Ten Things to Do in Denver for $10 and Under (Three Free!)

Bookworms, music aficionados and nerds of every stripe are spoiled for choices this weekend, when shows, readings, concerts and screenings abound. Each of the events listed below is not only interesting, but easy on the pocketbook: Admission for each is $10 or less. Keep reading for the ten best bargains in Denver over the next few days.

Feel the Beat Storytime
Friday, March 23, 11 a.m.
BookBar
Free
For its many patrons, BookBar is much more than a mere retailer; it's a community where readers of all ages, backgrounds and abilities can unite in their love of literature over bites and beverages from the kitchen. The bookseller's community outreach continues with Feel the Beat Storytime, presented in Sign Language for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. A partnership with Feel the Beat Dance Studio, Storytime is a fun way to practice signing, enjoy kids' books and sip and munch on half-off cafe specials. If you can't make it this month, don't fret. Feel the Beat Storytime returns to BookBar every fourth Friday. Visit BookBar's events calendar for more details.

Poetry Reading: Ricardo Pau-Llosa With Enrico Mario Santí
Friday, March 23, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Denver Art Museum
Included with admission
Prize-winning Cuban-American poet Ricardo Pau-Llosa is stopping by the Denver Art Museum's Sharp Auditorium for a special reading from his latest collection, Intruso Entre Ríos. Co-presented by DAM and the Museo de las Americas, the event brings world-class poetry right to artsy Denverites' doorsteps. Pau-Llosa will be joined by fellow Cuban-American poet and scholar Enrico Mario Santí for a transformative bilingual performance. Admission is included with museum entry fees, $8 to $13. Visit the Denver Art Museum's events calendar to learn more.

The Lighthouse Reading Show
Friday, March 23, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Lighthouse Writers Workshop
Free
Catch a glimpse of the multi-talented scribes in the Lighthouse Writers Workshop orbit at the Lighthouse Reading Show, a showcase of Denver authors. Hear short readings from writers of every experience level, including Thornton High School junior Franchesca Castillo, award-winning DU professor Diana Khoi Nguyen, the Community Outreach Program's Kathy Conde and Book Project graduate Lynette Vialet, then mingle with the literati, enjoy drinks and refreshments, and perhaps discover your new favorite writer. The event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is required at the Lighthouse Writers Workshop events page.

Joke and Tell
Friday, March 23, 7 p.m.
The Comedy RoomRoom
Free
Inspired by nostalgic memories of Show and Tell from grade school, Steve Vanderploeg has been trying to get Joke and Tell off the ground for years. After taking a couple months off and tinkering with the format, the core idea of comics riffing about their prized possessions remains intact, only now there's a much bigger lineup and a Denver comedy-party atmosphere. Embark on a treasure hunt through the past with a bill of more than twenty local comics including Zach Welch, Natalia Kvalem, Jose Macall, ShaNae Ross and more. Be sure to stick around at El Charrito after the show ends to watch drunken comics warble their way through karaoke songs. Find more information, including the full lineup, on Sexpot Comedy's Facebook events page.

Noonan's Nice & Naughty Comedy Night
Friday, March 23, 8 p.m.
Noonan's Sports Bar and Grill
$10
Tee up for laughter as the Nice & Naughty Comedy Night returns to the events center in Aurora's massive Noonan's Sports Bar and Grill. March's mulligan-free lineup includes local comics Terri Barton-Gregg, Kara Williams, Jack Barton, AJ Finney and Dick Black. Be sure to try the deep-fried Oreos. Visit the evening's Eventbrite page to buy tickets, $10, and learn more.


Friday Night Weird: Phantasm
Friday, March 23, 8:45 p.m.
Boedecker Theater
$6.50 to $12
Among the freakiest years of cinema history, 1979 was positively brimming with classics, cult and otherwise. Friday Night Weird's month-long tribute to the films of ’79 continues with a screening of Don Coscarelli's Phantasm, a work that heralded the arrival of one of horror's great unsung auteurs and introduced an iconic baddie with the death-sphere-slinging Tall Man. Scare up some fun this weekend by revisiting this cultishly adored film, or, better yet, experience it yourself for the first time on the big screen. Visit the Dairy Center's box-office page to buy tickets, $6.50 to $12, and get more details.


Midnight Madness: Moonrise Kingdom
March 23 to 24, midnight
Landmark Esquire
$9.50
Apparently it's unofficial Wes Anderson week here in Denver, and local cinephiles can continue celebrating their love of the fussy auteur at a pair of Midnight Madness screenings at the Landmark Esquire. Moonrise Kingdom, a retro-tinged tale of young love thwarted by meddlesome adults and nor'easter storms, combines all of Anderson's aesthetic idiosyncrasies (not to mention his penchant for eerily affectless child actors) into something more heartfelt than any of his films since Rushmore. And it's well worth another viewing on the big screen. Visit the Landmark Esquire's box-office page to buy tickets, $9.50, and find out more.

Rocky Mountain Brassworks: Celtic Extravaganza
Saturday, March 24, 2 to 4:30 p.m.
Broomfield Auditorium
$5 to $15
St. Paddy's Day is happily behind us, butthat doesn't mean that Denverites can't enjoy music with a little Celtic flair all month long. Rocky Mountain Brassworks has been presenting its Celtic Extravaganza for years, and the show returns to Broomfield Auditorium on Saturday, March 24. Tap your toes to the sounds of the Happy Feet Scottish Dance Academy, McTeggart Irish Dancers, El Jebel Pipers, and more music from the Albion Isles, all at the family-friendly showtime of 2 p.m. Visit the Rocky Mountain Brassworks box-office page for tickets, $5 to $15, and to learn more.

Noir City: I Walk Alone
Sunday, March 25, 3:30 p.m.
Alamo Drafthouse Littleton
$10
If you prefer your cinema to walk on the dark side, the Noir City Denver festival and the Film Noir Foundation are teaming up to present a screening of I Walk Alone. This movie tells the story of Frankie Madison, a Prohibition-era bootlegger, played by Burt Lancaster, who is freed from prison only to discover that his former partner in crime, "Dink" Turner, played by Kirk Douglas, has gone aboveground using the money they raked in together to build a legit enterprise. The problem: Turner has no desire to share. It's a story of retribution, and it's worth seeing in its recently restored digital glory.

Jefferson Symphony Orchestra Spring Concert
Sunday, March 25, 4 p.m.
Wheat Ridge United Methodist Church
$5 to $25
Celebrate spring's arrival with the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra's Persephone-pleasing concert. The program includes Claude Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun," Sergei Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kijé Suite, and Robert Schumann's Spring Symphony No. 1. Seniors interested in attending can reserve a shuttle from the Golden Visitors Center by calling 303-278-4327. Find tickets, $5 to $25, and more information on the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra box-office page.

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