Induction into the Cable Hall of Fame is one of the industry’s highest and most exclusive honors.

Two Denver dignitaries, Daniel L. Ritchie, chairman and CEO, The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and David Van Valkenburg, former CEO and COO, TeleWest PLC (UK), were inducted earlier this week into the 2014 Cable Hall of Fame during a celebration at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles.

The other 2014 honorees:

Christiane Amanpour, chief international correspondent and anchor; CNN’s Alex Best, (retired) executive vice president, engineering, Cox Communications, Inc.; Fred Dressler, (deceased) executive vice president, programming, Time Warner Cable and
Jerald L. Kent, chairman and CEO, Suddenlink Communications.

Honorees were chosen based on their dedication and contributions to the cable industry by a committee of industry peers and leaders. The 2014 Cable Hall of Fame selection committee was chaired by Glenn Britt, chairman and CEO of Time Warner Cable and a member of The Cable Center’s honorary board of directors.

Since 1998, 102 men and women have been inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame.

David Van Valkenburg, left and Daniel Ritchie.

The second annual South Denver Beer Fest takes place outdoors on Saturday and Sunday at Clement Park in Littleton. The festival features more than 70 breweries, cideries and wineries from all over the world. More than 120 craft beers will be poured.

VIP ticket holders will have access to a plethora of local distillers, limited release beers from select breweries, cheese and chocolate as well as entry one hour before the general public.

Many new breweries including 4 Noses Brewing Co. and Zephyr Brewing Co. will debut at the event. Clement Park will provide the backdrop to the festival with mountain views just beyond Johnson Reservoir.  The festival will also host a beard/mustache competition with prizes for top entries on both days.  This year’s event is presented by Littleton’s Tipsy’s Liquor World.

Proceeds benefit Carpenters Cupboard Food Bank serving Wheat Ridge and First Descents which provides young adult cancer survivors with outdoor experiences designed to empower them from within.  Festival attendees are encouraged to bring canned food items to the front gate in support of Carpenters Cupboard.

Tickets include a souvenir tasting cup, unlimited samplings of 120 different beverages, free shuttle service to and from the downtown Littleton light rail and the chance to vote for “Best of Show Beer.”  A full list of participants is available at www.SouthDenverBeerFest.com.

Here’s a thumbnail sketch of this week’s entries in our Singles who Mingle series:

Littleton resident Carri (below), a freelance TV host, producer and writer who’s “closer to 30 than 20″ says her idea of a perfect date is good conversation, laughter and someone with a creative plan. Anything but dinner and a movie.

In her spare time, Carri loves to try out a new hike and spending time in the outdoors. She also enjoys being a tourist and exploring new things about Colorado.

Eavesdropping on a woman: “Watching ‘Duck Dynasty’ is like watching the redneck Kardashians.”

Travel + Leisure magazine continues to hand out “best places” awards to CU Boulder and its town.

In its recent issue, T+L named Boulder No. 6 in its list of “America’s Best College Towns.” The magazine said, “With its 300-plus days of sunshine each year, the gorgeous slopes of the Flatirons at the edge of town, and locals who could be cast in commercials for a healthy, active lifestyle, Boulder naturally scored near the top of the class among college towns.

“Hop on a bike from B-cycle, the town’s bike-sharing program, and cruise down Pearl Street, whose shops specialize in the local, from jewelry to cheese to beer. Treat yourself to a fresh pasta dinner at Frasca Food and Wine, one of the nation’s best Italian restaurants.

See the whole article at www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-college-towns-2013/7.

T+L also included CU Boulder in its list of “America’s Best College Bars.” The mag said, “Catacombs is more than a mile from the campus, hidden below the Hotel Boulderado. You won’t find much information on its website either. But none of these things matter in terms of loyal patronage.

“What you will find in this cavernous watering hole are three pool tables, two ping-pong battlegrounds, and six old-school video games, including Frogger. The bar hosts an epic karaoke night, an open-mic night, and, its biggest draw – trivia night. Oh, and the $3 microbrew happy hour probably doesn’t hurt either.”

For more information, visit www.catacombsbar.net. For the rest of the story, visit www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-college-bars/2.

Read about Boulder being America’s second-happiest city.

Read about Boulder being America’s least obese city.

Local band Aspen Hourglass is in contention to win Hard Rock Rising, the world’s largest battle of the bands.

Fans can vote for Aspen Hourglass on the Hard Rock Cafe Denver Facebook page, www.facebook.com/hardrock?sk=app_205164529573076, until May 7 to help the local vocals move into the top 25, and one step closer to performing in Rome. Voters also can hear Aspen Hourglass perform on Saturday on the Hard Rock Cafe Denver’s patio at the Denver Pavilions along the 16th Street Mall.

