Between now and the end of the summer you’ll be seeing our team at Bucket List Community Café in your neighborhoods and at your festivals. Come up and talk to us. We’ll have this real tasteful refrigerator magnet to give you. We want to tell you about our online community journalism site that serves North Denver. I know when we meet you will have questions.
I get asked all the time, where is Bucket List Community Café? Ugh! When I explain that there is no brick and mortar location the next question is why did you name it Bucket List Community Café if it’s not a café? I wish I knew then what I know now, but as I’ve considered changing the name (it’s trademarked and that was a pain) I always come back to NO. This perfectly describes the purpose of our community journalism site.
A bucket list is things to accomplish before time runs out. It was on my bucket list to open a cafe/photo gallery/book store. A place that brings community together. I figured I’d do it after I retired from my career in television but when I moved to North Denver from the suburbs several years ago, I found so much of interest, I created it online. I imagined it as a place to get to know each other and what’s going on around our community. A place of information, inspiration and interaction. A place where we tell our stories.
Look at these photos. Don’t you want to know their stories? Or what stories they were telling to one another? Two women sharing intimacies on a bus. A bartender and a customer talking across the bar in RINO. What do they have in common to spark a connection? The dancer at Cinco de Mayo looks so proud celebrating her immigrant story. Bob looks so proud sharing his classic car. Doesn’t it make you want to know more?
That’s what we do at Bucket List Community Café. We cover news, issues, culture, events, arts, and places to eat and play in the unique neighborhoods of North Denver. Most important, your neighbors tell their stories and how they fit into what’s going on around us today. We like to say we are journalism by walking around because we are so close to the neighborhoods.
We are building this together. Bucket List Community Cafe is community inspired and supported. Help us envision what community journalism can look like by taking our survey. I know. Surveys. Blah! We only send them out once a year and it really helps guide us to make the experience better for everyone. We collaborate with residential neighborhood organizations, non-profits and small businesses. Share us with your friends and neighbors too.
You can also subscribe to our newsletter which comes out once a month and features our newest journalists and storytellers. Bucket List Community Café is bootcamp for college juniors and seniors who work with us on editorial and engagement. They are fanning out all over North Denver helping tell your stories. Mentorship is one of our values. Journalists stand on the shoulders of others, and it is important that our shoulders carry the next generation.
Finally, you can contribute to help support Bucket List Community Café. We do not have ads and paywalls and memberships and subscriptions. We want everyone to have access to Bucket List Community Café. If you like what we’re doing, please click here to contribute and help us grow. Help us find sponsors for our social media, newsletter and website. Contribute during our fundraiser in July.
In the meantime, we will be seeing you at the following events. Tell us your stories. We build community by telling our stories.
5/6 First Friday on Tennyson Street
5/7 Regis Horseshoe Market
5/7 Cinco De Mayo
5/28 Denver Arts Festival
6/4 Park Hill Art Festival
6/4 Urban Market
Leaning on quotes inspires storytelling. In her book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” Maya Angelou writes “there is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Telling our stories can make Denver a better place. Let’s get to know one another. If you have stories you want us to know about and suggestions on how we can collaborate reach out to vicky@teletrendstv.com. See you online and around North Denver.
