The Taste of Ethiopia festival at Parkfield Lake Park in Denver on Aug. 4, 2024. Colorado’s Taste of Ethiopia Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary with an extended two-day event on Aug. 3 and 4, 2024.
This special anniversary edition of Colorado’s Taste of Ethiopia Festival offered a unique opportunity to explore the rich heritage and vibrant traditions of Ethiopia. A wide array of traditional Ethiopian foods, collectibles, clothing and music and dance presentations were the highlights of the weekend long festivities.
The event is organized by The Taste of Ethiopia Heritage Foundation which is a non-profit organization, was established for cultural, educational, and charitable purposes. This includes promoting and preserving Ethiopian heritage, supporting educational initiatives, and organizing the Taste of Ethiopia Festival to celebrate Ethiopian culture, which has been present in Colorado for over half a century.
World War II Air Force veteran Major Richard Olson never discussed his military service with his son, Dick Olson.
“I didn’t have all that much time to be asking these questions while he was at home,” Dick, a Westminster resident, told the Denver Post in an interview. “He was a distant father, and I imagine a lot of that came from what happened to him during the war and in service.”
After Richard died, Dick turned to military archives, old photos and interviews with the surviving members of his father’s B-24 Liberator airplane crew to learn about the veteran’s journey. Through his research, Dick discovered that his father, despite being seriously injured in a plane crash before enduring months as a prisoner of war, had never received a Purple Heart.
For seven years, Dick worked to correct the oversight. In April, the Air Force agreed to posthumously award Richard a Purple Heart.
The veteran was 22 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in February 1941, according to his son. The service was renamed the U.S. Army Air Forces in June of that year and became the U.S. Air Force in 1947.
“He grew up through the Depression and everything else,” Dick told The Post. “I think he joined because he was looking for three square meals a day.”
Courtesy of Dick Olson
Richard Olson (bottom center) poses with a B-24 crew after completing a six hour training flight. (Photo credit: Courtesy of Dick Olson)
Olson later became the co-pilot of a B-24 bomber plane in the 484th Bombardment Group combat unit. A week after D-Day, while stationed in southern Italy, his crew was shot down over the Adriatic Sea by eight German fighter planes while flying to Munich.
“They lost an engine, and they couldn’t keep up with the rest of the bombers, so they had to turn around to go back,” Dick said. “Two of the gunners were killed on the plane. And then the plane was set on fire and I think they had two more engines shot out.
“But there was a big fire in the bomb bay so they had to get out of the plane. So they did, and everybody bailed out, the ones that were still alive.”
Shell fragments struck Olson’s leg and he sustained a back injury that left him with chronic pain.
Most of the men landed on the Italian coastline northeast of Venice, according to conversations Dick had with B-24 crew member John Hassan. He was transferred to two other POW camps and after 10 months of incarceration, Olson was liberated on April 29, 1945, from Moosburg, Germany.
“He just said it was a very dull existence and of course they were hungry all the time,” Dick told The Post. “There was not a whole lot to do there. They played sports and the American Red Cross supplied them with books and boardgames and sporting equipment and different things to keep their morale up.”
Courtesy of Dick Olson
Richard Olson’s identification card from his time as a POW in Stalag Luft III. (Photo credit: Courtesy of Dick Olson)
Olson stayed in the Air Force for 16 years after his liberation from the POW camp and became a major, father and husband before leaving the military in 1961, according to his obituary.
“My parents split when I was about 13,” Dick said. “He moved away from the household and they got divorced.”
After the divorce in 1969, Dick saw Richard three more times before the veteran passed away in 1996 from multiple myeloma.
“I was always interested in his Air Force career. And since he never talked about these other guys, I wanted to find them and talk to them myself,” Dick said.
He connected with John Hassan, the navigator in Richard’s B-24 crew, in 1997. “Going through some of his papers, I found a phone number for John and called him up and started looking for all the other crew members also,” Dick said, “I eventually did make contact with the ones that were living or family members for the ones who had passed away.
“John was my dad’s best friend on the crew and we became really good friends,” Dick added. “He pretty much had a photographic memory, so that’s how I know an awful lot about that crew.”
While researching the crew, Dick helped the plane’s bombardier, Walter Chapman, get a Distinguished Flying Cross he should have been awarded decades prior.
Like Chapman, Olson was also missing an award: a Purple Heart for sustaining an injury while in the line of duty.
“There was mention of everything else, like the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medals,” Dick said. “All the ribbons and medals that he was entitled to, except for the Purple Heart.”
