More than 100,000 spectators braved the cold temperatures to ring in the new year on the 16^th Street Mall during the 13^th Annual New Year’s Eve Fireworks Downtown. Two eight-minute shows with nearly 15,000 blasts exploded across the Denver sky in a myriad breathtaking and dramatic methods. With a 40-second finale, the hits rumbled Denver into the new year.

DJs along the 16^th Street Mall and festivities at the Southwest Rink at Skyline Park ramped up the energy between shows as people celebrated throughout the city center.

“The New Year’s Eve Fireworks provided the perfect atmosphere for the Denver community to come together and celebrate a fruitful 2014,” said Tami Door, CEO and president of the Downtown Denver Partnership. “With hundreds of thousands of individuals enjoying downtown restaurants, retail establishments and hotels, the celebrations continued throughout the night and helped drive our local businesses into the new year.”

The fireworks shows at 9 p.m. and midnight were created and managed by Western Enterprises, Inc. Launched simultaneously from two undisclosed locations downtown, the shows were fired using pyro seeking, the industry’s most advanced in digital firing technology, and SMPTE time code signal for synchronization with the music from the DJs. Nearly 600 cues were fired per show, and approximately 2,400 cues were fired overall.

The New Year’s Eve Fireworks Downtown were presented by the Downtown Denver Partnership and co-sponsored by Visit Denver and the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District.

(Larry Laszlo photo, CoMedia)

Arts Brookfield will launch its free outdoor concert series, Summer on the Plaza, from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday (July 23) with the Garrett Sayers Trio performing at the 1801 California plaza. The series features rising stars of Denver’s music scene along with happy hour specials at Guard and Grace, adjacent to the plaza.

The following musicians are scheduled to perform.
* July 23 – Garrett Sayers Trio
* July 30 – Ark Life with Patrick Dethlefs
* Aug. 6 – SHEL
* Aug. 13 – Megan Burtt

Arts Brookfield presents cultural experiences to hundreds of thousands of people for free each year at Brookfield Office Properties, which include 1801 California and Republic Plaza in downtown Denver.

“We are thrilled to be expanding our free arts programming in the Denver community with Brookfield’s recent transformation of 1801 California,” said Debra Simon, vice president and artistic director of Arts Brookfield. “In addition to Arts Brookfield’s ongoing (exhibits) inside the building, we look forward to offering an opportunity for people to enjoy live music by local musicians in a beautiful outdoor, urban and lively setting.”

For more information on the concert series, visit the website (www.artsbrookfield.com/denver or follow Arts Brookfield on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (@ArtsBrookfield), YouTube, Pinterest, or Vine. Follow the hashtag #ArtsBrookfield for photos and tweets about Summer on the Plaza.

(Photo courtesy of MeganBurtt.com)

It’s hard to believe that the Hard Rock Cafe has been rocking the 16th Street Mall for 16 years.

And like many rock stars, there comes a time to inject new energy into the act. That’s what the Hard Rock Denver did recently when it unveiled a remodel, new menu items and all new memorabilia in gold frames (the only restaurant in the chain to do so as an homage to Colorado’s gold rush history).

My condo BFF and I were treated to a recent tour through the remodeled digs and massive memorabilia by John Lindsay, senior sales and marketing manager. Chairs throughout the bar and dining rooms sport a copper-toned fabric, there’s velvet and gold chain mail hanging over the bar, new LED lighting over the stage where national and local musicians perform and all the plaques labeling the memorabilia are mounted on frames with Red Rocks Amphitheatre in the background.

All of the rock n’ roll memorabilia have been switched out with the exception of the Beatles sled from the movie “Help”. The upstairs boasts a Red Rocks Room dedicated to artists who have played in those hallowed rock walls. There’s an original poster from The Beatles only Denver concert in 1964, Johnny Cash’s shoes, photos from Dave Matthews and The Fray, one of the first bands to play at Denver’s Hard Rock.

Also upstairs are framed blotter acid sheets (with the illicit drugs missing) from drug aficionado Timothy Leary.

New menu items, prepared under the direction of chef Ryan Mapes, include half-pound burgers (my favorite was the Fiesta Burger on a toasted brioche bun with roasted jalapenos, salsa, jack cheese, fresh guacamole and pico de gallo); a starter sampler with chicken wings, nachos, spinach artichoke dip and bruschetta; a grilled chicken arugula salad and desserts to share such as the apple cobbler and the brownie fudge sundae.

For more information, go to www.hardrock.com/cafes/denver/.

Above, appetizer sampler; below, apple cobbler, giant brownie fudge sundae and slider sampler. (Hard Rock Cafe photos)

Food-truck fare, fresh air, gorgeous views, live music and a great cause, the ninth-annual Civic Center EATS will return on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning Tuesday through Oct. 9 (excluding June 5, July 3, Aug. 28 and Sept. 2).

A portion of the proceeds benefit the Civic Center Conservancy, the nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring, enhancing and activating downtown Denver’s historic Civic Center Park. Civic Center EATS provides an opportunity for downtown employees, residents and visitors to experience Civic Center, enjoy an outdoor lunch, listen to live music and connect with the community. Shaded tables and an on-site ATM are provided.

