S E A R C H
SOUTHAURORA SOUTH AURORA’S PREMIER MONTHLY COMMUNITY MAGAZINE SINCE 2009
In This Month’s Issue
Magazine
South Aurora
Denver, CO
PAID Permit 5377 Prsrt Std U.S. Postage
Plus much more!
ECRWSS
Just Between Friends Shopping Event
12760 Stroh Ranch Way, Suite 202 Parker, CO 80134 303-805-9455
Local Business Spotlight l The Bookends
POSTAL PATRON
Bald is Beautiful l Real Women Have Curves
Cover photo by Taryn Weiss
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S E A R C H
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We Need Your Head Bald is beautiful
South Aurora
Real Women Have Curves Don’t miss this funny show playing at the Aurora Fox
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Get Your Shopping On Don’t miss this Just Between Friends kids shopping event
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Local Business Spotlight Colorado Music Quest
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Local Business Spotlight Love Hair
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The Bookends & Local Author Spotlight
Magazine
MARCH 2018 VOLUME 10 ISSUE 3
This month’s Cover Photo Contest winner is Taryn Weiss with this beautiful snap shot in time of a local resident during a vibrant sunrise. If you’ve got a perfect photo for the cover of Search South Aurora Magazine then submit it for our cover contest! Visit SouthAuroraMagazine.com for details and to enter.
Check out our online Events Calendar at SouthAuroraMagazine.com. You can even post your community events there for FREE! 3
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PUBLISHER MIKE WAID
mike.waid@waidpublishing.com 303-805-9455 xt 700
SALES DIRECTOR KAYCE ARTHUR
kayce@waidpublishing.com 303-805-9455 xt 706
EDITORIAL TIFFANY GRIZZLE
tiffany@waidpublishing.com
Search South Aurora Magazine is published 12 times per year by Waid Publishing (www. WaidPublishing.com), a division of Mike Waid & Associates, Inc. (www.MikeWaid. com), 12760 Stroh Ranch Way, Suite 202, Parker, CO 80134, 303-805-9455. Search South Aurora Magazine is available online at www.SouthAuroraMagazine.com. Search South Aurora Magazines is a trademark of Waid Publishing. All rights reserved. The views, opinions and/or statements made or expressed by individuals and/or entities, are not necessarily reflective of the views and opinions of Waid Publishing. No part of this publication may be reproduced without explicit permission from Search South Aurora Magazine. Copyright 2018 Search South Aurora Magazine - All rights Reserved.
WE NEED YOUR HEAD Bald is Beautiful
Cancer sucks. Sorry for such strong language, but I don’t know any other way to put it. Cancer just plain and simply sucks. Especially if the person battling this awful disease is a child. Not only is it scary to fight this battle, but kids also have to undergo the negative effects of treatment including losing their hair during chemo.
This is where you come in. You can become a warrior against cancer, help raise money to find a cure and stand in solidarity with a proud bald head! That’s right, you going under the clippers can make the difference in this fight against pediatric cancer. Here is all you have to do. Head over to shavethemayor.com and click the GET SHAVED button at the top of the page to sign up as a “shavee” at the 6th annual Shave the Mayor fundraiser for the St. Baldrick’s foundation. Once you sign up, you will set a goal to raise and start asking your friends and family to support you. Let them know that if you reach your goal, you will go bald for them...and for all the kids who don’t have the choice to go bald, but do so while fighting cancer and undergoing treatment.
Young or old, boy or girl, no matter who you are or what you do, we can all pull together to show these kids that they are not alone when they lose their hair and the we are battling along side them to find a cure. This is our 6th year of shaving our heads (and our faces) while we raise money and awareness of pediatric cancer. Last year we raised over $80,000 and had over 110 peole shave. This year, we can do better but we need your help. Our theme for 2017 is “Six Figures in Six Years.” That’s right, we are trying to raise over $100,000 for pediatric cancer and the way we do it is by having 200 or more people shaving. So please join us in becoming a cancer warrior. Head over to ShaveTheMayor.com and join me, my son Matthew and many others as we go bald on April 28th and become warriors against pediatric cancer!
