By: Bill Davis and Sandy Safford
If I had a wagon, I would go to Colorado,
Go to Colorado…..Where a man can walk a mile high.
If I had a Chevy, I would drive to Colorado,
Drive to Colorado….Where a man can walk a mile high.
If I had an airplane, I would fly to Colorado,
Fly to Colorado….Where a man can walk a mile high.
Most third graders in Denver school learn the song “Colorado” by David Allen and Paul Colwell when they study the history of their state. The Local Committee encourages you to drive your Chevy (or any other vehicle) or fly instead of coming by “covered wagon,” but you should plan on being in Denver, where anyone can walk a mile high! The “Mile High City,” named for its elevation at 5280 feet, welcomes you with traditional Western hospitality to the 2017 Annual Event at the Marriott-Denver Tech Center.
Why head to Denver in January 2017? Isn’t there snow in all those Rocky Mountains? While our beautiful Rockies typically experience their first snow before Halloween, that snow means great adventures for skiing, snowboarding and snow-shoeing. And have we got a deal for you! Come early and enjoy all that snow. Read about ski packages here. Or after the Annual Event head up into the mountains on Saturday to Highlands Presbyterian Camp and Retreat Center for a couple days of Retreat. For retreat information, check our website here. But since Colorado receives the majority of its snow in March and April, we are much more likely to have a white Easter than white Christmas. Come early or stay late. Free parking at the Marriott is great incentive to drive your Chevy or rent one when you arrive in Denver. Add some time to your trip and enjoy all the Mile High City has to offer.
Off-site workshops are another way to enjoy Colorado during the Annual Event. Check out the Denver Urban Matters Educational Experience, Denver Art Museum Tour, the Geological/Mountain Tour, and the Garden of the Gods Tour. Along with Portland and Asheville, Denver is part of the holy trinity of craft beer towns. There are dozens of small breweries within a few miles of our hotel. On Tuesday and Thursday nights you can gather with a driver to tour and taste beer in the nearby breweries.
Join us in Denver for some Coloradan hospitality. Kicking off Wednesday night is the “Taste of Colorado,” where we will feature a wide variety of Denver and Colorado’s best! Musicians, artists, storytellers, and historians will present the flavors and cultures of the people that make Colorado the wonderfully diverse community that it is. Experience a little taste of Colorado as you relax, kick back, try a local brew or just sing a few John Denver favorites.
The hospitality of APCE also extends to leaving a mark on the community where the Annual Event is held. The local mission this year is Shiloh House, a 501c non-profit organization offering services tailored to meet the varied educational, emotional and mental health needs of Colorado youth and families in a home-like environment. “Community—it’s what we are, it’s where we are.” In addition, there is a special mission project for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance as we join local churches in collecting items for “Gifts of the Heart” hygiene kits. Read more about how you can be a part of these here.
However you choose to get to Colorado, the Denver Local Committee is looking forward to welcoming you to our Mile-High City in a couple months! See you in Denver!
Bill Davis & Sandy Safford
Local Committee Chairpersons
Sandy and Bill’s Top 4 reasons to come to Denver
Bill Davis is the pastor of Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church in Northglenn, Colorado. He looks forward to welcoming you to experience the wonderful mountains, tasty beer, and incredible music of our Colorful Colorado!
Sandy Safford is a Christian Educator and Commissioned Ruling Elder currently serving a PCUSA congregation in Byers, Colorado as Lay Pastor. A fourth generation Colorado native and life-long Presbyterian, it is a joy to welcome APCE to Denver in January 2017. The Local Committee is working hard to show everyone our Western Hospitality.