Angela Rae Harris's Blog, page 11

Weekend things to do around Denver and beyond: Great American Beer Fest and more

Each Thursday, explore Denver’s essential weekend events curated by The Denver Gazette. Dive into cultural experiences and entertainment delights across the city. Whether you enjoy art galleries, pottery, or outdoor sports, there’s something for everyone in Denver’s vibrant cultural scene. To submit an event for consideration, email listings@gazette.com.

THURSDAY-SATURDAY

Very limited passes remain for the iconic Great American Beer Fest all weekend at Colorado Convention Center. Tickets had gone on sale to beer lovers starting last spring. Check it out at greatamericanbeerfestival.com. Add to that the Beer Block party in Larimer Square, larimersquare.com and all around the city a week of beer events.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

Memories of the spectacular Northern Lights are recreated with a full immersive festival, the Aurora Borealis, at High Prairie Park at Painted Prairie. There’s a full lighted night experience and festival activities including silent disco, aerial performances, a Flavors of Aurora Food Court, gift bazaar and more. From 4-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, out east on Aurora’s 59th Place. Reserve tickets $17.33 to VIP $82.53 auroraborealisfestival.com

SUNDAY

A number of Dia de Muertos activities around the area through early November in a tradition honoring the dead and showing that death is not something to be feared. At Northfield, a Live Catrina Contest and Community Altar Display, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Catrina was early history skeletal art and most famous as a beautifully costumed female figure in a Diego Rivera mural. The Shops at Northfield, 8340 Northfield Blvd., and Ivan’s Crib also offer face painting, a Beer Garden and Mexican food trucks. tinyurl.com/yzjmy2je.Longmont has a 25-year tradition Saturday with a family fiesta, and Firehouse Art Center’s papier mâché Gigantes Procession. downtownlongmont.com/creative-district/events/longmont-day-of-the-dead A Dia de las Muertos Grand Festival  and Parade is also coming up Oct. 26 at National Western Complex. facebook.com/Coloradodayofthedead

SATURDAY

Enjoy a day of Indigenous traditions and culture at the Denver American Indian Festival. A free family event, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Tribes offer dances, drumming, songs, and demonstrate arts and crafts. Hear special musicians and storytellers and visit vendors. Food includes Indian tacos and Fry Bread. On the grounds, Lakewood United Methodist Church, 1390 Brentwood St., Lakewood. denveramericanindianfestival.org

THURSDAY-SATURDAY

The Fall Denver Coin Expo is in the National Western Complex all weekend beginning at 10 a.m. each day, Thursday to Saturday. Early Bird Registration available. rockymtnexpos.com

ONGOING
Five museums will be hosts to History Colorado “Americans,” a Traveling Smithsonian from the  National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. It follows all the ways Native Americans have been part of this country’s identity and culture since before the country’s beginning.  “Americans” is in Fort Garland Museum now and on November 15 opens its eight weeks at the Trinidad History Museum.  Next up will be Breckenridge Welcome Center Museum, Overland Trail Museum in Sterling and the White River Museum in Meeker. It will be in small towns in approximately 20 states over six years. A full itinerary:  museumonmainstreet.org/americans

THURSDAY-SUNDAY

One of the don’t miss art weekends in the state, the riverside Salida Art Walk opens for its 32nd year. Paint and Sip at the kickoff, have fun at a new ArtWalk Parade with a big dance party and participate in a community art making. Days are filled with interactive art activities, gallery visits and lessons along with Dine Out with ArtWalk. salidacreates.com/event/32nd-annual-salida-artwalk

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

So many DIY ideas and suggestions on how to save money with home improvement ideas for your home at the Castle Rock Home Show, 500 Fairgrounds Road. Free. Noon to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. castlerockhomeshow.com

SUNDAY

Love those TV memories, this is the goose-bumps-raising David Lynch 1990 crime drama with surreal twists and turns: “Twin Peaks: A Conversation With The Stars,” at 7 p.m. Sunday, Paramount Theatre. Among the stars are murder victim Sheryl Lee. ticketmaster.com

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

Wellness, organic and holistic vendors will be on hand for the Belu Olisa Holistic Fairs at The Ranch at Larimer County Fairgrounds in Loveland., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. treventscomplex.com

