As we all know, in Colorado, Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated all month long and Burt’s Smokehouse BBQ at 7470 S. University Blvd. in Centennial is taking on the feel of a good ole fashioned Irish pub during the month of March. The restaurant is bringing in Irish musicians during the week and offering specials on traditional Irish spirits to wet your whistle.

Every Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. you’ll be able to see some of Colorado’s top Irish bands performing acoustic sets during happy hour. Music on tap for the occasion: The Stubby Shillelaghs, Potcheen, Mulligan’s Stew, and Lougheed.

For more information, go to www.bbqdenver.net.

The Denver Foundation has announced that David Miller will be leaving his position as president and CEO at the end of 2015. He will create and start a new Institute for Philanthropy and Social Enterprise at the University of Denver in 2016.

Miller led the Foundation, which was established in 1925, for the past two decades, during which it experienced tremendous and unprecedented growth. “We accept David’s departure with regret and gratitude,” said Sandra Shreve, chair of the Foundation’s board of trustees. “He has left an indelible legacy on The Denver Foundation and our community.”

When Miller was hired, The Denver Foundation had $58 million in assets, six staff, a few dozen charitable funds and awarded $2 million in grants per year. Today, the Foundation has over $740 million in assets, 42 staff, more than 1,000 funds and last year it granted more than $67 million. Under Miller’s leadership, the foundation started the Strengthening Neighborhoods Program, the Inclusiveness Project, over 60 different types of scholarships, and countless other philanthropic efforts.

“My commitment to The Denver Foundation is everlasting. However, after nearly 20 wonderful years, I think it’s time for me to move on to new challenges and allow new leadership to take The Denver Foundation into the future.

“For the rest of this year, I will continue working hard to strengthen The Denver Foundation and ensure a smooth transition with my successor. The future of The Denver Foundation is extremely bright. The organization is strong and stable. Our innovative staff, donors, and partners are working together on numerous fronts to achieve our mission. As we celebrate our 90th anniversary this year, we are poised to continue working with all of you to make our community a better place for generations to come.”

Ginny Bayless, the Foundation’s chair-elect has been appointed to lead the search committee, which will include both current and former Denver Foundation Trustees. They will begin meeting very soon and will have the search finished well before the end of the year, Shreve said.

The Denver Foundation is a community foundation that inspires people and mobilizes resources to improve life in Metro Denver. The Denver Foundation has three roles: stewarding an endowment to meet current and future needs for Metro Denver, working with community leaders to address the core challenges that face the community, and managing more than 1,000 charitable funds on behalf of individuals, families, and businesses. For more information, visit www.denverfoundation.org.

Swallow Hill Music announced that Paul M. Lhevine has been appointed chief executive officer of the 36-year-old Colorado home for roots, folk and acoustic music. Lhevine’s appointment comes at the end of a six-month national search guided by Arts Consulting Group.  He will begin his duties at Swallow Hill Music on April 6.

“On behalf of our entire music community, we are excited to welcome Paul as our new CEO,” said Swallow Hill Music Board Chairman Saul Rosenthal.  “Paul brings a commitment to innovation, a love of music and a remarkable record of success in community outreach, leadership and civic engagement to his new position.  We expect great things from Paul as he builds on the significant growth Swallow Hill Music has enjoyed these last six years and leads our organization to new heights.”

Lhevine comes to Swallow Hill Music from the Aurora Public Schools Foundation where he served as executive director while also performing duties as director of external affairs for the school district.  During his tenure at APSF, he is credited with increasing revenues, developing significant private/public/non-profit philanthropic relationships and launching new programs, such as the Future Center Initiative, which will support a new college-and career-bound student culture in each of Aurora Public Schools’ high schools.

“I am coming to Swallow Hill Music for the opportunity to build on the incredible reputation the organization enjoys and help introduce the remarkable work taking place there to new audiences and supporters,” Lhevine said.  “My passion for this position comes from my connection to our community, my intense desire to affect change – especially in our disadvantaged communities – as well as my own personal love of music.”

A graduate of Vermont Law School and Colorado College, Lhevine has served in volunteer roles with Colorado College’s Public Interest Fellowship Program, PEBC and the Aurora Public Schools Foundation, and is an alumnus of Leadership Denver, a program of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Leadership Foundation.

Lhevine’s early career experience included working on campaign finance reform efforts at the National Civic League, managing congressional campaigns in Colorado and Alabama and serving as a legislative assistant to Congresswoman Diana DeGette.  Lhevine also managed John Hickenlooper Denver mayoral campaign in 2003.  Later, as a political consultant, he led Romer for State Senate, Coalition for a Better Colorado, and assisted the American Red Cross Mile High Chapter with their legislative objectives.

