Moffat Tunnel lease approved; Gilpin officials continue pressure for train stop in Rollinsville

Opera.

Opera yellow roses and

waltz’s kicks oﬀ season

While many of the major summer events in the region are predominantly infor-

mal, the same cannot be said for the annual Yellow Rose Ball, which takes place on

the Central City Opera property on Eureka Street.

This weekend, the Central City Opera will sponsor its 93rd presentation of the

Central City Flower Girls on Saturday, June 21. It has become an annual tradition

that leads up to the launch of the summer opera season, which is filled with el-

egance, history, and heart. This year’s class is expected to include 29 Flower Girls,

each stepping into a tradition that spans generations.

According to an opera spokesperson, the Flower Girl tradition began in 1932 dur-

ing the Central City Opera’s inaugural season. Two young women, Elaine Oakes and

Nancy Kountz, crafted yellow rose nosegays to distribute to the Opening Night pa-

trons, who would then toss them onto the stage at the end of the performance. This

flower toss is seen as a variation of the custom practiced by Cornish and Welsh min-

ers, who once threw coins or gold nuggets onto the stage to express their apprecia-

tion for a job well done. What started as a simple gesture of celebration has evolved

into a cherished rite of passage for generations of young women from families with

deep Colorado roots.

Over the decades, the presentation has taken many forms—from poolside fash-

ion shows to parades through downtown Denver. Today, its essence remains

unchanged. As the gown-clad Flower Girls descend the hillside steps in the garden

of the Teller House, surrounded by friends and family, a celebratory blast echoes

through Central City, the church bells chime, and tradition comes to life.

The young women and their fathers then gather on Eureka Street for the iconic

Yellow Rose Waltz, followed by the presentation of nosegays to Opening Night pa-

trons, just as it was done all those years ago.

This year’s presentation is made possible by a dedicated committee led by Chair

Maureen “Mo” Wulf, with invaluable support from Megan Quilliam, CCO’s Direc-

tor of Development. Their leadership and care ensure that the Flower Girl tradition

continues to honor the

past while inspiring the

future.

For additional infor-

mation, visit centralci-

tyopera.org.

Zinger: BH ﬂings mud at CDOT

but spatters Central, too

Black Hawk Mayor David Spellman may

not be regarded as a marksman. However,

his quiver hit two birds with one whimsical

arrow during the city council meeting on

Wednesday, June 11.

City aldermen approved a $118,400

contract with Kinetic Energy Services LLC,

which will clean and video inspect 28 cul-

verts along Black Hawk Boulevard (Highway

119) in the city this summer. What irked the

mayor is that while CDOT owns and main-

tains the road, a state regulation enables

CDOT to require Black Hawk and other com-

munities to clean out the culverts that they

don’t own.

“These culverts run under Highway 119,

which is a state highway,” commented Spell-

man. “Years ago, CDOT was able to convince

the [state] legislature that each municipality

should be responsible for culverts in their

city. It galls me for them to make us do that.”

City Attorney Corey Hoffman agreed

but noted, “the Public Utilities Commis-

sion ruled a couple of weeks ago that CDOT

didn’t have the authority to require a mu-

nicipality to replace streetlights on state

highways. So, it’s an interesting dichotomy.”

Remarked Spellman, “Well, I would sug-

gest CDOT can hand out grants for pocket

parks and sidewalks to nowhere. They’re

doling out money. Maybe we should apply

to the Department of Local Affairs to do the

scoping and make any necessary repairs.”

The mayor’s reference was a barely cam-

ouflaged shot at neighboring Central City,

which recently received a state grant to build

a pocket park between City Hall and the

Belvidere Theater. Last year, Central also

received a CDOT grant to build a sidewalk

along Lawrence Street. The sidewalk begins

at D Street but ends abruptly further down

the hill, causing locals to nickname it “the

sidewalk to nowhere.”

Jimmy Lewis memorialized at

BH music event on Saturday

Gilpin County music legend Jimmy Lewis will be memorialized during a unique “Parking Lot Party”

taking place in Black Hawk on Saturday, June 21.

The Black Hawk History Appreciation Recreation District, also known as the HARD District, is

sponsoring the event at JKQ BBQ, located in Black Hawk’s historic Crook’s Palace at 200 Gregory St.

The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a celebration of life for Lewis, who passed earlier this year. His

family and friends will pay tribute to the man known for his musical talents and performing at countless

events over the years in Gilpin County and in other mountain communities.

Three bands will perform from the rooftop patio of the JKQ restaurant, their music echoing

throughout the HARD District and parts of Black Hawk. The restaurant will operate its food truck in

the parking lot and offer drink specials during the event, which is set to last until 9 p.m.

The Jimmy Lewis Tribute Band will perform from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., followed by Duey Weibel and

the Unbroken from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Free parking will be available at the nearby three-story St. Charles Carriage House parking garage to

the west of the concert site, in addition to limited parking at the restaurant.

Lewis’ son, Grady, and well-known local musician Robbie Wicks have recently been performing as

“The Jimmy Lewis Tribute Band,” including at last week’s Madam Lou Bunch Day in Central City. They

are also scheduled to perform on Saturday, July 12, at the “Second Saturday” event at Gregory Plaza in

the HARD District.

The Belvidere Foundation celebrated the completion of the former Shoo

Fly Bar section of the historic Belvidere Theater building on Tuesday after-

noon, June 17. Barbara Thieleman (left front) of the foundation received

assistance with the ribbon-cutting from Central City Mayor Jeremy Fey

and foundation board president Peter Droege. To the left of Thieleman are

Central councilman Chuck Spencer, Zane Plsek, and Gilpin County com-

missioner Sandy Hollingsworth. Behind Fey stands Eric Chinn, the opera’s

director of historic properties. To the right and behind Droege are Belvi-

dere board member Corey Marshall (in a western hat) along with county

commissioners Susan Berumen and Jeff Aiken. Aiken was a member of

the Central Council when the Belvidere renovation project began. The cer-

emony was part of the annual welcome picnic hosted for the Central City

Opera, which starts its summer season on Saturday. The event featured

performances by three opera singers. More than 100 people crowded into

the new pocket park next to the Belvidere and lined the sidewalk past the

adjoining city hall.

Photo by Don Ireland

Central meets early to

approve meeting earlier

The Central City Council

convened on Tuesday night

to make a timely decision:

whether to begin their future

meetings at 6 p.m. instead of

the traditional 7 p.m.

They approved it with a 4-0

vote, with Alderman Todd

Williams absent. The change

will become official following

the second and final vote on

July 1.

Initially, the aldermen

didn’t plan to schedule a

meeting for Tuesday (June 17)

because there wasn’t much

business to discuss aside

from reviewing an annual

audit report. However, they

later changed their minds and

held a meeting to decide on

altering future meeting times

for any regularly scheduled

council sessions.

Dr. Who once said, “People

assume that time is a strict

progression of cause to ef-

fect, but actually, from a

non-linear, non-subjective

viewpoint, it’s more like a big

ball of wibbly-wobbly… timey-

wimey… stuff.” The Tuesday

meeting started at the new

time of 6 p.m., instead of the

usual 7 o’clock, similar to the

June 3 council meeting, and

lasted 23 minutes.

Moffat Tunnel lease approved; Gilpin officials continue pressure for train stop in Rollinsville

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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