Keystone hosted the largest travel blogging convention in history when roughly 700 travel bloggers gathered at the ski resort for the TBEX North America conference June 14-17.

As part of the event, Visit Denver organized the Great Denver to Keystone Road Rally where 60 writers traveled in 10 vans to experience three themes: beer, history and adventure.

The bloggers had to scan QR codes, solve clues, do tasks, air jordan 14 make videos, drink beer, take four roller coaster rides at Elitch’s before 9:30 a.m., pan for gold, ride a steam train and do a shot ski at two miles above sea level on top of Loveland Pass. I’m told the challenges were met with rave reviews.

For the TBEX speakers, Visit Denver treated them to a day in Denver that included visits to the Clyfford Still Museum, the new History Colorado Center and the Yves Saint Laurent show at the Denver Art Museum, a reception at the Brown Palace Hotel, a pedicab tour down the 16th Street Mall and dinner at The Kitchen.

Afterwards, they joined all the other TBEX early arrivals at the Wynkoop Brewing Co. for a Colorado beer tasting.

“Keystone hit a home run,” said city booster Rich Grant. “They had two parties – one on top of the mountain and one hosted by Expedia at the ranch. It’s good to be a travel blogger!”

Speakers included Chris Baker, Lowell Thomas Travel Writer of the Year 2008, and Spud Hilton, travel editor of the San Francisco Chronicle.

“We chose Colorado for the TBEX travel writers’ conference because of its breathtaking landscape, exploding culinary scene, plentiful outdoor adventure, fresh air and a revitalized downtown Denver,” said founder of the TBEX events, Kim Mance. “Social media influencers sharing real-time discoveries need fuel for the fire to inspire their readers and the mountains of Colorado are a blazing inferno of awesome experiences.”

The convention is expected to ignite a roar of travel stories across the blogosphere about all the things there are to see and do in Colorado, according to Visit Denver.

Bad boys, bad boys, what you going to do?

Apparently Wes Welker, New England Patriots wide receiver, and several of his pals caused a scene with security guards during Welker’s pre-wedding celebration in Aspen last weekend, according to a story in the New York Post.

The story says that Welker and six friends “tussled with security when they tried to enter the Patron tequila-sponsored Summerology event Friday night, part of the weekend’s 30th annual Aspen Food & Wine Classic.”

Sources told the New York Post that Welker and his posse tried to crash the front door of the restaurant Above the Salt without checking in with party organizers.

“Security then physically restrained (Welker) and his group to break everything up,” according to the story.

The Patriots star player was in Aspen prepping for his air jordan 1 femmes wedding this weekend to fiancée Anna Burns, who holds the title of Miss Hooters International 2005.

The cops were called, but no arrests were made, according to the Post.

Celebrate 140 years

Jewish Family Service of Colorado is celebrating its 140th birthday during Celebrate JFS, a complimentary cocktail reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday at Palazzo Verdi, 6363 S. Fidddler’s Green Circle in Greenwood Village.

There is no cost to attend, but reservations are required by RSVP-ing to Lisa Mehl or online.

Big news

Last night at Elway’s Cherry Creek, Blacktie and I announced an agreement for me to write a new column — “Mile High Life” — for 300,000 readers of 17 Colorado Community Media newspapers stretching from Thornton to Castle Rock.

Many thanks to the entire team at CCM, especially publisher Jerry Healey who, along with Blacktie CEO Kenton Kuhn, was with me to make announcement.

Mile High Life, which starts next week, will be in addition to my three-times-a-week column here.

Eavesdropping on a woman to a man at the bar at Elway’s Cherry Creek: “Are you happily married?”

“No!”

“Are you unhappily married?”

“No, I’m happily unmarried.”

Be sure to like my Facebook page! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I’m now the social-media liaison for the Mile High Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association, so read my latest restaurant news there. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.

I told you in April that former Nuggets player Nene (aka Maybyner Rodney Hilario) had his Hilltop house under contract for $1.6 million. But something must have happened on the way to the bank.

The Grape Street home ended up selling last month for $1.45 million, according to public records. Nene, who bought the five-bedroom seven-bath single family home for $1.475 in 2004, air jordan 12 femmes sold the handsome house to Thomas Jefferson Adams III and Linsley Weir Adams. (I think that patriotic name makes Mr. Adams a Yankee Doodle Dandy.)

