Features

  Black-belt taekwondo instructor Ken Parks is looking for a few good castaways. They’re the folks he had in mind when he opened Red Rocks Alternative Martial Arts, South Jeffco’s newest dojo that’s a little less Stephen Oliver and a bit more Napoleon Dynamite.

“The ‘alternative’ person gets lost. I kind of sit around the herd and just look for the ones who fall off,” Parks said of the traditional martial arts experience.

Inside a tiny flower shop opening Monday in Morrison, happiness and hope have found a place on the shelves alongside plump roses and ruby-red glass vases.

Christine Knowles plans to open Red Rocks Floral & Gifts on Feb. 1. For her, it’s more than a dream — it’s the best therapy money can buy.

  Ten-year-old Jett Moore was just a bit nervous.

He stood near the entrance to the imposing Denver City and County Building, about to be given a tour of its historic bell system. And the South Jeffco resident seemed far younger than anyone else scheduled to play the bells.

“He walked up to the building, and all these people are going through security, and he said, ‘I can’t do this,’ ” said his mom, Sandy Moore. “ ‘Just look how old everyone is.’ ”

Over the past 40 years, thousands of kids have enjoyed the baseball fields near West Elmhurst Avenue and South Kendall Boulevard in Columbine Hills. But few of today’s young players realize they are treading some of the oldest ball fields in South Jeffco, or that Columbine Hills is one of South Jeffco’s original neighborhoods.

Jim Kennedy, 85, looks back over those four decades and is thrilled that so many children have been able to enjoy the fields that he helped to create in the neighborhood that he helped to build.

A South Jeffco author has an unusual message for parents about social networking sites such as Facebook: Be worried if your children are not using them.

The Internet may be teeming with predators and creeps, but exercising a little caution allows teens to safely interact on social media sites, which are swiftly replacing the need for face-to-face conversations, the author says.

Linda Barnard has a message for her clients: Pour the soda down the sink and stock up on dietary supplements.

Barnard, the owner of a South Jeffco fitness studio, has decades of experience that have produced an ethos that emphasizes restraint and doesn’t accept failure.

It’s been more than a year since Barnard opened DOT Weight Loss and Wellness, which was inspired by her time managing Gloria Stevens Figure Salons in Massachusetts.

A creepy crowd of characters took over the gym at The Ridge Recreation Center on Oct. 30.

Among those walking table to table at Foothills Park & Recreation District's Boo-rific Bash and Splash Halloween celebration were at least two devils, a couple of dragons and one kid dressed like the Joker from “Batman.” Some chose the light instead of the dark, dressing up as princesses, ladybugs and the ultimate storm chaser, who sported a Doppler on Wheels truck as a costume.

Celebrate Halloween this year with Foothills Park & Recreation District in a safe, fun and indoor environment at our new BOO-rific Bash & Splash event on Friday, Oct. 30.

Rand Kannenberg knows what it takes to beat addiction.

The 49-year-old has spent more than half his life working full time in addiction counseling. He's authored two books on the subject and has lectured in every state in the country. His work has taken him beyond the U.S. borders, with lectures in Puerto Rico, Italy and South Africa.

Now, as Kannenberg plans to open the low-cost Jeffco Addiction Assessment Clinic on June 1, he says his experience overcoming alcoholism is one of his strongest tools in helping people overcome their addiction demons.