Sign up today at ShaveTheMayor.com
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Opening February 23rd and running through March 18th, the Aurora Fox Arts Center proudly presents “Real Women Have Curves,” a comically subversive play that allows us inside the private lives on five Latina women working in a factory. “Real Women Have Curves” was revolutionary when it first was written and remains wildly relevant to the current national dialogue surrounding immigration issues and gender themes of today. Tickets are now on sale. The characters and themes continue to hold important connections for today’s community. Set in a sewing factory in East Los Angeles, “Real Women Have Curves” wrestles with family values, gender politics and the Latina immigrant experience. The play is told from the point of view of Ana, the youngest employee at the factory, who is ambitious, bright, and yearns to go to college. What transpires over the course of five hot summer days, as the women talk about their lives, fears and deepest desires while attempting to meet impossible production deadlines is both heartbreaking and joyous. “The play’s relevance for today’s audiences is pretty clear, given the current political climate,” says director Melissa Lucero-McCarl. “The debate around how we deal with our undocumented workers has never been so polarizing, nor has the national discussion around how we treat/
sexualize women and their bodies. I also think the play addresses a conflict that every displaced family has to face, no matter their culture: how to meld old world and new, and how that tug of war can wear on the second generation living in the new country. I love that the ultimate message of the play, however, is one of hope, creativity and possibility. Where would America be without such qualities?” The Aurora Fox is thrilled to bring such an intimate and important story to its mainstage. This production features a strong cast of local female talent. The lead role of Ana will be portrayed by Joelle Montoya (previously seen at Su Teatro, DPCA, Miner’s Alley and East 15) with the supporting roles played by Magally Luna (Estela), Gabriella Cavallero (Pancha), Debra Gallegos (Carmen), and Jacqueline Garcia (Rosali). “Real Women Have Curves” celebrates Aurora Fox’s values of inclusion, diversity, innovation and making live theatre accessible, the Aurora Fox hopes that their works reflect a manifold of voices, sharing the unique stories that make up the surrounding community. This production will show on their mainstage for its four-week run through March 18th. Full show details are included on the Aurora Fox website at www.aurorafoxartscenter.org.
The Aurora Fox Arts Center presents REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES Aurora Fox Mainstage Theatre through March 18th Thurs/Fri/Sat - 7:30 p.m.; Sun - 2 p.m. $37 Orchestra Center $33 Orchestra Sides, Balcony $26 Military/Seniors (60+) $26 Students/Industry (Fri-Sun), $18 (Thurs.) Group tickets of 10+ just $24; call 303-739-1970 More information and tickets: www.aurorafoxartscenter.org
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Just Between Shopping Friends Event Having kids is expensive. Plain and simple. First time parents can be overwhelmed looking at car seats and strollers, high chairs and cribs, safety gear, baby baths, activity mats and toys. Then there’s the sleepers, the jumpers, the onesies and those teeny-tiny socks! The thing is, as parents know, it doesn’t stop there. As kids change grow, at an alarmingly quick rate, the things you need change with them. Season to season, different types of clothing (always in bigger sizes) is needed and sometimes, if it’s a great deal, frugal parents will shop ahead and by for the following seasons as well.
As children get bigger and busier, their activities and interests change as well and new and different toys pop up in toy boxes to keep those little hands and minds busy. Parents as well as those that work with children (childcare providers, preschool teachers) can shop thousands of safety checked items at 50%-90% off at one of the most popular
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semi-annual events around, the Just Between Friends ( JBF) Spring Sale! Shop Thursday, March 15th through Sunday, March 18th or get your ticket for Prime Time Pre-Sale ($20 admission, with discounted $15 tickets available through March 13th.) You can get your free passes online at aurora.jbfsale.com, if you don’t grab a free pass, tickets are just $2. With 25,000 square feet of shopping to cover, this sale is the best place to find the absolute best deals. It’s also a great way to make money by selling your items that your children have grown out of (or may have never really used!) More information on how to sell your items can be found online at aurora.jbfsale.com. Ready to fill your bags with unbelievable bargains? Head to the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds WEST Wing Exhibit Hall (25690 East Quincy Avenue) and leave armed with enough supplies to make it through the next few months, at least!
