Hickenlooper gets the ax — literally

With his marriage just three days away, Gov. John Hickenlooper got an unusual “good luck” gift Wednesday night: an ax and a bottle of champagne.

The gift came courtesy of Holly Arnold Kinney, owner of The Fort restaurant in Morrison.

Some context is probably in order: The Fort’s founder, Sam Arnold, was famous for opening champagne bottles with an ax.

Arnold Kinney, Sam’s daughter, told Hickenlooper that should he use the ax Saturday to open champagne, it would be a sign his marriage, to Robin Pringle, will last forever.

“I’m all for that!” the governor said, grinning.

The gift was presented during Wednesday night’s annual Colorado Restaurant Association Blue Ribbon legislative reception, held at the History Colorado Center.

has been a political journalist since 1998. She covered the state capitol for the Silver & Gold Record from 1998 to 2009 and for The Colorado Statesman in 2010-11 and 2013-14. Since 2010 she also has covered the General Assembly for newspapers in northeastern Colorado. She was recognized with awards from the Colorado Press Association for feature writing and informational graphics for her work with the Statesman in 2012.