A collection of medals, honors and other items made by Dick Olson for his late father WWII veteran Major Richard Olson at his home in Westminster, Colorado, on Jun 19, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Olson’s capture as a POW right after the B-24 crash meant his wounds went undocumented. In 2017, Dick decided to file a claim with the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records and prove that his father had been injured. “I thought to myself, this is unfinished business, I’ve got to see if I can get this thing,” Dick said.
After an extensive filing process, the Board for Correction rejected Dick’s request in 2020.
Brian Schenk, founder of Midwest Military and Veterans Law, agreed to work with Dick pro bono and together, they took the Board for Correction to federal court, determined to prove that Olson had been injured during active duty.
“Dick Olson’s father was a war hero and he had such extreme humility that he himself never sought a Purple Heart,” Schenk told the Denver Post.
“I thought to myself, the old man went through the wringer, and he deserves to have this,” Dick said. “I told the Air Force in the letter that I wrote with my first application that I’m doing it for his legacy and for posterity. People should know that he was injured fighting for his country.”
On April 23, Dick won his case and the Board for Correction agreed to posthumously grant Olson a Purple Heart Award.
“He would have been real happy to wear this purple heart,” Dick said. “I think he would have been pretty proud of the fight we put up to make this happen.”
People gathered in Civic Center Park in downtown Denver to celebrate the Cinco de Mayo Festival at Civic Center Park in Denver on May 28, 2024.
The annual festival and celebration help put the spotlight on the Mile High City’s vibrant Latino population. This year’s festival featured live music and dance performances on three stages. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of the outnumbered Mexican army over French forces, providing momentum and national confidence for the Mexican people to drive the foreign power from their country.
Today, Cinco de Mayo celebrates the tradition of freedom and acknowledges the beauty of Latino culture. Denver’s Cinco de Mayo “Celebrate Culture” Festival has been a Mile High tradition for more than three decades.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Chances are the Rockies’ record won’t glitter this season, but their defense should be golden.
With Gold Glove winners in center field and at second base, Gold Glove finalists at shortstop and third, and potential sprinkled all around the field, Colorado should have one of the best defenses in the majors.
“I think we have a good shot at being the best of the best,” said second baseman Brendan Rodgers, who won a Gold Glove in 2022.
Manager Bud Black agrees.
“If you love the complete game of baseball, and defense is a big part of that, you’ll like watching us,” he said. “Every night, there is a chance to see a legit great play from talented defenders.”
The Rockies open their 2024 season Thursday night against the defending National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. (8:10 p.m. MDT).
Coming off a 103-loss season and having undergone only minor roster reconstruction during the offseason, the rebuilding Rockies are predicted by most pundits to have a sixth consecutive losing season and finish last in the National League West for a third straight year. Although the pitching might falter again, and offensive production remains a huge question mark, Colorado’s glovework could be “elite.”
“We have guys who know how to pick it and throw it and ultimately play elite all-around defense,” said left-hander Kyle Freeland, who’ll start the season-opener.
The Rockies’ words are not idle chatter around the batting cage.
Center fielder Brenton Doyle, Colorado’s human highlight film, won a Gold Glove as a rookie last season. He finished with 19 defensive runs saved, the sixth-most among all position players and the most of any center fielder in the majors.
Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, who signed a seven-year, $65.3 million contract extension on Tuesday, was a Gold Glove finalist as a rookie last season. Third baseman Ryan McMahon has been a finalist for three years running, and his 17 defensive runs saved last season were the second-most among third basemen.
Left fielder Nolan Jones, playing his first full season as an outfielder, led the majors and set a franchise record with 19 outfield assists, surpassing Dante Bichette’s mark of 17 in 1999. Jones finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
Black also tips his cap to catcher Elias Diaz and predicts that the Rockies should be OK at first base and right field.
“We have a catcher with a cannon, and his caught-stealing rate is solid,” Black said, referring to Diaz’s 29% rate, which ranked ninth in the majors last season. “First base, I think, can be very solid. KB (Kris Bryant) is a good athlete, (Elehuris) Montero is improving and (Michael) Toglia is an above-average defender at first. Right field should be fine.”
The Rockies better hope their confidence in their “D” is well-founded because their pitchers don’t strike out many hitters and must depend on groundball outs, especially at home.
As the late, great announcer Vin Scully once quipped: “You don’t need an official scorer at Coors Field. You need a certified public accountant.”
