27th Annual A Taste of Colorado Kicks Off Today 100 Years of Cab ...

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:Sarah Neumann • Office: 303-571-8214 • Cell: 303-522-4095SNeumann@DowntownDenver.comFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:September 3, 201027 th Annual A Taste of Colorado Kicks Off TodayWHAT:Festival of Mountain and Plain … A Taste of ColoradoWHEN: Friday, September 3 through Monday, September 6FESTIVAL HOURS: Friday: 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday: 10:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.;and Monday: 10:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.WHERE:Civic Center Park, Downtown DenverADMISSION: FREEThe 27 th annual A Taste of Colorado opens today at 11:30 a.m. The fun will kick off with aperformance by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, a pie tasting contest, as well as lots of magic tricks for the kids!FRIDAY, September 3Main Stage7:30 p.m.100 Years of Cab Calloway Featuring Big Bad Voodoo Daddypresented by 97.3 KBCOFamous Dave’s Bar-B-Que Country Stage presented by 98.5 KYGO11:45 a.m. Giddy Up Kitty2:00 p.m. Lukasiewicz Family Fiddler Band5:00 p.m. Kelly Aspen8:15 p.m. BucksteinKBCO World Class Rock Stage11:30 a.m. Nina Storey1:45 p.m. Ironwood Rain1

5:00 p.m. Bop Skizzum8:00 p.m. Soul XColorado Heritage Stage presented by Westword11:45 a.m. Kalama Polynesian Dancers - Traditional Polynesian Dance1:45 p.m. Gregory Nisnevich - Instrumental Music from Russia3:45 p.m. “Jazz Café” featuring the FTM Jazz Trio4:15 p.m. “Jazz Café” featuring Deano5:45 p.m. Sheikha & Mountain Kahia Dancers - Belly Dancing8:00 p.m. Gora Gora Orkestar - Balkan Brass BandKidzStage presented by MIX 10011:45 a.m. Connie Elstun’s Bunny, Bird, Comedy, and Magic Show12:45 p.m. & 4:15 p.m. Mr. Shine’s Music for Kids and their Families1:45 p.m. Connie Elstun’s Magic Workshop2:15 p.m. & 5:15 p.m. Patti Smithsonian Presents: Yummy Puppets3:15 p.m. & 6:15 p.m. Scott McCray, Magical ComicRoving entertainment: Patti Smithsonian, Scott McCrayCulinary Showcase presented by 630 KHOW12:00 p.m. Heather Isely - Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage1:15 p.m. Glen Whitman - The Broker2:30 p.m. Pie Tasting Contest, featuring bang!, Child’s Pastry Shop, Granny Scott’s PieShop, Marczyk Fine Foods, My Mom’s Pie, Natural Grocers by VitaminCottage, Pickles Deli, Posh Pastries, Silver Plume Tea Room, Trattoria StellaEast, WaterCourse Foods Bakery, and Zaidy’s Deli3:30 p.m. Rachid Sabri - The Cork House Wine Restaurant4:30 p.m. Garrett Whitlow - Randolph’s5:30 p.m. James Mazzio - Olive Oil and Pickles Deli6:30 p.m. Ready, Set, Cook! Chefs compete and cook like crazy!2

FEATURED/ONGOING ACTIVITIES• No matter what kind of food you have a taste for… you’ll find it at A Taste of Colorado. Morethan 50 of Coloradoans’ favorite restaurants and food establishments will gather at the Festivalfeaturing small portions to full meals.• Find unique arts and crafts, home and gift items, furniture, jewelry, imports, and more, in over270 booths of the Arts & Crafts Marketplace. Enjoy original works in Fine Art in the Parkpresented by K-High Online, a variety of mediums created by artists from around the country.Visit the Home & Lifestyles area, featuring a variety of products and services!FINE DINING AREAIf you're in the mood for gourmet specialties, visit the Fine Dining Area, sponsored by Sub-Zero andWolf, featuring some of Denver’s most accomplished chefs and noted restaurants:AssignmentsThe BrokerThe Cork House Wine RestaurantEvoBeanOlive OilRandolph’sFAMILY-FRIENDLY FESTIVAL ATTRACTIONS• The KidZone has play equipment and a great variety of free hands-on craft activities for childrenof all ages. KidZone hours are Friday: 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday, and Monday:10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.• Nursing mothers and families can visit the Baby Oasis presented by ColoradoKids.com, aconvenient area located in the KidZone for parents to nurse, change diapers, and relax in a privateenvironment complete with a rocking chair. An assortment of supplies will be provided, includingdiapers and baby wipes.• Families can journey back to the roots of Colorado and have fun learning about the state’s pioneerpast, nature, and environment. In the Festival of Mountain and Plain area, featured artisans willdemonstrate Navajo weaving and culture, spinning, rug braiding, lace crocheting, felting, andquilting, along with the popular blacksmith demonstration.3