Now Through Halloween

Thousands of cars will be carrying Halloween lovers through the Spooky Light Show and its zillions of lights accompanied by synchonized creepy sounds at Water World, 8801 N. Pecos St., $30 per car. Faces against the windows from 7 to 9 p.m. spookylightshow.com/?fbclid=IwAR3smBd2zAb90_Jl1vabjipRIpHu7YLkm9qvfaVacR0ID1cnCGSEtnDi-EM

Off-Center: DCPA’s great programming adventure is over

Officials cite budget constraints for eliminating wing devoted to growing younger audiences

Feb. 20, 2010, was one of the hardest days in the storied history of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. The region’s leading arts center would be ending one of its signature programs – the National Theatre Conservatory, a three-year master’s acting program that for 26 years was a point of national pride and company identity. Something that made it different from everyone else.

The news that day was somewhat tempered when the company soon announced the creation of Off-Center, billed at the time as “alternative fare that feels like a night out.” We’re talking social, interactive, multimedia events with fewer formalities – and free beer. Its stated mission was to build a community of younger audiences by presenting work that is interactive, interdisciplinary and inventive.

Traditional theater companies at the time were very much starting to fear the future. One where much of its core older audiences were dying off, and the overstimulated younger generation not waiting in the wings but rather locked somewhere in a nearby escape room.

The simultaneous death of the NTC and the birth of Off-Center felt a bit like “out with the old, in with the new.” 

Tuesday was another of the hardest days in the storied history of the DCPA. President & CEO Janice Sinden made the shocking announcement that the company would “no longer be investing in the development and production of new immersive experiences.” She listed a constellation of factors that can be distilled to this: It costs too much to produce new immersive work.

Bottom line: Off-Center is gone. The end of a signature line of programming that for 15 years has been a point of national pride and company identity. Something that made it different from everyone else.

Again.

No matter how you spin it, this is bad for Denver Center, its audiences, its national reputation – and it’s really bad for the employment of local artists, who have greatly benefited from Off-Center’s existence.

Co-Curators Charlie Miller and Emily Tarquin launched Off-Center for the DCPA in 2010. DENVER CENTER

How it all began

Off-Center’s roots were completely charming. Curators Charlie Miller and launched with “Cult Following,” a monthly gathering for film buffs where clever improv comedy actors faked their way through classic movie scenes suggested by the audience.

From that, Miller grew Off-Center into a visionary model that has made the Denver Center one of the nation’s undisputed leaders in immersive theater – defined as experiences where the audience is integrated into the story’s world and become active participants rather than passive observers.

Some Off-Center experiences were as small as one actor and one audience member on a controlled blind hookup. (Or, as I call it, my last good date.) “Camp Christmas,” a weird winter wonderland of lights, decorations, and quirky holiday artifacts across centuries and cultures, was taken in by more than 250,000 over four years – and even expanded into Texas.

By the 2020-21 season, Off-Center had begun to dwarf its parent Denver Center Theatre Company, drawing a boggling 151,249 to its three interactive audience experiences: “Van Gogh Alive,” “Mixed Taste” and “Camp Christmas.” And that was before “Theater of the Mind,” co-created by Talking Heads mastermind David Byrne, which drew 42,000 to a warehouse in northeast Denver, just 16 at a time. Good enough for Chicago’s esteemed Goodman Theatre to add it to its 2025-26 season. The boost to the DCPA’s national profile was immeasurable. And it never happens without Miller and Off-Center. 

David Byrne talks with Senior Arts Journalist John Moore in preparation for the launch of ‘Theater of the Mind’ in early 2020. DAVID LENK

Off-Center made plain that the American theater now has two very distinct programming lines: Theatre in a box, and theater on your feet. The DCPA proudly claims 653,000 audience members for Off-Center, and 70 unique live experiences that have generated more than $80 million in economic impact.
To me, the line in the sand soon became clear enough: If I attended a Denver Center Theatre  Company play or musical, I often felt like the youngest person in the room. If I attended an Off-Center event, I felt like the oldest. This story was going only in one direction: If one form were going to outlive the other, the immersive wing was surely going to one day dwarf the traditional wing.

So what went wrong?

