Welcome to the Denver Urban Spectrum Website

Annual Events

January
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebrations: Presented by Urban League of Metropolitan Denver.303-388-5861 - www.denverurbanleague.org. The life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is celebrated throughout the month at various locations.

January 10 to 25
National Western Stock Show: I-70 and Brighton Blvd, Denver. 303-297-1166 - www.nationalwestern.com. National Western has been recognized by the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame as one of the top 100 events of the year in the United States. MC

January 19
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Marade: Denver City Park, Presented by Urban League of Metropolitan Denver. 303-388-5861 - www.denverurbanleague.org.

January 19
MLK African American Heritage Rodeo of Champions: A special rodeo in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be at the National Western Stock, I-70 and Brighton Blvd, Denver. 303-373-1246 – www.billpickettrodeo.com.

March 20 to 22
Denver March PowWow: Denver Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt St., Denver. 303-934-8045 –
www.denvermarchpowwow.org. This annual event draws over 100,000 people from Indian country.

May 3 and 4
Cinco de Mayo: Denver Civic Center Park and other Denver locations. www.newsed.org.

June 7 and 8
The People’s Fair: Downtown Denver, Denver Civic Center Park, 303-830-1651 - www.peoplesfair.com.

June 14
Juneteenth 2008: The Rebirth: An annual festival held in the historic Five Points business and cultural district celebrating African American culture, 303-297-0823 or 303-637-2839, www.denverjuneteenth.org.

June 21 and 22
Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo: Adams County Fairgrounds, 303-373-1246, www.billpickettrodeo.com.

June 28 and 29
34th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival: 1947 Lawrence St., Denver. 303-295-1844 -www.tsdbt.org. The Cherry Blossom Festival is a celebration of Japanese culture, food, music, dance, arts and crafts.

July 4 to 6
Cherry Creek Arts Festival: 2 Steele St., Denver, 303-355-2787 - www.cherryarts.org.

July 11-13
Denver Black Arts Festival: Denver City Park, 303-298-1927 - www.denbaf.org.
The Denver Black Arts Festival promotes African American art and culture and annually draws over 100,000 attendees.

July 26 and 27
Dragon Boat Festival: Sloan’s Lake, 303-722-6852 - www.cdbf.org.
Dragon boat races and photo contest with free admission, parking and shuttle buses.

August 23-29
After Five Jazz and Blues Festival, Denver’s Historie Five Points Community – Washington Street Business District, 303 296-2701, www.denverjazzfestival2008.com.
This 7 day festival will coincide with the Democratic National Convention and will feature world-class entertainment.

August 29 to September 1
A Taste of Colorado: Downtown Denver, Denver Civic Center Park, 303-295-6330 -www.atasteofcolorado.com.

September 15 and 16
El Grito de la Independencia: Cry of Independence 20th anniversary, www.newsed.org.

December 8 and 9
6th Annual Ujamaa Holiday Market Place: Matthews Center 3030 Downing, 303-675-0583.
Enjoy live entertainment, food, and unique cultural specialty gifts.

December 17 to 23
Luminares: Chicano Arts and Humanities Council, 772 Santa Fe St., Denver. 303-571-0440.

December 26 to January 1
Denver Kwanzaa Celebration: 2836 Welton St., Denver. 303-297-0823. Seven days of celebration for the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa is celebrated at various locations.

Art Centers and Galleries
Chicano Humanities & Arts Council (CHAC): 772 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, 303-571-0440 -www.chacweb.org. This nonprofit organization encourages and facilitates the development of Chicano/Latino cultural expression through the arts.

DuBois Art Gallery & School of Fine Arts: 2823 Welton St., Denver, 720-422-7569.

Great Western Art Gallery: 1455 Curtis St., Denver, 303-396-2787. The Great Western Art Gallery, LLC hosts a versatile genre of both art and artists which caters to a broad spectrum of visitors, tourists and residents alike.

Native American Trading Company: 1301 Bannock St., Denver. 303-534-0771 - www.nativeamericantradingco.com.

Orrs’ Trading Company: 3422 S. Broadway, Englewood, 303-722-6466 - www.orrs.com.
Native American arts and crafts supplies, CDs and cassettes of Native music, and Native herbs.

