Denver, CO
“Christian privilege” in Colorado mountain town’s amphitheater fuels church-and-state storm
DILLON – Town leaders’ refusal to reconsider a longstanding practice of letting a Christian church use the Dillon Amphitheater for Sunday prayers has hurled the town into a national storm over worship in public facilities.
They now face potential lawsuits from pressure groups. Freedom from Religion Foundation attorneys are demanding an end to any preferential treatment for the Dillon Community Church. The rival First Liberty Institute sent a countervailing letter urging continued use, warning that recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions favor greater mixing of church and state.
Town staffers hit with multiplying requests from a diversity of religious groups to rent the amphitheater had proposed to shut down access by all outside groups and allow only town-sponsored events such as rock concerts. But town council members on June 11 rejected that approach and voted 5-1 to allow continued use by the church. Two members derided Dillon’s Denver-based contract attorney Kathleen Kelly for creating roadblocks after she raised constitutional concerns. Kelly resigned the next day.
The drama lit up chat sites — Friendly Athiest commenters decried “Christian privilege” — and led to a special meeting Wednesday night where town leaders faced a cacophony from residents. Then leaders accepted advice from a new attorney and back-tracked, temporarily prohibiting the use of the amphitheater by all groups until leaders set a legally defensible policy.
“There needs to be a separation of church and state. We cannot favor one denomination over another,” town manager Nathan Johnson said in an interview. “Now with the popularity of the venue we have more and more people reaching out. Everybody wants to be down there,” he said.
“If we are going to open up the amphitheater, we have to open it up for everybody.”
For more than 40 years, Dillon leaders have let the Dillon Community Church, a non-denominational Christian organization that owns a building a few blocks away, run evangelical “outreach” events appealing to Colorado high country visitors.
The amphitheater was built in 1993 as a low-key community band shell. Town officials have transformed it into one of the nation’s trendiest concert venues by investing $10 million, including a $1 million grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, for an overhaul completed in 2018. Seats on a grassy hillside look out on the blue waters of Lake Dillon, a Denver Water reservoir, and majestic snow-splotched mountain peaks. Town officials charge a $25,000 fee for promoters of town-sponsored concerts. The venue holds up to 3,656 people. Town-sponsored activities also include country line dancing and yoga.
But religious worship is now canceled.
Dillon Community Church officials had lauded town leaders’ initial stance. “We are grateful that the council voted down the new policy that would limit all non-profit organizations that are not city-sponsored,” their posting said.
Senior pastor Jim Howard said Friday he’s confident town council members will sort out future access. “If they say we can’t use it while they figure out the legalities, we’ll stay in our building. We definitely don’t want a lawsuit,” Howard said.
The church paid a $1,100 annual rental fee, town officials said, and Howard said his 220-member church draws 300 to 800 people to the Sunday worship events.
Church members have mobilized. “Dillon Community Church should be grandfathered into whatever contract. They’ve been here for over 40 years,” church representative Wendy Myers told leaders at the packed special meeting. “It attracts an incredible number of our visitors who come to the county every single summer and love coming to church.”
She and others advocated opening the amphitheater to all religious groups. Former council member Tim Westerberg supports that but also spoke out against new council members’ political tactics. “They don’t seem to care about what the community thinks. They don’t seem to care about what their attorney says. They don’t seem to care about what the Constitution says. It’s just damn the torpedoes full speed away, bulldoze ahead our agenda.”
Problems around prayers in the amphitheater arose earlier this year when other religious groups, including a Jewish synagogue, Native American tribes, and people of various faiths planning weddings asked to rent the facility, Johnson said. “Everybody is attracted to the lake, the natural beauty of the lake,” he said.
“It’s a dilemma because an expectation has been set” in allowing the Dillon Community Church events.
When other religious groups requested access, “we put them on hold,” he said. “That’s what started this conversation. We haven’t told anyone ‘no’ – at least that I’m aware of. We want to have clear and definitive direction from the town council on what is allowed and not allowed in this setting.”
If Dillon officials excluded any other religious group, members of that group could file a civil rights lawsuit, said Madeline Ziegler, staff attorney for the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, which has filed a legal petition seeking town communications with the Dillon Community Church and other groups to explore a possible lawsuit.
Dillon’s practice has sent “a signal to the town residents that their government prefers Christianity and that Christians will be treated better than other people in this town. That’s not a message that the people’s representatives should be allowed to send,” Ziegler said.
Dillon could avoid a lawsuit by setting a formal policy that includes “a welcoming and inclusive message that all are welcome and equally allowed to use the town’s facilities,” she said. Otherwise, town leaders would be acting to ensure “the continued dominance of one church that has the backing of the town over all other religious organizations.”
