstate Agency  -  797 S. Pearl St.

Community Auto Repair Shop  -  661 E. Kentucky Ave.

Guaranteed Rate  -  724 S. Pearl St.

Iyengar Yoga Center of Denver  -  770 S. Broadway

Johnny Mac Fitness  -  1107 S. Pearl St.

La Belle Rosette Coffee Shop  -  712 1/2 S. Pearl St.

Lori Rickert State Farm Agency  -  714 S. Pearl St.

Sara Karam Photography Studio  -  539 E. Mississippi Ave.

Twirl Clothing Boutique  -  537 E. Mississippi Ave.

Vienna Cleaners  -  880 S. Pearl St.

Wash Perk Coffee Shop  -  853 E. Ohio Ave.

Washington Park Chiropractic  -  1313 S. Clarkson St.

Whole Foods Market-Wash Park  -  1111 S. Washington St.

Zoe’s, A Chic Resale Boutique  -  626 E. Kentucky Ave.

Tuesday, April 23, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. come to the corner of Mississippi and Pearl, for an evening of fun to mark the beginning of a Teacher Supply Collection Drive for our teachers at South High School.  You’ll want to begin the evening at  Birds and Belle’s Boutique, then make your way over to Johnny Mac Fitness, with a final stop at Pub On Pearl to drop off your donations, meet your neighbors, and pick up everything you need for the evening.  With your donation of useable teacher supplies,

you’ll receive coupons, opportunities to win prizes, and more.  Check back here every week until April 23 for more information.  Mark your calendar for April 23, 5-8 p.m., and come out to play in celebration of teachers and spring in West Wash Park!

    It’s that time again!  In a little more than a week we’ll be gathering for another evening of fun at West Washington Park’s 3rd Annual Beaujolais Nouveau, A Night of Wine and Celebration.  Special Early Pricing on tickets is in effect now until November 12.  This year’s event, Friday, November 16, promises to be even more fun than last year.

Of course, the star of the show, the wine, Beaujolais Nouveau will be there along with hors d’oeuvres, live music, dancing, and some new surprises at the Historic Grant Avenue, a neighborhood historic gem, located at 216 S. Grant St.

Two musical talents are slated for the night:  The warm up band calls themselves Born In The Hood. You’ll just have to be there to learn more about that!  Our Headliner is well known local performer Teresa Carroll and her distinguished trio made up of musicians the likes of Ron Bland  (The trio will actually be a quartet this night!)

So pull out your holiday attire (or not) and join the Merchants of West Washington Park to pop the top on the holidays!  Tickets are available at La Belle Rosette, 712 1/2 S. Pearl St. or Wash Perk, 853 E. Ohio Ave.  Credit card purchases may be made Online.   Regular ticket price is $50 per person. However,  with our special  Early Pricing, Nov 1 through Nov 11, it’s  $35 per ticket!  From November 12-16, tickets are full price, $50. There are a limited number of tickets, and keep in mind, no tickets will be sold at the door.   So, why wait?  Purchase now, secure your spot, and save!  Want to know more? Click here.

You’d be hard pressed to find a person who doesn’t think summers in Washington Park are special.  One of the most anticipated events of the summer is the Independence Day Neighborhood Celebration and Picnic sponsored by the Washington Park East and West Washington Park Neighborhood Associations and local businesses.  This year’s event, the 10th annual, will be held Wednesday, July 4th at the newly renovated boathouse in the park.

The fun begins at 11:00 a.m. in the Boathouse parking lot with a firetruck visit from Station 21, the Denver Mounted Patrol horses and police cars, picnickers, and patriotic hand clapping music from the Denver Municipal Band’s Brass Quintet.  Children can’t wait to decorate their strollers, trikes, and bikes with red, white, and blue decorations for the parade that begins at 11:45 a.m.  All the participants of the 15-20 minute long ride receive a ribbon at the route completion.  Cool off with free ice-cream and beverages, and enjoy free giveaways and information at the celebration’s sponsor tables.

It may be time for a nap when it’s over at 1:00 p.m., but you can come back to the meadow, south of the recreation center, in the evening for a 7:30 concert by the full 40 piece Denver Municipal Concert Band.  If you linger after the concert, you might even be able to catch some fireworks from other areas (limited this year due to the high fire conditions) in the Washington Park skies.

Lots of  volunteers are needed to manage events like this.  If you have an interest in helping out for an hour or two or in being a sponsor, please contact Lori Poole at  303-903-5892.See You ‘Round The Hood

The pockets of businesses laced throughout our neighborhood’s residential streets making goods and services walkable from your front door is just one of the great things about living in West Washington Park.  On some of the busier neighborhood streets, there are bigger newer office buildings.  Such is the case of 701 S. Logan St., the home to several businesses, such as the Body/ Mind/ Energy Healing Center belonging to Reece Leonetti in Suite 110.  A talented Massage Therapist, Reiki Master, and more,  Reece grew up in Colorado, left for a spell, and then returned to the place she calls home.  Meet Reece, one of your Merchants of West Washington Park,  in this article printed in the June 21, 2012, edition of the Denver Post’s weekly Your Hub section (Denver)……

See you ’round the hood!