Off-Center’s final home at Broadway Park. COURTESY DCPA

The Denver Center has staked so much of its mission on Off-Center that it took out a long-term lease on DCPA Off-Center at Broadway Park, a 15,000-square-foot space at 407 S. Broadway that hosted Off-Center’s final two offerings: “Monopoly Lifesized,” based on the classic board game, and “Sweet & Lucky: Echo,” a sequel of sorts to its first real breakout success nine years before. “Echo” closed on Sunday, two months before it was expected to run. Two days later, the DCPA announced that Off-Center is history.

Miller has been considered a hometown prodigy since he was a 15-year-old freshman at Colorado Academy helping out backstage for the disability-affirmative Phamaly Theatre Company’s shows at the Denver Center – which hired him right out of Harvard under the newly created title of Multimedia Specialist in 2008.

“I was the token millennial on the artistic team,” he told me with a laugh in a long-ago interview. “The DCPA at the time was struggling with how to connect with a younger audience that was not interested in the same things from the live-theater experience that their parents and grandparents were.”​​

What’s amazing about Charlie Miller – and “therefore amazing about Off Center,” said frequent Off-Center guest artist Amanda Berg Wilson, “is that he was genuinely out there – not just in the country, but all over the whole English-speaking planet, trying to figure out what the next frontier of theater was.”

Press photo for Off-Center’s “Monopoly Lifesized,” based on the classic board game.

Miller cultivated partnerships with other local immersive companies, with local playwrights and the disability community. Those who have watched him emerge as a pioneering leader in the immersive field have assumed that the day would inevitably come when he would be named the first homegrown Artistic Director of the Denver Center Theatre Company. And I remember thinking from the very beginning of that talk: He was born for even greater things than that.

We’ll soon find out what that might be, because Miller’s 17 years on staff will close at the end of March, Sinden said.

This all comes at an unsettling time for the Denver Center, which quietly laid off 12 staff members in July without further public explanation, a move that clearly signals enough economic distress that Off-Center could not survive two consecutive financial losses.

It might seem presumable from Tuesday’s news that the Denver Center has decided to no longer cater to that elusive younger demo anymore, which would be an enormous mistake. But Sinden said that’s not true.

“While this chapter is closing,” she wrote in a statement, “our commitment to bold, transformative theater remains stronger than ever.”

In that same note, she addressed Miller directly, saying: “Your vision expanded our imagination and redefined what theatre could be.”  ( left the Denver Center in 2016 and was last month named Managing Director of the  Actors Theatre of Louisville.)

Charlie Miller. COURTESY DENVER CENTER

This news has left some in the Off-Center community feeling like there’s been a death in the family. For the local actors and crew, the opportunity to work an Off-Center show meant rare, well-paying, long-term contracts that cannot be replaced elsewhere.

Berg Wilson, founder of a like-minded immersive theater company called The Catamounts, performed in the original “Sweet & Lucky,” and directed “The Wild Party” and others. She was an assistant director on “Theater of the Mind,” and will be again in Chicago. She’s left feeling both melancholy and proud, because she said Off-Center succeeded at the one thing that mattered most: Its stated mission.

“I can say with certainty that the audience that I saw show up at ‘Sweet & Lucky’ and ‘Theater of the Mind’ is not the Denver Center Theatre Company’s typical audience,” Berg Wilson said. “I just think it was bringing in people who are not going to see traditional theater. And that’s what it was for.

“I’m just heartbroken about all of it, because it totally changed my life as an artist.”

John Moore is the Denver Gazette’s Senior Arts Journalist. He held the same title with the Denver Center for the Performing Arts from 2013-20.

Authorities charge man with sparking deadly January wildfire in L.A.

LOS ANGELES — A 29-year-old man has been charged with sparking California’s deadly Palisades fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in its history, authorities said Wednesday.

Federal officials said Jonathan Rinderknecht, who lived in the area, started a small fire on New Year’s Day that smoldered underground before reigniting nearly a week later and roaring through Pacific Palisades, home to many of Los Angeles’ rich and famous.

The fire that left 12 dead in the hillside neighborhoods across Pacific Palisades and Malibu was one of two blazes that broke out on Jan. 7, killing more than 30 people in all and destroying over 17,000 homes and buildings while burning for days in Los Angeles County.

Rinderknecht was arrested Tuesday in Florida and made his first court appearance Wednesday in Orlando on charges including malicious destruction by means of a fire, which carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison. Wearing shorts and a T-shirt while shackled at the ankles, he told a federal magistrate in a soft-spoken voice that he was not under the influence and did not have mental issues.

