Denver – Now and then small miracles happen unexpectedly. Today was one of those days: the aesthetically-challenged billboard kiosk in front of the Swallow Hill building suddenly disappeared, revealing a beautiful landscaping job made possible by a team of volunteers coordinated by Larry Goldman (a board member) and Larry Hall.

In reality, it wasn’t a miracle at all but the excellent work of two of our City Council members: Carol Boigon and Kathleen MacKenzie and her Aide, Julie Connor. Paul Kashman’s editorial in the Washington Park Profile was instrumental in helping to focus on the issue (To read Paul's editorial, click on the following link: http://www.swallowhillmusic.org/media/washpark/March2006.html ).

We have learned two lessons from this experience: First, that perseverance is a human quality we all need to foster; and second, that to reach out and ask for help from the many friends we have in Denver—including our elected representatives—is perhaps the best way to deal with problems in our communities.

Before & After:

About Swallow Hill Music Association:
Helping people make music since 1979, Swallow Hill Music Association is one of the largest institutions of its kind in the United States as a source for folk, roots and acoustic music. With more than 2,100 members—some of whom are also volunteers—, Swallow Hill provides a place to celebrate music that is rarely heard elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain Region. Three concert venues house more than 150 performances a year, featuring some of the world's great artists as well as up-and-coming new talent. The Julie Davis Music School at Swallow Hill provides a valuable and affordable extra-curricular educational resource to the community with more than 50 music instructors involved in more than 240 adult classes and 70 children's classes annually.

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