People walk past the 35-foot tall, 65-foot diameter “Epicenter” sculpture as they enter the new Weidner Field Friday night, April 23, 2021. The $4.5 million sculpture at the entrance to the soccer stadium was reveal to an invited crowd during a tour of the new facility. The Switchbacks play their first match at the stadium Saturday in a preseason game against Orange County. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Christian Murdock/The Gazette
Aaron Ewton Courtesy Meegan Dobson
Aaron Ewton moved to Colorado Springs from Claremore, Oklahoma â the birthplace and hometown of Will Rogers, âOklahomaâs Favorite Son.â In Claremore, thereâs a memorial museum dedicated to the entertainer, actor, cowboy, columnist and humorist.
His tomb rests on the grounds, overlooking Rogers State University â where Ewton completed his undergraduate education. Ewtonâs home here in Colorado Springs is overlooked by another memorial dedicated to The Cowboy Philosopher: The Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun. Itâs an 80-foot observation tower and monument built by Springs entrepreneur and philanthropist, Spencer Penrose â whose remains are interred within the chapel.Â
That being the case, Red Swing has a higher bar to clear to be really special â especially sitting across the street from a more established joint like Pikes Peak Brewing Companyâs Lager House. But after we pick up two crowlers and sample them, weâre not at all worried for their future; the beerâs great.
Brut Force, a brut pale ale, hits the basic style expectations: Itâs drier than wildfire season, fizzy, clean, crisp-finishing and just bitter enough that itâs unmistakable.
For the hops, we get some grassy, herbal and fruity aroma notes, but each appears pretty subtle. Nearly its opposite, the
Bryan Grossman, Editor-in-Chief
I donât use the term âshout outâ often â or at all, come to think of it â but this column seems like as good a time as any to try new things. So allow me to set the stage.
While many people felt someone hit the pause button on their lives in 2020, big things kept happening in this city. I work downtown but live in the northern reaches of the county. My wife and son hadnât seen downtown in quite some time, so we decided to take a trip to the cityâs core last Sunday and have a meander. All I can say is, if this is what we can accomplish in less-than-ideal circumstances, just wait until the city is firing on all cylinders. And this renaissance didnât happen on its own; there are some who most definitely deserve a shout out.
Yes, Connecticut-style pizza is a thing. Griffin Swartzell
Itâs long been noted that, for a variety of reasons, the Springsâ dining trends have lagged behind other major citiesâ. Perhaps the closest example, the
Indyâs food writing team has pointed out the substantially different vibe we get when a Denver restaurant concept expands to the Springs, Ã la Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar, Ambli and, most recently, Birdcall. Prior to that, when Atomic Cowboy and Dos Santos Taqueria opened on South Tejon Street in 2018, food editor Matthew Schniper coined the term âDenverizationâ to describe the emerging trend.
But in retrospect, this invites a few questions: Why should the Springs food scene follow Denverâs? Isnât the whole reason folks come here instead of the Mile High City the fact that, expensive as the Springs has gotten, itâs still way more affordable than Denver? These spots generally arenât cheap