Wilde, Wilde West

Oscar Wilde is one of those rare writers whose work transcends time. “I would say that he remains as pertinent today as he really ever was; his comments were so wonderful,” says Simone Groene-Sackett, education program assistant for the Denver Public Library.

That’s why the DPL’s Fresh City Life, in conjunction with the Denver Bookbinding Company, is putting on Oscar Wilde in Leadville. “This specific event was inspired by a speech he gave in Leadville in 1882 in the Tabor Opera House to a bunch of minors,” explains Groene-Sackett. “We have this wonderful Oscar Wilde impersonator, Ed Cord; he’s going to be doing the exact re-enactment of that speech from 1882.” And it’s in the exact location, as well.

Tickets to the event, which takes place today from 6 to 8 p.m., are $15 if you provide your own transportation to the Tabor Opera House, 308 Harrison Avenue in Leadville, and $30 if you take the bus that will head out from Denver Bookbinding, 2715 17th Street, at 1 p.m.. “That should be pretty fun,” Groene-Sackett says. “I think we’ll have some performers on the bus, and there’ll be food, like a field trip for adults. And once up in Leadville, there’s the Leadville Enrichment, Relaxation, Crafts and History [LERCH] festival; that’s part of the bigger field trip. The bus will arrive early enough to stroll around and eat a turkey leg.”

Proceeds from today’s festivities benefit the DPL’s Friends Foundation; for tickets, call 303-455-5521 or visit www.denverbook.com. For information on Fresh City Life, visit www.denverlibrary.org/fresh.
Sat., June 27, 6-8 p.m., 2009