After battling it out with several of the area’s top bands at Hard Rock Cafe Denver, Aspen Hourglass is among the top winners from around the world, and is one step closer to winning the chance of a lifetime – an all-expenses paid trip to Rome, Italy, to perform at the first Hard Rock Live Rome music festival this summer. Second and third prize winners will each receive new music equipment and gear valued at $10,000.

There are still a few tickets left for the 10th annual WomenCook! benefit for Work Options for Women from 6 to 8:30 p.m., Monday, May 5, which features a walk-around style dinner by some of Denver’s most renowned, well-respected, and creative women chefs. There is also a silent auction as well as a presentation delivered by staff and students.

The tasty event takes place at Temple Emanuel, 51 Grape St. Tickets are $125 each or $1,500 for table sponsorships.

Chefs for WomenCook! 2014: Alex White, Jonesy’s Eat Bar; Aniedra Nichols, Elway’s, Cherry Creek; Carrie Blake, Table 6; Craig Dixon, Cafe Options; Crickett Burns, The Truffle Table; Dana Rodriguez, Work & Class; Elise Wiggins, Panzano; Jennifer Jasinski, Euclid Hall, Bistro Vendome, and Rioja; Kathleen Kenny Davia, Gateaux; Lisa Bailey, D Bar Desserts; Mary Nguyen, Parallel Seventeen; Rachel Kesley, WaterCourse Foods; Samm Sherman, Root Down and Linger; Sandra Adams, Grand Hyatt; Sheila Lucero, JAX; Summer Polson, Project Angel Heart and Tessa Schuler, WOW Café.

For questions, comments or seating preferences, if you would like to pay by check, or for more information about event sponsorship, please contact Daisha Versaw at daisha@workoptions.org or 720-944-1921. For more information about Work Options for Women, go to www.workoptions.org.

Portland-based Thirsty Lion Gastropub & Grill opened its first Denver location at 1605 Wynkoop St. in the renovated One Union Station building on Tuesday.

The first restaurant in the Union Station redevelopment to open, Thirsty Lion serves lunch, happy hour and dinner. The gastropub features 8,393 square feet of interior seating, handcrafted food, 52 beers on tap and more than 2,000 square feet of downtown patio space.

“We are extremely excited to open our newest location in the Union Station neighborhood,” said Thirsty Lion CEO John Plew. “Thirsty Lion is the perfect fit for this neighborhood and we look forward to providing Denver with great service, a diverse menu, local quality ingredients, and not to mention a great selection of local craft beer.”

Thirsty Lion’s culinary commitment is to provide an eclectic variety of multi-cultural cuisines with an emphasis on local ingredients, bold flavors and scratch recipes. A seasonal fresh sheet will focus on the changing season’s offerings including fresh seafood, quality meats and local vegetables and fruits.

The bar will feature 52 beers on tap, 28 of which are from Colorado. The gastropub also features craft cocktails that utilize combinations of fresh fruit purees, juices and premium liquors, as well as 25 different wines by the glass.

“At Thirsty Lion, we work hard to combine quality ingredients and scratch recipes to create menu items that satisfy the ‘foodie’ in all of us,” said Thirsty Lion executive chef Keith Castro. “The flavor profiles are complex, yet blend well in their simplistic approach to create ‘craveable’ food; an intense desire for more.”

Open from 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday. For more information visit www.thirstylionpub.com/denver.

Project Angel Heart, a non-profit organization that delivers nutritious meals to improve quality of life, at no cost, for those coping with life-threatening illnesses in the Denver Metro and Colorado Springs areas, raised more than$300,000 during its annual Dining Out For Life event on April 24.

More than 250 restaurants in the Denver Metro area and Boulder donated 25 percent of their food sales on April 24 to Project Angel Heart. An estimated 80,000-plus Coloradans attended the event.

“For 20 years, the restaurant community has been coming together to support Project Angel Heart’s home-delivered meals,” said Project Angel Heart CEO Erin Pulling. “On behalf of the 2,300 clients who will receive Project Angel Heart’s nutritious meals this year, Project Angel Heart thanks the community — restaurants, sponsors and diners — for their generous support.”

This year, guests had the option to enter a drawing to win a year’s worth of groceries from Whole Foods Market – a package valued at $2,500. The winner will be notified by July 1.  There is still time to enter by texting the word “meals” to 50155 and making a donation of any amount.

Project Angel Heart would also like to thank The Cherry Cricket and Racines for supporting Dining Out For Life for all 20 years. It would also like to thank its sponsors for helping to make it another successful event including Subaru of America, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Bellco, Republic National Distributing Company, Deep Eddy Vodka, Whole Foods, 5280 Magazine, The Denver Post, DreamWise Marketing Solutions, Out Front Colorado, Lamar, Sprint, Ad Focus and Westword.