As a staff, the Rockies struck out 1,129 batters while walking 586. That was not a good ratio. The Ks were the fewest in the majors and the walks were eighth-most. According to Baseball Savant, Colorado pitchers allowed an 85.3 contact percentage on pitches in the strike zone, the highest mark in the majors.
“Not making routine defensive plays in the infield turns into long, stressful innings for our pitchers, and that’s not what we want,” Rodgers said. “We want our guys’ innings to be as quick and efficient as possible. If we don’t make the routine play, next thing you know, there is a blooper in that big outfield, or a big homer, and suddenly, we’re down three runs.”
Freeland, an athletic pitcher who would love to have a Gold Glove in his trophy case someday, is eager to see what the Rockies will do this year.
“In my opinion, it’s one of the best defenses in baseball,” he said. “We have to have that.”
Defensive-Minded
The Rockies lost a franchise-record 103 games last season when their pitching and hitting tanked. Their defense, however, was solid. A closer look:
• After committing 100 errors in 2022, the Rockies made just 81 in 2023.
• The Rockies’ .986 team fielding percentage was tied for 12th in the majors and was the fifth-best in franchise history.
• Rockies outfielders recorded 38 assists, the most in the majors and the second-most in franchise history (48 in 1999).
• The 38 outfield assists were the most in the National League since the Reds recorded 40 in 2017.
• Colorado led the majors with 169 double plays, its most since turning 169 in 2017.
Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 2 Saturday at Salt River Fields
On the mound: Right-hander Noah Davis, competing for a spot in the back of the rotation, pitched two scoreless innings, allowing three hits, walking one and striking out three. Davis threw 40 pitches (with 23 strikes) while mixing in all five of his pitches. He said that his game plan going into his first Cactus League start was to work on all of his pitches — sinker, curve, cutter, slider and curveball. Manager Bud Black said he wants to see more pitch efficiency from Davis. … Lefty prospect Joe Rock had a rough two innings, yielding five runs (four earned) on four hits, with one walk, one strikeout and a wild pitch that allowed a run to score. He’s pegged as a starter in the minors to begin the season.
At the plate: Outfield prospect Yanquiel Fernandez, who boasts intriguing power, hit a 419-foot solo homer to right in the sixth inning off of lefty Andrew Saalfrank. Fernandez nearly hit another homer in the ninth but just got under the ball and lifted it to the right-field warning track.
Injury update: Starting third baseman Ryan McMahon made a nice play by diving and throwing out a runner at second base in the third inning, but stayed on the ground for a couple of minutes after tweaking his lower back. He stayed in the game, however, and got another at-bat. “It was just a small spasm and I waited for it to calm down,” McMahon said. “It’s fine now.”
Prospect watch: Right-hander Jaden Hill, who’s been converted from a starter to a reliever, threw a perfect seventh inning, striking out two. Hill’s hottest fastball was clocked at 99.2 mph.
Rockies 5, A’s 1 Saturday at Hohokam Stadium
Peter Lambert (20) of the Colorado Rockies works against the the Oakland A’s during Colorado’s 5-1 Spring Training win at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
On the mound: Right-hander Peter Lambert, the favorite to win the fifth spot in the rotation, pitched two scoreless innings, allowing no hits while walking two. … All told, seven Colorado pitchers combined to limit Oakland to three hits and two walks while striking out six.
At the plate: Michael Toglia, trying to stake his claim in the crowded position battle at first base/right field, hit a solo homer off Osvaldo Bido in the fourth. … Outfield prospect Jimmy Herron had two hits and drove in two runs.
Jimmy Herron dives towards second against the the Oakland A’s during Colorado’s 5-1 Spring Training win at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Prospect watch: Infielder Aaron Schunk, who’s pegged to begin the season at Triple-A Albuquerque, hit 1-for-1 and scored a run.
Up next: Rockies at Brewers, 1:10 p.m. Sunday
Rockies probable pitchers: RHP Karl Kauffman, RHP Anthony Molina, RHP Justin Lawrence, RHP Chance Adams, RHP Riley Pint, RHP Matt Koch.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — June 13, 2023, Fenway Park, Boston. Rockies 4, Red Sox 4. Seventh inning. Justin Lawrence trots out from the bullpen and hikes the mound.
“I came into a jam in a tight ballgame and I caught myself singing the ‘Sweet Caroline’ song,” the Rockies’ right-hander recalled Wednesday. “I was looking around and I thought, ‘This is kind of cool.’
“Then I thought, ‘Wait a minute, it’s a tie ballgame in the seventh inning, I’m coming in to get us out of a jam, and it’s my first time ever at Fenway.’ It didn’t matter, it was a fun moment.”