Attorneys with the Texas-based First Liberty Institute, a conservative Christian legal organization devoted to”restoring religious liberty,” have prevailed in cases at the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices have decided that “history and tradition” must be considered in determining whether government is too intertwined with religion.
Senior attorney Lea Patterson, in her letter sent Tuesday, encouraged Dillon leaders “to continue to allow the church to rent the amphitheater” so as not to invite a lawsuit.
Finding space for religion in Colorado increasingly presents challenges. Soaring real estate prices mean church groups can be hard-pressed to afford buildings, said Jon Stavney, director of the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, which supports local leaders. “Look at the cost of housing. If you are a church, it makes sense to use public space at a reduced cost,” Stavney said.
In the Eagle Valley west of Vail, the Redeemer church rents space for Sunday worship at the public Brush Creek Elementary School.
For elected leaders, deciding to end a longstanding public worship tradition such as the Dillon Community Church’s use of the town amphitheater can be politically perilous because leaders in small towns typically have to face down residents in grocery aisles, he said.
“If I were in their shoes, and this entity had been using a public space for a long time, I would have some loyalty to the history of that group using that facility.”
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Joy comes in many forms.
It was impossible to miss as royal blue caps and baseball gloves soared into the air on a cloudless Saturday, celebrating Cherry Creek’s 10th state baseball title.
On the All-Star Park field after an 8-1 victory over Regis Jesuit, teammates screamed and hugged as parents, overcome with emotion, wiped away tears. There is nothing like finishing a season as a champion.
For Wyatt and Walker Rudden, it represented their last time on a high school diamond together. Wyatt, the senior ace on his way to Michigan, and Walker, the gritty junior second baseman who refused to give up on his dream of starting, paused when trying to wrap their heads around the scene unfolding around them.
“His last pitch was a groundball to me,” Walker said, shaking his head. “Can you believe that?”
“He battled all year to get out there,” added Wyatt. “This was really special.”
Joy comes in many forms.
On the mound, Wyatt operates more like a middle linebacker than a pitcher. His fastball reaches 88 miles per hour, and he throws inside without fear, a trait “that really separates him and leads to his success,” explained Bruins pitching coach Dave Veres.
Wyatt reacted to three inning-ending strikeouts by flexing like Hulk Hogan before his finishing move.
“There might be a sip of an energy drink involved,” said Walker, who allowed one run on three hits, while navigating six walks with eight Ks over five innings. “What can I say? I love to compete. And the stakes were high.”
Joy comes in many forms.
Behind home plate, mother Megan stood watching, cheering, hiding her anxiety with polite conversation and a nervous smile. Husband Nick planted down the left field line, watching as a proud father and former Cherry Creek feeder team coach who worked with many of the kids on the roster.
“It means so much not because of the outcome but everything that goes into it,” Nick said. “We are blessed.”
The Rudden family is a Cherry Creek family. Nick and his three brothers played for legendary coach Marc Johnson. Nick won back-to-back titles in 1998 and 1999 as part of the school’s five-year run of dominance.
He carved out a role as a utility player at Michigan before returning home. That is when reality clobbered him over the head. His sister Tammy Rudden Krause’s 5-year-old daughter Gabby was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2003. She passed away after a 19-month battle.
Joy, even when facing unimaginable pain and loss, comes in many forms.
Tammy created the Bags of Fun Foundation in Gabby’s honor. Over 15,000 backpacks with toys and games have been given to children fighting critical, long-term and life-threatening conditions in Denver, Kansas City and Omaha.
“Gabby was so brave, such a strong spirit,” said Dananne Solomon, the foundation’s director in Colorado. “She turned her own fight into a movement of laughter.”
The program relies on fundraising — Cherry Creek High School plays an important role during their spring power week — and volunteers. Wyatt and Walker never met Gabby, but became immersed in her memory as they helped out in any way they could.
“They are always available for work at the warehouse,” said Tammy, who has been attending Cherry Creek games for decades, watching her brothers and nephews. “They go to work and do the not-so-fun stuff behind the scenes.”
The way Nick sees it, he would not have a family if not for Gabby. Megan worked as Gabby’s nanny after college. That is how she met Nick.
“My wife and our children, none of it exists without the cause. It is hard to articulate who Gabby was, her resilience,” Nick said. “I can’t do justice on what she has meant to us.”
It was around middle school when Wyatt and Walker began to realize how special Gabby was. It was natural for them to volunteer. But it went beyond that. At Cherry Creek, they recruited teammates and classmates. They saw firsthand how awful cancer is, and how customized bags of toys can allow kids to be kids again, even if only for a few hours.
