John Akal, Avenue Flashes
Back when I was a kid a friend of mine had a bumper sticker stuck on his locker at school. In big bold letters it said BE AMERICAN, BUY AMERICAN then in little tiny letters at the bottom corner it said Made in Japan. We all used to crack up about that one.
Well, this week I got a flyer in the mail that made me remember that bumper sticker. It says Think Golden, Buy Golden, Be Golden. It doesn’t say where it was printed.
What it does say is March 8-17 is Buy Golden Week, and for those of us living here, that’s a good thing. Our local economy can always use the boost that comes from increased sales, but in addition to that, purchases this week at local retailers, restaurants and service shops will help to fund several programs, as well as technology needs in our Golden Public Schools.
If you haven’t made the rounds recently to see what’s available at our Golden businesses, take an afternoon and check it out. When you live in an area for a while, it’s easy to start thinking that you’ve already seen everything in town, and may not notice the new shops popping up, or that some of the restaurants have changed, or that there’s a new guy fixing cars down the block.
The shops in downtown alone offer an incredible array of first-rate merchandise, and a lot of unique items. There are all kinds of terrific restaurants serving food from around the world as well as good old American cuisine. Plus, there are enough mechanics servicing everything you can get on or off the road to practically have a convention.
Now, not every business with a Golden address is in the city limits, and the Denver West and Colorado Mills Malls are not included in this program. But pretty much every other area of Golden is, including Heritage Square and Pleasant View. For a complete map and more details go to www.buygoldenweek.com.
So make it a point this week to buy something Golden. The kids in the schools will thank you for it, and so will their teachers.
It’s alive!
Golden’s history, that is. This year our Golden History Museums are marking their 75th anniversary and they have loads of events planned all year long.
A great one coming up is their Spring Hands-on History Camp. It’s for ages 6-11 and will run March 26-28, which coincides with Jeffco School’s Spring Break. Kids can sign up for one, two or all three interactive half-day camps that run from 9 a.m. until noon. Each day has a different theme and the cost is $30 or $27 for members of the Golden History Museums. Daily drop-offs and pick-ups will be at the Astor House Museum.
You can find out more information about the camps by calling 303-278-3557 or visiting their www.goldenhistory.org.
John Akal is a well-known jazz artist/drummer and leader of the 20-piece Ultraphonic Jazz Orchestra. He also is president of John Akal Imaging, professional commercial photography and multimedia production.
