Founded in 1993, 5280 is the largest local magazine in Colorado. The magazine's stories often make national headlines, and since 2005 5280 has been nominated for four National Magazine Awards. Get 5280 Magazine digital subscription today.
I remember the play. It was Game 3 of the 1992 World Series: the Atlanta Braves versus the Toronto Blue Jays. David Justice was at the plate, Terry Pendleton was on first, and Deion Sanders was at second. As a 13-year-old in Atlanta, I’d become a fan during the Braves’ stunning worst-to-first 1991 campaign, so I screamed when Justice roasted a ball to center. It looked uncatchable. That is, until the center fielder gloved it, surprising Pendleton, who was called out for overtaking Sanders on the base path, and Sanders, who got caught in a pickle. Sanders made it back to second and was called safe, avoiding what would have been only the second triple play in World Series history. Except he should have been out: Replays showed the third…
You’ll find a singular blend of nerdiness and daring at Boulder’s Junkyard Social Club. “It’s a place for communities to come together to unwind, to celebrate, and to hatch big plans,” says Jill Katzenberger, co-founder and executive director of the all-ages, 8,500-square-foot learning and event space, which, after soft-launching in 2021, had its grand opening this past March. “We strive to create diverse and unique situations that inspire new conversations and ideas,” she says. In practice, that means you’ll find summer campers ($95 per day) and homeschoolers ($20 per class) building flying machines in the tinkering space while tykes explore climbable sculptures and the two-story playground—much of it sourced from scrap yards—during open play hours (Tuesday through Sunday; $12 per day). Families can catch concerts and circus acts, and on…
1 Pickleball Food Pub 7647 W. 88TH AVE. Last year, American Pickleball Association founder Sam Brown spent nearly a million dollars to convert a former Sears outlet into an eight-court paddlers’ paradise. Players of all skill levels can join one of nine leagues, and true rookies are welcome to attend free introductory courses Thursdays at 5 p.m. Although the pub boasts 24 beer taps, it doesn’t, despite its name, have a kitchen. But you can order grub 2 from nearby CD’s Wings, 3 528Tea, and Thane’s Table with no delivery charge. 2 Vicky Bunsen Sculpture Garden 7309 ORCHARD COURT Renamed in 2022 to honor a local historic preservation advocate, this Historic Westminster art garden features a paved path that winds around two permanent installations from Denver-area artists (“Lady Catrina” by…
Jenn Logan used to share her Denver apartment with some unusual roommates: two dozen boreal toads. In 2000, the biologist had just started a job at Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s (CPW) Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility, a hatchery in Alamosa that was being built to breed endangered and threatened fish and amphibian species for release into the wild. Until the building was finished, however, it was up to Logan to foster the imperiled toadlets. “The sooner that recovery actions start,” she says, “the better chance we have to facilitate a species’ long-term persistence.” Once abundant, Colorado’s population of boreal toads, which live between 8,000 and 12,000 feet in elevation, has plummeted over the past four decades to fewer than 1,000 adults. In 1998, five years after CPW added the toads…
Nothing illustrates golf’s vibe better than its clap—an applause that’s intended to produce as little noise as possible. But since the pandemic, when thousands of players took up the sport, the game has become, well, louder. And no company has dialed up the volume as high as Pins and Aces. ¶ Nicklaus Mertz (formerly a project manager at a mannequin supplier) founded the Arvada-based business in 2019 after he went in search of a new head cover and found the available options dreary. So he began producing his own, starting with one that featured the Colorado state flag. The designs quickly became more exuberant and now showcase Mexican sugar skulls, mythical creatures, and cultural icons such as William Wallace ($35 to $55). “The demographics have changed in golf,” Mertz says.…
As much as Reed McCalvin likes European-style cycling races, he doesn’t think they impress Americans. A former physical therapist and operations manager for professional teams on both sides of the Atlantic, the Denverite saw how multiday races such as the Tour de France flourished in Europe but struggled to attract sponsors and television coverage in the United States. There was an obvious reason, he decided: Americans prefer short, action-packed events. In late July 2021, McCalvin shared his theory with a Miami-based health care entrepreneur and cycling enthusiast named Paris Wallace. Coincidentally, Wallace had already arrived at the same conclusions—and was willing to combine his finances and clout with McCalvin’s cycling connections to create something entirely new. Almost two years later, on April 8, 2023, the National Cycling League (NCL) kicked…