“It just changes their lives. It’s horrible to have to deal with cancer,” Walker said. “This gives them some control in a situation where they often feel like they don’t have any.”
Wyatt has also viewed Gabby as someone who put others before herself. Not long ago, he listened to a classmate recall his experience with cancer. It brought everything full circle.
“He got a Bag of Fun. And just to hear his story was amazing. He had a really tough time and that really helped him through his process,” Wyatt said. “It was a reminder of just how meaningful the work and the (foundation) are.”
Joy comes in many forms.
Holding a trophy, surrounded by friends you have played with for years, creates goosebumps. These teammates will walk together forever.
But there was something deeper than sports at work on this sun-bleached afternoon. When the cheering stopped, and the long walk began to the parking lot, there was humility learned from small victories that are a lot bigger than a baseball game.
“My sister has taken the memory of Gabby and created a legacy. I can’t tell you how proud I am of her, of what she’s done,” Nick said. “She has inspired our family, Wyatt, Walker, Annabelle and Hudson. She has inspired the Cherry Creek baseball community to help, to never take anything for granted. Today is a day when Gabby’s memory lives on.”
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Originally Published:
A giant rhino statue has been spotted at 29th Street and Arkins Court, signaling new activity at Denargo Market, a 17-acre mixed-use development in Denver’s RiNo Art District.
Standing 30 feet tall and weighing 22,000 pounds, the Denargo Rhino is the first piece of public art to arrive on the site.
“Before full buildout of the entire 17-acre site, we want people to feel like Denargo Market is a destination worth visiting,” said Sean Campbell, CEO of FORMATIV.
“The rhino is our first big step in prioritizing public elements for Denverites to interact with. Whether you’re climbing its sides, snapping a photo, or exploring our new parks and river activation, the rhino will welcome you to Denargo Market as a landmark that will be enjoyed for generations to come.”
Constructed from weatherized steel, the rhino features all-weather climbable panels, custom paint, lighting and surrounding elements like birdhouses.
The climbable statue, which won’t actually be climbable until later this summer, was envisioned by Denargo’s landscape architect Sasaki, in collaboration with developers Golub & Co. and FORMATIV.
It was brought to life by area fabricators JunoWorks and Eldorado Climbing Walls, with engineering support by Craft Engineering Studio.
While impressive, the Denargo Rhino is really just a baby compared to “Blucifer,” the 32-foot-tall blue mustang sporting red glowing eyes near Denver International Airport, and the 40-foot blue bear sculpture that peers into the convention center.
Online Reddit users have already welcomed the Rhino as one of the area’s apex predators, though some have questioned why it isn’t painted all blue to match its fellow titans. Golub & Co. and FORMATIV have launched a public naming campaign for the towering rhino sculpture.
As part of the “Name the Rhino” campaign, the public is invited to submit name ideas through Thursday, June 5.
Finalists will be selected shortly after, and the public will have a chance to vote on their favorites with the winning name announced during an unveiling event with Denver City Councilman Darrell Watson on June 12.
“We’re so excited to invite the community to be part of this story and help us give this iconic rhino a name that reflects the character and creativity of Denver,” said Laura Newman, vice president of investment & development at Golub & Co.
“Our goal with both the rhino and the public realm was to create a true sense of place here at Denargo Market, and we hope this becomes a beloved landmark for neighbors, families and visitors.”
Spread across the South Platte riverfront just north of Downtown Denver, Denargo Market is zoned to offer 3 million square feet of development, including residential, retail, office and hospitality spaces, public art and more.
The site will also feature over 1,000 for-rent residential units and 4 acres of public open spaces, anchored by sport courts, nature-based play, community gardens and a revitalized dog park.
Construction of infrastructure and public parks began in September 2023. Since then, the project has completed a 56-unit affordable housing community, the sport courts and the dog park, according to a project brochure.
By the third quarter of this year, 4 acres of public realm improvements, including art installations and community spaces, will be completed.
To date, $190 million has been invested in the development, generating an estimated $50 million in revenue for the City and County of Denver during construction.
The site was formerly home to Denver’s largest food market, housing more than 500 grower stands. However, in July 1971, a four-alarm fire destroyed the market and the site became largely industrial and vacant.
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Thousands of people will be at Civic Center Park this weekend for the Outside Festival. It’s in its second year in downtown Denver.
Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
The festival includes concerts plus adventure films, climbing experiences, athlete panels and signings, yoga classes, gear demos, a kids’ zone and food.
Tickets are still available at festival.outsideonline.com.
There are some road closures around Civic Center Park due to the festival. Broadway is closed through the weekend from 17th Street to 13th Avenue. A portion of 14th Avenue is also closed.
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