WEEK OF NOVEMBER 7, 2024
VOLUME 35| ISSUE 45
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Buds are blooming in Brighton
Community members come together to celebrate Day of the Dead BY JACKIE RAMIREZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
That happened in February, when the council voted 7-2 on the final reading to allow sales, with Mayor Greg Mills and Councilor Jan Pawlowski voting no. The city’s ordinance limits the number of marijuana stores to four, and requires at least two of them to be socalled “social equity licensees.” Those are people who have lived in economically disadvantaged areas for 15 years or have been jailed for cannabis-related offenses. The stores are allowed in the city’s C-2 and C-3 commercial zones and the I-1 light industrial zones. Those zones are generally removed from most residential areas and are not located downtown or near schools or treatment facilities. The stores can be open from 8 a.m. to midnight daily and would-be retailers must have their plans reviewed and approved by a city licensing authority.
Greeted by music, the scent of marigold flowers and the sound of shoes tapping on hardwood floor as Folklorico group, Baila Conmigo,danced across the hall, residents from Commerce City, Thornton, Denver and Brighton came together on Tuesday to honor their loved ones at a Day of the Dead ceremony at Salon Madrid. Guests were also welcomed by a warm glow that radiated from the candles of the community ofrenda that included pictures placed by the hosts, Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo and California Rep. Pete Aguilar, and by members of the Commerce City community. The Mexican holiday of the Day of the Dead (or what people mistakenly call Mexican Halloween due to sharing similarities like costumes and treats) is made up of two days and the celebration starts on Nov. 1. The first day is for folks to honor their little ones who have passed away. This day is known as the Day of the Little Angels or Día de los Angelitos. The second day, Nov. 2, is dedicated to adults who have passed away, what everyone knows as Día de los Muertos. Both adults and children who have passed away get to come home and be with the living on their respective days. Whether you are celebrating the life of a child or an adult, families put up an ofrenda, or altar, with pictures, candles and marigold flowers, and they fill it with their loved ones’ favorite candies, foods and drinks while playing their loved one’s favorite music. Celebration guest Crisol GuzmanCorral, who is from Brighton and founded the Latino Student Alliance at the University of Colorado-Boulder in July 2023, said that sometimes it’s hard to celebrate Day of the Dead when it’s so rooted in Mexico. “Exactly a year ago today, my grandpa passed away, and unfortunately due to my parents’ status, they couldn’t travel back to Mexico — only I could.
SEE BUDS, P11
SEE CELEBRATE, P5
Gabriella Doyle shows the different strains Star Buds has to offer Oct. 31 at the cannabis retailers Brighton grand opening.
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BUSINESS LOCAL
As city’s first cannabis retailer opens, competitors are gearing up BY SCOTT TAYLOR STAYLOR@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
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The fall of 2024 is proving to be a big one for marijuana fans in Brighton. The city’s first marijuana retailer — national brand Star Buds — opened its doors quietly Oct. 23, in preparation for a noisier celebration on Oct. 31. But three more retailers, Galaxy Greens, The Fireplace and Basecamp Cannabis, are close on Star Buds’ heels, hoping to open their stores as soon as mid-November. “Given Brighton’s historic illegality, we figure there is a five or six-mile radius around us that has nowhere to go to buy product,” Galaxy Greens
co-owner Hutch Greaves said. “So it’s a lack of competition play that we are hanging our hat on.” The four are the first marijuana retailers picked to apply for a license to operate in Brighton after the City Council voted to allow them in March. Star Buds is the first of the four across the finish line. The company celebrated its grand opening on Oct. 31 with presentations by Brighton City Councilor Peter Padilla and members of the city’s Chamber of Commerce. Jim Biviano, Colorado marketing director for Star Bud’s parent company Schwazze, said the company is eager to get started in the new market. “Because we continue to find success where others cannot, we are able to make investments and take advantage of new opportunities, like serving the community of Brighton,” Biviano said. “It’s a wonderful community that has had to travel out of town for far too long to meet their
BRIEFS: 2 | OBITUARIES: 5 | CLASSIFIEDS: 7
needs. We have a beautiful new store that they are going to love visiting time and time again.” Old guard moves along
It’s been 12 years in the making. Colorado legalized recreational marijuana sales in 2012. Brighton voters supported statewide legalization in that vote. But as cities across the state agreed to allow sales within their borders, Brighton did not, voting down a measure to legalize sales and a 4% sales tax on marijuana products. The issue didn’t get support from City Councilors until last year. “Some of the old guard had to step down,” Paul Greaves said. City Councilors voted in Oct. 2023 to allow licensed marijuana retailers on first reading just weeks before the municipal election. The council postponed the final reading until after the election, giving the newly-seated members a final say on the issue.
BELEN WARD
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