And speaking of 9News staff shifts …

Entertainment expert and all-around nice guy Kirk Montgomery got a snappy send-off Monday night at Panzano where friends and fans gathered to bid Montgomery adieu as he prepares to move to Lansing, Mich., and take over an anchor of the 4 p.m. newscast.

Montgomery pal chef Elise Wiggins put out a big spread to honor her friend. Additional party organizers were Kelly Rush, Tommy Collier and Mark Callaghan.

The crowd represented many members of Denver’s theater world, and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and his actress-singer wife, Mary Louise Lee made a surprise appearance.

Panzano assistant pastry chef Isabel Burson crafted a cake worthy of Capt. Kirk (Montgomery) with authentic Klingon letters.

Spotted in the crowd were Jenny Schiavone and her husband, Travis; Melanie Mayner; Michelle “Mel” Gibson; Keri Christiansen; Denver Center Performing Arts scribe John Moore; PR princess Lynn Bronikowski; May D&F tower owner Holly Kylberg and stylist to the stars, Patti Shyne.

Kirk gave a speech thanking all his friends and saying Denver will always be home.

“There are no words. Overcome. Thank you,” Montgomery posted on his Facebook page. “Elise Wiggins, Kelly K. Rush, Mark Callaghan (and) Tommy Collier for putting together my goodbye party. So many special friends. So many surprises like Mary Louise Lee, Michael Hancock and Rich Ross — I love you Colorado — so much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Kirk Montgomery with Panzano chef Elise Wiggins. Montgomery’s send-off included a Star Trek themed cake (below). (Panzano photos)

Biz2Credit.com, an Internet business credit service, has named Denver the third Best Small Business City in America in a report released Monday.

The ranking of the top 25 best small business cities was based on a weighted average that includes annual revenue, credit score, age of business (in months), cash flow, debt-to-income ratio, incorporation (C-Corp or LLC vs. sole proprietorship) and business owners’ personal credit scores, according to the press release.

“San Jose remains the center of innovation and new business job creation in the U.S.,” said Biz2Credit CEO Rohit Arora, who oversaw the research. “Surprisingly, Detroit-Dearborn scored very well in large part because of the auto industry’s rebound and the growing technology sector in the area.”

Meanwhile, despite being the nation’s financial hub and a city with a thriving economy, the New York City metro area ranked only seventh in the Biz2Credit’s Best Small Business Cities ranking because of the high cost of doing business.

Houston dropped from the top spot last year. “The oil boom in Texas has slowed a little, and business growth is not at the pace that we saw last year.”

For this analysis, Biz2Credit defined small businesses as companies having fewer than 250 employees or less than $10 million in annual revenues. The Top 25 Cities for Small Business in 2014 are:

1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.
2. Detroit-Dearborn, Mich.
3. Denver
4. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif.
5. San Francisco-Oakland, Calif.
6. Las Vegas, Nev.
7. New York metro area
8. Atlanta, Ga.
9. Washington, DC metro area
10. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Fla.
11. Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif.
12. Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla.
13. Sacramento, Calif.
14. Indianapolis, Ind.
15. Houston, Texas
16. Chicago, Ill.
17. Portland, Ore.
18. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
19. Phoenix-Scottsdale, Ariz.
20. Charlotte, N.C.
21. San Antonio, Texas
22. Seattle-Tacoma, Wash.
23. Jacksonville, Fla.
24. Philadelphia, Pa.
25. Orlando-Kissimmee, Fla.

Tommy Chong, one half of the famed comedy duo Cheech and Chong, taking in a jazz performance at DazzleJazz, 930 Lincoln St., Friday night with his son Gilbran who graduated from CU Boulder with a degree in percussion and vibes.

Eavesdropping on a “dude from Wyoming” wearing a camouflage hat talking to a woman in a Capitol Hill bar: “Hi. I think you’re attractive, and I have to leave soon, but I was wondering if you date boys or girls? I noticed you’re not wearing a wedding ring.”

“That was an interesting opener.”

“I’m told in this neighborhood, you have to ask.”

I remember when my son On the Town Junior brought the movie “Once” home to watch with Mr. On the Town and me.

The senior family members had never heard of the 2007 Irish film that had gained a cult following, but we trusted Junior and loaded it into the DVD player.

The movie, starring songwriters and performers Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova was a tortured love story intertwined with a ballad-like sound track that was, in a word, beautiful.

The movie went on to win an Oscar for the song “Falling Slowly.” Fast forward to 2012 where the adapted stage musical of the same name won eight Tony Awards, including the coveted Tony for Best Musical.

That musical is now playing at The Buell Theatre through May 18, and is well worth seeing. If you go, drop your pre-conceived notions of an “Oklahoma” or “The Sound of Music”-esque performance with a linear plot development dotted with toe-tapping songs.

Instead, every actor doubles as a dancer and musician with somewhat complicated story lines. The play starts with an audience-participation hoedown with every instrument played by the actors (even the accordion).

The dance moves are of the modern dance genre as if taken straight from Martha Graham‘s book of choreography. The musical is slower than you’re probably used to, but stick with it. What unfolds is a captivating story of an Irish musician looking for a record contract in the United States, and the woman who supports his dream.

For tickets to “Once,” call 303-893-4100 or visit www.denvercenter.org.

The Four Seasons Hotel Denver and the clothing and jewelry boutiques on Larimer Square joined fashion forces Thursday for a spring fashion luncheon at the hotel’s Edge Restaurant & Bar.

