So what exactly is Warm Cookies of the Revolution? It’s a group that strives to make civic engagement, grassroots activism, and community involvement approachable and fun. Or, as their mission statement puts it, “We are a community Civic Health Club making the questions “What do we want?” and “How do we get there?” engaging, collaborative, and fun!”
We were lucky enough to attend one of their summer events, Stompin’ Ground Games, complete with lowrider classic cars, and of course, warm cookies!
First, a little background!
At a recent Nerd Nite talk by Kayvan Khalatbari (of Art&, Sexpot Comedy, and Sexy Pizza fame), we learned of an intriguingly named local organization: Warm Cookies of the Revolution. When Kayvan mentioned the group, cheers went out in response from across the auditorium.
With our interest suitably piqued, we reached out to the found of Warm Cookies of the Revolution, Evan Weissman, to find out more about the group. We were immediately delighted to learn that Evan is one of the founders of the phenomenal Buntport Theater, where we are one of the sponsors of the incredible live storytelling show The Narrators on the third Wednesday each month.
Hunch confirmed: these guys are awesome!
As part of their mission, Warm Cookies of the Revolution organizes events in neighborhoods across Denver, like their Stompin’ Grounds Games series. They describe it as “a year-long neighborhood Olympics where each month we’re entertained by the finest artists and cultural groups in our community while we also learn the history of the neighborhood and current issues affecting residents and ways to take action.”
Our team joined them for one of these Stompin’ Grounds events at La Raza Park at 38th and Navajo. One of the goals of this particular neighborhood gathering was to discuss the changes happening in their community, which has seen a lot of turmoil as the Denver Highlands neighborhoods have experienced an explosion of growth over the past fifteen years.
Let’s talk about all the cool stuff that happened throughout the day!
- Little Man Ice Cream, headquartered a mile south of La Raza, came by and passed out free ice cream sandwiches!
- Some trick bikers and skateboarders came to perform!
- There was community art and a lowrider classic car show!
- And delicious warm cookies!
It was a thoughtful, respectful gathering where everyone was given a chance to talk about their experiences in the neighborhood. Some reminisced about the past, as the neighborhood has historically had a strong sense of community, and others elaborated upon their worries for what might happen if the neighborhood becomes too gentrified, as many other areas in the Denver metro area have experienced.
We’re excited about attending and photographing many more events for the Warm Cookies of the Revolution crew in the months ahead and hope you’ll take a minute to explore their calendar of upcoming events!
