City Cast Denver

Punch Bowl Social was a Denver success story — emphasis on the “was.” Starting with that one location on South Broadway in 2012, the arcade/bowling alley/bar quickly expanded across the country, operating 20 locations and raking in tens of millions of dollars per year at its peak. But then the pandemic hit, setting CEO and founder Robert Thompson off on a year of twists, turns, and tough decisions. With the original Punch Bowl Social re-opening next week, host Bree Davies speaks with Denver Business Journal reporter Ed Sealover, who’s been in touch with Robert through it all. Bree and Ed talk through Punch Bowl’s rise, fall, and the unclear future of "eatertainment."Get Ed’s tweets: @ESealoverDenBizGet ours: @citycastdenverSubscribe to our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/citycast/denver

It’s Cinco de Mayo and that means cruising — especially on Federal. But over the last year, Chicano car clubs have stopped meeting up along the strip, while at the same time, police have had an increased presence. It looks like a law enforcement crackdown, but is it? Councilperson Jamie Torres joins the show today to help get to the bottom of this issue of vanishing car clubs. We also hear from an OG low rider about the deep roots of the car club tradition.And hey! We’re still hoping to hear more of your Elitch’s memories. Are you an Old Elitch’s person? Or a New Elitch’s person? Use Voice Memos, Voice Recorder, or another app to record your memory and send it to us at denver@citycast.fm, and we might play it on the show. Just remember to say your name and whether you’re an Old Elitch’s person or a New Elitch’s person.Get the newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Get the tweets: @CityCastDenver

More than a third of foster children in Colorado will end up homeless by the time they are 21. A new bill making its way through the Colorado General Assembly would allow them to re-enter the system after they’re 18 and get help with things that many of us take for granted — like opening bank accounts and getting a driver’s license. Foster parent Natasha Pepperl has seen first-hand how much this support is needed. She joins host Bree Davies on the show today to talk parenting and the messy cracks that make navigating the foster care system so challenging. Check out Natasha’s podcast, Just As Special, right here.And check out our newsletter for even more…you guessed it — news. 

On our show last Friday, we featured a deeply human story from one man, David Gordon, about his experience living inside one of the most important new efforts to address Denver’s homelessness crisis. After a three-month stay at a Safe Outdoor Space, he said Denver should absolutely invest in this housing option.  But the leases at the first two locations are up at the end of the month, and it’s unclear whether there’s much appetite for making this temporary pandemic relief measure permanent. On the show today are Cole Chandler, executive director of the Colorado Village Collaborative, the organization administering the SOS program, and Pastor Nathan Adams of Park Hill United Methodist Church. Host Bree Davies asks them how South Park Hill is reacting to their decision to invite unhoused neighbors into the community, why they believe in this new type of shelter, and how you can help make it permanent.The best way to reach Nathan is through Park Hill United Methodist Church, which you can learn more about here. You can donate to Colorado Village Collaborative here. Hey, don’t forget to listen to our first part of this conversation about Safe Outdoor Spaces with Denver VOICE vendor David Gordon who lived in the one on Pearl St. for three months.Are you an Old Elitch’s person? Or a New Elitch’s person? Use Voice Memos, Voice Recorder, or another app to record your Elitch’s memory and send it to us at denver@citycast.fm, and we might play it on the show. Just remember to say your name and whether you’re an Old Elitch’s person or a New Elitch’s person.Get the newsletter: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/Get the tweets: @CityCastDenver 

There are more than 4,000 people experiencing homelessness in Denver, according to the latest Point in Time Survey from Metro Denver Homeless Initiative. And that was back in January 2020, two months before the global pandemic caused a massive economic downturn. Last summer, the city sponsored a new effort to help house some of those people, but it’s been controversial to say the least. So this time on the show, we’re going inside one of the new “Safe Outdoor Spaces” to hear how it has benefitted one man, David Gordon, a longtime vendor with the Denver VOICE. We initially recorded this episode as an installment of VOICE on the Street, our partnership with Denver’s street paper, the Denver VOICE, which provides opportunities to Denverites experiencing homelessness and other forms of economic inequity. If you’d like to support VOICE vendors like David Gordon, head over to denvervoice.org/donate. They even have Venmo, so if you want to get a little help directly to David, follow this link and add his name to the note attached to your transfer.Subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: denver.citycast.fmGet the tweets: @citycastdenver