• Free gold panning and information on Colorado's mineral and energy production (andconservation) is available at the Colorado Mining Foundation tent. Free educational materialsare available for teachers, librarians, home-schooled students, scouts, and more!• Throughout the weekend the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program will have live raptors ondisplay and conduct educational presentations designed to promote the value of raptors and theenvironment and teach ways in which the public can become involved.• Kid-friendly food vendors will be located along the perimeter of the KidZone selling hot dogs,pretzels, popcorn, and more. A Taste of Colorado is also an opportunity for parents to encouragetheir children to try new foods from places like the Caribbean, the Middle East, Poland, Asia, andIndia, as many of the restaurants offer "taste-sized" portions for one to three tickets.SPECIAL FEATURESTOP CHEFS SHARE THEIR TOP SECRETSThe Culinary Showcase, presented by 630 KHOW and hosted by Pat Miller, "The Gabby Gourmet",is located in the Fine Dining Area and features local and nationally renowned chefs offering tips andtechniques that Festivalgoers can take home to their own kitchen.JOIN THE GREEN TEAMLast year, A Taste of Colorado recycled over 10 tons of cardboard and plastic bottles thanks to your help!Once again, we are asking for your assistance to increase the amount of waste recycled at the Festival.Recycling containers will be placed throughout the Festival to collect all plastic bottles and otherrecyclable goods. In addition, all of our restaurants will be using more earth-friendly products to serveyour favorite eats. Why stop there? Stop by the green recycling tent to learn helpful tips on how you canrecycle at home and at the office.GET THE SCORES AND RELAX!Stop by the Coors tent and check out your favorite local sporting events on high definition TVs fromAmerican Satellite, an authorized DIRECTV dealer and leader in providing quality satelliteentertainment service. Relax in air-conditioned comfort, made possible by your friends at Coors.4

“BEST RIBS IN AMERICA!”Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que - winner of over 400 national and regional awards including “Best Ribs inAmerica!” Featuring hickory-smoked spareribs and barbequed meats with our own Rich & Sassy ® BBQsauce, smokin’ sandwiches, mouthwatering burgers, garden fresh salads and homestyle desserts. Opendaily for lunch and dinner - dine-in, TO GO, or catering. Visit legendarybbq.com for a Colorado locationnear you.EVERY PEPSI REFRESHES THE WORLDThe Pepsi Refresh Project has given millions of dollars to communities across the country. Anyone cansubmit an idea! Think of an idea, choose one of six categories, HEALTH - THE PLANET - ART &CULTURE – NEIGHBORHOODS - FOOD & SHELTER – EDUCATION, submit the idea, and then thepublic votes. Go to REFRESHEVERYTHING.COM to learn more and submit your idea. Need to getrefreshed at the Festival? Stop by one of the many Pepsi booths serving your favorite ice-cold Pepsiproducts.DRINK XINGTEAXingTea is a premium, all-natural, pure cane sugar ready to drink tea, locally developed, owned anddistributed in Colorado. XingTea and Aspen Pure, your local Rocky Mountain water, can be found in allmajor grocery and convenience stores across the state. For more information, visit drinkxingtea.com,aspenpure.com, or call 303-289-8655.BE A KARAOKE ROCK STAR!Always wanted to be on stage? Visit the 103.5 The Fox Kolorado Karaoke Stage and sing your favoriteclassic rock hits! A true Festival tradition, the stage is located on the corner of Bannock St. & ColfaxAve.MORE TO TASTE• Indulge your cheese tooth in the You Know You Love It kitchen! We’re introducing Kraft’s newestMacaroni & Cheese – Homestyle Deluxe. It combines real KRAFT cheese sauce with ridgedelbow macaroni with a crunchy bread crumb topping for a delicious homemade taste. Try the Hearty5

