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(see all)Come Join Us at Sun Valley’s 5th Sun Valley Viaduct Night Market
Once a year, underneath the Colfax Viaduct, the Sun Valley community comes together to celebrate its sights, sounds and flavors. This week, Emma, Glenn, and Oracio from Sun Valley Kitchen and Community Center stopped by Community Corner to talk to SugaBear and La Molly about the event they are organizing, which now in its fifth year.
On Saturday, May 17, from 4:00 – 10:00 PM, visitors will get their pick of over 70 vendors, including food trucks, artisans and more, all from Denver’s Westside. This public, family-friendly event will include a Rainbow Dome Roller Rink, a Pho Eating Contest and Hip Hop Bingo sponsored by The Drop! For more info you can visit https://sunvalleyrising.com/
An Excerpt from the Interview
MOLLY: We are joined today by Emma, Oracio, and Glenn from Sun Valley Kitchen and Community Center. Welcome […] Thank you so much for being here. Tell us a little bit about Sun Valley Kitchen and Community Center. What do you guys do?
EMMA: We’re a nonprofit. We’re located in West Denver in the Sun Valley neighborhood. We do a lot of work within the community, so mainly focusing on food access, holistic health programming. We have a lot of youth empowerment and enrichment programs, including having youth employees, different cooking classes, things like that. And then we also do community building, too, so we do lots of different community events throughout the year and really just try to focus on making it community led and community informed and really giving the residents there what they want.
MOLLY: Why is it important to have something like this in Sun Valley specifically?
EMMA: Yeah, so Sun Valley has historically been very low income. There’s a lot of migrants in that community. So, it’s been historically underserved and underfunded. So that’s why we really want to be there providing services that people need.
It’s also undergoing a redevelopment phase right now, so lots of the old housing is being turned into large apartment complexes. Families have been relocated, so we’re really trying to make a space where the community is able to thrive and connect again. It used to be full of yards, where kids were able to run and play. Now it’s a bit more isolated, so we’re really trying to be that source of bringing people together.
SUGABEAR: Nice, I was able to go to this event last year. It was amazing. I was fortunate enough to participate in it as a DJ. So, individually, what does it mean for you to be able to serve in this way and give back to your community, all of you?
ORACIO: Yeah. So, for me, you know, I grew up in a similar situation. I grew up in Westwood, and we had to rely on a lot of like community resources and organizations that, you know, provided food. We got commodity food and stuff like that. So now I feel like it’s an honor to be able to be in a position where I could do the same and, you know, kind of, like, return the favor, pay it forward, and be a part of, you know, something that makes people’s day and lives a little easier.
And, you know, every day I’m cooking meals for the youth center across the street and have my battle scar on my arm. I burn myself, you know, wear it as a badge of honor. Because we’re doing something good, and that’s why I think, you know, just a sense of being there and being in community, it’s powerful.
SUGABEAR: Would you like to add to that?
GLENN: Sure. So, this event in particular, The Viaduct Night Market, came about as a vision from the community. So, this space that where we’re holding — this event, which is our fifth event — 5th year — is an area that the community has claimed for a potential future international marketplace, and so this is a demonstration of that concept and how to utilize the space that is typically utilized as a parking lot mostly and to be able to show that it could be used for a different purpose.
MOLLY: Yeah. So, let’s talk about that a little bit more. You guys have a lot of events in the community throughout the year from harvest festivals to next weekend’s Sun Valley Viaduct Night Market. So, it’s going to be, like you said, on Saturday. It’s in the evening. So, 4:00 to 10:00 PM. Tell us a little bit about how — well you kind of mentioned how the idea came about, but what it means to the community, I guess, to have something like this?
ORACIO: Yeah, I mean…where I used to work, I used to work in like a small business support. So, seeing something like this, I think it’s really important for small businesses to have an opportunity to get out there and community, to be seen, and to really grow. So, that’s like one part of you know like that I see is like very beneficial like to the community.
But it also, you know, just like what Glenn says — it’s something the community has wanted as a way to just, like, have a platform in this space to get together and to claim a location. And under that viaduct, you know, it’s a very, like, familiar place. A place that, you know, it’s kind of — I don’t want to say, like iconic, but it’s a landmark. And, like, the art there is very vibrant. A local artist put the murals on there. And I just think it’s really cool for them to feel like they have — it’s their space, you know? Their location to get to know each other and break bread with each other.
SUGABEAR: Talk about some of the vendors. There’s a lot. How many vendors are you having?
EMMA: So, we have over 70 vendors this year. We have tons of different food trucks featuring Thai cuisine, Vietnamese cuisine, Mexican cuisine. So, there’s a lot of options for people if they come to get lots of great food. And then we also have tons of local art vendors, too. So, a lot of the people who are vending at the event are coming from West Denver, and they’re usually small businesses. So, we’re really helping support and promote them and give them some visibility as well.
SUGABEAR: That’s important right there, for sure.
GLENN: We’ve got the pop-up roller skate rink, too, from Rainbow Dome which is so cool.
SUGABEAR: That yes, yes.
MOLLY: Yeah. And you also have a main stage for entertainment and this year DJ SugarBear will be at it again. We’re going to be doing hip hop bingo. In fact, The Drop is sponsoring the entertainment stage. So, we’re really excited to be able to join you guys for that and show up and show out for the community. Again, it’s really exciting.
SUGABEAR: Yes.
MOLLY: And to hear that so much of West Denver is represented is really a beautiful thing.
EMMA: Yeah. Yeah, it is. And then I also want to add that we will have a beer garden as well, sponsored by Races Brewing.