Civic Center EATS is presented by the Civic Center Conservancy and produced by Hobnob Events with support from community sponsors: Pioneer Natural Resources, The Denver Post Community, Denver Parks and Recreation, Southwest Airlines, Noble Energy, Callahan Capital Partners, Hogan Lovells, JE Dunn Construction and Sherman & Howard.

For a list of vendors, go to www.civiccenterconservancy.org/event-civic-center-eats-2014_74.html.

Ever wonder what was behind those mysterious clock faces of the D&F Tower?

Now you can find out! The top floors of the historic downtown clocktower are now open for guests to take a 45-minute guided history tour. The tour will include many behind-the-scenes areas not open to the public.

Guests will be able to journey upstairs to see behind the mysterious clock faces, take in the breathtaking view of the city and surrounding mountains from the 20^th floor Observation Deck and see the original two-story spiral staircase leading up to the bell inside the belfry while hearing many Tower Tales along the way!

Tours are Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m., are 45 minutes in length and are $15 for ages 10 & up.  For more information go to http://www.clocktowerevents.com/tours.html.

And speaking of celebrations, don’t wait all night to get lucky this St. Patrick’s Day – after Denver’s big parade on March 15, dance an Irish jig down to the Curtis — a Doubletree by Hilton for the first ever ShamRocks party.

ShamRocks attendees can enjoy all-you-can-drink beer and all-you-can-eat chicken wings and French fries. The event also will feature Highland Dancers with bagpipes and a drum line; each guest will also receive a commemorative beer mug.

Entertainment for the afternoon includes Denver’s Dirty Femmes as the opening act, followed by headliner singer/songwriter Rob Drabkin, plus DJ Rockstar Aaron spinning Irish Rock and today’s hottest hits.

ShamRocks will be held from noon to 5 p.m. on March 15 (two days before the official March 17 St. Patrick’s Day) inside the new Curtis Four Square Ballroom, which features a 2,500 square foot outdoor patio with a built-in bar and a fire pit.

ShamRocks is open to those 21 and older. Tickets are $45 in advance or $55 at the door. Purchase your tickets at: http://303magazine.com/events/shamrocks/.

Event sponsors include Coors Light, Jameson, Uber and 303 Magazine.com. Uber Denver is offering ShamRocks attendees $20 off one ride for new users on March 15. At the event, Uber also will be handing out VIP free rides and 500 Uber Black Cards, which are good for $20 off your first ride.

The Curtis is located at 1405 Curtis St. For more information on the Curtis, please visit www.thecurtis.com or call 800-525-6651.

Ever wondered which cocktail to pair with your Korean takeout or European comfort food? Chef Rich Byers and beverage director Ben Anderson at The Corner Office Restaurant + Martini Bar in The Curtis Hotel in downtown Denver, have the answers.

Byers, Anderson and the rest of the culinary team regularly take guests on a multi-cultural journey with dishes and drinks inspired by various countries around the globe. Now, they are helping guests choose the best sips to wash down each regional cuisine:

• Mexican – Byers recommends pairing his Baja Fish Tacos with the “Just Another Goat Rodeo” cocktail (Milagro silver tequila, Liquor 43, blackberry, pepper, honey and lime).
• Korean – The restaurant’s Bibimbap pairs well with the” Starlight” cocktail (St. Germain, Leopold’s Absinthe, lime, mint + ginger beer).
• France – A dish as hearty as The Corner Office’s Steak Frites will complement the masculine elements of the TCO Manhattan (Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Carpano Antica Formula and Campari; aged in-house in 10 liter barrels for three weeks).
• Southern USA – The Templeton Sazerac (Templeton Rye, Demerara, Peychaud’s bitters and absinthe) with an order of a southern classic, shrimp and grits.

For more information, go to www.thecornerofficedenver.com.

For 29 years, Rosey’s has been a regional fashion destination which started at Eighth and Colorado before moving to Tamarac Square and then on to Park Meadows Mall with a customer base that has made the store a perennial success.

Now, Rosey is opening a second store at Aspen Grove, which will open on March 1. The new store, owned by Rosey Shaw‘s protege, Diane Lagerborg, will be a new spin-off concept, Rosey’s By Diane.

Rosey’s by Diane is a new one-stop shop where a woman can buy an entire outfit of unique clothing at a reasonable, midlevel price point.  Sourcing boutique fashions from the United States and Canada in addition to local designers, Rosey’s by Diane will offer a selection of clothing, accessories, and footwear that cannot be found anywhere else in Denver and can be worn by women of all body types.

Many of her pieces will be one-of-a-kind designs, all hand-selected by Lagerborg. The target customer, a chic, sophisticated woman 30 years and older, seeking affordable, cutting-edge fashions of a higher quality than can be purchased at vintage/resale shops but without the mass-produced feel and budget-busting prices of high-end fashion chains

Lagerborg has grown up in the retail clothing industry, having apprenticed under Shaw for more than 10 years.

In that time, she has gained an understanding of the retail fashion industry. Now, she’s ready to embark on her own concept, bringing fresh ideas and a new wave of style to Denver.

For more information, go to http://loveroseysstore.com/.