http://denver.yourhub.comThe latest blog posts in The Denver Newspaper Agency YourHub.comen-usnews@yourhub.com(c) 2009, YourHub.com5The cities and people of the Philippines have been devastated this year by typhoons and flooding. Manila happens to be the site for this year's International Art Festival, organized by the Lantern of the East, Los Angeles (L.E.L.A.). Four Parker Artists Guild (PAG) members, Gayle Crite...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Your-Voice/Blog~686297.aspx11/12/2009 3:03:29 PMJoe McDanielFor the seventh year in a row, members of the Parker Artists Guild (PAG) are preparing for Art in the Park. This year there will be sixty tents for individual artist displays set up in shady O'Brien Park, along with another five tents being shared among 18 other artists. This is not a craf...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~648414.aspx8/20/2009 1:35:54 PMJoe McDanielA terrific new art exhibit opened at the Mainstreet Center, Parker, on Friday, July 31. A collaboration of the Parker Artists Guild and the Parker Cultural Commission, headed by Kelly Kuper , entries were called for from artists in all of the Art Guilds across Douglas County. The work of 70 ar...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~642610.aspx8/2/2009 3:14:35 PMJoe McDanielThe weekend ParkerFest events being held in Old Town Parker throughout the summer offer a lot of attractions for the whole family. Taking a walk down Mainstreet and along Pike Pikes Drive on Sunday, May 24, I took photos of a number of entertainers, cooking demos and kids having a great time. ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~619218.aspx5/25/2009 11:11:31 AMJoe McDanielHula hoops became a craze around the world in the 1950's. There were a few exceptions such as Indonesia where they were banned, because in the local culture it wasn't socially acceptable to shake one's hips in public. After its release in 1958 one company sold 100 million in its first year. A...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~619194.aspx5/25/2009 10:30:53 AMJoe McDanielEach weekend through this summer the Downtown Development Council (DDC) of Old Town Parker is organizing activities and events as part of the increasingly popular ParkerFest. Arts, crafts, a Farmers Market, live entertainment, food and refreshments and kids activities are available for visito...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~616338.aspx5/17/2009 4:46:49 PMJoe McDanielWhen the sky is filled with flying sharks, dragons, butterflies, Rokkaku and Genki kites you must be at a kite festival. On Saturday, May 9, 2009 the first Parker Kite Festival was held. Over 60 kids, ages 3 to 15 registered to enter several contests, including Longest Flying Kite, Best Handmade...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~613514.aspx5/9/2009 2:54:37 PMJoe McDanielThe next time someone suggests you "go fly a kite," you can retain control of the situation. You don't always have to be a blockhead like poor Charlie Brown. On Saturday, May 9, 2009, the Downtown Development Council is bringing a Kite Flying Festival to Parker. It will be held at O'Brien Par...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~602174.aspx4/10/2009 4:22:59 PMJoe McDanielThe IT Department staff of Centura Corporate recently collected lots of stuffed toy animals, most notably bunny rabbits, to donate to hospitals to give to children receiving medical treatment. On April 8, Winter De Vito , IT Receptionist from Centura Corporate Offices, delivered a large pl...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~601397.aspx4/8/2009 7:04:14 PMJoe McDanielThe Annual Spring Art Show, sponsored by the Parker Artists Guild was held over the weekend of March 28-29 at the Mainstreet Center, Parker. This colorful, friendly, event offered plenty of unique works of art and fine crafts for visitors, with demonstrations , face-painting (for the kids) an...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~597166.aspx3/28/2009 2:54:27 PMJoe McDanielThe familiar poem, sometimes described as the Brooklyn National Anthem, goes; Spring is sprung, Da grass is riz; I wonder where de boidies is. De boid is on de wing, But that's absoid! The wing is on the boid! The grass in Parker hasn't riz yet and we may not see any boids, but we rec...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~593814.aspx3/19/2009 8:16:41 PMJoe McDanielThere are talented artists living in the Parker area. One of the best and most versatile is Parker resident and Parker Artists Guild member Rick Hunckler . Painting has been a part of Rick's life since early childhood. When he is not enjoying the outdoors backpacking or skiing in the high cou...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Art/Blog~585609.aspx2/28/2009 3:36:46 PMJoe McDanielLong before St. Patrick's Day was declared a public Holiday in Ireland, Irish American immigrants began holding Saint Paddy's Day public celebrations and parades in major cities across the USA. Not surprisingly the first such event took place in Boston in 1737, followed by New York City 1762. De...http://denver.yourhub.com/LoneTree/Blogs/Archive/Blog~585538.aspx2/28/2009 10:29:57 AMJoe McDanielLong before St. Patrick's Day was declared a public Holiday in Ireland, Irish American immigrants began holding Saint Paddy's Day public celebrations and parades in major cities across the USA. Not surprisingly the first such event took place in Boston in 1737, followed by New York City 1762. De...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~585536.aspx2/28/2009 10:16:50 AMJoe McDanielDuring last December's Carriage Day Parade and over the New Year visitors to Old Town Parker were able to watch and enjoy ice carvings being created along Mainstreet and Pikes Peak Drive in Parker. Weekend carriage rides were also available and were enthusiastically supported by the public. M...