VSA Arts of Colorado: 909 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, 303-777-0797 - TTY: 303-777-0798 -www.co.vsaarts.org.  VSA promotes the creative power of people with disabilities with exhibitions and arts programs for disabled and non-disabled children and adults.

Museums and Cultural Centers
Aurora Asian/Pacific Community Partnership: 9801 E. Colfax Ave., Suite 200, Aurora, 303-326-8695 - www.auroraasian.org.

Black American West Museum and Heritage Center: 3091 California St., Denver. 303-292-2566. Located in the Dr. Justina Ford House, the small museum boasts materials and exhibits explaining the heritage of Blacks in the West.

Blair Caldwell African American Research Library: 2401 Welton St., Denver, 720-865-2401 - www.aarl.denverlibrary.org.  AARL offers research resources for African Americans, historical displays and a community art gallery in addition to normal library services as a branch of the Denver Public Library.

Brother Jeff’s Cultural Center & Café: 2836 Welton St., Denver, 303-297-0823 or 303-293-8879 - www.brotherjeff.com. This venue holds open mic poetry sets and other cultural events.

Moyo Nguvo Healing and Cultural Arts Center, Inc.: 1660 Gilpin St., #300, Denver, 303-377-2511 - www.afrikanarts.org. This organization provides cultural education and expression.

Museo de las Américas: 861 Santa Fe Drive, Denver. 303-571-4401 - www.museo.org.
The Museo de las Américas is the Rocky Mountain Region’s foremost museum dedicated to the cultural achievements of the Latino peoples of the Americas from ancient to contemporary times.

Stiles African American Heritage Center: 2607 Glenarm Place, Denver, 303-294-0597 - www.stilesheritagecenter.org. The center offers positive contributions of African Americans, classrooms/meeting rooms, guided tours, cultural exhibits, artifacts, replicas, and memorabilia, reading and research materials, cultural artifacts and diversity workshops.

General Venues for Families and Children
Arts to Zoo Cultural Connections: www.artstozoo.com. An Internet portal for the remarkable variety of arts and cultural resources available in and around Denver, including museum exhibitions, events, performances, public gardens, film series and activities for kids.

Children’s Museum of Denver: 2121 Children’s Museum Drive, Denver. 303-433-7444 - www.mychildsmuseum.org. The Museum is a hands-on educational and entertaining experience for children and their caregivers. Programs and playscapes are designed for newborns to eight-year-olds.

Colorado History Museum: 1300 Broadway, Denver, 303-866-3682 - www.coloradohistory.org. Imagine covered wagons, a rendezvous of fur traders, Indian buffalo hunts, mining the Rocky Mountains and life in early Denver. Colorado’s own museum features collections of photographs, artifacts and documents. Tribal Paths: Colorado American Indians, 1500 to today. From Ancient Voices enter Tribal Paths, a powerful and eye-opening companion exhibition.

Colorado State Capitol: Lincoln and Colfax Avenue, Denver. 303-866-2604 - www.state.co.us. The “mile-high” point is marked on the steps leading to the gold-domed capitol.

Colorado Trail Maps: www.coloradolottery.com/about/trailmaps. Day hikers, walkers, cyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts can download and print trail maps for trails that are accessible from urban regions throughout the state (national parks are excluded).

Denver Art Museum: 100 W. 14th Ave., Pkwy, Denver, 720-865-5000 - www.denverartmuseum.org. The Denver Art Museum is world famous for its American Indian art collection. Visitors can view outstanding architecture, graphics and design galleries, or explore Asian, Modern & Contemporary art, pre-Columbian, and Spanish Colonial galleries. The museum’s African art collection is the most comprehensive body of objects from the African continent in the Rocky Mountain region.

Denver Botanic Gardens: 1005 York St., Denver. 720-865-3500 - www.botanicgardens.org. Whether you visit the 23-acre gardens to relax under the shade of the enormous weeping willow in the Japanese Garden, learn from a class or expert lecture, listen to breezy, cool jazz on a hot summer night or tour the twinkling winter wonderland created by Blossoms of Light, you’ll find Denver Botanic Gardens more than just a beautiful garden.

