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Recently, an odd craze of people dressing up as scary clowns has been sweeping the nation. And when I say sweeping, I mean it’s happening in very small numbers and in random occurrences. But, since coulrophobia (fear of clowns) is real (my sister has it), it seems to be getting much more attention than it should. Idiots seem to be jumping on the clown bandwagon, believing dressing up as a scary clown is not a big deal and no harm can be done. Maybe they’re right. Reports of clowns actually getting in physical altercations with people are extremely low in number, so it’s hardly a matter for homeland security. But, with the exaggerated nature of our 24 hour news cycle, people are now nervous about being attacked by a clown. And as Jules says, “…when I get nervous, I get scared. And when motherf#ckers get scared, that’s when mother#ckers accidentally get shot. But I don’t want that. And you don’t want that.” So, I guess the point is, maybe don’t dress up as a scary clown or encourage others to dress up as scary clowns. By next year, we can put this whole thing behind us and get back to dressing up as scary clowns again. Until then, stay safe, and don’t be a scary clown this Halloween.]]>

Residents looking forward to the opening of the Stanley Beer Hall got great news when developers revealed the grand opening of the much-anticipated facility to be somewhere between 2016 and 2019. “We didn’t want to set a hard deadline, so we have kind of a soft opening between a very specific timeframe,” said project leader Mitchell Roberts. “Things are coming along, that’s for sure. We are right in that phase of the project where we know we will complete it, which is why we had the confidence to announce the latest timing for the grand opening.” There had been talks of setting a hard deadline but ultimately management adopted Forest City’s “never be specific” policy, even touting on its home page, “Oh hey there, opening soon,” complete with a calendar letting visitors know the current date and weather. “Originally, it was going to be a countdown calendar,” said Roberts. “Something like, ’15 days until opening,’ but those types of calendars are more tricky when there isn’t a hard opening date. We still think it’s helpful to let residents know the date and weather. We are considering adding the current time as well.” There had been discussions of a beer garden potentially moving to Eastbridge back in late 2013, but that plan was ultimately dropped after Forest City made it clear the town center would have to have a grocery store before anything else would be decided. One year later, in 2014, the plans for Stanley were announced along with its 2015 opening date. “There was a lot of confusion at first in regards to the opening dates,” said Roberts. “I think the media was a little over aggressive or misremembered what we had told them. I mean, we were completely repurposing a building. You can’t do that in a year.” Other reports had the facility opening in early 2016, but that information also proved to be inaccurate. More recently, there were reports the Stanley Beer Hall would be open in September but Roberts insists he and his team were not part of that report. Regardless of the ultimate opening date, Stanley promises to be filled with fantastic restaurants and shops, and will be a great addition to the Stapleton community.]]>

The Stagemeyers and Koehns have been Stapleton friends for almost seven years. They lived on the same block in Central Park West during that time and spent lots of time together. Their kids would play together, they had date nights together, and they spent many evenings enjoying drinks at each other’s homes. After making a very tough decision, the Koehns decided to move to Willow Park East. “We weren’t necessarily looking,” said Anne Koehn. “We just went to one of the Infinity models and I fell in love with it. Obviously, the hardest thing was leaving our friends the Stagemeyers. But we know that we built a lifetime friendship with them when we were living in Central Park West.” The Stagemeyers agree. “We absolutely love Anne and Craig,” said Colleen Stagemeyer. “Of course, we are sad they moved, but we will definitely keep this friendship forever.” [Read more…] about Central Park West Residents Spend Weekend with Willow Park East Friends

Active Stapleton residents received bad news last week when Forest City announced its plans to begin building housing on much of the Stapleton area trail system beginning in 2018. “The trail system was never meant to be a permanent thing,” said Forest City spokesperson Janelle Ayers. “Forest City has always been open about the fact that when the opportunity arose, we would rezone and restructure the area to be more residential housing. It just makes more sense.” Stapleton residents who have just started using the trail system after its completion are very disappointed. “I can’t believe this,” said Stapleton runner Scott Huebner. “What am I saying. It’s Forest City. Of course I can believe it. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be angry about it.” Other residents agree with Huebner. “Not only is it bad for all the residents who bike, walk, and run, it’s bad for the homeowners in the area,” said resident Tiffany Wolf. “That is going to be a pretty major construction area, plus now they will be looking at homes instead of a trail system. It’s really ridiculous.” [Read more…] about Forest City to Replace Trails with Housing by 2018

In what is being called, “the curse word heard round Stapleton,” Eastbridge residents dropped the “f bomb” at almost the exact same time after hearing news that the Eastbridge Soopers may not be open until June. “I really thought it would be open in November,” said Eastbridge resident Tom Lewis. “When I heard the update, I couldn’t help but let out a frustrating, ‘f#ck!” Area resident Holly Tims had a similar reaction. “I guess it all hit me at once,” said Tims. “I realized it will be another seven months of going to the Quebec Soopers, another seven months of having to drive to get one simple thing we forgot from the store. I normally try to be proper, but I just couldn’t help but yell a big, ‘f#ck!” Renee Schmidt was another upset resident among hundreds of others. “Can this really be happening?” asked Schmidt. “I was so much looking forward to moving on from the old Soopers that I was excited about a King Soopeers. That’s how enthusiastic I was. Now this! F#ck, f#ck, f#ck, f#ck, f#ck!” [Read more…] about Soopers Opening Delayed Until June; Eastbridge Residents Simultaneously Shout, “F#ck!”