From 2006-2008 he served as chief operating officer of the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee and from 2008-11 he served as senior vice president for Donor Relations and chief operating officer for Mile High United Way.

For additional information, visit www.swallowhillmusic.org.

Wheat Ridge’s newest restaurant, Grammy’s Goodies at 4601 Harlan St., will celebrate the opening of its first brick and mortar location with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring free samples from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday with remarks from Wheat Ridge Mayor Joyce Jay.

For the last decade, Vickie Corder and her husband Jeff have been dishing up Italian specialties at outdoor festivals across Colorado. With the opening of Grammy’s Goodies, fans of Corder’s giant pizza and Bada Bing burgers can now satisfy their cravings for Vickie’s homemade fare indoors year-round. Grammy’s menu will include many festival favorites as well as Italian mainstays as lasagna, garlic knots, sausage and pepper sandwiches and an array of sweet treats all based on recipes from Vickie’s 92-year-old grandmother, Grammy. “Opening Grammy’s fulfills a longtime dream for me and my family,” said Corder, who grew up in Wheat Ridge. “It’s so nice to come back home.”

Grammy’s will operate from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Eavesdropping on a woman talking about the jazz group playing an original waltz written for sisters at Nocturne: “I wish I liked my sisters well enough to write a waltz for them.”

Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort threw a curveball Thursday by announcing that he is part of Arizona-based Redrock Partners, LLC, which is acquiring Romano’s Macaroni Grill from Ignite Restaurant Group.

Monfort’s business partners are two industry veterans who will be taking over ownership and operations of the popular restaurant chain: John Gilbert, who is the current president and will continue to serve as CEO of Romano’s Macaroni Grill and Dean Riesen, who will serve as chairman of the organization.

Redrock Partners expects to complete the transaction within 30 days.

Romano’s Macaroni Grill is an Italian restaurant brand founded in 1988 by Phil Romano.  Inspired by the Italian “country” cuisine served in Romano’s grandmother’s kitchen, Macaroni Grill has grown to more than $300 million in U.S. sales and another $40 million through its franchise operations.

“We are delighted to continue the work started by Ignite on the transformation of Mac Grill,” said Gilbert, who has been president of the brand for the past year.

Gilbert has a strong history of brand transformation, including the launch of Jack Daniel’s Grill at Friday’s and leading the team that developed the “America Runs on Dunkin'” campaign at Dunkin’ Donuts.  Gilbert has also served as president and CEO of both public and private companies for the past seven years.

“Over the past nine months, Macaroni Grill has tested and launched Romano’s Kitchen Counter, which has proven to be a big hit with our customers,” Gilbert said.

Riesen added, “We believe that Romano’s Kitchen Counter is the beginning of a new chapter in the Macaroni Grill story.  It was this growth opportunity, combined with the existing business foundation, that led me to put together the investment group to acquire Macaroni Grill.”

Riesen has had a lengthy financial and strategic career in the hospitality industry.  He led Carlson Real Estate Company, served as the CFO of Carlson Holdings, Inc. and led the merger of Carlson’s U.K. travel interest into Thomas Cook Holdings, LTD, then serving on its board of directors.  Riesen also served on the board of Famous Dave’s of America and as Chairman from 2011-2014.

Monfort, who completes the ownership trio, said, “I was delighted to join this team.  I have worked with both Dean and John for many years and I believe we have the ideal chemistry to continue to grow the Mac Grill business.”

Monfort also has deep experience in the food service and hospitality industries, serving as the president and CEO of Monfort Meats, president of the protein divisions of ConAgra Foods, Inc. and owner of the Hyatt Regency-Palm Desert.  Monfort served on the board of Famous Dave’s of America, Inc.  He is also the majority owner of the Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball team.

Elitch Gardens Theme and Water Park is erecting SlideZilla, a monstrous new addition in its Water Park this year. The six-story water slide accelerates four riders through a curved chute and into a swirling 2- foot bowl before unexpectedly dropping 57 feet and then up into a massive four-story high tornado wave.

After cresting the water wall, the riders slide into a splashdown. Colorado’s first hybrid slide was named Best Water Attraction in 2014 by IAAPA and consists of two thrilling custom features, the BehemothBowl and TornadoWAVE.

“SlideZilla will spin you around, swallow you up and spit you out,” said Marketing Director Tracy Durham. “It truly is a Hydro-Beast and we can’t wait for guests to try and tame the creature.”

