Bucket List Community Cafe March 24th Newsletter

Hey, Bucket Listers! It's Bucket List Community Cafe editor Madison Lauterbach. Vicky is out of town enjoying her vacation in Hawai’i, so it’s my turn to officially introduce myself to the community!

Today is a “mental health day” for Denver Public Schools. Our hearts go out to the Denver East High School community and the victims of the shooting on Wednesday. As Denver neighbors, we are devastated when gun violence happens. This shooting comes just six weeks after East student, Luis Garcia, was shot outside the school. Garcia passed away two weeks later. The shooting on Wednesday involved a male student, who had been searched previously due to safety concerns. The student shot and injured two school deans, Eric Sinclair and Jerald Mason, during a pat-down in the school’s office area.

Quick reminder: If you plan on voting by mail, you must send your ballot in no later than March 27. That’s in just three days! If you miss that deadline, you can always head to one of the many 24-hour ballot drop-off boxes or your nearest polling location to vote in person.

Another day, another Denver institution closing. Earlier this week it was announced that Blake Street Tavern will be closing after 20 years. The go-to spot for Colorado Rockies opening day is set to close on April 9. The property owners have expressed interest in turning the building next door and the parking lot into apartment complexes. Rockies’ opening day this year is April 6, so don’t miss a chance to say goodbye to your friends at Blake Street.

Little-known Legacy

Many Denverites probably know about the deep connection Five Points has to Black history in Colorado. The area is commonly known as the “Harlem of the West,” with jazz greats like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole having stayed and entertained at The Rossonian Hotel. But did you know that the neighborhood has a rich Japanese American culture as well? Our Mabel Gonzalez dove into this history and checked out Stories in Solidarity: The Japanese Americans in Five Points project.

This month, the biennial Month of Photography Denver brought fans of the art form to the city with 126 events at 65 venues. The event is a great opportunity for creators to showcase their work to curators, collectors and other industry professionals from across the country. Last weekend, our Mimi Herrick popped by the portfolio reviews, organized by the Colorado Photographic Arts Center to see how these connections spark.

As the prices of fruits and veggies rise due to inflation, some of us may start to wonder if we should grow our own. The trend of sustainable gardening has taken hold in Denver, and our Mimi Herrick and Wyatt Eberle spoke with Trupti Suthar about turning her grass lawn into fresh produce.

Exclusive For You

As we already mentioned, Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero announced a district-wide mental health day today. All students and employees will have the day to spend contemplating their thoughts, working through their feelings or zoning out while watching movies. Some of us at Bucket List took mental health days while we were in school and thought we’d share what we did to rest. Tell us about your mental health days.

When I was in middle school, I took a lot of mental health/physical health days. My arthritis pain was worse then because I hadn’t been diagnosed and put on medication. My mom let me stay home to rest my body and my mind. I mostly escaped into movies on TBS or bad cable TV like Jerry Springer.
-Madison

When I was a student at St. Andrew’s Priory in Hawaii for middle and high school, my mom would let me take an occasional mental health day. I would stay home and watch Hollywood Squares and Jeopardy. Back then Paul Lynde was the center square and I especially liked Charlie Weaver. Art Fleming was the host of Jeopardy and I got very good at the game. Taking a day off from school now and then was good for my soul.
-Vicky

Warmest Regards,
Madison Lauterbach
Editor/Bucket List Community Cafe