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Arvada Livin' Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities

01-22-09
Alethea Smock

One of the main reason Arvada continues to attract new homes, new residents and vitality is the commitment to further education and the Arts and Humanities. The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities one of the largest Humanities institutions in the United States and is hosed right here in Arvada. The Center draws audiences and children from all over the Metro area and offers Art experience on the same level as many Denver institutions.

The interdisciplinary Arts Center has many facets for patron to enjoy with galleries, theater performances, chamber music, dance, art and classes.

Plays: The Theater group garnered 7 Ovation Awards from 24 nominations. The list of Awards are:
• Best Musical – Arvada Center’s Les Misérables
• Best Children’s Production – Arvada Center’s A Year With Frog and Toad
• Best Actor in a Musical – Randal Keith, Arvada Center’s Les Misérables
• Best Supporting Actress in a Dramatic Role – Sharon Kay White, Arvada Center’s Hollywood Arms
• Best Supporting Actor in a Musical – Wayne Kennedy, Arvada Center’s Les Misérables
• Best Supporting Actress in a Musical – Amy Board, Arvada Center’s Les Misérables
• Best Ensemble – Arvada Center’s Les Misérables
The commitment to excellence shows in the quality of programs and programming from the Center. The Theater group showcases its productions in two theaters, the main auditorium and the Black Box theater. All seats have wonderful views and the price can't be beat.

The current season is well underway and boasts such titles as Les Miserables, the Crucible, Evita and Just so, for children.

Classes: Classes at the Center attract more than 25,000 students of all ages from across the metro area each year. They offer over 600 courses a year in the performing arts, dance, music, visual arts, ceramics, photography and the humanities. The classes are generally held in one of the eleven studios and classrooms, three dance studios, a ceramics studio or photography lab. Programs like ArtStart introduce youngsters to the arts while our Arts for Ageless Adults program focuses on courses for the mature creative spirit. The Course catalog is distributed once a quarter and classes fill quickly, so check them out!

Galleries: There are 2 main gallery spaces in the Center where exhibitions from national artists to specially selected local high school students are displayed. The shows change often and the schedule can be reached here:
http://arvada.org/docs/12325857812009%20Gallery%20Exhibition%20Schedule.pdf

The Center hosts many events between regular theater performances and musical concerts. One big upcoming event is the fundraiser for the Center: the Wine and Arts Classic. This years event will be held on Saturday, May 16th 2009. 12 vendors will be pouring select wines and knowledge throughout the Center. All funds will go to support Gallery and Visual Arts programming at the Center. You can purchase tickets at the Center box office or online at arvadacenter.org.

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Bicycling in Arvada

01-20-09
Alethea Smock

Arvada is a vital, active recreational friendly community, a fact recently recognized by the League of American Bicyclists who have named Arvada a "Bicycle Friendly Community" in 2008. The League awards the designation to Cities that have demonstrated that they are integrating bicycles into the community. Currently there are over 135 miles of trails within Arvada and the City maintains a special website where bicyclists can report hazards on the trails.

The scenery and wide path make cycling Arvada a pleasant experience. The trails do connect with Denver and Wheatridge to make commuting via bike a breeze. Some of the larger trails include the Van Bibber trail, with a new Ward road underpass, the Ralston Creek trail and the Fairmount trail. A trail map can be accessed here: http://arvada.org/city-services/arvada-maps/

The APEX Park and Recreation District provides many more ways to be active from the APEX recreations center located at 72nd Ave near Ward Rd. to the Garrison St. sports complex, Lutz ball fields and several indoor and out door pools. They strive to make activity and fitness relevant for everyone with classes for kids and adults and facilities for children, tees, adults and seniors alike.

Having an active, involved population positively impacts property values. The more people get out to exercise and play the more likely they are to keep trails clean, keep roads and facilities in good repair and general ensure the community remains attractive. Arvada property values continue to hold steady, even in todays rough market a testament to the involved community.

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Arvada Livin'

01-13-09
Alethea Smock

Arvada is a wonderful community situated between Denver and Boulder just west of the beautiful Rocky Mountain foothills. The current population is 102,000 which rather small for the Denver metro area. The small town feel and proximity to the mountains and quality of life make it an extremely desirable community. There is a little something for everyone: rural horse properties; affordable, suburban communities; mansion homes; brick duplexes, perfect for renting, transportation friendly apartments and condos, and new homes for all budgets.

We are a short commute from either downtown: Boulder or Denver and just a short drive from the New Conoco Campus (located on the old Storagetek Campus) and the Flatirons Mall. Its an ideal location for anyone working in the energy and technology fields with all the companies that surround the community.

The City is a friendly one and offers many opportunities to be involved in all parts of the Community. There are several citizen boards that help create and maintain the fantastic quality of life we are lucky to have from the Festivals board, the Arts Council, the Transportation committee to the Planning Commission. The Boards and Commissions are a great way to be involved and become an active part of your community.

We are also on the next scheduled build out for the Light Rail in the Metro Area (2012). Olde Town Arvada is located directly on the "Gold Line" and is spurring a renaissance in the community with new condos and apartment homes and a revitalized, walkable downtown.

With interest rates hovering at 5% our community is more affordable than ever in each price range. The foreclosure rate remains low relative to the Metro Area meaning most home values are staying steady. The current inventory on the market is 4 months; meaning if all homes sold, it would take 4 months to do so. Not only is Arvada a nice place to live, its a great place to invest.

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