Elitch Gardens is so much more than a theme park. It’s more like a nostalgia factory with roller coasters, and it’s been in business for over 100 years. The New Elitch’s, as the current incarnation is commonly known, is opening this weekend, so Bree invited three-time Emmy winning comedy writer Hallie Haglund and zero-time Emmy winning City Cast producer Paul Karolyi on the show to talk about everything Elitch’s — from the oldest of the old to the unclear future. Are you an Old Elitch’s person? Or a New Elitch’s person? Use Voice Memos, Voice Recorder, or another app to record your Elitch’s memory and send it to us at denver@citycast.fm, and we might play it on the show. Just remember to say your name and whether you’re an Old Elitch’s person or a New Elitch’s person.The excerpt of the oral history with Mrs. Harold Robinson (née Laura Besser) heard in this episode comes courtesy of the oral history collection at History Colorado. You can listen to the whole conversation, including a few more juicy Elitch’s tidbits right here. Subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter: denver.citycast.fmGet the tweets: @citycastdenver

Nadia Bolz-Weber is on the show today to talk about the new season of her podcast, The Confessional, which she describes as “a carwash for our shame and secrets.” Nadia tells Bree about how she helps people process the worst moments in their lives and offers some tips for broaching difficult conversations.Bree interviewed Nadia for the first time in 2012, one year before Nadia published her first best-selling book, Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint. Read that story here, and hey, since you’re already clicking on links we give you, why not click one more and subscribe to our newsletter?

Even if we don’t always like it, a city’s got to change. And your Denver might look very different from someone else’s Denver. Award-winning cartoonist Karl Christian Krumpholz explores this theme in his new illustrated history of Denver, “Queen City.” He joins host Bree Davies to talk about the book and how he brought places that have closed or been demolished back to life, while paying homage to living legends. The Breakfast King, Gabor’s and Satire Lounge all make appearances in this conversation, and can be seen throughout this book’s beautiful images and colorful Denver backstory. Subscribe to the City Cast Denver newsletter and learn more about us at denver.citycast.fm. Get the tweets @citycastdenver.

In a city that’s been grappling with affordable housing issues for years, Denver landlords seem to hold all the power. Councilperson Stacie Gilmore wants to change that dynamic, with a new proposal that would strengthen renter protections and require landlords to be more accountable for their properties. Stacie is on the show today to talk through her proposal, including her personal motivation for getting it passed. The City Council is set to discuss her rental licensing proposal tonight (and vote on it next Monday), so now is the time to find your representative and make your voice heard!Plus, City Cast Denver contributor JD Lopez attended the Save Casa Bonita rally on Saturday morning to hear more about the community effort to make sure the old pink palace sticks around. Get the rest of the story in our April 15th episode, “Inside the Fight to Save Casa Bonita.”For more on that rental in Green Valley Ranch that Councilperson Gilmore mentioned, here’s the first report about it, from CBS4 in 2019. And here’s the CBS4 follow-up about what happened to the family that lived there. 

Here at City Cast Denver, we love podcasts. There are so many different styles and topics; each one is a window into its own world. So what better way to explore different parts of Denver than through the many podcasts made here? We invited the biggest podcast fan we know, Berry of Podcasts in Color, to recommend a good place to start. So in this first weekend bonus episode, please enjoy Berry’s #ListenLocal pick: The COnnect with Graffiti, interviewing Denver’s own Suzi Q. Smith.Subscribe to The COnnect here and follow Berry on Twitter @podcastsincolor.