Wednesday, March 14th 3:30-8:00pm Prime Time Presale Special pass required Thursday, March 15th 9:00am-6:00pm Friday, March 16th 9:00am-5:00pm - New Merchandise Saturday, March 17th 9:00am-4:00pm 25% off select items 5:30-7:00 pm 1/2 price presale for consignors and volunteers Special pass required for entrance to all presales Tickets are $5 in advance or $10 at the door. Sunday, March 18th 9:00am-3:00pm 50% OFF SALE! Many Items 50% off Cash is preferred but Visa, MasterCard & Discover also accepted NO CHECKS PLEASE It is recommended that shoppers bring their own bags for their purchases.
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South Aurora Colorado
Local Business Spotlight
Discovering local busiensses that make our community great!
COLORADO MUSIC QUEST 16687 East Smoky Hill Road Aurora, CO 80015 www.cmqmusic.com 720-372-3901 Joshua Sawicki, Owner
WHEN DID YOU OPEN YOUR BUSINESS? CMQ opened in 1998, but I’ve been the director since 2014 when we moved to the current location (in the Dunkin Donuts Plaza, across from Smoky Hill High School.) DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS: We are a music school providing private lessons. We offer one-onone, weekly lessons taught by very talented and experienced instructors in piano (classical/jazz/blues/pop), voice (classical/musical theater), guitar (all styles), violin, viola, cello, flute, ukulele, drums, bass, and Alexander Technique. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO OPEN YOUR BUSINESS IN OUR COMMUNITY? I actually took over the business when the previous director retired. But what I, and the other instructors, have found is what we love about teaching in Aurora is the community. It’s simple, but it’s true - I really enjoy Aurora’s diverse community, which is extremely hard-working, and simultaneously understands the value of the Arts in our lives. Aurora understands how fulfilling it is to spend time learning a musical instrument! WHAT MAKES YOUR BUSINESS “UNIQUE” OR DIFFERENT FROM YOUR COMPETITORS? Easy answer: the instructors. What sets Colorado Music Quest apart as a music school is the passion our teachers possess. Most of our instructors have been with the studio for a long time, some almost as long as the 20 years the studio has been open! I have only recently had to hire some new talent because of increasing lesson demand. Teaching isn’t the easiest thing, but we all chose this path because we find it extremely enjoyable and rewarding. It’s also a great way to share our gifts and talents with other people - talents that we’ve spent our whole lives cultivating and can now pass on to younger generations and to the community of Aurora. So we’re a very person-to-person based school. We don’t currently offer group
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lessons - and there are plans to try out some group programming in the near future, but by only providing private lessons we are demonstrating quite a commitment to the high quality of our product, which is the lesson and the passing on of not just information, but tradition and passion. The results always pay off, and we have students and alumni who have won almost every local and state music competition and we’ve even had a student go on to Juilliard to study piano. WHY DID YOU GET INTO THIS TYPE OF BUSINESS? It’s really enjoyable for me to spend all of my waking hours doing musicrelated things; whether it’s performing with an orchestra or as a soloist, practicing, rehearsing, teaching, and taking care of Colorado Music Quest as its owner and director. As I already mentioned, it’s really a joy to pass on music to my students -- not just the music itself, but the possibility of having music be a gratifying part of your life! We’re like musical Jedis! WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT OWNING YOUR BUSINESS? Certainly the fact that it’s a fun business to run! My business partner Peder Sill and I are not just the directors, but we also teach piano at CMQ. My favorite part of the CMQ year is the recital, and we can see all the progress everyone made while students showcase their new skills! FOR SOMEONE WHO WILL BE COMING INTO YOUR BUSINESS FOR THE FIRST TIME, WHAT IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING THEY SHOULD TRY/PURCHASE AND WHY? Everyone usually starts with a free trial lesson with any of our instructors or instruments, and after that lessons are paid with monthly tuition. Piano is our most popular instrument, and most people start with that instrument, but we’ve had plenty of students switch instruments after a few years, too!
