Easy Being Green! A Night at the LoDo Limelight Awards!

The Seawell Grand Ballroom at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts is a classic and beautiful room for a party. The room, the lighting, the access and the view make for special events here.

This was the scene last night for the Limelight Awards, presnted on the occasion of the 20th year of LoDo District Inc. As they say in their program, they are "the leading advocate for the economic growth and revitalization of the historic Lower Downtown Denver district. The mix of people attending the party and awards presentation reflected those efforts and the broad enthusiasm for the cause.

If you read the Denver Post on Thursday morning, you know who the award winners were but not much else. In each of four categories, though, there were three nominees, all worthy of recognition. And, the centerpieces, alone, deserved their own award. They were provided by Bouquets, a neighborhood treasure.

Here's what else you should know. For the Cares Award (Philanthropy), Jim Theyes of Kentwood City Properties won as leader of the LoDo Cares program. Also nominated were Chipotle Mexican Grill for numerous local event participation, and The Denver Rescue Mission for helping to rebuild lives.

The Legacy Award (Historical Integrity) went to Chris Shears of Shears/Adkins Architects. Also nominated were The Oxford Hotel and Union Station Advocates.

The Spotlight Award (Marketing) went to Samantha Martel, publisher of the Downtown Denver News. Also nominated were Havey Productions (documentarians) and Senior Housing Options (Barth Hotel).

And, the Service Award (Volunteerism to the Organization) went to Laurie Helmick of Luxe Salon. Also nominated were Kynton Chan of MetLife and Amy Evans of McCormick's Fish House.

Worthy nominees all. And, active participants in Living in Downtown Denver.

Then, there were funny short speeches, good music, good food, the occasional slip-up and dancing sans slip-ups. Last night, being green was easy!