After a rash of recent incidents in Stapleton, the Stapleton Principal HOA along with help from SUN and the Denver Police Department has convinced the Guardian Angels their presence is needed here. “The Denver Police Department simply isn’t big enough to patrol our neighborhood as consistently as it needs to be patrolled,” said Stapleton Principal HOA President Paul Harris. “We have an epidemic. And we need to put an end to it. We contacted the vigilante group the Guardian Angels. Luckily, they had nothing going on, so they have agreed to begin patrolling our streets and alleys.” According to Wikipedia, the Guardian Angels are, “a non-profit international volunteer organization of unarmed crime-prevention patrollers.” The group focuses on staving off violent crime, which is just what Stapleton needs. “I think it is great that they are coming to Stapleton,” said resident Mariel Young. “We need whatever support we can get, even if it is some extra eyes around.” Nick Davis agrees. “This is definitely a great thing for Stapleton,” said Davis. “There is always going to be issues, but if their presence can cut that down even 20% it’s a win for us.” [Read more…] about Guardian Angels Coming to Stapleton

In a groundbreaking effort to get more foot traffic, the Shops at Northfield unveiled a new campaign which allows potential customers to take a bus, a Lyft, or even walk to its shops. “This is really big for us,” said Shops at Northfield spokesperson Terri Jackson. “We were aware that transportation had been an issue, but now with these innovative options, customers can easily get here.” The new campaign is focused at getting people from the A Line to the Shops at Northfield. “We figure people will be coming from downtown, the airport, and all along the A Line, and we can now easily get them off the train at the Central Park Station, and to our wonderful shops in Northfield. It was a big effort to get all of these options in line and working together, but we pulled it together,” said Jackson. Customers will now know that instead of having to drive or calling someone for a ride, they can now use Lyft, or even their own two feet to walk to the shops. “Until now, walking just hasn’t been an option,” said Jackson. “And Lyft is brand new (2012) so I’m certain most people weren’t aware of that. This is really going to be big for us, and great for all of our new customers.” [Read more…] about Northfield Introduces Innovative Ways to Get to Shops from A Line Including Walking, Busing, and Lyft

As the Stapleton neighborhoods developed, Eastbridge was poised to become the crème de la crème of the Stapleton boroughs. There would be a town center on MLK and Havana, an elementary school on the corner of Iola and 26th, and a huge open space park along 26th Ave. But then, something happened, or really, nothing happened. None of these projects got off the ground. The town center was stalled by the inability to solidify a grocery store, the proposed school would be relocated to Bluff Lake, and a lack of funds delayed the development of the 26th Ave. Park. This left Eastbridge in turmoil. “What we thought our neighborhood was going to be, it wasn’t even close to,” said Eastbridge resident Tom Miller. “We bought in this neighborhood based on what we were told was going to be here. We felt really deceived.” As did other Eastbridge residents. “When we were purchasing our home, they told us that the town center was coming very soon,” said Annie Gregory. “But, here we are, a decade later, and no completed town center.” All of the uncertainty and through streets heading straight into Aurora caused Eastbridge to quickly become the least desirable of the Stapleton boroughs. In fact, many of its residents flooded to more desirable neighborhoods such as Bluff Lake and Conservatory Green. “We definitely considered moving,” said resident Kristi Mcfarlane. “All these great developments were popping up, and here we were stuck in Eastbridge. We ultimately decided to wait it out.” McFarlane and other residents were not rewarded for their patience, however. As things slowly began to change, Eastbridge became a construction zone. “We would see the construction every day, and it inconvenienced normal driving and bike riding routes,” said McFarlane. “But, that’s what has to happen to get change. It wasn’t going to be built overnight, so we just had to endure it.” Now, Eastbridge residents are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The buildings in the town center are beginning to take shape, and Stanley is really starting to come together. “It looks like Eastbridge is going to be alright after all,” said Miller. “It’s actually really exciting. We will have all these great things in the town center, and then Stanley is going to be really, really cool. Then, a boatload of more green space right in the area. I think Eastbridge is back on the map.” Many residents feel it’s more than back on the map, but back to the place people want to be. “Eastbridge is poised to become the destination borough with all the cool stuff going on,” said Gregory. “People from all over Denver will soon be coming to Stapleton, and they’ll be heading to the hip Eastbridge neighborhood.” And it only took ten years. Look out rest of Stapleton. Here comes the revived Eastbridge.]]>