University community roams with dinosaurs at Red Rocks
University community roams with dinosaurs at Red Rocks
Lured by the promise of an evening with friends and big screen dinosaur action, hundreds of university faculty, staff, students and alumni helped sell out CU Film on the Rocks on Aug. 8.
On a perfect Colorado night, the crowd cheered Marc Broussard as he performed songs from his albums including “Lucky” and “Yes Man.” Stand-up comic and CU Denver alumnus Matt Baca entertained with stories of his teaching career. Jerry Wartgow, chancellor for the University of Colorado Denver, received a warm welcome when he took the stage and asked the crowd, “Isn’t it great to be from Colorado?” He also took the opportunity to invite any prospective students in the crowd to visit the university.
But the star of the night was the feature film “Jurassic Park.” Todd Gibson, an alumnus of the Anschutz Medical Campus who teaches at the Denver campus, escorted his daughter Raeghan, 5, to the event. She solemnly assured anyone who asked that “there are still dinosaurs.” Jyndia Schiable, a physical therapy student at the Anschutz Medical Campus, remembered how much she “loved watching ‘Jurassic Park’ as a kid” and appeared to be no less excited seeing it again at 24.
The university crowd also enjoyed the venue and the chance to socialize with colleagues and friends. Casey Lindberg, who has his Ph.D. in psychology and now is studying architecture at the Denver campus, pronounced Red Rocks “awe-inspiring.” Ben Fordahl, a physical therapy student and student representative on the Physical Therapy Alumni Association board, took the opportunity to “chat up some potential students in the parking lot.”
Anyone who bought a ticket through the university website walked home with a free fleece blanket. At one point in the evening, the line to pick up the blankets stretched 25 yards. And although the night was warm and dry, those blankets helped handle the chills when the dinosaurs finally roared into Red Rocks at dusk.
In case you're interested in enjoying another night of movie fun, Film on the Rocks has extended the discount on tickets for University of Colorado Denver and Anschutz Medical Campus alumni for the final movie of the season, “Friday the 13th,” on Aug. 22. Begin the registration process online at Film on the Rocks. Choose "General Admission" and the quantity of tickets desired. Enter "2011CUredrocks" as the redemption code in the "coupons" section of the checkout page. Enter the redemption code for each ticket being redeemed. For example, if you want four tickets in a single order, enter the redemption code four times separated by commas in the box. Enter your campus affiliation (Denver Campus, Anschutz Campus, or Dual Campus) in the "comments" box. Once complete you will receive a confirmation email with a PDF attachment for print-at-home tickets.