Beyond this, Speaker Romanoff is a highly skilled, intelligent, knowledgeable, and passionate candidate for the office of the U.S. Senate. You can read more of his background at andrewromanoff.com. I think you will be glad you did.

—Beth Williamson, Boulder

Originally known as the Boulder Community Orchestra and then the Niwot Timberline Symphony, the local group has been renamed and is now being relocated.

But why the constant change?

After branching off from the Boulder Philharmonic ensemble, the local musicians found a home in Boulder Valley schools. They also adopted a less rigorous schedule than their professionally-bound counterpart. But the after-school programs of the talented Boulder Valley students caused the orchestra (then called Timberline Symphony) to play second fiddle. With locations that changed like Colorado weather and last-minute cancellations, confusion was strong among audiences and musicians alike. Seeking a more permanent place to lay their instrument cases, the Timberline Symphony relocated to Niwot High School, incorporating the city into their name to show their love. The orchestra seemed to be the end of a long, rootless journey.

However, the group found themselves wandering once again due to rising rates from the St. Vrain Valley Schools District. With dwindling hopes, they set out in search of yet another home, and found the First Presbyterian Church of Boulder, which gave the orchestra more freedom with rehearsals and concerts. Keeping with the sweet notes of change, they also changed their name to the Boulder Symphony Orchestra. Led by the young, talented conductor Devin Patrick Hughes, the group has once again found harmony with the city where they began.

Is it happily every after? Check them out at timberlinesymphony.org.

Andrew Romanoff has a demonstrated history of being able to “work across the aisle” and will bring that same level of leadership to the Senate. He was chosen by his peers to serve as Speaker of the House from 2005 to 2009. And his leadership earned national recognition, including Governing magazine’s top honor as Public Official of the Year.

Romanoff refuses to take PAC money and participate in the “pay to play” activity that is rampant in Washington. He will be a senator for the people, not special interests. Romanoff deserves your vote.

—Kaye Fissinger, Longmont

The 2010 Biennial of the Americas is described as an international exhibit celebrating culture, art and ideas of the Western Hemisphere. It’s invading Denver for the entire month of July, and museums and cultural venues around the area are taking part; international leaders will also gather for roundtables on relevant issues like poverty, the environment and education. Heck, even local restaurants are adding special “biennial menu options.”

It’s all for the sake of opening up dialogue about American (North, South and Central) life and culture.

At the McNichols Building, just days before the opening of the exhibition there, things were still coming together. Though, you still get a sense of the final product. Artists were finalizing their pieces and Paola passionately described each of the pieces and their messages—some about their ideas of the future, others about their criticism of American way of life or the media, some simply about light or change.

One young Peruvian woman, on hands and knees, placed pennies—one by one—on the floor, creating a carpet of gleaming copper. Another piece shows a row of shovels made from recycle guns that were found in Mexico and a video showing the project in process.

For more information: biennialoftheamericas.org.

Both Denver Hyatts are offering Tut-related packages to lure history-lovers. The Grand Hyatt has a family-themed package, which comes with a scavenger hunt for kids attending the King Tut exhibit, and the Hyatt Regency is offering a more high-end experience, which includes two VIP untimed, undated tickets that allow immediate access with no standing in line or advanced reservations. Altitude, the Hyatt Regency’s stunning lounge, is serving up Tut-themed cocktails that are as beautiful as they are delicious.

Also, Denver’s famous Wynkoop Brewing Company is now pouring Tut’s Royal Gold, an unfiltered “Imperial Egyptian Ale” that’s citrusy with a touch rose.

“We wanted to create a beer,” said Wynkoop head brewer Andy Brown, “that echoed what ancient Egyptian royalty might have consumed back in Tut’s day. It’s a hybrid beer inspired by Egyptian ingredients, but brewed with the benefit of 3,000 additional years of brewing science.”

The memories are a bit faded, but I distinctly remember panic flooding my body. My palms were damp with sweat and my tiny heart quietly went thump, thump, thump. I thoughts about being haunted by a 3,000-year-old curse for simply entering the exhibit, or maybe I thought there would be snakes. I can’t quite remember.

But as far as I know, I left the museum unscathed by ancient deities and learning very little about Ramses. Which made me feel pretty indifferent as I entered through the giant doors at the Denver Art Museum—obviously made bigger and more ancient to evoke a feeling of transition. You are now entering a time capsule of Egyptian treasures, they say.

These golden sandals have engraved decoration that replicates woven reeds. Created specifically for the afterlife, they still covered the feet of Tutankhamun when Howard Carter unwrapped the mummy. By Sandro Vannini

And overall, that’s really what Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs—on display at DAM from June 29 through Jan. 9—turns out to be: a beautifully preserved snow globe filled with more than 100 pieces of art, sculpture, jewelry and artifacts spanning 2,000 years as well as items found within King Tut’s tomb (and no snow).

I joined a special media preview the Friday before the exhibition opened to the public, and Mark Lach, senior vice president of international exhibitions for AEG, which organized the exhibition, was on hand to talk about the relevance of the experience.