The time to be prepared for an emergency is before it strikes.  So, March 31, 2012, at the neighborhood Cop Shop,  407 S. Broadway, Suite 500,  the Colorado Chapters of the American Red Cross are helping all West Washington Park neighbors get prepared for the unknown.  The Red Cross knows The Power of Preparedness is in Our Hands, that’s why they are bringing us a hands-on introduction to skills and knowledge we need to be prepared for emergencies whether personal or community.  On this day, a special FREE one hour CPR workshop will be offered three times, 9:00 A.M., 10:30 A.M., or 12:00 P.M.   Registration is required.  Be the first on your block to take advantage of this incredible opportunity.  Register online for one of the hour long CPR hands-only training and information sessions at ColoradoRedCross.org/PreparednessSaturday.

(Click on the picture to enlarge flyer and again to make even larger)

What a night it was!  The wine is gone, but the memories are not!   It was a brisk Colorado November evening that Beaujolais Nouveau, A Night of Wine and Celebration 2011 brought approximately 75 neighbors and friends together  to join in the festivities that take place annually on the third Thursday of November in France and around the globe..    The Merchants of West Washington Park’s 2nd annual celebration began at 7:30 P.M. in the theater of the magnificent historic Grant Avenue Community Center & Sacred Place,  216 S. Grant St.  More than 200 curly spirals of shiny ribbon attached to 80 helium balloons,  sparkling little white lights, round tables,  and French flavors of  hors d’oeuvres, live jazz, Paris, and Moulin Rouge adorned the room.  Of course, the star of the evening, the Beaujolais Nouveau in brightly labeled bottles  stood at attention ready to serve, their shipping boxes, works of art in themselves, sitting empty, yet close by.  Read more….

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The Merchants of West Washington Park are busily preparing for the 2nd annual Beaujolais Nouveau, A Night of Wine and Celebration!  Ticket sales begin Saturday, October 1, at La Belle Rosette, 712 1/2 S. Pearl St. and Wash Perk, 853 E. Ohio Ave.   Regular ticket price is $50 per person.  However, we know this is certainly an interesting economic time to be living, so, we have created an opportunity  to purchase tickets at a savings!  Between Oct 1 and 31, it’s  buy one get one free! That means, $25 per ticket!  From November 1-14, tickets are $35 per person, and the week of the event, November 15-18, they are full price, $50. There are a limited number of available tickets and no tickets will be sold at the door.   Why wait?  Purchase during October, secure your ticket, and save!  Want to know more? Click here.

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Please Note:  We are sad to report that Mr. B, Gary Bohlmeyer, passed away unexpectedly at his Denver home Saturday, May 12, 2012.  A memorial service to honor Gary will be held on Saturday, July 21, 2012, 10:30 A.M., at the Mile Hi Church Vogt Center, 9077 W. Alameda Avenue, Lakewood, CO 80226.

Everything about Gary Bohlmeyer of Mr. B’s Ballroom Dance Academy exudes passion for the art of dance and teaching it.  Over the last 46 years, he has traveled great distances and spent lots of money and time perfecting his skills so he can give it all back to the people.

It all began when a young Gary used to watch his Mom and Dad polka and waltz for enjoyment after long days of tending to their farm and family in a small Czech community in Nebraska.  In the 60’s, Gary left the farm to take a job in Lincoln. It was there his boss, who was taking lessons with Arthur Murray, invited Gary to join a class.  It was a 3-lesson special that ignited the young man’s passion.  He was asked to join the teacher training program, where he quickly surpassed the skills of his teachers and soon became a revered instructor.

On a chance trip to Denver, Gary scouted out the city and ran across a dance studio.  Just like in the movies, when Gary’s feet touched the  floor, the studio manager said, “If you ever want a job, you have one!”  A short time later Gary made the move, and that dance studio is exactly where he landed.  He went on to become a top instructor and a national competitor.

Even the best of teachers needs a break, but Gary’s students wouldn’t allow him much of one.  So began Mr. B’s Ballroom Dance Academy.  His first studio was a private ballroom in the home of one of his students. A growing demand required a new studio at 9^th and Sherman, a location now part of the Colorado Institute of Art.  Continued growth demanded yet another move to a larger studio at 8^th and Acoma, where Mr. B would teach for the next 30 years.  Neighborhood development pushed Mr. B to remodel a new location at Colfax and Elm. It was shortly thereafter, like for so many small businesses, the recession struck hard.

Demand has now brought the Ballroom Dance Academy to right here in West Wash Park at the Grant Avenue Community Center and Sacred Place, 216 S. Grant Street, where Mr. B instructs by appointment only. Whether the student is getting married and needs to perfect that first dance or just has a hankering to learn the merengue, Mr. B’s lessons are focused on individual needs and goals.

When asked his favorite dance, Mr. B exuberantly replies with a big smile and a twinkle in his eye, “The one I’m doing!”  He will go on to say, “Each one has its own passion or feeling.”  He lives the words of Hans Bos:  “While I dance, I cannot judge, I cannot hate, I cannot separate myself from life.  I can only be joyful and whole.  That’s why I dance.”

Learning to dance with Mr. B is certain to be a boost to your confidence and ability as well as an honor and treasured memory for life!

Your next step to detangling your Tango, call, Mr. B’s Ballroom Dance Academy, 303-825-4131, Custom Designed Classes by Appointment, Save $ By Scheduling A Lesson Package.

Written by Sandi Segal

See You ‘Round The Hood!

See You ‘Round The Hood!