Pretty people dining on prosciutto melon bites, pan-seared halibut and English peas in cantaloupe sauce and watermelon and mint granita munched and mingled with models showing off spring attire from Eve, Gusterman Silversmiths, Fluevog Shoes, Cry Baby Ranch, Frinje, Jewelry at the Square, Goorin Bros. hats, Blue Ruby, Victoriana Antique & Fine Jewelry, Scarpaletto shoes, Blush, Hailee Grace, Moda Man and Nest Children’s Boutique.

The hunka-hunka male model showed off the snappy side of spring-wear of manly men including a salmon linen jacket, purple polka-dot pocket square, off-white linen slacks and a multi-colored watercolor shirt from Moda Man.

Long-time Larimer Square denizen Cry Baby Ranch featured models in modern Western-wear including an updated square-dance skirt in metallic.

Hot pants took center stage in orange stripes from Blue Ruby and a blue embroidered pair from Hailee Grace.

Long dresses and skirts were another highlight many showing off Spring’s love affair with blue in a variety of prints.

Prima, the second restaurant inside The Hotel Teatro, helmed by chef Kevin Taylor, closed at the end of March and will reopen in July as The Nickel on the renovated ground floor of the historical hotel.

A chef-driven culinary concept, the menu will draw inspiration from its Rocky Mountain heritage, incorporating locally-sourced ingredients into rustic stripped-down Colorado fare. The décor of the space will echo the menu, featuring textiles sourced from the Rocky Mountain region; custom-made furnishings and industrial materials.

The restaurant’s name pays homage to the hotel’s storied past. With an original vault dating back to the property’s origins as Denver’s Tramway Building in 1911, the space was once used to collect nickels from customers riding streetcars.

Leading The Nickel is chef/restaurateur, Jake Linzinmeir, a certified sommelier and executive chef. Coming from the mountains of Telluride to Denver, Linzinmeir brings an extensive knowledge of homegrown Colorado foods, having personally worked with farmers, ranchers and foragers across the state.

In addition to executing the vision of the new restaurant, Linzinmeir will oversee catering and in-room menus, to the beverage program that includes a bar of house barrel-aged spirits and a coffee and wine lounge in the former Restaurant Kevin Taylor space, which closed earlier this month.

“The Nickel will be a combination of many inspiration points I’ve been collecting throughout my career,” Linzinmeir said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to work at some of the finest restaurants in New York, Aspen, Los Angeles and Italy – and the most memorable experiences for me have been those that were simple, classic and could be enjoyed at any time of the day.”

As for the beverage program designed to complement the food, Linzinmeir said, “It’s much more fun to eat at a bar than drink in a restaurant.” The barrel-aged spirits will be accompanied by Colorado craft beers, a hand-selected wine collection and a coffee-roasting program.

“We’re excited to introduce The Nickel to everyone,” Afsi Bird, general manager of the hotel. “We have a new team and will unveil a new lobby, a new culinary program and a new outlook on the next great destination for downtown Denver.”

For more information, please visit: www.hotelteatro.com/the-nickel.

The Nickel will sport an old-time rotisserie (below) and its menu will include a dish of duck, pork belly and an elk sausage cassuolet. (Hotel Teatro photo)

Doughnut shops and cops go together like … well … doughnut shops and cops.

To commemorate National Police Week now through Saturday, Dunkin’ Donuts has partnered with the Denver Police Department and the Denver Police Law Enforcement Museum to offer free medium hot or iced coffee to police officers who show their bade or are in uniform.

The Denver-metro area Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants are also naming Dunkin’ products in honor of these local heroes. Blueberry flavored coffee, the blue raspberry Coolatta and the blueberry donut are the items highlighted for Denver’s “Men in Blue.”

“Public safety is one of the community pillars of Dunkin’ Donuts, and this is a small way to say thank you to the brave men and women who are keeping Denver’s streets safe every day,” said Meredith Calkins, franchise owner for the Dunkin’ Donuts at 366 Broadway. “We are having a little bit of fun-giving back and showing appreciation by recognizing the long-standing relationship between coffee and police officers.”

According to Denver Police Officer Dean Christopherson, the relationship between police officers and coffee dates back many years to when cops walked their beats, usually four square blocks, in 12-hour shifts, rain or shine. Officers would take breaks in saloons, restaurants and bakeries whose proprietors, recognizing that cops were paid modestly for their important work, offered coffee, doughnuts, pie and other goodies to the officers. In time, the sight of cops at restaurant counters and doughnut shops became common, creating the long-standing tongue-in-cheek reputation.

“I approached Dunkin’ Donuts to be our community partner because I thought it would be a unique opportunity to have fun with the doughnut/police officer relationship, while showing officers our deep appreciation,” said Michael Hesse, vice president of the Denver Police Law Enforcement Museum.

Dunkin’ Donuts is also providing donuts and coffee for the opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Denver Police Law Enforcement Museum’s new Archival Preservation Center at 8 a.m. Thursday at 1331 Cherokee St.

The Denver metro area’s newest Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant opens at 7615 W. 88^th Ave. in Westminster on Tuesday.

Other participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants: 366 Broadway, Denver; 2001 Sheridan Blvd., Edgewater; 8775 Washington St., Thornton; 3235 28^th St., Boulder; 16611 Smoky Hill Road, Aurora.

The Clyfford Still Museum, in the heart of Denver’s arts district at 1250 Bannock St., is offering community members free admission on select days for specific county residents throughout the summer.

Upcoming free admission dates are:

• Adams County, June 11
• Arapahoe County, June 18
• Boulder County, July 2
• Broomfield County, July 16
• Denver County, July 30
• Douglas County, Aug. 13
• Jefferson County, Aug. 27

For more information about the Clyfford Still Museum, visit www.clyffordstillmuseum.org.