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⚾ Opening Day, goat yoga, parking lot theater

BY PEYTON GARCIA | @CITYCASTDENVER

Hello and happy Friday, City Casters!

Or perhaps, more appropriately, Happy Opening Day! 🌭 ⚾ 🍺 The Colorado Rockies will take on the LA Dodgers tonight for their home opener, and the vibes around town have never felt so pre-pandemic. Here’s the official Opening Day timeline for your party planning purposes. I’ve also got a couple links to local celebrations happening all weekend long below 👇

And while I love a good reason to eat ballpark hotdogs and drink pitchers of lukewarm beer, the foodie in me must point out that today is also National Empanada Day! 🥟 So get yourself stuffed with some stuffed pastry deliciousness. My go-to is, duh, Maria Empanada. *Chef’s kiss* 

TODAY ON THE PODCAST 🌿

1800 S. Broadway: Part One
Ever since Coloradans started taking the prospect of legal weed seriously, stoners have wanted a place to partake in public. The city of Denver opened permits for public consumption businesses a few years ago, but the regulations were so restrictive that only one business was ever able to open. But after last year’s sweeping revamp of our weed laws, a wave of new ganjapreneurs have come forward with proposals for how they’d want a public weed lounge to look and feel — and, more importantly, where one could actually open.

It’s a new era of legal weed, and it’s begging the age-old question: if not here, where? Producer Paul Karolyi stumbled over a red-hot neighborhood battle over one proposed weed lounge a few weeks ago. Today on the show, he breaks it down with Producer Xandra McMahon and host Bree Davies. 

Stay tuned to the show next week for part two of our look at the fight over 1800 S. Broadway. In the meantime, we want to hear from you! Are you excited to smoke weed in public? Would you want a weed lounge in your neighborhood? And how do you feel about the debate over this one in particular? Text or leave us a voicemail at (720) 500-5418‬, and we might share your thoughts on the show!

Take me to the pod!

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THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND

⚾ Friday: Celebrate Opening Day: The city is loaded with food and drink specials and LED screens ready to kick off the Rockies’ home opener tonight. You can find watch parties at: Highland Tap & Burger, Avanti F&B, Dairy Block, the Terminal Bar, all of McGregor Square, and more, happening this evening and all weekend long.

🎭 Saturday: Shakespeare in the Parking Lot: This free community theater series from the Denver Center for the Performing Arts allows you to enjoy Shakespeare’s classics in an abridged, stripped-down, new iteration — in a parking lot near you!

🌷 Saturday: RAWTools Gun Buyback: The Colorado Springs-based nonprofit that buys unwanted guns back from the community and turns them into gardening tools is hosting its second of eight scheduled metro Denver events this summer.

🎸 Saturday: Rock for Ukraine!: Rock outfit yanshiva will headline a local concert at Denver Art Society this weekend to raise money for Ukraine support efforts. The cover charge is $10.

🐐 Sunday: Goat Yoga and Brews: LUKI Brewery teams up with The Community Farm in Arvada to offer three of my favorite things — beer, yoga, and baby goats!

🛍️ Sunday: Denver Makers Market: Shop local artisans, crafters, and farmers at this Park Hill spring market. The first 50 customers to arrive will get a VIP bag of goodies.

🐾 All Month: 5280 Pet Photo Contest: 5280 is accepting submissions for cutest pet pic now through April 16. Voting will be open April 17-30, and the winning pet will be featured in the 5280 July issue. The best part? Anyone can go right now and scroll through all the super duper cute current contenders — You’re welcome 😍 

NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

  • Construction crews are currently prepping the 16th Street Mall for remodeling projects scheduled to begin next week. Expect intermittent street and sidewalk closures from Market Street to Broadway and 15th to 17th streets, now through late 2024. [DenverGov]
    
  • The COVID pandemic has slowed waaay down. But Denver evictions are higher than ever. More than 1,800 households have been taken to court this year. [Denverite]
    
  • Last month, a federal jury determined that Denver police used excessive force when responding to the local 2020 George Floyd protests. The city was instructed to cough up $14 million to the 12 protestors named in the lawsuit. But now, Mayor Michael Hancock told reporters at Axios Denver that the city is planning to appeal the verdict. [Axios Denver]
    
  • Customers who consumed meat or cheese from the deli of the Wheat Ridge King Soopers at 5301 W. 38th Ave. between March 20-30 could be at risk for hepatitis A. An employee in the deli tested positive after returning from travel overseas. If you think you were exposed, you can visit one of these walk-in clinics. [Denver Post]

THIS WEEK’S PODCASTS

  • WED: Janae Burris is 8.5 Months Pregnant. But Her Comedy Special is ‘Long Overdue’
  • TUE: Is Colorado’s Outdoors Overcrowded? Or Do We Just Need to Learn How to Camp Better?

👉 Find all our shows at denver.citycast.fm.

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