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South Aurora Colorado
Local Business Spotlight
Discovering local busiensses that make our community great! WHEN DID YOU OPEN YOUR BUSINESS? October 11, 2011
6750 S. Cornerstar Way Suite C Aurora, CO 80016 www.lovehaircoloranddesign.com 303-690-4247 Hours of Operation: Mondays 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. Tuesday - Friday 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. Sat 8 am - 6 pm Sun 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS: Love Hair Color and Design is an award winning, Full Service Salon specializing in providing an upscale and positive atmosphere for beauty needs with an emphasis in hair color, cuts and style services. Other beauty services such as microblading, eyelash extensions, facials, hair extensions, etc., are also offered. Customer service and care is of essence. Our Salon’s motto is to provide our services with love, peace and happiness for each and every one of our customers, internal and external. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO OPEN YOUR BUSINESS IN OUR COMMUNITY? The owners were long time Parker residents. The salon is located in the Cornerstar Shopping Center, located on the southwest corner of Parker Road and Arapahoe Road, 5 miles from Parker, across the street from Centennial and across Parker Road from Foxfield, but located in Southeast Aurora. This location gives us the ability to provide a variety of communities easy access to our services. WHAT MAKES YOUR BUSINESS “UNIQUE” OR DIFFERENT FROM YOUR COMPETITORS? Our business is all about “Love” and giving back. We strive to provide a loving, peaceful and caring experience for all who walk through our door, including our employees. We are a Certified Green Salon and we strive to re-use or recycle 85-95% of our waste. We give back to charitable organizations such as SECOR (Southeast Community Outreach) and Red Cross. Along with that, owner Britany Gomez is a Certified Master Color Expert. This status is achieved by having a minimum of 5 years experience with color (Britany has
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over 13 years), at least a year with Wella Color and over 240 specific class hours through the program, offered only in New York or Los Angeles. Certification in this elite program is not guaranteed and includes over 2 years of classroom study and practicals in addition to the 4 prerequisite classes required to be accepted. According to MODERN SALON, as of April 2017, there were fewer than 100 Master Color Experts nationwide. WHY DID YOU GET INTO THIS TYPE OF BUSINESS? Britany has the passion for the creative side of hair and wanted to be able to offer other professionals with the same passion, the opportunity to work in an environment that’s filled with love, support, professionalism and growth. She loves people and wants to provide an experience that makes people feel good about themselves, inside and out. Juanita is a people person and loves to get to know all of the individuals that walk through the door. It’s all about making people happy! WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT OWNING YOUR BUSINESS? We enjoy making a positive impact within our community and providing opportunities to our employees beyond the norm. FOR SOMEONE WHO WILL BE COMING INTO YOUR BUSINESS FOR THE FIRST TIME, WHAT IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING THEY SHOULD TRY/PURCHASE AND WHY? If you have us provide you with color services we stress that you use our professional products to keep your hair healthy and vibrant. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WANTING TO OPEN A BUSINESS IN OUR COMMUNITY? Don’t let fear get in the way of success. “Can’t” Never Did Anything. Visualize what you want and go out and get it!
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THEBOOKENDS
with Pam & Becky
The Underground River By Martha Conway
May Bedloe is separated from her cousin, Comfort Vertue, when their steamboat sinks on the Ohio River in 1838. Everything they own is lost and May must search for Comfort among the survivors. May and Comfort have been traveling and working together as Comfort acts and May creates costumes for her cousin. By the time May locates her cousin, Flora Howard (a noted abolitionist) has convinced Comfort to give lectures for the anti-slavery cause. May finds work on a floating theater that cruises between northern and southern states. As May becomes a part of the theater family, she is drawn into a scheme to ferry babies of slaves across the river to freedom. May must try to balance her feelings for her new family with her dawning understanding of the situation and her ability to help people, although it comes with great risk to all.
