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Shadia Lemus, Director of Communications
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Denver Calling: The Lost Book of Astrid Lee (vol 2) starts Friday, September 3 and runs through September 19. Groups—which can be any number of people, and large collaborations are welcomed—must register by Sunday, September 5 in order to participate. Registration ($10–30 per group) is now available with more information at h-co.org/MysteryQuest.

Participants in Denver Calling support local artists, musicians, and community partners while embarking on a self-guided, Covid-conscious, episodic mystery quest, solving puzzles in search of local history and new ideas hidden beneath their feet. It is organized by History Colorado’s Public Programs & Events Manager Chris Getzan and creative influencer Andrew Novick in collaboration with Barry Osborne of Denver’s Swallow Hill Music. The project draws on the talents and contributions of local musicians Distance Walk, Felix Fast4ward, Michelle Rocqet (Milk Blossoms), and Kalyn Heffernan (Wheelchair Sportscamp) to animate the quest in a way participants won't have ever seen—or heard!—before, along with original creations by Denver artists Lonnie Allen, Don Austin, Roxann Diffin, Emily Hope Dobkin, Cassandra Elaine, Thea Hunt, Cori Redford, and the students from Arts Street.

The quest runs September 3–19, with a multitude of sequential clues, each leading to the next pursuit (with “bonus offshoots” for the truly history-engrossed). Participants must start with the first week in order to complete the experience. "Think The Goonies meets Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego with a dash of Twin Peaks, all right here in Denver," says Getzan. “This year’s quest is all about cooperation and coming together to unravel the past, and I guarantee you’ll learn something new whether you like it or not.”

Denver Calling is the latest element of the Building Denver initiative, History Colorado’s current slate of exhibitions, public programs, and partnerships that explore the growth, urban development, and architecture of Denver from 1860 to today. The initiative—which also kicked off its speaker series on August 12, and hosts the historical legal expert Dr. Tom Romero on September 9—supports Denverites to collectively envision a healthier, more inclusive, more equitable city. Dr. Romero will share a complex history of race and racism in “Colorful Colorado” and challenge participants to directly confront what racism means for people in Colorado today.

About Building Denver
Stoked by climate change, public-health crises, and a burning quest for more justice within our metropolis, Denver is in the midst of accelerating urban and social transformation. Its population has exploded over the last two decades, and while the city is more diverse than ever, it was also identified in a recent study to be one of the most rapidly gentrifying cities in the nation. How did we get to this point? Where are we, exactly? And where should we go from here? Building Denver’s critically acclaimed core exhibit, called Building Denver: Visions of the Capital City, and its many supporting facets help answer some of these questions.

SPONSORS AND CREDITS
Building Denver is made possible by generous support from Alec M. Garbini AIA, donors to the Executive Director's Innovation Fund, Bank of America, The City and County of Denver’s Community Planning and Development Department, Gates Family Foundation, Urban Land Conservancy, Continuum Partners--Mark Falcone, and RATIO/Dennis Humphries.

About History Colorado
History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 142-year-old institution that operates Colorado’s oldest museum, nine additional museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, and the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is the nation’s largest preservation program of its kind. More than 70 percent of SHF grants are currently allocated in rural areas of Colorado.

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and nine other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information.