addicts of Stapleton Swap. Fred Schmadeke is concerned his wife has a problem. “We either have some new items coming into our house every night, or we have bags of stuff sitting outside with people coming at all hours grabbing things off the porch and leaving money. Then, she tells me how much she paid for items and how much she sold items for. It really has taken over our lives.” [Read more…] about Husband Concerned About Wife’s Late Night “Swapping”

The new Stapleton restaurant Four Friends Kitchen opened a couple months ago, and has quickly become a big hit in the community. There are always plenty of people dining in with several people waiting to get their chance to eat at the American eatery with Southern charm. “Our family loved our first experience there,” says diner Rob Hale. “It’s unique, friendly, and of course the food tastes great.” Adam Christin agrees. “The food there is great,” says Christin. “We will absolutely go back, and highly recommend it to others.” The restaurant has been so busy, they have received pressure to stay open longer, according to General Manager Amanda Schmit. “We are certainly considering it,” says Schmit. “But, coming into this thing, our deal was that we would be open those hours, and that was it. So, we will continue to evaluate it, and we are in no hurry to extend the hours as of now.” Although almost all Four Friends Kitchen patrons have had a great experience, some have left with hard feelings.  John and Terri Mason met their good friends Andrew and Leah Beerbower for brunch last Sunday, and a great meal ended up turning sour for the two couples. “We had a great time, eating and drinking,” said Terri. “The food was great, and so was the conversation, as usual. But, when the check came, that is when things went bad.” John says their now former friends became combative and insulting when the check arrived. “We assumed we would just split the check,” said John. “But, they started insisting that they pay the bill. We know they have more money than us, and it felt like they were almost throwing it in our faces. We have always split the check, because that’s what you do with your friends. So, we ended up getting the split, but not before we decided we could no longer spend time with the Beerbowers.” The Beerbowers shared a different version of the story. “We thought they had paid the last time out,” said Andrew Beerbower. “So, we simply were trying to repay their previous gesture. But, they turned it into this whole money thing. It was very weird.” Terri says she was caught off guard by the Mason’s response. “It was like they had pent up anger that we are more financially successful than them,” said Terri. “We never thought that was an issue with our relationship, but clearly, jealously reared its ugly head. I don’t know if this is a relationship that can be fixed, or frankly, is worth fixing.” “No, we won’t be hanging out with the Beerbowers anytime soon,” said Terri. “They can have their money and show it off with another couple. It won’t be us.” John says although it was a bad experience, they will definitely dine at Four Friends Kitchen again. “I mean, have you tried the smoked brisket hash and eggs? We will certainly be back.” The Beerbowers will also be back to the Kitchen. “We will be back,” said Andrew. “Hopefully, we won’t run into those crusty Masons.”]]>

At the May 19th SUN meeting, Forest City President Phil Dargossi stated, “The Evergreen (Eastbridge Retail) project won’t happen without King Soopers.” According to Dargossi, King Soopers is definitely going in, but there are a few things Forest City needs to take care of prior to breaking ground. “We have noticed, and most certainly many of you have noticed, the situation with the flying pigs,” said Dargossi. “We will not begin the Eastbridge retail project until we essentially clear the air of all these flying pigs. They are not good for residents and they are not good for business.” [Read more…] about Forest City to Deal with Flying Pigs Prior to Breaking Ground at Eastbridge Town Center

In a long awaited move, the MCA has finally decided to limit events held on the Stapleton Green to only those who live in Stapleton or are closely related to Stapleton residents. “We realized we have a large enough population in Stapleton at this point that we don’t need outsiders at the events,” said MCA President Liza Kampstra. “Every year we get more complaints about people coming to our free events. Complaints range from the outsiders smoking to things as simple as them not looking like Stapletonians. We actually thought about having a dress code, where we would simply say, ‘dress Stapletonian,’ but decided it is probably easier just to require people to be from here.” [Read more…] about On the Green: Concerts, Movies, Festivals to No Longer be “Open to the Public”

The tremendous success of McAuliffe Junior High School in Park Hill has caused Denver Public Schools to rethink boundaries and busing. When McAuliffe left its Stapleton campus to move to the Smiley campus, Park Hill residents demanded priority in the school, even though only 20 percent had previously enrolled their kids in Smiley. Now, 80 percent of Park Hill residents want their kids to attend the Stapleton-kid school. “We would never have enrolled in Smiley,” admits Park Hill resident Mary Walsworth. “But, with an opportunity for my kids to get educated next to Stapleton kids, we can’t pass that up.” Park Hill Resident Joe Weber agrees. “You can smell the success on these kids,” says Weber. “I’m just hoping a little of it rubs off on my kids.” [Read more…] about Stapleton Kids to be Bused to Highlands Schools to Make Them More Desirable

In a continued effort to get outsiders to “slow the f#ck down”, the City of Denver, Forest City, the MCA, and SUN have agreed that speed bumps will be the most effective at accomplishing the goal. “We have tried patrolling those streets, posting signs, photo traps, etc.,” said Denver Traffic Engineer Liam O’Hara. “Nothing has seemed to slow people down. Historically, speed bumps are annoying enough that people will slow down if they are the correct size and distance apart.” O’Hara says the speed bumps will initially be placed on Havana St. and then on Fulton St. “There are a couple others we are looking at in Bluff Lake, but we want to see how successful the bumps are on Havana and Fulton first.” [Read more…] about Speed Bumps to Adorn Stapleton Through-Streets

A new town center for Conservatory Green will consist of four car washes, Forest City announced. “This exciting new plan serves our mission of bringing Stapleton residents exactly what we promised,” said Forest City Spokesperson Janelle Ayers. “We understand residents are looking for exciting, locally owned businesses that build community, provide appealing retail options, and let Conservatory Green residents avoid a two-mile trip south just to get their cars clean.” [Read more…] about Conservatory Green Town Center to Consist Entirely of Car Washes

Almost every female Stapleton resident has been to a purchase party of some sort, be it jewelry, oils, Arbonne, weight loss products, skin care, etc. Many of these ladies decided to jump on the bandwagon, and soon hundreds of area women were selling something. For many of them, it was an effort to get out of the corporate world, for others a social outlet, and for some they truly believed in the quality of their product. “I lost a lot of weight, and feel great,” said local mom Kristin Roberts. I’m extremely happy I have gotten other people involved with it as well.” [Read more…] about Final Stapleton Mom Begins Selling Something