Lynn Kelly is a friendly Colorado flack who’s usually hyping the Country Dinner Playhouse or Cheyenne Frontier Days. But these days she’s thinking about her son, Capt. Ryan Kelly, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot with the Army National Guard just home from Iraq.
Ryan is taking part in a program of the National Endowment of the Arts called Operation Homecoming. It invites troops to write about their experiences – and share the letters with family. Some of the letters are printed in the June 12 edition of The New Yorker.
Capt. Kelly has two letters to his mom in the issue. Lynn says her friends “read ’em and weep.” So does she.
His second letter has a passage too long to reproduce here, but in part it reads: “If it weren’t for the Army uniforms and the constant noise of helicopters taking off and landing, and the Russian 747-like jets screaming overhead every hour of the day, and the F-16s screeching around looking for something to kill … and the heat and the cold, and the hero missions and the body bags and the stress … and the worst: the constant pang of home, the longing for family, the knowledge that life is rolling past you like an unstoppable freight train, an inevitable force, reinforcing the desire for something familiar, the longing for something beautiful, for something safe, to be somewhere safe, with love and laughter and poetry and cold lemonade and clean sheets – if it weren’t for all that, Iraq would be just like home. Almost.”
Party hearty
Rest up. Next week is party time in Denver.
The Do at the Zoo comes down June 22 – bigger than ever under chairwoman Mary Smith. Three party areas this this year host six bands and food from dozens of our best restaurants – Jax, Mezcal, Palm, Tamayo, Del Frisco’s, North, Zengo and more. Entertainment comes from Opie Gone Bad, Sinatra impersonator Danny Wein, comedian Kevin Fitzgerald, Manuel Molina, Buckwild, Angie Stevens Band and the Railbenders. Tix at doatthezoo.org.
And Janet Elway’s Janet’s Camp is June 24 at her Cherry Hills home. A few tickets remain for this party, which should get out the glamour girls dressed in “campy couture.” This has the promise of being the party of the summer, so call 720-524-2714.
Band camp
Willem Hoevers wants to strike up the band – but there’s isn’t one. Yet.
He’s founder and commander of the 10th Mountain All State Marching Band, which has been invited to play in the 2007 Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C. The only problem: It has yet to play one note. He’s still recruiting, so go to 10thmtnmarchingband.org and join up. He’s holding auditions in Frisco on Saturday. 970-409-9832.
City spirit
Sightem from Monday’s NY Post: “Carmelo Anthony’s fiancée, La La Vazquez, waving away pleas from friends to jump onstage at Scores West (strip club), revealing an enormous engagement ring on her finger” … The Jewelry of Ben Nighthorse Campbell exhibit opens Friday at the Colorado History Museum … Sez who: “If you have any problems at all, don’t hesitate to shut up.” Robert Mankoff
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Husted also appears Tuesdays and Fridays on “Good Day Colorado” on Fox 31. You can reach him at 303-820-1486 or at bhusted@denverpost.com.
