The artist who earned his chops in the international glass art world, wanted to stay at The Ritz-Carlton or The Four Seasons during his Denver visit last week.

I’m told by an impeccable source that The Ritz graciously offered the Seattle-based iconic artist the Presidential Suite gratis as a donation to the Denver Botanic Gardens, but when Chihuly arrived at the Denver digs, he was taken aback by the Chihuly-knock-off glass piece installed on the hotel’s second floor.

So he switched to The Four Seasons.

Country-tastic band the Railbenders were scheduled to open the 10th Annual Summer Music Series at Elway’s Cherry Creek Wednesday night, but the weather had other ideas.

When I arrived, the wind, which was a lamb on Capitol Hill, had turned into a lion in Cherry Creek. Despite the threatening skies, concert-goers streamed into the uncovered patio to sip signature cocktails, snarf down snacks and rock out to the local vocals.

Those of us with reservations on the covered patio, settled into our seats and readied for the tunes to begin. After one song, the rain changed the course of the concert. The vigorous rain storm quickly converted into what seemed like never-ending hail. When we saw folks taking down the speakers, we knew we’d be dining sans the concerts.

In the end, more than 3 inches of hail stones had piled up in pockets around the patio. But all was not lost. Not only did my gal pals and I have a delish dinner, but the Railbenders skedaddled to Lincoln’s Roadhouse to keep the music going and damp fans happy.

Here’s hoping the opening night hail storm was a fluke. To see the rest of the Wednesday concert schedule, go to www.elways.com/Images/Home/Summer%20Music%20Line-up.pdf.

Bacon, bacon and more bacon. What’s better than bacon?

The Blue Ribbon Bacon Tour will encourage attendees to pig out Saturday and Sunday at River Run Village in Keystone.

More than 3,000 pounds of bacon will be served in ice cream, desserts, dishes and drinks. Learn more in Bacon University, join the bacon-eating contest on Saturday and then continue the sizzling party on Saturday night at Club Sizzle. Tasting tickets are $4 with packages ranging from $20-50.

More info: www.keystonefestivals.com/index.php/bacon-tour/.

Rockmount Ranch Wear supplied much of the wardrobe for the new A&E Western series “Longmire.” Series co-star Lou Diamond Phillips and much of the cast wear Rockmount.  In the next episode “In the Pines” on Monday, Phillips wears signature shadow plaid No. 694-Blue.

Rockmount tweeted it out Wednesday and Phillips retweeted it to 84,000 followers.

Adding to the story, Craig Johnson, the series author and an FOR (friend of Rockmount), whose wife, Judy, owns The Bucking Buffalo in Sheridan, Wyo., has been a Rockmount dealer for almost 20 years.

In other news, Rockmount announces the rollout of its new website www.rockmount.com.  This is entirely reworked and upgraded replacing the one the snap-front shirt manufacturer first rolled out in honor of founder Papa Jack’s 100th birthday in 2001. 

More than a catalog, the website features celebrities who wear Rockmount and archives the press coverage the family business generates.

Lou Diamond Phillips in the A&E cable series, ‘Longmire.’ (A&E Network photo)

Meet today’s eligible singles.

Gen, 31, says her idea of a perfect date would start with an afternoon hike in the foothills with her dog (and her date).

“Then I would follow it up with a few beers at one of Colorado’s many microbreweries and dinner in a fun hole-in-the-wall spot,” Gen says.

In her spare time, she likes to go hiking in the summer and snowboarding in the winter. She also likes to watch sci-fi and knit when she gets a quiet evening at home.

Gen works in operating rooms doing neuromonitoring (monitoring the nervous system during surgery). If you’d like to mingle with Gen, contact matchmaker Trisha Lindeman at trilind@hotmail.com.

Kevin, a 45-year-old from Connecticut, says his idea of a perfect date is some casual like a walk around Washington Park or a stroll through an art gallery – anything that allows two people to connect through conversation.

In his spare time, Kevin likes to play guitar, write songs and sing. Occupation? He’s self-employed working in the hospitality industry.

Interested in mingling with this single? Contact matchmaker Trisha Lindeman at trilind@hotmail.com.

