Help Boulder Filmmakers Make it Big! Vote!

If you were perusing the bricks last week you may have run into John Goldman and Anna Salim, two Boulder High Alumni, lugging around their camera equipment and crew. The two hit Downtown Boulder favorites such as Old Tibet, Boulder Book Store, and Boulder Theater to film a short promotional trailer for Goldman’s feature project Paul Sussman’s Eleven-Step Guide to Self-Actualization. Goldman (director/writer) and Salim (producer) entered their work in a Netflix and Film Independent contest for first-time filmmakers. Among 2,000 other aspiring filmmakers Goldman and Salim’s film has now made it through to the semifinals with nine other contestants.

From June 5th – June 10th the trailers with be posted online for the general public to whittle down to just five. The films of those five trailers will then be viewed and judged by a panel of accomplished filmmakers and industry executives chaired by actor Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men). Winners will receive a $150,000 cash production grant as well as filming resources for the total value of a $350,000 grand prize. The winning production will also be sold over Netflix.

Goldman remarks, “I’ve had a big crush on Netflix for years. My friends thought I was crazy, but I knew all those little red love letters were a two-way street. I’m so excited about this opportunity, I have to say, my queue runneth over.” Colorado has also expressed its pride in Goldman. The Colorado State Film Commissioner Kevin Shand adds that “this is just another example of the talented filmmakers we have here in Colorado.” Goldman is just one more person helping to put Downtown Boulder on the map.

Don’t forget to vote for your fellow Boulderites come June 5th!

- Claire Little

Social Networking in Downtown Boulder

Just back from a four hour Social Media conference and feeling inspired by what I learned! I'm writing my first blog post as Terri Takata-Smith rather than the Director of Marketing and Communications for Downtown Boulder. What's the difference? I'm humanizing my writing! I'm throwing out my tendency to write a blog posting as a traditional press release.

So what else did I learn? We (Downtown Boulder), me (Terri), us (Eli & Claire) need to write with passion. Be human. Inspire conversations. Listen to what other people are saying! Sounds easy but forcing myself to approach Social Media with a different perspective from my "classically" trained communications/marketing background is going to take some work. It's a fantastic challenge and one that I'm eager to master.

We have started keeping a page of all the Downtown Boulder businesses who are using Twitter. Check it out here. Please keep visiting our blog postings and let us know how we are (I am) doing. If you Facebook, join our page! Have a great holiday weekend and definitely step "off line" to experience the Boulder Creek Festival, Boulder County Farmers' Market, E-Town Dinner & Show, BolderBOULDER SportsExhibit and the first annual Cupcake Cram!

From BolderBOULDER SportsEXHIBIT to Tee & Cakes Cupcake Cram, find it all in Downtown Boulder

Photo courtesy of Tee & Cakes

One of the best things about Downtown Boulder is all of the different activities happening at any given day that appeal to a wide variety of tastes and interests. This Saturday and Sunday thousands of individuals with active and healthy lifestyles will head to the Pearl Street Mall for the Dick's Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER SportsExhibit. The two day event leads up to the 31st annual BolderBOULDER 10K road race happening on Memorial Day. The SportEXHIBIT is the only place participants can pick-up a packet or register over the weekend prior to Monday’s race.

Meanwhile, a local Downtown Boulder cupcake bakery will be hosting a not-to-be-missed event of their own. On Saturday (May 23) at 1 p.m., the World League of Competitive Eating is teaming up with Tee & Cakes (1932 14th St.) for the first ever CUPCAKE CRAM! World Champion Dale "Mouth of the South" Boone will take on four other local competitors in a quest to cram as many cupcakes down their mouths as possible in 10 minutes! Prizes range from a dozen cupcakes a month for a year to an enthusiastic high five!

Tee & Cakes is located along Downtown Boulder's Sweet Street (14th Street between Pearl and Walnut streets) nestled between Belvedere Belgian Chocolate Shop and Cefiore Italian Frozen Yogurt. Run by pastry chef Kim Boos and graphic designer Brian Wood, Tee & Cakes is a cupcake bakery, wedding and custom cake shop, coffee & espresso stop and retail apparel store. Cupcakes are baked fresh six days a week (closed Sundays). Although the cupcake menu changes daily, custom orders are always available. This delectable cupcake eatery received some excellent press coverage in January when CBS4 News ran a feature highlighting Tee and Cakes' wildly popular Chocolate Bacon Cupcake (available Saturdays and Mondays as well as by custom order)!

