9News afternoon anchor Kim Christiansen will be honored Saturday night at the Miss Colorado Pageant at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. She wore the state crown in 1980-81, so this celebrates the 30th anniversary of her reign.
Where does the time go?
“I was a teenager,” says Christiansen, “and I look dramatically different today.”
I say she looks better as a grown-up and a mom than she did as a CU-Boulder freshman. Her talent was twirling, for which I have teased her for 25 years.
“Back in the day, it was a very competitive sport,” she says. “I still have the batons. You never forget how to do it, but when and where would I do it?” Her speciality: Batons on fire!
And don’t forget that she walked across a stage in a bathing suit at the Miss Colorado and Miss America pageants.
“That will never ever happen again,” she says.
But Christiansen says the experience was overwhelmingly positive. “It was awesome. I learned to speak on a moment’s notice. I did about 130 appearances that year, parades, ribbon cuttings, speaking engagements. It was the ultimate internship for the profession I went into before I even knew I was going into it.”
He’s with the band.
Chris Daniels made a surprise appearance with his band, Chris Daniels & The Kings, at Wednesday night’s slider party at Elway’s.
Daniels has been getting cancer treatments in Houston and was not expected to make the gig. But there he was, playing lead guitar and singing, in a black hat and no hair. “I got a hall pass,” he said. “I’m in remission at the moment.”
But he has to return to Houston next week for a stem-cell transplant — and a three- month recovery time.
“What can I say, it’s cancer,” he says.
He was clearly energized to be back on stage with his friends. And he sang “What a Wonderful World” toward the end of his first set — and he meant it.
Welcome.
Arnold Palmer was in town this week to celebrate the anniversary of his legendary U.S. Open win at Cherry Hills Country Club in June 1960. He was checking into the JW Marriott, and his bag had the name “Mulligan” on it. That’s the name of Palmer’s yellow Lab and a way to show his sense of humor.
A young woman working the valet saw the bag and said, “Welcome to the hotel, Mr. Mulligan.” Palmer said he was Arnold Palmer, which the young woman thought was a drink. Her friends at valet told her she just called one of golf’s great players Mr. Re-do. It’s like calling Kobe Bryant Mr. Airball.
City spirit.
QVC is broadcasting live from the Aspen Food & Wine Classic at 1 p.m. today and noon Saturday. . . . Don’t be shy, say the people from Hot Chick-a-Latte: Order a D-cup of free coffee all day Saturday at 4736 E. Colfax Ave. The theme here is baristas in bikinis. . . . ZZ Top canceled its September appearance in Telluride for the Blues & Brews Festival to tour with Tom Petty. . . . Sez who: “Pioneering don’t pay.” — Andrew Carnegie
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Friday. You can reach him at 303-954-1486 or at bhusted@denverpost.com. Take a peek at Husted’s next column at .