PAM This book sounded very interesting and I was compelled to read it. There are many different angles to this story and I was drawn in immediately. Did you feel the same? Was the author able to bring you into May’s story? BECKY A riverboat theater is a creative way to look at helping the slavery situation in the southern states. I was drawn to the story and the topic, but the first half of the book is focused on May discovering a new way of life after separating from her cousin Comfort. The title had me expecting the book to be focused on the slavery topic more than a character’s story. Maybe that’s why I struggled warming up to May. She was blunt and lacked some common social skills so it was hard for me to embrace this character. What did you think about this serious seamstress? PAM I also struggled to connect to
May’s character in the beginning. Her lack of social skills made it hard for her to make friends and even communicate with others in a time where women were expected to exhibit specific behaviors. May struggles to find a job, as she turns off prospective employers with her straightforward manner. She stumbles across a floating theater that has lost a key member to the same riverboat accident that May escaped. Here, she finds a job opportunity and a home. What did you think about this floating theater?
BECKY At the beginning of this story, the picture that I had in my mind of the floating theater just didn’t make sense so I googled some images of old floating theaters. Wow, was I surprised to see just how large these vessels were. The production must have been quite a sight to see for these small towns on both sides of the river. The movement between the North and South provided a 13
perfect opportunity for this storyline. May has always been in her cousin Comfort’s shadow. Her life has been focused on providing Comfort with all of her needs and she received little appreciation for her dedication. May’s new job on the theater allows her to shine and be valued for the individual talents she brings to this troupe. After being so unappreciated in the past were you surprised that May went to warn Comfort of threats made against her because of her public speaking on abolition?
PAM It did not surprise me, since
May seemed to be a very loyal person and still seemed to care for Comfort. However, her feelings for Comfort were complicated. On one hand, she cared for her and worried about her. On the other hand, she did not want to fall back into their normal pattern of Comfort belittling her and teasing her if May received any attention. This contradiction was apparent when May went to warn Comfort. I felt this was such an issue for May because she was finally given the opportunity to make friends and shine in her own way. Did you feel this internal struggle with May during this part of the story?
BECKY I’m not sure that I saw it as a struggle as much as I had the impression that May was a bit of a loner and was familiar with Comfort’s actions towards her so she gravitated toward that type of love. I feel that May felt obligated to Comfort and didn’t seem to be angry by her cousin’s actions. Yet, being on her own has given her a chance to see her beauty and talents, through the eyes of others so it was a blessing to be cut loose from the controlling cousin. After this meeting, May accepts the invitation to help with the abolition party. Did you find this storyline exciting and believable?
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LOCAL AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT Your Relationship with You by Denise C. Onofrey, LMFT, CST
PAM First, I just have to men-
tion how much I love the way you described May’s ability to “see her beauty and talents.” What a lovely way to express that we all have our own talents, but we don’t always recognize them! Although there were certain coincidences in the story and some eccentric characters, I did feel that the story was believable and had some excitement built in. The time period, alone, carried such dangers and challenges depending on where you were and with whom you were talking. Were you worried that her decision to join the cause would destroy her new relationships?
BECKY Yes! However, I was more concerned that she was involving and putting others in danger that didn’t sign up for this risky proposition. Especially Hugo the owner of the boat and theater. She was dabbling in a situation that had deadly consequences. Speaking of Hugo, what did you think of this budding romance? PAM This was a great part of the
story! May was able to find someone that appreciated her. She didn’t have to try to be someone she was not, but could be herself. Hugo and their budding romance were a large part of what made this theater a true home for May. This was one of my favorite parts of the story. After all of the time spent doing everything for her cousin, it was May’s turn to focus on herself and her relationships. Would you read another book by this author?
BECKY This story was missing some depth for my taste but she has three other novels and they look interesting so I would possibly consider reading her work again. It’s time to move on to our April pick which will be The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash. A historical fiction novel set in 1929 during the beginnings of the fight for union support in factories.
Relationships are hard, but they don’t need to be. Discover how to start making relationships easier. Denise Onofrey, The Relationship Strategist, provides insights into the self-limiting rules that create dis-ease and dis-connection in our relationships. Learn how you arrived at where you are now, and begin to shape the relationships you desire most, by taking control where YOU matter most. Create ease and connection with yourself, then write your “rules to live by” using these proven strategies: * Shed the “shoulds” and “suppose to’s” * Turn down the noise * Decode emotions vs. needs * Harness your gut instinct * Slow down to move forward Learn how to achieve successful relationships from Denise’s “behind closed doors” sessions. Relationships are hard. Now YOU can make them easier.
For more information visit deniseonofrey.com
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