Denver Convention Complex: 700 14th Street, Denver. 303-228-8000 - www.denverconvention.com. Find out what’s happening today and what’s coming up at the Colorado Convention Center and Currigan Exhibition Hall. Floor layouts, directions, nearby lodging and dining guides are also available.

Denver Firefighters Museum: 1326 Tremont Place, Denver. 303-892-1436 - www.denverfirefightersmuseum.org. The museum houses an extensive archive of old photographs, documents, journals and news stories about early Denver and the development of firefighting technology.

Denver Metro Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (DMCVB): 1555 California St., Suite 300, Denver, 303-892-1112 or 1-800-233-6837 - www.denver.org.
Denver Museum of Nature and Science: 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver. Museum: 303-322-7009. Planetarium: 303-370-6384 - www.dmns.org. Home of the Gates Planetarium and the IMAX Theater, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science is packed with exhibits relating to the world around us.

Denver Performing Arts Complex: 950 13th St. (Speer Blvd. and Arapahoe St.), Denver, 303-893-4100 - www.artscomplex.com or www.denvercenter.org. The Denver Performing Arts Complex is a four-block, 12-acre site that is home to a Tony Award-winning theater company, Broadway touring productions, contemporary dance and ballet, chorales, an opera, and a major symphony orchestra.

Denver Public Library: 10 W. 14th Ave. Pkwy, Denver, 720-865-1111 - www.denverlibrary.org. The Denver Public Library (DPL) is the information resource for Denver and the greater metro area.

Denver Rail Heritage Society: 303-458-6255 - www.denvertrolley.org. Take an inexpensive ride on an open trolley car around Denver’s Confluence Park region, or ride through the scenic Platte River Valley to west Denver.

Denver Zoo: 2300 Steele St., Denver, 303-376-4800 - www.denverzoo.org. The Denver Zoo is home to 4,000 animals representing more than 600 different species. During a Zoo visit you can see rare amurs, leopards, black rhinoceroses, coral reef fish, elephants, zebras, vampire bats, gorillas and more.

Forney Museum of Transportation: 4303 Brighton Blvd, Denver. 303-297-1113 -www.forneymuseum.com. Over 500 exhibits include early-model carriages, automotives and locomotives, featuring the Big Boy Engine and the Forney Locomotive 040-T Engine built in 1897.

Four Mile Historic Park: 715 S. Forest St., Denver. 720-865-0800 - www.fourmilehistoricpark.org. Once a stagecoach stop on the Cherokee Trail, the site now features pioneer-era buildings.

Historic Auraria Campus Tours: 1027 9th St., Denver, 303-556-3291- www.ahec.edu. Tours of the city’s oldest restored residential block on the Auraria Campus are available.

Molly Brown House Museum: 1340 Pennsylvania St., Denver, 303-832-4092 -www.mollybrown.com. Costumed guides lead visitors through the 14-room 1889 home of the “Unsinkable Molly Brown,” Denver’s famous socialite, philanthropist and Titanic survivor.

Red Rocks and Amphitheatre: 18300 W. Alameda Pkwy., Morrison, 720-865-2494 -www.redrocksonline.com. The world-famous Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre is open year-round. The new 30,000-square foot Burnham Hoyt Visitor Center offers free interactive and educational displays that, along with a short documentary film, highlight the geological and musical history of Red Rocks.

Theatres and Arenas: www.denvergov.org. City-owned facilities are constantly offering many types of programs, from exhibitions to theatrical works to sporting events.

United States Denver Mint: 320 W. Colfax Ave. and Cherokee St., Denver, 303-405-4761, (Tours: 303-405-4759) - www.usmint.gov/minttours. Tour Denver’s U.S. Mint, one of only two full-service mints in the nation. Producing between 14 and 20 billion coins each year, the Denver Mint is the largest producer of coins in the world.

Theater and Performing Arts

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre: 119 Park Ave. West, Denver. 303-295-1759 -  www.cleoparkerdance.org. The annual home season includes spring and fall concerts and a holiday concert. The upcoming holiday engagement, Granny Dances to a Holiday Drum will run consecutive weekends in Dec. at the Byron Theater at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts.
Eden Theatrical Workshop Inc: 1570 Gilpin St., Denver, 303-321-2320.