The judge set a hearing for Oct. 17 to consider bond and extradition proceedings. Messages seeking comment were left for Aziza Hawthorne, the federal assistant public defender assigned to represent Rinderknecht.

Investigators said Wednesday that Rinderknecht had been working as an Uber driver, and after dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades, he parked and walked up a trail. He then used his iPhone to take videos at a nearby hilltop area and listen to a rap song with a music video showing objects being lit on fire, prosecutors said.

He fled the scene after starting the fire, but returned to the same trail to watch it burn, acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference.

“He left as soon as he saw the fire trucks were headed to the location. He turned around and went back up there. And he took some video and, and watched them fight the fire,” Essayli said.

Uber said in a statement that it worked with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to determine the driver’s whereabouts around the time of the fire.

Rinderknecht also made several 911 calls to report the fire, according to a criminal complaint.

Israel, Hamas agree to ‘first phase’ of plan to end fighting, release hostages, Trump says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of his peace plan to pause fighting and release at least some hostages and prisoners, U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday.

“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Trump wrote. “All Parties will be treated fairly!”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on social media, “With God’s help we will bring them all home.”

The war began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people, many of them civilians. Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead, devastated Gaza and upended global politics.

Negotiators have been meeting in Egypt for days to hash out a Trump-backed peace plan that he hopes will ultimately result in a permanent end to the two-year war and bring about a sustainable peace in the region.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’s considering a trip to the Middle East within a matter of days, a major show of optimism as top officials from the U.S. and Qatar traveled to an Egyptian resort for the third day of ongoing negotiations to end the Israel-Hamas war.

“I may go there sometime toward the end of the week,” Trump said from the White House as he opened a roundtable event on a different matter. The trip could occur Sunday, Trump said, adding that “negotiations are going along very well.”

Yet another hint of a deal came later in that event when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio passed Trump a note on White House stationery that read, “You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.” Truth Social is the president’s preferred social media platform.

The note prompted Trump to proclaim, “We’re very close to a deal in the Middle East.”

The arrival of Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, on Wednesday at Sharm el-Sheikh for the discussions, as well as Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, was a sign that negotiators aim to dive deeply into the toughest issues of an American plan to end the war in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top adviser, Ron Dermer, is also present for the talks.

Hamas says it’s seeking firm guarantees from mediators that Israel won’t resume its military campaign in the Palestinian territory after the militant group releases all the remaining hostages.

All sides have expressed optimism for a deal to end the two-year war that has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and most of the Gaza Strip destroyed. But key parts of the peace plan still haven’t been agreed to, including a requirement that Hamas disarm, the timing and extent of an Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza, and the creation of an international body to run the territory after Hamas steps down.

Representatives for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine were also in attendance, and a delegation from Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another fringe militant group that holds an unknown number of Israeli hostages, were scheduled to arrive, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media. Their participation underscores the aim of the talks to encompass all Palestinian groups.

A Palestinian official said negotiators made headway Wednesday on the names of prisoners who will be released and on guarantees that Israel won’t resume fighting if the hostages are released.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t allowed to speak publicly about the negotiations, said Hamas promised to release all living hostages but would postpone returning the remains of dead hostages until conditions on the ground in Gaza permits.

The official wouldn’t say which Palestinians Hamas wants Israel to release from jail, adding that mediators informed both sides that a deal must be reached by this Friday. The official said President Trump would declare an end to the war once a final deal is reached.

Two officials from Arab countries said progress was made in Wednesday’s talks and that a deal could be reached in the coming days. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Trump’s peace plan

The Trump plan calls for an immediate ceasefire and release of the 48 hostages that militants in Gaza still hold from their attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that started the war and triggered Israel’s devastating retaliation. Around 20 of the hostages are believed to still be alive.

It envisions Israel withdrawing its troops from Gaza after Hamas disarms, and an international security force moving in. The territory would be placed under international governance, with Trump and former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair overseeing it.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said Wednesday in televised comments that the negotiations so far “were very encouraging.”

Netanyahu has already accepted Trump’s plan. His office said Tuesday that Israel was “cautiously optimistic,” framing the talks as technical negotiations over a plan that both sides already had approved.

