If you’ve been to a First Friday event, or been inside the doors of Battery621, you know that we like to have art hanging in many locations around the main level. Some of them are in places where you normally wouldn’t be able to hang art due to glass panels or not wanting to ruin the walls. Luckily for us, we found a solution, and a great partner in the process. We teamed up with AS Hanging Systems to create flexible hanging areas that can handle pretty much anything that can be hung. We’ve had paintings, posters, skateboards, and other mediums up already, with no end in sight. So if you’re in the market for a system to hang some art, check out the products the AS Hanging Systems has to offer.

If you haven’t been to an event at Battery621, we have our own little fireplace. When we say fireplace, we mean it, yet it’s a little bit different than what you’re thinking…

We partnered up with Fire & Patio Co. and installed one of their alcohol fireplaces in the Spyder showroom. It is an amazing product which does not need to be vented, is completely self contained and runs on eco-friendly denatured alcohol. It looks beautiful and also kicks out 10,000 BTU’s. You’ll find the fireplace running during First Fridays and other events, so come by and check it out. It looks awesome in the dark too.

We look forward to continuing to find placements throughout Battery621 for Fire & Patio Co.’s product line!

So our First Friday Fun Facts will be a little bit different than our regular Fun Fact Friday posts. In the FFFF, we’ll let you know what you should be looking forward to at tonight’s First Friday event.

First, there will be artwork. The Got Metal? gallery continues its run in the Spyder gallery, complete with sculpture, metalwork, and paintings. Secondly, we’ll have new art from Whit Boucher of Boulder, Colorado. You can check out his work at Phivekvisuals.com or tonight in the Icelantic Gallery and the common area. There is already some great stuff hanging on the walls.

Secondly, we’re going to kick things up in a different notch. Tonight, we’re celebrating America as July 4th is just around the corner. We’ll be decorated out in Red, White, and Blue, and we encourage you to come over dressed up in your best America ensemble. Icelantic will be holding a costume contest for the best American themed costumes, with yet to be announced prizes to go to the winners. We’re also going to have cotton candy and snocones available for all attendees, and just because Battery621 is the coolest place to be… We’re going to have a Stars and Striped waterslide in the parking lot!

Third, we’re going to be debuting the Battery621 First Friday Gigantic Jenga tournament. We’ve taken Jenga, made it much bigger and burlier, and those of you interested can compete in a bracket style tourney for prizes as well. We think this is going to go off, so get here to sign up. Tournament starts promptly at 8.

Lastly, we’ll have live music tonight from Dynohunter. You can get a preview of their sounds at http://soundcloud.com/dynohunter. Dynohunter starts at 9, and will be on until 11 in the Spyder Gallery.

That’s about it for tonight, but you never know what else is in store unless you get down here tonight. Doors open at 7 with adult beverages provided by TommyKnocker Brewery. See you all then!

So you may be used to seeing Spyder gear head to toe on fellow skiers on the mountain, but do you know how it all started? In 1978, while David’s sons were in the ski race circuit, he noted that there was only one brand of race sweaters available. He knew he could make a better product and sell it to the close-knit race community. This business, named David L Jacobs, Incorporated, began as a small mail order business in his kitchen called Spyder – a business “for racing, by racers.” As a treat, here is the original Spyder brochure, complete with David himself modeling the product.

Drumbeat orchestrated the concept, design, and implementation of the Stapleton Discovery Center, the starting point for the 2011 HGTV Green Home Tour. Alongside Strada, Ideations, Legwork, and Battery 621’s own, The Public Works, Drumbeat helped Forest City Stapleton connect with its audience in a unique experiential launch pad that is surely worth a visit. Check it out while you are there consider touring HGTV Leed Platinum certified Green Home. Click here to purchase tickets in advance.

Let’s face it: The snowsports industry has seen tremendous growth over the past 10 years. New brands have popped up, competing with the big dogs that have been in the industry since the beginning. So that begs the question, what does it take to be unique in a crowded industry? One of Battery621′s very own tenants, Icelantic Skis, has figured out a way to stick out in the industry. It all boils to their Colorado roots and the construction of their skis. Watch the video below:

Icelantic: Handmade in Colorado, USA

Icelantic is committed to local processes and partnerships for many reasons. Service, convenience and a belief in supporting the local economy are important but are really just the icing on the cake. The primary reason for our local commitment is QUALITY! Our boards are Never Summer Factory Built. Never Summer Industries has been perfecting sandwich construction for over 15 years and are known throughout the industry for their bombproof durability. Every product made in the NS facility is handcrafted with skill, care and attention to detail. Combine this with Icelantic’s truly unique designs and top-of-the-line materials, and you have the most durable, innovative and exciting ski on the market! Icelantic believes that high-quality, locally handcrafted products are just plain better. Our comprehensive two-year warranty is a testament to the confidence we have in our products and we know you will feel the same way as soon as you try a pair of Icelantics for yourself.

The amount of pine destroyed by beetles in Colorado is staggering. What were once healthy trees are now diseased and standing dead, primed to start a forest fire. In order to help save the forest, these trees are being cut down and put to good use by artists, builders, and do-it-yourself types all across Colorado. Battery621 is no exception to this movement.

Inside Battery621, you’ll find over 30,000 linear feet of beetle kill wood. Icelantic’s gallery would be the first part people see when entering the North side of the building. On the South side, Spyder’s upper level showroom and gallery houses a beetle kill stage, back wall panel, and a 34 foot long custom ceiling installation. Over in the offices of The Public Works, a new installed timber frame loft was created from beetle kill as well. All of us inside here are doing our best to contribute to the cause of finding good uses of Colorado’s surplus of standing dead.

Check out some other projects The Public Works has done utilizing beetle kill.

http://thepublicworks.wordpress.com/2009/08/04/trophies-tornadoes-beer-and-biking/
http://thepublicworks.wordpress.com/?s=beetle+kill

For more info on beetle kill, check out an article from the Denver Post here.

People commonly ask how we came up with the name Battery621 so we figured we’d write a quick blog post about the process. We started with the obvious question. What is it or what do we want it to be? At that point we were referring it “it” as “The Building”. The concept was to bring a group of people and businesses like minded enough to all get along and be able to help each other but diverse enough to each add something new and interesting to the mix under one roof. It was important to us that everyone under the roof of the building be progressive and open to working in a non-traditional environment. We envisioned a place where “walls” were a flexible concept and that kind of communal space requires an understanding.

We started with lists of words that connote groups. Assemblage didn’t exactly have a ring to it. Syndicate felt over used and didn’t quite hit the mark. We made giant lists and nothing quite felt right. We started looking into names of animal groups but somehow Rookery Building (Albatross) or Fesnying Place (Ferrets) didn’t feel right. Coalition (Cheetahs) sounded ok and cheetahs are pretty cool but all that came to mind was the coalition of the willing which by association immediately led to other George W gaffs: EG. “I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.” We talk a lot about energy and the building being more than the sum of its parts. Gestalt was a little weird and Kilowat is just not a good name.

Eventually Battery came up and filled all our requisite categories:
-any large group or series of related things
-two or more pieces of artillery used for combined action.
-a tactical unit of artillery
-a group of guns, missile launchers, searchlights, or torpedo tubes of similar type or size operated as a single entity
-An energy storage device
-A pod of barracudas

Barracudas? Torpedoes? Perfect. We figured we can overlook the “-The act of beating or pounding.” definition since it was otherwise so dead on. And even though Sarah Palin already ruined that Barracuda song by Heart we could always go with Battery by Metalica which is a WAY cooler theme song anyway.