Penny Parker On The Town: Pink wine party puts the pop in summer at Elway’s Cherry Creek

Think pink.

Elway’s Cherry Creek threw a Pink Patio Party recently where (and I’m not kidding here) attendees tasted more than 50 Rose wines – both still and sparkling – and voted on which wine winners would make it onto the restaurant’s summer wine list.

This event has grown from a few wines – maybe six – the first year to this massive event where more than 100 folks paid $35 to sip and snack on appetizers created by chef Aniedra Nichols, which included to die for foie gras on toastettes, oysters on the half shell with pico de gallo salsa and scallop ceviche.

After all the ballots were counted (with no reports of hanging chads), Elway’s sommelier Adam Vance announced the winners:

* 2012 Remy Pannier Rosé d’Anjou, Loire Valley;

* 2012 Merryvale Starmont Rosé, California;

* 2012 Saint Roch Cotes du Provence Rosé.

Each wine will be available as a flight (2 ounces of each), by the glass as well as by the bottle. The Rose menu debuts on Tuesday.

Elway’s Cherry Creek sommellier Adam Vance was in the pink for the eatery’s Pink Patio Party. (Penny Parker photo)

Fit club

I told you last week that Denver ranked fifth of the most fit cities in the U.S., according to annual American Fitness Index, a study done by the American College of Sports Medicine.

In keeping with that ranking, PowerBandFit class, the popular fitness studio in Cherry Creek North, has added two new classes to its lineup: PowerBandYoga and PowerBandCore, which join the original PowerBandFit class.

The award-winning studio’s classes make working out more efficient by taking half the time. Owner and trainer Howard Waldstreicher is an entertainer who takes your mind off the fact that you’re actually putting your body through a series of cardio and strengthening moves.

New clients can take the first class for free by going to www.halfhourpower.com or by calling 720-985-8892.

If you’d prefer fitness more urban style, Altitude Peak Fitness in the Ballpark neighborhood turns four this month. The high-intensity gym, owned by Danica Ansardy, is celebrating its b-day with an incentive to entice folks to get their bodies ready for summer.

The “4-for-4 Challenge” offers new clients four weeks of classes for $150. If attendance is perfect, the following four weeks of classes drops to $75. To sign up for the offer, go to www.altitudepeakfitness.com or call 720-771-2079.

Freedom first

U.S. Representative Mike Coffman an e-mail blast to his followers to promote The Colorado Freedom Memorial.

The Colorado Freedom Memorial is the first of its kind that recognizes those killed in action since Colorado became a state and is a testament to our state’s respect for our military.  It is located in Aurora just across from the main entrance at Buckley Air Force Base.

Coffman wrote: “It took Rick and Diane Crandall 13 years to make their dream of creating a memorial honoring Coloradans who served our nation during time of war and who made the ‘ultimate sacrifice.’  There are over 6,000 names etched into the glass panels of the memorial. When you visit the Colorado Freedom Memorial, it’s important that you also remember not only those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, but the families who shared in that sacrifice.
Since I’ve been a member of Congress, I’ve visited every family from my district who has lost a loved one serving in the military and whose names are now engraved into the memorial’s panels.
No two families, that I’ve privately met with, are alike in the way that they grieve.  No two families are alike in the way that they move forward after their loss.  But all of the families that I have met with are united in honoring the sacrifices of their family member who was lost.
This memorial will serve as a reminder that we will remain a free people so long as there are Americans who are willing to step forward and to serve our nation in uniform.”

The website also cited details from the Memorial Day weekend dedication:

“Nearly 13 years of fundraising and planning became a reality Memorial Day weekend when the Colorado Freedom Memorial was dedicated. The memorial stands 10 feet high and is 120 feet long. Glass panels are engraved with the names of nearly 6,000 Colorado men and women who have died in wars dating back to the Spanish-American War in 1898.”

Crandall, KEZW’s “Breakfast Club” host, began work on the memorial more than a decade ago while on assignment in Omaha Beach. According to the website, Crandall joked his wife and those working around him now cringe when he says “Hey, I’ve got an idea.”

• 46 killed in action during the Spanish-American War, 1898;
• 1,001 killed in action in World War I, 1914-1918;
• 3,500+ killed in action in World War II, 1941-1945;
• 298 killed in action in Korean War, 1951-1953;
• 623 killed in action in Vietnam, 1961-1972;
• 2 killed in action in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, 1991;
• 93+ killed in action in Operation Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom, 2001–
• 97 POW/MIAs still missing