Four Cheese with parmesan, asiago, colby, and cheddar cheeses. Homestyle macaroni & cheese inminutes? You know you love it!• The Dunkin’ Donuts Dunkin’ Turbo Big Taste Tour will stop at A Taste of Colorado, offeringfree samples of new Dunkin’ Turbo coffee, featuring an extra boost of delicious Dunkin’ Donutsflavor and available wherever you buy groceries.• Need to “kick back,” relax, & have fun? Stop by any Barefoot Wine booth to enjoy our refreshingwine & bubbly! Get Barefoot & have a great time.• Cascadian Farm’s field team will be distributing delicious organic granola bar and cereal samples.Founded in 1972, Cascadian Farm is a leading provider of organic cereal, granola bars, frozenfruits and vegetables, spreads, concentrates, and relish.• LÄRABAR is the original fruit and nut food bar. Made from only 2-8 ingredients per bar,LÄRABAR is gluten, dairy, and soy free. Available in 16 delicious flavors.• Muir Glen’s field team will be serving bruschetta made with delicious Muir Glen Organic FireRoasted Tomatoes. In addition to our award-winning tomatoes, Muir Glen offers great-tasting pastasauces, soups, salsas and ketchup.• Come by the FAGE tent and sample our “Ridiculously Thick Yogurt.” Try FAGE Greek Yogurtwith our delicious toppings of Honey, Cherry, Strawberry, & Peach.• FRESHIES IS A TASTE OF COLORADO! Enjoy the FRUITS of our labor in our world famous &award winning "ALL NATURAL" cocktail mixes throughout this year's Festival. Colorado's 16 yearold best kept secret local secret just got out - get some!PLENTY FOR YOUR LIFESTYLE• 9NEWS is proud to be the official media partner of A Taste of Colorado! 9NEWS. Where NewsComes First.• The Boy Scouts of America is touring the country to give people an exciting, hands-on view of theorganization’s 100 year history. Adventure Base 100 unfolds into 8,000-square-feet of immersiveScout-related experiences. Avoid the registration lines by pre-registering for your free Passport atadventurebase100.org.• Parents and children are invited to discover a whole new side of gaming at Nintendo’s DiscoveryZone. Hands-on activities and exciting games will allow the whole family to get in the zone andplay!6

• Visit the Texas on Tour exhibit for an experiential virtual trip to the Lone Star State and a chance towin a free Texas vacation!• The Purina ® Pro Plan ® Rally to Rescue ® program helps pet rescue organizations across thecountry give rescue pets the nutrition and care they need and the loving homes they deserve.• Ford presents the 2011 Fiesta Lounge, an engaging interactive space where you can learn about the2011 Fiesta while enjoying music, social networking and meeting new people.• Register to win $500 at The Denver Post booths.• CarterEnergy’s “What Will Fuel the Future?” educational RoadShow provides stimulating learningexperiences about all things energy. FREE for children of all ages! VisitWhatWillFuelTheFuture.com for more information.• Have you considered having Laser Vision Correction? Register to win a FREE LASIK procedure($2,395.00) at Dr. Richard Levinson’s booth, located on the corner of 14th and Broadway! Dr.Levinson has given away a FREE Lasik procedure at A Taste of Colorado for the past 10 years. Visitlevinsoneyeclinic.com.• Come to the Grand Lodge on Peak 7 booth and Spin to Win Breckenridge souvenirs!• Check out the 100% reinvented 2011 Explorer at the All Area Access Tour this weekend.Experience the interactive simulator; discover the new Terrain Management System, EcoBoostengine, and MyFord Touch.• Your Colorado Buick and GMC Dealers introduce the all-new Buick Regal, Buick LaCrosse, aswell as the all-new GMC Terrain crossover. Visit our booth to see these hot new vehicles and learnhow you can receive two movie tickets – free!• Less Stress Powersports, a local Denver, Colorado dealership, has INCREDIBLE PRICES on funand affordable modes of transportation - special prices for the Taste of Colorado event. With almost5 years in business and an “A” rating with the Better Business Bureau, you won’t only get a GREATPRICE, but you also get the comfort of knowing your dealer is going to take care of your needs afterthe sale. Come check them out!• The hydrogen powered Ford shuttle bus on display is the newest addition to the alternative fuel fleetat NREL. The bus is DOE-funded and transports visitors around its Golden campus. Educationalmaterials and displays about alternative energy will be available.7

