The Lindy on the Rocks dance festival shimmies into town this weekend, bringing with it a slew of 20th-century nostalgia. From the Denver Turnverein to the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, dancers will be doing the Charleston, bopping the Lindy Hop and generally swingin’ in 1930s and ’40s style.
It’s enough to make someone who was born decades later long for earlier times. When that mood strikes, the place to go is the Skylark Lounge (140 S. Broadway).
The Skylark’s been a part of Denver’s bar scene in some form or another since 1943. The current location opened in 2003 after a short move down the street, and it’s a virtual museum of mid-20th-century pop-culture glamour.
Despite the bank of windows that faces Broadway, the Skylark always seems to be dark. The light is tinged a sexy red. Booths beckon from the right and left. Once your eyes adjust to the gloom, the Skylark further reveals itself.
The north wall is covered in framed posters. Most are movie posters for classics like “High Noon,” but there are a few World War II-era curios, too: One shows a cowering cartoon Hitler beneath a sky full of bombers and the text, “When? You decide!” Another depicts a dark, angry face and accusatory finger pointing out of the poster — “Someone TALKED!”
The center of the room is dominated by an enormous rectangular bar. Behind it, rows of liquor bottles glitter in a long, low display. They might be the brightest things in the room, and they look lovely enough to tempt a confirmed beer drinker.
Black-and-white photos dominate the south wall, with images of Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Elvis and other legends. Above the small corner stage — where rockabilly, blues and indie-country acts typically set up — 1940s pinup girls smile and salute.
It’s a little dazzling, despite the darkness. There’s so much to look at, it’s worth sitting at the bar to take it all in. You’ll end up with your head on a swivel.
This is only the first floor of the ‘Lark. Upstairs is the Pair-O-Dice Pool Room, a haven for pool sharks and a separate space for conversation and libation when there’s a show downstairs. To find the stairs, look for the wooden propeller hanging from the ceiling on the ground floor with “Pair-O-Dice” artfully painted on its blades.
It’s hard to believe the Skylark’s not in its original location. Occupying two buildings in almost 70 years isn’t bad, though. The air still feels thick with history. Turn off your cellphone — forget it exists, if possible — and settle into a booth with good friends. The Skylark will take care of the rest.
The Skylark is a fine place to hang anytime, but if you need an excuse to go: The Love Royale plays tonight, followed by the Delta Sonics on Saturday. The monthly “Monster Comedy Night” brings the yuks on Tuesday. All shows start at 9 p.m.
Further entertainment:
Video-game geeks can meet Donkey Kong champion Steve Wiebe at The 1Up (1925 Blake St.) on Saturday, starting at 1 p.m. Extra Donkey Kong games will be set up for fans as Wiebe attempts to reach Kong’s “kill screen,” a programming malfunction that causes the game to freeze up at Level 22. If you’ve seen the documentary “King of Kong,” you know that this is awesome.