In a statement Tuesday, Hamas reiterated its longstanding demands for a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, but said nothing about disarmament, a step it has long resisted. Hamas has also spoken against the idea of international rule, though it has agreed it will have no role in governing post-war Gaza.

Speaking in Sharm el-Sheikh, Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’ top negotiator, told Egypt’s Qahera TV that the group wanted solid guarantees from Trump and mediators that the war “will not return.” It appeared to be his first public appearance since an Israeli strike targeting him and other top Hamas leaders in Qatar last month killed six people, including his son and office manager.

In January, the two sides had a ceasefire that brought the release of some Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Under the agreement — which Trump and Witkoff played a major role in brokering — the two sides were then supposed to enter negotiations over a long-term truce, an Israeli withdrawal and a full hostage release.

But Israel broke the ceasefire in March, resuming its campaign of bombardment and offensives, saying it aimed to pressure Hamas for the remaining hostage releases.

Past rounds of negotiations have frequently fallen apart over the same obstacle, with Hamas demanding assurances of the war’s end and Netanyahu vowing to keep fighting until the group is destroyed. The Trump plan attempts to resolve all the issues at once, by laying out Hamas disarmament and a post-war scenario for governing the territory with provisions for a major reconstruction campaign.

Praying for a deal

In the Hamas-led attack two years ago, militants stormed into southern Israel and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. Most hostages have since been released in ceasefires or other deals.

A growing number of experts, including those commissioned by a U.N. body, have said that Israel’s offensive in Gaza amounts to genocide — an accusation Israel denies. More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half of the deaths were women and children, is part of the Hamas-run government. The United Nations and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

The ministry said Wednesday that the bodies of 10 people killed by Israeli strikes had been brought to local hospitals over the past 24 hours.

In the Gaza Strip, where much of the territory lies in ruins, Palestinians are desperate for a breakthrough. Thousands fleeing Israel’s latest ground offensive in northern Gaza and Gaza City have set up makeshift tents along the beach in the central part of the territory, sometimes using blankets for shelter.

Sara Rihan, a displaced woman from Jabaliya, said she was praying for an end to the war.

“I hope we return to our places and homes even if there are no homes,” she said. “Our existence in our land is the biggest happiness for us.”

___

AP reporters Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Lebanon, and Seung Min Kim and Lisa Mascaro in Washington, contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Manitou Incline set to temporarily shut down later this month during city project

According to an announcement from Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services, the City of Manitou Springs will be closing the Manitou Incline for the entire day on October 15.

The reason for the closure is a crucial waterline repair that’s set to take place, with Ruxton Avenue closing, as well.

“We know how much you love your climb, so plan ahead!,” reads the announcement. “Be sure to book your Incline reservations for another day this month — there are still plenty of great dates (and views!) waiting for you.”

The Manitou Incline is among the most popular hiking trails in the Pikes Peak region, attracting a constant flow of people when it’s open. Climbing more than 2,700 steps over less than a mile, the trail has become a sort of destination hike for Coloradans and out-of-state visitors as one of the most strenuous trails on the planet in terms of milage and elevation gain.

Mark Kiszla: Remember that time Broncos Country was ticked team drafted Pat Surtain over Justin Fields?

LONDON — It’s the best decision the Broncos never made.

Instead of having the NFL’s top defensive player on their side, they could be stuck with a bust who’s about to get run out of the Big Apple.

Denver would not be home to the Super Bowl contender coach Sean Payton likes to brag about without cornerback Pat Surtain II wearing No. 2 for the orange and blue.

And shudder to think: Instead of Surtain, the Broncos could’ve wasted their first-round pick in 2021 on Justin Fields, a quarterback that doesn’t look like he’s going to make it in New York … or anywhere in the whole league, for that matter.

With their careers headed in decisively different directions, Surtain and Fields will cross paths when the red-hot, up-and-coming Broncos meet the winless, down-and-out Jets in merry old England on Sunday.

But their football stories have been intertwined since Fields and Surtain were teenagers.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (2) and Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2) hug after an NFL game Sept. 15, 2024, in Denver. (The Associated Press)

“I remember him from back in high school … at the Nike Opening (football camp) out in Oregon, where they showcase the top players,” Surtain told me Wednesday, after the Broncos practiced at the heavily secured and immaculately manicured outpost where Tottenham Hotspur Football Club trains on the regular.