Meet more Singles who Mingle:

Meet Lance and Andrea: www.pennyparker.blacktie-colorado.com/2014/05/meet-todays-additions-to-singles-who-mingle-3/

Meet Christie and Donald: http://pennyparker.blacktie-colorado.com/2014/04/meet-todays-additions-to-singles-who-mingle/

Meet Chris: http://pennyparker.blacktie-colorado.com/2014/04/singles-who-mingle-meet-chris/

Meet Britni and Chris: http://pennyparker.blacktie-colorado.com/2014/04/another-addition-to-the-singles-who-mingle-britni-rotunda/

Meet Megan: http://pennyparker.blacktie-colorado.com/2014/04/singles-who-mingle-meet-megan-dubray/

Meet Molly: http://pennyparker.blacktie-colorado.com/2014/03/singles-who-mingle-returns-molly-hughes/

Meet more of our singles: http://pennyparker.blacktie-colorado.com/2014/03/are-you-a-single-ready-to-mingle-check-out-these-two-and-maybe-youll-find-love/

Eavesdropping on a woman during the Elway’s 10th Annual Summer Music Series’ opening concert with The Railbenders: “Someone call Noah and tell him to send the ark.”

Denver set new tourism records in 2013 with visitor spending increasing 12 percent over 2012 to top $4 billion for the first time ever.  The numbers are according to the Longwoods International annual visitor profile study, a report commissioned by Visit Denver, The Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Denver also saw a record number of overnight visitors in 2013, with 14 million vacationers and business travelers coming to the city, up 3 percent over 2012.   The increase came mainly from “marketable” leisure travelers.  These are defined as people who could travel to any destination, but specifically chose to visit Denver.  Marketable visitors increased 13 percent in 2013 to a record high of 5.5 million visitors.

Marketable visitors spend an average of $113 a day, versus vacationers visiting friends and relatives, who spend $68 a day.  Business travelers spend the most at $126 a day.

“It’s exciting to see that our marketing efforts are working and we are continuing to drive new lucrative ‘marketable’ visitors to Denver,” said Richard Scharf, president and CEO of Visit Denver. “Tourism and conventions don’t just happen. The Longwoods study allows us to see that since 2005 when voters approved more marketing dollars for Denver, we have seen a 48 percent increase in the number of leisure visitors coming to our city.”

According to the report:

* Denver welcomed a record 14 million overnight visitors in 2013, up 3 percent over 2012.

* The number of people visiting friends and relatives in Denver in 2013 dropped 2 percent from 2012, mirroring a national trend that saw a 3 percent drop in people visiting friends and relatives throughout the U.S.  The number of people coming to Denver for conventions and business travel in 2013 was flat with 2012; nationally, business travel was down 11 percent in the U.S. in 2013 versus  2012.  Marketable visitors to Denver increased 13 percent in 2013 to a record high of 5.5 million visitors, versus a 9 percent increase nationally.

* Overnight visitors spent a record $4 billion in 2013, 12 percent more than 2013, with $3.16 billion spent by leisure visitors (up 14 percent over 2012) and $845 million spent by business travelers (up 4 percent over 2012).

* All five of the major business sectors connected to travel and tourism saw an increase in spending in 2013.  Denver visitors spent more than $1.1 billion in Denver hotels and other lodging establishments, and $796 million on food and beverages.

* Expenditures by visitors on gas, car rentals and other local transportation purchases topped $1.1 billion.  Purchases at retail stores was $549 million, while  vacationers and business travelers spent $373 million on the city’s paid attractions and other recreational and sightseeing activities.

* On average, the biggest spenders are business travelers, who spent $368 per trip; followed by marketable leisure visitors who spent $293 per trip, then followed by people visiting friends and relatives, who spent $249.

* Vacationers spent an average of 3.2 nights in the city, down from 3.4 nights in 2012.  Business travelers stayed 3.8 nights, about the same as in recent years.

* Just under three in 10 leisure travelers were first-time visitors to Denver, about the same as last year.  Marketable visitors were more likely to be first-timers.

* Colorado saw a 5 percent increase in visitors in 2013, attracting a record 27.1 million vacationers.

* Denver’s image (what visitors thought of the city) improved greatly in 2013. Just over seven in 10 visitors agreed strongly that Denver is a place they would “really enjoy visiting again”.

* Denver’s image in 2013 scored higher than in 2012 for ease of getting around, nightlife and entertainment scene, the sense of excitement, offering famous landmarks, the arts scene (including theater, galleries and museums) and offering interesting festivals and events.

