BlogSince our hockey wager winnings arrived from the Republican Convention last week, we felt as though we needed to send a little something in return to our friends in the Twin Cities. Earlier today a donkey-gram showed up at the Republican National Convention headquarters to convey our gratitude in full measure, which the GOP captured in this web video:
While the Republicans gave you a taste of our singing donkey’s exceptional talents, here’s the rest of what he sang (to the tune of Yankee Doodle):
The hockey wager’s been and gone,
And as you know we won it,
We’ll make sure you don’t forget, with a D.N.C.C. sonnet,
We love Walleye, yes we do!
Sent from our contender,
How nice to have a sample taste of Victry’ in November.
When Conventions come to town,
We know we’ll both be frantic,
Luckily we’ll be well fed – best fish this side o’ the Atlantic.
We love Walleye, yes we do!
This we will remember,
How nice to have a sample taste of Victry’ in November.
And so the Wild put up a fight,
Their skaters drew a big buzz,
They change positions on the ice as fast as John McCain does.
We love Walleye, yes we do!
Deep-fried to an ember,
How nice to have a sample taste of Victry’ in November.
Now the Avs have also lost,
Beyond all comprehension,
At least their rink will soon be home to the very best convention.
We love Walleye, yes we do!
Not to be an offender…
But it’s nice to have a sample taste of Victry’ in November.
While the wager’s been fun, I think with this we can put it to rest.
Meet Ricky Kirshner and Mark Squier, the former a veteran of major entertainment productions – like Super Bowl half-time shows and the Rose Parade – and every Democratic Convention since 1996, the latter a Party adviser brought on to spearhead the strategic communications behind the program.
They made their debut on this blog last fall, but they’re back in today’s edition of the Rocky Mountain News.
Both are hard at work preparing an engaging, interactive four-day event that will put our nominee on the path to victory in November. For example, design plans for the stage and podium were finished in February, in anticipation of construction that will begin the week of July 7th and convert the Pepsi Center from sports arena to Convention hall.
And while production plans are kept tightly under wraps, Kirshner and Squier say the Convention won’t be. They want the four-day event to be as interactive as possible. "We're looking for ways to bring down the walls," Kirshner said.
UPDATE: Check out this video from the Denver Rescue Mission
Today we were happy to see our delivery of walleye arrive from the Republican National Convention folks. If you haven’t been following our friendly wager, the delicious Minnesota fish was our prize after the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Minnesota Wild in the NHL Western Conference Semi-Finals. Instead of enjoying the fish ourselves, we decided to donate the walleye to the Denver Rescue Mission, a set of local homeless shelters. DNCC staff member Marisa McAuliffe, who was featured on our blog last fall for her extensive volunteer work at the Mission, shuttled the frozen fish over to their Lawrence Street facility, which provides 200 beds and free meals for Denver’s homeless. We’re not sure when it will be cooked, but it’s sure to be a treat. This recipe caught our eye shortly after the Avalanche victory over the Wild, so it’s definitely our recommendation for the Mission.
Thanks to our friends in Minneapolis and to the Avs for winning!
UPDATE: Check out this video from our forum in Colorado Springs
At a community forum last night in Colorado Springs, local residents and business people turned out to hear from Convention organizers about the historic regional opportunities presented by Denver’s hosting of the Convention.
“Given the level of interest in this Convention, we’re expecting a larger turnout than previously anticipated. That means cities and towns beyond Denver have even more opportunities to benefit,” said DNCC CEO Leah Daughtry. “And since Labor Day weekend immediately follows the Convention, many Convention-goers will be looking to places like Colorado Springs to get some R&R.”
The event was the seventh in a series of ten community forums – “Convention Conversations: A Traveling Forum Sponsored by the DNCC” – which launched in Denver in September and has traveled to Pueblo, Boulder and Lakewood, Colorado; Las Vegas and Salt Lake City in recent months.
VIDEO: See coverage of the event from KOAA, the NBC affiliate in Colorado Springs.
UPDATE: Check out this video of our tree planting in Sunnyside!
Rounding out a week of activities around Earth Day, many of our staff will don T-shirts and old jeans and get their hands dirty Saturday morning at a tree planting in Northwest Denver’s Sunnyside neighborhood. The planting of 400 trees will increase the tree canopy in one of Denver’s most underserved and least shady neighborhoods.
Our participation in the project is part of “DNCC Service Days,” an effort to give back to the community that has been such a gracious host, and reflects our commitment to making this year’s Democratic Convention the most environmentally-sustainable event of its kind.
