ASK A VENDOR THIS COLUMN IS A PLACE FOR DENVER VOICE VENDORS TO RESPOND TO QUESTIONS FROM OUR READERS AND STAFF. THIS MONTH’S QUESTION WAS SUGGESTED BY DENVER VOICE VENDOR DAVID GORDON. Q A Do you do anything to celebrate July 4? JOHN ALEXANDER Do I do anything to celebrate July 4th? No. Do you want to know why? Over the years, I have been to and lived in many cities on the 4th of July. But Denver is the first and only city that I have been to, where so many of the residents – and it seems like all of them – are lighting fireworks. I mean all over the city! And they’re shooting REAL guns. No matter which corner of the house I retreat to, it sounds like I am on the front lines in the middle of a war zone. MICHAEL BURKLEY I normally don’t celebrate on the 4th of July. When I lived in the Curtis Park Housing Project (1989 – 1997), the sound of fireworks every year was more of an annoyance than a celebration. That was also a dark period in my life, and I had trouble overcoming the obstacles that were facing me at the time. Now that I’m a lot older and the world has changed, fireworks bring back memories connected to the good times, as opposed to the bad ones. DAVID GORDON I usually do a lot of relaxing during the day, and at night, I enjoy the fireworks. Sometimes, I get together with family, and after we watch fireworks, we have our own fireworks display for the kids. Everyone pitches in for the best fireworks. The last time we did this was before COVID-19. That’s how we did it. I loved it. RAELENE JOHNSON Usually, on the 4th of July, it’s a cookout with the neighbors. Then, we go to the back of the lake by where I live and hang around and light fireworks when it gets dark. From where I live, I can see fireworks across the sky, from all directions. JASON MARTIN I used to celebrate the 4th a lot, due to being in a military family. Our freedom was a thing to celebrate on this day. Nowadays, since 9/11, my outlook on our freedoms and liberties has changed because I believe we are told lies and are led to believe a financially-motivated political agenda. JERRY ROSEN I usually watch the fireworks, as they are really beautiful with so many fantastic colors. I also usually go to barbecues with my brother to get some hotdogs and hamburgers. I also vend some Denver VOICE papers. LARMARQUES SMITH The ideal 4th of July celebration always began with setting up the grill, prepping all the meats and delicious grillables for the barbecue, spending time by the pool, grilling with family and friends, having a juicy, ripe watermelon (with salt), enjoying my grandmother’s homemade ice cream, playing “war” with Roman candles, and smoking a blunt behind all the grownup’s backs (even though I’m also a grownup, LOL). Good times! RODNEY WOOLFOLK I wait ‘til the night comes to watch fireworks and eat hotdogs. HOW TO HELP The money we take in from vendors helps us cover a portion of our printing costs, but we depend largely on donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations to help us pay our rent and keep the lights on. 1 4 GET THE WORD OUT We rely on grassroots marketing to get the word out about what we do. Talk to people about our organization and share us with your network. Support us on DONATE Donations to the Denver VOICE are tax-deductible. Go to denvervoice.org to give a one-time or recurring donation. You can also mail a check to: Denver VOICE | P.O. Box 1931 | Denver, CO 80201 3 VOLUNTEER We need volunteers to help with everything from newspaper distribution to event planning and management. Contact program@denvervoice.org for volunteering information. 5 SUBSCRIBE If you are unable to regularly purchase a newspaper from our vendors, please consider a subscription. We ask subscribers to support our program with a 12-month pledge to give $10 a month, or a one-time donation of $120. Subscriptions help us cover our costs AND provide an amazing opportunity to those who need it most. Go to denvervoice.org/subscriptions for more information. @denverVOICE 2 ADVERTISE Our readership is loyal, well-educated, and socially concerned. Readers view purchasing the paper as a way to immediately help a person who is poor or homeless while supporting long-term solutions to end poverty. If you are interested in placing an ad or sponsoring a section of the paper, please contact us about rates at ads@denvervoice.org. July 2023 DENVER VOICE 3
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