Fields and Surtain have been hyped much of their young lives.

But not all five-star prospects are created equal. And the shine is not guaranteed to last.

Ever since they met at Nike Headquarters, however, Surtain developed a habit of leaving Fields in his shadow.

With Surtain celebrated as the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year and the Jets being lambasted for the folly of signing Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract, it seems ludicrous now that a knucklehead like me was ever upset the Broncos passed on a quarterback who handles the football every offensive snap to take a cornerback who rarely sees the rock thrown in his direction.

Of course, hindsight not only has the benefit of being 20/20, it’s almost never wrong.

But it took the eagle eye, not to mention some big brassy conviction, for George Paton to select Surtain with the ninth pick in the NFL draft when all of Broncos Country was clamoring for a quarterback.

On the morning of April 29 back in 2021, Paton was hours away from conducting his first draft as general manager of the Broncos. His job was to reconstruct a team spinning its wheels in the mud of NFL irrelevancy, coming off a 5-12 record with Drew Lock, better at rapping on the bench than reading defenses on the field.

On that spring day, Paton huddled with coach Vic Fangio at Broncos headquarters, then contacted scouts one-by-one to reveal his draft plan: If Surtain was still on the board when Denver picked ninth in the opening round, the lanky cornerback was going to be his man.

Four years ago, Fields would’ve been the sexier selection for a team that had been throwing head coaches and quarterbacks in the dumpster as fast as John Elway could pick them.

Instead, Paton went with a gut instinct fed by firsthand experience.

A full two decades prior to 2021, as the newly hired director of pro personnel for the Miami Dolphins, Paton was impressed on a daily basis by the savviness and commitment of a Pro Bowl cornerback named Pat Surtain.

And only a few years later, while Paton was still on the job in Miami, he got well acquainted with a no-nonsense coach named Nick Saban.

When a chip off the Surtain block grew up to be a star cornerback for Saban on an Alabama team that went 13-0 and won the national championship during that pandemic restrictions-plagued football season of 2020, Paton instinctively knew what prospect would rise to the top of his draft board before he binged hours of scouting video on college prospects.

He cheered when the 2021 draft opened with seven consecutive offensive players selected, then breathed a huge sigh of relief when Carolina took South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn at No. 8.

Paton, however, took plenty of grief by selecting Surtain ninth overall, especially when he labeled him a safe pick, while critics screamed for the Broncos to roll the dice on Fields, who went No. 11 overall to Chicago.

Giving Fields his flowers, Surtain called him a quarterback who’s not only capable of slinging the ball but also can “run damn near all over the field.”

What Surtain didn’t mention without my prompting, however, was the score when he shared the field with Fields with the national championship at stake, during what proved to be the final college game for both ballyhooed players.

Alabama 52, Ohio State 24.

“We contained him pretty well,” Surtain recalled.

Alabama defensive back Patrick Surtain II (2) looks on against Notre Dame during the Rose Bowl NCAA football game in Arlington, Texas, Jan. 1, 2021. Two of the best cornerbacks in the nation, Shaun Wade of Ohio State and Patrick Surtain of Alabama, had their hands full on Monday night in South Florida. (The Associated Press)

Long before me, Paton recognized what’s now obvious to everyone: Surtain was born to be a champ.

While it might be unfair and cruel to label Fields a chump, he’s being called worse by frustrated Jets fans.

At age 25, Surtain is headed straight up a glorious path toward the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Only a year older than Surtain, with unsuccessful stops in Chicago and Pittsburgh behind him, Fields seems to be on the road to NFL ruin. 

Denver museum’s missing bison returns after more than 60 years

DENVER — For decades, museumgoers and staff have traded theories about what happened to one of Colorado’s oldest museum residents — a 650-pound bison mount that vanished from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Former employees passed the legend down to new hires. “We always knew we had five bison in our founding collection,” said Andrew Doll, the museum’s collections manager for zoology and health sciences. “But for decades, we only had four.”

That mystery became something of a local legend — until last year, when it turned out the taxidermy bison hadn’t gone far at all.

When Rebecca Jacobs, curator at the Buffalo Bill Museum on Lookout Mountain, started digging into a bison mount sitting in the museum’s gift shop.

