Tuesday, August 3^rd, 2010

6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Ricketson Auditorium
Denver Museum of Nature & Science — West Entrance

 City Park Alliance is facilitating a public forum to learn more about the Open Air Cinema that is planned for City Park in July 2011.

Denver City Council has already approved the event for City Park, and this forum is intended to provide information on the details of the event and to gather community feedback for the organizers and Denver Parks & Recreation on how to make this event a success for all stakeholders.

Brief presentations and a panel discussion will include speakers representing: US Open Air, who has held similar events in Australia, Switzerland, Brazil, Germany, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates; City Council, Denver Parks & Recreation; and the surrounding community.  An open forum will be facilitated by the Alliance following the panel discussion to gather additional feedback from the public.

To submit a question or concern to be addressed during the panel discussion, please comment here by Monday, August 2.

“This event is a way for the City Park Alliance to give back to the community that supports us throughout the year,” said William Bowman, chair of City Park Alliance.  “We hope to be able to host this event annually for years to come.”

All proceeds raised at the event will go toward flowering bulbs to be planted in the fall.  Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities to help with the planting.

Fountain shows of the Electric Fountain are up and running again after lightening struck last year. The new fountain on Ferril Lake in City Park was dedicated August 19, 2008 in time for the 2008 DNC and just over 100 years after the original fountain was completed on May 30, 1908. The original fountain was supported by Mayor Robert Speer’s City Beautiful plan and the Democratic National Convention coming to Denver during the summer of 1908. The fountain was a centerpiece of life in Denver, drawing thousands of visitors to watch the water and light shows while listening to concerts in City Park. The fountain, which predates the Disney and Las Vegas era of show fountains by over sixty years, was created by engineer Frederic W. Darlington. It was called the Prismatic Electric Fountain because of the rainbow of colored lighting effects created by the special apparatus patented by Darlington in the late 1890’s.

Toward the end of the 20th century, necessary repairs became too frequent and the fountain shows were discontinued. After multiple attempted repairs, the deteriorating fountain was torn down and a 20-month project to build a historically accurate replica of the original fountain began in January 2007. The original Darlington Electric Fountain in City Park was the last known surviving, relatively intact example of Darlington’s work when it was demolished. Denver is the only city with a Darlington Electric Fountain to undertake the daunting task of creating a historically accurate yet modern version of his original work.

The new Electric Fountain vault was designed to match the dimensions of the original fountain based on measurements taken before the demolition. The new fountain vault is constructed with re-bar and a special mix of concrete for strength. The new fountain features the 12 water display effects of the original fountain, but there are now three times as many automatic valves to give dramatic new flexibility in controlling the displays. The new fountain, constructed at a cost of $3.2 million, is run by computer software. In keeping with Denver’s greener image, the fountain uses LED lights that consume about 80 percent less energy than incandescent lighting would require. These state-of-the-are lights are saving over 40,000 Watts of power during the peak demand point of a fountain show.

The fountain recycles between 600 and 4,000 gallons of Ferril Lake water per minute, depending on which water features are active and how high they shoot. The center geyser is designed to shoot to a height of 90 feet. Along with providing visual entertainment, operation of the fountain also aerates the lake water, which reduces algae growth and is good for the fish stocked in the lake.

The Prismatic Electric Fountain shows will be every 5 -10 minutes from 7p.m. to 11p.m. with lighted shows starting at dusk. During the day, the fountain will change patterns every 5 minutes with short fountain shows on the hour.

 The Mile High Loop was the brain-child of former City Park Alliance Board Member Paul Davis, and with the full support of the Alliance and the Department of Parks and Recreation his dream turned into reality.  The trail will ultimately follow a full 5k (3.1 mile) route, and closely follows the city’s 5280 contour line- so you’re exercising at exactly a mile high!  You can find the trail in many locations, including just behind the Graham Bible House near the 21st & York gate, cutting between Ferril Lake and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (where you can catch the best view in the city), and running parallel to the roadway along the southside of the Park.  The trail is made of crusher-fine material, making it both pleasant and comfortable for both walkers and runners.  Stay tuned to the Alliance website for a future map!

Mile High Loop Inaugural Walk