Category: City Park

Excavating City Park with Dr Erin Baxter, November 12, 5:30 pm

Please join us for an exceptional program on Tuesday, November 12 when Dr. Erin Baxter, Curator of Anthropology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS), will speak about the excavations she directed in City Park this past summer in City Park. A collaboration between DMNS and Denver Parks and Recreation, the excavations took place at five locations in City Park and yielded artifacts like an 1800’s pottery fragment and a pre-historic chipstone flake.  High school students from underserved communities across Denver were recruited through DMNS’ Teen Science Scholars Program to serve as interns for the program. Under Dr. Baxter’s direction, students dug trenches and with the aid of ground penetrating radar were able to locate many interesting artifacts. The student who found the chipstone flake exclaimed, “At first I thought it was just some rock but to learn I had found something so amazing and beautiful made me so happy.” When asked what she’d be telling her friends about what she did last summer, she replied, “I’ll tell them I dug up and found a pre-historic flake.”

Students can apply for next year’s Teen Science program at DMNS by clicking https://dmns.org/about/teen-science-scholars.

Dr. Baxter will not only share this summer’s experiences in City Park but will also touch on some of  her research and field projects in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Turkey, Bolivia, Ireland and Tunisia. Her current research interests include cannibalism, ancient withchcraft, the architecture of the Aztec ruins, Toriette Lakes Great Kiva, Magic Mountain and W.S. Ranch. Erin is a great story-teller and you will not want to miss her vivid descriptions and insights.

This will be an in-person program. Snacks and refreshments will be served. The CPFAN Board of Directors will meet after the program at 6:30 pm. and the public is encouraged to attend as we discuss our programs and activities for 2025.

There is parking behind Carla Madison accessed from 16th Avenue and York St.
Excavation site in South Meadow

City Park Day Was A Blast!!!

On May 31, City Park Day continued its tradition of free ice cream (by Sweet Cooie’s), live music by the Denver Municipal Band with new additions – face painting, caricatures and exhibits from institutions like the Museum of Nature and Science and the Denver Zoo, and neighborhood groups from around City Park.  To celebrate the roots of Denver’s crown jewel park, Victorian dress was in full force. See more photos below.

Sponsors included City Council District 9, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the Denver Zoo, City Park Friends and Neighbors, Greater Park Hill Community, Inc., and the  Victorian Society of Colorado.

The event was free, and a large crowd enjoyed all the festivities. Next year will be even better!

Jolon Clark to Speak at CPFAN Annual Meeting, April 2, 5:30 pm, Carla Madison Recreation Center

There will be no CPFAN General Meeting and Program in March. Our Annual Meeting, where the membership will elect Board members for the 2024-25 term and vote on two proposed bylaw changes will take place on April 2 and we encourage all our members to attend.  If you are interested in serving on the CPFAN Board of Directors in 2024-25 please contact Georgia at info@cpfan.org. We welcome your interest and participation. The agenda and protocols for the Annual Meeting will be published in the next newsletter that will go out by March 18, giving fifteen days notice per our bylaws.

We are very pleased to announce that Jolon Clark, Executive Director of Denver Parks and Recreation will be the speaker at our Annual Meeting. Following his presentation, Clark will open the floor to Q & A. He is looking forward to hearing your ideas and insights about the future of Denver’s parks.
Jolon Clark, Executive Director, Denver Parks and Recreation
Jolon Clark was born and raised in Denver. Denver’s Recreation Centers and outdoor spaces were central to his childhood. He remembers the tree house he and his friends built in an ash tree in their Washington Park neighborhood. “There were three branches where we would sit for our meetings,” he says of the secret clubhouse. Soccer, swimming and basketball were the other activities he enjoyed in the “magical’ world of his Denver outdoor experience. In fifth grade, he participated in a Balarat Outdoor Education overnight program and describes this mountain experience, especially the night hikes, as life-changing.  As a South High School student, he learned about the Venice on the Creek program launched by Joe Shoemaker and the newly founded Greenway Foundation. Clark joined the program and punted gondola-style wooden boats up and down Cherry Creek between Larimer St and Confluence Park during his high school and college summers, regaling his passengers along the way with the history and culture of the area.
Courtesy, The Gondola Blog by Greg Mohr

Inspired by Joe Shoemaker’s vision of trails, parks and gardens flowing through Denver, Clark joined the Greenway Foundation team and among other accomplishments, founded Spree (South Platte Environmental Education), that introduces Denver area youth to the river through excursions, day camps, internships and summer programs. In 2019, The Greenway Foundation awarded Clark the annual Hero of the River Award in recognition of his significant and longstanding impact on the continued improvement/evolution/ sustainability of the South Platte River Watershed.

Finding his passion, Clark went on to earn a degree in non-profit management and a CSU degree in Natural Resources. Clark was elected to the Denver City Council in 2015 to represent District 7. While on council, he was the architect behind the $40 million a year Parks Legacy Fund, the creation of the new Office of Climate Action, Sustainability & Resiliency, and the $40 million a year Climate Action Fund.

In 2023, Clark was picked by Mayor Michael Johnston to be the Executive Director of Denver Parks and Recreation. “The circle closes,” says Clark. “This is my dream job.” He is proud of DPR’s new initiative to donate bison herds from Denver parkland to Tribal Nations. He looks forward to further implementation of Denver’s Game Plan for a Healthy City, emphasizing the need to “provide good stewardship of every drop of water.” Undeterred by the financial challenges facing Denver and subsequently DPR, he looks forward to minimizing the impact with creative planning and partnerships. In particular, he wants to empower volunteers to engage more fully in Denver’s parks. He talks about the value of being nimble and thinking outside bureaucratic boxes.

Learn more about Jolon Clark’s inspired vision for Denver’s parks on April 2. You are in for a treat!
1 2 3 4 5 6 … 36