Read more from this story at 9news.com.

Israel, Hamas agree to ‘first phase’ of peace plan

WASHINGTON — Israel and Hamas have agreed to pause fighting in Gaza and release at least some hostages and prisoners in an agreement that was put forward by the Trump administration and would represent the biggest breakthrough in months in the devastating two-year-old war.

“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” President Donald Trump wrote on social media. “All Parties will be treated fairly!”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on social media, “With God’s help we will bring them all home.” Hamas said it had agreed to a deal that will lead to the end of the war in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the entry of aid into Gaza and the exchange of prisoners for hostages.

Hamas called on Trump and the mediators to ensure that Israel implements all the provisions of the deal “without disavowal or delay in implementation of what was agreed upon.”

Hamas plans to release all 20 living hostages this weekend, people familiar with the matter said, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza.

Although many questions remain, the sides appear to be closer than they have been in several months to ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, destroyed most of Gaza and triggered other armed conflicts across the Middle East.

The war has sparked worldwide protests and brought widespread allegations of genocide that Israel denies. Israel is more isolated than it has been in decades and bitterly divided over the failure to return the hostages. The Palestinians’ dream of an independent state appears more remote than ever despite recent moves by major Western countries to recognize one.

The deal was solidified in Egypt after days of negotiations centered on a Trump-backed peace plan that he hopes will ultimately result in a permanent end to the war and bring about a sustainable peace in the region.

The arrival of Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, on Wednesday at Sharm el-Sheikh for the peace talks, which were also attended by Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, was a sign that negotiators aimed to dive deeply into the toughest issues of an American plan to end the war. Netanyahu’s top adviser, Ron Dermer, was also present for the talks.

Trump expressed optimism earlier in the day by saying that he was considering a trip to the Middle East within a matter of days.

Yet another hint of an emerging deal came later in that event when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio passed Trump a note on White House stationery that read, “You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.” Truth Social is the president’s preferred social media platform.

The note prompted Trump to proclaim, “We’re very close to a deal in the Middle East.”

The war began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people, many of them civilians, and took 251 hostage. Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead, devastated Gaza and upended global politics.

This would be the third ceasefire reached since the start of the war. The first, in November 2023, saw more than 100 hostages, mainly women and children, freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners before it broke down. In the second, in January and February of this year, Palestinian militants released 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight more in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel ended that ceasefire in March with a surprise bombardment.

Praying for a deal

A growing number of experts, including those commissioned by a U.N. body, have said that Israel’s offensive in Gaza amounts to genocide — an accusation Israel denies. More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half of the deaths were women and children, is part of the Hamas-run government. The United Nations and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

The ministry said Wednesday that the bodies of 10 people killed by Israeli strikes had been brought to local hospitals over the past 24 hours. In the Gaza Strip, where much of the territory lies in ruins, Palestinians have been desperate for a breakthrough. Thousands fleeing Israel’s latest ground offensive in northern Gaza and Gaza City have set up makeshift tents along the beach in the central part of the territory, sometimes using blankets for shelter.

Sara Rihan, a displaced woman from Jabaliya, said she was praying for an end to the war.

“I hope we return to our places and homes even if there are no homes,” she said. “Our existence in our land is the biggest happiness for us.”

Palestinians carry plastic bottles to collect water in an area of a makeshift tent camp for displaced people along the shore of Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Denver area events for Oct. 8

If you have an event taking place in the Denver area, email information to  carlotta.olson@gazette.com  at least two weeks in advance. All events are listed in the calendar on space availability.

Wednesday

All Shall Perish — With Desmadre, Girl of Glass & Torture Hammer, 6:30 p.m., The Oriental Theater, 4435 W. 44th Ave., Denver, $36.40 and up. Tickets: theorientaltheater.com.

The Zach Howarth Trio Honors Roy Haynes — 6:30-7:45 p.m. and 8:45-10 p.m., Nocturne Jazz and Supper Club, 1330 27th St., Denver, go online for prices. Reservations: nocturnejazz.com/music.

BabyTron — 7 p.m., Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St., Denver, $44 and up. Tickets: marquisdenver.com.

Demon Hunter — With War of Ages & Convictions, 7 p.m., HQ, 60 S. Broadway, Denver, $38.69. Tickets: hqdenver.com.