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~577129.aspx2/5/2009 3:45:23 PMJoe McDanielThe Parker Artists Guild has opened it's latest art exhibit at Parker's Mainstreet Center Gallery. The challenging theme was "From Inspiration to Creation." Artists were required to submit a statement about their entry describing what inspired them to create it. The result is a relatively...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~576641.aspx2/4/2009 4:07:44 PMJoe McDanielHaving lived through almost 23,725 sunsets I would think they might have become boring. It's humbling to realize that every sunset ever seen or photographed has been unique. There are no two sunsets the same. Similar maybe; but definitely not the same. Colorado certainly serves up a variety o...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~576570.aspx2/4/2009 1:50:24 PMJoe McDanielI have just completed a new book and sent it off to the internet publisher. Creating a book can be a labor of love and this one certainly qualifies for that description. My wife and I spent many long hours and days checking and editing the finished tome. The title is "Roads Less Traveled," from ...http://denver.yourhub.com/LoneTree/Blogs/Archive/Travel/Blog~573050.aspx1/27/2009 10:10:17 AMJoe McDanielI have just completed a new book and sent it off to the internet publisher. Creating a book can be a labor of love and this one certainly qualifies for that description. My wife and I spent many long hours and days checking and editing the finished tome. The title is "Roads Less Traveled," from ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Travel/Blog~572910.aspx1/26/2009 6:22:30 PMJoe McDanielFollowing all the media attention being paid to new Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels , I have been struck by how similar we are. The main difference is that he spells his last name with an "s" at the end and his first name is a little longer than mine. But apart from the name thing it would ...http://denver.yourhub.com/LoneTree/Blogs/Archive/Sports/National-World-Sports/Blog~572902.aspx1/26/2009 5:21:38 PMJoe McDanielFollowing all the media attention being paid to new Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels, I have been struck by how similar we are. The main difference is that he spells his last name with an "s" at the end and his first name is a little longer than mine. But apart from the name thing it would be h...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Sports/National-World-Sports/Blog~572900.aspx1/26/2009 5:15:57 PMJoe McDanielI couldn't resist photographing this creative ice sculpture in front of Vines Wine Bar & Tapas in Old Town Parker on Friday, January 2, 2009. It shows a bottle of red wine being poured into a large ice bowl. This was carved by Aetshetics Ice of Denver and was commissioned by Lee and ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~563975.aspx1/3/2009 12:45:04 PMJoe McDanielOkay, Times Square it isn't. But Mainstreet in Old Town Parker is pretty colorful. On the second evening of 2009 I photographed some of the ice carvings that many businesses have sponsored. The ice sculpture pictured here was in front of The Warhorse Inn, directly across Mainstreet from t...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~563966.aspx1/3/2009 12:13:24 PMJoe McDanielOn the afternoon of New Years Eve several ice carvers returned to Old Town Parker. Following up on the very successful Old Town Parker Carriage Rides and other Holiday events throughout December, members of the Parker Downtown Development Council (DDC) arranged for ice carving specialists from A...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~563601.aspx1/1/2009 4:50:42 PMJoe McDanielOn Saturday, December 20, thirteen of our family members, including our four granddaughters (ages 3 to 7) drove to Manitou Springs to ride on the Santa Train, an annual event run by the Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway. Our daughter-in-law Lauren McDaniel had reserved our tickets about two mo...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Travel/Blog~561564.aspx12/23/2008 11:48:47 AMJoe McDanielThe free carriage rides organised by the Downtown Development Council in Old Town Parker have been attracting good crowds. The enthusiastic Initial response and larger than anticipated crowds led to an extra horse and carriage being added. Three horse-drawn carriages have been circling the downto...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~560911.aspx12/21/2008 2:33:46 PMJoe McDanielBill Hall began to take woodcarving seriously in 1999 when he carved an 8 inch long grizzley bear from a small piece of bass wood, or linden. Because it was his first he called it "First Born." That began a serious and dedicated journey of discovery and creativity. The rural Elizabeth, Colorado...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Art/Blog~558533.aspx12/14/2008 3:55:06 PMJoe McDanielOn Saturday afternoon, December 13, the Annual Christmas Carriage Parade was held in Parker. 6 Year old Bonnie Skalecke , pictured here, was having a great time watching the colorful parade with marching bands, horse-drawn carriages, and big enthusiastic crowds. The parade, as in prior years, ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Blog~558511.aspx12/14/2008 1:23:27 PMJoe McDanielA new Art Show has opened for public view at Parker's Mainstreet Center Gallery on Wednesday, November 5. The show theme, "A Different View" encouraged artists to try something a little out of their ordinary style, medium or point of view. The resulting 50 interesting works of art will be on di...http://denver.yourhub.com/Parker/Blogs/Archive/Art/Blog~542788.aspx10/31/2008 3:11:13 PMJoe McDanielDespite all of the opportunities we have these days to communicate with others, it seems like we are moving steadily away from sharing good old fashioned, truly thoughtful words we use to be able to exchange. Younger folks today rely on text messages and emails and more efficient ways to fire wo...http://denver.yourhub.com/LoneTree/Blogs/Archive/Blog~533883.aspx10/12/2008 3:46:06 PMJoe McDaniel