Tea and Puppies

Julia McClurg loves animals. A lot of people claim similar affinities, but McClurg is serious about her passion. She paints portraits of pets as her business, LuLu Bella, which is named for her Italian greyhound, She creates everything from wall-hanging masterpieces to greeting cards, and has done more than 400…

Keep on Truckin’

Speed freaks of all shapes and sizes will rev their engines this weekend at Bandimere Speedway. This afternoon’s 3 p.m. Club Clash features car clubs of all makes and models facing off on the race course for king-of-the-hill bragging rights. Tomorrow’s ATS Diesels on the Mountain drag race has categories…

Magic Number Seven

The magical hour is almost here, and everyone is itching to know what happens. Is Severus Snape an evil double agent who murdered Albus Dumbledore in cold blood, or is there some greater reason for his betrayal? What will happen to Hogwarts? For that matter, what will happen to Harry,…

Keep On Truckin’

Cummins Rocky Mountain Truck Fest: Drag racing, truck show, special truck exhibitions, rock crawlers, vendor midway, burnout contest and more…

What Happens in Denver

“It’s not your typical fashion show,” says Indie Six’s Angela Dixon — which may be the understatement of the year. She’s talking about Viva Las Denver!, taking place tonight at the Bluebird Theater, 3317 East Colfax Avenue. “It’s kind of like Cirque du Soleil meets Indie Six,” Dixon continues. “We’ve…

Let Frida Ring

Who doesn’t love Frida Kahlo? The woman was an icon, born to produce beauty, so it’s only fitting that Denver steps up to celebrate what would have been her 100th birthday, had she not died in 1954. Studio Bead’s celebration — Beads, Braids, Brows — took place on Thursday and…

Fonzi to the Rescue

Sure, there are retrievers who fish kids out of raging streams and poodles who can dial 911. But for sheer canine heroism, it’s tough to beat a German shepherd. Think RinTinTin. Think Fonzi. Local gadfly and erstwhile talk-show host Mike Zinna is best known for fanning flames of outrage over…

Meat on the Street

The awning keeps cops shady while directing traffic at Bandimere Speedway. I live in Morrison, and during big events at Bandimere Speedway — such as this weekend’s Mile High Nationals — the police are out in force to help direct traffic. Their presence is a necessity, but you know it’s…

Go Green

The annual Colorado Irish Festival kicks off tonight, proving once again that practically everybody’s got a little Irish in them — or wishes they had. “It’s going to be kind of like a TGIF party, Irish-style,” explains the fest’s Pat McCullough. Get there early (admission is free from 5 to…

Way to Ride

We can’t all be professional motorcycle adventurers. And even if we could, we wouldn’t be able to compete with the inimitable Dr. Gregory Frazier, who’s circumnavigated the globe — solo, by motorcycle — four times. But that doesn’t mean we should give up entirely. In honor of today (Ride to…

Bare Necessities

Men, I have an unfortunate news flash for you: When my girlfriends and I get together for some one-on-one time, we do not have pillow fights in bras, panties and heels. And we don’t always have time to indulge in a bubble bath while ridding our legs of unwanted hair,…

Something New

In order to understand Not the Same Old Song and Dance, you need to be familiar with Open Dialogue XI: Global Connections to Cultural Democracy. This national multicultural arts conference unites arts organizations, academics, cultural policy-makers and other movers and shakers to discuss global connections and issues affecting communities of…

Art Attack

Randy Moore’s “Little Art Critic” personifies the spirit of the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. The Cherry Creek Arts Festival has been going strong for seventeen years, and it’s not hard to see why this annual arts event is one of the most competitive juried arts showcases in the country, inviting…

Communal Cycling

My father was a mountain-biking freak. He’d jet from Littleton up to Conifer on what he called a “short ride,” and he was a dynamic presence at the ride-across-the-state cycling events in which he participated. He’d occasionally try to get me to join him on these week-long “adventures,” and I’d…

Phoenix Rising

I’m not ashamed to admit that I carry what some people might consider an unhealthy affinity for Harry Potter. Although the copies my parents bought were intended for my youngest brother, somehow the books spirited themselves into my bedroom whenever I was home for a visit. (It must have been…

Art Start

Anyone who’s lived in Colorado for longer than two seconds knows about the Cherry Creek Arts Festival (CCAF) and how it’s nationally recognized as one of the best arts festivals in all of time and space, yadda yadda yadda. It’s one of the don’t-miss happenings of the summer. But not…

Rhyme and Reason

Even though the first Denver Poets Day took place in 1976, today’s installment is only the tenth version. “The first one was dedicated to Neal Cassady by many of the people who were friends with him,” explains poet Ken Arkind. The day was resurrected in 1999 and has featured such…

Into the Labyrinth

Everyone has a handful of movies they watched over and over and over when they were young. Mine were The Neverending Story and Labyrinth — you know, that flick with Jim Henson’s weird and wild puppets, David Bowie playing Jareth the sinister Goblin King, and Jennifer Connelly as Sarah, a…

Sweet Harmony

For the first time in 69 years, the Barbershop Harmony Society International Convention is taking place in Denver. And this is no wimpy two-day celebration of song: The harmonizing starts today and continues through Sunday, July 8, making for almost a full week of performances, contests and sing-alongs. “People should…

Funked Up

It isn’t often that a head shop turns 28, or that the funk comeback in Denver spawns a full-on ball to celebrate all things groovy and danceable. And when those things happen together…well, you don’t want to be the one who misses out on all the fun. Tonight at 7…

Ropin’ and Ridin’

Any buckin’-bronc fanatics worth their salt know that the Fourth of July holiday is the biggest and best time of the year for rodeo. And there’s a darn good reason that the roughest, toughest names are all appearing at the Greeley Stampede. “This is our 85th annual Stampede,” explains marketing…

Going Green

Tonight’s e-town concert — a special presentation with Michael Franti and Spearhead, the John Butler Trio and Mavis Staples, taking place at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison — is billed as the first annual Green Rocks. So what’s to come in future years? “More fun, more green, more education, more…