QUIDNUNC: Fanning the flames of rivalry; Park the car, ride your bike; Ice cold “Ink Ale” anyone?

QUID HAS HEARD that Aurora Chamber emcee Rick Crandall fanned the flames of the intense Aurora/Denver rivalry again last week when he emceed the Aurora Chamber’s annual military salute. As host of the event, Crandal referred to the metro area as the “Aurora-Denver” metropolis, dissing our neighbors to the west by relegating them to second billing in metro area references throughout the event. The rivalry evokes shades of Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler, Hatfields and McCoys, or Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort with “He-who-shall-not-be-named.” It’s mostly unnecessary though, the event was held at a Denver hotel because the Aurora-Denver metro area is lacking in appropriate accommodations on the Aurora side for such an event. Take that Denver!

AND QUID HAS HEARD that June 26 is officially Bike to Work Day in Aurora, which should make for a pleasant commute for Quid to get to work on Interstate 225 for once. The day, which involves more than 15,000 pledged riders, features stations around the metro area to hydrate, cool or entertain bikers on their way to work that morning. Or, annoy the ever-loving snot out of hurried, sweaty commuters who had to wake up at 4 a.m. to bike all the way into the office to turn around and do it again at the end of the day. Offer a “Temptation Island,” complete with free booze on the way in and Quid will sign up first for next year’s event.

AND QUID HAS HEARD the Arapahoe County Fair officials are bringing back our favorite reason to make it to the fair for the third year in a row: the annual “Battle of the Homebrews.” The event is open to anyone 21 years old or older who makes beer, mead, cider or ale in the area. Like last year, and the year before it, Quid wasn’t asked to judge this year’s entries. The mailman must be intercepting those letters, because we can’t fathom why we’re being overlooked every year. Nonetheless, Quid will be submitting his brew this year titled “Ink Ale.” It’s a journalist’s beer — salty aromatic notes with a hint of irony on the back end, self-righteousness on the front. That, and it’s a bitter, bitter brew.

AND THAT’S ALL THE NEWS FIT TO PRINT.