Father of Colorado Gay Rodeo to be honored on Sunday

Lewis Wayne Jakino, founder of the Colorado Gay Rodeo Association and a longtime Denver community activist, will be commemorated on Sunday at Charlie’s, the gay restaurant and bar that Jakino owned. Jakino died of pancreatic cancer earlier this month at the age of 66 after a lifetime of raising money for AIDS organizations and breast cancer research, as well as other charitable causes.

After establishing Denver as the hub of Western gay rodeo, an activity that simultaneously promotes gay equality and amateur sportsmanship, Jakino went on to help found the International Gay Rodeo Association, which serves as an umbrella group for the regional clubs. Jakino, a Durango, Colo., native who moved to Denver, is the subject of a documentary film that will be screened at Sunday’s event. The commemoration will begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Charlie’s, at 900 E. Colfax in Denver.