Whether you are an avid runner, sports enthusiast, cupcake lover or fan of competitive eating, Downtown Boulder is the place to be this holiday weekend! For more information on event happenings and businesses in Downtown Boulder visit BoulderDowntown.com. Downtown Boulder can also be found on Facebook and Twitter!

- Terri Takata-Smith

Woof! (translation: Read to the Dog!)

Anyone who has ever found themselves talking to a dog knows they make fantastic listeners. Six weeks ago Boulder Public Library grew wise to dog lovers across the planet and promptly began its Read to the Dog program for children. Timber, a Belgian Tervuren and superstar of Read to the Dog, loves curling up in his cozy tent placed in a quiet corner of the library to practice his listening skills. Last week, young library patron Sejal Karki was thrilled to meet Timber for her very first reading session, and Timber was equally excited. After a few turns of the page and a couple pets on the head he swiftly surrendered to a nap as Sejal finished her favorite books.

The program is designed to help young children practice their reading skills and gain confidence in reading out loud. Sejal, however, was most excited to play with Timber. Check out the video below for a peak of Sejal and Timber's story time.




Read to the Dog is held every second and fourth Thursday of the month. The next session is May 28. Don't forget to sign up!

- Claire Little

E Town's /Jax's Dinner & Show event this Sunday in Downtown Boulder

Downtown is filled with excitement and activities this Memorial Day weekend and one not to miss is E Town’s Dinner and Show event on Sunday, May 24th! The event starts at 5 p.m. with an amazing three course meal at the nationally renowned Jax Fish House (the evening’s menu was prepared by TV’s Top Chef, Hosea Rosenberg) and is followed by reserved seats at the E Town show with Nick & Helen Forster (host & co-host), Jorma Kaukonen (legendary guitar player) and Guggenheim Grotto (Irish pop/folk act) at the Boulder Theater. Tickets are $50 per person. Tickets and dinner reservations are available by calling Jax Fish House Boulder at 303-444-1811.

E Town is a lively weekly radio broadcast heard from coast to coast on National Public Radio (NPR) as well as other public and commercial stations. Boulder & Denver listeners can tune in on KBCO FM, KGNU-FM & AM and KUNC-FM. The shows are taped in front of live audiences at venues around the country - and mostly right here in Downtown Boulder at the historic Boulder Theater. Each show features performances from top musicians and conversations with a wide variety of authors, poets and policy-makers about various topics that promote a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable world. Former interviewees include: Jimmy Carter, Jane Goodall, Ralph Nader and Michael Moore just to name a few. Prior musical guests include well known names such as Ben Harper, Blues Traveler, Chris Isaak, Emmylou Harris, Jason Mraz, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, String Cheese Incident and The Samples.

To learn more about E Town, listen to a mp3 of a prior show or download an E Town podcast online at Etown.org. For tickets and dinner reservations for this Sunday’s Dinner and Show event, call 303-444-1811. For a complete listing of happenings and businesses in Downtown Boulder, check out BoulderDowntown.com.

- Terri Takata-Smith

The Unseen Bean's Been Busy!

It's no wonder why the atmosphere at The Unseen Bean is so inviting. Gerry Leary, founder, master coffee roaster and owner of The Unseen Bean holds a philosophy on his business that is truly inspiring. Leary noted on a KOA radio interview that he is "letting my coffee do my marketing for me." Leary, who is blind, creates his coffee through "blind roasting," in which he relies on the smell, feeling and sound of the beans , not the color, as most other roasters do, to let him know when they are good and ready. After years of testing his methods, Leary now creates consistently amazing coffee and his passion for the job clearly translates to employees, shop and drink.

Recently, The Unseen Bean has had a surge in business. Bicycle champ Lance Armstrong tweeted in early April, "Love the unseen," with a website link. Shorty after, the local shop received around 100 orders from tweeters wanting to try Armstrong's daily java. Rose, an Unseen employee, noted the slight mayhem that occurred after the tweet including a website crash due to all the orders.

The Unseen Bean, through its convenient online ordering, now easily spreads the caffeinated joy world-wide, or stop on by Pearl Street and enjoy your cup on the bricks!

