This year, it’s Nathaniel Merrill’s turn: The founder of Opera Colorado is being honored today at the Tesoro Foundation’s annual Farolito Lighting at the Fort restaurant, which each year draws attention to a different community member in the celebration of light, carols and pinecones. The farolitos — tiny lanterns based…

If you’ve been to the Denver Book Mall recently, you may have noticed a miniature Christmas tree festooned with baby books and miniscule wire-rimmed glasses. And if your fingers just itched to take that tiny tree home — or another titchy Tannenbaum with different themed decorations — then you need…

Artist Anna-Karin is all about the light in New Mexico. She left her home on the Baltic Sea to travel the world, and when she got to the Land of Enchantment, she was captivated by the Southwestern splendor. Ever since, she’s been using vibrant color to paint dramatic landscapes and…

If I got to make one wish, know what I’d wish for? The chance to meet a pirate named Jack. Well, Captain Jack, preferably. Maybe it’s Johnny Depp’s impish smile, or the devil-may-care glint in his gorgeous, bottomless eyes when he straps on the persona of Captain Jack Sparrow. Maybe…

In this day and age, it’s not uncommon to see some color instead of stark, unending black at a funeral or memorial service. But those who dared to don anything else at such affairs would have been socially ostracized in Victorian times. And wearing black wasn’t the only rule of…

Let’s see if we understand you correctly: The Rocky Mountain Rollergirls have only two home bouts left in their season, and you haven’t attended even once this year to show support for your official Women’s Flat Track Derby Association team?! Well, slacker, you’re in luck, because tonight’s Spook-N-Roll is going…

There is nothing more adorable than a dog in a costume — except, of course, a pack of dogs in costumes, all swimming and doing tricks for treats in close proximity to one another. And when the proceeds from such dogged activity go to a non-profit organization that funds humane…

What do Justin Beard, Kymberly Robertson, Tricia Hoke, Lillia Miller, Matt Gillespie and Everett Mansfield have in common? They’ll all show off their handcrafted masks as part of the Masquerade Ball tonight at the Oriental Theater. Also on the lineup are the Roman Numerals and Munly & the Lee Lewis…

Executive director Anton Villatoro pulled out all the stops for the inaugural Denver Marathon. “Dave McGillivray, our race director, designed the course,” enthuses Villatoro. “He wanted to design a course that would highlight all of Denver’s major landmarks.” And how: McGillivray, director of the Boston Marathon, starts the course at…

“We’re running the whole gamut with our workshops,” says Luann Pesonen, special-events manager for National Jewish Medical and Research Center. “A number of our speakers are dealing with beauty from the inside out, beauty and health, and there are just so many wonderful things to learn. How to eat intuitively…

There are a lot of ways you can donate money to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, but none of them are as much fun as A Catch for a Cause, which gives you the opportunity to bid on a fabulous date — and know your escort cash will be used…

“LUPEC just adores the hi-dive,” enthuses GerRee Anderson, public-relations representative for the Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails. “And the hi-dive feels the same about this party.” In fact, once a year, there are more than enough warm fuzzies to go around: It’s LUPEC’s Crush Party, and tonight’s…

“My mom always makes comments about how shy I was when I was young, and she just can’t believe that I’m doing what I’m doing,” says Burlesque As It Was founder and dancer Vivienne VaVoom — aka Michelle Baldwin, a Westword contributor. “It’s changed the way I dress, the way…

John Erhardt, the founder of Drinking Liberally Denver, has a message for all the left-wingers out there: “To people who have maybe heard of Drinking Liberally but have never been to an event, this would be the event not to be missed.” This event is the second annual Drinking Liberally…

Last year’s Boulder County Brews Cruise, a brewery tour that took place during the Great American Beer Festival, sold out — so this year, organizer Marty Jones of Oskar Blues Brewery decided they needed two buses. Those buses leave today from the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th Street, with each…

Fancy gourmet restaurants might have some tasty grub, but it’s tough to beat Mom’s home-cooked meals. It’s surprising, then, that women accounted for only about one-fifth of all executive chefs and head cooks in 2005, according to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Females on Fire chips away at the…

The weather outside might be frightful, but inside Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret, 1601 Arapahoe Street, the ladies of Burlesque As It Was will be setting the stage on fire — so delightful! It’s time once again for Brrrrrlesque! Lovely Ladies in a Winter Wonderland, a most entertaining show complete with champagne-hat…

It’s been twenty years since the first AIDS Walk Colorado hit the streets, raising funds to help battle the spread of HIV/AIDS. Last year’s walk involved more than 7,000 participants, who helped scrape together $60,000 for the cause. The 5K walk begins and ends in Cheesman Park, and for the…

If your relatives are anything like mine, then it’s tough to find family activities that truly have something for everyone. Well, look no further than the City Park Festival of the Arts: This free fest features more than 140 artists and craftspeople for moms; two stages of music, including rock,…

I’ve always wanted to enjoy traditional golf, but at the tender age of six, I accidentally nailed my younger brother in the head with a driver. He had failed to inform me that he was walking behind me while I practiced. We both cried, he got stitches, and my lucrative…

Spending a night out with the girls is always problematic: Even if you can manage to shed the boy friends, boyfriends and husbands for a night, there’s always some creepy guy at the bar who wants to paw at you and ask for your phone number. And you can forget…