The finished basement, which brings the total square footage to 6,652, includes theater seating, game room and wine room. The backyard sports a lap pool and full outdoor kitchen.

Meanwhile, in Denver Broncos homeowner news, Von Miller tweeted Friday that he had closed on a Denver-area house. Miller, a linebacker, was named the NFL’s 2012 defensive rookie of the year.

Also meanwhile, former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer’s 10,000-square-foot Cherry Hills mansion on 2.81 acres is still on the market.

And also meanwhile, Payton Manning reportedly has settled into former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan’s humongous Cherry Hills mansion that the now Washington Redskins coach had built from the ground up. The home has been used for countless charity events.

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Above: Nene’s former digs.

Zoo do

Do at the Zoo is a big to-do every year when a ton o’ restaurants set up food booths and the Zoo and liquor companies set up bars during the Denver Zoo’s biggest fundraiser.

This year’s event, beginning at 7 p.m. (6 p.m. for VIP ticket holders) June 21, includes entrance to the newly completed 10-acre $50 million Toyota Elephant Passage exhibit – the new and improved elephant habitat.

Presenting sponsor is Haselden Construction. In its 23-year history, nearly 37,000 Do at the Zoo-ers have raised more than $8.5 million to improve Denver Zoo and support its animal conservation efforts.

But the real wild children, the two-legged kind, come to snack from 60 restaurants booths, dance to the music and have close encounters of the animal kind.

This year’s participating restaurants include: Ambria, Avenue Grill, Beatrice and Woodsley, D Bar Desserts, Denver Chophouse and Brewery, Downtown Elway’s, Edge Restaurant and Bar, El Diablo India House, Jing, Linger, The Oceanaire Seafood Room, Root Down, WaterCourse Foods and the Wynkoop Brewing Co.

Tickets are $175 per person or $300 for VIP, which includes early access at 6 p.m., valet parking and an exclusive VIP party. To purchase tickets, go to www.denverzoo.org/doatthezoo.

The elephant in the room, er, street

It was a wedding procession to remember when an elephant carried the groom and his cousin to the entrance of The Ritz-Carlton Denver on Saturday.

The elephant wedding march started at 18^th and Curtis streets just west of the Ritz-Carlton entrance. The groom and his cousin rode the elephant per Indian tradition that dictates that only males are allowed to ride the elephant.

The parade went down 18^th Street and took a left on Arapahoe and then left on 17^th before turning left again on Curtis before the groom and his cousin disembarked from the elephant. air jordan 13 femmes The parade took nearly an hour and drew about 150-200 wedding guests and onlookers.

Photo by Greg Henry. Click to enlarge.

Eavesdropping on a man: “I’ve been married 31 years; pain knows no boundaries.”

Be sure to like my Facebook page! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I’m now the social-media liaison for the Mile High Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association, so read my latest restaurant news there. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.

What does an iconic musician wear to receive the Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama? If you’re Bob Dylan, you don a Rockmount Ranch Wear solid white Pima cotton shirt with black diamond snaps under your tuxedo.

Third-generation Rockmount boss Steve Weil spotted the shirt in photos showing the President putting the purple ribbon around Dylan’s neck during the May 29 ceremony where 12 other folks were also air max thea femmes given the nation’s  highest civilian honor. Click here to see a photo of Dylan, the shirt and the president.

“There is not a bigger giant in the history of American music,” Obama said during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. Dylan, who turned 71 last week, has been making musical statements and entertaining for 50 years.

Big bite

Mark your calendars for LoDo Bites: Sip, Sample, Stroll, a night of sipping and snacking at more than 15 participating restaurants from 5 to 9 p.m. Aug. 21.

At each stop along the route, restaurants will serve tastes of their cuisine, with some offering wine and drink specials and desserts.

Participating eateries so far include Bistro Vendome, Celtic Tavern, Coohills, District Tavern, Euclid Hall, The Tavern Downtown, Vesta Dipping Grill, Wynkoop Brewing Co. and Zydeco. Check out the facebook.com/lododistrict page for added eateries.