The top states sending vacationers to Denver in 2013, apart from Colorado itself, were:

• California
• Texas
• Illinois
• Nebraska
• Florida
• New Mexico
• Kansas
• Minnesota
• Arizona
• Wyoming
• Maryland
• New York

The top cities from outside of Colorado sending leisure visitors to Denver in 2013 were:

• Los Angeles
• Chicago
• Albuquerque-Santa Fe
• Houston
• San Diego
• Phoenix
• Dallas-Ft. Worth
• Minneapolis-St. Paul
• New York

Shopping and entertainment were popular tourist activities in Denver in 2013. The top 10 shopping and entertainment centers were (in order):

* 16th Street Mall

* Lower Downtown Historic District

* Cherry Creek Shopping Center/Cherry Creek North

* Outlets at Castle Rock

* Denver Pavilions

* Park Meadows Retail Resort

* Larimer Square

* FlatIron Crossing Mall

* Shops at Tabor Center

* Belmar

The top 15 paid and free attractions in Denver were (in order):

* Denver Zoo

* Colorado State Capitol

* Coors Brewery

* Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre

* Denver Botanic Gardens

* Denver Art Museum

* Denver Museum of Nature & Science

* Colorado Rockies

* Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park

* Downtown Aquarium

* U.S. Mint

* Buffalo Bill’s Museum & Grave

* Colorado Railroad Museum

* Butterfly Pavilion

* Denver Broncos

Celebrated Denver chef Jennifer Jasinski is out to smash what she calls “the myth of coastal superiority” when it comes to catching fresh fish in this land-locked state. “When (restaurants) fly oysters from the West Coast to the East Coast, they fly over us and we wave at them,” she said. “The idea that we can’t get great fish (is a myth).”

Jasinski, who along with business partner Beth Gruitch, will open Stoic & Genuine, a fancy fish house, inside the renovated historic Union Station next month.

Last week, media members were invited to lunch at Rioja, another Jasinski-Gruitch restaurant, to sample menu items from the S&G menu.

If you can get past the stodgy name, you’ll find a fish and oyster place swimming in creativity and downright deliciousness.

We sampled oysters on the half-shell topped with flavored granitas, a Jasinski favorite since she cooked at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant Granita in Southern California. The granita theme is carried over to the bar where several signature cocktails contain the shaved ice.

Another welcome menu item are the whole belly fried clams and non-goopy lobster roll. Jasinski’s take on Crab Louie throws out the traditional Russian or Thousand Island dressing in favor of Green Goddess.

Corn bread is served in a corn-cob-shaped cast iron tray. Other offerings include Billi Bi, a classic-mussel soup with grilled ciabatta and aioli; tuna avocado roulate – yellowfin tuna tartare, smoked jalapeno and radish; broccoli salad with toasted sunflower seeds, avocado, honey crisp apple and ponzu-sesame vinaigrette, and strawberries and cream in a jar with whipped mascarpone cream, doughnut sticks and basil.

The sample lunch left is craving for more. Jorel Pierce (of Jasinski-Gruitch-owned Euclid Hall) is S&G’s chef de cuisine, and Alaina Silva is the general manager. More information at www.stoicandgenuine.com.

(Marc Piscotty photos)

The Arvada Center’s summer exhibition, Unbound: Sculpture in the Field creates a new outdoor visual arts area on the south grounds of the Center.

Unbound: Sculpture in the Field, began by re-imagining the existing open space with the intent to create a compelling and engaging outdoor sculpture exhibition. In partnership with Englewood’s Museum of Outdoor Arts, which specializes in the placement of site-specific sculpture in Colorado, 27 sculptures were chosen of various sizes and media by 15 Colorado artists.

This creative endeavor evolved into a visually dramatic exhibition spread over a quarter mile that creates a dedicated area to showcase modern and contemporary sculptures. The newly created sculpture field changes the landscape of Arvada Center and brings the programming of the Center galleries inside, out.

Participating artists include: Vanessa Clarke, Emmett Culligan, John Ferguson, Erick C. Johnson, Andy Libertone, Nancy Lovendahl, Robert Mangold, Patrick Marold, Dave Mazza, Andy Miller, Charles Parson, Carl Reed, Joe Riches, Kevin Robb and Bill Vielehr.

Unbound: Sculpture in the Field will open with a free public reception from 6 to 9 p.m. June 26 and runs through September 2015. The sculpture area is free and open to the public during daylight hours. The Arvada Center is located at 6901 Wadsworth Blvd. For additional information, go to https://arvadacenter.org/galleries or call 720-898-7200.