Patrick Shiroishi: Forgetting is Violent Tour — 7 p.m., Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver, $22.628. Tickets: hi-dive.com/events.

Tres Guitar Amigos — Featuring El Javi, Gio Bardzero & Gary Meyers, 7 p.m., Dazzle at Baur’s, 1080 14th St., Denver, go online for prices. Tickets: dazzledenver.com/#/events.

Laufey — With Suki Waterhouse, 7 p.m., Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison, go online for prices. Tickets: axs.com.

Oliver Hazard & the Last Revel — 7 p.m., Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway, Englewood, $41.95. Tickets: axs.com.

Cal in Red — With Piñata Drama, 7:30 p.m., Skylark Lounge, 140 S. Broadway, Denver, $14.47. Tickets: skylarklounge.com.

Brandt Tobler — 7:30 p.m., Comedy Works South at the Landmark, 5345 Landmark Place, Greenwood Village, $14. Tickets: comedyworks.com.

Lamont Symphony Orchestra — 7:30-9:30 p.m., Newman Center for the Arts, Gates Concert Hall, 2344 Iliff Ave., Denver, $5 for reserved parterre seats or free general admission. Tickets: newmancenterpresents.com.

Quadeca — With Feardorian, 8 p.m., Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, $37.59. Tickets: axs.com.

Joan Osborne Sings the Songs of Bob Dylan — 8 p.m., Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder, $39 and up. Tickets: axs.com.

CARLOTTA OLSON, The Denver Gazette

Jared Bednar’s Avalanche summon memories of 2022 Stanley Cup champs on opening night | Evan’s take

LOS ANGELES — The Colorado Avalanche are still ticked off about last season’s end. They played like it on opening night. 

It was a slow burn, but when the Avalanche got rolling, the Los Angeles Kings could not slow them. It was the usual suspects on offense who provided the fireworks, but that lingering anger ignited the momentum for Colorado.

The Avalanche blasted the Kings 4-1 late Tuesday in front of a sold-out crowd at Crypto.com Arena.

Colorado Avalanche players celebrate a goal by center Martin Necas (88) during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings, Tuesday in Los Angeles. (The Associated Press)

At the end of the first period, Avs defenseman Josh Manson lined up Warren Foegele and hammered him at the red line. Jeff Malott came in to defend his teammate’s honor, but all he accomplished was to anger the Avalanche even more. Malott’s UFC-style takedown of Manson drew the ire of Gabriel Landeskog, and Colorado would get its revenge later. 

The offensive onslaught began early in the second after Malott came out of the box. Nathan MacKinnon, who was frustrated all night by the subpar California ice, entered the offensive zone with some speed. That’s never a good visual for the opposition. 

All eyes, per usual, were on MacKinnon when he fed a wide-open Martin Necas in front. Fans and coaches have been yelling at Necas to shoot the puck more often and he obliged, beating Darcy Kuemper up high 48 seconds into the period. The show was just beginning. 

A few minutes later it was the fourth line getting in on the action, showing the Avs’ depth. A nice forecheck by Joel Kiviranta gave Sam Malinski a ton of time at the left point to corral a rolling puck. With Kiviranta at the net providing a screen, Malinski again beat Kuemper, who never saw it.  

Then, a little over 34 minutes into the season, Makar’s magic made its first appearance. Taking a pass from MacKinnon at the point, Makar faked like he would shoot and Malott took the bait. Makar cut to the net and Artturi Lehkonen cleaned up the garbage from his home at the top of the crease.  

Avalanche, 3-0.

The team is still angry and wants to keep that chip on its shoulder. 

Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) blocks the shot by Colorado Avalanche center Brock Nelson during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday in Los Angeles. (The Associated Press)

“We didn’t like the way (last season) ended,” Bednar said in Los Angeles prior to puck drop. “We want to do everything in our power to make sure it doesn’t end the same way. We like the team we had, especially (from) the deadline on last year, and we didn’t get the job done. It’s not the first time we haven’t gotten it done. But you know, there’s been years where we responded, like 2022, and I liked what I saw through the course of the season. It doesn’t guarantee you anything. You have to go and earn it. I think our guys are in the right headspace to go and do that.” 

It looked like it Tuesday — with 81 more to go.

And if opening night was any indication, tack on another 16.