Tickets: $40 in advance; $45 after Aug. 17 at 303-628-5428 or at lodo.org.

Ballgame bash

The Colorado Restaurant Association Mile High Chapter’s annual Tailgate Party with the Colorado Rockies is a rousing pre-game pep rally with beer and burgers starting at 3 p.m. June 12 under the tent at Coors Field Lot B before the Rockies take on the Oakland A’s.

Enter the festivities on the north side of Coors Field. There’s parking next to the party site for $12. The baseball game begins at 6:40 pm.

Ticket prices: $25 for the party and game ticket; $15 for tailgate only; $75 for the party, swankier seating section and a $10 ticket toward food and drink at the stadium. E-mail tickets orders to cratailgate@hotmail.com by Friday.

Project props

Roughly 800 posh people donned their black tie duds and gathered at the Hyatt Regency Colorado Convention Center May 30 for the 51st annual Downtown Denver Awards Dinner where six projects were air yeezy 2 lauded for their impact on downtown.

The winners, selected by a jury, were:

* Clyfford Still Museum for contributing to the cultural vibrancy and international recognition of downtown.

* 14th Street Project Downtown’s Ambassador Street for completing an extensive streetscape and enhancing the pedestrian environment.

* 1099 Osage for maintaining economic and cultural diversity of the La Alma by completing the first building in the mixed-income development.

* History Colorado Center for building a state-of-the-art museum and helping preserve Colorado’s history.

* Denver Pavilions for bringing the first H&M store to Colorado.

*USA Pro Cycling Challenge for attracting more than 250 spectators to downtown and bolstering the local economy.

Eavesdropping on a wife to her husband during a barbecue: “I was a mail-order bride.”

“Yeah, I’ve been looking everywhere for the receipt to get a  refund!.”

Bravo TV’s reality star Josh Flagg from Million Dollar Listing is the special guest for Realty & Reality, a fundraiser for the Denver Colorado AIDS Project from 6 to 8:30 p.m. June 8 in the penthouse of Residence XXV (1891 Curtis St.).

“We’re very excited that Josh is able to join us to raise funds and awareness,” said Ruth Pederson, CEO of Colorado AIDS Project. “We are very free run 5.0 grateful that he is supportive of the work that we do for HIV-affected individuals here in Denver. To have the support of such a young dynamic individual whose reach is national is invaluable.”

In addition to being a reality star, Flagg is a published author and one of Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30.” Season five of Million Dollar Listing debuts June 6. For more information on Flagg, go to joshflagg.com. Tickets to the Denver event are $50. To buy them go to denvercap.org.

After the event, Flagg will host an after party at Chloe Mezze lounge (1445 Market St.) for small plates, speciality cocktails and dancing. The cover charge will be waived until 10 p.m. if you show your DCAP ticket stub at the door.

Beer here

Elitch Gardens amusement park has partnered with Wynkoop Brewing Co. to brand two beers for park attendees. The craft beers in the Blue Moon Beer Garden are part of Elitch’s effort to up the food offerings from fried to fresh.

“We wanted to make a culinary presence in the park,” said food and beverage boss Homer Hall. “This was the natural evolution. What is more Colorado? Craft brewing.”

Hall said his goal is to brew beer on the Elitch Gardens property in a few years. In addition to offering Wynkoop beers, chefs at Elitch’s are using the brews in barbecue sauces also sold at the Beer Garden.

Chef Chris Basley wanted to capitalize on Denver’s culinary scene by bringing fresh made food to the park.

“Denver has such a great culinary scene already, so we wanted to embrace it,” Basley said. “We make salads and wraps fresh every day and tacos and sauces from scratch.”

Hall said that his mission was to repair the amusement park food image. “Having everything fried is not what Colorado is. We’re cranking out really good fresh food.”

Kleinman cooks

Molecular gastronomy whiz chef Ian Kleinman is in the house at Studio F, the cooking school space owned by chef James Mazzio in the Ice House in LoDo, through Saturday.

On Friday, I sampled a lemondrop martini with blueberry caviar, liquid nitrogen bruschetta popcorn, lump crab creme brulee with soy sugar, ginger poached pears and habanero tobiko, strawberry yuzu sorbet with frozen olive oil and goat cheese jelly and Ian’s fried chicken with coconut gravy. Yumalicious! Reservations: studioflodo.com.