-Claire Little

Grand Re-Opening at BMoCA with "Pure Pleasure"

Leave it to BMoCA to opt for spring colors in their windows and keep the door open. The inside is a sad tangled mess of wood and metal, but art is all about perspective, right? Thankfully, come June 5th the real exhibition moves in. After months of renovations, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art is finally re-opening! And re-open they will. BMoCA will kick off the new and improved architecture (designed with help from the University of Colorado School of Architecture department), with a frenzy of exhibitions, guided tours, performances and talks to inspire and educate the mind.

The party begins Friday, June 5 at 8 p.m. at the opening reception and first peek at the new exhibition titled "Pure Pleasure." Sure to be a stimulating exhibit of color and wonder, the exhibit promises to provide a "counterbalance to the uncertain times in which we live." It will include many forms of media, including photography, ceramics and paint, while exploring the many definitions of "pleasure."

The exhibit will embody all that is The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art and its dedication to both artist and art. The artists are a smorgasbord of locals, but all well-known within the community and the art itself verges on the line that BMoCA stretches with each new work of art, bringing past into the present, heart into the mind and old into the new.

Check out www.bmoca.org or www.boulderdowntown.com for more listings of events.

-Claire Little

Boulder First Wednesday Night Farmers Market of 2009

Today in Downtown Boulder

Take two minutes to read this blog then turn off your computer and make your way to Downtown Boulder today! The weather is amazing. People are relaxing and enjoying delicious foods and beverages on various outdoor patios. Buskers are performing all along the Pearl Street Mall, hundreds of tulips are in full bloom and perhaps best of all…the Boulder County Farmers’ Market starts their Wednesday season this afternoon from 4 – 8 p.m.!

What’s new this season at the wildly popular Boulder County Farmers’ Market? Specialty organic chocolate and an organic bread baker to name just a few! Over the last year, 20 new farms have begun participating in the market. This means you can expect to find more eggs, pasteurized cow and goat milk, a variety of cheeses, more starter plants to help you grow your own and unique products such as crayfish. Many of the returning vendors are also adding new products to their mix. The market is located just off the Bricks (Pearl Street Mall) next to Central Park on 13th Street between Canyon Boulevard and Arapahoe Avenue.

Later this evening in Downtown Boulder, elephantjournal.com’s “Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis” will take place at the historic Boulder Theater. The show is honored to host Top Chef Hosea Rosenberg, famous yoga teacher John Friend, Titans of New Tech including Gwen Bell, Jeffrey Kalmikoff of Threadless, Brad Feld, Micah Baldwin of Lijit and music by Paper Bird. The event will include an eco-expo, before and after party, music and much more entertainment with the highlight of the evening being an eco-fashion show courtesy of prAna with makeup by top makeup artist, Jen Murphy. Showcased on all of the models will be the bio-active, organic make-up line, Afterglow Cosmetics. Click here for ticket information.

In Downtown Boulder there is something to see and do every day of the week. To find out about other happenings in the heart of the city, visit BoulderDowntown.com.

Cinco de Mayo in Downtown Boulder

Feliz Cinco De Mayo!

Looking for a festive way to enjoy the fifth of May? Join us in Downtown Boulder as businesses celebrate all day! Here’s a little of what’s happening…

Draft House (2027 13th St.) – Happy Hour ALL DAY (including $3 Coronas). Special Cinco de Mayo menu including fire roasted corn on the cob! Onda performs live at 9 p.m. – no cover.

Juanita's (1043 Pearl St.) has been a staple for Cinco de Mayo revelers since 1983. Don't miss out, they will be rockin' all day & night with drink specials, great food & good times for all.

Conor O’Neills (1922 13th St.) – Enjoy $2 Sol bottles, $3 Cuervo Margaritas and $3.99 quesadillas all day!

b.side Lounge (2017 13th St.) – Enjoy Cinco de Mayo with drink specials including: $2 Coronas, $3 House Margs and $3 Tequila Twist shots. Spend Cinco de Mayo with the Jungle Bums (Boulder’s only drum and bass night) starting at 9 p.m. ($1 cover): Plan B, DJ Trees Elwood
mc: JimmytheLoch, plus other special guests!

Rio Grande (1101 Walnut St) LOTS of Cuervo SWAG to give away tonight. Beads, Sombreros, T Shirts etc. DosEquis & Cuervo drinkl specials.


Check out all our Downtown Happy Hours here!