Also new this season are two daily live shows: Disney’s Octonauts and Conjure. Disney’s Octonauts invite kids to join Captain Barnacles and Kwazii on a mission under the sea. Conjure tells the lighthearted tale of a quirky magician who must, with the help of the audience, bring back his loving, bumbling assistant to perform the magic show of a lifetime.

In addition to SlideZilla, Elitch’s will have seven free concerts this summer, including YouTube sensation Jake Miller; Disney stars Debby Ryan, Sabrina Carpenter, Dove Cameron and Ryan McCartan; Colorado’s own R5, a Christian music festival featuring Tenth Avenue North, Britt Nicole, and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Grammy-Award-winning Intocable.

Plus, five Dive-In Movies will be featured in the Water Park, including “The Lego Movie,” Maleficent,” Academy Award-winning “Big Hero 6,” “Elf” and “Monsters University.”

A season pass to Elitch Gardens is $69.99 for 133 days of park access, free parking, free tickets for friends, free concerts, free movies and unlimited rides and slides.

For additional information on Elitch Gardens’ newest Water Park addition, visit www.ElitchGardens.com.

Some of Denver’s top tourism businesses will be honored on Wednesday at the Seawell Grand Ballroom in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts when the city’s second largest industry hosts the Denver & Colorado Tourism Industry Hall of Fame dinner.

Eight “Tourism Star” awards will be presented to organizations, attractions, events and individuals that had a significant impact on Denver’s tourism industry during 2014. Winning Tourism Stars are a quartet of Denver cultural attractions (the Denver Art Museum, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver); three major sporting events (the 2014 World Lacrosse Championships, the BMW Championship and the Denver Broncos’ playoff run) and RTD and the team behind the restoration of Denver Union Station.

“There are a lot of players who helped contribute to the success of 2014 as the best year in the history of Denver’s tourism industry,” said Richard Scharf, president and CEO of Visit Denver. “From the opening of Union Station and the transformation of that part of downtown to four outstanding one-of-a-kind cultural events to major world class sporting events, Denver was in the spotlight in 2014, and these tourism stars helped Denver set new records for average hotel occupancies and rates.”

The 16th Annual Tourism gala will also induct four people into the Denver & Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame: hotelier and philanthropist Navin Dimond, the CEO of Larimer Associates Jeff Hermanson and tournament and executive director of the Colorado Crossroads Volleyball Tournament Kay Rogness.  A special posthumous award will be presented in honor of Bill Daniels, cable pioneer, businessman and founder of the Daniels Fund.

The Tourism Hall of Fame serves as the highest award for Denver’s travel industry – which registered its best year ever in 2013 with 14 million overnight visitors, generating more than $4 billion in spending.  The industry supports 50,000 jobs in the metro area.

The gala is a fund-raising event for the Visit Denver Foundation, which has given out more than $655,000 in scholarships to 251 Colorado students pursuing higher education in the fields of tourism and hospitality.

For ticket information, please contact Lindsey Riddle at lriddle@visitdenver.com or call 303-571-9405.

March marks the start of Jay’s Valet’s Third Annual Kindness Competition, which is being re-branded as the “Valet It Forward” Kindness Competition in celebration of the company’s 30 years of service.

Jay’s is holding a tournament to provide an interactive viral campaign that will increase awareness about nonprofits. It is a small way for Jay’s Valet to say “thank you” to the nonprofits for being kind to others, while having a little bit of fun throughout the College Basketball National Tournament. The goal is to spread awareness about each nonprofit/charity that has made a difference to communities.

Owner Jay Mills’ son, Maxx, will do a blind-drawing to randomly select 64 out of the 168 nonprofits closest to the valet company’s heart to be paired up with college basketball teams within the College Basketball Tournament Bracket. The nonprofit matched with the championship winning team will receive a donation of $1,000 from Jay’s Valet.

The valet company has upped the ante for its 30-year anniversary by making sure every participant who replied to the invitation e-mail will receive a “Valet It Forward” prize. Jay’s will be provide a Jay’s Valet gift certificate worth $250 to be used at the next fundraising event.

Some dates are below:

• March 15: Selection day for the college basketball teams entering the tournament.
• March 16: The official “Valet It Forward” bracket will be announced.
• March 17-18: The first round of the tournament begins.
• March 19-22: Second-third rounds of the tournament.
• March 26, 28: Midwest regional, west regional.
• March 27, 29: South regional, east regional.
• April 4: National semi-finals.
• April 6: Championship game.
• TBD: Trophy/check handing ceremony for winning nonprofit.

Jay’s disclaimer: “We are not affiliated with the NCAA or March Madness. This is a bracket that we create to coincide with the college basketball championship to create awareness of nonprofits throughout our community.”

To follow along with the tournament, go to www.jaysvalet.com.