The project is part of the Mile High Million, Mayor John Hickenlooper’s initiative to plant more than 1 million trees in metro Denver over the next 19 years. In a bit of a warm–up exercise, some of my colleagues participated yesterday in another city-sponsored tree planting on Auraria Parkway, not far from the Pepsi Center, home of our 2008 Convention. You can check out our work – and perhaps catch a bit of shade – when you arrive here in August.
More from Earth Week at the DNCC:
- Green Screen Episode 2: Climate Change
- Earth Day Must Read: DNCC Commitment to Greening Democratic Convention is 'About Stewardship'
- Democratic National Convention Committee Rolls Out Technology Strategies Behind The Most Environmentally Sustainable Democratic Convention To Date
- Speaker Pelosi, DNCC Announce Green Delegate Challenge For 2008 Democratic National Convention
- Greening the 2008 Democratic National Convention
While we eagerly await that “special package” from our friends at the 2008 Republican National Convention (following our friendly wager and the recent triumph of the Colorado Avalanche over the Minnesota Wild in the NHL Western Conference Quarter-Finals), we just can't stop thinking about how to best prepare what's sure to be a wonderful meal. As we get ready to cook up the walleye, which will be coming our way any day now, we want your ideas too. The following dish sounds like a keeper. If you’re a walleye connoisseur, lend us a hand and post your recipe recommendation here!
Deep Fried Fish
In a large skillet, place about 1/2" of vegetable oil in skillet.
Turn flame to medium.
Pull skin off the fillets.
Cut fillets crossways into 3-4" chunks.
Take pieces and put into medium size bowl filled with water and 2 teaspoons of salt.
Soak for about 1/2 hour.
To make the breading you will need 1 cup of bisquick, 1cup of instant mashed potato flakes, and 1/2 cup of frying magic.
Pour these items into a one gallon ziploc bag and shake well.
(you can substitute Frying Magic with Italian bread crumbs)
In a small bowl, wisk 2 eggs with a splash of milk.
Take the walleye pieces and place in egg wash (make sure they are covered on both sides). Then place them into bag with the breading mixture.
Seal bag and shake until pieces are thouroughly covered.
Place fish pieces into skillet for about 2-3 minutes per side.
To check, take a spatula and cut into middle of fish. They should be white and flaky. Cooking time may vary depending on the thickness and size of the pieces. Place the pieces on a plate covered with paper towels or napkins to absorb the excess oil . Salt and pepper to taste. (I like a little lemon juice squeezed on just before serving) Enjoy!
After hitting the road and heading to Salt Lake City, Utah earlier this month, the DNCC’s traveling community forum series is back in Colorado. On Tuesday, April 29th at 5:30 pm MT at the Antlers Hilton in Colorado Springs, DNCC CEO Leah D. Daughtry and Colorado State Senator John Morse (invited) will provide local residents and business people with the opportunity to ask questions, share ideas and find out how they can take advantage of the historic regional opportunities presented by Denver’s hosting of the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
In what could only be interpreted as foreshadowing of things to come, the Colorado Avalanche triumphed over the Minnesota Wild at the Pepsi Center Saturday night to win the Western Conference Quarter-Finals. Before the series began, we made a friendly wager with our counterparts at the Republican National Convention Committee in Minneapolis-St. Paul on the outcome of the series, offering up Colorado steak to their Minnesota walleye.
A bet is a bet, and we’ll be eagerly checking our mailroom in anticipation of the arrival of that walleye.
We’ve made a friendly wager with our counterparts at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul on the outcome of the NHL playoff series between the Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild. With tonight’s victory by the Avs, the series is now tied at 2-2 after back-to-back games at the Pepsi Center here in Denver.
So we took our camera across town - right into the heart of the action - to find out what Avs fans think of the wager and this summer’s Convention. Check out the video below for a great look at the local excitement - and some promising tips on cooking walleye.
In February we posted about the great Homes for our Troops project that we have undertaken with the Republican National Convention, the Credit Union National Association and the National Journal Group. In the months leading up to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, staff in both Colorado and Minnesota will work to build a house in each Convention host city for severely wounded American troops.
We are now happy to say that we have come one step closer to providing a specially adapted home to Staff Sergeant (SSG) Travis Strong and his family here in Colorado. On a plot of land in the town of Golden, representatives of the partner organizations, including our own CEO, Leah Daughtry, broke ground with the Strong family during a late-winter Colorado storm yesterday morning. Despite the cold, there was tremendous excitement in the small tent filled with media, organization members and family supporters.
As part of our DNCC Service Days initiative, our Convention staff is now eager to get involved with the construction of the Strong family household. As Leah said at yesterday’s event, “We’re looking forward to hammering some nails, hanging some dry wall and laying some sod, as this will be a labor of love for a true American hero.”
Be sure to check back on the blog to find out about our progress with Homes for our Troops.