El Centro Su Teatro: 4725 High St., Denver, 303-296-0219 - www.suteatro.org. The cultural arts center promotes Chicano and Latino arts, and hosts a season of plays.

Shadow Theatre Company: 1468 Dayton St., Aurora. 720-857-8000 - www.shadowtheatre.com. Shadow is community-based theatre company with a fall to spring performance season. While supporting local indigenous actors, its mission is to develop cultural awareness through theater and to provide an understanding, respect, and appreciation of its history and culture as expressed from the heart of the human condition.

The Spirituals Project: University of Denver, Denver, 303-871-7993 - www.spiritualsproject.org. The Spirituals Project is a broad-based initiative to explore the many, varied dimensions of African American spirituals as art form, tradition and tool, and to invite all people to experience the joy and power of this dynamic music and gift from African Americans to the world.

Media

Newspapers:

Body of Christ News: 11 Del Mar Circle, Aurora, 303-344-4607.

Denver Weekly News: 2937 Welton St., Denver, 303-292-5158 – dwnews2@yahoo.com.

Denver Urban Spectrum: 2499 Washington St., Denver, 303-292-6446 (office), 303-292-6543 (fax), DenverUrbanSpectrum@urbanspectrum.net, www.denverurbanspectrum.com

El Semanario, The Weekly Issue: 1600 Broadway, Suite # 2400, Denver, 303-672-0800 -   www.elsemanario.net.

LaVoz: 2885 W. 3rd Ave., Denver, 303-936-8556 - www.lavoz.com.

Radio:

KGNU 88.5 FM, 1390 AM: Boulder Community Broadcast. 4700 Walnut St., Bldr. 303-449-4885.

KUVO 89.3 FM: 2900 Welton St., Denver. 303-480-9272 - www.kuvo.org.

95.7 FM The Party, 4695 Monaco St., Denver, 303-713-8000 - www.957kissfm.com

Television:

CoLours Television Network: 200 Quebec St., Building 600, Suite 209, Denver. 303-326-0088 - www.colourstv.org.

Websites:

www.BlackFlix.com. Offers a fresh approach to films featuring people of color.

www.DenverBlackPages.com. A web portal that promotes community events and activities for African Americans.

www.DenverUrbanSpectrum.com. Online version of Denver’s premiere newspaper for people of color.

Sports Franchises and Venues:

Arena Football (AFL – American Football League): Colorado Crush - 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver Box Office: 303-405-1111 - www.coloradocrush.com.

Baseball (MLB – Major League Baseball): The Colorado Rockies - 2001 Blake St., Denver. 303-762-5437, 303-762-5438. Tickets: 1-800-388-7625 - www.coloradorockies.com. The Colorado Rockies home field seats more than 50,000 fans.

Basketball (NBA –National Basketball Association): The Denver Nuggets - 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver. 303-405-1100 - www.nba.com/nuggets.

Coors Field: 2001 Blake St., Denver, 303-762-5438 - www.coloradorockies.com.

Football (NFL – National Football League): The Denver Broncos - 13655 Broncos Parkway, Englewood. Invesco Field at Mile High: 303-649-9000. Tickets: 720-258-3333. www.denverbroncos.com.

Hockey (NHL – National Hockey League): The Colorado Avalanche - 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver, 303-405-1100 - www.coloradoavalanche.com.

Invesco Field at Mile High: Home of the Denver Broncos and a variety of community events. 1701 Bryant St., Denver. 720-258-3000 - www.invescofieldatmile.com.

Lacrosse (NLL – National Lacrosse League): Colorado Mammoth - 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver, 303-405-1100 - www.coloradomammoth.com.

Pepsi Center: Speer Blvd. and Auraria Pkwy., Denver, 303-405-1111 - www.pepsicenter.com. The arena hosts the NBA Denver Nuggets, NHL Colorado Avalanche, AFL Colorado Crush, and NLL Colorado Mammoth.

Racetracks (Auto) Bandimere Speedway: Off C-470 at the Morrison Road Exit. 303-697-4870.

Soccer (MLS – Major League Soccer): The Colorado Rapids - INVESCO Field at Mile High, Denver 303-825-4725. www.coloradorapids.com.