King Tut’s tomb, discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, is considered the “greatest archaeological discovery of all time,” according to the exhibit’s introductory video, because it’s the “most intact” tomb to be discovered.

“That’s really why we are talking about it today,” Lach said. In fact, much of Tut’s modern notoriety has less to do with how he ruled and more to do with his tomb. The King Tut exhibit first hit America in the ’70s, and millions crowded in art or history museums to see the bounty.

“At that point, people were calling it a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Lach said.

More recently, though, those in charge of the artifacts felt it was important to tour it again, he said. The pieces we see today are different from than the ’70’s show, and for most, it’s their first time outside of Egypt.

While half the exhibit is a smattering of artifacts from various pharaohs—large limestone or sandstone statues of rulers and royalty, lovely, little calcite carvings, a cat’s sarcophagus and even a toilet seat—the exhibit gains momentum once we’ve descended into Tut’s tomb.

A large container with four hollowed out sections held the internal organs of the king. Each of its compartments had a lid in the form of Tutankhamun’s head. The royal name on both the chest and its outer shrine appears original, suggesting that Tutankhamun did not usurp the container from a predecessor. By Sandro Vannini

Here, there are photos of the 1922 dig covering the walls. The sheer astonishment of Carter’s discovery beckons you inside. There’s a well-paced balance between the chaos of Tut’s actual tomb—which looks almost cartoonish in its messiness—and the quiet, golden, pristine displays of Tut’s bounty today. We find items that would have followed the young king into the afterlife: A bed, scarab-studded jewelry, games, a gleaming fan and minions (little statues that represent Tut’s servants). Then there are the golden sandals the Tut mummy wore on his feet and the canopic coffinette that held his mummified stomach.

It’s a huge bounty for DAM, a temporary collection that will likely bring in thousands; surely, many of them will be school children from all over Colorado. Personally, it’s like discovering something distant, ancient and foreign; something you discover only once in a lifetime; or maybe, something you only appreciate once in a lifetime.

Discover more at tutdenver.com.

But what if you didn’t have a choice? And what if the material keeping you from literally freezing to death turned you into a criminal? While this may seem like a hypothetical situation, it is reality for homeless man David Madison.

Last November, after getting turned away from Boulder’s homeless shelter (which has a capacity of 160 people), Madison was arrested for “camping.” For those unfamiliar, it is a crime in Boulder for people to spend their nights outside covered by anything more than their clothes. This includes tents, blankets or, as in Madison’s case, sleeping bags. In fact, in the past four years, Boulder’s blue and white have shelled out more 1,600 tickets for the “anti-camping” law.

Attempting to bring Madison to justice, the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado) filed an appeal this week to challenge the shelter-prohibiting law.

“When the homeless shelters are closed or full, it is terribly unfair, and unconstitutional, to impose fines and jail sentences on persons who have no choice but to sleep outdoors,” said Mark Silverstein, ACLU Legal Director, in a prepared statement.

On the night that Madison was arrested, it was a teeth-chattering 11 degrees outside.

“Our case highlights both the absurdity and the cruelty of Boulder’s ordinance,” attorney Mark Walta said. “Because the frost-covered sleeping bag was deemed to be ‘shelter,’ the Municipal Court said our client was violating the law. If our client had just slept in his clothes, he might have gotten hypothermia, but he would have been found not guilty.”

Wanting to protect others from both the weather and the same fate, ACLU staff attorney Taylor Pendergrass also wrote a letter to the Boulder City Council. The letter explains Madison’s case and attempts to warm the council to changing this ice-cold ordinance.

If you would like to read the letter, it is available in PDF format on the ACLU’s web site at:
aclu-co.org/docket/201007/boulder.city.council.aclu.6.28.10.pdf.

The five-course menu included Colorado striped bass, pork from Long Family Farm and, of course, Colorado’s Best Beef in the form of short ribs and smoked biscuit. Each course was well-paired with a Colorado or New Mexico wine.

A portion of the proceeds from the Hush dinners goes to a local food-related charity, and last night’s dinner benefited Slow Food Boulder, which has been working lately to provide community gardens to schools and public housing complexes.

To get on the Hush invitation list, visit hushdenver.com and sign up to get on their mailing list. Another Boulder-area event is tentatively planned for the end of July, but you’ll be the first to know if you’re on the list.

With daily specials every day of the week, and magnificent, buttery, baked-in-house croissants, the dessert is only one of many reasons to visit A Grand Finale Patisserie. While they do focus on their desserts, the shop serves sandwiches featuring breads that they have baked themselves, the most obvious being their croissants.

The Lafayette location has now been open for about 16 months and there are plans to expand throughout Colorado and then the country. Considering the commendable dedication to quality, each franchise will have a separate quality-testing period to assure that their quality is maintained.

Having been featured on Food Network’s Road Tasted with the Neely’s and recognized around the country for quality and professionalism in their field, this couple is truly a powerhouse with which to be reckoned. At this point, there is no need to implore, just a nudge will do… Go ahead, take a bite; enjoy life… eat dessert first at A Grande Finale Patisserie.