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Business bonus

Denver-based small businesses with a social or environmental mission have a chance to apply for a $50,000 investment starting on Tuesday.

Galvanize, a local organization, is teaming up with Denver to launch i4c, as in I foresee, a campaign during National Small Business Week to provide financial support, mentoring opportunities, office space and strategic marketing for businesses in Denver. Three winners will be selected July 13. More information: i4campaign.com.

Eavesdropping on a man to his wife after a recent episode of “Two and a Half Men”: “They are talking about shows that ‘jump the shark,’ but this show jumped the entire aquarium when Kathy Bates shows up playing Charlie Sheen’s role.”

My Facebook page has moved. Be sure to like it! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.

Long-time Denver radio personality Jackie Selby is leaving us for love. Her last day on the air at KOSI 101.5 is Thursday.

Selby said she’s heading for the Golden Gate because her fiance, Cuyler Jones, got a “phat” gig as the chief technical officer for a fiancial tech company.

“My life is taking me to San Francisco,” Selby told me. “We’re loading the dogs in the car on Saturday morning and bidding Colorado farewell.”

Selby said she’s landed a radio job in The City by the Bay, but the ink isn’t dry on the contract yet.

The sassy DJ moved to Denver in 1994, air jordan 4 and was hired at start-up KXPK, 96.5 The Peak. She switched to KALC, Alice 105.9, in 1997, followed by stints at KOOL 105 and Martini on the Rockies then KOSI.

“My 4-year-old No. 1 midday show at KOSI has been a joy and a big feather in my cap!” Selby said.

The couple met at Fluid Coffee Bar in Uptown on March 11, 2010, and will marry on March 11, 2013, at a to-be-determined location.

In The City, Selby and Jones have a spot in Cathedral Hill with a view of the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge.

“When are you coming to visit?” she asked me. I could do a lot worse than a trip to The City.

Bend it like…

Soccer super stud David Beckham was hardly a celebrity recluse during his short time in Denver for the Galaxy vs. the Rapids game on Saturday.

Beckham frolicked around town much to the thrill of fans who were surprised to see “Soccer Spice” out and about.

The first Beckham sighting was at Elway’s Cherry Creek, where he reportedly popped in briefly looking for a friend, who wasn’t there.

“The hostess was thrilled,” my spy said.

Beckham and his crew then crossed First Avenue to Second Home, the hip restaurant/bar inside the JW Marriott in Cherry Creek.

“He walked into Second Home with three or four other really cute guys,” another eye spy said, who added that Beckham happily posed for pictures with fans. “He was nice and sweet.”

He ended the evening at Chloe restaurant/nightclub in the old Ruth’s Chris space on 15th and Market.

“He came in late with some of the Avs players (the aforementioned “cute guys”), and they took over a small area in the mezzanine lounge,” said Paulina Szafranski, marketing maven for Chloe owner Lotus Concepts headed by lounge lord Francois Safieddine. “We provided an intimate barricade of security to block club goers from taking his picture. At one point in the evening, David went into the DJ booth and did a shout out while the DJ played the David Beckham song (Million Dollar Shoes).”

Farmers Insurance man Curt Corrado was in the VIP section at Chloe with his party posse when Beckham made his entrance.

“I just thought he was here for my birthday,” Corrado joked.

Rockin’ at Rockmount

Rockmount Ranch Wear at 1626 Wazee is no stranger to visiting musicians who stop by the snap-front shirt store and scoop up piles of shirts and other Western wear.

A few years ago, the band Art Vandalay wrote If You Love Me, air jordan 5 a tribute song to Rockmount’s pearl snap shirts. Now is your chance to hear it live in the surroundings that inspired the song.

Art Vandalay will sing the song during a free performance from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Friday at Rockmount. Beer courtesy of the Wynkoop Brewing Co.

Eavesdropping in the men’s room filled with older-than-average concert-goers taking longer-than-average breaks at the urinals during the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers concert Thursday at 1stBank Center: “It’s like a Flomax commercial in here.”

My Facebook page has moved. Be sure to like it! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.