HOW TO REACH CIVIC CENTER PARK• Use Light Rail - The D, H, & F line trains arrive at the 16th and California station for an easywalk to the Festival or transfer to the FREE 16th Street MallRide buses to the Festival. C & E linetrains arrive at Union Station where it’s easy to transfer to the FREE 16th Street MallRide busesto the Festival.• Take the Bus - The following local bus routes have stops just a few blocks away from theFestival: 0, 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 28, 32, and 52. For RTD Bus and Light Rail schedulescall 303-299-6000 or visit www.rtd-denver.com.• Ride Your Bicycle - Avoid parking your car, and park your bike instead! BikeDenver is offeringsecure bicycle parking at a new, convenient location – 13th Avenue, between the Denver PublicLibrary and the Denver Art Museum. Open Friday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Monday 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Bicycle parking is free, but a $1 or $2donation to BikeDenver is suggested. Visit BikeDenver.org for more information. (Sorry, nomotorized vehicles.) Don’t have a bike? Consider using B-cycle. There are four B-cycle stationswithin one block of the event perimeter. Visit denver.bcycle.com for more information.WHERE TO PARK• Downtown Denver offers tens of thousands of parking spaces, most within an easy walk to theFREE 16th Street MallRide buses offering a direct ride to Civic Center Park. The FREE MallRidebuses travel over a mile on Denver’s 16th Street Mall from Union Station (Wynkoop St.) to CivicCenter Park (Broadway St.) and back. It stops at every intersection along the 16th Street Mall andruns daily until 1:30 a.m. Handicapped parking is available at all public parking lots. DowntownDenver parking locations and rates can be found at experiencedowntowndenver.com.Sponsors of this year’s Festival are: 9NEWS, 2011 Explorer All Area Access Tour, Aggreko, AllCopy Products, American Medical Response, American Satellite – An Authorized DIRECTV Dealer,Aspen Pure, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Blue Moon, Boy Scouts of America, CarterEnergy, CascadianFarm, Colorado Native, Coors Banquet, The Denver Post, Downtown Denver Partnership, Inc., Dunkin’Donuts, FAGE Greek Yogurt, Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que, Ford Fiesta Lounge, Freshies All NaturalCocktail Mixes, Grand Lodge on Peak 7, KRAFT HOMESTYLE Macaroni & Cheese, LÄRABAR, LBARealty, Less Stress Powersports, Levinson Eye Clinic, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Mission Foods, MuirGlen, Nintendo DSi XL Discovery Zone, PEPSI, Purina® Pro Plan® Rally to Rescue®, Residence Inn8

Denver City Center, Sturgeon Electric, Texas on Tour, U.S. Department of Energy Fuel CellTechnologies Program, XingTea, and Your Colorado Buick GMC Dealers.Festival hours are Friday, Sept. 3, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 4, and Sunday, Sept. 5,10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Monday, Sept. 6, 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.Festival of Mountain and Plain … A Taste of Colorado is a community celebration that isproduced by and benefits Downtown Denver Events, Inc., the Downtown Denver Partnership family’scommunity events non-profit organization. The Festival is an opportunity for people throughout theregion to come together to experience and appreciate our diverse cultural traditions, and to learn moreabout our state’s Western heritage. The Festival highlights visual and performing arts in addition tofeaturing educational programs and culinary demonstrations.Visit www.ATasteofColorado.com, www.facebook.com/ATasteofColorado,www.twitter.com/ATasteofCO, or call (303) 295-6330 for more information.###9