Lawrence pitched 1 2/3 innings that night, and although he issued two walks, he allowed no runs, stranded two inherited runners, and kept Colorado in a game it eventually won, 7-6, in 10 innings.
It wasn’t the singular moment of Lawrence’s career but it illustrates how far he’s come since being a raw prospect with a unique, sidewinder delivery, 102 mph fastball and frequent bouts of inconsistency.
Justin Lawrence (61) of the Colorado Rockies warms up during Spring Training at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
“There are two main things about Justin,” manager Bud Black said. “On the fundamental side, he’s tightened up his stuff. Secondly, I’ve seen changes in his poise and maturity. In essence, he’s grown up to where his perspective and his mindset are of major league quality.”
Lawrence, 29, is competing with friend and fellow right-hander Tyler Kinley for the closer job. Righty Daniel Bard, who will miss spring training after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, could be in the mix, too, when he returns.
Black and his staff are going to take a hard look at both Lawrence and Kinley for the ninth-inning role.
“We think (Kinley) is mentally built to handle the ninth inning,” Black said. “Stuff-wise, he’s got weapons. He can pitch with velocity with the fastball, has a swing-and-miss slider and he’s working on the changeup. The bread and butter is his slider. But like Justin, he’s not a secret anymore in the National League and in our division.”
Lawrence’s road to the majors has been full of potholes but he’s always had tantalizing talent. Black became intrigued with Lawrence’s raw stuff in 2018 when the right-hander posted a 2.65 ERA in 55 appearances with High-A Lancaster. Lawrence wowed the Rockies in the Arizona Fall League and impressed again during spring training 2019. But then his control evaporated and his ERA soared at Triple-A Albuquerque and Double-A Hartford.
Then came the lowest moment of Lawrence’s career. He was suspended before the 2020 season for taking DHCMT, a substance banned by Major League Baseball. Lawrence said he didn’t know that the NSF-certified supplement he was taking contained DHCMT.
“I wouldn’t wish what I had to go through on my worst enemy,” Lawrence said later.
With those struggles behind him, he now has an opportunity to lock down his dream job.
“I like the idea of going in to get the saves and the holds,” he said. “I don’t feel out of my element at all, and I don’t feel like the game speeds up on me or anything like that. I mean, this is what a competitor wants. As a kid, you want to be the starter, or the four-hole hitter, or the closer. It would be awesome to be the closer, but I came to camp ready to prepare for whatever role the team needs me for.”
Justin Lawrence (61) jokes with Lucas Gilbreath (58) of the Colorado Rockies during Spring Training at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Lawrence’s 2023 season was a mixed bag. He posted a 1.47 ERA in 15 appearances and moved into the closer role in June when Pierce Johnson (later traded to Atlanta) started walking batters in droves. In his first 17 games as the closer, Lawrence converted seven of eight save opportunities while posting a 1.86 ERA. But he slumped in the second half of the season and lost the closer job to Kinley in early September.
Lawrence’s first- and second-half splits illustrate his inconsistency. In 38 appearances before the All-Star break, he had a 2.76 ERA and opponents slashed just .188/.284/.269 against him. In the second half, his ERA soared to 5.22 in 31 outings and opponents slashed .299/.400/.470.
“I liked everything about last season — the good, the bad and the ugly,” he said. “I liked the bad and the ugly because I learned from those things. I also loved that I was healthy the whole year and that when Buddy asked, ‘Hey, are you good to go?’ I was available.”
Lawrence is also aware that volitivity is part of a reliever’s life.
“Sure, you have the (Josh) Hader’s and the (Edwin) Diaz’s that go 162 games and they look like they were flawless, but there are still tough stretches in there for them, too,” Lawrence said. “But they have those long stretches when they are elite pitchers. So, for me, it’s about learning how to be elite for longer periods of time. And understanding that the bad stretches don’t mean that my season is in turmoil.”
Lawrence has devastating stuff. He throws a sinking fastball and a side-to-side slider that’s come to be known as a “sweeper.” But he’s still learning to harness his two pitches.
“He’s getting the ball more consistently in the strike zone with two pitches that have tremendous movement,” Black said. “That’s difficult, especially when you have that much movement on the fastball and that much of a break on the breaking ball. When you throw that hard, and when your hand is moving that fast to create the velocity, that’s difficult to harness.
“But he’s come a long way in harnessing those pitches, to the point that it’s truly major league caliber stuff.”
