Only the most elegant and literate of ghouls will be present at this year's Victorian Horrors event hosted by the Molly Brown House Museum, 1340 Pennsylvania Street, when the lights are lowered and the candles lit for a storytelling journey up creaky staircases and through cobweb-decorated rooms. Featuring such noted horror authors as Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker (as portrayed by spooky costumed actors) looming at each twist and turn, the tours leave every fifteen minutes between 6 and 9 p.m., today through Saturday. Tickets are $12 to $15, and reservations are recommended; call 303-832-4092, ext. 16, or go to www.mollybrown.org.
Friday, October 22
Dance boundaries will be crossed more than once this weekend when the Boulder Ballet presents An Evening of Dance, a cultural exchange with a fresh feel, featuring modern-dance performances by guesting ensemble the Nicholas Andre Dance Theater of New York City and a one-act commedia dell'arte ballet performed by Boulder's homegrown troupe. The barrage of contemporary choreography, provided by former Coloradan Nick Seligson-Ross and Boulder's Peter Davison, unfolds on stage tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m. at the Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut Street in Boulder; for tickets, $15 to $20, call 303-449-7856 or visit www. boulderballet.org.
Saturday, October 23
Kids love firehouses, and they love ghosts, too. So if you're a parent, what's not to like about today's Meet the Firehouse Ghosts at the Denver Firefighters Museum? The site is in the city's onetime Fire Station Number One, naturally creepy digs built way back in 1909, when firefighters still answered the call in horse-drawn wagons. All that history's bound to leave a few phantoms in its wake, and you'll find out about them today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the station, 1326 Tremont Street, where fire engines continued to race out the doors at all hours of the day and night until 1974. Psychic tours, tarot readings and Halloween crafts add to the fun in firehouse rooms that now house ancient gear you can try on for size; admission is free for all. For details, call 303-892-1436 or visit www.Denverfirefightersmuseum.org.
If you're an avid cyclist -- and in the metro area, the chances are good that you are -- Veloswap was created with you in mind. The humongous bicycle swap and show features just about every kind of bicycle and part known to man or woman at booths fronted by anyone who chooses to open up shop: individuals, retailers or suppliers. Whether you intend to clean out your garage or to fill it back up again, this event, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the National Western Complex, I-70 and Brighton Boulevard, will serve you well while providing additional entertainment and thrills. Along with all the swappin' and sellin', you'll have an opportunity to hobnob with Olympic gold-medal winner Tyler Hamilton. And kids ages eleven to fourteen with Lance-inspired aspirations are invited to compete in free Shimano Little 100 short-track bicycle relay races (bikes and helmets provided). Gate admission to Veloswap is $6 to $8; for information and booth registration, go to www.veloswap.com or call 1-800-811-4210, ext. 222 (ext. 138 for the Shimano Little 100).
"Gimme a head with hair, long beautiful hair -- shining, gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen..."
Everybody's got a dream, and local drag diva Nuclia Waste is no different. But an unresolved zeal for plaits piled up to the moon isn't the only reason the natty Nuclia hosts the annual Mile High Hair Ball dance party and kooky wig contest known for its towering tresses and colossal coifs. She's got ulterior motives. This year's event, dubbed "Hooray for Hollywigs!" benefits Project Angel Heart, too, and that's what we call a 'do. It starts at 8 p.m. at 2101 Champa Street, and admission is $25 at the door; for additional information, go to www.milehihairball.com.
Sunday, October 24
There's at least one group of truly cutting-edge fashionistas who don't even bother donning actual clothes anymore. They just paint them on at the Body Art Ball, a one-of-a-kind runway show in which fifteen artists apply costumes directly onto comely model/performers of both sexes for a stroll down the catwalk to synchronized music and lights. A panel of celebrity judges will dole out awards to the best, um, dressed; one of them, choreographer-to-the-stars Roger Lee, will wrap things up with a performance of his own. The ball, a benefit for the Boulder AIDS Foundation, begins at 9 p.m. at the Gothic Theatre, 3263 South Broadway, Englewood; admission is $20. For details, call 303-788-0984 or log on to www.nipp.com.
Monday, October 25
Voters who are still undecided regarding local political issues and candidates, along with hundreds of Denver-area college students, will have another chance to make up their minds at Sway the Day: Auraria Decides, a Colorado candidate forum hosted by all three Auraria schools and various campus organizations. A clan of invited office-seekers will gather on stage at Auraria's central flagpole plaza today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to answer questions posed by the audience; refreshments and campaign literature will also be available.
Tuesday, October 26
The macabre progenitors of psychobilly have come to rear their campy, gory, totally trailer-trashed horned heads in Denver once more: The legendary Cramps, led by the kitschy, demon-channeling founding duo Lux Interior and Poison Ivy, will romp, stomp and howl their way into the Ogden Theatre tonight, just in time for a grave-diggin' ball of a Halloween warm-up. The equally artless Gore Gore Girls, who bill themselves as a "meeting of the Stooges and the Ronettes," will get the party started. Doors open at 7 p.m. at the Ogden, 935 East Colfax Avenue; for tickets, $16 to $18, call 303-831-9448 or go to www.nipp.com.
Wednesday, October 27
That elusive Denver style, as created by both fledgling and established local designers, gets a big thumbs-up tonight at the Metro Fashion Association Fashion Show, hosted by a new student organization at Metropolitan State College intent on putting our town on the national fashion map. The display will include designs by Metro student stitcher Mercedes Hartman, as well as Eyecandywear -- a line created by EYECANDYMAG founders Laurie Scavo and Ray Romero -- and just about everything in between. They'll be in the spotlight beginning at 7 p.m. in the Tivoli Turnhalle, Ninth Street and Auraria Parkway on the Auraria campus. Admission is free, but $5 donations for the Rape Assistance and Awareness Program will gladly be accepted; for information, call 720-839-0975 or visit www.metrofashionassociation.com.
